Volume 4, Issue 7
March 2015
Inside this issue:
Planning for 2015-2016—School Bus Safety
Anaphylaxis
Student Safety—EQAO-Late Arrivals
Lamontagne Fundraiser
Homework Help—Support for Breakfast Club
Kiss and Ride—Student Immunization
Wet Clothing -- March Break
Inquiry Based Learning
St. Valentine Catholic School
5610 Heatherleigh Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario
L5V 2V7
Brenda LeClair,
Principal
Tom Prugo,
Vice-Principal
Franca Dodgson,
Secretary
David Amaral,
Superintendent of Schools
Principal’s Message
905 890 0708
As we continue to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus, let us try to keep in
our minds and hearts how we continue to grow following the teachings of Jesus.
As we approach Easter, let us use the period of Lent to pray for peace and harmony
in the world. Let us pray that our students, families and staff will be able to journey
through Lent in health and with a renewed sense of peace and faith.
Karen Canlas,
School Council Chair
Pastor
St. Francis Xavier Church
905 890 5290
I would like to wish all the families a holy and blessed Lenten season.
Learning
Trustee - Ward 6
416 528 6447
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
On behalf of the entire St. Valentine staff,
Living
Luz del Rosario,
Praying
Page 2
Volume 4, Issue 7
Planning Ahead—Class Placements
In arriving at the decision for placement of your child for the upcoming year, every consideration is given to individual needs. This decision is made in collaboration with all staff who
have been directly involved in your child‘s education this year. If you feel that there are specific considerations which should be addressed in determining the placement of your child,
please send a letter addressed to the principal to advise us of your concerns. We ask for all
submissions to be sent to the office no later than Friday, April 24h. Your request will be
considered at our grade promotion meetings. We remind you that it would not be appropriate to request one teacher over another as placements are subject to change. However, if
there is other information regarding your son/daughter‘s learning style, or other considerations of which we ought to be aware, please advise us of these facts in your letter.
School Bus Safety
Ensuring student
safety is a very important goal to all
those working with
students. You are asked to review carefully
the following rules for students while riding
on school buses. Students not following
these rules may lose the privilege of riding
on a school bus.
 Listen to the driver when getting on
and off the bus, especially when a road
must be crossed
 Go directly to their seat and stay seated until they are let off the bus
 Follow all instructions from the bus
driver, especially about where they put
their belongings
 Not eat or drink, fight, swear or demon-
Students are required to:
 Be at their stop at least 5 minutes before the pick-up time
strate other types of poor behaviour
 Not open or close windows unless the
driver permits it
 Keep all belongings inside the bus
 Not damage the bus seats (students
will be held responsible)
 Respect private property while waiting
for their school bus
 Not talk to the bus driver while the bus
is in operation unless it is necessary
The conduct of individual students on the
bus directly affects their safety and that of
their classmates. At the discretion of the
principal, misconduct may result in removal
of bus privileges.
Planning for 2015 – 2016
Are you moving? To help us with our plan-
expected fluctuations in population.
ning for next September, it would be appre-
Flexible Boundary Procedures—A reminder
ciated if you could let us know now if you will
to parents/guardians of students from grades
be moving out of our school area over the
1-8 that are attending St. Valentine School
summer. If you know of any families moving
under the “Flexible Boundary” guidelines
into the area with children who plan to attend that the procedure is reviewed annually and
St. Valentine, it would be helpful if you
permission is granted under the following con-
could alert us.
ditions:
The more information we have, the better we  Transportation is your responsibility.
are able to organize staff and students for
September. In the absence of accurate
information, schools often have to reorganize classes in September due to un-
Living
The Board will not provide either transportation or additional supervision for
students admitted under this procedure.
Learning
 The students admitted under this procedure do not automatically become eligible for the secondary
school serving the school. A separate
request must be made to the secondary
school principal.
If you would like to continue to be granted
permission under this procedure for the
2015-2016 school year, please submit your
request in writing by March 27, 2015.
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 7
Page 3
Sabrina’s Law—Anaphylactic Students Protection Act
This law came into effect January 1, 2006. Recognizing that there are students within our school system
who are susceptible to anaphylactic reaction, a severe allergic reaction to a food, insect bite or medication,
school boards must maintain anaphylactic guidelines and procedures.
Sabrina’s Law requires that schools establish and maintain policies , including strategies to reduce risk, a
plan to communicate information about life threatening allergies and regular training for teachers and staff
