St. Elizabeth Seton
Catholic School
Newsletter
February 2016
6133 Glen Erin Dr.
Mississauga, Ont.,
L5N 2T7
Phone: (905) 821-2277
Fax:
(905) 821-3766
www.dpcdsb.org/SETON
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.
Administration
P. Cahill, Principal
C. Pickering, Vice Principal
Prayer During Black History Month
Dear God,
Administrative Assistant
D. Stewart
Superintendent
T. Cruz
Phone: (905) 890-1221
Catholic School Trustee
E. O’Toole
Phone: (905) 812-5163
Email: esther.otoole@dpcdsb.org
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
God of love and mercy, you call us to be your people. You
give to us with your abundant grace. Make us holy people
radiating the fullness of Your love. Help us to recognize our
neighbours in everyone we meet, whatever the person’s
colour, race, religion, culture or gender. Help us to share
our love with all people even if they do not ask for it and
even if they reject it.
Form us into a community of people who care, expressing your compassion. Remind us day
after day of our baptismal call to serve, with joy and courage. Give us a deeper appreciation
of the contributions that our brothers and sisters of all cultures have made to society and to
the building of Your reign. Teach us how to grow in wisdom, grace and joy in Your presence. Through Jesus and in Your spirit, we make this prayer.
Amen
Lent 2016 (Wednesday, February 10th to Thursday, March 24)
Lent is a period of forty days during the church’s liturgical year, which begins on Ash
Wednesday and ends during Holy Week. It is time for Christians to turn away from sinfulness – to have a change of heart – as they prepare for the joyous feast of Easter. It is a
time for prayer, penance, sacrifice and works of charity for others.
What does the word “Lent” mean? Why have we given this name to the time of preparation before Easter? Lent comes from an old word meaning “springtime”.
During the spring of the year, daylight increases, trees begin to bud and flowers start to
appear. The new life that comes to the world each spring is like the renewal of life that
comes when we pray and try harder to follow Jesus.
Black History Month
Diversity and Equity can be celebrated and brought to the forefront of learning throughout the year. February
has been dedicated as Black History Month, “African Canadian students need to feel affirmed; need to be
aware of the contributions made by other Blacks in Canada; need to have role models; need to understand the
social forces which have shaped and influenced their community and their identities as a means of feeling connected to the educational experience and their life experience in various regions in Canada.” Rosemary Sadlier.
At St. Elizabeth Seton we are celebrating Black History Month by: reading stories, watching video clips and
activities on Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Marin Luther King, and famous black Canadians. Our members of our
student council will be providing our students with trivia over the morning announcements.
We will be having an Ash Wednesday Liturgy on
Wednesday, February 17th in the school gymnasium at
9:30 a.m.
All parents and guardians are welcome to attend!
News from St. John of the Cross Parish
Altar Servers
Parents, we encourage you to engage your children in being Altar Servers
both at the church. St John of the Cross parish will provide training
Choir
The children’s choir sing two Sundays each month and they are looking for
new members. For more details visit stotc.cc@gmail.com. Children must
have received their First Holy Communion.
Ash Wednesday Services: February 10, 2016
Mass with Ashes@9:00am, 6:00pm and 8:00pm.
Liturgy of the Word with Ashes@4:00pm
Statutory Holiday
Family Day
There will be no school on
Monday, February 15, 2016.
Please enjoy this day with
your family.
St. Elizabeth Seton Feast Day Mass
On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 our school celebrated St. Elizabeth Seton Feast Day with an
evening mass at St. John of the Cross Church. Many of our students participated as readers,
symbol carriers and choir members. The event was well attended and a great opportunity for
families to come together to celebrate and learn about our school’s patron saint. Featured in the
mass was a presentation which illustrated aspects of St. Elizabeth Seton’s life. A heartfelt
thanks to Father Abraham who celebrated the mass with the Seton community. The social gathering that is annually hosted by the School Council was enjoyed by all. The support of the
School Council and the parent community is always greatly valued and appreciated.
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. 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.
Roll Out The Quarters is Returning!
February 15 is
National Flag Day of
Canada
Catholic Graduate Expectations
During the month of February, I Am a Learner for Life will be
presented on our announcements, through our prayers and
daily practice. Students are learning:
Start saving those Quarters!!
For our school Lenten project this year, we will be
collecting quarters for Sharelife.
The campaign will begin on Ash Wednesday (February
10) and end on Holy Thursday (March 24).
The number of quarters will be tracked in each classroom.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
-I use my gifts and talents given to me by God
-I always do my best
-I build on my strengths and weaknesses
-I set goals
-I accept change
-I am proud of the good things I do
-I am thankful for the good of others
Catholic School Council Corner
Thank you to the parents that joined us at our January meeting and to our Trustee, Esther O'Toole for sharing her wisdom with
council and parents.
Upcoming Events Organized by CSC:
Pancake Tuesday - February 9 and Movie Night - February 18
Winter Tips for Parents
label all your child's items, pack extra mittens and socks and send in indoor shoes for the classroom
Our next meeting is Thursday, March 3 2016 in the library@ 6:30pm
Come find out what is going on in your school and how you can get involved.
