St. Elizabeth Seton
Catholic School
Newsletter
6133 Glen Erin Dr.
Mississauga, Ont.,
L5N 2T7
Phone: (905) 821-2277
Fax:
(905) 821-3766
www.dpcdsb.org/SETON
Administration
P. Cahill, Principal
C. Pickering, Vice Principal
Administrative Assistant
D. Stewart
December 2015
MISSION STATEMENT
St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School is a community of learners committed to the
development of the whole person. We are gifts of God working together to serve the Lord
Jesus and each other. With family and parish, we strive for excellence and a
commitment to life long learning.
Principal’s Message — Advent Season
The season of waiting has begun: waiting for the time when we celebrate the birth of our
savior, Jesus Christ. During the season of Advent, we wait “in joyful hope” and we
prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus Christ. At St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic
Elementary School, students and staff continue to engage in the spirit of the season, by
helping those in our school community who need help and assistance. As a school
Superintendent
T. Cruz
Phone: (905) 890-1221
community, and in co-operation with our parent and parish partners, we have many
special activities planned for this Advent season. These serve to remind us of our
mission to create the kingdom of God here on Earth, through our interactions with each
Catholic School Trustee
E. O’Toole
Phone: (905) 812-5163
Email: esther.otoole@dpcdsb.org
other. We continually ask students to keep this in mind as they learn and play with one
another, but all of us are encouraged to keep this sentiment in sharper focus at Advent
time. As our school mission statement (above) makes clear: we are each gifts of God,
working together to serve the Lord Jesus, and each other.
Catholic School Council
Chairperson
E. O’Grady-Bimm
Parish
St. John of the Cross
Pastor: Rev. J. Kalluvila
6890 Glen Erin Drive
Mississauga, ON
L5N 2E1
Phone: (905) 821-1331
For the latest information
about school events,
causes and initiatives,
families are invited to
follow us on Twitter.
Our school feed is
@SetonWildcats
On behalf of the staff of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School, may your family have a
peaceful and joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wishing you the most blessed
Advent and Christmas season!
Mr. P. Cahill
Principal
Mrs. C. Pickering
Vice Principal
Advent Prayer
God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome,
remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,
so that we may share His wisdom and become one with Him
when He comes in glory,
for He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever
Amen
A REMEMBRANCE DAY TO REMEMBER!
th
On November 11 , the Intermediate classes presented a memorable Remembrance service. The gym wall was covered with 158
white crosses each bearing the name, age, birthplace, rank and date of death of Canadian soldiers who died serving our country in
Afghanistan. Four tableaus were performed by students to recreate the four main Canadian conflicts: WW I & II, Korean War
and the Afghanistan peacekeeping effort. A picture of Pvt. Andrew Miller, a 21 year old Canadian soldier killed by an IED in
Afghanistan, was displayed on a ‘coffin’, with two cadets standing on each side, as a student read the actual obituary of Ms. Radul’s
nephew. Following the tableaus, a very simple yet poignant prayer was offered.
Candles were lit one by one with prayers offered for peace in our lives and our world.
Knowing the personal connections helped the students understand the significance of Remembrance and how we
should respect those who gave their lives for our country. The students at St. Elizabeth Seton, took some quiet
reflective time throughout the day to wander the gym and ponder over the names of those soldiers listed on the
wall. God bless all those who died and all those who were left behind. (Ms. Radul)
Advent Mass
All members of our school community are invited and
encouraged to join us for our annual Advent Mass on Tuesday,
December 8th at 7:00 pm at St. John of the Cross Parish.
This is a wonderful time to come together as a Catholic
community and reflect on the true meaning of this wonderful
season of joy.
Support our Giving Tree with Hats, Scarves, Mittens and Socks
With Advent quickly approaching, Seton's enthusiastic Youth Faith Ambassadors
are planning to set up a Giving Tree in the school.
All students are encouraged to bring NEW hats, scarves, mittens, and socks to
place on the tree as decorations. All hats, scarves and mittens will be sent to the
Saint Vincent de Paul Society and socks to “Jordon’s Christmas Sock Drive” for
those who need them. Jordan's facebook event page is: www.facebook.com/
JordansSocks. Let’s fill the tree and help others in need!
