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.