www.dpcdsb.org/SEBAS
Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools
3460 Aquinas Avenue, Mississauga ON L5M 7L2
Phone (905) 607-0107
Fax (905) 607 – 2535
OFFICE STAFF
PRINCIPAL: D. Marchand
VICE-PRINCIPAL: S. Kearns
SECRETARY: Z. Kameka
SECRETARY: M. A. van Putten
SUPERINTENDENT OF
MISSISSAUGA NORTH
T. Cruz
905-890-1221
TRUSTEES
S. Hobin (Wards 2&8)
905-301-1210
E. O’Toole (Wards 9&10)
905-812 - 5163
ADVENT   PRAYER
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in us a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and our’s. Receive our prayer as part of our service of the Lord who enlists us in God's own work for justice.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in us a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in our homes, peace in ourselves.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in us a joy responsive to the Father's joy. We seek His will so that we serve with gladness, singing and love.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in us the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of our Lord. Raise in us, too, somber reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent we hail. Amen.
DATES   TO   REMEMBER
Parish
Merciful Redeemer Catholic Church
2775 Erin Centre Boulevard
Mississauga, Ontario
L5M 5W2
Tel: 905-812 - 0030
Fax: 905-812 - 0011
Pastor: Father Vid Vlasic
Assoc. Pastor: Scott Birchall
Email: office@mercifulredeemer.org
Website: www.mercifulredeemer.org
December   1 st        Eden   Food   Bank   Toonie   Tuesday   collection
December   3 rd        EXCEL   open   house   6:30pm   room   104
Dec.
3 rd   to   10 th      Candy   Gram   sales   /   delivery   the   week   of   Dec   14 th
December   5 th        Presentation   of   Cards   for   Confirmation   (gr.
7   &   8)
7   p.m.
at   Merciful   Redeemer   Church
December   9 th       Advent   Mass   @   9:30   a.m.
December   11 th     Last   Day   for   St.
Vincent   de   Paul   Gift   Cards
December   11 th     Junior   Choir   to   Evergreen   Retirement   Home
December   14 th     Door   Decorating   must   be   completed
December   14 th     Red,   Green   and   White   Day   /   Christmas   Hat   Day
December   15 th     Christmas   Sweater   &   sock   day
December   15 th     Int.
Medic ‐ Ball   Tournament   gym   closed
December   16 th     Christmas   PJ   and   Slipper   Day
December   16 th     Virtues   Assemblies   Gr   1 ‐ 8   1:30   p.m.
/   FDK   2:40   p.m.
December   17 th      Family   Evening   Christmas   Sing   Along   and   Social   6:30pm
December   17 th     Christmas   Hair   Style   Day
December   17 th     School   Sing ‐ along   FDK ‐ 8   10:00   a.m.
FDK ‐  Gr.
3   Concert   in   gym   at   1:30   p.m.
December   18 th     Dress   Like   a   Christmas   Character   day   (Elf,   Santa,   etc.)

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN be proudly displayed on our school tree. Please put your family name and year on the ornament.
REGISTRATION FOR 2016-2017
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2016-
2017 school year will take place at St. Sebastian C.E.S. on the following days: Monday, January 25 th , 2016 from
7:00-9:00 p.m. (*Snow Date: Tuesday, January 28 th , 2016,
7:00-9:00 p.m.) and Wednesday, Thursday & Friday,
January 27 th , 28 th and 29 th , 2016 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and from 1:00-3:00 p.m. For more information, visit the
Kindergarten Registration webpage at: http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Schools/Kindergarten+
Registration.htm
]
Parent Evening to Support the Transition of
Children with Differing Abilities into Kindergarten
2016
There will be an information session for parent(s)/guardian(s) of children with differing abilities including vision, hearing, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays who are transitioning to
Kindergarten in September 2016. The information session will be held at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board -- Catholic Education
Centre, Room 301 on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Snow date, Wednesday,
January 13, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are also reminded to register their child at their school.
KISS AND RIDE REMINDERS
We encourage parents to drop off children at the designated drop off points. For those parents using the
Kiss & Ride, this area is for
only.
