Volume 4, Issue 4
December 2014
Inside this issue:
Loving God, send Your Spirit of peace upon us
as we wait and listen to hear Your voice.
Give us hearts like Mary’s hearts of patient expectation, hearts full of faith and wonder, hearts made glad
with joy and hope.
Teach us to listen for Your voice,
in the wisdom of the elderly and cry of the newborn,
in the poor and the outcast, in the students in our hallways and their families, in
Luz del Rosario / Christmas Giving
JK Registration / Inclement Weather
Fire Drills / Lockdown Drills
Outdoor Play / Intermediate Volleyball
Intermediate Volleyball
Christmas Craft Night/ Virtues Program—
Outdoor Play / Injuries at School
What Did You Learn in School Today?
our school staff and in our homes.
May this Advent season be a time of patience and peace.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus,
our Hope and Light for the journey home.
Amen
Principal’s Message
St. Valentine Catholic School
5610 Heatherleigh Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario
L5V 2V7
Brenda LeClair,
Principal
Tom Prugo,
Vice-Principal
The time has passed quickly, and St. Valentine continues to be a busy place. Students are encouraged to stay involved and active at school. In keeping with St. Valentine‘s tradition of helping others,
the school community continues to work together to support those in need. Thank you to the St. Valentine Community who have supported the various charitable initiatives, including our coin upcoming
St. Vincent de Paul Christmas gift card drive! We truly appreciate your generosity in allowing us to
assist those in need and in teaching our children the importance of their role in making a difference in the
world!
Franca Dodgson,
Secretary
David Amaral,
Superintendent of Schools
905 890 0708
Luz del Rosario,
Trustee - Ward 6
The Season of Advent is a time of expectation, waiting, caring, kindness, compassion and hope. We
strive to prepare our hearts and our lives as we wait in great anticipation for the coming of Jesus. The
birth of Jesus signifies a new beginning that heralds new hopes and dreams that light up our lives and
give it new meaning.
On behalf of the staff of St. Valentine School, I extend our best wishes during this Christmas Season to you and your family. We hope that you will be blessed with the spirit and gifts of the first Christmas – peace, love and goodwill toward all.
Karen Canlas,
School Council Chair
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
Pastor
St. Francis Xavier Church
905 890 5290
Volume 4, Issue 4
Page 2
Board of Trustees and Welcome to Luz del Rosario, Trustee—Ward 6
Dufferin-Peel’s Catholic schools are overseen by a board of 11 elected trustees. Trustees serve as system
leaders of publicly funded education in their communities and province. They work collaboratively with their
community to shape a vision for the board that is reflective of the input of parents, students and community
members. Trustees advocate for excellence in education and act as role models to engender confidence in
publically funded education. In addition, Catholic school trustees have a clearly defined role as stewards and
guardians of Catholic education. Two student trustee representatives, elected by their peers, also sit with the
board in a non-voting capacity. Regular meetings of the board are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month
at 7:00 p.m. in the Catholic Education Centre at 40 Matheson Boulevard West in Mississauga.
Congratulations to Luz del Rosario. She has been elected as trustee for wards 6 and 11. She will be officially sworn in at the December 2nd Board meeting at the Catholic Education Centre. We look forward to
working together!
We also thank Peter Ferreira for his past years of service and dedication. We wish him well!
Christmas Giving
In the past, St. Valentine has “adopted” a number of families in the area for Christmas and, with your support,
each of these families has had a Christmas that was a little better.
This year the St. Vincent de Paul Society is making a change to the Christmas Program in an effort to maintain the dignity and privacy of each family. With this change we are moving from hampers to Gift Cards for No
Frills and Walmart. This provides financial support to families to continue their own Christmas traditions. In addition, this allows the Society to ensure
each family receives a fair and equitable amount. There is nothing better than the joy of parents to see their children opening their gifts on Christmas
Day. This will also give the family a chance to celebrate the warmth and cheerfulness / closeness of Christmas together.
The suggested monetary value be in the amount of $25.00 for Food Gift Cards (No Frills) and $25.00 for Store Gift Cards (Walmart). If you prefer to
send in a cash donation, the “elves” at St. Valentine would be happy to purchase the gift cards with the monies collected.
FOOD DRIVE:
We are also collecting food items for these families and for St. Mary’s – our local food bank.
MITTEN TREE:
This year again we will be collecting mittens, hats and scarves for children in need. These will be displayed on our Christmas tree which will be displayed in
the front foyer. All items will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul to be distributed with the gift cards that are collected.
If you are able to contribute to any of the above areas, please have the items sent to the school by FRIDAY DECEMBER 12, 2014.
Junior Kindergarten Registration
Registration for the 2015-2016 school year will
be held at all Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary
schools on the following dates:
Monday, January 26, 2015
Junior Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years
old by Dec. 31, 2015.
Senior Kindergarten - Children must be 5 years
old by Dec. 31, 2015.
documents when registering their child:

