S
St. Pio of Pietrelcina Elementary School
4765 Huron Heights Dr., Mississauga, On. L4Z 4G9 Phone: 905 361 1327 Fax: 905 361 0165
Principal:
J. Lavalle
Vice Principal: R. Pattterson
Secretary:
B. Petricca
Superintendent: T. Lariviere
905 890 1221
Pastor: Father Sol, Father Charles
Parish: Sts. Peter and Paul
Trustee: A. Abbruscato
905 890 0708 ext. 24239 or
416 459 0126
February 2016
Newsletter
Black History Month
February is Black History Month.
Throughout the month of February, our
students will be involved in various
classroom activities focusing on Black History. This is a time to
celebrate the many contributions of Black Canadians, who
throughout history have done so much to make Canada the
culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation we know
today. This year St. Pio will be hosting speaker, Norma Nicholson
on Thursday, February 4th at 10:30a.m. Mrs. Nicholson is a
published author, nurse, speaker, educator and youth expert. She
recently authored and published “Young Lives on the Line: You
Can Make a Difference” by drawing upon her own experiences
growing up as an at-risk child who was homeless as an infant and a
youth. Mrs. Nicholson will address the junior and intermediate
classes on the topic: “Immigration to Canadian Citizenship”. We
look forward to her visit!
P.A. Day – Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
Friday, February 5th, 2016
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
FAMILY DAY PROVINCIAL HOLIDAY
Monday, February 15th, 2016
Prayer During Black
History Month
Father of creation,
Whose son Jesus incarnated in
time
And whose Spirit enlivens our
lives today.
May we honour the height of
your creation,
the Human Family.
Jesus, Brother of us all
Your prayer to the Father
“that they all may be one”
Through the Holy Spirit.
May we witness this Unity of
One Spirit of God in the month
of appreciating the gift of your
children of African descent.
May we be inspired to see your
kingdom mystery
In one facet of the jewel of our
Human family’s descent.
Amen
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
St. Pio is now on Twitter! For the latest school news and information, follow us @StPioDPCDSB.
Pray, hope and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer. St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Virtue of the Month –
Respect
A respectful person …
• treats himself/herself and everyone
else with equal consideration and
courtesy
• Uses a positive tone of voice and
body language
• Avoids swearing, name-calling,
put-downs, and inappropriate
gestures
• Says “Excuse me”, “Please”,
“Pardon me”
• Avoids gossip
During the month of February, we
will celebrate the virtue of respect.
God has given us the gifts of friends
and companions to keep us company
and to help us out along the way.
Every person in our lives carries the
Spirit of God and so every person is
our brother or sister through Jesus
Christ. As brothers and sisters who
share one Holy Spirit, we are all
valuable to God. We all deserve to
be shown courtesy, consideration,
sensitivity and thoughtfulness which
are different ways of displaying the
virtue of respect. That respect should
come first and foremost from us. We
have to respect ourselves and then we
will be able to respect others. We
should also be able to expect to be
treated with respect by everyone we
meet – our brothers and sisters in
Jesus. Through prayer and
concentration, we can get better at
respecting ourselves as well as
respecting those around us.
KISS AND RIDE
The Kiss and Ride lane is a convenience provided to parents with
the intention of parents remaining in their cars. Parents who
need to get out of their car to let their child out should park either
on the street or at Huron Heights Park parking lot and escort their
children safely onto school property.
Rules to remember:
Never park in the Kiss and Ride lane and get out of your car.
Always pull up to the front of the line and let your child out
at the sidewalk where the supervising teacher will be
standing. Do not let your child out anywhere else! Thank you
for your assistance in making our school the safest it can possibly
be for our students!
Sts. Peter and Paul Parish
First Reconciliation will take place on March 7th or March
10th, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
First Holy Communion Retreat – April 25th or May 2nd, 2015
at 10:30 - 12:00 a.m.
First Holy Communion will take place on April 10th or April
17th, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. mass
Confirmation Retreat - May 23rd or May 30th, 2015 at 10:30 12:00 a.m.
Confirmation will take place April 24th or May 1st, 2016 at 2:00
p.m. mass for Grade 7 students and May 8th or May 15th, 2016 at
2:00p.m. mass for Grade 8 students.
Winter Dress
Parents are reminded that students should be dressed
appropriately for winter weather conditions. Recess is considered
a part of the school day and students in attendance are expected
to participate in this activity.
If your child is ill or has not fully recuperated from an illness,
consideration must be given to keeping the child at home so that
he/she may recuperate fully. We do not have the resources to
provide supervision indoors when all other students are out for
recess. Please note that children who are ill are not in a learning
state and may very well infect others around them. We thank you
in advance for your consideration to this matter.
