H
St. Hilary Catholic
Elementary School
November 2014—Issue 3
5070 Fairwind
Mississauga, ON
L5R 2N4
Office: 905-568-0056
Fax: 905-568-8236
www.dpcdsb.org/hilry
Principal
T. Loftus
~
Secretary
C. DeRoia
~
Superintendent
L. Papaloni
~
Trustee
Thomas Thomas
~
Parish Priest:
Msgr. E. Pan
Associate Pastors:
Fr. J. Roldan
Fr. S. Savarimuthu
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day gives us an opportunity to pay respect to the more
than 100,000 Canadians who have lost their lives in wars and peace
keeping duties for Canada. Remembrance Day began after the end of the
First World War which ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.
On November 11th, our school will honour those who have served and died in
World War I, World War II, Korea and in all peace missions. Parents are welcome
to attend the Remembrance Day Assembly at 11:00 a.m. in the school gym.
P.A. DAY
A Prayer for Peace
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Lord Jesus,
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called
children of God.”
~
Virtue of the Month:
Conscience
Stay Connected
Join the Dufferin-Peel ECommunity
www.dpcdsb.org
Follow DPCDSB on Twitter: @DPCDSBSchools
For the latest board news
and information.
You said to your disciples,
During November, we will focus on 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 wellformed.
A person of conscience allows prayer and
scripture to influence him/her.
You know how much our
world needs your peace,
yet in so many places there is
only war and conflict.
Lord, through the power of
your Holy Spirit,
transform human hearts,
give our world a desire for
peace, and help us to do our
part.
Amen
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St. Hilary Catholic Elementary School
Catholic School Council
Special thanks to the Catholic School Council for hosting the annual
Halloween Spook-a-thon for all grades and the fun of dressing up on
October 31st.
The Catholic School Council has created an email account which parents/
guardians may utilize to contact the Council chairs regarding questions and
concerns. The address is: sthilaryparentcouncil@gmail.com.
Future meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:
Nov. 3, Dec.8, Jan. 26, April 13 and June 1.
Sacramental Preparation Events and Key Dates
St. Hilary’s
Pastoral Plan
First Holy Communion and First Reconciliation:
Nov. 2 at 9:00 a.m.: Inscription Mass
Jan. 18 and Feb. 1 at Noon.: Preparation Masses
Jan. 29 at 9:30 a.m.: First Reconciliation
Please see the
school website
for the
April 18 at 10:00 a.m.: First Holy Communion Mass
Confirmation:
Nov. 4 at 7:00 p.m.: Parents’ Meeting at Church (Mandatory)
Nov. 23 at 9:00 a.m.: Inscription Mass
2014-2015
Pastoral Plan.
Jan. 29at 7:00 p.m.: Preparation Mass
Feb. 19: Confirmation Retreat at Queen of Apostles Retreat Centre
April 16 at 7:00 p.m.: Confirmation Mass
http://www.dpcdsb.org/
HILRY
Youth Faith Ambassadors
As a Catholic faith community, St. Hilary School encourages
our students to be active leaders and role models.
We know that our Youth Faith Ambassadors
will continue to follow their conscience as they lead by and live out
the gospel values.
Page 3
Visitors to the School
All visitors, including parents/guardians must sign into the office and wear a Visitor’s badge.
Access during lunch time may be delayed depending on the availability of staff who are
required to monitor the new system.
In this regard, parents/guardians are encouraged to:

Arrive at school on time to allow children to enter with their classmates to avoid front entry lates.

Send lunch with your child in the morning to limit traffic through the front door at lunch time.

We respectfully request that you limit your visits to the school during the daytime as much as possible in
order to protect the instructional time and reduce interruptions.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation as we implement the new access protocol.
Fire, Hold and Secure & Lockdown
We will be having fire drills
for students to practice
exiting the school building at
the sound of the fire alarm.
This is also a good reminder
to parents to practice home
fire escape and to check
smoke alarms in your homes.
Hold & Secure and
Lockdown Procedures:
There may be situations
where the school, under the
direction of the Peel
Regional Police, may
need to have a “hold &
secure” or a “lockdown”.
The School Board has
mandated that lockdown
procedures be added to
the school’s safety
routines. The lockdown
procedures attempt to
secure students in their
own classrooms in the
event that
there is a
high risk incident about to
unfold in the school or in
dealing with the presence
of an individual in
possession of a dangerous
article on school property.
Student
Supervision Times
Please note that
teachers are on
supervision duty 15
minutes before the
start of the school
day. For safety
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS
ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST PROVIDE THE SCHOOL WITH A VALID
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECK BEFORE THEY CAN ATTEND ANY
SCHOOL TRIPS, VOLUNTEER TO WORK WITH STUDENTS AT THE
SCHOOL, OR PARTICIPATE ON CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL.
PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE FOR FORMS.
reasons, we ask
that your child does
not arrive at the
school prior to
8:45 a.m.
St. Hilary Catholic Elementary School
Page 4
ECO-SCHOOLS INITIATIVES AT ST. HILARY SCHOOL
National Walk to School Day
The annual Walk to School event at St. Hilary School was held on October 8, 2014. 128 of our students walked
to school on a beautiful sunny Wednesday morning. Students were treated to either a juice or an apple courtesy
of our Catholic School Council. They also received a sticker as a reminder of the importance of taking care of
our wonderful planet. Youth Faith Ambassadors and students from Mrs. Hammond’s class created informative
announcements to promote the event and the Youth Faith Ambassadors also assisted in the distribution of the
stickers and treats. St. Hilary students are reminded that walking to school helps our environment and improves
our physical health. It’s cool to walk to school. Thank you to Mrs. Hammond and Mrs. Yamaguchi for
organizing this event.
Waste Free Lunch Challenge
During the week of October 20th, the school participated in the Waste Free Lunch Challenge. Special thanks to
Mrs. Dias, Mrs. Orr, Mrs. Paniconi and Mrs. Guerra (parent volunteer) for overseeing this project.
Battery Collection
Please collect and send in your used batteries to the school. Batteries will be brought to a recycling center for
appropriate disposal. Many thanks to Mr. Tremblay for implementing this program.
EXTENDED FRENCH INFORMATION MEETING
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September, 2015 are invited to attend an information meeting at:
School: San Lorenzo Ruiz (905-501-0400)
Address: 100 Barondale Drive, Miss. ON, L4Z 3R1
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2015
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. Tuesday, February 17th, 2015.
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, 2015 are invited to attend an information meeting at:
French Immersion centres
Session location
Date and time
St Gertrude
St Pio of Pietrelcina
St Gertrude
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
7:00 p.m.
Page 5
St. Hilary Catholic Elementary School
PALS Program
The P.A.L.S. program, (Playground Activity Leaders in the School), offered by Peel Health encourages
all children to participate in activities regardless of their gender, size or ability. P.A.L.S. is a peer-led
program in which Grade 6 students are trained to plan and lead fun and safe activities on the playground
at recess. The objectives of the program are to:
 Increase physical activity
 Decrease conflicts and reduce the incidence of playground bullying
 Provide a leadership opportunity for students
Please encourage your children in grades 1- 4 to take advantage of these activities on the playground at
recess. The P.A.L.S. leaders wear colourful pinnies to help identify them.
Pizza Days
Pizzas must be pre-ordered with the forms provided, and, returned to the school on the
due date. Many thanks to Mrs. Ladislao and Mrs. Guerra for the hard work making these events a
success. Please contact the school if you are able to help on any of our pizza days.
Understanding Key Issues in Catholic Education
Q: Why did the United Legislature of Canada East and Canada West keep improving separate
school legislation?
A: It responded to Catholic parents, trustees, bishops and priests, editors of the four Catholic
newspapers, members of the business and professional world, all of whom argued for legal and financial
rights for separate schools.
Cross Country Running
After participating in the annual Family Meet
on October 24th, where our team made an awesome
showing, 15 of our runners were successful in earning
a place at the Board Meet on October 30th. They ran
a tough and challenging race and we wish to
congratulate our runners for their accomplishments.
Many thanks to their coaches, Mme. Fantin,
Mrs. Paniconi, Mrs. Slabikowski and Mr. Bury for
their encouragement and organization of this
worthwhile athletic activity. Special thanks to the
many parents who attended and/or helped supervise
the event.
FLY HAWKS FLY!
St. Hilary’s 2013-2014 EQAO Scores
In June 2014, the Grade 3 and 6 students completed
the EQAO tests. The numbers of students who
achieved or exceeded Ministry expectations:
Grade 3:
Grade 6:
Reading: 73%
Reading: 96%
Writing: 82%
Writing: 92%
Math: 68%
Math: 58%
Page 6
Hands-Off Policy
In order to ensure the comfort and safety of all, we expect students to adhere to the “Hands-off Policy”
at the school. “Play fighting” is also not permitted. Every student has been made aware of the
importance of these rules.
Please assist us by reviewing these expectations with your child. This will help to make our school
environment a safe, healthy and positive place for all of our students.
Personal Electronic Devices/Cameras
The School Board has implemented a policy which
does not allow Personal Electronic Devices to be
used at school or during school functions. This
policy would include the use of digital/analog
cameras. This policy was implemented as a result
of instances where student privacy was
compromised and instances where pictures were
modified or dis-trusted inappropriately. If there is
an occasion, where waivers have been signed and
returned by all students, then there may be pictures
taken of your child. Please note that these
pictures are only for home use and they are not to
be posted electronically in any manner, including
Face Book or other internet sites. Electronic
devices can be very effective tools to enhance and
preserve memories; however, in light of electronic
capabilities and the world around us, we also want
to exercise some appropriate caution.