Celebrating Advent
As Catholics, we prepare to celebrate the season of Advent. The Advent wreath is a circular garland of
evergreen branches representing eternity. On that wreath, four candles (three purple and one pink) are
typically arranged. During the season of Advent one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday. Each candle
represents an aspect of the spiritual preparation for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
November 29 - First Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Hope in anticipation of the coming Messiah.
December 6 - Second Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Love symbolizing Christ's manger.
December 13 - Third Sunday of Advent: pink candle representing Joy or the “Shepherd’s Candle”
December 20 - Fourth Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Peace also called the "Angel’s Candle"
Bullying Prevention-Keeping SAFE at Seton
We celebrated Bullying Prevention Week between November 16-20 by reading prayers from students each morning during
the announcements, providing information about bullying, the bully and bystander and engaging in the Paper Scars activity. All
students watched a class generated power point presentation on November 27th given by our intermediate students. During
the month of December, all students will be engaged in co-creating a S.A.F.E Poster in their classrooms and the school. We
believe that student voice and advocacy are important traits all youngsters should develop. Our hope is that all students will
reference the S.A.F.E posters that will be on display throughout the school.
We encourage parents to remind their children to: S: Stand Up for Themselves
A: Ask for help when needed
F: Find a solution to conflict
E: End Bullying
We will continue to engage in Bullying Awareness activities throughout the course of the school year.
Term 1 Report Cards
The Elementary Provincial Report Card is designed to show a student’s achievement at two
points in the school year.
Term 1 Report Cards will be sent home on February 2, 2016
Parent-Teacher Interviews: Thursday, February 4th and Friday, February 5th, 2016
Full Day Kindergarten Registration
Monday, January 25, 2016 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Snow Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2016)
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Thursday, January 28, 2016
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Friday, January 29, 2016
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Parent evening to support the transition of FDK children with differing abilities
On Tuesday, January 12, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Special Education and Support Services
Department will host a Kindergarten entry planning information session for parents and guardians of children with differing
abilities which affect their learning, such as vision, hearing, speech, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays in the
cognitive and/or motor areas, who are entering Kindergarten in September 2016.
The meeting will be held at the Catholic Education Centre, 40 Matheson Blvd. W., Mississauga (Hurontario & Matheson),
Third Floor-Room 301 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (*Snow Date: January 13, 2016)
For more information about this session, call 905-890-0708 ext. 24011.
NPU Officer
Cold and Flu Season
We welcome Constable Paul to St. Elizabeth Seton
School as our Neighborhood Policing Unit (NPU) officer.
Constable Paul had the opportunity to introduce himself
to all students when he visited Seton in mid November.
Please do not be alarmed when you notice a police car
at the front of our school. We are continually strengthening the partnerships established between students, staff
and the community.
Please keep your child at home if they are ill.
A child who is coughing, wheezing, etc. is not in a state
to learn and will only affect the health of others. As
well, please understand that if your child is well
enough to attend school, they should be well enough to
go outside at recess. (It is impossible for supervision
and safety of the students to have some students inside and others outside).
On extremely cold days, when the wind-chill equivalent
temperature is minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower,
students will stay inside as per Board guidelines.
As the temperature drops, students need to dress
appropriately for the weather. Mittens, scarves, boots
and other winter attire should be worn to school.
Calling in Absences
If you know that your child will be absent from school, please call us at 905-821-2277, Press 1 for
attendance and leave a message. A message can be left at any time.
Catholic School Council Corner
Thank you students, parents and staff for making our dance-a-thon a huge success. A special thank you to
our local businesses that donated prizes - Canadian Tire Meadowvale, Air Riderz Trampoline Park and
Ultimate Laser Tag - and to our Seton families and staff as well for their prize donations. Congratulations
to our major prize winners for all raising more than $400 each Miguel D., Stuart M., Logan D., Tyler L. and
Shayla J. Special thank you to our fundraising team. Mrs. Elder for her beautiful display and Ms. Mesic for her
continued support.