Fire Drill and Lockdown Procedures
Emergency Drills
As per Board policy, all schools must practice Fire Drills (outdoor evacuations), Lockdowns (indoor drill
involving locking all classroom doors) and Shelter in Place (extreme weather conditions) during the
course of the school year.
Throughout the year, school personnel reviews safety procedures with students on a number of topics. Emergency
evacuation drills are conducted to ensure that everyone is aware of the procedures to follow in order to exit the building
safely.
In the near future students and staff will discuss and practice procedures that will be implemented in the event of an
emergency situation.
Should a high risk incident involving weapons occur in the school or near the school that could endanger the lives or the
safety of students and staff at the school, the emergency lockdown procedures will be initiated.
In the event of an unforeseen emergency situation students and staff will evacuate to the Community Christian Re.formed Church of Meadowvale.
Please Make an Appointment
.Dismissal and arrival times can be very busy times for teachers. To ensure the safety of all the children who are
being received in the morning and dismissed in the afternoon —especially those in our FDK program and the Primary
Division — we respectfully request that you make an appointment if you have a matter that you wish to discuss at length
with teachers. Please use the communication bags, student agenda planner or kindly give the teacher a note indicating
that you wish to discuss something with them.
A teacher’s first priority at these times is the safe arrival and safe dismissal of students. Thank you, as always, for your
understanding and your co-operation.
Seton Book Fair – 2016
St. Elizabeth Seton School recently held the Scholastic Book Fair from
Monday, February 1st to Friday, February 5th.
Thank you for supporting this great literary fundraiser. Mostly, thank you for
believing that books and reading are still an important factor in your child’s
life and their future. (Mrs. Banks, Teacher-Librarian)
Wear Your Spirit Wear—Show Your Seton Pride!!
Are You Moving?
If you know your family is moving
out of the St. Elizabeth Seton
School boundary, we would like to
know! Each year a number of families move away and it helps for our
planning purposes to know whether
students will be attending our
school. Please know that you must
live within our boundaries in order
to attend St. Elizabeth Seton
School.
The last Friday of every month is dedicated to Seton Spirit.
Our first Spirit Day will be Friday, February 26th.
Mississauga North Chess Tournament
On Friday, March 4, 2016, primary, junior and intermediates students will be representing St. Elizabeth Seton
School at the annual Chess Tournament at Our Lady of Mercy School. We wish them luck!
Learn to Skate
Our Grades 3-5 students will be involved in a “Learn to Skate” program.
These students will be going to Meadowvale Four Rinks on May 11, 18 and 24.
More information will be forthcoming.
Please Avoid Disruptions
Your child’s classroom is a very exciting and active place. Important learning activities are going on. Classroom interruptions therefore disturb not only your child's learning but everyone else as well. With this in mind, please communicate with your child in the morning so disruptions are kept to a minimum. With limited staff we cannot guarantee all your
messages will be relayed. Parents please do not enter the school to walk your child to class or drop items off without
coming to the office first.
Jordan’s Socks
Kiss and Ride Lane-Safety First
Congratulations to our student, Jordan
for starting the “Jordan’s Socks”
Campaign before Christmas.
This initiative helped so many people in
need in our community.
*Arrive on school property before 8:45 am to drop off
your child(ren).
*Please remain in the car lane and move forward as
children come out of cars on the passenger side of the
vehicle.
*Please do not park in the Kiss N Ride lane.
*DO NOT PASS CARS IN THE KISS N RIDE LANE
in order to move to the front of the lane. Injuries may occur.
*See Officer Bill’s comments in this newsletter.
Head Injuries
As per Board protocol, each time a student sustains a head
injury the incident will be logged and followed up with a phone
call. As well, students will be receiving a “Concussions are
Serious” pamphlet. It is recommended to review the pamphlet
and look for signs and symptoms of a concussion.
The Big Gulp is coming to Seton!
On March 21st, all students will be taking a gulp
from a reusable water bottle. Make sure your
child has a water
bottle on that day and every day—-let’s reduce
plastic waste!
ECO Initiative-Share Life Used Book Sale
We are collecting gently used children’s books for our Used Book Sale in May. Donated books should be in good
condition and appropriate for our Catholic school. Books can include: novels, picture books, non-fiction and fiction.
If you have any books that you would like to donate, please drop them off in the main foyer.
Donations will be made to Share Life
Thank you for your support!
Reading at Home
As a parent\guardian, you are a powerful influence on your child’s success in reading. Reading with
your child conveys a critical message that reading is both important and enjoyable. It is essential to
plan reading times when there will be minimal distractions and interruptions. Your child can learn that
reading together at home is a priority. Reading with your child can open the door to a life long interest
in stories and books.
OPHEA Healthy Schools
We are on our way in becoming OPHEA Healthy School certified. Over the past few months, our committee, which includes
teachers, students, administration and our Public Health nurse, N. Di Santo have been meeting to discuss our plan to make St.