Immunization Records
Peel Health will be reviewing immunization records of all
students at our school. If you receive a letter, please ensure that
your child has received the required vaccines and update your
child’s records at www.ImmunizationPeel.ca or call
905-799-7700.
2015-16 School Year
Calendar Additional
Professional Activity Day:
Monday, April 11, 2016
Terms of the recent contract
settlement between the teacher
federations and the Ministry of
Education included the provision of
an additional Professional Activity
Day for the 2015-2016 school year
for both elementary and secondary
schools. Recently, boards were
directed to schedule this additional
Professional Development Day on
or before April 15, 2016.
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board, the
designated additional Professional
Activity Day has been scheduled
for Monday, April 11, 2016.
Therefore, there will be no classes
for either elementary or
secondary students on Monday,
April 11, 2016.
School Council Update
The St. Pio of Pietrelcina Catholic School Council continues to
be very busy and involved in various activities at St. Pio of
Pietrelcina. They are currently in the process of planning our
upcoming Shrove Tuesday Pancake Lunch. Thank you to all of
our School Council members for all that you bring to our school!
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 p.m.
All are welcome!
.
Bus Cancellations
During the winter months, inclement weather may 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 following radio and television stations:
CKFM99.9
CHUM AM1050
CFTR 680 AM
CFNYFM102.1/AM640
CJCL590AM
CBC99.1
CHFI FM98.1
CFRB AM1010
EZ ROCK 97.3 FM
CJBC (FR) AM860
Z103.5 FM
93.1 FM
Q107 FM
CHIN FM100.7/1540 AM
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CTV
If buses are cancelled in the morning, they do not run in the
afternoon. Please listen carefully for closure information and/or
consult the GeoQuery website: www.stopr.ca.
Thank you for your attention to this
addition to the 2015-16 School Year
Calendar.
Important Notice for Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of Students in SK/Year 2 Kindergarten:
The French Immersion Online Application System is now open for submissions. To apply, go to
www.dpcdsb.org. Applications will be accepted until February 14th, 2016.
Reminder:
•
All eligible submissions are accepted and, in the event that the number of applications is greater than the
number of spaces available at a French Immersion school, a centralized, computer-generated lottery will be held on
Monday, February 15th, 2016.
•
Some French Immersion schools offer Grades 1 to 8 and others offer Grades 1 to 4, with Grade 5 to 8 offered at
a nearby school. Please refer to the Board website for more information.
•
Parents and guardians of students registered in the program are responsible for providing transportation for their
child(ren) to and from their registered French Immersion school. *****Please note that for students living inside the
regular school boundaries of a French Immersion school, eligibility for student transportation is based on the policies
established by the school board.*****
•
A successful placement in the French Immersion School does not guarantee placement of younger siblings in
future years.
If more details are required, please review the board website for up-to-date information. You may also contact your
child's present school, the principal of the French Immersion school in your area, or the board's French as a Second
Language Consultant at (905) 890-0708 extension 24307.
Green Schools Update:
Waste-less Lunches!
The students and staff have been working hard at St. Pio of Pietrelcina to reduce our waste and impact on the planet.
Remember, students are always encouraged to bring a Rock Star Lunch. These are lunches containing at least 3 reusable
items that do not create any waste. On the other hand, students are encouraged to try and avoid packing One Hit Wonder
lunches which create a lot of waste.
Rock Star Lunch Items TO BRING:
• Food items packed in reusable containers
• Drinks in reusable bottles
• Hot items in Thermoses
• Cloth napkins
• Reusable spoons and forks
One Hit Wonder Lunch Items TO AVOID:
• Food items in disposable material like plastic wrap,
foil, wax paper, sandwich bags or individual
packages
• Drink boxes, pop cans, and juice pouches
• Paper napkins
• Disposable spoons and forks
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to the following students who exemplified
the virtue of Self-Control during the Month of January.
WELL DONE!!
Mrs. Bozzo/Mrs. Miskiv – Ashely F., Maya K. and Ashlyn A.
Mrs. Livermore/Mrs. Kosec – Michael J., Alexandra S., Dillan E.
Mrs. Lawrence/Mrs. Boem – Myles R., McKayla J., Jaiden A.
Ms. McGilchrist – La’nyah N. and Jolie W.
Mme Casale – Ahren C. and Lala M.
Mme Tshiama - Samuel V. and Katie F.
Mrs. McMenemy – Austin D, Luca D. and Christopher S.
