ST. TERESA OF AVILA
6675 MONTEVIDEO ROAD
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO
L5N 4E8
PHONE: (905)858-3462
FAX: (905) 858-1673
October 2014 Newsletter
Principal
M. Sturge
Prayer for the Season of Thanksgiving
Vice Principal
E. Del Grosso-Milek
Loving God,
All that we have comes from your goodness
And all the work of those who love us.
Bless us and the food we share
Watch over those who care for us.
Open our eyes to meet the needs of the poor
During this time of harvest and thanksgiving.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus,
Who is Lord forever and ever.
Amen
Secretary
J. Sequeira
Superintendent
Mississauga North
Family of Schools
T. Cruz
(905) 890-1221
Pastor
St. John of the Cross
Fr. J. Kalluvila
Trustee Ward 9
E. O’Toole
(905) 812-5163
ST. JOHN OF THE
CROSS PARISH
6890 Glen Erin Drive
Miss., ON L5N 2E1
Tel: (905) 821-1331
Fax: (905) 858-8486
Email:
stjohnofx@rogers.com
Website:
www.saintjohnofthecross.com
MASS TIMES
Weekends:
Sat. : 5:00 p.m.
Sun. : 8:00 a.m., 10:00
a.m., 12:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m
Weekdays: 9:00a.m.
PASTORAL TEAM
Fr. Joseph Kalluvila, O.Carm
Pastor
Fr. Abraham Kulanjiyil, O. Carm
Assoc. Pastor
John Cannon, Deacon
Kate Watkiss, Pastoral Associate
Principal’s Message
It’s hard to believe that October is here. It seems that we just
welcomed everyone back yesterday and yet a full month has passed. It has
been a very busy and challenging month. As you know September 12th, 2014
was a Professional Development Day and we did reorganize our school. I
would like to thank all of our students, staff and parents for their
understanding, patience, and flexibility dealing with the changes.
It was great to see so many families attend our Open
House/Curriculum night. Hopefully, at the Open House, you had a chance to
visit with your child’s teacher and to officially initiate the lines of
communication between home and school. We will continue to encourage a
cooperative partnership of students, teachers, parents/guardians and the
Parish to promote a positive learning experience for our students.
On behalf of the Staff of St. Teresa of Avila School, I would like to
wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I trust that you will enjoy this beautiful
season with your family and friends. God Bless you and your loved ones.
M. Sturge
Principal
FAITH COMMUNITY
Our first school mass will be Friday, October 10th at
10:00 a.m. at St. Teresa of Avila school. Our opening
mass is a reminder of the importance of partnership
between the church, home and school as we all move
along our faith journey. All are welcome!
Virtue Assembly
Our first assembly was held on Friday September 26th.
Thank you to all of the parents who were able to make
it and congratulations to our students who received
certificates for the virtue of faith. Thank you to Mrs.
Medeiros and Mr. Rodrigues for organizing the
assembly.
G.O.T.C.H.A.
The first GOTCHA award was handed out during our
virtue assembly. The entire staff are looking out for
students who are demonstrating acts of kindness
either inside or outside the school. If we catch a
student, a certificate will be awarded and posted on
our bulletin board outside the office.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Our Thanksgiving Food Drive is underway lead by our
Social Justice Team. We will be collecting essential
items and donating to the St. Vincent de Paul society
to help out those who are in need. Food will be picked
up on Friday October 10th. Thank you for your support.
CCAT Testing
The Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test will be
administered to all grade 4 students on October 20,21
and 22. In order to qualify for additional testing
students must score at the 95th percentile or above on
two of the three areas, and at the 90 th percentile or
above in the remaining area. If you do not want your
child to participate in this test, please indicate on the
form that will be sent home.
Progress Reports & Interviews
First term progress report cards will be going home on
Tuesday, November 11th. If requested by parents or
teachers, interviews will take place on the evening of
Thursday, November 13th or at a pre-arranged time
that is convenient for the teacher and parent.
However, you are encouraged to contact your
child(ren)’s teacher at any time if you have questions
or concerns about student progress.
Student Information
It is 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. Please inform the office or your child’s
teacher if any information changes throughout the
year.
Student Absence and Arrival Time
We ask that parents continue to call to notify the
school if their child will be absent and/or late. Your
phone call to the school saves us time trying to
ensure your child is safe. Remember that you can call
the school twenty-four hours a day to report your
child’s absence at 905-858-3462- option 1. Upon
reaching the school answering service please leave
the following information: a) Date of absence
b)Student’s full name c) Grade level and teacher d)
Reason for absence e) Date of return.
Students who are late must report to the office
and sign in. School staff is on duty at 8:15 a.m in
the morning. There is no supervision for students
before 8:15 a.m. and students should not be
dropped off prior for safety reasons. Students
should arrive at 8:25 a.m. to line up and enter the
school with the rest of the class and avoid being
late. Please continue to call on each day that your
child is absent.