For the safety of all our students, you may
NOT park in this area.
Parents dropping off JK and
SK children are asked to drop off in the West parking lot. If you are delayed in the parking lot by buses dropping off or picking up students, be patient in trying to exit. Please exercise extreme caution when driving. At times, it can become congested, and extra care is needed both on school property and on the roadway in front of the school. Please obey all traffic signs, including the one way sign, marked DO NOT
ENTER, posted at the East driveway entrance. If there are any parent volunteers interested in working the
Kiss & Ride on a daily basis, please notify the school, as soon as possible.
CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS
Students and families are invited to contribute towards the decoration of the Christmas Tree located in the Foyer of St. Sebastian C.E.S. Any non-breakable ornaments will
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY REMINDER
The dates for the Christmas Holiday this year are: Monday, December 21
January 1 st st , 2015 to Friday,
, 2016 inclusive. Students return to school on Monday, January 4 th , 2016.
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM YOUR
TRUSTEES :
Please find attached a letter from our Catholic
School Trustees Sharon Hobin and Esther
O’Toole.
THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
OF
MERCIFUL REDEEMER PARISH
St. Sebastian is collecting gift cards for the needy families of our community. Please add your donations to our box in the Office. All donations will be given to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Thank you to, Mrs. L. Rodrigues (Librarian), Mrs.
P. Boere, Mrs. M. Tully, Mrs. S. Fernandes, Mrs.
T. Eves, Mrs. M. D’Emilio for organizing the gathering of these items to make Christmas very special for these families. The last day to bring items is Friday, December 11 th , 2015.
ADVENT MASS
Our school community Mass is scheduled for Wednesday, December
9 th , 2015 @ 9:30 a.m. at St. Sebastian
School. All are welcome to attend.
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT FROM OUR
STUDENT ACTIVITY GROUP
‘Tis the season to get into the Christmas Spirit!
The Intermediate Student Activity Group has a number of activities planned for our Christmas
Spirit Week, which takes place December 14 th -
18 th .
In addition to dressing for the season (please see dates on the front page of this newsletter), students will end our week of festivities with a
Christmas Sing-A-Long in the gym in the morning of
Thursday, December 17 th .
We wish you a Merry
Christmas and may your hearts be filled with peace and joy!

ECO-SCHOOLS
Throughout the month of November, our
Earth Angels were busy making preparations for our annual Eco-Kickoff Assembly. The students, staff and parents of our St. Sebastian Catholic
Elementary School community helped us as we participated in starting off the year on a "greener" foot. Our goal this year is to once again reach GOLD status through the Ontario Eco-Schools
Program. Throughout the month of December, our
Earth Angels who are classroom presenters will be going class to class to conduct further informative presentations on how to recycle properly at school and at home. In addition, we will be staring our daily initiates until the end of the school year. We kindly ask that parents as their child(ren) about how they are being better stewards of the beautiful earth that God our heavenly
Creator has entrusted to us.
OUR FIVE INITIATIVES ARE:
(students are kindly asked to bring in only reusable water bottles);
-
(weather permitting).
To bring awareness to energy waste;
(students are kindly asked to only bring in containers and food without packaging);
- (students are asked walk or ride their bikes to school to lessen carbon emissions and increase daily physical activity)
We will be communicating one of four standard messages to the radio stations. The four announcements and their effect on the transportation system are as follows: (Please note that the
by the radio stations). will be communicated
1.“DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES
SERVING ST. ANDREW, ST.
BENEDICT AND ST. PETER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND R.F.
HALL SECONDARY SCHOOL ARE
CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”
2.“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES
AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD BUSES IN THE TOWN OF
CALEDON AND THE COUNTY OF
DUFFERIN ARE CANCELLED”.
This means that all runs listed under announcement
#l PLUS the following are cancelled. All schools in the Town of Caledon and all school runs that begin in the Town of Caledon.
Individual schools will be notified if this cancellation affects their school.
collect all recyclable materials).