Food Days: New subway and pizza order forms have been sent out. Please refer to the calendar for dates.
Our next meeting is Thursday, January 14, 2016.
The meeting will be held in the library at 6:30pm.
Come find out what is going on in your school and how you can get involved.
All are welcome.
Safe Play and Snow
Playing in the snow can be a lot of fun, however, our school has a rule forbidding the throwing of
snowballs and kicking snow onto others. Students in our school are reminded of the importance of
this rule in preventing injury to others. We encourage our students to constructively use the snow that
winter brings to build snow sculptures. Please assist us by reviewing with your child the danger in
throwing/kicking snow and the importance of preventing injury to other children. This will help to make
our school yard a safe place for all of our students during winter.
Recess Rules for Students
We encourage all students to experience their outdoor recess breaks in an enjoyable and safe manner. To ensure that
students play safely and do not endanger the safety of other children, we have some very important rules for all
children to follow in our school yard.
 We help each other
We respect all persons and property

We respect the school ‘hands off’ policy
We stay off fences

We play non-contact games
We use appropriate language

We stay on school property
We eat our snacks inside

We leave rocks, stones, snow, etc. on the ground
Please review these rules and expectations with your child(ren).
National Day of Remembrance and Action on
Violence Against Women
The Government of Canada identifies: December 6 as the
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against
Women in Canada.
As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives
ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the
Nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to
reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our
society. It is also an opportunity to consider the women and
girls for whom violence is a daily reality and to remember those
who have died as a result of gender-based violence. And finally,
it is a day on which communities can consider concrete actions
to eliminate all forms of violence against women.
Santa Photos
On Wednesday, November 18th, Santa came
to Seton. We were able to raise over $900.00
towards the Animal Shelter. Thank you to
our community for supporting this cause.
Parents of Grade 4 Students:
Extended French Parent Meeting
St. Therese of the Child Jesus School
Thursday, January 14, 2016 @ 7:00pm
Seton Spirit Day
Toonie for United Way and St. Vincent de
Paul Society
On Friday, December 4th our school will hold its
annual Spirit Day to raise money for the United Way
and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The staff at
Seton will have a friendly game of volleyball against
the intermediate team.
We anticipate a fun-filled time for all.
Please donate a toonie ($2.00) or more to these
worthwhile organizations.
Let’s help others in our community!
Catholic Graduate Expectations
First Communion Parent Meeting
January 12, 17 or 26, 2016 @ 7:00pm
St. John of the Cross Parish
During the month of December, I Have a Voice will be
presented on our announcements, through our prayers and daily
practice. Students are learning to:
 Speak, write and listen as Jesus would want
 Care about others and speak up for them
 Be honest
 Think carefully before reacting
 Respect all people and their languages
 Listen to the Word of God
First Communion Enrollment
Saturday/Sunday February 20/21, 2016
Saturday/Sunday February 27/28, 2016
All Masses
Intermediate Boys Volleyball
Our Intermediate Boys Volleyball team has shown great sprit and enthusiasm this school year. They
participated in 4 after school games against other schools in our family. The boys’ volleyball skills improved throughout the
course of the season. Thank you to Mr. Vis, Ms. O’Grady-Bimm, and Ms. Davi for their support.
Sweeeeeeeeep!
On November 13th, Grades 1-6 participated in a day long curling experience.
Exciting relay races of brushing and ‘rock’ throwing allowed the students to try out the two basic moves of
curling. While they operated without ice, the students had the opportunity to experience the fun and excitement of this Canadian sport.
St Elizabeth Seton is an Allergen Aware School
As a caring community, St. Elizabeth School is committed to supporting the needs and safety of all our students. Our
student population includes students who are susceptible to anaphylactic reactions and who have severe
life-threatening allergies.
We continue to ask that parents avoid sending food products to school for special celebrations (i.e.
Birthdays, Christmas, etc). If you would like to send treats in to your child’s classroom, we encourage you to
send non-edible items such as stickers, erasers, pencils, small toys, etc.
Please be informed that, if food products are sent to school they will remain in the office and will be sent home with the
student at the end of the day. Please rest assured that many of the exciting school sponsored activities at St.