proof of age

original Catholic Baptismal Certificate
of the Roman, Greek or Ukrainian Rite,
for parent (one) and child (if the child has
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.*
not been baptized, a letter of counseling
*Snow Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2015- 7:00
p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
with the parish priest, to complete the
process will be accepted)
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday,

January 28—January 30, 2015
updated immunization records

proof of Canadian citizenship or of
9:30a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Parents/Guardians should bring the following
Landed Immigrant status
Volume 4, Issue 4
Page 3
Kindergarten Entry Planning for Students with Special Needs
Information Night for Parent(s)/Guardian
(s) of Students with Special Needs in the
areas of Vision, Hearing, Autism, Physical/
Medical and/or Developmental Delays in
the cognitive and/or motor areas.
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 (snow
date: January 13, 2015), Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board will present an Information Night for Parent(s)/
Guardian(s) of students with Special
Needs in the areas of Vision, Hearing, Au-
tism, Physical/Medical and/or Developmental Delays in the cognitive and/or motor
areas.
At the session parent(s)/guardian(s) will be
reminded to ensure they register at their
local school.
The session will run from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. and will be held in Room 301 at the
Catholic Education Centre at 40 Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga.
Information will be provided regarding
School Entry Planning for students entering JK, SK and Full Day Kindergarten.
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Inclement Weather
When weather conditions are bad, parents are asked to listen to the local
radio stations for announcements of transportation services being with-
drawn and/or possible school closures. Announcements can be heard on
CFRB, CHUM, CKFM, CHWD, CHIN, CFNY, CHAY,
CKHW, CFTR, CJCL, CJMR, CBC.
The message usually takes the following form:
1. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board buses serving St. Andrew, St. Benedict and St. Peter Elementary Schools
and R.F. Hall Secondary School are cancelled today. This message does not affect us at St. Valentine.
2. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board buses and The Peel District School Board buses in the Town of Caledon and
the County of Dufferin are cancelled. This means that all runs listed under #1 above plus all schools in the Town of Caledon and all
school runs that begin in the Town of Caledon. This message does not affect us at St. Valentine.
3. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and The Peel District School Board buses are cancelled. This means that
ALL transportation services provided, including buses, vans and taxis have been cancelled for the entire day. Students dropped off by
parents, when transportation is cancelled, must be picked up by parents or have other arrangements in place for their return trip home.
The school cannot give permission for children to be driven home by someone other than the parent/guardian.
4. The schools and offices of both The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and The Peel District School Board are
closed. This means that ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel District School Board schools and offices are
closed to all students and staff.
The Dufferin-Peel website home page will also have this updated information. You may also go to www.stopr.ca for daily cancellations or delays.
Page 4
December 2014
Sun
Mon
7
14
Tue
Wed
Thu
1
2
9:30 am—Advent
Swim to Survive—
HPV/HepB/MenC
Mass at church
Gr 3
Clinic
8
9
10
Rosary Apostolates
6:30 pm—Family
Swim to Survive—
Christmas Craft
Gr 3
Nigh
16
17
Spirit Week
Spirit Week
15
Spirit Week
3
Fri
4
Sat
5
6
11
12
13
18
19
20
Spirit Week
Spirit Week:
Swim to Survive—
12:45—Virtues
Pyjama Day
Gr 3
Assembly
YFA Advent
Retreat
21
28
22
23
24
Christmas Break
Christmas Break
Christmas Break
29
30
31
Christmas Break
Christmas Break
Christmas Break
25
26
Christmas Break
We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor
among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.
Pope Francis
27
Page 5
Thank you Mrs. Balestra for her efforts with the fundraising magazine drive!
It continues to be successful, especially the online purchasing option.
Thank you as well to all the families and friends of St. Valentine
School for their purchases!
Prizes have been distributed to the students .
Lastly, we would like to wish all of you a blessed Advent, a very Merry Christmas and a happy, safe New Year!
We hope to see you at the Advent Mass
on December 1st at St. Francis Xavier Church at 9:30am
and to our continued partnership throughout the new year!
Dufferin-Peel Association of Parents in Catholic Education (DRAPCE)
DRAPCE is the regional council for the Ontario Association of Parents in
Catholic Education representing the voice of parents and guardians of children
enrolled in Catholic education in Dufferin-Peel. When parents are involved in
their children's education, everyone benefits – students, parents, teachers, schools
and communities. Great schools can become even better places to teach and learn.
