ST. CORNELIUS CATHOLIC SCHOOL
16066 Innis Lake Road, Caledon East, ON Tel. (905) 584-2245 Fax (905) 584-0924
Principal: G. Graci Vice Principal: A. Cavaliere Superintendent: L. Storey Pastor: Fr. B. Glynn
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Catholic schools are Catholic communities. Catholic schools
are faith communities. We – parents, students, teachers,
administrative and support staff – walk and grow together
in the faith which we received at our Baptism. And it is the
‘together’ that we grow. Our growth is primarily a
relationship with God, who at our Baptism, called us by
name. But the response of each of us to that growth is both
personal and communal. We grow in our faith in the
nurturing atmosphere of our Catholic community be that of
our local parish, our home, or our Catholic school
community.
Our school community will celebrate Catholic Education
Week 2016 in ways that are appropriate to our students’
age. The Theme is “Open the Doors of Mercy”. There are
five sub-themes for each day of Catholic Education Week:
THE SEASON OF
EASTER PRAYER
Lord of life
We pray for all who bring your word of life
As a light to those in darkness
For those who bring your word of peace
To those enslaved by fear
For those who bring your word of love
To those in need of comfort
Lord of love and Lord of peace
Lord of resurrection life
Be known
Through our lives
and through your power
Monday – Mercy that Welcomes
Tuesday – Mercy that Loves
Wednesday – Mercy that Forgives
Thursday – Mercy that Lives the Gospel
Friday – Mercy that Rejoices
Every year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’
Association provides our Catholic schools with a resource
kit to help schools prepare for Catholic Education Week.
Using these resources as well as our own developed
activities we have prepared a series of activities which will
highlight how our school is “Catholic Education: Opening
Doors of Mercy.” One parent engagement event we would
like to highlight is our Family Math Night on May 4th. Please
mark the date. We hope to see many of you during our
school celebrations. More information will be forthcoming.
On behalf of the staff, we wish you and your families a
blessed faith-filled Easter.
Sincerely,
Christ the Lord is risen today. Alleluia!
APRIL 2016: INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Family Math Night
Creating Classes for Next Year
Eco News
Chocolate Fundraiser
Page 2
Page 2
Page 4
Page 5
St. Cornelius has had a successful month on
Twitter! We have 99 followers who are learning about
Easter, Earth Hour and Math. For the latest
updates, initiatives and information, follow us
@StCorneDPCDSB.
Together in Faith and Excellence
1
SAVE THE DATE: “May the 4th Be With You”
Family Math Night at St. Cornelius: Please join us on
May 4th at 6:30 p.m. Parents and guardians are invited to
come to a math workshop with their child(ren) to inspire
our children to learn and love math together. Babysitting
will be available. Anyone interested in participating in
the Family Math Workshop can register online at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/May4RSVP

worked best for your child in the past.
Please note that letters which cite the names of
individual teachers or names of children you wish to
be placed with your child will not be considered.
Information from all sources will be pooled to assist
us in making the most appropriate placement for
your child.
ARE YOU MOVING?
SAVE THE DATE: EQAO TESTING FOR OUR
GR. 3 & 6 STUDENTS
For those parents with
children in grades 3 and/or
6, please note that your
child will be participating in
the grade 3 and 6
standards based assessment, known as EQAO. This years’
students will be participating in the assessment between
May 26th to June 8th, 2016.
Please ensure that you don’t book any family holidays
and/or medical appointments during this time. If you
have any questions, feel free to contact the school. As
many parents and educators are aware, EQAO
assessments are used in schools to plan for continuous
student improvement in the areas of Literacy and
Numeracy. The school based results assist in developing
goals for improvement, namely by targeting areas in the
curriculum which may require additional focus. At St.
Cornelius School we continue to demonstrate
improvement in our academic performance!
CREATING CLASSES FOR NEXT YEAR
In the month of May, we will be making up the class lists
for the 2016-2017 school year. This is a complex process,
which takes into consideration not only the needs of the
student, but it also frames those needs in the context of
the larger classroom group. In every class we strive for a
balance of learning styles, learning needs, and a cross
section of abilities. The current teachers of a grade,
support staff and administrators all take part in the
process. Please note that combined classes will
continue to exist and are a part of every school. If you
wish to provide input into the process, please take into
consideration the following guidelines:
 Input must be in written form addressed to Mrs.
Graci-Papayanakis by Friday, April 29 TH.