Mrs. Graffi – Aaron L. and Cindy N.
Mme Naccarato – Viktor R. and Vivyan S.
Mme Batista – Nicholas R. and Nataly D.
Mrs. Gonano – Sophia A. and Marylyn N.
Mlle Moir – Kassidy B. and Anastasia P.
Mrs. Jang – Drei B., Alana D. and Isabella F.
Mme Sroczynska – Adrian L. and Luke S.
Mrs. Gombos – Precious O. and Amanuel N.
Mrs. Cugliari – Alyssa C., Tomas V. and Alessia L.
Mrs. Szeto – Gabrielle A. and Raphael P.
Mrs. Stypka – Julian B. and Olivia F.
Miss Campell – Karen Z, Cinthia F.
National Sweater Day
National Sweater Day will be observed boardwide on Thursday, February 4, 2016, providing
an opportunity for staff and students to learn
about the importance of saving energy and
inspire us to use less heat throughout the
winter.
Since 2010, over a million Canadians have
participated in National Sweater Day at their
schools, workplaces and homes. If all
Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2
degrees Celsius this winter, it would reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by about 4
megatons – that’s equivalent to taking nearly
700,000 cars off the road! Further interesting
facts about energy conservation and National
Sweater Day are available on the World
Wildlife Federation website at:
http://www.wwf.ca/events/sweater_day/
Let’s join together in protecting the gift of
creation by wearing a sweater on February 4th
to show we respect and care for this precious
gift!
Co-curricular Update
Our EcoSchools committee, under the direction of
Mme. Casale and Mrs. Gombos, has been
involved in encouraging recycling activities with a
plan to reduce our carbon footprint.
The St. Pio Choir continues to be a popular
extracurricular activity. Thank you to Mrs. Jang
and Mrs. Lawrence for giving so generously of
their time.
Our Library Helpers continue to perform a
number of duties essential to the smooth operation
of our library. Thank you to Mrs. Ferreira for
working with our library helpers.
Our Junior Art Clubs continue to meet and
students have been working on wonderful
creations! Thank you to Mlle Naccarato, Mme
Batista and Ms. Paccione.
Our KinderPals continue to volunteer their time
with the kindergarten students. A special thanks
to Mrs. Bozzo, Mrs. Miskiv, Mrs. Livermore, Ms.
Kosec, Mrs. Lawrence and Mrs. Boem for
welcoming these students into their classes.
Chess Club meets weekly in order to learn and
practice their skills. Thank you to Mme
Sroczynska for coaching.
P.A.L.S. (Playground Activity Leaders in
Schools) have been running cooperative games
over the lunch hour. Thanks to Mrs. Bozzo, Mrs.
Gonano and Mr. Yuskoski.
Intramurals
Most recently our grade one and two students
have been taking part in soccer intramurals during
the morning recess break. Thank you to Mme
Ferreira for coordinating this year’s houseleagues!
Students are encouraged to listen to morning
announcements for the start of more upcoming
extracurricular activities.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Feb. 1 – Term two begins
Feb. 1 – Gr. 7s visit Dr. Simone’s Warehouse
Feb. 2 – Report Cards Sent Home
Feb. 2 – Gr. 8s visit Dr. Simone’s Warehouse
Feb. 4 – Parent/Teacher Interview Evening
Feb. 4 – Black History Month Presentation @
10:30a.m. – Speaker Norma Nicholson
Feb. 5 – P.A.Day: Parent/Teacher Interviews
Feb. 9 – French Cafe
Feb. 9 – Pancake Tuesday
Feb. 10 – Ash Wednesday Service @ 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 – School Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 11 – Gr. 1 Eco Gardening Workshops
Feb. 14 – French Immersion Application
Deadline
Feb. 15 – French Immersion Lottery
Feb. 15 – No School – Family Day
Feb. 17 – FSL Presentation Gr. 1-8
Feb. 18 – Practice Lockdown
Feb. 24 – Circles of the Rosary
Feb. 26 – HPV/Meningitis/Hep. B Clinic
Feb. 26 – Pink Shirt Day!
March 1 – Schoolwide Reconciliation
March 4 – Deadline for Gr. 1 French Immersion
Registration
March 6 – Mississauga Steelheads Hockey
Game
March 14-18 – March Break
School Lockdown Drill
It is a policy of the Dufferin-Peel CDSB that all
schools conduct practice Lockdown Procedures
and/or Hold and Secure at least twice a year.
This procedure will be initiated should an
emergency exist on school property or in the
surrounding neighbourhood. We will be
conducting our second Lockdown Procedure
practice on February 18th at 9:30 a.m.