ST. URSULA SCHOOL
May 2015 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
K.DaCosta
Principal
M.Miller
Vice-Principal
G. Galati
Head Secretary
C. Tavares
Assistant Secretary
S.Steer
Superintendent
905-890-1221
D. D’Souza
Trustee
905-840-2707
St. Anne Parish
905-453-1303
Pastor
Fr. J.Cherickal
PA DAY MAY 11th
PA DAY JUNE 8th
Schools Closed for
Students
O Mary, Virgin of the Word
made flesh in your womb,
help us to be open to the Word of the Lord,
so that, having been welcomed and meditated upon,
it may grow in our hearts.
Help us to live, like you,
the beatitudes of believers
and to dedicate ourselves
with unceasing charity
to evangelizing all those who seek your Son.
Grant that we may serve every person,
becoming servants of the Word we have heard,
so that remaining faithful to it
we may find our happiness
in living it.
Amen.
HEADLINES
The month of May is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. God filled her with the
fullness of His grace. She truly was the handmaiden of the Lord. We are called to
remember her strength and gentleness, and answer the call to be a people of prayer, peace
and hope. During the month of May, spend some time talking to your children about our
Blessed Mother, and pray the rosary as a family. As a school, we will celebrate the month
of May by way of a May Crowning.
With the presence of Catholic schools we are able to send our children to school
knowing that our Catholic faith is infused throughout each day. Every year one week in
May is set aside to highlight “Catholic Education.” This year it begins on Sunday May
3rd, to connect our schools with the entire church community. The purpose of “Catholic
Education Week” provides an opportunity for everyone to recognize and cherish the gift
of Catholic Education, and the distinctive contributions our schools provide in the lives of
our students, families and church community. The theme this year, “Exploring the Paths
of Joy” reminds us that we can show love towards one another as Jesus did. The scriptural
passage that guides our theme is: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was
talking to us on the road?” The sub themes this Catholic Education Week are 1. Walking
Together & Sharing our Story 2. Opening scriptures 3. Welcoming Others to the Table 4.
Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread 5. Proclaiming the Good News.
K.DaCosta/M.Miller
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
Warm Weather Dress Code
Students are expected to be neat, clean and comfortable
for learning. They are to dress in a manner and attire
suitable to the school environment and reflective of
Christian values. Clothing that is acceptable for a six
year old student may not be appropriate for a thirteen
year old student. The following clothing is not suitable
for school: tank and halter tops, muscle shirts, short
shorts, cut off shorts, inappropriate tight fitting clothes,
as well as tops that are strapless or have bare midriffs.
If students do not adhere to these guidelines, parents
will be called and requested to provide suitable attire.
Moving?
If you are planning to move out of our
school area for September, please
notify our office as soon as possible.
We will provide you with transfer
forms for the new school. Please
remember that if you change your address at any time,
new tax forms need to be completed to update records.
Missing Library/Textbooks
Every year students are loaned textbooks to access the
curriculum for the school year. The library is also
made available for all students to sign out books.
Children must take responsibility for these items.
Occasionally, these books may be misplaced. Please
take some time to search at home for any missing
materials. Lost or vandalized items will be the
responsibility of the students to replace.
Bicycles, Roller skates, Skateboards
As the warmer weather arrives, we receive
requests for students to bring their bicycle, skateboard,
or roller skates to school. We strongly encourage
students not to bring these to school as they are expensive items and the school cannot take responsibility
if they go missing. If bicycles, roller skates or skateboards are brought to school, they must not be used on
school property, as they can cause a safety hazard for
other students i.e. walk bikes on school premises.
We Share the Air
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has a
Scent Sensitivity Awareness Campaign called “We
Share the Air”. It is very likely that many people are
sensitive to the scents within the school environment.
For more information about scent sensitivity, visit
www.dpcdsb.org and click on ACCESS Dufferin-Peel.
Storage
Administration of Medication
FAITH and
DEVELOPMENT
Parents are responsible for ensuring that all medication
Virtue
of Acceptance
and
forms
are updated annually for any student who
requires
medication
to be administered
at school.
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of the world we
live in isIf that
you
child
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no two
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background,
Please
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injury.
May Crowning
Visitors to the School/Criminal Reference Checks
One
(CRC)
All visitors and parents are asked to enter the building
through the front door and report to the office. Please
sign in and obtain a visitor’s sticker if you plan to
remain in the building, for any reason, during school
hours. Please also be reminded ALL volunteers MUST
have a valid CRC on file at the school. Each volunteer
must sign an annual offence declaration if you are
continuing to volunteer with the school. Further
information is available in the main office.