 Frame your request in terms of educational contexts
e.g. your child’s learning needs/style; information
not already known to the school; tips on what has
Please inform the office if you know that you will be
moving and your children will not be returning to St.
Cornelius School for September 2016.
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN
On Tuesday, May 24th at 6:00 p.m.,
St. Cornelius School will be welcoming new Kindergarten
students and their families to our community by hosting
an evening of Full Day Kindergarten learning experiences
beginning at 6:00 p.m. Families will be able to work and
play with their children using age appropriate, engaging
tools and strategies that promote literacy and numeracy.
All of the activities are developmentally appropriate for
pre-school youngsters and will help families prepare
their children for school.
This event is sponsored by municipal and
provincial government agencies in cooperation with
school staff and neighbourhood services. Each family will
receive a free bag of educational activities to continue
practicing the strategies learned during this event.
Please call the school office with your RSVP for this great
event! This is for new Kindergarten registrants only.
Mar. 24th Sub Day- Make Up Date
Due to the school closure on March 24th,
the make up date has been rescheduled
for June 2nd.
Please mark your calendars!
Together in Faith and Excellence
2
SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY DAY
Lifetouch is coming to St. Cornelius School on May 16th
to celebrate and photograph this
awesome season. A flyer, showing
all the different poses to choose
from, will arrive about a week
before. In addition, we will be
taking our Sports/Extracurricular
clubs pictures. Please note we will begin promptly at 9:15
a.m. and ask that your child be here on time.
RECESS REMINDERS
We continue to reinforce the need for students to play
games and activities safely. At St. Cornelius School, 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.
Cornelius.
VALUABLES
We still continue to have some issues with students
bringing and losing valuables at school. Students are
reminded not to bring valuables, items of importance or
money to school.
The school does not accept
responsibility for the above. Treasures, with a monetary
value or sentimental value, should not be brought to
school. Student clothing and play items should be clearly
marked with your child’s name.
EASTER MASS
On March 31st at 9:45
a.m., Father Bob
celebrated our Easter
Mass with us in the
gymnasium. Thank
you to our amazing
choir. We are blessed
to have a group of
students with such angelic voices. Thank you to all
parents/guardians who were able to join our
celebration!
SAVE
THE
DATE:
ORIENTATION DAY
YOUNG
RIDER
WELCOMING ALL KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN TO
YOUNG RIDER ORIENTATION DAY
The intent of the day is to introduce children to school
buses in an informal setting prior to the first day of
school.
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2016
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: to be determined
FIRE DRILL AND LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
Throughout the year the school personnel reviews safety
procedures with students on a number of topics.
Emergency evacuation drills are conducted to ensure
that everyone is aware of the procedures to follow in
order to exit the building safely. In the event of an
unforeseen emergency situation students and staff will
evacuate to Robert F. Hall and our second evacuation site
is Caledon Recreation Complex. Students will continue to
discuss and practice procedures that are implemented in
the event of an emergency lockdown.
REMINDER OF STUDENT DRESS CODE
With the warm weather finally approaching (we hope!),
we would like to take this opportunity to review the
dress code expectations at St. Cornelius School.
As a Catholic school, we believe that there must be a
commitment to high standards of modesty, neatness,
cleanliness and good taste. Therefore, while halter tops,
short shorts, spandex bike wear, muscle shirts and
similar clothing may be acceptable for beach wear, they
are not appropriate for classroom instruction. Shirts
should be of appropriate length to be able to be tucked
into pants or a skirt. Shorts and skirts should be
appropriate length for school. Suggestive or
inappropriate language or violent symbols are not
permitted on any clothing or personal belongings.
Sunglasses and hats are not to be worn inside. Nonmarking running shoes are to be worn during physical
education classes. Tight and/or revealing clothing is not
acceptable. We appreciate your support.
Together in Faith and Excellence
April 11th is a PA Day, No
School for Students!
3
A TOAST TO TAP WATER!
The Dufferin Peel District School Board and the Region of
Peel invited all students and staff to celebrate Peel tap
water during Canada Water Week by taking part in a
school wide synchronized drink of tap water. Our
school’s Great Gulp event took place on Wednesday,
March 23nd 2016. Thank you to students, staff and
parents/ guardians for supporting our efforts to help the
environment through our commitment to be a “Bottled
Water Free Zone”.
