ST. URSULA SCHOOL
January 2016 Newsletter
“Where Wisdom Begins In Faith and Wonder”
The mission of St. Ursula school community is to ensure that home, Church and school are collaborative partners in
the building of an environment that reflects Catholic faith and values by celebrating each person as a member
of the Body of Christ and by challenging all to achieve excellence spiritually, socially and academically.
St. Ursula
11 Dwellers Road
Brampton, Ontario
L6X 5C1
Telephone:
905-454-5213
Fax:
905-454-7843
S.Wolfe
Principal
M.Miller
Vice-Principal
G. Galati
Head Secretary
C. Tavares
Assistant Secretary
e
S. Steer
Superintendent
905-890-1221
D.D’Souza
Trustee
905-840-2707
St. Anne Parish
905-453-1303
Pastor
Fr. J. Cherickal
Prayer for a New Year
Dear God, in this New Year, we pray:
To love deeply, with purpose,
To live freely, with detachment,
To love wisely, with humility;
To live justly, with compassion,
To love lovingly, with fidelity,
To live mindfully, with awareness,
To love gratefully, with generosity,
To live fully, with enthusiasm.
Help us to hold this vision and to daily renew it in our hearts.
HEADLINES
As we look back on the past year, we remember each experience for the good that has
come of it and the knowledge we have gained, and take those memories into the year
ahead. A new year brings with it many new beginnings – we look forward to it with
hope, love and peace!
As we begin again, we’re quickly falling back into the daily routines of waking up
early, curriculum studies, packed lunches and homework. We are fortunate at St. Ursula
School to have staff so willing to give of their time to extracurricular activities, and as a
result, your children are the beneficiaries of a very active school, certainly making it a
great place to return to. Please remember the positive factors that enhance student
learning – plenty of sleep, healthy eating, daily physical activity, regular completion of
homework, punctuality in arriving at school, nightly reading, and open communication to
maintain a close partnership in your child’s success.
We are looking forward to a wonderful winter and spring season at St. Ursula School
with many wonderful new activities and initiatives planned. From our Eco Team, to our
Ursalites, to our Sports Teams, French Carnival and School Play this School is continuing
to prove to be a very busy place and the children love to get involved with all of the
various activities. As Administrators we wish you all a very Happy New Year and we are
excited for the more wonderful things to come.
S.Wolfe- Principal
M. Miller-Vice Principal
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
FAITH DEVELOPMENT
Winter Weather/Recess
Virtue of Self-Control, Respect
During the winter months students will
be expected to go outside during recess
breaks. Students must come to school prepared for
varying weather conditions. Board Policy states that if
the temperature is –25 degrees Celsius or lower with
the wind chill factor, students will remain indoors.
Therefore, it is very important that your children have
appropriate clothing such as boots, a hat, scarf, warm
gloves etc.
The month of January will focus on the
virtue of Self-Control. God has given us the ability to
choose how we react to what happens around us. Selfcontrol helps us to resist the temptation to do something that we will regret or that will harm ourselves or
others. Self-control is one of the marks of a spiritually
mature person. With self-control, one demonstrates
patience, knowing how to wait one's turn and avoiding
aggression. We work to calm ourselves down and think
before reacting to a situation, being able to think things
through and do what is best for everyone.
The month of February will focus in the virtue of
Respect.
With the winter weather comes snow and ice. While
throwing snowballs can be an enjoyable activity, they
can also be extremely dangerous. In order to keep our
school safe, we must enforce the school rule that snow
stays on the ground. Students are constantly reminded
that there is no snowball throwing, kicking of snow or
any other activity with snow/ice that could be harmful.
All students will be expected to go outside during
recess breaks, unless a medical certificate indicates
otherwise.
Student Punctuality
It is an expectation that all students arrive on time and
be prepared for class. Late arrival is a disruption to the
class and your child is missing valuable instruction
time. Please encourage your child (ren) in developing
this important life skill. Arriving at school on time will
allow them to be present to join their class for entry.
Office Information
Please remember to inform the office if you change
your home, work or emergency contact numbers. If
you are moving, please notify the office of the change
of address. It is imperative that we have accurate
information in the event we must contact you.
P.A. Day & Family Day Reminder
Monday January 18th is scheduled as a
Professional Activity Day, dedicated to Assessment,
Evaluation and Reporting.
Monday February 15th is Family Day
There will be no classes for students on these days
First Reconciliation, First Communion &
Confirmation
Reconciliation for Grade 2 students will take place at
St. Anne’s Church on Tuesday January 26th at 7:00
p.m. First Communion will take place on Saturday
April 16th at 10:00 a.m. Grade 7 and 8 confirmation
will take place on Wednesday May 18th at St. Anne
Church at 6:00 p.m. Please mark these important dates
on your calendar.