Elizabeth Seton (i.e. pizza days, pita lunch, etc.) will continue and will comply with the Government of Ontario’s Food
and Beverage Policy (PPM 150)
Through a cooperative effort, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all our students by
continuing to adhere to these policies. If you have any questions, please contact the school office or your child’s
teacher.
Thank you in advance for your continued support and cooperation!
Public Speaking
On November 16, 2015, we held our annual Public Speaking Competition. Each class representatives from grades 4 – 8 competed
in our school gymnasium. All speeches were amazing! Congratulations to the following students who represented their classes:
Juniors: Kayla A. - Candy, Christian M. - Climate change, Rachel W. - Taylor Swift, Jarryd R. - Life is all about choices,
Emma B. - A True Canadian, Gabriel P. - Ninja star, Maya K. - Dreams
Intermediates:
Emma Jackson- Why animals shouldn’t be in zoos, Adam D. - Virtues, Kameron H. - Syrian Refugees,
Valeria R. - Speeches
Special Congratulations to Jarryd and Kameron who represented our school at the Mississauga North Competition on November 26th at St. Faustina School!
Also, a special congratulations is extended to grade 3 students who shared poetry at the competitions. Primary students who
represented their classes were: Janine R, Daniella C, Karen F. and Andrew E.
We are proud of all of you!
God calls us to be stewards of the Earth
At St. Elizabeth Seton we are committed to working together to reduce our negative impact on the
environment so that we can take care of God’s earth.
This year we are dedicating each day in the week to a special Go Green Goal that our
eco-team, the “Earth Ambassadors” will help monitor:
Motor-less Monday
On Monday’s everyone is encouraged to walk, bike or scooter to/from school instead of driving. A hat,
gloves, scarf, boots and a coat are enough to keep you warm during the colder weather. Choosing an
active form of transportation not only reduces air pollution but it also helps us be healthy and strong!
Two-Light Tuesday
Did you know that the average Ontario school uses 3000 kilowatts of electricity per day? Classrooms
are encouraged to only use half of their lights and open their blinds to help reduce our use of electricity.
Water bottle-less Wednesdays
Did you know that one re-usable water bottle can replace up to 300 plastic water bottles in one year?
All for around $7. On Wednesday’s everyone is encouraged to show their support for our earth by
bringing a re-usable water bottle to school.
Think-Before-You-Toss Thursday
One great way that we are meeting this challenge is by using the G.O.O.S. (Good On Other Side)
paper bins. On Thursdays everyone is encouraged to think before they throw something away and ask
themselves: Could this be useful to someone else or be used in a different way?
Waste Free Friday
On Fridays everyone is encouraged to bring their lunch in re-usable containers. One way to help
achieve this Go Green Goal is instead of purchasing individually packaged snacks, opt for a larger
package and divide it into smaller plastic containers – not only does this save you money but it helps
significantly reduce waste which leads to polluting our land and air.
Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR)
Bus Cancellation/School Closing due to Bad Weather
2015-2016 School Year
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:
VIRGIN RADIOFM99.9
CHUM AM1050
CFTR AM680
CFNY FM102.1/AM640
CJCL AM590
CHFI FM98.1
NEWSTALK1010 AM
EZ ROCK FM97.3
CJBC (FR) AM860
FM Z103.5
FM93.1
FM Q107
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540
CBC99.1
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CTV
CANADA AM
We will be communicating one of six standard messages to the radio stations. The six announcements and
their effect on the transportation system are as follows: (Please note that the highlighted text only will be
communicated by the radio stations).
“THE 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.”
“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES AND PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE TOWN OF CALEDON ARE CANCELLED
FOR TODAY”.
This means that ALL buses which operate into, out of, and within the Town of Caledon
are cancelled for the entire day.
“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 FOR TODAY”.
This means that all runs listed under announcements #l and #2 are cancelled.
Individual schools will be notified if this cancellation affects their school.
4.
“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD BUSES IN THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”
This means that ALL buses which operate into, out of, and within the City of Mississauga
are cancelled for the entire day.