FAITH DEVELOPMENT
Catholic Education Week
May 3 – May 8, 2015
Exploring Paths of Joy
We celebrate being Catholic by noting that every step
we take throughout the day is not taken alone, but
taken with Christ by our side. Even in difficult times,
Christ’s light continues to shine upon us. From May 38th the following sub-themes were the focus of Catholic
Education Week:
Walking Together & Sharing our Story
Opening Scriptures
Welcoming Others to the Table
Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread
Proclaiming the Good News
Virtue of Acceptance
One of the great wonders of the world we live in is that
no two people are exactly alike. Acceptance describes
our ability to look at the attitudes and actions of those
around us without judging them; we look beyond what
we see – religion, age, gender, ethnic background, and
see a person created and loved by God. An Accepting
person: is friendly and open to all God’s people, sees
the positive traits in everyone, and understands that
there may be more than one way to do things.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
Brampton West Diversity Conference May 22nd 2014
Catholic Education Week: May 3rd-8th
On Friday May 22nd 10 Grade 7 students along with Mrs.
O’Brien will attend the Brampton West Diversity
Conference at St. Roch School. Students will listen to
keynote speaker Sacha Visagie in the morning. Ms.
Visagie is a Canadian singer-songwriter/entertainer who
will speak about inclusivity, diversity and anti-bullying.
Students will also participate in an interactive workshop
with MTC life in the afternoon. Lunch and transportation
will be provided. Students are looking forward to this
wonderful day. Thanks to Mrs. O’Brien for taking the
students to this event.
A variety of lessons and activities will be taught based
on books for the sub-themes. Daily prayers over the
P.A. will focus on each sub-theme and the Catholic
Education Week song will be woven throughout the
various activities. St. Ursula’s “Got Talent” will be
performed during Education Week to highlight the
learning and accomplishments of St. Ursula School.
Welcome to Kindergarten
On May 21st all students entering Junior Kindergarten
in September are invited to attend a “Welcome to
Kindergarten” interactive workshop. This program is
supported through “The Learning Partnership”, providing students a package of learning goodies.
Invitations were distributed at Kindergarten
registration. If you know of someone who has not
registered yet, please encourage them to come in to the
school so that they don’t miss out on this event.
EQAO
Our Grade Three and Six students will engage in the
Ministry EQAO test on the following days:
Grade 3 (mornings only)
May 25, 26, 29, June 1, 2, 3
Grade 6 (mornings only)
May 26, 27, 28, 29 June 2, 3
The test will include a variety of reading, writing and
mathematics tasks, taken over six–one hour blocks of
time. For those interested in more information about
these assessments, there is a provincial website
available: www.eqao.com. This website has parent
resources and samples of assessment questions for
providing practice and support for your child. Please
try to ensure that your child is present every day of
testing and is well rested.
Summer Learning Opportunities
Summer Literacy Camp is offered in two week blocks
from June 29th- July 17th at various locations. This
Literacy Camp is open to students in S.K. through
Grade Six, and is held from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. A
fee is required for this service, and transportation is the
responsibility of the parent. Summer school, for
students in Grades Seven and Eight, provides remedial
support in literacy and numeracy. Summer School is
being offered June 29th – July 17th from 8:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m. Transportation is provided. Please contact
the school for further information and registration
forms. Registrations are to be submitted by June 1st.
TRAFFIC SAFETY
Kiss & Ride takes place on the east side of
the school. The entrance to Kiss & Ride is off of
Dwellers Road. Please only enter from the first driveway
as the second driveway is to be used as an exit only
driveway. At the Kiss & Ride please do not park your car
and get out of your car as this stops the flow of traffic.
Please drop your children off and drive through.
The small driveway on the west side of the school off of
Fletchers Creek is not a Kiss & Ride. This is to be used
by buses only. It is not to be used by vehicles before and
after school when buses are required to enter and exit this
driveway. Please take the extra time to use the
appropriate areas for dropping off and picking up your
children. In September we will be looking at some new
Peel Health programs encouraging walking to School.
