Volume 4, Issue 5
January 2015
Inside this issue:
God, thank you for a new year.
Catholic Education Week —Student Info
May everyone in our family be willing to begin anew.
We know that you are always ready to forgive us.
Advent- Kiss N Ride—Bus Cancellations
French Programs—Night with the Raptors
Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves and to forgive one another.
Gr 7 & 8 Math Online Help
Book Fair—PA Day
Going Green Together
As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values
and our deepest desires.
JK Registration—January Virtue
Winter Safety
Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing
Student Led Learning Walks
peace with you now, one day at a time.
St. Valentine Catholic School
5610 Heatherleigh Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario
L5V 2V7
what you want us to do. Help us that we might live in
Amen
Brenda LeClair,
Message from the Principal
Principal
On behalf of the St. Valentine staff, Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope everyone had a
safe and restful Christmas break. Once again, the Christmas gift card donations, delivered to needy
families in our parish, were testimony to our generous community.
Tom Prugo,
Vice-Principal
Franca Dodgson,
Secretary
David Amaral,
Our second Family Christmas Craft Night was a tremendous success!
Superintendent of Schools
Happy faces were seen throughout the school—beautiful crafts were made
905 890 0708
for timeless keepsakes, yummy gingerbread houses were made for Christmas eve nibbling and beautiful family Santa photos were taken to mark the
Luz del Rosario,
occasion! Thank you to all who came out to celebrate the season!
Trustee - Ward 6
January is the time that we settle into the winter term and look forward to the many exciting things
Karen Canlas,
that the remainder of the school year brings. Our grade 2 and grade 8 students are continuing preparations to receive the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation—please keep them in your
prayers.
I wish everyone health and happiness for 2015! May we continue to strive to make every day in our
lives as beautiful and meaningful as Christmas Day!
Living
Learning
Praying
School Council Chair
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
Pastor
St. Francis Xavier Church
905 890 5290
Volume 4, Issue 5
Page 2
Catholic Education Week 201 5—Exploring Paths of Joy
Pope Francis continually reminds us in word and in action that, in imitation of Jesus, we are called to service in our work in Catholic education.
What is Catholic Education Week?
Each year the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and
distinctive contributions of Catholic education during Catholic Education Week.
What is the theme of Catholic Education Week?
This year’s celebration entitled “Catholic Education: Exploring Paths of Joy” is scheduled for the week of May 3 – May 8, 2015. The
scriptural passage that guides our theme is: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road?” Luke 24:32 In
fact, the whole account of the Emmaus journey (Luke 24:13-35) will be woven through our prayer services.
Student Information
It is vitally important that we have up-to-date records of your address, phone numbers and
emergency contacts in the event that the school must contact you regarding your child. If
there have been any changes, or updates, [please ensure that you send in a note with the information to the classroom teacher and the office. The student agenda is also a place where
you can add information for your child to have.
Advent Season
It is always a very special time when staff, students, and their families come together and prepare for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ.
Many preparations had been made in order to make our Advent Mass a very special and holy celebration. A very special thank you to the
many students and choir who carefully prepared to be a part of the celebration as readers, altar servers or members of the choir. A special
thank you to the parents who were able to attend and celebrate with us. Our mass could not have been special without the support and
presence of Fr. Susairaj and the parish team at St. Francis Xavier Parish. We look forward to celebrating the word of God throughout
the school year. Our next mass will be our feast day mass on February 14th at the school and parents are invited to attend.
We would like to thank all of the families of St. Valentine School for their very generous spirit of giving during this Advent Season.
From the Christmas gift cards for the St. Vincent de Paul Society to the Mitten Tree to the food drive,
our school contributed greatly to those in our community in need.
The families and agencies that we help are extremely grateful for the kindness extended to them with gifts