We encourage parent involvement at the local and regional levels through a grassroots approach. Each school council, including ours, has a representative on
School Id: 3738960
DRAPCE.
Come browse our website. See what’s new in parent involvement in Catholic
education in Dufferin-Peel and find links to interesting information and events or
join our mailing list at:
http://oapce.on.ca/drapce
Volume 4, Issue 4
Page 6
Fire Drills and Lockdown Drills
and to report to their designated area out-
windows are secured. Students remain this
side of the building. If an exit is blocked, stu-
way until the alert is cancelled.
dents are reminded to use their alternate
exit. We will have three of the fire drills in the
As a precautionary measure, we will practice fire drills and lock down procedures
throughout the year. We are required to
hold 6 fire drills each year as well as 2 lock
down drills.
During fire drills, students are asked to
fall and the remaining three in the spring.
Discussing these procedures with your
child will help reassure the importance of
these safety procedures. In the unforeseen
In a lock down, students are alerted over the
event that we should have an emergency in
P.A. that we are “initiating lock down”. Stu-
our school, we will evacuate to St. Francis
dents are directed to move away from all
Xavier Church. Safety regulations require
windows and doors and to lie on the floor, if
us to have this contingency plan in place. In
possible under desks. Classroom doors and
such an event, your child will remain with
school staff until we contact you.
move safely and swiftly to the nearest exit
Outdoor Play
It is that time of year when we could get our first snowfall at anytime.
Please ensure that your children are dressed appropriately for outdoor play during the colder winter weather. It is the expectation that
each child go outside for exercise and fresh air. Students who cannot
go outside for recess due to illness should remain at home until they
are feeling better.
We would also ask that your child have a pair of indoor shoes for
classroom use. Please ensure that all shoes and boots are labeled with
your child’s name.
Please review our policy with your child that snow must stay on the
ground. For the safety of all our children, there is to be no snowballs,
kicking snow or any other activity with snow or ice that could be harmful. Please discuss this with your children.
Boys and Girls Intermediate Volleyball
Congratulations to the girls and boys junior
volleyball teams for their excellent representation of St. Valentine School. They exhibited great team skills and development in their
abilities. Both teams had exciting seasons.
The girls were involved in sudden death playoffs and advanced to the Family Tournament
Representing the boys were: Justin F, Joshua T, Cleavon N, Joshua G, Mat-
thew B, Shamar P, Joseph, GianLuca M,
Isaac, Yohan, Justin J, Christopher and
Daniel L.
Representing the girls were: Eula A, Maegan S, Jordin G, Nathania G, Trinity A,
Angeli L, Courtney R, Ira Z, Julia W and
Mary Faith S.
On behalf of the athletes, we would like to
thank Ms .Boone, Ms. Ruske, Mrs. Dimaapi
and Mr. Huh for their time and dedication
to coaching these two fine teams. Also,
we would like to thank the many parent
volunteers who drove the boys and girls to
their away games.
Volume 4, Issue 4
Family Christmas Craft Night
On Wednesday December
10th, St. Valentine School will
be hosting a Christmas Craft
Night from 6:30—8:30 pm.
Families are invited into classrooms to create a keepsake
craft and to work on a ginger-
bread house in the gym. At this time, we have a limited number of
gingerbread houses still available for purchase. If you have not yet
sent in your form and wish to participate, please contact the office
Page 7
so that we can reserve one of the remaining kits for your family.
A special guest for the evening is the jolly man in red—Santa
Mike! We have also arranged for a photographer who will take
photos and provide a 4X6 family portrait in a decorative card for a
cost of $5!
We will have light refreshments
available.
We look forward to seeing our
families for a fun, festive evening!
Virtue for December—Hope
This month, we will celebrate the virtue of hope. We believe that God comes to us as a real human who can show us the way
of life. We understand that both the world and its people are from God and so are essentially good. Furthermore, God has
given us this Advent season year after year in order to focus our minds and our hearts on the good all around us. Year after
year, we are reminded the 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. When we look at the world through the eyes of God we see it becoming more and more like the reign of
God that Jesus describes.
REFLECTION…
How will I remember to keep a positive, hope-filled attitude about everyone around me?
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR DECEMBER—
Let us now pray … for the grace and courage to be people of hope – people who can see, participate in and contribute to
God’s goodness emerging around us. AMEN
Coming Soon
Injuries at School
It is the goal of all staff that students enjoy
As we head into the winter season, a number of initia-
both indoor and outdoor activities at
tives will take place at St. Valentine School. Mark
school and remain safe and healthy at all
your calendars for the following community outreach
activities:

January 30, 2015—Family Movie Night

February 12, 2015—Family Literacy Night

February 27, 2015—Family Movie Night

February TBD, 2015—Family Raptors Game
Night

March 5, 2015—Family Numeracy Night

March 27, 2014—Family Movie Night

April 9, 2015—EQAO Information Night

April 24, 2015—Family Movie Night
times. It is an unfortunate fact that accidents do happen and that injuries must be dealt with in
the quickest and most prudent of manner. At St. Valentine School, a number of school staff have chosen to
become certified in First Aid. As such, there is always
someone, certified in First Aid, available to address
any issues of a minor or serious nature. Our school
policy is to err on the side of caution when dealing with
a potentially serious injury. Agendas are used to inform
parents of minor injuries and phone calls are made to
alert parents to any injuries that may require
monitoring.
Volume 4, Issue 4
Page 8
The Last Word
25 Alternatives To What’d You Learn In School Today?
Why is it so hard to talk about school? Parents often get exasperated with kids’ monosyllabic answers to their simple questions. That
one well-intentioned line, “How was school today?” has probably provoked more bad feelings between parents and kids than either
party ever intended.
“‘How was school today?’ is a frustrating question for both parents and kids,” notes Michael Thompson, Ph.D., author of “The Pressured Child.” “Parents never get the answer they want and often don’t understand how difficult this question really is. Without meaning to, parents are asking for a summary but kids don’t summarize the way adults do. So most kids just say ‘fine’ or try to avoid the
question entirely.” And then the problem escalates. “Many parents will repeat this question if they don’t get a good enough response
because they don’t know how else to ask it,” adds Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of “Playful Parenting.”
Fortunately, some simple strategies can get kids and parents talking and listening. “What was fun? What was the worst part of the day?
Did your teacher explain that math homework? How did soccer go?” However, communicating effectively about school goes deeper
than just asking the right questions. “What are the goals of talking with kids about school and what is the role of the adult in these
conversations?” asks Diane Levin, Ph.D., professor of education at Wheelock College. “More than just finding out how their day was,
we want to help kids become problems solvers and independent learners. Good conversations help kids see we care about their lives,
that we are there to support them, and to help them develop strategies for solving problems themselves.”
What are some alternatives to “What’d you learn at school today?” Here are a few ideas:
1. When did you notice yourself most interested and curious today?
2. Was there a time today when you were especially confused? How did you respond?
3. What is one thing that was hard to believe? Not confusing, but surprising?
4. If you were more ____ today, how would it have impacted the day?
5. When were you most creative today?
6. Tell me one fun thing you learned, one useful thing you learned, and one extraordinary thing you learned.
7. What does a successful day at school look like to you? Feel like?
8. What sort of different reasons do your friends go to school?
9. Who worked harder today, the teacher or the students?
10. How else could you have learned what the teacher taught?
11. How do your teachers show they care?
12. What do you know, and how do you know it?
13. What would you like to know more about?
14. What is the most important thing you learned today? The least?
15. Tell me one chance you took today, and how it ended up.
16. What is one thing you learned from a book?
17. What is one thing you learned from a friend?
18. What is one thing you learned from a teacher?
19. What still confuses you?
20. What is something you say or heard that stuck with you for some reason?
21. Based on what you learned today in ______ class, what do you think you’ll learn tomorrow?
22. Tell me three facts, two opinions, and one idea you heard today.
23. What should you do with what you’ve learned?
24. When did you surprise yourself today?
25. What’s stopping you from being an (even more) amazing learner?
(Downloaded from www.pbs.com and www.teachthought.com)
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN