St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
665 Willowbank Trail,
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 3L6
Telephone: (905) 848- 5397
Fax: (905) 848-0738
Principal:
Head Secretary:
Superintendent:
Pastor:
D. Brkic
S. Ferenc
T. Lariviere 905 890-1221
Fr. John Facey 905 270-2301
Trustee: M. Pascucci 905 302-3096
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Fax: 905 890-0888 905 890-0708
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
March 2016
Lord Jesus Christ,
You gather your people during this Holy Season of Lent,
and call us to repent.
As we return back to you once again, open our hearts,
so that we might be transformed in your image.
Remove any barriers that keep us from you, so that we
may live fully the life we received at Baptism.
Help us to love you more and to reach out to others in
friendship, especially to those who need it most.
May the ashes that we receive on our foreheads remind
us of your call to change.
May Your Spirit give us the courage and strength we
need to be people of faith.
By Your grace, may we turn to you in our abundance,
and share your love with the world around us.
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 7 Rosary Apostolates
March 9 Gr. 7, 8 at Dr. Simone’s
March 11 Toonie 2-Ball for ShareLife
March 14 – 18 March Break
March 20 – 25 Holy Week
March 25 Good Friday
March 27 Easter
March 28 Easter Monday
March 30 Grad Photos
March 31 10:30 a.m. Virtues Assembly
In March,
we celebrate
the Virtue of
Kindness
Virtues
Assembly
March 31st,
2016
at 10:30 a.m.
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Thanks to our dedicated staff and School Council, our
school continues to be very active in faith, curricular
and extracurricular activities.
As we continue to journey through Lent, season of
prayer and penance, let us be more conscious of the
need to be kind, compassionate and generous and let
us all pray for peace and harmony in our school
community and the world.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms.
Kus, our new Planning Time teacher.
On behalf of all staff, I wish everyone a safe March
Break and a blessed Easter!
D. Brkic
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
MARCH VIRTUE – KINDNESS
God wants us to give generously to others around us.
A kind person…
 gives their time to help others
 stands by their friends in time of need
 shares with their friends
 is polite and cares about other people’s feelings
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. As brothers and sisters who share one Holy
Spirit, we are all valuable to God. 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.
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH
Let us now pray… for the virtue of kindness so that
everyone we meet will feel that we care and want the
best for them.
LENT
The liturgical season of Lent
began with Ash Wednesday,
celebrated this year on
February 10, 2016.
I would like to thank Father
John for helping us prepare
for this Lenten season by
celebrating Mass with us.
During Lent we imitate Jesus, who spent forty days in the
desert in prayer and fasting before beginning His public
ministry. Lent provides us the opportunity to pause, reflect
and refocus on our faith. In observance of this most Holy
Season, please encourage your child to take extra time to
pray, and to make a deliberate effort to give and share. This
can be done by helping with tasks at home and performing
a kind act for a classmate each day.
Dear God,
You have done such a marvelous job of creating us and
the world around us.
You have placed this creation, including all the people
we meet, in our care.
We come to you now asking for the grace and strength
to keep a sense of kindness.
We hope that by recognizing and honouring this fruit of
the Holy Spirit, we can contribute to making our school a
safer, more caring, more inclusive community.
May kindness, the fruit of your Spirit, help us to feel the
courage to act on behalf of the people around us who
are in need.
We ask this in name of Jesus, our brother, who lived to
show us your way.
Amen.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
that we care; thank you for helping the Gr. 7 & 8 students
make a difference!
LENTEN INITIATIVES
SVDP Lenten Clothing Drive
Let’s Keep Those Milk
Bags Mooooving!
Thank you to everyone
for sending in your
clean, used milk bags. We have collected one big box of
milk bags so far and will be sending it to John Cabot high
school to be weaved into mats and then sent to
developing countries to be used as sleeping mats.
It takes about 420 milk bags to make just one sleeping
mat, so we still need many, many more bags. This project
will continue for the remainder of the year, so please
keep the milk bags coming in!
We thank you for your continued support of
this campaign and of our Gr. 8 Faith
transitions to high school!
SVDP Lenten Food Drive for Canadian Food for Children
Thank you to all of our
families who have already
sent in non-perishable
food items for our Lenten
Food Drive in support of
Dr. Simone’s Canadian
Food for Children Charity.