and food items. This year, more than seven families received gift cards to help make their Christmases a
little merrier. Over 10 boxes of canned or dry food items were donated and distributed amongst our St.
Vincent de Paul families and St. Mary’s Food Bank.
Thank you as well to our staff for all their donations of time to the various activities. during the Advent season.
Thank you to all!
Living
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 5
Page 3
School Bus Cancellations
A decision to cancel school transportation and/or to close the school is usually made by 6:30 am and will
be announced on the following radio stations: CKFM, CHUM, CFTR, CFNY, Q107, CJCL,
CHFI, CFRB, ENERGY, CJEZ, CJBC, CHIN, CJMR, CHWO, and CITY TV.
Should the announcement be: THE DUFFERIN PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT
SCHOOL AND PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED.—This means that ALL transportation services provided by the school board have been cancelled for the ENTIRE day.
Should the announcement be: THE SCHOOL AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE DUFFERIN PEEL CATHO-
LIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ARE CLOSED.—
This means that ALL Dufferin Peel school and offices are closed to students and staff.
Should the announcement refer to cancellation only in the COUNTY OF DUFFERIN, this does not affect St. Valentine
School.
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
We have had ongoing safety concerns with the
area around St. Valentine School—Kiss N Ride
and drive through lanes.
Some of the issues have included parking in Kiss
N Ride lanes, parking / stopping in the drive
through lanes and parking in bus lanes in the
Kiss N Ride
for Kiss N Ride and parking at our school:
of the school.
Kiss N Ride functions only during entry time
We continue to need volunteers to help with the
between 8:15 am and 8:30 am.
Cars are restricted from parking in the Kiss N
please contact the school.
Ride area, drive through lanes and bus lanes AT
school driveway .
ALL TIMES.
Authorities from the City of Mississauga have
Parents are also reminded NOT to drop stu-
asked that we remind parents of the following rules
monitoring of Kiss N Ride. If you are able to help,
dents off from the drive through lanes at the front
French Immersion / Extended French Information Meetings
French Immersion is a Canadian educational program designed to
The Extended French Program provides students with the means
give students whose first language is not French the opportunity to
to develop more advanced French skills, enabling them to communi-
learn in the French language. Students registered in this program will
cate effectively in speech and in writing. Through the program,
spend 90% of their day learning in the French language. All subjects
students receive 1 900 hours of instruction by the end of Grade 8.
and activities in the French Immersion classroom—except English
The Extended French Program is only offered at designated
language arts—will be delivered in French.
schools in Dufferin-Peel. Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to
Senior Kindergarten parents/guardians who wish to enroll their child
enroll their child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for Septem-
in a Grade 1 French Immersion class for September 2015 are invited
ber 2015 are invited to attend an information meeting at San Lo-
to apply online on the Board website between January 12 to Febru-
renzo Ruiz School on Tuesday January 13th, 2015 at 7:00 pm.
ary 8. For more information, please go to the Dufferin-Peel CDSB
For more information, please go to the Dufferin-Peel CDSB
website.
website..
Living
Learning
Praying
Page 4
January 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
1
Sat
2
3
CHRISTMAS / WINTER BREAK
4
5
11
12
6
7
8
9
10
13
14
15
16
17
Rosary
Earth Rangers
23
24
Apostolates
18
19
20
PA Day
Gr 7—
21
22
9:30—Gr 2: First
Silvercreek
Reconciliation
Gr 8—Mt.
Alverno
25
12:00 pm First Com-
26
27
Gr 4/5 and 5/6—
Silvercreek
28
29
30
7:00 pm—Confirmation
Preparation Mass
munion Preparation Mass
Let us be renewed by God’s mercy … and let us become agents of this mercy,
channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make
justice and peace flourish.
Pope Francis
Living
Learning
Praying
31
Page 5
Lunch Lady
“HOT” Home style lunches
prepared fresh daily
If you wish to purchase more magazines or
Visit their website at
would like to refer friends or family, maga-
www.lunchlady.ca
zines can by purchased from the QSP
Our Lunch Ladies are Merri and Iis
and can be emailed at Mer-
website (www.QSP.ca) under the school
ri@thelunchlady.ca or by phone 905
828 9919 or faxed at 905 828 6972

