ST. PETER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
46 Dawson Road, Orangeville, Ontario L9W 2W3
PRINCIPAL:
SECRETARY:
SUPERINTENDENT:
M. DeVellis
L. Mongeon
L. Storey
TRUSTEE:
PASTOR:
(905) 890-1221
Phone: 519 941-2741
Fax: 519 941-4462
F. Di Cosola (905) 951-8898
Fr. Sean Lee Lung (519) 941 - 2424
SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAIR: N. Petrocco/T. Pittarelli
MARCH 2015 – NEWSLETTER #7
Lent: a time to Fast and Feast
ssN
TARY
SCHOOL
within them.
Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of
all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of
light.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that
purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing
prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that
inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
May this season of Lent continue to be for all of us: a
time to fast and a time to feast.
VIRTUE EDUCATION
Virtue for March is KINDNESS
This month we will celebrate the virtue of Kindness:
A person who is Kind …
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Relates to family members in a loving, compassionate
manner
Values and honours the important role of the family
in society
Examines, evaluates and applies knowledge of
interdependent systems for the development of a just
and compassionate society
Promotes the sacredness of life
God wants us to give generously to others around us.
Blessed all who worship you, almighty God,
from the rising of the sun to its setting;
from your goodness enrich us,
by your love inspire us,
by your Spirit guide us,
by your power protect us,
in your mercy receive us,
now and always.
(Sacred Space for Lent 2008)
MARCH BREAK
MARCH 16-20
We wish all staff and students a restful March Break!
EASTER
April 3 - Good Friday
April 5 - Easter Sunday
April 6 - Easter Monday
BOARD NEWS – WEATHER
As you are aware, we have had an abundance of weather
related disruptions to our regular school program this
winter. While the closing of schools and cancellation of buses
has disrupted our days of instruction, please know that your
child’s teacher will continue to ensure that the essential
components of the curriculum are taught prior to the end of
the school year. We continue our commitment to ensuring
an excellent Catholic education for each and every student.
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact
your child’s classroom teacher or myself.
COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF
Parent/Guardians are encouraged to communicate with
school staff via agendas, telephone or person to person. We
discourage communication via board email. If you have
any concerns regarding your child and need to communicate
with their teacher please call to set up a meeting.
PLAN AHEAD . . .
We are in the process of planning staffing and organizing
classes for the 2015-2016 school year. If you are planning
on moving out of the St. Peter school area, or simply
changing address within our boundaries, please let the office
know as soon as possible. Families with students who live
outside of the school area are reminded that they must apply
through the Flex Boundary policy to the Principal for
permission to attend the school in September 2015.
CHANGING PLANS, DROPPING OFF CLOTHING
AND HOME-WORK IN THE OFFICE
Parents/guardians are encouraged to remind their children
to remember to bring all their items to school in the morning.
Calling classrooms to re-mind students to pick up materials,
causes disruption to the class and lessons being taught.
Also, if you are picking up your child early from school
please indicate this in your child’s agenda or send a note to
the classroom teacher.
Uninterrupted instructional time is very important to the
learning environment of all our students. Frequent
interruptions to a classroom results in loss of concentration
and delivery of lessons which ultimately will affect a child’s
learning process. Staff will continue to receive messages in
their mailboxes or during recess times if necessary.
We thank you for supporting our efforts here at St. Peter.
We thank you for your support in this area.
EMERGENCY RELEASE FORMS
These forms are now past due! We are still awaiting many
forms that have not been completed and returned. Please
complete the Emergency Release Form and return it to the
office as soon as possible.
EQAO for all grade three and grade six students will take
place for this year during the period starting Monday,
May 25h to Friday, June 5th. We kindly ask that
parents refrain from booking appointments or holidays
during this time. Parents may visit the EQAO website at
www.eqao.com for resources and useful information
regarding EQAO, including sample tests from last year.
More information to follow.
Thank you.
CLASS LISTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015
Staff will soon be meeting to organize class lists for
September 2015. If there are any special learning needs your
child has that you feel we should know when making up
classes, please do so in writing to the principal by April
30th. Letters received that list a request for a specific
teacher will not be considered. Please limit comments
to specific learning styles. Requests for your child to be
placed with a “friend” will not be considered. If you feel
your child has an ongoing conflict with another child, please
write us a letter and we will do our best to separate them, if
possible. All staff work hard to balance class lists by abilities,
gender and learning style. Please bear in mind that small
primary classes (max 20) often result in combined classes
throughout the school. As a result, requests for students not
to be placed in a combined grade will not be considered.
GIVE UP TO GIVE CHALLENGE
On Monday, March 9, 2015, St. Peter School staff and
students will once again participate in the challenge to Live
Free. For one day only staff and students are asked to give up
something and to show their commitment we are requesting
for a donation of a “tooney”. All funds collected will
remain at St. Peter School to support our healthy snack
program. Your financial support allows us to continue to
provide healthy snacks for our students and also every
Friday, classes receive a tray of fruits and vegetables.
