St. Edith Stein School
6234 Osprey Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5V5 Tel. (905) 824–5777
Principal:
Christine Boulanger Superintendent:
Trustee:
Esther O’Toole
Pastor:
School Council Chair Ann Labbe
Principal’s Message
February, 2016
Love is a mighty power, a
great and complete good.
Love alone lightens every
burden, and makes the
rough places smooth. It
bears every hardship as
though it were nothing, and
renders all bitterness sweet
and acceptable.
The love of Jesus is noble,
and inspires us to great
deeds; it moves us always to
desire perfection.
Thomas A. Kempis
Tilia Cruz
Fr. Mark Villanueva
As a community, we are approaching the most important time in the Church’s calendar: Lent.
Lent is a time of repentance and a preparation for Easter. It is forty days in length and reminds us of the time which Jesus spent in the desert preparing for His ministry. The word
‘Lent’ comes from ‘lencten’, a word that means springtime. It is the time of the year when the
days are getting longer as spring gets closer. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February
10th). Over the next few weeks, the morning readings encourage us to say “yes” to God and
“no” to our own selfishness. We can make a fresh start too, and try to keep in touch with
God, to be less selfish and more generous. What Lenten promises will you and your
child(ren) try to follow? The emphasis should be on doing things for Jesus, rather than simply on giving things up.
The St. Edith Stein community is invited to the following celebrations during our Lenten
Season:

Ash Wednesday celebration to be held at the school on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 2:15pm.

Stations of the Cross to be held on Thursday, March 24, 2016 @ 1:00pm

Easter Mass to be held on April 8, 2016@ 9:15am
May the Holy Spirit bless you and your family during this Lenten season!
As we reflect on the month of January, pictures of winter, mildly cold weather and hopes for
the coming season of spring loom in our minds. Will Wiarton Willie did see his shadow this
Groundhog Day, so we look forward to six more weeks of winter. This February, there are
many activities taking place at our school, which will likely leave us no time to worry about
the winter blues.
School Hours:
9:00am – 3:30pm
Recess 10:25– 10:40
Lunch 12:00 – 1:00
Recess
2:20 – 2:35
Attendance Line
(905) 824-5777
This month is filled with activities including a celebration of Black History Month , trips to Silver Creek and grade two First Reconciliation. Please review our February calendar included
in this newsletter or visit our school website.
Our school continues to be a wonderful place to work, play and learn. Our children have the
spirit of St. Edith Stein in their hearts. As
always, I feel that we are all truly blessed to be
part of such a caring community.
Mrs. Boulanger
Principal
Superintendent:
Tilia Cruz
(905) 890-0708
Trustee: Esther O’Toole
(905) 812-5163
Family Day
Monday, February 15, 2016
No School (Enjoy your families!)
Virtue of the Month
This month we will celebrate the virtue of
RESPECT.
God wants us to treat all people with the respect they deserve.
A respectful person…
 Treats himself / herself and everyone
else with equal consideration and courtesy.
 Uses a positive tone of voice and body
language
 Avoids swearing, name-calling, putdowns, and inappropriate gestures
 Says ‘Excuse me’, ‘Please’, and
‘Pardon me’ when necessary.
 Avoids gossip.
 Treats his or her teachers and classmates as special sacred children of God.
The Virtues assembly will be held on
VIRTUES IN ACTION WINNERS
JANUARY 2016
Congratulations to all of our winners!
Continue to follow in the footsteps of Jesus
FDK MRS. ALLEN-
Mason H.
FDK MRS. GASPARINI-
Nadia R.
GR 1 MRS. CERMINARA-
Izabela Z.
GR 1/2 MRS. WALLACE-
Lexi A.
GR 2/3 MRS. BERNATCHEZ- Christina B.
GR 3/4 MRS. BURKE-
Charlotte B.
GR 4/5 MRS. CURTIS-
Samantha S.
GR 5/6 MRS. SOSTARIC-
Viktoria G.
GR 6 MRS. NUNEZ-
Jada D.
GR 7 MR. TOLOMEO-
Rose W.
GR. 8 MRS. TOMAZIC-
Bryce D.
GR. 7/8 MRS. BLAZEVIC-
Anabela F.
Monday, February 29, 2016 at 9:15a.m.
We hope you are able to join us!
Demonstrating the Virtues in our Daily Lives……...
