October 2015
St. Mark School
PRINCIPAL
M. Masucci
SECRETARY
M. Dziedzic
SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAIRS
C. Diab
F. Fadero
SUPERINTENDENT
D. Amaral
(905) 890-1221
PASTOR
Fr. T. Hanley
Associate: Fr. C. Egbulefu
(905) 820-1444
TRUSTEE WARDS 2 & 8
Sharon Hobin
(905) 301-1210
FAX (905) 569-9052
Sharon.hobin@dpcdsb.org
ST MARK SCHOOL
3675 Sawmill Valley Dr
Mississauga, ON
L5L 2Z5
PHONE
(905) 820-9477
ATTENDANCE
(905) 820-9477 # 1
FAX: (905) 820-1229
School Website:
www.dpcdsb.org/schools/MARKE
September was an exciting month at
St. Mark School. Our Beginning of the
School Year Gathering and Open House,
marked and celebrated our commitment to
learning, growing and serving in the love of
Christ. Students, staff and families reflected
on our Catholic Education theme, Opening
Doors of Mercy where each class received a
symbol of our promise to be people of
mercy and the light of Christ in our world.
During this time of thanksgiving, I thank
God for your ongoing support in helping
our children believe, achieve and succeed.
We, at St. Mark School, are truly honoured
and blessed to be sharing this wonderful
journey with you. Thank you to all who
attended our September events, including
our Curriculum Night, Opening Celebration
and Terry Fox Walk. The Terry Fox event
truly showed St. Mark School’s spirit of
giving; raising $1800.00 for cancer research.
Thank you also for your generous
contributions to our Thanksgiving Food
Drive supporting Salvation Army and Eden
Food Bank. Your support will assist many
families in need in our local community,
along with helping our children learn to
serve in the love of Christ. Your presence
and commitment to our school community
will truly make a difference in the lives of
our children. Rooted in our Faith and
Catholic Graduate Expectations, we
continue to emphasize excellence in student
achievement and well-being. On behalf of
the St. Mark Staff, we look forward to a
wonderful year, and wish you and your
family a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.
M. Masucci
Sacramental Information
Reconciliation and First Communion
This month we celebrate the virtue of
Empathy. Empathy is a combination of
compassion and understanding. It is the
willingness to go out of one’s way to put
others’ needs ahead of one’s own. It is a
willingness to comfort those who need
comforting, to morn with those who
morn and to help those who are in need.
Wednesday October 7, 2015
Reconciliation and First Communion
Enrollment
Registration/Enrollment at Loyola
Parish 7:00 pm
Thursday November 19, 2015
Church Tour & Reconciliation Rehearsal
for Grade 2’s @ 1:00 pm – Loyola Parish
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
First Reconciliation - Loyola Parish 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 28, 2016
First Communion Rehearsal - Loyola
Parish 1:00 pm
Sunday, May 1, 2016
First Communion at St. Ignatius Loyola
at 2:00 pm
Confirmation
Rosary Apostolate
Commencing November
29th and with the
support of our Parish,
St. Ignatius Loyola Church, all students
will work with the Rosary Apostolate
group, on learning and praying the
Rosary. A Marion celebration will be
held in May for our school community.
Tuesday December 1, 2 or 3, 2015
(choose one date to attend)
Parent Meeting and student registration
at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish at 7:00 pm
Thursday May 5, 2016
Confirmation Rehearsal at Loyola Parish
- 1:00 pm
Thursday May 12, 2016
Confirmation at Loyola Parish - 7:00 pm
St Mark’s
Food Drive
World Teachers’ Day
Thank you to all
who have given
so generously
so others may celebrate Thanksgiving
Day and to Mrs. Lein and Mrs.
Mahoney for overseeing this outreach
initiative. We are supporting Salvation
Army Foodbank and Eden Food Bank
for families in need in our local
community.
October 5th is the day
specifically
designated to
recognize the contribution of teachers.
World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated
in 1994 to commemorate the signing of
the UNESCO/ILO. More than 100
countries currently celebrate World
Teachers’ Day. At St. Mark School,
we are very fortunate to have so many
dedicated individuals who work to
provide for the education of the young
people in the community. Thank you to
all our teachers!