Healthy snacks

Individually labeled lunches

Milk included

3 entrée choices each day

100 % pure juices

Over 40 entrée choices
code: 3738960
Community Event—St. Valentine Evening with the Raptors
On Friday March 13, 2015, St. Valentine staff, students and families will have an opportunity to attend a Toronto Raptors Basketball Game. We have rented buses and will be leaving St. Valentine School at 5:30 p.m.
This is a community and family school event, so feel free to invite relatives, friends and neighbours. Final details are being
worked out but the cost of the excursion will be approximately $60 which will include the price of
the ticket (regular price is $70.00) and transportation. This is a great deal!
All students must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are limited so they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.
Living
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 5
Page 6
Grade 7and 8 Online Math Help
Have a child in grade 7 or 8 who doesn’t quite under-
son, watch tutors draw on the whiteboard—and then
stand how to add fractions? Or maybe your teenager
type their own questions for on-the-spot help.
is struggling with a geometry assignment? Extra help
To access http://HomeworkHelp.ilc.org , your child
is now available.
has received a Board access code, as well as help
Check out Homework Help, where certified Ontario
setting up an account from their teacher at the school.
teachers are online 20 hours a week to provide free
Other math resources on the website include videos
math tutoring for the grade 7 and 8 students at St.
of teachers leading students through the top 20 most
Valentine.
commonly asked math problems, interactive math tuto-
Students can log in Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 pm to
rials and highlights of best sessions. Also, all stu-
9:30 pm for one-on-one confidential help. There are interactive
dents have a virtual locker, where their work is saved in video
discussion rooms for each grade where they can view a current les-
format for viewing anytime.
Scholastic Book Fair
PA Days—January 19, 2015
The Scholastic Book Fair will be at our school
Monday January 19th has been designated a Professional Activity Day, for teachers to
from Monday February 2nd to Thursday Febru-
work on assessment and evaluation of student progress. There will be no classes for all
ary 5th..
students on that day.
Book Fair Hours
Monday- Wednesday 9:00- 3:00
Thursday 9:30- 8:00pm
Family Draw Ballot Forms will be given to every
student as they visit the Fair. The Draw will be held
Report cards will be distributed on Tuesday February 3. The Elementary Progress Report Card supports assessment for learning and assessment as learning. It also provides an
opportunity to:
1.
establish a positive relationship between teachers, parents, and students;
2.
involve parents as partners in a conversation about learning
and assessment, and what they can do to support their child’s
Thursday and the winner will receive $50 worth of
learning;
books for themselves and their class.
3.
If you are able to volunteer some time, please con-
All parents will be invited to meet with their child(ren)’s teacher(s)
tact Mr. Chiola-Nakai, either by phone or by a
quick note, to let him know your availability.
identify concerns about student progress early in the school
year and develop strategies to improve student learning.
for an interview to discuss the progress report either during the evening of February 5th
and on Friday February 6th (which will be a PA Day.
Going Green Together!
To kick off the New Year, the St. Valentine Environmental Team will
bottles to school.
Hour” , Litterless Lunch Mondays and Water Bottle Free Wednes-
School Board in observing National Sweater
days.
Day- February 5, 2015. The heat in participating
continue to implement the Eco-friendly initiatives: “Lights Out Lunch
The purpose of Water Bottle Free Wednesdays is to raise awareness
St. Valentine has been invited to join the Dufferin Peel Catholic District
schools and other board facilities will be turned
around the negative impact plastic water bottles have on our planet.
down by 2% and students and employees are
an important step in “greening” our ecological footprint and becoming
This initiative provides students with an oppor-
more responsible Catholic citizens. It is hoped that activities like the
tunity to learn about the importance of saving
Lessening and ideally eliminating the number of plastic water bottles is
Water Bottle Free Wednesdays will help St. Valentine students see
how important (and how easy!) it can be to bring reusable water
Living
invited to wear a sweater to stay warm and cozy.
energy as well as reminding us all to use less heat
in the winter.
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 5
Page 7
JK Registration 2015—2016
Registration for Jun-
children must be 4 years of age by December 31,

Updated immunization records
take place on Monday
years of age by December 31, 2015.