Hockey Highlights
ST. CORNELIUS 8th ANNUAL STAFF/PARENT
VS. STUDENTS SHARELIFE HOCKEY GAME
LIGHTS OFF FOR EARTH HOUR
On Wednesday, March 30th, 2016, St. Cornelius School
participated in a Boardwide Earth Hour. It was a huge
success with all classrooms turning off their lights and a
school-wide effort to reduce our overall use of
electricity. This month, our school will be continuing its
energy conservation campaign. Energy conservation
efforts can help both the environment and you to save
money! By reducing your use of electricity and water,
you use less natural resources and reduce the amount of
pollution being created by energy plants. Further, using
less energy means spending less money. Find below a
few tips to help you conserve energy in your homes and
at school.
 Use power bars to plug in appliances and lamps in
your home. When not in use, turn the power off at
the power bar, to reduce unnecessary power usage
 Use energy efficient light bulbs
 Turn lights and TVs off when you leave a room
 Use your washing machine and dishwasher ONLY
when you have a full load in the machine. Turning on
the machine when it is half full is a waste of water
and electricity
 Adjust thermostats to be two degrees less or put
them on a timer. This way, the heat or air
conditioning will only be on when it is really needed
 Dust and vacuum all floor radiators so that air flow is
much smoother and efficient.
A
reminder
to
continue
supporting our litter-less lunch
program here at St. Cornelius
School, too.
Earth Day is
on Friday,
April 22nd .
On March 11th, staff and parents suited up against the
students of St. Cornelius School for a fantastic hockey
game that was filled with lots of action! The event took
place at the Caledon East Arena. We would like to take
the time to thank our staff and parent players for
participating and making the event a huge success as well
as our teachers and parents who helped supervise the
event. Thank you to our school community for the
overwhelming turnout. We are excited to share that we
raised over $700.00 for the ShareLife campaign! A special
thank you to Fr. Bob for coming out to play with the
teachers to show his amazing school spirit. Go St.
Cornelius!
DANCE TEAM
The St. Cornelius Dance Team is practicing for their
upcoming Dance Showcase at the Rose Theatre in
Brampton on Tuesday, April 19th. They will be
performing alongside other teams from across the
board. The showcase for the St. Cornelius Dance Team
will take place in the morning. Tickets for
parents/guardians can be purchased directly from the
Rose Theatre Box office. Thank you to the dance team for
their hard work and dedication as we prepare for this
performance.
Together in Faith and Excellence
4
MATH AT HOME:
PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND
MATH ACHIEVEMENT “HOW CAN I HELP?”
On April 4th, we will kick-off our school chocolate
fundraiser. Each family will receive one box of
chocolates to sell. Chocolates will be distributed on
April 7th. Please return
all unsold chocolates
and money by April
22nd. Thank you to all for
your
ongoing
and
continuous support of
our annual fundraising
programs.
These fundraisers help us to do incredible things in the
school to benefit the children and overall school
community. Without you and your support, these
enhancements to our children’s school would not be
possible.
Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings to learn
more about school initiatives and where our fundraising
dollars are used to support the school goals. Our next
School Council meetings will be held on Monday, April
4th and May 31st at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Be positive
Choose
your
words
carefully. When parents
(and other adults) say
they aren’t good at
math—sometimes
to
make
children
feel
better—they may be
giving children permission to stop learning.
Avoid math anxiety
Math
anxiety
(unproductive tension
and stress) is real and
occurs in children as
well
as
adults.
Pressure from timed
tests and the risk of
failure are major
sources
of
math
anxiety. Try not to
over-react when your child makes a mistake. Making
mistakes is an important part of learning!
Learn from mistakes
Upcoming Parent Engagement Events:


On Saturday, April 9th at St. Joseph Secondary
School in Mississauga, the CCCSC Presents
“Open the Doors of Mercy” Conference and
Marketplace. If you are interested in attending,
please register on the following survey link:
www.//surveymonkey.com/r/M9BFLTY Please
note this link has been posted on our school
website.
Family Math Night “May the 4th Be With You”
at St. Cornelius: Please join us on May 4th at
6:30 p.m. Parents and guardians are invited to
come to a math workshop with their child(ren)
to inspire our children to learn and love math
together. Babysitting will be available.
Anyone interested in participating in the Family
Math Workshop can
register
online
at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/May4RSVP
Homework time can be a more positive experience if you
help your children learn from mistakes: praise their
efforts, ask them to explain their answer, ask them to
think about why the mistake happened, and encourage
them to try again.