During this Lenten season our school
is once again involved with an
important social justice/ social outreach initiative. Our
Grade 8 students, as part of their transition to secondary
school, are once again working with John Cabot high school
Chaplain, Ms. Esvelt and Cabot students, to promote their
Lenten Clothing Drive Campaign.
For the next three weeks, Monday, February 29th to
Thursday, March 24th, the Grade 8 students will be
collecting gently-used clothing items for men, women and
children. All items collected will be donated to Dr.
Simone’s Warehouse and the Good Shepherd Ministries to
help those in need, both in our community and in the
world. Your old clothes will become cool again!
We are less than a month away from Spring! This is a
perfect time for us to begin thinking about doing some
“spring-cleaning.” Our Lenten Clothing Drive is the perfect
opportunity to clean out our closets and help those in
need! We thank you in advance for your support of our
Lenten Clothing Drive and for helping us to help those in
need.
God bless you and your family during this Holy Lenten
season.
Toonie Two‐Ball for Sharelife!
Our campaign ended on Friday, March 4th, but if you
have not yet had a chance to send in non-perishable
food items, such as canned goods, rice, beans, pasta,
and especially powdered milk and baby formula (which
are in great demand), there is still time.
On Friday, March 4th, we wrapped-up our Food Drive
campaign, after the Gr. 7 & 8 students
encouraged everyone to bring in a nonperishable food item and wear their
favourite Sports Team shirt!
Let’s celebrate our collective alms-giving this Lent and
show our brothers and sisters in developing countries
On Friday, March 11th, the Gr. 8
students will be hosting a very
special event for the entire
school: Toonie Two-Ball! This is
a popular “Blast from our SVDP
Past!”
All classes from FDK - Gr. 7 will have the opportunity to
participate in this event at a scheduled time during the
day, in the gym. Every student will be given one minute
to score as many points as they can and show off their
basketball moves!
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
All you need to do is bring in a Toonie on Friday, March
11th. All proceeds will go to ShareLife. So lace up your
sneakers, practice your free‐throws, grab a toonie and
get ready to showcase your moves like Kyle Lowry and
DeMar DeRozan on Friday, March 11th! We will be
watching for future Raptors right here at SVDP!
Thank you in advance for your support!
Ms. Ricardo and the Grade 8 Students
JUNIOR BASKETBALL SEASON
Congratulations to the boys who participated this year on
the Junior team. They worked hard and persevered in all
of their games. Way to go Vikings!
FDK INQUIRIES ABOUT ANIMALS IN THE WINTER
This month, our kindergarten students were inquiring
about animals in the winter. Many wanted to know, how
do animals that do not hibernate or migrate survive the
cold winter? We discovered that many animals, like
otters and whales, have blubber that keeps them warm.
We conducted a blubber test to show how this works and
recorded our findings.
We also discovered how important it is to do what we can
to help animals who are trying to survive the harsh winter
weather, especially birds. We learned that February is the
hardest month for birds to find food which is why it is
National Bird Feeding Month. We collected appropriate
recycled materials, made plans, and constructed our very
own bird feeders. Thank you to Ms. DeFrancesco's grade
6/7 class and to parents who came in to help make each
student's visions come true!
Congratulations to the Junior Girls Basketball Team for a
fantastic season. They were undefeated and qualified for
the Mississauga East Family Tournament. They displayed
tremendous teamwork and effort and made St. Vincent de
Paul proud.
Thank you to our dedicated coaches: Mr. Spadafina, Ms.
Khoury. Ms. Grabowski and Ms. Franchino.
FUN ACTIVITIES AT SVDP
The games club started just in time to keep the primary and
junior students out of the cold! For one lunch recess a week
that is. The kids are enjoying this time playing games such
as Battleship, Pictionary and Lego! It's a great opportunity
to develop new friendships and social skills.
The Diversity Club has been hard at work preparing for the
Lenten Mass and for the creation of the Easter display case
in the foyer.
Junior Book club books have gone home! We are eagerly
looking forward to all the recommendations and to find out
which fiction and non-fiction title will be called our
favourites!
Thank you to Mrs. Pileggi and Ms. Franchino for keeping
our students busy!
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN
FEBRUARY
CHESS TOURNAMENT
On April 1, the St. Vincent de Paul Chess Teams are headed
to the Mississauga East family tournament at St. James
School. The teams have been practicing very hard since the
fall with their coach Ms. Ricardo. We would like to wish
them much success!
SVdP ECO TEAM
Our Eco Team has
been busy promoting
eco-friendly practices
within the school and
the community.
The EcoTeam has officially started our Waste-Free Lunch
Wednesday challenge! Continue bringing in reusable
containers for your food and reusable bottles for your
drinks. The class with the best record of least amount of
waste and least contaminated bins will win a popsicle party
in June!
This month, we will be having a symbolic Earth Hour event
at school on Thursday, March 10, the week before the
official Earth Hour, Saturday, March 19. Join millions
across the world in an effort to conserve energy by turning
off your lights and all electronics between 8:30 p.m. and
9:30 p.m. Encourage your family to participate in this
cause to save as much power as you can for one
hour. Changing climate starts with us!
Thank you for supporting our
initiatives.
Thank you to Miss Raposo for working
with our EcoTeam.
EQAO UPDATE
This year the EQAO assessments for students in grades 3
and 6 will take place between May 25 and June 8, 2016. We
ask that you please avoid booking dental, doctor
appointments or vacations during this time. Go to
www.eqao.com to access parent resources.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATE
VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE AND COOKIE-GRAM!
Our Catholic School Council sold valentine cookies in
February and made a profit of about $400!
The students definitely enjoyed the dance and cookies on
February 12.
Thank you to the parents for counting and sorting the
orders, putting labels on the cookies and delivering them
to the classes, as well as decorating the gym for the
dance!
PAUL DAVIS SOCIAL MEDIA
Thank you to the School Council for bringing in Paul Davis
to talk to our students and parents about Social
Networking Safety. The presentations were excellent and
our students received a lot of valuable information.
Thank you to the parents for setting up for the evening
and getting the refreshments.
DrumFIT DAY
On Monday, February 29th, we had a DrumFIT day at the
school. We had six sessions throughout the day where all
students had the opportunity to try DrumFIT. The
instructor was energetic and engaging and knew how to
connect with the JK's through to the grade 8's with
different games and activities for each grade. Based on
the feedback from the teachers, students and parents, it
was definitely a success. It was a fantastic workout and
really challenged the participants, while still being a lot of
fun.
Thank you to the parents who participated in their child's
class.
Thank you to the parents who helped throughout the
day, making sure the classes were on time, as well as
assisting during the sessions.
Next School Council meeting is on April 5th, 2016 at 7:00
p.m. in the library.
ONLINE REPORTING TOOL
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School board has
developed a new way to help nurture a safe, caring and
inclusive school environment. The Online Reporting Tool is
intended for students in grades 3 – 8 who become aware
of bullying incidents and negative behaviours. The student
can simply ‘click’ on the link found on our school’s website
to fill out the report. The report will then be directly
emailed to the principal and/or vice principal and will be
dealt with accordingly.
It is important to recognize that the Online Reporting Tool
is an alternate reporting option. It is best practice to speak
directly with a responsible adult at home and/or in the
school.
Your child may have a
vision problem.
And with 80% of their learning
being done through their eyes,
vision issues can have a severe
impact on your child’s ability to learn.
Parents will not often be able to detect a problem. Signs
and symptoms can be subtle. Children rarely know that
they have a vision problem, and they can’t always tell you
what they see. Make sure they can see to the best of their
ability by getting them a comprehensive eye exam by an
optometrist.
Eye exams and follow-ups are covered under OHIP for
children under 19 years-old, so there are no out-of-pocket
costs. Just show your Ontario Health card.
For this year’s Year One Kindergarten students, the Eye
See…Eye Learn® program offers one complementary pair
of glasses with their OHIP-covered eye exam, if prescribed
by a participating optometrist.
Learn more at www.EyeSeeEy
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Dufferin-Peel is offering the Full-Day Kindergarten
program in all 123 Catholic elementary schools in
Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Bolton and
Orangeville. Registration materials are available for
pick-up at the schools. Parents/guardians are to
register their child in person at their designated
Catholic school. To find out which Catholic school is
in your area, please contact our Planning Department
at 905-890-0708 ext. 24440.
Parents/Guardians should bring the following
when registering their child:
· Proof of age of the child (birth certificate or
passport)
· Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman,
Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one) and
child (if the child has not been baptized, a letter
of counseling with the parish priest, to complete
the process will be accepted.
· Updated immunization records
· Proof of home address (2 pieces: utility bill, bank or
credit card statement, rental agreement)
· Proof of English Separate School support (may
be done at the time of registration by completing
an Application For the Direction of School
Support and/or Separate School Lease
Agreement available at the school.
SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS
Supervision begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
Please do not bring/send your children to school
earlier than this time. Given safety concerns, it is not
a good idea to leave your children outside
unattended as student supervision in the yard begins
at 8:45 and not before. Please make other
arrangements for the care of your children prior to
8:45 a.m. Please meet your child at the back of the
school at 3:30p.m. for dismissal. Students should
not be leaving the building through the front door.
MINIMIZING DISRUPTIONS
We appreciate continued parental help and support
in minimizing disruptions to classes, whenever
possible.
If you wish to discuss something with your child’s
teacher, we ask that you set up an appointment with
the teacher.
Approaching the teacher, before, during and/or after
school makes it difficult for the teacher to focus on
her/his students. This also becomes a safety issue.
Please leave a message with the office and the
teacher will call you back.
If your child is late, please have him/her report to the
office. PLEASE DO NOT ESCORT YOUR CHILD TO
CLASS.
Please send a note in advance, to your child’s teacher
when your child needs to be picked up early, then
meet them in the office and sign them out.
If delivering lunches to your child at school, please
write your child’s and teacher’s names on lunch bags
and leave them on the lunch table in the front foyer.
This would be greatly appreciated.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
COLD AND FLU SEASON
With cold and flu season upon us, the DufferinPeelCatholic District School Board continues to be
vigilant in ensuring that our schools are clean and
that our school communities are educated regarding
good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. These
practices are promoted on an ongoing basis, but as
the prevalence of colds and flu increases, our board
increases the cleaning of contact surfaces, as well as
reminds schools to review cold and flu prevention
with students and staff. Many resources are utilized
from our regional health units.
A reminder, as well, that communicable diseases can
be contracted in public places throughout the year.
For example, cold-related viruses, such as
Enterovirus, are transferred from person to person
through hand contact. Cold and flu viruses typically
peak from December through February, but can start
as early as October.
Please assist us by reviewing good hand washing
procedures, as well as other preventative measures,
as outlined in the various Peel resources available to
you through their website.
In addition, we remind parents to please use
discretion in keeping your children home to recover.
A child who is coughing and sneezing, is not capable
of learning—and is in the position of infecting other
children.
For more information, visit the health unit website:
http://www.peelregion.ca/health
Direct links to the above information can be found in
the Parent Section of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board website at www.dpcdsb.org
SNOW SAFETY
We will keep reminding all students of our policy that
snow must stay on the ground. For the safety of all,
there are to be no snowballs, kicking of snow or any
other activity involving snow or ice that could be
harmful. Although it may seem like a fun activity, our
experience has shown that serious accidents can and
do occur. Sliding on any hills created by snow
ploughs, and sliding on ice are also prohibited.
Please discuss these safety procedures and reinforce
them with your children – it is imperative that
everyone adhere to these rules.
PEDICULOSIS (Head Lice)
Pediculosis is a problem which occurs from time to
time each year in schools. If cases are found we
inform all parents of the class involved by letter. If a
child is infected, we request that she/he be kept out
of school until she/he has been treated with the
correct medicated shampoo.
Please keep us
informed if this happens to your child.
DRIVEWAY/ KISS AND RIDE SAFETY
Many thanks to parents / guardians who have been
using the correct and safe procedure for dropping
their children off in the morning in our Kiss and Ride
program. Our driveway is made safer when everyone
cooperates. Please ensure you have pulled up to the
front of the drop line to let children in or out of your
car. The driveway gets very congested as 9:00 a.m.
approaches, and many students are arriving after the
bell rings. Please be aware that it is our expectation
that children arrive at school on time and prepared
to work.
LUNCH HOUR ROUTINES
A reminder that students who regularly stay for lunch
are NOT permitted to leave school property without
a signed and dated note from parents each time
they leave school grounds. Students either go home
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
for lunch or stay in school for lunch. Students who go
home for lunch are expectedThank you for
supporting this important safety routine.
PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL YARD
Thank you for your cooperation, parents and
caregivers for not entering the schoolyard when
dropping off your children.
LATE ARRIVALS
All students from FDK to Grade 8, should start school
on time. This prevents interruption of classes and loss
of information for the students. A student is
considered late if the school bell has rung and they
are not in line and entering the school with their
classmates. Being consistently and continuously late
interrupts the classroom during lessons, creates
delays in the office and sets a poor example for those
who do arrive on time. Please encourage and assist
your child(ren) to recognize that punctuality is a
responsibility, which all students should be
developing.
SABRINA’S LAW-ANAPHYLAXIS
If your child has a severe reaction to peanuts, peanut
by-products, bee/wasp stings or any other allergies
or medical conditions, please let the school know as
soon as possible. It is essential that the information
you provide to us is accurate and up-to-date.
There are various forms which need to be completed
by you and your family doctor if it is necessary to
store an epipen/medication at school. We continue
to have students with severe, life threatening
allergies to nuts and peanuts. Although this may or
may not affect your child’s class directly, we require
your continue cooperation in sending foods to school
that are free of peanuts, nuts, or their by-products.
We cannot guarantee that any classroom is nut free,
but we are attempting to minimize the exposure and
keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.
IMMUNIZATION
Ontario Law (Immunization of School Pupils Act,
1990) requires all school age children to be
immunized against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio,
Measles, Mumps and Rubella. The law requires Peel
Health to keep up-to-date records of your child’s
immunization. In the past we have had a number of
students receive letters of suspension from school
due to records not being updated at the Health
Department. It is your responsibility to forward the
information to Peel Health. Whenever you have your
child immunized, inform the Health Department. Your
child, before turning age 7, must have the Age 4-6
Booster for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio. All necessary
immunization records for your children must be sent
to Peel Health. You may fax your up-to-date
information to Peel Health at 840-7144 or call 7917800 ext. 7661.
INCLEMENT WEATHER/BUS
CANCELLATIONS/SCHOOL CLOSURES
During the winter months inclement weather may
cause disruption of bus transportation and regular
school operations. A decision to cancel school
transportation and/or to close schools is usually
made by 6:00 a.m. and will be announced on the
following radio stations:
CKFM
CFNY
CHIN
CFRB
CHUM
CJCL
CHAY
Q107
DC103FM
CHFI
CJMR
CHWO
680News
AM640 CISS FM
CHEZ
CBC
CIAO
CJBC(Fr.)
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
With all the activities that take place at school in the
playground, the gym and in sports, accidents happen.
Dental injuries can occur when 2 children accidentally
bump heads or fall. The school board does not carry
accident insurance for students. Fall outdoor
activities, extra-curricular and excursions are an
additional reason you may wish to buy student
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
accident insurance. An insurance package was sent
home with your child(ren). This is optional for
families. You may purchase coverage for your child at
www.insuremykids.com or by calling toll free at 1800-463-KIDS (5437). Please direct your questions to
a Reliable Life Insurance Representative.
Student Accident Insurance Brochures are sent home
with students at the beginning of each year. Please
contact the office if you are still interested in Student
Accident Insurance.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
St. Vincent de Paul School is required to conduct
three fire drills in the fall and three in the spring. We
will also be conducting two lockdown drills
throughout the year. These drills are standard
practice across the Board and ensure that in the
event of a real emergency our students and staff can
respond quickly and appropriately. If you have any
questions or concerns regarding these drills please
speak to your child’s teacher or the main office.
classroom teachers are aware of custodial
agreements between parents. We require that a copy
of all legal documentation be kept in your child’s
school records.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE
PROGRAM
PLASP currently has spaces available at St. Vincent de
Paul School. Children are involved in fun-filled
recreational activities and are provided nutritious
snacks in a warm and caring environment.
For information, please contact Ms. Tracey regarding
kindergarten or Mrs. White for school age children.
You may also access www.plasp.com for more
information.
In rare circumstances, our students and staff may
need to evacuate the building as a result of an
emergency in the building or in the nearby
community. Our evacuation site is John Cabot
Secondary School. Board regulations and safety
precautions require this contingency plan. Should an
evacuation be necessary, you will be notified as soon
as possible and your child will be held at John Cabot
School until we make direct contact with a
parent/guardian.
CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult
situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at
our school asking to visit with their child or take their
child home after school. We are best able to serve
and protect the child when we are made aware of
legal custody arrangements, visitation rights and
special instructions. If legal custody matters affect
your family, please ensure that our office and
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”