in responding to anaphylactic reactions.
At St. Valentine School, we have always had the proper procedures in place and will continue to follow
Board policies and guidelines.
We ask that you help us take care of our vulnerable students by continuing to choose lunches and snacks for your children that are free
from all nut products (including Nutella) and to provide snacks that can be eaten easily by the students in class as food is no longer per-
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Student Safety
EQAO
In the interest of student safety, it is Board policy that all visitors
Administration of the Primary (Grade3) and
to the school are required to enter through the front doors and
Junior (Grade 6) Assessment of Reading,
report to the office. Before proceeding to another part of the
school, it is necessary for visitors to be cleared by office staff, sign in and pick up a visitor’s
pass. Please do not go to classrooms, unless you have reported to the office first, even if
only for a moment. If your child is late, please bring him/her to the office. We will arrange to
Writing and Mathematics, 2014—2015 will
be held May 25-June 5, 2015.
Specific dates will be forthcoming for each
get him/her to class. It will be important for everyone to follow the same procedure if it is to
grade.
be effective in helping to maintain a safe environment. Consistency is the key. Thank you
We ask that parents/guardians do not
for your cooperation with this important procedure, and for supporting the school in attempting to provide a safe environment for all. Please inform your caregiver who may be
coming to the school, of this procedure.
Safety First
babysitter, please arrange for pick up at the
Please continue to support us by:
office;
• Dropping off your child in kiss & ride;
book any doctor or dentist appointments
during this time to ensure that your child is
present during test taking times.
• No child will be released without parental
consent.
• Reporting to the office at all times;
• Please keep the gate to the kindergarten
• If your child is being picked up by
area closed.
someone other than a parent or
A number of our students continue to arrive late daily. In
Lates
and the anthem, but they also miss valuable teaching time.
many instances, it is the same students arriving after 8:30 am
Late arrivals cause disruption to the other students and
without parental accompaniment. This is a safety concern
also to the teacher who may have already begun his/her
for us. Any student arriving after 8:30 am is considered late
lessons for the day.
and should be accompanied by an adult.
Developing good work habits and time management skills
Please make every effort to have your child/ren at school on
can maximize a child’s learning potential.
time. When a child is late, they not only miss opening prayer
Living
Let’s work together to develop these skills!
Learning
Praying
Page 4
March 2015
Sun
Mon
1
Tue
2
Wed
3
Thu
4
Fri
5
Sat
6
French Carnival
7
9:30—Lenten
Mass at church
Mississauga
South Chess
8
9
10
AM—French
Performance
11
12
13
AM—Rosary
School
5:30 pm—Family
Apostolates
Confessions
Raptors Game
14
Great Big
Crunch/Gulp
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
26
27
28
March Break
22
23
24
25
Chocolate
Fundraising
Campaign Begins
7:00 pm—Movie
Night
29
30
31
Holy Week
You tell us that to love God and neighbour is not something abstract,
but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely.
And you are, dear brothers and sisters, the face of Jesus.
Pope Francis
Living
Learning
Praying
Living
Learning
Praying
Living
Learning
Praying
Page 7
Volume 4, Issue 7
March 2015
COMING SOON!
Saturday April 11
CCCSC 2015 Conference:
Exploring Paths of Joy:
Recognizing Jesus in the
Breaking of the Bread
Keynote Address by
Anne Jamieson,
Director of Catechesis,
Archdiocese of Hamilton
ST. VALENTINE SCHOOL
CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE 2015!
St. Valentine School Council asks for your support of our Lamontagne Chocolate fundraiser. This year we plan to continue supporting various school initiatives,
including faith development and sacramental support, the Arts, academic programs.
As a result of your support from chocolate sales last year, the school was able to
have students in grades 1-8 participate in the Health and Wellness Week activities
and all students received virtues t-shirts! Also, we have been able to bring the community together in celebration of a successful school year at our Spring Community
Barbeque. In past years we have purchased sports, gym, and playground equipment,
computers, and subsidized various excursions.
We have exciting incentives for our sellers! The three top selling
families will receive:
1. $250 Gift certificate for Great Wolf Lodge
2. Space Scooter
3. Movie Pass for Family of Four
4. Limo and Mandarin Lunch for 10
We have exciting incentives for our sellers! and new this year will be
Lunch Lady
“HOT” Home style lunches
prepared fresh daily
Visit their website at
www.lunchlady.ca
Our Lunch Ladies are Merri
and Iis and can be emailed at
various prizes for participation in the fundraising event!
The kickoff assembly will take place on Friday March 27th. Chocolate will be sent home after the assembly.
We hope that—as in past years—you will be able to support our
school and programs offered to enrich the educational experience
of your children!
Merri@thelunchlady.ca or by phone
905 828 9919 or faxed at 905 828 6972