Elizabeth Seton School more healthy. From our survey results and various discussions, our focus has been identified in how to
promote Physical Activity with our students. As well, we will be providing our community with healthy eating suggestions from Eat
Right Ontario. (eatrightontario.ca).
February 3 - National Walk to School Day
Pope Francis’ latest Encyclical on the environment invites us to be
‘Stewards of the Earth’. The National Walk to School Day on February 3
provides an opportunity to reduce gas emissions and answer our Catholic
call to care for God’s Creation. Traffic congestion continues to be a concern in many of our schools; health and safety of our students are paramount concerns in these times. Dufferin-Peel has worked with a variety of
community partners such as Peel Regional Police, Peel School board, Peel
Health, Bike Brampton, to promote walking and biking to school with continued momentum. The benefits of walking and physical activity is positively
linked to physical and mental health as well as academic performance.
With the mild winter season we are experiencing, please encourage your
child to walk to school with a friend or with a parent. Thank you to all who
participated in this event!
The EQAO Assessment will be
occurring between May 25- June 8,
2016. Grade 3 and 6 students are
preparing diligently for this
assessment. It is very important that
all students are present at school
during this time. More information
to follow.
COLD & FLU SEASON
Cold and Flu season is back and so too are children’s illnesses. Please use discretion in keeping your child home to recover. A
child who is coughing, wheezing, etc. is not in a state to learn and is in a position to infect other children. Remember, if your
children are well enough to attend school, they are well enough to go outside at recess. Please continue to be vigilant in
reinforcing good hand washing practices. For more information, visit Peel Health at http://www.peelregion.ca/health/index.htm
OFFICER BILLY’s COMMUNITY CORNER
**KISS AND RIDE**
Greetings to all the wonderful parents of St. Elizabeth Seton, your voices have been heard and change is coming!!!
After observing the kiss and ride and listening to the legitimate concerns of parents, I agree that the current kiss and ride
system is flawed. I have spoken to Mr. Cahill about possibly changing the kiss and ride into a 2 tier system, one for the
kindergartens and one for the rest of the grades.
Mr. Cahill was very supportive of having the changes implemented and he will be working diligently with me to allow
these changes to be made. During this transition phase I ask all of the great parents to understand that there are some
logistical issues to be solved before the implementation takes place. Until the change occurs please be patient and
continue to follow the rules for the current system. Remember no parent is any more important than any other and
treat each other with courtesy and respect.
Here are some suggestions to help alleviate the congestion of the current kiss and ride:
1) Time Management – A lot of the congestion occurs due to parents all arriving at the school at the same time. If
parents would leave a few minutes earlier it would lessen the congestion in the parking lot and will not make
you late for any other appointments.
2) Walk – In good weather parents should be encouraged to walk with their kids to school; this not only promotes
exercise, but also provided “bonding” time with your child/children.
3) Wait your turn – If you get to the school and there is already a line of your cars, be patient. When drivers race
ahead of the line or cut each other off, it only creates an environment for potential accidents and further back
log.
Remember you children are observing you, if you expect them to listen to the rules you must lead by example. Showing
disrespect to other parents, teachers and Police is only setting a very bad example to the children.
I hope that the logistical issues regarding the change will be resolved quickly and we can have the revamped kiss and
ride implemented in a timely manner. I thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.
MONTH of February
Sunday
7
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
2
Book Fair
3
Book Fair
4
Pizza Day
Book Fair
Reports go
home
National Walk to
School Day with
Officer Bill
Book Fair
10
Ash Wednesday
Liturgy@12:45
11
Pizza Day
8
Sub Day
Rosary
Apostolate
14
Happy St.
Valentine’s Day!
Tuesday
1
Sub Day
15
Family Day
9
Pancake Day
(Shrove
Tuesday)
Parent/Teacher
Interviews
Roll Out Quarters
begins
16
17
Virtue
Assembly@9:30
No school for
students and staff
18
Pizza Day
Friday
Saturday
5
Book Fair
PA Day: No
classes for
students
Parent/
Teacher
Interviews
12
French
Immersion
Application
closes
(online)
6
19
20
26
27
13
Movie
Night@6:30pm
Flag Day
21
22
Sub Day
Author Visit
K-grade 2
28
29
Sub Day
Leap Year-extra
day
23
24
Wear Pink to
Support AntiBullying
25
Pizza Day
Peel Police
Youth Sessions
MONTH of March
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Pizza Day
CSC Meeting
6:30 pm
Friday
4
MN Diversity
Conference
Saturday
5
MN Chess
Tournament
@OLM
6
7
Sub Day
8
9
10
Pizza Day
11
12
13
14
March Break
15
March Break
16
March Break
17
March Break
18
March Break
19
20
21
Rosary
Apostolate
22
Roll Out
Quarters ends
23
Silvercreek Trip
Gr4/5
24
Pizza Day
25
Good Friday
No school for
students and
staff
26
Holy
Saturday
27
NO SUBS
Big Gulp Daybring a reusable
water bottle
28
Easter Monday
No school for
students and staff
Holy Thursday
Liturgy@12:45
29
Grad Photos
(SK & Gr 8)
30
Curling Gr 7/8
31
Pizza Day