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
NOVEMBER: A MONTH TO REMEMBER
November is the month of Remembrance. For
Catholics this is a special time of year, as we are
reminded of the importance of the feasts of All Saints
& All Souls Day.
REMEMBRANCE DAY PRAYER
Loving God,
Have mercy on your people,
And open our hearts to peace and love.
Reward all who have died for their country,
And grant that Canada and all nations
May continue to work for peace and justice.
Bless us in your service,
And help us to follow Jesus Christ,
Who is our Saviour and our Lord
For ever and ever.
Amen
NOVEMBER 2015: INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Math Night
Christmas Marketplace
School Yard Safety
Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week
Page 3
Page 4
Page 4
Page 6
These two special days remind us that God has a
special plan for everyone. Before we were born, God
willed for us to live with Him forever. When we were
baptized, we became part of a special family called the
communion of saints, who share in Jesus’ gift of His
holiness. The saints are people who said “yes” to
God’s plan for them and are now in heaven. Some
were children and young people, some were mothers
and fathers, some were monks, priests or nuns, and
some were single people. On All Saints Day, we praise
and thank God for what He has done for us through
these holy people. We ask the saints to pray for us
that we might love our God and neighbour the way
Jesus taught us. On All Souls Day, we pray for all
people who have died. We ask God to bring them to
the joyful banquet of heaven to be with God and the
saints forever.
On November 11th, Canadians all across the country
stop and honour those who have served, at home or
overseas, in World War I, World War II, Korea and in
all peace missions all around the world. Memorial
services pay tribute to the more than 100,000 brave
Canadians who were killed in the service of their
country. The World War I Armistice was signed on the
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. As such,
we stop and remember on the 11th hour of November
11th. We will be honouring Remembrance Day by
having an assembly on Nov. 11th at 10:30 a.m. All are
welcome to join us.
~ G. Graci-Papayanakis and A. Cavaliere
Together in Faith and Excellence
1
STUDENT FAITH AMBASSADORS
MESSAGE FROM OUR ECO-CLUB
A congratulations goes out to the Youth
Faith Ambassadors!
On October 23, 2015, the members of our
St. Cornelius Youth Faith Ambassadors
participated in a day of Commissioning at St.
Holy Family Parish in Bolton along with all
Brampton East, Caledon, Dufferin, and Malton family of
schools. Our students were involved in various faith
based activities including making rosary beads. It was
an exciting day for celebration of our faith for our young
leaders. Our students for the 2015-2016 year are:
Anabella M., Patricia S., Klara V., Emma D., Sarah I., Peter
M., Chiara S., Mattea S., Nathan C., Donato D., Sabrina C.,
Antonietta R., Kaitlyn V., Sieara G., Christina F., Madeline
F., Oriana P., Marissa L., Daniella F., Alexandra L., Grace
D., Angelica G., Nicholas M., Marco F., Aliya N., John S.,
Gianluca C., and Thomas A., Together, we will grow
spiritually in serving others as Jesus did.
The ECO-CLUB is up and
running at St. Cornelius and
we're
here
to
help!
PROJECT GIFT
―
The St. Cornelius youth faith ambassadors are heading
up the collection of gifts and items in small plastic
containers to send with Dr. Simone to areas that would
benefit not only from the goods, but also the plastic
boxes. Once the gifts are received the families can
utilize the box to store food and clothing to keep them
dry and free of contamination.
Once again we are registered
to participate in the Ontario
Eco-Schools challenge. The
Ontario Eco-Schools is an
environmental education and certification program that
helps school communities develop both ecological
literacy and environmental practices so they may
become environmentally responsible citizens and reduce
the ecological footprint of their schools. Last year, we
were granted a GOLD acknowledgment award for our
efforts. This year we are aiming to continue reaching our
Eco-School
goals!
Just how are we going to do better?
1. Litterless Lunch Wednesdays or every day is back!
Please do your best to send your child to school with all
reusable containers or recyclable goods. Remember,
reusable
is
always
best!
2. Other environmental initiatives we will be involved in
are: making sure every class has a GOOS paper box,
spring planting in the peace garden, Recycling audit,
Waste Audits, Earth Hour, IDLE Free Zones, etc.
The key to successfully implementing the ECO-CLUB’s
green initiatives is to create a meaningful environmental
change at our school. But without the full support of
parents, teachers, custodians and administrators it will
be very difficult. So let’s get together and with our own
two hands, we can change the world.
St. Cornelius students are being asked to plan with their
families and purchase a small box with a sealing lid,
then fill it with items such as: a toothbrush, toothpaste
soap, toys, clothing, small books and hard candies, etc.
A note will be sent home with students with a label to
utilize for the box. This label will identify the items
purchased (for a boy or girl and their age). Look for
further notice in your child's agenda.
Together in Faith and Excellence
2
IMPORTANT OFFICE REMINDER
Cross Country Team
Congratulations to the St. Cornelius Cougars CrossCountry Running Team who competed at the Family of
Schools Meet at Monora Park in Orangeville on Friday,
October 16! The team of sixty-nine athletes completed
individual races of between 2.1 and 3.9 kilometres. We
congratulate students for their effort to train during
lunch hours and for their determination and team spirit
shown on race day! Thirty-nine students qualified to
compete at the Board Meet Championship on October
26 by placing in the top 15 of their individual races or by
contributing to a qualifying team score. Seven of our 8
teams won top “team” placements by achieving either 1st
or 2nd place team overall.
Students who qualified for the Board Championship
include:
Grade 5: Tereza V., Jessica T., Isabella M., Julia P., Claudia
B., Aidan W., Christian C., Francesco V., Luca B., Steven L.
Grade 6: Victoria S., Mara B., Joshua M., Antonio R.,
Michael B., Tyson P., Massimo R
Grade 7: Sabrina B., Samantha M., Amanda M., Klara V.,
Katrina S., Brooke L., Mason P., Sebastian M., Beck K.,
Daniel F., Nicholas M.
Grade 8: Alexandria L., Madeline F., Sieara G., Oriana P.,
Kaitlyn V., Peter M., Adam C., Patrick D., Kyle P., Dylan H.
Coaches: Mrs. Foley, Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Venditti, Mr.
Gallant
DPCDB Board Meet Highlights:
Grade 5 girls: 3rd place team overall
Grade 6 girls: Victoria S. 6th place individual overall
Grade 7 girls: Sabrina B. 1st place individual overall, 3rd
place team overall
A big thank-you to all the parents/guardians who came
out to cheer on our students!
For the safety of all children at St. Cornelius School, we
kindly ask that you always sign in at the main office
whenever you visit the school whether it be picking up a
child for an appointment or dropping off a lunch. Please
do not go directly to your child’s class. Also, we ask that
you only use the main doors during school hours (parents
of children in the YMCA Program can still use the side
door before/after school). Lastly, parents we ask that if
are you in the foyer it is for quick drop offs and pick-ups.
For the safety of all our students, we ask parents to not
remain in the front entrance. Thank you for your
cooperation.
BALLROOM DANCE INSTRUCTION
We are happy to announce that “Future Steps” Ballroom
Dance instruction is coming to St. Cornelius. Our school
council has approved funding of this great program
which will be offered as an enrichment to both
the “ARTS” curriculum (specifically “Dance”) and the
“Physical Education” curriculum. Dance not only has the
potential to improve fitness, physical strength, flexibility
and stamina, but can also help to improve social and
communication skills, along with opportunities for
increased self-esteem and self-discipline. Since its
inception in 2006, "Future Steps/Burlington Dance Club"
has introduced ballroom and hip-hop dance to close to
30,000 children in Southern Ontario with resounding
success. Starting the second and third week of
November, students in grades 1 through 8 will have the
opportunity to take part in weekly ballroom dance
lessons for a period of five weeks, culminating with a final
showcase performance for parents/guardians on
Monday, December 7 during the school day. More
information will be forthcoming.