Thank you again to all of our incredible staff, students and parents with helping us meet our Eco-challenges.
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:
Radio:
.“THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF
Television:
BOTH THE DUFFERIN-PEEL
CKFM 99.9
CJCL 590
CHFI 98.1
CFTR 680
FOXY 88.5
INCLEMENT WEATHER
CFNY 102.1
93.1 FM
CANCELLATIONS www.dpcdsb.org
llations/
(Ms. Lee's Grade 7 class will sort and
CJBC (FR) 860
AM
CJEC EZ ROCK
97.3
CFRB 1010
Z103.5
CHIN 100.7
FM/1540AM
CJMR/CHOW
1250
The Weather
Network
A bus cancellation and/or school closure message will be posted on the Board's main webpage at
, on Twitter and on the Board's phone message system at
905-890-1221. See more at
CFTO
Global
CP 24
CBC
@DPCDSBSchools http://www.dpcdsb.org/cec/Schools/Weather+Cance
3.“ THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE
PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
BUSES ARE CANCELLED.” This means that: ALL Transportation services provided by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board and The Peel District School Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been cancelled for the entire day.
CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD ARE CLOSED.” This means that: ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board ad Peel District School Board schools and offices are closed to all students and staff.
INDOOR / OUTDOOR
SHOES
The students should have a pair of indoor shoes to wear at school in class and for gym. Outdoor shoes/ boots will be kept for outdoor use only and out of the classrooms in order to reduce the amount of dirt and mud brought indoors. This will assist our custodial staff in keeping the school clean.

FALL AND WINTER DRESS
It is imperative that all students come to school ready to participate in all activities, including outdoor recess. Please ensure that your children come to school dressed accordingly; with hats, scarves, gloves, winter outerwear and boots. As well, all students should have indoor footwear at school. This is essential in case of an emergency evacuation. The students will not have time to change their footwear. We also recommend that students keep extra clothing such as socks and pants at school in case their original clothing gets wet. Thank you for your co-operation.
GRADE 4: EXTENDED FRENCH
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their child in a Grade 5 EXTENDED FRENCH class for
September 2016 are invited to attend an information meeting on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 @ 7:00 p.m. for
St. Rose of Lima, located at 4590 The Gallops,
Mississauga, L5M 3A9 (905-828-4076) or Thursday,
January 14, 2016 @ 7:00 p.m. for St. Therese of the Child
Jesus located at 6930 Forest Park Drive, Mississauga,
L5N 6X7 (905-785-0066). At the present time, the above mentioned schools are the designated centres for our area. Applications will be accepted at the centres until
th
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
If there are any parents that would like to volunteer in the school, please see the front office for the appropriate forms. All volunteers must have an updated police
Criminal Reference Check, or updated Criminal Offence
Declaration Form, before they can volunteer.
ALL STAR READING PROGRAM
The All-Star Reading Program is in need of volunteers. All Star Reading is a remedial program aimed at supporting struggling readers in
Grades 1 and 2. Volunteers must commit to 1.5 hours weekly. The requirements to volunteer include providing a copy of your valid Criminal Reference Check, an interest in working with young children and proficiency in reading and writing in English. A training session will be provided for new volunteers. If you meet the above requirements and are able to volunteer, please contact
Mrs. L. Rodrigues, our ESL teacher, through the school office.
LITTERLESS
SNACKS/LUNCHES
Students and staff are encouraged to be environmentally friendly, by reducing the amount of paper and plastic waste from lunches and snacks. Students are reminded that food wrappers should be disposed of before going out onto the yard and to use the classroom garbage cans for any waste. Teachers will give the students an opportunity to have their snack inside either before or after recess. Snacks are not allowed on the playground at any time.
BRINGING LUNCH FOR
STUDENTS
If you are bringing lunch to a student, please drop off the lunch at the table on your right as soon as you enter through the school front doors. Please make sure your child’s name, grade, and teacher is attached to the lunch, and your child knows to go down to the front door at lunch time (a note to your child’s teacher might help with this).