Thank you for your generous consideration in supporting
our healthy snacks program here at St. Peter School! Thank
you also to the parent volunteers that help make this
program such a huge success and to the many staff members
for organizing the fruits and vegetables each week!
CURRICULAR NEWS
ALL STAR READING PROGRAM
This month we have started the All Star Reading Program.
We would like to thank the volunteers who are supporting
this initiative for the students at St. Peter School community.
Our volunteer coaches are:
- D. Ayala
- T. Schmidt
- D. Waltho
- M. B. Tonnelly
Volunteers like YOU, make a HUGE difference in the life of a
school!
A special thank you to Ms. Koomen for planning, organizing
and training the All Star coaches.
If you are interested in volunteering and have a Criminal
Reference Check please contact the school by Friday
March 13, 2015.
ONLINE REPORTING TOOL
St. Peter - WEB PAGE
The Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board has
developed a new way to help nuture a safe, caring and
inclusive school environment. The Online Reporting Tool is
intended for students grades 3-8 who become aware of
bullying incidents and negative behaviors. The students can
simply “ click” on the link found on the St. Peter web page to
fill out the report. The report will then be directly emailed to
the principal and or vice principal and will be dealt with
accordingly. It is important to recognize that the Online
reporting Tool is an alternate reporting option. It is best
practice to speak directly with a responsible adult at home
and/ or in the school.
EARTH HOUR - TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!
We would like to take this time to invite all St. Peter families
to participate in EARTH HOUR, which is an international
celebration of the conservation of electricity generated by
lights. On Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 8:30 p.m.
to 9:30 pm, we are asked to turn off all electrical sources of
light and see what we can do instead. The Eco Team would
like to challenge our St. Peter community to come up with
novel and fun ways to celebrate this hour with your family,
friends and neighbours. Write down your plan and send it in
by March 27th. We’ll select the best response and
announce it over the P.A. Happy Earth Hour everyone!
cause disruption of bus transportation and regular school
operations. A decision to cancel school transportation and/or
to close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m. and will be
announced on the various radio and T.V. stations in the
greater Toronto area. This information will also be posted on
our school’s website as well as, Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board’s website.
DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER
We would like to remind all students to dress
appropriately for the season by wearing the proper winter
attire which should include hats, gloves/mitts, winter coats
and boots. When students are dressed properly for the winter
conditions, they can go outside and enjoy some fresh air and
activity in comfort. There will be a few times during the
course of the year where a recess may be shortened or held
indoors due to extreme cold temperatures. Our school
board policy states that although consideration should be
given for keeping students indoors during recesses when the
wind chill reaches –20 C, students are to be kept indoors
during recesses when the wind chill reaches –25 C. In the
colder weather, we receive numerous requests to allow
children to remain indoors when students have a cold, the
flu, etc. Please note that we cannot accommodate this
request, as we do not have the staff to supervise these
students.
SNOW STAYS ON THE GROUND
Every year about this time students need to be gently
reminded that throwing snowballs and/or kicking snow is
prohibited on school property – before, during or after
school hours. If students are caught throwing snow in any
fashion, their behaviour will be addressed by the teacher on
duty and by the office.
Thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping
St. Peter School staff and students safe!
STUDENT ILLNESS-STAYING IN FOR RECESS
Students who are ill should be kept home where they are
most comfortable and can get better, sooner. A child who is
too ill to go out for recess is too ill to be at school. Your
co-operation to keep your child home when he/she is ill is
appreciated.
Students who need to stay indoors for medical reasons must
have a doctor’s note to indicate this.
STUDENT LATENESS
VISITORS TO ST. PETER SCHOOL
A reminder, for the safety of all our students and staff, we ask
that all visitors please check in at the office and obtain a
Visitor’s badge. We ask that you sign in and out.
Thank you in advance for assisting us in keeping St. Peter
School safe.
BUS CANCELLATIONS & SCHOOL CLOSING
Please be flexible in understanding that runs may be delayed
due to poor weather conditions. Inclement weather may
There has been a gradual increase in the number of students
arriving just as the bell rings or after. Please note that classes
begin at 8:55 am sharp and students should arrive at
school prepared to begin work on time. Please review the
need to be punctual with your children. Once the last of the
student lines have entered the building at the back, the doors
are closed and locked. A child who is coming in late must
report to the office for a late slip as part of the safe arrival
program. Lateness is a disruption to the class and other
students. Please try to impress upon your child the need to
be on time.
8:55 am
11:05 am – 11:20 am
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
2:25 pm -2:40 pm
3:25
ELKP to Grade 8 Classes Begin
Grades 1 - 8 Recess
Lunch
Grades 1 – 8 Recess
Dismissal
Supervision of pupils in the mornings begins at
8:40am. To ensure your child’s safety, please do
not bring your child to school before 8:40 a.m.
as no one will be available to supervise students.