Help set the tone
Be relaxed and engaged as your child does math
homework. You are not expected to be an expert, but
you can offer support and ask questions: “How did you
do that?”; “Why did you do that?”; “How do you know if
you are right or wrong?” ; and “Would you teach me how
to do another question like this one?”
Be patient and build confidence
If your child becomes frustrated, stop. Remind them of
things that they have already learned how to do
successfully, such as riding a bicycle or playing a musical
instrument.
Together in Faith and Excellence
5
BOOSTING YOUR CHILD'S LANGUAGE
SKILLS
SWAP YOUR SIP!
The following suggested activities take advantage of
things you do every day. Do you speak another language?
These activities can be done in any language and you are
encouraged to use your strongest language. You play an
important role when you spend time talking with your
children. Teach your child new words.







When you are making dinner, ask your child to get
you the spatula out of the utensil drawer.
Need to keep your child occupied? Have your child
draw a picture of a room in the house. Have him/her
draw in and label all of the things he/she can
remember in that room.
Go beyond happy, sad, big or little. Teach your child
words like excited, frustrated, gigantic, and
miniscule. Use describing words and phrases to
expand
language
skills.
Cooking and baking together is a great way to learn
names for ingredients as well as action words such as
blend, stir and mix.
Play "I spy" to learn describing words. Ask your child
to find something that flies or crawls, something that
has four legs but cannot walk or something that you
can
hear.
During car rides have your child locate or make a list
of different noises, moving things or rectangular
things she/he sees along the way. Give each child in
the car a different job.
Use information books and children's magazines.
Learn all about airplanes, outer space, animals or
opposites.
Get organized - give your child a job! Ask your child
to fold laundry. This teaches matching and
organizing skills.
Give your child a catalogue or flyer to cut out groups
of objects. Have him/her find and cut out pictures of
appliances, or clothes you wear outside. She/he can
paste them onto paper to make a little book about
groups.
Create a grocery list together. Decide what fruits and
vegetables to buy. Talk about how the grocery store
is organized. Let your child help unpack your
groceries.
Adapted from: Parents Boost Learning
Choose water instead of
sugary and creamy
drinks.
The best choice for
quenching
thirst
is
water!
Add some zing to your
water with:
 Lemon or lime slices
 Veggies or fruit, such as cucumber or
strawberry slices
 Fresh mint leaves
Get the scoop on sugary drinks, by reading Sugary
Drink Sense by the Dieticians of Canada as an
attachment to the April Newsletter.
NEWS FROM THE PARISH
Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide - Cardinal Archbishop
Thomas Collins & Bishop John Boissonneau have asked
you to make a stand to protect life especially the
vulnerable. Tell legislators how you feel.
Visit www.canadiansforconscience.ca
A coalition including 5000 Canadian doctors with a
common mission to respect the sanctity of human life.
They provide numerous resources including an
opportunity for people to easily share their concerns
directly with their local members of parliament, urging
them to protect the vulnerable and to insure that
individuals and institutions can provide health care
without having to compromise their moral convictions.
Handouts are available at the back of the church. Bishop
John Boissonneau advises that if you have the time,
handwritten letters to an MP have a greater impact than
a lengthy petition of signatures.
Together in Faith and Excellence
6
use if they witness bullying. The theme for this month is
‘If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the
problem’. Every child should feel they have the power to
prevent and safely help in bullying situations.
Tips for parents:
- encourage your children to show empathy for others
who are bullied (befriend them, include them)
- teach your children to intervene appropriately or walk
away and tell an adult
- role model being ‘part of the solution’ when you
encounter difficult situations in your life.
VIRTUE CORNER
IMPORTANT DATES
PLEASE PLACE DATES ON
FAMILY CALENDAR
Our Virtue for the month of April is Love.
God wants us to serve and to see goodness in everyone
we meet.
A loving person:
•wants the best for others
•is willing to make sacrifices for the good of
others
•knows that we are all lovable
•prays for others;
God has given us many people in our lives to show us
examples of love. Our families, teachers, and friends
show us their love everyday. We should always try to
remember Jesus-- most important lesson, the lesson of
love, because love is not about us - it is about looking out
for the good of others.
