St. Jerome School
790 Paisley Blvd W.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5C 3P5
Tel (905) 273 3836 Fax (905) 273 9539
Newsletter
October
2012
Mississauga South
Family of Schools
A Thanksgiving Prayer
God Our Father, we gather together with those we love
on this Thanksgiving Day to celebrate your many gifts to us.
You are truly a loving Father who cares for all our needs.
We also remember that many of your children cannot celebrate
today because they are hungry or homeless or
Trustee:
B. Iannicca
905 270 0536
Superintendent:
C. Saytar
have no one to love them.
Please show us how we can share our gifts with them.
Amen
Principal:
A. Aquino
School Organization 2012-2013
H. Secretary:
JK/SK
Mrs. Vermeiren
JK/SK/Planning Time
Mrs. Malatesta/Mrs. Neiva
Grade 1
Mrs. Murphy
Parish Priests:
Grade 1/2
Mrs. Ward
Grade 2
Mrs. Vukosa
Fr. Joyson Pottackal
Grade 2/3
Mrs. Van De Wiele– Kimura
Grade 3
Ms. Sowa
Grade 3/4
Mrs. Read
Grade 4/5
Ms. Lavorato
Grade 5
Ms. Bull
Council Chair:
Grade 5/6 Gifted
Mr. Huh
M. Fleese
Grade 6
Mrs. Arruda
Grade 7
Mrs. Cugliari
Grade 7/8
Mrs. Velec/Ms. Coccimiglio
Grade 8
Ms. Lucchetta
Grade 7/8 Gifted
Ms. Sacco
SERT/ELL
Ms. Borg
SERC/SERT
Mrs. Srutwa
Planning Time
Ms. Kimeda/ Mr. Parayil
ERW
Ms. Andriano and Mrs. Joys
Secretary
Mrs. Bowering
Custodian
Mr. Zappia
Principal
Ms. Aquino
C. Bowering
St. Martin of Tours
905 279 5742
Catholic School
Web-site:
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom
Faith Life
Virtue of the Month: Empathy
This month we will focus on the Virtue of Empathy. God has
given us the ability to form connections with each other - to
live together. Empathy helps us to connect and live together in
safe, caring, inclusive communities. We understand empathy to
mean the ability to identify with and feel other people’s concerns. We believe that in a faith community we are nothing
without relationships. Relationships that grow in a spirit of
communion- an understanding that we share an identity based
on being created in the image and likeness of God and being
imbued with one Spirit. We are many parts of one body. An
empathetic person believes that we all share one Spirit; that we
are many parts of one body because we are all created in the
image and likeness of God.
REFLECTION… How will I know that someone needs me
to show empathy today?
Beginning of the Year Mass
Please join us as we celebrate our beginning of the year mass
together on October 3 at 10:00 a.m. The mass will be at
school. It is a wonderful opportunity to give praise and glory to
God as the community of St. Jerome School. A special thank
you to Father Joyson and the parish team at St. Martin of Tours
for their spiritual guidance and support!
Parent Meeting for Communion
If you are planning to have your grade 2 child receive First Holy
Communion this year at St. Martin of Tours parish, please note
that you must attend a mandatory information meeting at the
church. The meeting dates are: Tuesday, October 2 at 7:00 or
Thursday, October 4 at 7:00.
Around the School
Indoor Shoes/Change of Clothes
Please ensure that your child comes to school prepared to go
outside for recess and lunch hour breaks. It is the expectation
that each child comes dressed appropriately to go outside to
enjoy the weather and get some fresh air and exercise. If your
child is prone to getting wet during recess, please send a
change of clothes, especially socks and sweat pants. Please
ensure that your child brings a pair of indoor shoes to school.
Please label the shoes for our primary students. Running shoes
are preferred because they are safe and can also be used for
gym. Please ensure that the shoes have non-marking soles. We
appreciate your continued support!
PALS
The PALS program, offered by Peel Health encourages all children to
participate in activities regardless of their gender, size or ability. PALS is
a peer led program in which children are trained to plan and lead fun
and safe activities on the playground at recess. A Public Health Nurse
will help with training and will support staff and students to implement
this program in our school. The objectives of the program are to: increase physical activity, decrease conflicts and reduce the incidence of
playground bullying, and provide a leadership opportunity for students.
Please encourage your children in grades 1-4 to take advantage of these
activities once the students have been trained and are ready to lead the
activities on the playground. The PALS leaders will be identifiable in the
school yard. Thank you to Ms. Borg, Mrs. Srutwa and Mrs. Read for
organizing the program. We look forward to working in partnership
with Peel Health in order to promote a healthy and active lifestyle in a
safe playground environment at school.
School Safety
Parents are welcomed to the school throughout the year, however, for
the safety of all children, parents and visitors must use only the
front door for entry and must sign in at the office and receive
a visitor’s sticker each and every time you visit the building. Visitors are not entitled to go to the classrooms as this is a disruption to
student programming. Since the hallways are busy during pick up times,
siblings and parents are asked to arrange with your child, a meeting
place outside of the school. Messages and deliveries (keys, lunches,
etc.) are handled through the office. Please remember to most
students in the school, you are a stranger! We also ask that
parents do not enter the schoolyard during school hours as
this is also a safety issue.
Dogs on School Property
For the safety of our students, parents, guardians and staff, please do
not bring dogs on school property during the school day (9:00
to 4:00), most especially when you are picking up or dropping off students. Several students have severe allergies and animals may be unpredictable when confronted by a group of children. Please note that
no pets are allowed in the school building at any time. Also note
that no pets are allowed on school property during school sanctioned
events. Thank you for helping to keep the school environment safe for
all!