Please do not wait in the front foyer, as it becomes very crowded at lunch time. Thank you to parents and care-givers for doing such a good job so far this year following the procedures for bringing lunch to students!
PLAYGROUND SUPERVISION
This begins at 8:45 a.m. Parents should not drop off their children prior to 8:45 a.m. For Junior and Senior Kindergarten p.m. classes, supervision begins at 12:45 p.m. For your child’s safety, we request that he/she not be on school property until scheduled supervised times.
NO DOGS ALLOWED
ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
RECESS BREAKS
Recess breaks serve a special purpose in the daily life of a school. Students, except in exceptional circumstances, will not be excused from going outside. If your child is sick, he or she should be at home recuperating and not spreading illness throughout the classroom. Please be aware that during outdoor recess there is no indoor supervision.

these labels LOVE
LOVABLE LABELS
them!
@lovablelabels.ca
FUNDRAISER
As you pull out all the winter gear, don’t forget to label everything. You don’t want to spend this year digging through the lost and found. Why not support St.
Sebastian Catholic Elementary School by ordering labels through Lovable Labels ? 20% of every order comes back to the school. Personalized labels also make great gifts. The parents of our school who have already bought fundraiser
1-866-327-5683
. x412 OR
BUS INFORMATION
Please check the Region of Peel’s
Transportation Department’s websites
( www.stopr.ca
and https://businfo.stopr.ca/ ) to check for delays and cancellations. All concerns and complaints regarding bus transportation are to be made directly to the S.T.O.P.R. at 905-890-0614. A reminder to students that
Adult and Youth Faith Ambassadors
Throughout the Season of Advent, Youth Faith
Ambassadors will be leading our students in preparing for the birth of Jesus. Each Monday,
Youth Faith Ambassador presenters and liturgists will be visiting each classroom to lead our students in prayer and to share stories about the true meaning of Christmas. Youth Faith Ambassador artists will be preparing Jessie Trees to fill with
“Gifts of Kindness” as soon as we focus on who and what Christmas is all about.
St. Sebastian School Staff will be gathering once a week to celebrate our shared faith, as we wait in hope for the coming of Jesus. Our Adult Faith
Ambassadors have also prepared packages of
The Catholic School Advisory Council would like to thank the following local businesses, who donated generously to our fundraising campaign. Please remember these businesses when doing your Christmas shopping this year as their contribution of prizes dramatically impacted our fundraiser.
Panera Bread - Dundas Street Location
Air Riderz
Balls of Fun
Scholar’s Choice
Boston Pizza - Eglinton Ave Location
Michael’s Craft Store - Vega Blvd Location
Canadian Tire - Dundas Street Location
RockPro
Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance - Mississauga
Location
Starbucks - Dundas & Ridgeway Location   liturgies, meditations, and cross-curricular and divisional learning activities, for staff to implement in their classrooms with their students.
Mrs. Mountjoy, Ms. A. Fernandes, Mrs. Steflik, and Mrs. Tomasovic, are thankful for the support and participation of the staff and students of St.
Sebastian Catholic Elementary School, as we journey together this Advent Season.
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
On Wednesday, November
18, 2015, St. Sebastian C.E.S. enjoyed the skilled efforts of our students in Public
Speaking competitions. All participants demonstrated skill and confidence. In the Grades 4-6 competition, the top speakers were: Rhea T. (Ms. Bojanc’s class) Gillian M. (Ms.
Crawfords’s class) Vanessa A. (Ms. Slaczka’s class). The top competitors in the Grades 7-8 classes were: Klaudia I. (Ms. King’s class) Kaitlin
D. (Mrs. Steflik’s class
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Please visit our website at www.dpcdsb.org/SEBAS for the latest school information.

Thursday, December 24
4:00 & 6:00 & 8:00 & 10:00 p.m. & Midnight
Friday, December 25
8:30 & 10:00 & 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, December 31
6:00 & 11:00 p.m.
Friday, January 1
10:00 & 11:30 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

People of Hope….
Are inspired and inspire others
Are optimistic
Seek good things from life
Sees the good in the world