Healthy snacks

Milk included

Individually labeled
lunches

3 entrée choices
Living
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 7
Page 8
Homework Help
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce that once again it will be participating in the Math Homework
Help pilot project. This is the second year that the students in our Board will have access to live, interactive online math help through the
expansion of a pilot project funded by the Ministry of Education. Homework Help is free, real-time math tutoring by certified Ontario
teachers. The project’s goal remains to provide students in grades 7 to 10 with an after-hours online support in Mathematics.
Students can log in from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for 20 hours a week of individualized confidential math tutoring.
There are discussion rooms for each grade where students can join in and see what questions other students are asking, watch the tutors
draw on the whiteboard, and ask their own question for on-the-spot help.
If they can't wait until the discussion rooms open, videos of best tutorials and commonly asked questions are available
anytime. Other online math resources include math games and a virtual locker, where students can save their work.
To register for the site, visit the website www.ontario.ca/homeworkhelp. Scroll down and you will find the link to the
Homework Help Line. Students will need their OEN number to register. This number is different from their student
number, and can be obtained from their school.
Breakfast Club Donations
As many of our families are aware, we run a breakfast club daily to help families give their children a good start to the day and to help
ensure they are ready for learning.
At this time we are asking for your support. Included with this newsletter is an envelope - if you are
able to help with a donation, you will help ensure that we are able to continue providing nutritious
breakfasts to our students. If you receive this newsletter electronically, you may send a donation
with your child and we will ensure that it is directed to our breakfast program.
Also, if you are able to volunteer some time in the mornings, approximately 1/2 hour, please contact
our co-ordinator, Mrs. MacIntosh.
We thank you in advance for your support!
St. Valentine School is on Twitter! For the latest school news and information, follow us @ValentineDPCDSB
Kiss and Ride
The kiss and ride program at St. Valentine School continues
as possible. Do not stop and/or get out of your car in the Kiss
The following are procedures we need all parents, guardians

to be a major concern in regards to the safety of our students.
and Ride lane. This causes the driveway to become congested.
and caregivers driving and/or picking up their children to adhere
to.


Use the Kiss and Ride lane to drop off or pick up your
If you would like to walk your child to their appropriate yard,
Do not use the bus, drive through or passing lane at the
please park either in the school parking lot or on a side street.
front of the school to drop students off or leave your vehi-
As in previous years, we rely on volunteers for the success of
cle

our Kiss N’ Ride program. If you are able to volunteer your
Move up the driveway in the kiss and ride lane as far
Living
Monitor speed when in passing or drive through lanes.
Other cars may pull out unexpectedly as you are driving.
child.

