ST. URSULA SCHOOL
December 2013 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
Acting Principal
M. Miller
Vice-Principal
G. Galati
Head Secretary
C. Tavares
Assistant Secretary
S. Steer
Superintendent
905-890-1221
L. Zanella
Trustee
905-840-2707
St. Anne Parish
905-453-1303
Pastor
Fr. J. Cherickal
Lord God
We come to you with excited and grateful hearts
Thank you for this Advent time.
It’s exciting as we get closer to Christmas!
And it’s good for us to slow down
And enjoy each other more.
Fill us with your peace.
Make us better people.
Teach us to appreciate each other more deeply.
Make us aware that you walk with us each day.
Help us to be grateful and joyful.
Make our hearts strong and brave and generous.
These blessings I ask of you Lord during this Advent season.
Amen.
HEADLINES
This month we celebrate the virtue of “HOPE”. We understand that both the world and
its people are from God, and essentially good. The Advent season allows us to focus our
minds and hearts on the good all around us. We are reminded that God chose to send his
Son to us because we are worth it. God knows how great we can be when we all come
together. People of Hope: Keep a positive attitude; Set and stick to their goals; Work to
include others; Can bounce back from tough situations; See the good in others even when
they make mistakes; Let others know that they are good people.
Throughout the four weeks of Advent, there is a focus on preparing for the birth of Christ.
The word “Advent” itself means, “Jesus is coming”. In this time of waiting, we hear the
story leading up to Jesus’ birth, and are reminded of the significance of this season within
the framework of our Catholic faith. As each of the four candles on the Advent wreath
are lit, we witness the growing circle of light revealing Jesus as the light of the world.
We light a candle of HOPE – God wants us to work for the good in the world.
We light a candle of PEACE – The “Prince of Peace” is present among us.
We light a candle of JOY – God fills us with His joy so we may share it with others.
We light a candle of LOVE – May God be our guide to love one another.
We would like to personally thank each of you for your continued support, co-operation
and commitment in working together. We look forward to our continued partnership in
the year ahead, and extend our faith-filled blessings to every family for a holy and
peaceful Christmas.
K. DaCosta/ M. Miller
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
FAITH DEVELOPMENT
Christmas Break
Reconciliation
Just a reminder that the last day of school
before the Christmas break is Thursday
December 19tht. Classes will resume on
Monday January 6th.
Fr. James and several other
priests will join us at St. Ursula to provide the
sacrament of Reconciliation on February 18th.This is
for all students who had previously received this
sacrament.
Advent Mass
APPLAUSE!
Wonderful partnerships have been built
through a sustainable home-school-parish
team approach. We are extremely grateful for all those
who go above and beyond in making St. Ursula School
a safe, caring and positive place to be!
* The commitment of the St. Ursula Staff, giving so
much time, care and support to your children!
* The faith leadership of Fr. James, Fr. Paul and the
pastoral team at St. Anne parish!
* For the dedication of the School Council, for
representing the best interests of your children!
* For our Faith Ambassador “Ursulights” who lead
and model our faith and social outreach projects!
* Our student helpers, Bus Patrollers, Door Monitors,
Recyclers, Classroom assistants, ECO reps., Sound
Crew, and S.N.A.P. Squad!
* To our PLASP supervisors, Ms. Sahai and Ms.
Rashid and to our bus drivers and crossing guard!
On Wednesday December 4th at 10:00 a.m. we will
slow down to focus on the season of Advent, through
the celebration of mass with Fr. Paul in our school gym
.All parents/guardians are welcome.
Operation Christmas Shoeboxes
Last year’s success with Operation Christmas was a
great success that we once again participated in this
Social Outreach initiative. We congratulate everyone
who contributed to filling the shoeboxes or helping
with postage as we delivered ninety-five shoeboxes to
be sent to Third World countries. We can be assured
that there will be many happy children on Christmas
Day, as a result of the generosity of St. Ursula School.
Holiday Dance for Typhoon Haiyan Victims
St. Ursula Intermediates have organized a holiday
dance for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan on Thursday
December 19 in the afternoon. All proceeds go to
Typhoon Haiyan victims through share life.
St. Anne Church Christmas Schedule
* To our lunchroom supervisors Mrs.Konings,
Mrs.Celenza, Mrs. D’Sa, Mrs.Tannahi and Mrs.Bell
Please see the attached flyer for information in regards
to the Sacrament of Reconciliation on December 21st
and the schedule of masses for Christmas and New
Year.
* For the continued support of S.Steer, our
Superintendent, and L. Zanella, our trustee!
Year of Faith
Primary Christmas Concert Jk-3/4
On December 18th we will be having a
Primary Christmas Concert for our JK’s to 33. Our 3/
3/ 4 classes organized by Ms. Charles for the students
to watch. Parents/guardians are invited to join us that
evening from 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m.in the gym for the
evening event of our Primary Christmas music and
presentations. We will also have a school presentation
from 10:00a.m.-11:00a.m. that same day. All are
welcome 
Pope Benedict XV1 proclaimed a Year of
Faith, beginning on October 11, 2012. We are called
to give ourselves more fully to God by professing our
faith in Jesus Christ. By following the 7 Faith Habits,
we can be assured that we are bearing witness to the
light of Christ.
Habit 1: Offer a prayer at mealtime.
Habit 2: Reach out to help a neighbor in need.
Habit 3: Savor a few minutes of daily silence.
Habit 4: Call upon the saints.
Habit 5: Ask for God’s blessing each morning.
Habit 6: Give thanks to God each night.
Habit 7: Receive the Holy Eucharist for strength and
nourishment.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
AROUND THE HALLS
Reporting to Parents
Junior Girls and Boys Volleyball
First term reports will be sent home on
February 4th. Parent/Teacher interviews will be
arranged for every student, which will take place on the
evening of February 6th.Please know that you are
encouraged to contact your child’s teacher if you have
any questions or concerns at any time.
P.A. Day
As a result of the new timelines for reporting, there
will be a P.A. Day on Monday January 20th. This day
is allocated for staff to work on assessment and
evaluation.
Congratulations to the Volleyball teams, for
their fine efforts this season. Both teams are to be
commended for their dedication and skill development.
Girls Team members included: Laura, Bea, Angelica,
Dina, Alyssia, Raquel, Rosemary, Julia, Giselle, Ericka,
Alyssa T, Emily, Alyssa V, Stephanie.
Boys Team members included: Shayan, Polo, Dawson,
Trevor, Matthew, Alejandro, Aaron, Derrian, Devonte,
Kevin, Dirae, Chad
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2014-2015
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten will take place
at St. Ursula on the following days:
Monday January 27th 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Snow Date: Tuesday January 28th
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, January 29th,
30th and 31st. 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
To register your child, please bring the following:
• proof of child’s birth and age
• 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)
Please note: There will be an information session for
parents of children with special needs such as vision,
hearing, physical, and developmental or autism, who
are entering into JK or SK in September 2014. The
information session will be held at the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board – Catholic Education
Centre (40 Matheson Blvd. West) on January 22, 2014
at 7:30 p.m. in Room 301. Parents are reminded to
register their child here at the school in order to plan
for a successful entry into school.
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s) who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for
September 2014 are invited to attend an information
meeting at:
St. Anne School
124 Godden Street, Brampton
Tuesday January 14, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
Transportation is provided for eligible students in the
program if they attend the school for their region.
Thanks to the coaches, Mr. Rak, Mrs. O’Brien and Ms.
Palmer and Mrs.Staffieri. Thank you also to Mr.
Atkinson and Mr. Cioffi for convening tournaments.
Winter Lights @ Cassie Campbell
Students from out choir will be performing at “Winter
Lights” celebration on Friday December 6th at 11:30 a.m.
You are invited to come out to Cassie Campbell to
support our choir. Various acts from Brampton
Northwest will take place throughout the day! This is a
great way to join in the Christmas cheer.
Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
In Dufferin-Peel, November 18th-22nd was recognized as
Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. It began with
a minute of silence on November 18th at 10:00 a.m. as
everyone throughout the Board took a stand against
bullying. At St. Ursula, we constantly promote a safe
and inclusive environment, and we continued to do so
this week, through daily prayers on announcements, and
various lessons taught in the classrooms.
We are also continuing with “Filling our Buckets”.
Students and teachers have been asked to recognize
students who display gospel values and positively reenforce the virtues by filling our bucket in the front foyer
with their names. We will acknowledge these students at
our upcoming Virtue Assembly in conjunction with our
“Houses Initiative” beginning in January.
St. Ursula Royal Treehuggers are going for Green
and Reaching for Gold!
Our Treehuggers Eco Team are working hard at
promoting environmentally responsible stewardship. The
club models and promotes our care for God’s creation by
running the annual Brampton Clean city clean-up,
conducting waste audits, performing ecofriendly
assemblies, and engaging our community in various
other eco activities. We hold a silver status and are now
going for Gold. Eco staff members are Ms.Baptista, Ms.
Smyth, Ms. Baker and Mr. DaCosta. If you would like to
volunteer please contact the school.
LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS AT LUNCH
Your children may be asking you permission to leave
the school at lunch to go to local fast food restaurants
that have opened up in the area.
Please note that we do not encourage
students to leave school at lunch as your child is not
supervised when they leave school property.
There is not a teacher with them as some students may
have indicated. Also, students are walking on Bovaird
(a highway) where there is heavy traffic that travels at
a high speed, and there is an ongoing construction in
the area. In the event you do allow your child to leave
school at lunch, a parent note, dated and signed must
be submitted, which indicates that you are taking
responsibility for your child at lunch.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Allergies
Please note that while there may be
treats at Christmas, NO nut and
peanut products can be sent to school.
COMMUNITY
Campion Community Christmas
You are invited to attend St. Edmund
Campion School for their community Christmas event
being held on Saturday Dec. 8th from 10:00 a.m.–
2:00 p.m. Join in the festivities of singing, cookie and
ornament decorating, games, crafts and pictures with
Santa! Donations of non-perishable food items are
requested.
Catholic Register Drawing Contest
The Catholic Register is conducting a Christmas
drawing contest. The top entry in each category:
Gr. 1-3, Gr. 4-6 and Gr. 7-8 will receive a $50 gift
certificate for a day at the movies. The winning
pictures will appear in The Register’s Christmas
edition, December 22nd.
COUNCIL’S CORNER
Next School Council Meeting
The next scheduled School Council
meeting will take place on Wednesday January 5th.
Meetings take place in the school library and begin at
7:00 p.m. Come and learn about the great work of our
School Council!
Sub and Pizza Lunch Programs
Shortly you will receive lunch order forms for Sub and
Pizza days. This order form will cover from January to
March. Order forms are due back before Christmas
holidays so that the lunch programs can begin as school
returns in January.
Chocolate Bar Fundraiser
The chocolate bar fundraiser was a great success,
however there are a few students who haven’t returned
their chocolates and or money. Could you please return
to the school ASAP. Thanks to all for your support.
TRAFFIC SAFETY
To ensure the safety of everyone and prevent
the risk of accidents, please follow the appropriate signs and road markings to maintain a smooth
flow of traffic through the school parking
lot and the Kiss & Ride lane. This will also
alleviate anyone entering the parking area from the
exit driveway and coming upon a car traveling in the
opposite direction. Please note: Cars cannot be left
parked in the Kiss & Ride lane.
A Christmas Wish
A special blessing to you and your family for a
Christmas filled with the light of Christ! May
Jesus’ love be shared among each other and
May His example be modeled by all of us!
Entries must be original, in color, drawn, or painted on
an 8.5 x 11 inch page, and illustrate some aspect of the
Nativity of Jesus at the first Christmas in Bethlehem.
An entry form can be obtained at the office that parents
must complete and sign before sending in to The
Catholic Register.
Deadline for submissions is December 13th.
Wishing you a peaceful and holy
Christmas!
Staff of St. Ursula School