AWARENESS OF FRAGRANCES
Fragrances and scents are found in a wide range of products
including perfume, aftershave, deodorant, soap, air
fresheners, fabric softeners, laundry detergents, facial tissues
and candles. Exposure to fragrances and other scented
products may trigger adverse health reactions (e.g., asthma
attack, anaphylactic reactions and shortness of breath) in
individuals with asthmas, allergies, migraines or chemical
sensitivities. Other less serious but equally debilitating
symptoms include headache, sore throat, runny nose, sinus
congestion, wheezing, dizziness, anxiety, anger, nausea,
fatigue, mental confusion and an inability to concentrate. In
order to support those individuals with sensitivities to
fragrances and scents, and to possibly prevent others from
developing such sensitivities, we are asking your cooperation
in avoiding the use of spray perfumes and fragrances in the
school. In particular, students should use roll-on deodorants
after gym classes. Other spray deodorants are misused in the
change rooms and hallways.
Thank you to the following parent volunteers for your
support in making this year’s event such a success:
- D. Ayala
- S. Perrotta
- M. Pittarelli
- T. Pittarelli
- L. Petit
- T. Schmidt
- C. McNally
- C. Abela
- N. Krbec
- B. Fifield
- G. Malow
- S. Dojlidko
- O. Lehman
Volunteers like YOU, make a HUGE difference in the life of a
school!
FRENCH CAFÉ
On Thursday, February 12, our school gym was completely
transformed into a French Café filled with fun and
excitement for all to experience and enjoy. Students were
immersed in the French culture, music and good food.
Special thank you to Ms. D. Luciani and Ms. J. Jankowski, our
FSL teachers for planning and organizing the event and, to
the intermediate students for running the centers. Thank you
also to the eco team for the great artwork.
SPORTS NEWS
FLU SEASON
We would like to remind parents of the need to have a
network of support to care for children especially in case of
midday illness. As we go through this difficult time when
everyone is anxious about the spread of germs please note
that the Health Department repeatedly recommends that the
best practice to prevent the spread of viruses is:
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Wash hands with soap and water thoroughly and
often
To cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue
Stay home if you are sick
When children become sick during the course of the day, a
plan needs to be in place to care for him/her. As with all
medical issues, we continue to take direction from Dufferin
County Health on how to best respond to community illness.
On Thursday, February 19th, our Junior Boys’ and Girls’
Basketball teams represented St. Peter School with great
leadership and team spirit at the Brampton East/Caledon/
Dufferin/Malton Family of Schools Tournament which took
place at St. Andrew’s School. Thank you to the following
team members:
Adrianna, Amelia, Michelle, Sam, Klaudia, Savannah, Erica,
Airbie, Alex, Owen, Josh, Aiden, Dylan, Daniel, Jordan,
Domonic, Jacob, Ben and Eryk.
They truly represented St. Peter School with pride and
dedication.
Thank you also to Mrs. Hart-Ruhl for coaching the teams.
SHROVE TUESDAY
Thank you to St. Peter’s Catholic School Council and to all
our parent volunteers for organizing and “flipping”
pancakes and preparing fruit cups for staff and students
on Shrove Tuesday. For $5.00 students purchased
pancakes, drink and cookie.
More information regarding the amount raised will be
shared in the April newsletter.
INDOOR FOOTWEAR
For SAFETY reasons, students MUST wear shoes in the
school building at all times. Please note that in the event of
an emergency evacuation, students will not have the time
to put on shoes, boots, clothing articles, etc. Please also
ensure that your child has an extra pair of shoes at school, to
keep their feet dry and warm during snowy weather.
SOCKS AND SLIPPERS ARE NOT FOOTWEAR.
Medication at
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Our next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
April 7, 2015 at 6:30 pm. Please come out and join us!
Treats
No School from March 16-20, 2015: March
Break
DATES TO REMEMBER – PLEASE MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
LOOKING AHEAD
March 23
March 24
March 24
March 29
March 30-April 3
April 3
April 6
April 21
April 22
May 4-8
May 11
May 18
May 25-June 5
June 26
School resumes from March Break
Gr. 8 Graduation pictures (a.m.)
Senior Kindergarten Graduation
pictures (a.m.)
Palm Sunday
Holy Week
Good Friday-No School
Easter Monday-No School
Dufferin Arts Festival
Earth Day
Catholic Education Week
P.A. Day-No School
Victoria Day-No School
EQAO testing for all Grade 3 and
6 students
Last day of school
ATTACHMENTS
Public Health Dental Info
Parent/Caregiver Support Group
Parenting Workshops
Math @ Home
Live Free
Revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum