2266 Council Ring Rd.
Mississauga, On
L5L 1C1
Ph:905-820-5115
Fax:905-820-9272
Principal: J. Igercich Vice Principal: P. Passarelli
Secretaries D. Langley, B. Cameron
March
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for being a
companion on our journey.
In a world where there is a great deal of indifference,
we thank you for welcoming all of us just as we are
and making us feel at home.
We pray that you will transform us
and make us the people you want us to be.
Catholic Education Week 2016
May 2 – May 6, 2016
Pope Francis continually reminds us in word and in action
that, in imitation of Jesus, we are called to service in our
work in Catholic education.
This year’s Catholic Education Week theme is “Opening Doors of Mercy”. The scriptural passage that guides our
theme is: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” Matthew 5:7
The sub-themes for Catholic Education Week 2016 are as follows:
1. Mercy that Welcomes
2. Mercy that Loves
3. Mercy that Forgives
4. Mercy that Lives the Gospel
5. Mercy that Rejoices
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board 905-890-1221
Director of Education: M. Mazzorato
Trustee: Mississauga War ds 2 & 8
Sharon Hobin
(905) 301-1210
FAX (905) 569-9052
sharon.hobin@dpcdsb.org
Superintendent: D. Amaral
Associate Directors: S. McWatters, J. Hrajnik
Parish,:St. Francis of Assisi
Pastor: Fr. Bernard Vellozo
905-822-8132
This month we celebrate the Virtue of Kindness
The pretzel has a deep spiritual meaning for Lent going back
1500 years. Children in those times ate pretzels because they
were only made of flour, salt and water. The pretzel shape
represents two arms crossed in prayer to remind children of
penance.
Pretzel Day will be on Holy Thursday. We would like to
thank everyone who pre-ordered pretzels for your support
and contribution to ShareLife.
Attendance and Punctuality
A reminder for parents to call the school and leave a message
if your child is going to be late or away due to illness or an
appointment. Parents should also call to report their child’s
absence if the child is not participating in a scheduled field
trip.
Lenten Season
Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of LENT. Lent is a
special time when you can share the concepts of prayer and
giving with your children. We invite children to live simple
acts of giving, fasting and prayer to get them started on their
spiritual path and to learn to be other-centered.
The absence/late telephone line is (905) 820-5115. You will
be prompted to press 0. Please leave a message indicating
the date, your child’s name (please spell out the last name)
and name of teacher and grade level.
Daily attendance and punctuality are very important. If you
do not notify the school of your child’s absence, according to
the Safe School Act, we are required to contact you regarding
your child’s absence. This process is extremely time consuming and in the case of a legitimate missing child, time is crucial. Thank you for supporting us as we work together to
ensure the safety of all our children.
Take family time each day to offer devotional prayers. Consider as a family how you might help others in need by giving
of your time or resources. The emphasis should be on doing Please note, from time to time, it is necessary for parents to
things for Jesus, rather than simply on giving things up.
pick up their child early from school for medical appointments, etc.. We ask that you indicate it in your child’s agenda.
We will be having the Stations of the Cross on Holy Thurs- so that we may have your child ready when you arrive. As
day. Everyone is welcome to join us on Thursday, March
well, on occasion, parents need to pick students up early for
24th at 12:30 p.m. in the school gym.
emergency purposes. We ask that you please notify the office
as soon as you are aware that your child will be leaving early.
May God continue to bless your families on your Lenten
Calling before you arrive allows us time to get your child
journey!
ready as soon as possible. Also, as teachers are very busy preparing all students for going home during the last fifteen
Pretzels for ShareLife
minutes of the school day, we ask that you make arrangeAs part of St. Margaret of Scotland’s ShareLife Fundraiser,
ments to pick up your children before 2:30 p.m., so as not to
the Youth Faith Ambassadors will be selling fresh bread pret- disturb classes during this very busy time. This will alleviate
zels.
parking and driveway issues as well.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
It has come to our attention that parents have been
dropping off and picking up students in the parking lot
of the factory behind the school. Please be aware that
this is private property. It is extremely dangerous as
large tractor trailers are backing up.
Allergy Aware School
VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE
St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Elementary School, is an
allergen aware school. Anaphylaxis is a severe and life threatening allergic reaction. The most common allergen triggers
are food, insect stings, medications, exercise and latex. An
anaphylactic reaction involves symptoms from two or more
body systems. We would appreciate the cooperation of the
entire school community by NOT sending any lunches or
snacks that contain nuts, nut oils or derivatives (e.g. peanut
butter, peanuts, or peanut oil), seafood, shellfish, sesame and
whole eggs.