Christmas Social Outreach
We extend a special thank you to staff, families and
School Council for generously donating gifts and gift
cards to helping families at Christmas. With your
generosity and the generosity from School Council, we
were able to help several families within the Parish
community. Families were very appreciative of the
caring community of St. Ursula School.
Dr.Simone’s Canada Food for Children Warehouse
We are currently accepting donations of food, school
supplies, and personal care items that the Ursulites are
organizing and collecting. On February 3rd the
Ursulites will be visiting the Canada Food for Children
Warehouse to donate all of the items. We are also
spreading our mission to other schools as St. Angela
Merici, our sister school, is now doing this as well.
This helps to promote leadership in our community.
Thanks to Mrs. O’Brien and the Ursulites for their hard
work and commitment.
Thank you once again to the St. Ursula
community for your continued
generosity and helping those in times
of need.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2016-2017
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten will take place
at St. Ursula on the following days:
Monday January 25th 7:00-9:00 p.m.
In the event of a storm, the snow date for registration
will take place on Tuesday January 26th in the evening.
Wednesday January 27th
9:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday January 28th
9:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Friday January 29th
9:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Report Cards
With the Ministry of Education changes in reporting,
Term 1 reports will be sent home on February 2nd. As
this is the first formal report card of the year, staff will be
scheduling parent/teacher/student interviews for all
students in their class on the evening of Feb 4th and the
daytime of Feb 5th (P. A. Day –no classes for students).
Please watch for the letter coming home soon regarding
the scheduling of the interviews. We ask that you return
the forms promptly in order that we can make every
effort to arrange interviews that are at common times for
your children. Every effort will be made to
accommodate your requests, recognizing that each
teacher is scheduling interviews for all students.
To register your child, please bring the following:
• proof of child’s birth and age
• original Catholic baptismal certificate for
child/parent
• immunization records for your child
• Landed immigrant papers if not a Canadian citizen
• proof of home address
• proof of English Separate School Support (may be
done at time of registration)
Dufferin Peel’s Catholic Global Learning CentreSt. James Registration Night
Registrations for St. James School will occur on
February 2nd, from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Feb 3rd
(snow date), February 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th, 9:00 a.m. –
3:00 p.m. The St. James Catholic Global Learning
Centre is located at 98 Wanita Road, Mississauga. St.
James is a regional elementary school with diverse and
specialized learning opportunities modelled after an
internationally recognized program. The St. James
Catholic Global Learning Centre teaches the Ontario
Curriculum via an integrated, inquiry-based approach
with a global focus, aligned with the Ontario Catholic
School Graduate Expectations. Visit www.dpcdsb.org
for more information.
St. Ursula Elementary School/ French Immersion
The French Immersion Program at St. Angela Merici
Elementary School was established as a Grades 1 to 4
program with St. Ursula as the sister site that would
continue the program for students in Grades 5 to 8. We
were excited to welcome the Grade 5 French students
from St. Angela Merici students to meet up with the
Grade 6’s who were here last year. Working closely
with Administrators and Staff at St. Angela Merici, the
transition for these students and families went very
smoothly. In September 2016 we will welcome more
Grade 5 students from St. Angela Merici, thus having a
Grade 5, Grade 6 and a new Grade 7 French
Immersion program in the school. We are very excited
about this!
HEALTH & SAFETY
Footwear
Students are reminded that during the
winter season, students are expected to change into a pair
of indoor shoes, helping to keep the floors clean, dry and
safer for everyone. Please remember that students must
wear shoes at all times while inside the building in the
event of an emergency evacuation.
Hand Washing is Important
Hand washing, when done correctly is the single most
effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases
such as the flu. Please help us reinforce
the proper techniques with your children.
Follow these four simple rules:
• Wet your hands with warm running water
• Add soap and rub your hands together, making a soapy
lather. Do this away from the running water for at least
15 seconds. Wash the front and back of your hands,
between your fingers and under your nails.
• Rinse your hands well under warm running water. Let
the water run back down into the sink, not down the
elbows. Turn the water off with a paper towel and
place it in the garbage.
• Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel.
Using good hand washing techniques helps to reduce the
spread of infectious diseases. In the event your child
does get sick, please use discretion in keeping them at
home to recover and reduce the potential for them to
spread the infection/illness to others.