MARCH BREAK
March 14-18, 2016
Inclement Weather and School Closure
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:
VIRGIN RADIO 99.9
CHUM 1050
CFTR 680
CFNY 102.1
CJCL 590
CHFI 98.1
EZ ROCK 97.3
CFRB 1010
Z103.5
CJBC (FR) 860 AM
93.1 FM
GLOBAL NEWS
CITYPULSE
CBC
CHIN 100.7 FM/1540 AM
We will be communicating one of four standard messages to the radio stations. The four announcements and
their effect on the transportation system are as follows:
(Please note that the highlighted text only will be communicated by the radio stations).
1. “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 FOR TODAY.”
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 announcement #l PLUS the following are
cancelled.

All schools in the Town of Caledon and all school
runs that begin in the Town of Caledon.

Individual schools will be notified if this cancellation
affects their school.
3. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES
ARE CANCELLED.”
This means that:
ALL Transportation services provided by the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board and The Peel District
School Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been
cancelled for the entire day.
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 Duffer in-Peel Catholic District School Board and
Peel District School Board schools and offices are closed to
all students and staff.
Junior & Senior Kindergarten
Registration for 2016-17
Registration for the 2016-2017 school year continues at all
Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary schools.
Junior Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years old by
Dec. 31, 2016
Senior Kindergarten - Children must be 5 years old by
Dec. 31, 2016
Parents/Guardians should bring the following documents
when registering their child:


Proof of age of the child Birth certificate or passport.
Original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate For child or
parent/guardian. Includes baptismal certificates from an Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome. If the
child has not been baptized, and the parent/guardian is a baptized Roman Catholic or has been baptized in an Eastern
Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome, the
parent/guardian must bring their original baptismal certificate.
 Updated immunization records
 Proof of Canadian citizenship Birth certificate, passport or
permanent resident status.
 Proof of home address Two of the following: property tax
bill, current utility bill, real estate document or Government of
Canada issued forms.
* All original documents are required.
Admission for all non-Canadian, non-landed citizens, including
refugee claimants, international students and students on
study permits and parental work permits, must be done on an
individual basis. Please contact our Admissions Department
for an appointment to determine eligibility to attend DufferinPeel Catholic schools.
For more information about admissions and requirements,
please contact our Admissions Department at 905-890-0708
ext. 24512 or 24519 or 24511.
EQAO
Primary and Junior Assessments for Grades 3 and 6
The dates for the Primary and Junior assessments for
grades three and six in Reading, Writing and
Mathematics are: May 25– June 8th.
Please keep this in mind when booking appointments.
Black History Month
February is Black History month which
coincides very well with our school efforts to promote a positive understanding of diversity in our community.
Classroom teachers will be focusing on
diversity within their lessons. Please
continue these discussions with your
child(ren) at home.
Are You Moving?
If you know your family is moving out of our St. Edith Stein
School boundary, we would like to know. Please inform
the office at your earliest convenience.
Flex Boundary Admissions
Current flex boundary admissions are not guaranteed. Flex
boundary admissions must be requested in writing to the school
principal each year. Please state your child(ren)’s name, address, home school, and reason for flexible boundaries and
submit the letter to the school office.
Please be advised that flexible boundaries for Kindergarten
students will only be considered by Reorganization Day in September. Once we confirm that we are able to admit flexible
boundary Kindergarten students without changing our Board
allocated classes, families will be notified.
We appreciate your patience.
Playground Safety
We continue to reinforce the need for students to play
games and activities safely. At St. Edith Stein, we have
a hands-off policy. This means that activities such
as contact sports, tackling, play-fighting, tripping, pushing, piling on and any rough play are not permitted. Students are consistently reminded of these rules by staff,
supervisors and administration.
We recommend that parents have conversations with
their children about the types of games they play at
school. We need your help to reinforce with them the
dangers and consequences of rough
play and the importance of notifying
staff on duty during recess time. The
health and safety of our students is
always our priority at St. Edith Stein!
Cold Weather Guidelines
Hats, mitts, and snowpants are necessary on most winter
days. At times we reduce outdoor play time according to
Wind Chill temperatures -20 or colder: students are
usually kept indoors.
Fresh air and exercise are essential for health and learning. Come prepared to go outside for recess.
Kindergarten students remain indoors at -15 degrees
or colder.
Catholic Ratepayers – Check your Tax Bill to
Ensure Proper Tax Support
Wednesday, February 24
PINK SHIRT DAY
(Bullying Prevention)
Please wear pink!