Head Injury Policy
When a student receives an injury/bump to the head
(however minor), it is a Board Policy that we inform parents
through a phone call. This is only precautionary and we ask
that you check your child when they get home for any signs
of a concussion or illness.
Kiss and Ride Program
Please note that when dropping your child off at school use
the middle Kiss and Ride lane and have your child exit from
the right hand side of the vehicle. At this point the child
may walk to the sidewalk. Parents should not exit the car on
the left as this creates a safety concern as the left lane is for
exiting traffic. Please note that the Kiss and Ride lane is for
drop off only. There is no parking or stopping in front of the
school between 7:50 - 8:20 am and 2:15 - 3:00 pm. Also note
that we ask that you please do not make a LEFT HAND
turn onto Council Ring during these times.
Winter Is Here
Recess is considered to be a part of the
school day and students in attendance are
expected to participate in this activity.
Students should be dressed appropriately
for winter weather conditions.
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 in this matter.
Snow and Ice
Snow is part of our winter life in Canada, providing both
frustration and enjoyment. We all like to play in it; however,
snow and ice can be very dangerous. In fact, most injuries
happen during wintertime. For safety reasons, our school rule
must be that snow stays on the ground – no snowball throwing, kicking snow, or any other activity with snow or ice that
could be harmful, which includes sliding on the snowplow
hills. Thank you for taking the time to reinforce these safety
rules with your children.
Indoor Shoes
During the winter months all students must
have a pair of indoor shoes at the school.
Due to the fact that an emergency evacuation may occur at any time, students will not
have the time to put on their boots or outdoor footwear.
Coat Hood Toggles
Just a reminder that the draw strings on children’s winter
coats and hoods can be a danger especially on playground
equipment where they can get caught and may cause choking.
In the interest of safety, we recommend that these draw
strings be removed.
WOW
Walk on Wednesday/Marchons Mercredi program continues.
This project is helping reduce the use of cars in our Kiss and
Ride lanes and in the school community. Additionally, walking will help us exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Eco-Schools
Our Eco-Team has been hard at work since the beginning of
the school year. Our goal this year continued to be to ensure
and reinforce that the lights are turned off when students
have left the room, keeping resources like paper, cans and
bottles out of the garbage and sorting it into the recycling
bins. Through our observations we are proud to note that all
classrooms have been working diligently in respecting these
rules! We can all make a difference if we work together. Let’s
go for GOLD.
Important Immunization Message from Peel Health
Peel Public Health will be reviewing immunization records of
all students at our school from January 2016.
Peel Public Health must have proof that your child has been
fully vaccinated (immunized) according to the Ontario Immunization Schedule.
If you receive a letter, please ensure that your child has received the required vaccine(s), then give the date(s) your child
received the vaccine dose(s) to Peel Health immediately to
update your child’s records.
For more information, please call Peel Public Health at 905799-7700 or visit www.ImmunizaPeel.ca. Translation services available.
Catholic Culture & Caring Action Committee
St. Margaret of Scotland is committed to providing a safe, caring and inclusive school. We continue to encourage positive
and healthy peer-to-peer relationships.
The St. Margaret of Scotland’s School Rules have been developed and are being reinforced in the classroom and during recesses.
 Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

Be kind to one another! Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Respect yourself, others and school property.

Take responsibly for your actions.
EQAO Grade 3 and Grade 6 Testing
The EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) testing of our Grade 3 and 6 students
will take place from May 25 - June 8. Please avoid scheduling any doctor’s appointments or anything else that will take your child out of school during these testing dates. Tests and materials cannot be given out to parents prior to or during the testing. A letter to grade 3 and 6 parents with further information will be sent home closer to the testing dates.
Sacramental Preparation
The students will be receiving their first Holy Communion on Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3pm at St. Francis of Assisi
Church.
The grade seven students will be receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 7:00pm at St.
Francis of Assisi Church.
March Break
The March Break runs from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18 inclusive. Classes resume on Monday March 21 at 8:15
a.m.
As March Break approaches, we wish everyone an enjoyable and restful week with friends and family. If you are traveling, we
wish you a safe journey!
Upcoming Events
Mar. 13
Clocks spring forward
Mar. 14-18 MARCH BREAK
Mar. 24
Holy Thursday
Stations of the Cross @ 12:30 pm
Mar. 25
Good Friday - No School
Mar. 27
Easter
Mar. 28
Easter Monday - No School
April 4
Catholic School Council Meeting
6:30 pm
April 11
P.A. Day - No School
April 17
Grade 2 - First Holy Communion
at St. Francis of Assisi Church
May 2-6
Catholic Education Week Opening Doors of Mercy
May 11
Grade 7 - Confirmation