Terry Fox Walk
Student Information
We thank all families who completed
and returned Student Verification
Forms promptly. These forms are very
important as they ensure that we always
have up to date information for your
child. If you have not already done so,
please send this form back to your
child’s teacher. Please check phone
numbers, etc. carefully so we always
have the most up to date information
should we need to contact you. Don’t
forget to include your email address if
you wish to receive this newsletter and
other communications electronically.
Please make sure that you advise the
office of any additional changes to
contact information through the year.
Thank you to those who donated to the
Terry Fox Walk for cancer research that
was held on Friday, October 3, 2015.
This year we donated $1,800 to the
Terry Fox Foundation. Thank you to
Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Patterson for
organizing this event.
Milk Bags for Haiti
Overseen by Ms. Keddy and Ms. Vlasic,
our milk bags for Haiti project is going
strong. We will be collecting milk bags
throughout the school year. Milk bags
will be woven into mats by our very
own students, that will be used as beds
in Haiti.
Safe Arrival Program
It is important to call the school if your
child is going to be absent. This is vital to
ensure the safety of your child. Our
answering machine is in operation 24 hours
a day.
(905)-820-9477, extension 1
Please provide your child’s name, grade,
teacher name and the reason for absence.
Appropriate School Attire
Kiss and Ride Safety
St. Mark School is proud of its Kiss and
Ride program. In order for it to
continue to run smoothly and safely for
all our students, staff and visitors,
everyone needs to follow the same
procedures:
1. To drop students off at school, please
drive into the west entrance and
along the centre lane until you round
the corner and drop off at teacher.
2. In order to ensure the safety of your
children, please do not let your child
out of the car until you are at the
front of the lane. Children should
exit on the sidewalk side.
3. Never drive in the bus lane.
4. Never leave your car unattended in
the school driveway. It is against the
law and you may be ticketed by
police who regularly patrol the area.
5. Please turn off your ignition while
you are waiting for your child at the
end of the day.
6. If you need to walk your child to the
yard, or you need to stop into the
office, please park in the parking lot,
not in the designated bus and fire
lanes. We appreciate your
cooperation.
7. Crossing Guards: please adhere to
the crossing guards’ directions.
Grade 8 Overnight Ottawa Trip
Information Meeting
An information evening will be held in
our library on October 28th at 7:00 p.m.
for all parents of our grade 8 students.
With the arrival of fall
weather, we ask that
children dress
appropriately for the
cooler autumn days.
Also, please ensure that
your child has an extra
pair of socks in case of wet days, as well
as indoor shoes should they come to
school in rain boots.
Halloween at School
Students are permitted to
wear costumes to school on
Friday October 30, 2015.
We ask students NOT to wear masks.
Also, please remember that guns,
swords or other items associated with
violence are not permitted. Please Do
Not send any food treats to school with
your child. Treats such as stickers and
pencils are appropriate treats for
children to distribute to their classmates.
Our student
council, overseen
by Ms. Keddy and
Ms. Vlasic will be
hosting a
Halloween Dance for all students in the
gym. Nut free treats will be sold at the
dance in support of Hope for Haiti.
More information is forthcoming.
Criminal Reference Check
If you wish to volunteer your services in
the school, you must submit a Criminal
Reference Check (CRC). Applications
are available in the office and are of NO
COST to you. All parents with valid
CRC’s must complete a Criminal
Offence Declaration (COD) every year.
Student Lunches
COUNCIL CORNER
If you are dropping off your child’s
lunch, please do so before 11:30 am. We
have students waiting for their lunches
until 11:45 am which would not leave
them enough time to eat their lunch.
Also, have your child’s name on the
lunch bag; and if you are bringing lunch
in a thermos, please provide eating
utensils.
Thank you to all parents
who were able to make
our first council meeting
on Monday October 5th.
Congratulations to the Council members
who were elected to the following
positions for the 2015-2016 school year:
Life Threatening Allergies
There are students in our school who
have severe peanut or nut allergies,
which are life threatening. Everyone’s
continued cooperation is needed in not
sending foods to school with peanuts,
nuts or their by-products. Further to
this, as part of Sabrina’s Law, we are no
longer permitted to allow treats for
sharing with other students. To
acknowledge your child’s birthday, if
you wish to send something, items such
as pencils or “dollar store treasures”
that are not edible would be
appropriate. Thank you for your
cooperation in making our school a safe
place for all students.