Kindly assist us in reminding children to use the walkway to
enter upon and exit off of school property.
time before the school day begins, please contact the office.
Learning
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 7
Page 9
Student Immunization
The Peel Public Health will be collecting all student immunization records from every
school in the Peel Region. A series of letters will be mailed out to parents for those that
have out-standing immunization records. If the records are not updated by a third letter,
schools will follow up with a mandatory suspension for the student until their immunization
records have been updated. Please ensure that you have met all the requirements for
your child‘s immunization records so as not to interrupt your child‘s education. Immunize
on time and report every time. Update your records online at www.immunizepeel.ca or call
Peel Public Health at 905 - 799– 7700.
Virtue for March—Kindness
This month we will celebrate the virtue of kindness. God has given us the gifts of friends and companions to
keep us company and to help us out 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 sister 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 must show that we are kind by our words and our actions. Through
prayer and concentration, we can get better at showing kindness to everyone we meet.
REFLECTION… Who can I think of right now that would really benefit from an act of kindness?
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR MARCH
Let us now pray… for the virtue of kindness so that everyone we meet will feel like we are looking out for their
good.
AMEN
Wet Clothing
With the
long, wet
winter and
the unpredictable temperatures,
our
schoolyard
alternates
from icy and slippery to soggy and muddy.
When conditions become dangerous or too
wet, we close the field to student use. On
We have been encountering some issues,
March Break this year takes place March
however, with wet clothing. Often times—
16th to March 20th inclusive. We return
especially our older students—students
come to school without boots and snow-
Living
to school Monday March 23rd.
pants.
We ask for your assistance in ensuring
that all students come to school with appropriate attire for the weather, including
boots, to ensure that they are comfortable
to learn when returning indoors.
Please also consider leaving a change of
clothes (or even just socks) in your child’s
most days, however, the students have access backpack. This will alleviate the office
to the field and complete paved areas.
March Break
from having to call home for a dry clothes.
Learning
As March Break approaches, we wish
everyone an enjoyable and restful week
with friends and family. If you are traveling, we wish you a safe journey!
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 7
Page 10
The Last Word
What is Inquiry-Based Learning?
Traditionally, classrooms in Ontario have followed the rote learning model, which is a technique based on repetition and memorization.
But recently, those classrooms are disappearing in favour of a more collaborative space, in which teachers are facilitators using a technique called inquiry-based teaching.
“Inquiry-based teaching is an approach to instruction that begins with exploring curriculum content and providing a framework for the
students to ask their own questions which builds interest and curiosity,” says Louise Robitaille, an elementary teacher in Midland.
Encouraging students to be active learners, posing their own questions and problems and following through on those, rather than passive learners simply receiving information is believed to create greater student engagement and, in turn, create greater student achievement.
Inquiry-based learning is not a new idea. It is a teaching method born in the 1960s out of a response to the more traditional forms of
teaching. It has steadily gained traction since then. Ontario has adopted it as a way to reach learners that have traditionally fallen
through the cracks of the rote learning model.
What does an inquiry-based classroom look like?
The teacher is no longer the “sage on the stage” expounding knowledge for students to memorize. The inquiry-based approach encourages more "student voice and choice" in the learning. This isn’t to say that there is no role for rote learning, but rote learning cannot
stand on its own.
“There is a minor role for rote learning in the classroom (as) certain skills require long term acquisition,” says Robitaille. “However, the
focus should always be on expanding knowledge and skills and not on memorization. For example, memorizing history dates without learning the importance of the events is ineffective.”
In an inquiry-based classroom, a teacher will work with all of the learning styles found in his or her own classroom and design activities that
students can collaborate on in small groups.
However, students may think in ways that are limited to their own experiences, and it is the teacher’s job to help kids notice what they
might have missed. Teachers also build on spontaneous questions to allow for further thought and questions.
For example, if the classroom is discussing the life of the class goldfish, a child might ask: “If we take out all the plants, will the fish get
sick?”
Instead of answering a question like that with a yes or no, the teacher may ask: “What do people think? It might help to first think about
what sorts of roles plants carry out? Why are plants in the aquarium important?” These questions would lead students to learn more
about aquatic life.
What can parents do at home?
Robitaille, with the help of Grade 4/5 teacher Pete Douglas, offers these tips:




Ask about what your child is learning in class.

Enjoy building projects together in the home.
Support and encourage interest and curiosity by following up with activities at home.
Encourage and practice good communication skills such as starting conversations and debates about current events.
Help your kids develop research skills online and from text.
Dowwloaded from: http://tvoparents.tvo.org/article/what-inquiry-based-learning
Living
Learning
Praying