Please avoid receiving a $150 ticket from Parking
Enforcement and remember the safety of our children
is worth our utmost attention.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Protecting the Skin
Overexposure to the sun can cause skin
damage. We remind students regularly to
take precautions to protect their skin during recess
breaks. The following are some suggestions to help
protect the skin:
-
wear protective clothing to cover the skin
wear a hat to protect both the eyes and the skin
when possible, stay out of direct sunlight
know your skin type, and your sensitivity to the
sun
wear sun block with a high level of protection
parents are encouraged to reinforce these
strategies with their children regularly
AROUND THE HALLS
St. Ursula’s “Got Talent”
TRANSPORTATION 2015/2016
May 3rd – 8th 2015
If your home address will be changing during the
summer, please notify the office staff at St. Ursula
prior to June 30th as this could affect your child’s
ability to take the school bus in September. Below is
the distance criteria to transportation eligibility:
St. Ursula’s “Got Talent” occurred during Education
Week, May 3rd to May 8th 2015. There were two
daytime performances. One on May 4th and one on
May 5th. The students at St. Ursula displayed
phenomenal talent! Thanks to Mrs. Blake for being the
Director of the show and for organizing the T-shirt’s.
Thanks to Mrs.Cheaney-Hogan, Ms. Palmer and Mrs.
Workman for being directors as well. Thanks to the
teachers for all of their hard work in organizing and
supervising all the practice times with the students
Thanks also to the dedicated performers who came out
to all of their practices. For those parents who attended
we hope you enjoyed all the talent that St. Ursula
School has to offer.
Choir Contest
On Thursday May 7th the St. Ursula choir travelled to
to St. Leonard School to display their wonderful
singing skills and partake in a choir contest. Thanks to
Ms. Palmer, Mrs. Cheaney-Hogan and Mrs. Workman
for coaching the choir and organizing the group to get
here. Thanks for your poise and stage presence and
also your beautiful voices! We are proud of you.
Soccer Teams
The Soccer Season is well underway at St. Ursula
school with many tournaments coming up within the
next little while. The Junior Girls Team will be playing
on May 20th and the Junior Boys Team will be playing
on May 22nd in Tournaments at St. Edmund Campion.
The Intermediate Boys Team will be playing on June
1st at St. Edmund Campion. Good Luck to all Teams
and thanks to the coaches of all the Teams; Ms. Yousif,
Mrs. Morelli, Mr. Cioffi and Mr.Atkinson.
Baseball Team
The Intermediate Boys and Girls Coed Team is being
coached by Mr. Moscatinni and Mrs. Policelli. Tryouts
will begin next week. The Tournament will take place
on May 21st at Fred Cline Park. Good Luck to all!
Food Drive
We are still collecting Food for our Food Drive. Please
donate nonperishable food items to our box in the front
foyer. We will be delivering the items to the local food
bank at the end of May.
1.0 kilometer Kindergarten & Grade 1
1.6 kilometers for Grades 2 -4
2.0 kilometers for Grades 5-8
3.8 kilometers for Grades 9-12
If your child is moving to grade 1, grade 5, or grade 7
in the 2015-2016 school year, their eligibility status for
transportation may be changing.
All transported kindergarten and grade 1 students are
required to be met by a parent/caregiver when
disembarking from their bus on their return trip from
school.
Courtesy transportation, which is assignment of
ineligible students to available, empty seats on buses,
will not be initiated prior to October 5th. There are no
exceptions.
Please check www.stopr.ca for all busing queries.
Brampton Northwest Connects
COUNCIL’S CORNER
Parents! Visit www.bnconnects.org and learn about the
wonderful
things
happening
in and around our
Next
School
Council
Meetings
community.
Please
join usGeneral
on Wednesday
June
3rdand
andall are
Each Month
Meetings
occur
at 7:00 p.m.
in the school
welcome
to attend.
The meeting dates are posted on the
Library
Council
meeting!
are
website.for
Weour
areSchool
looking
for people
in theAll
community
welcome
to
attend.
This
is
the
last
School
Council
to come and “connect” as we have a lot of very
Meeting
of the
2014-2015
school
talented and
supportive
people
in year.
Brampton West.
Thursday June 5 – General Meeting at Cassie
Campbell- All Welcome!
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
COUNCIL’S CORNER
Please join us on Wednesday June 3rd for our School
Council Meeting in the Library at 7:00 p.m. This is the
last meeting of the year and all parents are welcome to
attend. Hope to see you there.
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 10
Mother’s Day
May 11
PA Day – No School
May 14
Book Fair Kick off
May 18
Victoria Day– No School
May 20
Grade 8 Confessions
May 21
Welcome to Kindergarten Night
May 22
Diversity Conference
May 24
Grade 8 Confirmation
May 25
EQAO starts for grade 3 & 6
June 8
PA Day – No School
June 10
Family Track and Field Meet
June 12
Pan Am Games Celebration @ Cassie Campbell
June 22
Grade 8 Graduation
June 23
Grade 8 Luncheon
June 24
Report Cards go home
June 26
Last day of School