Parking Lot Safety/Kiss and Ride
As always, student safety is a priority at St. Teresa
of Avila School. Please continue to use the available
parking spaces or park in the designated areas on the
street when picking up or dropping off your child. As
indicated in a letter sent out earlier in September,
the Mississauga Parking Enforcement will issue
tickets for those who are illegally parked. The Kiss n
Ride should be constantly moving to prevent a back
log of traffic. Children should not be walking
across the parking lot unattended in front of cars
or buses and will be directed to use the walkway in
front of the school. Please do not leave your
vehicle unattended in the Kiss and Ride. Thank you
to everyone who are using the Kiss and Ride safely.
We are asking for everyone’s patience and
cooperation to ensure that all of our students arrive
and leave school safely.
Storage and Administration of Medication
Parents are responsible for ensuring that all
medication and forms are updated annually for any
student who requires medication to be administered
at school. If your child requires medication please
have the necessary forms completed and return
them, along with any medication, to the office as soon
as possible. Forms are available at the school office.
Medical Alert-Anaphylactic shock- Nut
Allergies
Please be aware that there are students in our school
with a severe life-threatening food allergy
(anaphylaxis) to NUTs and PEANUTs. This is a
medical condition that causes a severe reaction to
certain allergens and can result in death within
minutes. Although this may or may not affect your
child’s class directly, please send lunches and snacks
to school with your children that are free from
peanuts or nut products. We ask that you do not send
in food products for the whole class to celebrate
birthdays or social occasions. A donation of a book or
game to the classroom is a safe alternative to food
products and will be enjoyed so much longer by the
children. Please feel free to contact your child’s
teacher if you have any concerns or questions. We
thank you for your co-operation and attention to this
health watch.
PED Policy
A reminder that AS PER BOARD POLICY, students
and visitors are not allowed to bring PERSONAL
ELECTRONIC DEVICES like cell phones, pagers,
IPods, MP3 players, cameras, etc, to school. They are
NOT to be used on school property or during school
related activities, such as field trips or sporting
events. If one is brought to school it must be turned
off and stored away out of site in their knapsacks
during school hours. If the policy is not followed,
these items, especially cell phones, could be
confiscated and parents will be informed and may be
required to pick them up in the office. Parental
support is requested and greatly appreciated.
Picture Taking
Picture taking is not permitted by the public or media
without signed parental consent. Please be aware that
no pictures of students are to be posted on the internet. Parents are reminded that due to confidentiality
and privacy laws, pictures should NOT be taken at
school events such as concerts, sports games, or
liturgical celebrations. Your cooperation and support
is greatly appreciated.
Visitors to our School
All visitors and parents are asked to enter the building
through the front door and report the office. Please
sign in and obtain a visitor’s sticker if you plan to
remain in the building, as a volunteer or to watch a
performance, during school hours. If you wish to sign
your child out, he/she will be brought to the office.
Criminal Reference Checks
Anyone working in our school as a new employee or
volunteer must have a Criminal Reference Check
completed by the Peel Police. Criminal Reference
Checks are free of charge for volunteers. If you
are considering volunteering for a school trip during
the school year, please get a form in the school
office. Thank you to those who are able to share
their gift of time.
School Council
The first meeting was September 23rd at 6: 30 p.m.
The following outlines the 2014/15 new School
Council Executive members: Chair: T. Patterson, CoChair: C. O’Leary, Secretary- C. Carty, Treasurer- M.
Thompson, Parish/Community Representative- A.
Patterson. All parents are invited to attend our next
meeting on November 5th at 6:30 p.m.
Toonie for Terry/Terry Fox Walk
Again, this year we were proud to participate in the
Annual Terry Fox Walk/Run for Cancer research. All
staff and students took part along with some parents.
The final tally for this worthy cause is still being
calculated and thank you for your donations and to
Mr. Abraham for organizing the event.
School Agendas
School agendas have been given for children in Grades
1-8 to assist your child in organizing his/her time. The
teachers will be reviewing the importance of the
agenda with their students. Your child is responsible
to
record
their
homework,
upcoming
projects/assignments, important dates, and teacher
notices in their agenda. We are asking that you check
your child’s agenda on a daily basis to keep informed.
Custody of Children
On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult
situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at
school asking to visit their child or to take their child
home after school. We are best able to serve and
protect students when we are made aware of legal
custody arrangements, visitation rights and other
special instructions. If legal custody matters affect
your family, please ensure that our office and
classroom teachers are aware of any custodial
arrangements that may affect your child during
school hours.
Student Insurance
“The Board takes every precaution to provide a safe
learning environment for students, but accidents can
and do happen. Some families have private accident
insurance which is able to respond to costs arising
from injuries. However, many families do not.