Proof of Canadian citizenship or landed immi-
ior Kindergarten will
January 26th from
7:00 pm—9:00 pm.
and Wednesday Jan-
uary 28—Friday January 30, 2015 from 9:00
am—11:30 pm and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
This registration is for children currently not
2015. Senior Kindergarten children must be 5
grant status
Parents/guardians should bring the following
documents for registration:


Proof of age/birth certificate
Please note that if your child is enrolled in the JK

Original baptismal certificate in communion
with the See of Rome
attending school in the Dufferin Peel Catholic
Proof of address
program at St. Valentine, he/she will automatically
be registered in SK and no further action on your
part is required.
District School Board. Junior Kindergarten
Virtue for January—Self-Control
God has given us the ability to choose. We are able to control how we react to what happens around us. We may feel pressure from
inside or from outside ourselves to react violently to a situation. We’ve all “lost it” at one time or another. We are never proud of those
moments. As soon as they happen we make a promise that they will not happen again. Through prayer and concentration, we can get
better at controlling our reactions. We can get better at showing self-control. Self-control helps us to resist the temptation to do some-
thing that we will regret. Self-control helps us to resist the temptation to do something that will harm ourselves or others. Self-control is
one of the marks of a spiritually mature person.
When we all use self-control, we can be sure that our school will be a safe, caring and inclusive place to live and
to learn.
REFLECTION… How will I remember to keep my temper when something is irritating me?
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR JANUARY— Let us now pray… for the virtue of self-control so that we will resist the temptation
to cause harm to ourselves or to others around us. AMEN
Winter Safety
Snow and Ice
Winter Dress
Staying in for Recess
When the cool months arrive and snow and ice on
Now that January is upon us, it seems appro-
Throughout the school year, with cold tempera-
the ground plentiful, we all like to play in it and
priate to remind everyone to please ensure that
tures, and so many students recovering from, or
with it. Throwing snowballs and sliding on ice is
your child comes to school prepared for winter
away from school because of colds, flu, etc., we
fun. However, as much fun as it is, snow and ice,
weather. Fresh air and exercise are important
receive numerous requests to all children to re-
can be very dangerous when lots of people are in
and the students go outside regularly for recess
main indoors during recesses. Please note that we
a small area. Our school yard is a small area where
unless the weather is extremely cold. Boots,
CANNOT comply, as we have neither the
approximately four hundred children have recess.
hats, scarves, gloves, winter coats and snow
facilities or the staff to supervise these students.
Most student injuries happen during the winter
pants are necessary to keep warm and dry.
If your child is too ill to go outside for recess, then
time. In order for our school to be as safe as pos-
Wherever possible, please put identification on
he/she is too ill to be at school. On extremely
sible, the school must be that snow stays on the
your child’s belongings. It is also important that
cold days, we limit the amount of time the students
ground – no snowballs, kicking snow or any other
indoor shoes are availa-
spend out of doors. We obtain our weather in-
activity with snow or ice that could be harmful.
ble at school at all
formation from the Environment Canada Weath-
times.
er info line and follow School Board guidelines.
Living
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 5
Page 8
The Last Word
Student Led Learning Walks
Parent/Teacher interviews are catching up to the students and the 21st Century at St Valentine School. Parents will soon be invited to experience
an innovative opportunity during Term 1 Parent/Teacher interviews on February 5 and 6. Not only will our parents get some one-on-one time with their child’s teacher, they will also
be taken on a “Student-Led Learning Walk”, conducted by their child.
Student led learning walks are opportunities to invite parents to come into the school and walk around
and see what their child(ren) are accomplishing in school in a visual way. It is a way for making learning
visible to everyone. Students are responsible for taking their parents on the walks and explaining to
them what they did and what learning took place.
What’s so special about this? The students will do the talking, telling their parents about how their
learning experience transformed their thinking. In addition, parents will get to see the entire curriculum as
it evolves from grade to grade: for instance, how Data Management is taught and how it is connected
to learning in Science, French or other subjects.
The benefits of student led learning walks include:

Showcasing the great work happening in the school

Allowing students to take ownership of their work and conference with their parents about it

Providing an opportunity for parents to witness the curriculum in action and how it progresses from one year to the next but is connected through inquiry based learning
In the inter-connected world of the 21st Century, students need to be skilled communicators, who work
collaboratively to build new knowledge. These learning walks, and the student work showcased, demon-
strate how we are teaching these skills to the students at St. Valentine. Student-Led Learning Walks
will help dispel the mystery of the curriculum and surprises for parents as their children progress from
Kindergarten to Grade 8.
Parents will be provided with brochures that not only describe the school’s curriculum areas of focus,
but provide them with specific tips from their child’s teachers.
This is parent and school community engagement at its best!
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Living
Learning
Praying