If you are a Catholic ratepayer, we urge you to check your property tax bill to ensure that your support is directed to your local
Catholic school board, in our case, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board. If you are a tenant, you can verify your
support by contacting our Admissions Department at (905) 8900708, ext. 24511, 24512, or 24519, or your local municipal office. By ensuring that you are accurately recorded as a Catholic
school supporter, you can help deliver a powerful message to
the government about the level of support for publically-funded
Catholic education in Ontario. In order to be eligible to vote for
your local Catholic school board trustee, you must be registered
as a separate school supporter.
FIRST REPORTING
First report cards will be sent home on Tuesday, February 2nd. Along with the report card, you will receive a
confirmation time for your conference. This conference
should include the student, the teacher and the parents/guardians. During this conference, the teachers
would like to see and speak with all parents and students
in order to discuss the first term and also to make plans
and set goals for the second term. Conferences for the
first term reports will be held on the evening of Thursday,
February 4th and during the day February 5th. Please
note, if you are unable to attend the conference, please
let the office know at your earliest convenience.
Chess News!!!
On Tuesday, February 23, 2016, the members of the school’s
chess club are invited to a school based tournament to choose
the 15 finalists that will represent St. Edith Stein School
at the Mississauga North
Chess Tournament that will
be held on Friday, March 4,
2016 at OLMC..
Dates to Remember
February
1
Hockey Tournament Playoff
2
Reports Sent Home
2
Groundhog Day / Silver Creek (Blazevic)
3
Winter Walk to School Day / RAID gr. 6/
Mrs. Habashy
Silver Creek (Tolomeo)
4
Interview Evening (students encouraged to
attend)
SCHOOL CURRICULUM FOCUS
4
National Sweater Day
5
PA Day (no school for students)
6
Gr. 6 French Plays
9
Shrove Tuesday (pancakes for students)
10
Ash Wednesday Liturgy 2:15pm
12
Gr. 5/6 French Plays
Through classroom activities that encourage Student Voice, our
goals are to:
 Increase student engagement / participation
 Develop reciprocal relationships
 Make student thinking visible
 Develop self-regulation in the classroom
14
Valentine’s Day
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE (examples)?
-collaborative activities
-choice in presentation methods
-classroom blogs
-Padlet (wonder walls)
-DP cloud
-students asking rich questions
-paperless assignments
-school voice boards
-use of technology
-responsive classrooms
This year are school Shared Theory of Action is STUDENT VOICE:
If we tap into students’ expressions
of voice, develop reciprocal relationships with students,
parents and educators and create a space for
students to express their voice in ways that support their
learning and well-being, then students will take a
lead role in their learning.
SPIRIT DAYS
15
Family Day—No school
18
School Council meeting 6:30
19
Peel Safety Village trip (gr. 5)
22
Rosary Apostolate visits
23
Grade Two First Reconciliation (10:30)
23
School Chess Tournament
24 Pink Shirt Day
26
Graduation Photos (SK / gr. 8)
29
Virtues Assembly 1:15pm (parents are very
welcome to attend)
Mon. Feb. 8th: Pajama Day
Tues. Feb. 9th: Sports Day (wear any
sport team paraphernalia) Hats may be
worn to support a particular team.
Wed. Feb. 10th: No spirit day as it is
ASH WEDNESDAY
Thurs. Feb. 11th: Twin/Triplet Day
Fri. Feb. 12th: Valentine's Day theme:
Dress in Red/White/Pink
ROCKS AND RINGS CURLING
Ontario’s Winter
Walk Day
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Walking to and from school allows your students to be
more active and improves air quality and
safety around your school. Please support
your children and encourage them to walk
to school on Wednesday, February 3, 2016
NUT– FREE VALENTINE’S DAY
A gentle reminder that St. Edith Stein School supports a
nut free policy. On Valentine’s Day, teachers will advise
students what foods they can bring for their own consumption.
Inedible items such as pencils or stickers can be sent to
school to acknowledge special events. Thank you for
your consideration and co-operation in making our classrooms safer for all students.
WELLNESS DAY 2016
Hurray! The St. Edith Stein School Wellness Day Committee
has begun planning this year’s Wellness Day.
At this time, we are determining the activities that will be
provided to our students. We are looking for parents or
community members who are available to run sessions
throughout the day (i.e. yoga classes, nutrition classes,
dance classes, etc.)
Or perhaps you can contribute by donating prizes for our
students (i.e. meal coupons, exercise class
coupons, etc.)
Lastly, we are looking for donations of healthy snacks for
our students (yogurt sticks, individual cheese packets, fruit,
etc.)
We know that there are many families who are affiliated
with businesses who may like to support our Wellness Day.