“ALL DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND PEEL DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”
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.
“ALL BUSES ARE CANCELLED AND THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD ARE CLOSED”.
This means that ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel District
School board schools and offices are closed to all students and staff.
MONTH of December
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
-Pizza Day
4
5
6
Advent Week 2
7
-Subway
8
-Advent
Mass@7:00pm
9
10
-Pizza Day
-Police Youth
Education
11
12
13
Advent Week 3
14
-Subway
-Rosary
Apostolate
-Silvercreek Gr 6
15
-Police Youth
Education
16
-Virtue
Assembly@1:05
17
-Pizza Day
18
19
20
Advent Week 4
21
22
23
24
25
Merry
Christmas
to All!
26
29
30
31
Welcome
Back to
School
Monday,
January 4,
2016
Christmas Break
Starts
27
28
MONTH of January
Sunday
3
Monday
4
Welcome
Back to School!
Tuesday
5
Wednesday
6
Epiphany
Thursday
7
HPV 7 Hep B
Immunizations
Friday
Saturday
1
Happy New
Year!
2
8
9
15
16
22
23
29
30
Pizza Day
10
11
Rosary
Apostolate
Sub Day
17
24
_______________
31
18
Professional
Activity Day-No
school for
students
12
FDK students
with Differing
Abilities,
CEC@7:00pm
13
19
Feast Day
Mass@7:00pm
20
Pizza Day
Dental
Screening(JK/
SK/Gr 2)
25
Kindergarten
Registration
7:00-9:00pm
26
Safety
Village@9:30,
Gr 5
Sub Day
Kindergarten
Registration
(10:00-3:00)
14
Catholic School
Council@6:30
21
Covenant
House@9:00
am, Gym
(Gr 7&8)
Pizza Day
27
Kindergarten
Registration
(10:00-3:00)
28
Kindergarten
Registration
(10:00-3:00)
Pizza Day
From Your Catholic School Trustee
Esther O’Toole
I am so pleased that Marianne Mazzorato is our new Director of Education
Designate. She will become our Director on January 15, 2016. As you know our
current Director John Kostoff will be retiring in the New Year. John has devoted
many years as a teacher, superintendent, associate director and director to
Dufferin-Peel and so it is with much gratitude that I wish him well.
Ms. Mazzorato has been a teacher, principal, superintendent, and spent a few years working with the
Ministry of Education in the EQAO department. She brings to us much enthusiasm, a true belief in Catholic
education and a goal to provide the best opportunities for each student. Ms. Mazzorato believes “positive
relationships imbued with trust, confidence and competency increases the likelihood that Dufferin-Peel
will continue to be a vibrant board as evidenced through increased student achievement and well-being,
system morale and well-being, growth and leadership of everyone in the organization and the confidence
of parents, our partners in Catholic education, parishes, and the public at large. Each and every child
deserves our collective commitment to help them succeed in all aspects of their growth, well-being and
development.”
Thank you to all of our schools for the heartwarming tributes to our veterans on November 11th. We owe
a great debt of gratitude to our veterans of all wars and conflicts. We are blessed to live in this great
country and with the events of the last weeks we continue to value freedom and resolve to always stand
for and protect that freedom.
Thank you to all of our administrators and teachers for their hard work. It shows again and again and as
ever, in our 2015 EQAO scores. And while we can always improve we know that we can be assured that
our students are reaching the goals that have been set for and by us. Each school will continue to develop
their own plans for improvement. Results can be found on our Dufferin-Peel web site.
During this Advent season many of our schools will be taking part in Advent Masses, liturgies, concerts,
breakfasts with Santa and many other activities. I so enjoy this time of year in our schools and I encourage
you to attend one or more of these Masses and events. These touching events will bring the true meaning
of Christmas to the forefront in your minds and hearts.
Please consult the Dufferin-Peel web site for minutes of meetings, meeting schedules, current events,
news and more. The web address is www.dpcdsb.org
I wish you a happy and blessed Christmas and the very best for 2016. May God continue to bless us and
to change hearts from evil to good, bringing peace to all to us.
Merry Christmas!
Esther & Rusty