After Hours Security
Students must be diligent in gathering all
materials prior to the end of the school day.
Once dismissed, there is no supervision provided
to the students. Students/parents must not be
returning to school after school hours to retrieve
books/belongings. In order to ensure the safety
of the workplace, no students or parents will be
able to enter any classroom after school.
Chocolate Fundraiser Update
Thank you to all the families for your support
with our Catholic School Council’s Annual
Chocolate Fundraiser. We are still waiting for
the final monies and un-sold chocolates to be
returned. Details will be announced in the
December newsletter.
DROPPING AND PICKING UP STUDENTS IN FRONT DRIVEWAY
The number of incidents related to traffic circulation at the front of the school and in the Kiss and Ride
area during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal has risen. These incidents include vehicles parking
and pulling out of no parking zones and parking in bus lanes, to name a few. Parents are reminded not
to leave their cars parked in the lanes in the front driveway. Our driveway is a fire route and parking
is illegal. If you need to park and get out of your car when dropping off or picking up your child,
please park in the parking spots at the front of the school, or, on the street as permitted. Please also
refrain from blocking the bus lane so that the school bus is able to enter and exit the driveway safely
and on schedule.
It is imperative that parents and guardians who drive their children to school adhere to the traffic
circulation plan and comply with the traffic and parking signage on the site. It is equally imperative that
all drivers follow the direction of staff managing the traffic circulation on the school site. Thank you for
your consideration and co-operation with this important matter.
Page 7
St. Hilary Catholic Elementary School
Pediculosis
Although not a communicable
disease, pediculosis (head lice) is a
concern to parents and teachers.
Each year it is common for outbreaks of pediculosis to occur.
Unfortunately, in recent years,
head lice have become increasingly common throughout North
America. They are parasites,
which have been common among
human beings for centuries. They
are not connected in any way to
dirt or neglect. Anyone can be
infested with them. When a case
of lice is found at school, we
inform parents of the infected
classes by way of a special letter.
In order to control these pests, we
shall follow the procedures
outlined below. We request your
full co-operation.
If a case is found in the school, we
will inform all parents of the
students in that class. We then
request that you check your own
child’s head. If you find them to
also be infested, we would ask that
you contact us so that we may
advise you of the proper treatment
for them. This information can also
be obtained from a pharmacist or
Peel Health Department.
Even if cases are not reported from
the school, it is a wise precaution to
check your child’s head
periodically. Encourage your
children not to put on other
people’s hats or scarves. Inform
them not to use other people’s
combs or hairbrushes.
If your child does become
infested with head lice, we
will ask you to keep them
out of school until after they have
been treated with the correct
shampoo and their hair is entirely
clear of both lice and nits (eggs).
When a child returns to school,
he /she must report directly to the
office and be checked by the
principal or designate before
proceeding to the classroom or the
yard.
No one is to be re-admitted to class
without being checked. If we all
follow these procedures, we may
not entirely escape outbreaks, but,
we may prevent some cases, and,
bring others under control quickly.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive
Pop Can Tabs
We wish to thank everyone who supported
the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Our school
community was extremely generous in
providing food to less fortunate members of
the community.
Please continue sending in your pop can tabs. The Royal
Canadian Legion is always happy to receive the tabs, as they
are used towards the purchase of wheelchairs for those in need.
Thank you to all who have contributed to date! Special thanks,
also, to Mr. Tremblay for overseeing this campaign.
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. 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. 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
Links to the above information can be found in the Parent Section of the DPCDSB website at www.dpcdsb.org
Page 8
Progress Reports
Progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday, November 11th. Interview evening will be Thursday,
November 13th. Teachers will be contacting parents only if there is a need for an interview.
Important Dates
November 1
All Saints’ Day
November 2
First Holy Communion Inscription Mass
9:00 a.m. at Church
November 3
Catholic School Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
November 4
Confirmation Parents’ Meeting
7:00 p.m. at Church
November 11
Progress Reports Sent Home
November 11
Remembrance Day Liturgy 11:00 a.m. at School.
All are welcome to attend.
November 13
Parent-Teacher Interviews (As needed)
November 14
P.A. Day. No school for students.
November 21
Rosary Apostolate
November 23
Confirmation Inscription Mass
9:00 a.m. at Church
December 2
December 17 and 18
December 22 to January 2
Advent Mass 9:15 a.m. at the School
Christmas Concerts (Details TBA)
Christmas Break