Under the Education Act, Ontario School boards are
empowered to: “provide, by contract with an insurer
under the Insurance Act, accident and life insurance
for pupils, the cost of which is to be paid on a
voluntary basis by the parents or guardians.” R.S.O.
1990, c.E.2, s. 176, par. 4.
Coverage may be purchased at any time during the
school year. As the cost is very competitive, it will
remain the same regardless of when it was purchased.
The best value for parents exists in purchasing the
insurance in September. Coverage becomes effective
at the date of purchase”.
You may purchase coverage for your child at
www.insuremykids.com or by calling toll free at 1800-463-KIDS (5437).” Please direct your question
to a Reliable Life Insurance Representative.
Student Accident Insurance Brochures are sent home
with students at the beginning of each year. If you
do not receive one please contact the school. “
Participation in all extra-curricular activities or
excursions will require acknowledgement of receipt
and awareness of Student Accident Insurance
available for purchase.
This information is also posted on the Board’s
website under the “Student & Parents”,
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Students+and+Parents/.
Front Door Monitor System
For visitors and parents to our school, in order to
assist you better:
 Please stand facing the camera and ring the
bell once.
 Please wait for a response….remember,
schools are busy places!

For the safety of our students, we ask that
you always state the reason for your visit.
We also ask for your patience and understanding if it
is during prayers and announcements and if our
secretary is away from her desk for photocopying
etc. For students arriving between 8:00 a.m. & 8:15
a.m. for the Breakfast Club, please ring the bell once
and wait for a response: Thank you for your
cooperation and support!
EQAO RESULTS
Last May and June marked the annual administration
of the Primary and Junior Assessments of Reading,
Writing and Mathematics by the Education Quality
and Accountability Office (E.Q.A.O.). Parents of
children who wrote the 2013-2014 assessment
received their child’s Individual Student Report.
These results provide a “snapshot” of each student’s
achievement of the knowledge and skills in the areas
of reading, writing and mathematics. More general
information may be found on the EQAO website at
www.eqao.com. If you have any questions concerning
your child’s results, please feel free to contact the
school.
EQAO SCHOOL RESULTS
Grade 3 Reading: 77 % Grade 6 Reading 71%
Grade 3 Writing 85 % Grade 6 Writing 69 %
Grade 3 Mathematics 72% Grade 6 Mathematics 55 %
Pizza Days
Forms have gone home and the first pizza day will be
on Wednesday October 8th. Thank you to our parent
volunteers for running this program.
Cross Country
Junior and Intermediate students have been busy
with practices. Thank you to Mrs. Lillicrop, Mrs.
Ambrose-Leroux and Mrs. Lotesto for sharing your
gifts and talents with our students. A number of
students will be attending the Family meet on
October 9th at Erindale Park.
Dates to Remember
October 8
Pizza Lunch
October 10
Opening Mass- 10:00 a.m. at school
October 13
Thanksgiving Day- no school
October 16
Family Movie Night at 6:30 p.m. in
the gymnasium- details to follow
October 20-22
Staffing
FDKA
DECE
FDKB
F. Fernandes
A. Bhola
L. Pimental-Fagundes
DECE
L. Augusto
FDKC
DECE
M. Evans
T. Thompson
Grade 4 CCAT testing
1A
T. Beckett
October 22
Pizza Lunch
1/2B
J. Ventura-Roma
October 24
Virtue Assembly at 12:45 p.m.
1/2A
I. Lotesto
October 27
Picture Re-take Day
October 28
FDK Trip to Downies Farm
2/3A
J. Flynn
3A
M. Ako-Adjei
3/4A
J. Farrell
4A
J. Black
5/6A
L. Zuniga
5A
L. Walker
6A
S. Medeiros (LTO)
7A
J. Viscardi-Zuzzi
7B
S.Rodrigues
8A
Vice Principal
0.5
Principal
M. Lillicrop
Custodians
J. Pinto, T. Papa
M. Ambrose-Leroux
B. Menary
V. Zanini
A. Abraham
K. Tintinalli
E. Cosentino
S. Fleury
E. Cosentino
Youth Education Officer presentations
October 31
Hallowe’en Dance
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the
latest board news and information, follow us
@DPCDSBSchools.
Please visit our St. Teresa Avila
website at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/AVILA
SERT/ ESL/SAT
SERC/SERT
Planning Time
FSL
Teacher
Librarian
ERW
CYW
Psychologist
Speech/Language
Pathologist
Social Worker
Parent & Family
Literacy Center
E. Del-Grosso- Milek
M. Sturge
V. Zanini
V. Stolf
E. Cavan
C. Coniglio
B. Bennet
P. Tobin
P. Bilyk-Szagala
M. Roma
S. Markowski