TRAFFIC SAFETY
AROUND THE HALLS
St. Ursula School Choir
Achieving joy through music has been
witnessed so many times throughout the Christmas
season. The choir performed at Cassie Campbell for
the “winter lights” event, and at our primary Christmas
Concert in the front foyer. The choir directors and
students rehearse every week, resulting in beautiful
voices. It is a gift to share music with others, and this
was so evident by the appreciative audiences at their
presentations. A special thank you is extended to: Mrs.
Cheaney, and Ms. Palmer and Mrs. Workman.
French Carnival & French Performance
Our French Carnival will take place on Wednesday
January 20th for grades 4 to 8. There will be indoor and
outdoor activities reflecting that of a traditional
Carnival. Dress warmly for the day and we may even
have a surprise visit from Bonhomne, (In the event that
it may be too cold we will have an alternate date for
outdoor activities. The Café will still occur)
On Thursday January 21st there will be a French
performance for all grades in the gym from 1:15 to
2:15. Thanks to Madame McCallen for organizing the
Carnival and all the teachers as well.
Junior and Basketball Teams
Mr. Atkinson & Miss Lesinski have started tryouts for
the boys and girls junior basketball teams. They are
working hard with the students and players will be
picked soon. Good Luck to all those trying out!
Grade 4 Girls Club
Mrs. Boyle and the grade 4 girls have started meeting
once a week for their “Girls Club”. Girls club is an
environment where girls can feel comfortable
discussing such topics as self-esteem, media images,
peer pressure and managing stress.
Mrs. Policelli and the grade 8 girls have started
meeting once a week for their “Girls Club” as well.
Here the girls meet and discuss topics much the same
as the grade 4 girls. Then both girls meet from time to
time and meet and discuss various topics or work on
projects together. Thanks to Mrs. Boyle and Mrs.
Policelli for making the girls club a huge success.
School Play- You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
This year the St. Ursula is proud to announce that they
will be performing “You’re a Good Man Charlie
Brown.” The show dates are Tuesday February 23rd at
1:30 pm. & 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday February 24th at
1:30 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be available soon.
With the winter weather, it is important
To emphasize that extreme caution must
be taken when driving through the school
parking lot and the Kiss and Ride area.
Therefore, we remind you of the following:
√
Drive slowly at all times in the driveway!
√
Don’t leave your car unattended in the Kiss &
Ride! If you would like to exit your car and walk
or stand by the fence, please park your car in a
parking spot.
√
Please do not let students out of the car in the
drive-thru lane. This poses a serious safety hazard.
√
Only let students open doors by the curb, and not
into the drive-thru lane, as cars are driving by and
potentially creating a possible accident.
Please keep in mind the safety of everyone!!
NO DOGS ALLOWED
Please be reminded that as per Board policy dogs are
not permitted on school property. Many signs are
posted reflecting this. Please adhere to this policy.
COUNCIL’S CORNER
Next School Council Meeting
Please join us on Wednesday February 17th
At 7:00 p.m. in the school library for our next Council
meeting! Come out and learn about what is happening
at St. Ursula School.
St. Ursula Lunch Days
Thanks to all parents who submitted all their money and
forms for our various lunch days in a timely manner.
This is a huge task and done by two parent volunteers.
Thanks to Mrs. Kelloway and Mrs. Sakitkovski for their
time and thanks for the opportunity to have different
lunches for the children.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
January
Jan. 4
Jan. 18
Jan. 20
Jan. 21
Back to School
PA Day- Report Card Writing Day
No Students
French Carnival
French Performance
Jan. 25
Jan. 26
FDK Registration Night
*Snow date for FDK Registration
Reconciliation Gr.7’s & 8’s
Jan.27, 28, 29 FDK Registration 9:00-3:00 pm
Jan. 27
Reconciliation Gr.7’s & 8’s
February
Feb. 2
Feb. 3
Feb. 4
Feb. 4
Feb. 5
Feb. 9
Feb. 10
Feb. 12
Feb. 14
Feb. 15
Feb. 19
Feb. 22
Feb. 23
Feb. 24
March 9
Report Cards go Home
Winter Walk Day with schools across
Canada
National Sweater Day
Interview Night
Interview Day-PA Day No Students
Shrove Tuesday
Ash Wednesday
Valentine’s Dance
Happy Valentine’s Day
Family Day-Schools Closed
Special Event-Guest Speaker Errol Lee
Annual Speech Competition-Intermediates
School Play 6:30 p.m.
School Play 6:30 p.m.
School Mass 11:00
March 11
Crazy Hair Day
March 14-18
March Break- No School
March 21
Back to School
March 25
Good Friday (No School)
March 28
Easter Monday (No School)