Progress Reports
Progress reports will be coming home
November 17, 2015. The progress report
provides initial information about a
student’s progress. It is designed to
show a student’s development of the
learning skills and work habits, as well
as a student’s general progress in
working towards the achievement of the
curriculum expectations. The evening
of November 19, 2015 will be designated
for Parent/Teacher Interviews.
Note: Students in FDK do not receive a
progress report in November.
Co-Chairs:
Cheryl Diab and Folake Fadero
Co-Treasurers:
Jennifer Miles & Patricia DeMelo
Secretary:
Mark Joseph
Parish Rep: Lenny Ferreira
OAPCE Rep:
Daphne Lok
Teacher Rep:
Niyla Vlasic
Parent Reps:
Dora Pinto,
Debbie Tapp, Malwina Rewkowska,
Frank Basile, Nigel Nambiar, Zeina
Diab, Andrew Basnett, Renata Cudzich,
Stephanie Mazzone, Leanne Macri,
Jennifer Mostowski, Jane Cotnam
and Jane Kulchin.
Our thanks to the previous year’s
Council for all their hard work on behalf
of our school. Please remember that all
all members of our parent community
are welcome to attend School Council
meetings. Also, volunteers are always
welcome to help out with school events.
The following Catholic School Council
meetings are set for Mondays at
6:00 pm: Nov. 16, Jan. 11, Feb. 29,
April 4, May - TBA
All are welcome!
Pizza Days
Junior Intramurals
Your 2015-16 School
Council will offer St.
Mark students pizza
lunch this fall. Pizza days are scheduled
on Fridays, starting on October 9 to
December 18.
If you would like to assist with the
processing of pizza orders or with pizza
Fridays, please provide your name to
the office.
Fall Fundraising:
Our Fall fundraiser is
up and running. The
fundraiser consists of
LaMontagne
Boutique Chocolates, with tasty rice
crisp chocolates, salted chocolate and
caramel. Funds that are raised will go
towards technology, literacy and
numeracy resources and initiatives,
physical education equipment, the arts
resources, school wide celebrations,
sacramental support and eco projects.
Your continued support is greatly
appreciated.
Cross Country Club
Thank you to Mrs. Johnson, Mr.
Patterson, Ms. Tuason and Mr. Kennedy
who have been working with the junior
and intermediate students training for
the Cross Country Meet. The Family of
Schools Meet is on Tuesday, October 20,
2015 at Erindale Park. The Board Cross
Country Meet is on Monday October 26
at Etobicoke’s Centennial Park.
Volleyball
Our Junior boys and girls teams are
working hard, with the guidance of Mr.
Patterson, Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Keddy.
Our Junior Intramurals will commence
next week. Overseen by Mrs. Mahoney
and Mrs. Lein, students in the junior
grades will be able to partake in
basketball games during lunch recess.
St. Mark Chorus
Under the direction of Mrs. Legere,
students have been committed to
preparing for liturgies, masses and
celebrations. We will keep you posted
on upcoming events showcasing our
St. Mark Chorus.
ECO SCHOOL
St. Mark School is proud to be a GOLD
certified Eco School!
Under the leadership
of Mrs. Kuta, Ms.
Ramelli, and Mrs.
Lyon, the Eco-Team
will continue to work
very hard at
maintaining or
exceeding this standard of excellence.
Beginning next week, the Eco Team is
kicking off the year with its first campaign:
“Flick Off Friday’s”. All classes will have
their lights out from 10:30 to 11:30 am. We
encourage students at St. Mark to
participate in Litterless Lunch Tuesdays
and Reusable Water Bottle Wednesdays in
an effort to continue making our school an
eco- friendly environment. We will be
tracking students who participate and
prizes will be awarded throughout the year.
It’s the little things we do together that can
make a big difference overall. Thank you
parents for your continued support with
eco initiatives. Go Green St. Mark School!