MATH NIGHT
St. Cornelius Parent Math Night: A Glimpse into the
Classroom. We will be hosting a parent math night on
Thursday, November 26th. Parents/Guardians are invited
to join us to experience some of the ways in which
students are engaged in the use of Mathematics in the
classroom. The tools such as iPads, manipulatives and the
SmartBoard will also be introduced.
Together in Faith and Excellence
3
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
SCHOOL YARD SAFETY
Thank you to everyone who participated
in our very successful fundraising
campaign “Big Box of Cards”! We raised
funds to be used for lots of programming
and activities you will be seeing
throughout the school year. We appreciate your support
– participation in these programs makes such an
incredible difference to our school offerings! Please be
sure to come out on November 28th 9:00am – 3:00pm to
our Christmas Marketplace and continue to support your
community and your school!
Christmas Shopping Right at Your Doorstep! Come out &
see all that Caledon has to offer. Over 40 Vendors
showcasing Goods & Services. Free to all residents of the
community & surrounding areas. Support Caledon by
shopping through Local Retailers and providing a
fundraising opportunity to St. Cornelius School.
Christmas Trees for Sale by Davis Feed, Raffles, FREE
pictures with Santa & much more! Visit our Facebook
page for further details.
Also, stay tuned for a Poinsettia fundraiser that will be
happening in December – save your poinsettia purchases
to benefit your school and your children – more
information to follow shortly. As well, we thank our
Catholic School Council for their support of the 2015-16
Future Steps Dance Program, RAZ kids online reading
program, and the Scientists in the School program. These
curriculum based programs compliment student learning
in the classroom and are a great deal of fun!
Council encourages all parents to join us at our monthly
meetings. You are always welcome to attend as a guest.
Our next council meeting is on Monday, November 9th at
6:30 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!
PUMPKIN MASH WAS A SMASH!
The students and staff once again enjoyed their day at the
Pumpkin Mash on October 30st. The decorations were
incredible and the music was awesome! A very special thank
you to our parent volunteers who spent hours decorating,
chaperoning and taking down the decorations in the gym: Carol Caprara, Loretta De Grazia, Joanna Godino, Laura
Prestia, Liana Cancian, Julie Vangroff, Brenda Giardetti, Sherry
Facchini, Sandy Nicola, Laura Soares, Kathy Rossi, Lea
Dimitrio, Michelle Niro, Michelle Simone and Daniela Wilson.
Thank you for your cooperation with ensuring the safety
of our students by following our school safe practice of
students and staff only in the school yard. During
inclement weather we will be calling indoor recess and
students will come directly into the school when they
arrive between 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Since there are no
students in the yard, and the teachers are supervising
indoors, parents may walk their children to the school
and students may enter using the back door. We
appreciate your cooperation as we work together to
keep our school safe.
GRADE 1 FRENCH IMMERSION
INFORMATION
MEETING FOR 20162017
FRENCH
IMMERSION
INFORMATION MEETING
Year
2
Kindergarten
parent(s)/guardian(s), who
wish to enroll their child in a Grade 1 French Immersion
class for September, 2016 are invited to attend an
information meeting at:
French
Immersion
Centres
Session
Location
Date and Time
Our Lady of
Providence
St Angela
Merici
Wednesday,
November 11,
2015
7:00 p.m.
St Angela
Merici
St Joachim
Together in Faith and Excellence
4
GRADE 5 EXTENDED FRENCH
INFORMATION MEETING FOR 2016-2017
EXTENDED FRENCH INFORMATION MEETING
Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September,
2016 are invited to attend an information meeting at:
School: Holy Family School
Address: 61 Allan Drive, Bolton, ON, L7E1P7
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m.
At the present time, the above mentioned school is the
designated centre for our area. Applications will be
accepted at that centre until 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
February 16, 2016.
LIBRARY NEWS
On October 27, Ms. Jonkman went to the Dufferin Peel
Vendors display to purchase books and other materials
for our school library. She was able to come back with
many great finds, books that will help students learn
their curriculum and books that are just for fun! She was
also able to bring back some new
videos.