SAFE SCHOOLS FOCUS FOR APRIL
IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION, YOU’RE PART
OF THE PROBLEM
In April students will be
focusing on the role of the
bystander/witness in bullying
situations. Research shows
that bystanders make or
break bullying episodes – they
hold the power to stop
bullying. They provide the
audience
for
students
engaged in bullying behaviours. Students will discuss
what it means to be a bystander, explore why people let
bullying happen and learn safe and effective strategies to
APRIL
Apr. 1:
World Autism Awareness Day
Hockey Tournament- Powerade Centre
Apr. 4:
Chocolate Fundraiser Kickoff Assembly
6:30 p.m.- Catholic School Council
Meeting in the library. All are Welcome!
Apr. 5:
Virtue of Kindness AssembliesGr. 5-8 @ 9:45 a.m./ K – 4 @
Apr. 6-8
Gr. 7 & 8 Trip to Ottawa
Apr. 6:
Furtado’s class to Silvercreek Outdoor
Education Centre
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Apr. 7:
Chocolates Distributed (1 per family)
Sub Day
Scientists in the School- Papa/Mule
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Apr. 8:
Team Photos
Apr. 9:
Family of Schools Catholic Schools Council
Presents “Open the Doors of Mercy”
Conference at St. Joseph Secondary School
-See attachment
Apr. 11:
PA. Day- No School for students
Apr. 13:
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Apr. 14:
Gr. 8 HPV & Gr. 7 Hepatitis B Vaccinations
Pizza Day
Apr. 14:
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Apr. 18-22: Earth Week
Apr. 18:
1:30 p.m.- Roseneath Theatre Presentation
“The Incredible Speediness of Jamie
Cavanaugh” for Gr. 4-8
Together in Faith and Excellence
7
Apr. 19:
Apr. 20:
Apr. 21
Apr. 22
Apr. 26:
Apr. 27:
Apr. 28:
Apr. 30
Dance Team Competition - Rose Theatre
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation - Ms. Zingaro’s Class
at St. John the Evangelist Parish
Family Intermediate Mini- Basketball @ St.
Benedict- Boys AM/ Girls PM
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation - Mr. DeRango’s
Class at St. John the Evangelist Parish
First Communion Retreat- All Day
Sub Day
Earth Day
Chocolate Fundraising Ends
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation - Ms. Scarcello’s
Class at St. John the Evangelist Parish
Intermediate Boys and Girls Family
Basketball Finals
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation- Ms. Cancelliere’s
Class at St. John the Evangelist Parish
Pizza Day
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
11:00 a.m. First Communion - Mrs. Moretta/
Mrs. Clark’s classes at St. John the Evangelist
Parish.
May 16:
May 17:
Spring Photos
6:30 p.m. Family of Schools Catholic School
Council Parent Evening at St. Marguerite
d’Youville
May 18:
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Catholic Education Week
10:00 a.m.-Primary Mass at St. John’s the
Evangelist Parish
Gr. 3 and 6 EQAO Tutoring
6:30 p.m. - Family Math Night at St.
Cornelius “May the 4th Be With You!”
Talent Show
Sub Day
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
Talent Show
AM- Diversity Conference - Youth Faith
Ambassadors
PM- Kindergarten Mother’s Day Celebration
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation - Ms. Leardi’s Class
at St. John the Evangelist Parish
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
7:00 p.m.- Confirmation - Ms. Mark’s Class
at St. John the Evangelist Parish
AM- Jump Rope for Heart
Pizza Day
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring
PA Day- No School for Students
11:00 a.m.- First Communion Mass for
Mrs. MacLeod/ Mrs. Morrison’s Classes at
St. John the Evangelist Parish

MAY
May 2-6:
May 3:
May 4:
May 5:
May 6:
May 9:
May 10:
May 11:
May 12:
May 13:
May 14:
May 19:
Scientists in the School- Mrs. DiMaria/ Ms.
DiFeo’ Class
Sub Day
Gr. 3 and 6 After School EQAO Tutoring Last
Class
May 21:
11:00 a.m.- First Communion for MsCerullo’s
Class at St. John the Evangelist Parish
May 23:
Victoria Day- No School
May 24:
6:00 p.m. Welcome to Kindergarten Night
For students beginning Kindergarten in
September 2016
May 25- 27: Gr. 3 and 6 EQAO Provincial Assessment
May 26:
Pizza Day
ATTACHMENTS:


Math at Home
Sugary Drink Sense from our Peel Public Health
Nurse
Family of Schools Catholic School Council Parent
Event Flyer
Together in Faith and Excellence
8