If you would like to support any of the above mentioned donations, please contact our school office.
Your affiliated business will be mentioned in our school
newsletter.
WITH YOUR HELP, TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE OUR
WELLNESS DAY A HUGE
SUCCESS!
ECO NEWS
Our Stein ECO teacher leaders (Mrs.
Martin, Mrs. Habashy, and Mrs. Curtis) recently attended a workshop at the
Region of Peel
Waste Management Facility in Brampton. It was
an amazing experience to see the volume of materials that are recycled and the process of how
the materials are sorted and packed into bundles
for export to recycling manufacturers. At Stein,
our goal is to reduce not only the amount of garbage we produce, but also the amount of recycling we generate at our school. In January we did
a garbage and recycling audit before and after
our Board-wide Waste-Free Lunch Challenge. We
were able to reduce the
amount of garbage in one day
from 12.5 kg to 9, and 7.9 kg
of recyclables to 4 kg. We can
all do our part to reduce the
negative impact of waste by
using reusable food and drink
containers. At home, it is important that we compost food
waste and recycle properly.
Remember our motto:
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THE FUTURE
GREENER!
What’s Coming Up?
February 3rd – Winter Walk-to-School Day
February 4th – National Sweater Day will be observed to remind us of the importance of saving
energy and using less heat throughout the winter.
February 22nd – 26th- ECO Jeopardy Challenge –
Everyday students will be asked 1 or 2 questions
to test their ECO knowledge. The answers will be
presented at the Virtues Assembly on the 26th.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
We welcome Marianne Mazzorato as our new Director of Education. Ms. Mazzorato began her
career at Dufferin-Peel in 1983. During her 32 years as an educator, she has served as Elementary
Teacher, Vice-Principal, Principal, Superintendent of Schools, Superintendent of Program and for
the past two years, as Superintendent of Early Years, Community Partnerships/Relations. From
2011-2013, she was seconded to the Education Quality and Assessment Office (EQAO) as Chief
Assessment Officer. We look forward to working with Ms. Mazzorato.
2015-16 School Year Calendar
Additional Professional Activity Day: Monday,
April 11, 2016
Terms of the recent contract settlement between the teacher federations and the Ministry of Education included the provision of an
additional Professional Activity Day for the
2015-2016 school year for both elementary
and secondary schools. Recently, boards were
directed to schedule this additional Professional Development Day on or before April 15,
2016.
ST. EDITH STEIN SCHOOL HOCKEY TEAM
The St. Edith Stein School hockey team competed
at the All Saints Hockey tournament on January
28 and February 1.
The team showed off their hockey skills and exquisite sportsmanship throughout the
tournament.
Thank you to Mr. Chilelli, Mr. Buronyi and Ms.
Heffernan for coaching and Mrs. Habashy for
supervising at the tournament.
The team earned a gold medal in the consolation
round at the tournament.
Well Done Stallions!
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board, the designated additional Professional
Activity Day has been scheduled for Monday,
April 11, 2016.
Therefore, there will be no classes for either
elementary or secondary students on Monday,
April 11, 2016.
Thank you for your attention to this addition to
the 2015-16 School Year Calendar.
LENTEN PRAYER
As we begin this season of Lent we call on you to help us to love you more and more
and to reach out to others in friendship especially those who need us most.
May the ashes we receive on our foreheads remind us of our call to
change our ways by making greater efforts to show our love for our families and classmates.
May your spirit give us the courage and strength we need
to be people of faith.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF ONTARIO
PARENTS REACHING OUT GRANT
We are please to inform you that the St. Edith Stein School Council has been approved for the Parents Reaching Out Grant offered by the Ministry of Education of Ontario.
Since 2006, the government has supported almost 17,000 PRO Grants to School Councils and
680 Regional Grants. This is a total investment of nearly $27.5 million to help increase parent involvement
in support of student achievement and well-being.
Parents play a vital role in publicly funded education. Ontario's Parents Reaching Out grants encourage parent engagement at the local, regional and provincial levels. They are designed to support parents in identifying barriers to parent engagement in their own community and to find local solutions to involve more parents in support of student achievement and well-being.
This year again, the goal of our proposal was to provide parents and students with an evening
devoted to Active Living and Nutrition.
MOVEMENT NIGHT
Students and parents will participate in a X Movement activities (based on
Australian Footy Ball)
followed by an opportunity to make and take healthy snacks.
More information including dates and times will follow.
This year’s Movement Night will be on Thursday, May 12, 2016 @ 6:30