Be sure to listen to the
announcements boys and girls to know
when the books are catalogued and
ready to be taken out of the library. There
are lots and lots of exciting new titles!!!
Kinder-Dance Day
Parents and guardians are invited to join their
Kindergarten children in a fun and energetic dance
workout hosted by “GrooveEDGEucation” on
Wednedsday, November 25, 2015. This program is
inspired by the “Groove method” – an approach to
teaching movement that focuses on physical activity,
creativity, participant success, and encouraging
everyone to discover their unique self. Mrs. Luchin’s and
Mrs. Dales’ classes will “Groove” together from 10:15am
until 11:00am. Mrs. Papa’s, Mrs. DiMaria’s, and Mrs.
Loconte’s classes will follow at 11:15am until 12:00pm.
READING VOLUNTEERS WANTED
We are in need of volunteers to act as Reading Coaches
for students in grades 1, 2 and 3.
The commitment involves assisting students to develop
independent reading strategies. If you are able to spend
an hour or two once or twice per week please call the
school and leave your name and phone number. All
volunteers must have a Criminal Reference Check or
recent Declaration (please contact the office for an
appropriate form). Interested volunteers will be
contacted to schedule a training session and determine
volunteer availability.
HALLOWEEN CANDY DRIVE
“Future
Steps”
Dance
Program and Showcase
Good news! The “Future Steps” Dance
program is coming back to St. Cornelius! Students in
grades 1 through 8 will take part in weekly dance lessons
(Hip Hop and Country/Ballroom line dances) beginning
the week of November 2 for a period of five weeks.
Lessons are offered as enrichment to the “ARTS”
curriculum (specifically “Dance”) and the “Physical
Education” curriculum. The program will culminate with
a final showcase performance on Monday, December 7,
2015. Parents/guardians are invited to attend (3
performances during the school day – 9:45am, 11:15am,
and 1:30pm). More information will follow closer to the
final showcase. Thank you to our Catholic School Council
for supporting this program once again!
Malnutrition shuts down the body’s
digestive track and often children cannot
eat, even when regular healthy food is
given to them. However, the doctors
have discovered that candy, with its high
content of sugar can start the digestive
track working. This allows children in third world
countries to consume food, thus saving their lives. Please
help us save children’s lives. Please collect and drop off
hard candy in a plastic bag to the main office this week
and the church until November 6th. If you have any
questions, please call Father Bob at 905- 990-0080.
Together in Faith and Excellence
5
NOVEMBER VIRTUE: CONSCIENCE
We are very excited to be congratulating students who
have demonstrated the virtue of the month with a
positive message over the announcement and a virtues
bracelet. Each month we will have a school wide
assembly focusing on the virtue of the month.
This month we will celebrate the virtue of CONSCIENCE.
God has given us the ability to know the right and decent
way to act and then to act that way. We trust that the
common Spirit we share inspires us and guides us to
make good decisions if we allow our CONSCIENCE to be
well-formed. A person of CONSCIENCE allows prayer &
scripture to influence him/her.
A person of CONSCIENCE:
• Chooses to do the "right thing" and
feels good about it
• Can see how his/her actions may
hurt others
• Admits his/her wrong-doing and
feels badly
• Says "sorry" and tries to make up for
mistakes
• Keeps promises
Tips for parents:
- help your child
learn to recognize
early signs that they
are
becoming
agitated or upset
- create a calming
space / reflection
area in your home
- learn the steps of
the
conflict
resolution
model
the school uses and
apply those at home
BULLYING AWARENESS & PREVENTION
WEEK
NOVEMBER “SAFE SCHOOL” FOCUS
EVERYONE NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE IN
PEACE
In November students will focus on the message of
peace. Peace is defined as inner contentment, serenity
and harmonious relations. Students will
create a unique ‘peace place’ in
each of their classrooms. The
‘peace place’ is an area identified
and decorated by students that
they can use to take a moment for
personal reflection or to resolve
conflict with another student. This
idea of having a ‘calming’ space is used in schools,
workplaces and family homes.
