ST. URSULA SCHOOL
February/March 2014 Newsletter
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
Prayer for Lent
Jesus Christ, Lord and Redeemer,
We who have been baptized into your death
hope to be raised to a new life in you.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us this Lent,
so that we might have the courage
to take up our cross each day,
to fulfill our duties with great love
and to hope always in your word.
May this sacred season strengthen us to live
as men and women dead to sin and alive in you.
Help us to grow in faith so that we might be
witnesses of your love to the world.
Amen.
HEADLINES
The hills of snow are very visible around the school and neighborhood, keeping us
very aware that we are in the midst of winter. With the arrival of February, we have had
the opportunity to meet once again at parent/teacher/student interviews following the
distribution of Term One Report Cards. Thank you for your active involvement in your
child’s education. Working in partnership in the best interest of your children is vital.
February marked the beginning of the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 and what a better
way to start it off was the Cassie Campbell event that 10 of our Intermediate Students
participated in through Brampton North West Connects and Brampton West Schools.
Students worked together and enjoyed the day as well as meeting former Olympic
Athletes. It was a monumental day in Brampton West.
February is also a very important month as we celebrate Black History Month and the
important individuals who have played a key role in history and society. Each day the
students are learning the importance of Black History and the contributions and sacrifices
people have made throughout the years.
Valentine’s Day brings with it a day of wearing red, pink and gold, as we participated in
Share Life Valentine’s Dance on Friday February 14th. Students were asked to bring a
Loonie for this wonderful cause.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a significant time in our liturgical year as
Catholics. During the forty days of Lent, our spiritual journey takes us through a time of
conversion; of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. This culminates in the celebration of
Easter, where we witness the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the season of
Lent, we encourage everyone to “give” to others, through kind words, positive actions and
generous offerings.
K. DaCosta/M.Miller
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
FAITH DEVELOPMENT
March Break
St. Valentine
Monday, March 10th to Friday March 14th is scheduled
for the March Break this year. Schools will be closed
for the week.
Every February, gifts, kind words and good deeds are
shared between friends and loved ones, all in the name
of St. Valentine. The history of Valentine’s Day, and
its patron saint is shrouded in mystery. However, we
do know that February has long been a month of love
and friendship. One opinion is that he was a Roman
priest, martyred for refusing to give up his Christian
faith. Other historians believe Valentine was a priest
who was jailed for defiance during the reign of
Claudius, for converting people to Christianity and for
marrying couples in secret. Claudius had banned
marriage, as he believed single men made better
soldiers, but Valentine continued even when
imprisoned. St. Valentine’s dedication to Christianity,
stand as a strong model of our Catholic faith.
Kindergarten Registration
Full Day Kindergarten registration took place during
the week of January 27th. If you know of anyone who
plans on registering their child for September, please
encourage them to complete the paper work at the
school as soon as possible. If you have not yet
registered your child please contact the office
immediately 905 454-5213 and come in and fill out the
paperwork.
Supervision
We remind parents to ensure your children arrive at
school no earlier than 8:45 a.m. Students in the school
yard prior to this time are unattended, until staff
supervision begins at 8:45 a.m.
Valuables
Students are requested not to bring valuables, items of
importance or money to school. The school cannot
accept responsibility for these valuables. We thank you
for your assistance in ensuring that these items are
being left at home. Personal items should always be
labeled, including shoes, coats etc. in the event they are
misplaced.
Virtue of Respect
As brothers and sisters, we share one
Holy Spirit; we are valuable to God. We all deserve to
be shown courtesy, consideration, sensitivity and
thoughtfulness; all different ways of saying “Respect”.
A respectful person: treats themselves and everyone
else with equal consideration and courtesy, and uses a
positive tone of voice and body language, avoids
gossip, put-downs, name-calling and inappropriate
gestures. Our students are being encouraged to
demonstrate respect for themselves, and in return, to be
treated with respect by everyone they meet.
Virtue of Kindness
School Hours
We remind parents and students that St. Ursula Start
Time is 9:00 a.m. Supervision in the yard begins at
8:45. This is an ideal time to arrive at School. We
encourage students coming before 9:00 so they won’t
be late to class and miss what is being taught. School
ends at 3:30 promptly. Please ensure students are
picked up and met at this time or shortly thereafter.
Are You Ticked?
Please check your property tax bill to ensure
your support is directed to your local Catholic school
board, in our case, the Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. You can
verify your support by contacting our Admissions
Department at (905) 890- 0708, ext. 24511 or 24512,
or your local municipal office. By ensuring that you are
a Catholic school supporter, you give a powerful
message to the government about the level of support
for publicly-funded Catholic education in Ontario.
In March we celebrate the virtue of “Kindness”. God
has given us the gifts of friends and companions to
keep us company and to help us along the way. Every
person in our lives carries the Spirit of God – and so
every person is our brother or sister through Jesus
Christ. As brothers and sisters who share one Holy
Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be
shown concern for our welfare and our feelings. We
have all been given the fruit of the Spirit called
kindness. Kindness can only be seen through actions.
It’s not enough to say I will be kind or I am kind. We
are called upon to show this through actions and words.
Ash Wednesday Service and Lenten Season
Lent will begin with an Ash Wednesday service on
March 5th where ashes will be distributed. All students
will be receiving ashes. During this solemn time in our
Faith we are called to make sacrifices and/or engage in
almsgiving.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
HEALTH & SAFETY
EQAO
Medication at School
All grade 3 and 6 students in Ontario will again be
participating in these provincial assessments scheduled
to take place from May 26th to June 6th. We ask that
parents try to avoid medical or dental appointments
during the assessment periods as much as possible.
Watch for more details coming in May.
If a child is required to bring medication to school, this
can only be permitted when requested by parents/
guardians; authorized by a physician; and when
medication must be provided during the school day.
Appropriate forms, available from the office must be
completed prior to students having medication at school.
Medication must not be kept in the child’s possession i.e.
pocket, backpack etc. or in the classroom.
Professional Development
Importance of Indoor Shoes
Opportunities to engage in professional development
continue to be offered to staff to enhance teacher
knowledge, teaching strategies and curriculum
implementation. These sessions are related to the areas
of Literacy, Numeracy, Assessment, Mentoring
Teachers and the continuous consolidation of a
Catholic Culture and Caring Community. A team of
Primary teachers have recently been introduced to the
LLI program and have started to implement the
program into their daily lessons of Literacy, and
Intermediate teachers are participating in various
Literacy, Numeracy and Science workshops. Mrs.
Castro, our Special Assignment Teacher is working
primarily with staff in the Literacy and Numeracy area,
focusing on LLI program, accountable talk and the
three part math lesson. Your children are the direct
recipients of the professional development being
offered to the staff at St. Ursula.
As we wait for the season of spring to
arrive, we remind students and parents of the importance
of continuing to have indoor shoes at school to keep the
floors inside as dry as possible as the snow melts. It is
vital that staff and students are always prepared to exit
the building in the event of an emergency evacuation.
TRAFFIC SAFETY
There has been an increase in the presence of
Police and parking control enforcing traffic laws on the
streets around the school. With this in mind, please do
not use the Bus driveway on the west side of the school
as a drop-off or pick-up zone. This is only to be used
for buses during the arrival and dismissal times. We
also remind you to use the inside lane only in Kiss &
Ride. Some students are being dropped off from the
drive-thru lane, causing the potential for a student to be
in danger. We also request that you don’t get out of
your car if you are in the Kiss & Ride lane or in the
front of the school. Safety is a priority for all students!
Thank you 
Allergies
Thank you to everyone for helping us respect those who
have life threatening allergies. We have many students
who are allergic to foods such as shellfish, nuts and
peanuts requiring an epi-pen, if they come in contact
with any of these food items. We thank you for
continuing to send in food without any products that
could result in a life threatening situation.
Brampton Northwest Connects Celebrates the
Sochi Winter Olympics 2014
On Friday February 7th BNWC celebrated the opening of
the Sochi Winter Olympics by hosting a mini event at
Cassie Campbell Recreation Center. Students from the
Brampton West Catholic and Public Schools were invited
to take part in various events that were planned
out.Mr.Moscattini and 10 students from St. Ursula were
part of this event. The day started with the passing of the
torch from school to school and an opening ceremony.
Local dignitaries from the school board, former Olympic
athletes, city council, local fire and police were all
invited to take part of this monumental even. Students
took part in various activities throughout the day and met
and listened to Athletes who had taken part in previous
Olympics. Students thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
AROUND THE HALLS
COUNCIL’S CORNER
“100” Day
Big Box Fundraiser-Birthday Cards
The Primary halls are brimming with excitement as
students display wonderful creations of projects
designed with only one hundred pieces. This is in
celebration of reaching “100” day! Many opportunities
are provided to integrate Mathematical Numeracy
throughout the day, reinforcing the learning that has
been taking place throughout the year.
Our next fundraiser will begin on Wednesday April 2nd
and will wrap up on April 28th. We will be selling our
Big Box Fundraiser Birthday Cards .These cards are
very beautiful and with our busy schedules they are
always great to have on hand when we are in a rush. A
Fundraiser Assembly will take place on April 9th to
explain the many prizes and incentives that come along
with Big Box Fundraising!
“Royals” Hockey Team
The “Royals” took to the ice on February 6th for a
tournament at Cassie Campbell. Many teams from the
Brampton West School participated. The boys played
very well and had a fabulous time. Thank you boys for
representing St. Ursula School. Thanks to Mr. Cioffi,
Mr. Briganti for all your great coaching.
Black History Month
During the month of February, St. Ursula School
recognizes and celebrates Black History Month.
Students are engaged in a variety of activities from
Literacy to Dance to Music. Ongoing announcements
highlight the valuable contributions people have made
to Canada and our world, being shared through student
research. Through the generosity of School Council,
we welcomed Errol Lee a very talented musician who
performed for us on February 11th. The students
thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
Get Ready! Get Set! Get Green for our
upcoming Earth Week Celebrations!
Earth Week Festivities March 17th to 21st 2014
Mon. March 17th –Meatless Monday and wear Green
Tues March 18th-Trashless Tuesday
Wed March 19th- Waste Free Wednesday
Thurs. March 20th- Thirsty Thursday and the Great Big
Gulp Challenge drink of tap water
Fri. March 21st- Flick Lights off Friday
Family Poster Activity-Our Royal Tree Huggers are
asking families to voluntarily submit an 8x11 poster of
what your family does to save our Earth. Submit to
classroom teachers by March 21st.
St. Ursula Book Swap- Please bring a book on Wed.
March 19th and swap it at lunch recess. Location to be
announced.
The Great Gulp challenge is on Thirsty Thursday
March 20th. Please provide your child with an Ecofriendly water bottle filled with tap water!
Next School Council Meeting
Please join us on April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. in the school
library for our next meetings!
St. Ursula’s Got Talent
We are busy planning for our “St. Ursula’s Got Talent”
event taking place on June 5th in the evening. It is an
evening to celebrate the many talents of the St. Ursula
School Community. We are looking for parents and
children who would be willing to share their talents on
the main stage. It will be an evening to come and learn
about the great talent we have in our community. More
information to follow. Stay tuned. 