Students will be involved in various anti-bullying
initiatives and discussions. We have many exciting
activities planned including our Bullying Prevention and
Awareness Kick off/ Virtue of Conscience Assembly on
November 17. All are welcome to attend. On
Wednesday, November 18th, St. Cornelius is pleased to
invite guest presenter Baba Williams from Drums et al for
an interactive drumming presentation. Students may
choose to bring in their own percussion and hand held
drums to add to the excitement of the presentation.
Please read the attached Bullying Awareness and
Prevention Week insert for information.
Together in Faith and Excellence
6
REMINDERS AND RESOURCES: COLD AND
FLU SEASON
As cold and flu season approaches, the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic 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.
REGIONAL HEALTH UNIT RESOURCES
Please assist us by reviewing good hand washing
procedures, as well as other preventative measures, as
outlined in the various Peel Health and Wellington
Dufferin Guelph (WDG) resources available to you
through their websites. As always, children who are
unwell, should be kept at home.
FLU CLINICS
Also available on the Peel Health and WDG websites, are
the schedules of local Flu Clinics.
For more information, visit the health unit websites:


Peel
Health
website:
http://www.peelregion.ca/health
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health website:
www.wdgpublichealth.ca
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
IMPORTANT DATES:
PLEASE PLACE DATES ON FAMILY
CALENDAR
Nov. 1: All Saints Day
Nov. 2: All Souls Day
Nov. 3: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Nov. 4: Grade 8 Shadow Day at Robert F. Hall S.S.
Nov. 4: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4 (Make up Day)
Nov. 6: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4
Nov. 9: 6:30 p.m. Catholic School Council Meeting
All are welcome!
Nov. 10: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Nov. 10: 10:00 a.m. Mass for Grades 4, 5 and 6
students at St. John the Evangelist Parish. All
are welcome!
Nov. 11: 10:30 a.m. Remembrance Day Assembly
All are welcome!
Nov. 12: Picture Retake Day / Class Picture Day
Nov. 13: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4
Nov. 16 - 20: Bullying Awareness and Prevention
Week (Please refer to flyer for more details)
Nov. 17: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Nov. 17: Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week
Kick off Assemblies/Virtue of Conscience (1:15
p.m. for Gr. 5-8 / 2:00 p.m. for Gr. K - 4) All are
Welcome!
Nov. 17: Progress Reports go home
Nov. 18: Drumming Assemblies~ All are Welcome
Nov. 19: Progress Report Interviews
*Please note we do NOT have a PA Day in
November
Nov. 20: Karate Kids Gr. 2-4
Nov. 21: 5:00 p.m. Confirmation Enrollment Mass
at St. John Albion Parish for Mme Zingaro’s
class
Nov. 24: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Nov. 25: Kinder-Dance Day Parents/Guardians
welcome (Please refer to details inside
newsletter)
Nov. 25: Intermediate Boys and Girls Family MiniVolleyball Tournament
Nov. 26: 6:00 p.m. Math Night- Please join us!
Nov. 27: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4
Nov. 28: St. Cornelius Marketplace (Please refer to
flyer)
Dec. 1: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Dec. 4: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4
Together in Faith and Excellence
7
Dec. 7: Future Steps Dance Showcase (more
information to follow)
Dec. 8: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Dec. 8: 6:30 p.m. Catholic School Council Meeting.
All are welcome!
Dec. 11: Gr. 7 Meningococcal Vaccine/ Gr. 8 H.P.V
Vaccine
Dec. 11: Karate Kids for Gr. 2-4
Dec. 12: 5:00 p.m. - Confirmation Enrollment Mass
at St. John the Evangelist Parish for Ms.
Scarcello’s class
Dec. 15: Karate Kids for Gr. 1
Dec. 17: 9:45 a.m. Advent Mass in gymnasium. All
are welcome.
Dec. 22 - Jan. 2: Christmas Break
ATTACHMENTS
1. Christmas Marketplace Flyer
2. Math at Home
3. Partnering for Change: CCAC Information
Letter
4. Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week
News
5. St. Cornelius Parent Math Night
Together in Faith and Excellence
8