World Teachers’ Day
October 5th is the day specifically designated to recognize the contribution of teachers. World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated in 1994 to commemorate the signing of the UNESCO/ILO. More than 100 countries
currently celebrate World Teachers’ Day. At St. Jerome we are very
fortunate to have so many dedicated individuals who work to provide
for the education of the young people in the community. Thank you to
all our teachers!
Students Watching Sporting Events
Reminder that spectators are not allowed at after school
games. Staff are present to coach or referee the games. No
supervision is provided for other spectators. Only students
who are accompanied by their parent(s) may stay. All other
students will be asked to leave.
Kiss ‘N Ride
PLEASE NOTE THAT CARS ARE NOT TO USE
THE BUS LANE AT ANY TIME. Parents are also
asked to use our proper Kiss ‘N Ride lanes and not
to pull into the school lanes.
Parents please do not leave your car unattended in
any of the Kiss ‘N Ride lanes at any point in the
school day, most especially at lunch time. If you
are dropping off a lunch for your child please park
your car in a designated parking spot or on the
street. Please note that if you are using the Kiss ‘N
Ride you should not be getting out of your car to
help a child exit, you should not pop open your
truck to retrieve knapsacks, and all students must
exit from the right passenger side of the car for
their safety. We ask that parents use extra
caution when using our Kiss ‘N Ride lanes in the
winter months. Please drive safely and take your
time. Our focus is always to keep all of our
students safe.
School Yard Safety
Just a reminder that student supervision begins at
9:00; students must not be dropped off at the
school before this time. Please also note that the
Kindergarten gates must be kept closed at all
times!
EQAO
At St. Jerome School we are very proud of our EQAO results!
Grade 3
School : Reading 87%
Writing 90%
Math 84%
Board :
Reading 70%
Writing 80%
Math 70%
Province: Reading 66%
Writing 76%
Math 68%
Grade 6
School:
Reading 89%
Writing 87%
Math 72%
Board:
Reading 78%
Writing 78%
Math 63%
Province: Reading 75%
Writing 74%
Math 58%
It is important to keep in mind that these results are a snapshot
of student achievement, and must be considered along with a
variety of assessments which occur in the classroom.
Recycling/ECO School
At St. Jerome School we encourage you to reduce the amount of
garbage going to landfill sites. We collect recycling materials from
classrooms each week. We want to encourage students to bring
litter less or boomerang lunches and reusable water bottles, as
we did last year! It is very important to us to treat our earth
with respect and to preserve our earth for future generations!
Criminal Reference Check
In compliance with Ministry directives, a Criminal Reference Check is
required if you wish to volunteer your services in the school, transport
students and assist on trips. Copies of the Criminal Reference forms are
available in the office. An annual declaration is required for all valid
Criminal Reference Checks that are on file in the school office. A
Criminal Reference Check will be required this year if you plan to
volunteer for both in school and out of school activities.
Website
Parents are encouraged to visit our website! The
site is
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom. Please take the time to check it out. All
school information and parent information is on the site and updated
regularly. All previous and current newsletters are on the site. Our
web-site is another excellent tool to keep parents connected to what is
happening at school.
Leaving At Lunchtime
Parents please be advised that ALL students must have written
permission from a parent/guardian to leave the school at lunch. Verbal
permission (over the phone) will not be accepted. A signed and dated
note with a parent/guardian signature is required for each occurrence.
The note must come to the office and students are required to sign out
and to sign back in when they return for afternoon classes.
Anaphylaxis Alert
There are several students in our school with a severe life-threatening
food allergy to peanuts and nuts. This is a medical condition that can
result in death within minutes of exposure. Although this may or may
not affect your child’s class directly, please send foods with your child’s
lunch that are free from nuts /nut products. Further to this, as part of
“Sabrina’s Law”, we are no longer permitted to allow treats for sharing
with other students. All of these treats will now be sent back home.
On special occasions (Halloween, Christmas) teachers will advise
students what foods they can bring for their own consumption. To
acknowledge your child’s birthday, if you would like to send something,
items such as pencils or “dollar store treasures” that are not edible
would be appropriate. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation in making our classrooms safer for students.
Pediculosis
From time to time, there may be cases of pediculosis or head lice in
our school. This should not be a cause for alarm. Lice are a nuisance,
but are not hazardous to your child’s health, as they do not carry
disease. One of the most important steps to both their prevention and
treatment is knowledge. Head lice do not fly or jump. They can only
hitch rides from one head to another, and they prefer clean scalp and
hair. By the time that the nits or empty egg sacs are noticed on the
head of one child in a class or family, it is likely that other children may
be affected. If a child has pediculosis, we will ask the parent to come to
school and pick up the child. We will recommend specific shampoos to
get rid of the live lice, and for appearances sake you may want to
remove the nits with a fine toothed comb. An alert letter is sent home
to parents of the infected class. Please note that students must be
checked in the office on their return to school after treatment before
they will be allowed to return to class.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
It is with great pleasure that we introduce our 2012-2013
Catholic School Council.
Chair: M. Fleese
Secretary: L. Brokken
Treasurer: A. Brodie
Parish Rep: C. Preyra
OAPCE Rep: C. MacIntosh
Parent Reps: L. Broderick, A. Kurello-McLellan, L. Leenaars,
L. Lioniello, J. Miazga, C. Peddle
Teacher Rep: H. Srutwa
Non-Teaching Rep: I. Andriano
Our next council meeting will be Wednesday, November 7 at
6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
We thank our parent council for sponsoring our first
fundraiser. The order forms are due back to school on
October 15th, 2012. We thank you for your continued
support and generosity in helping to make our students’
learning experiences the best that they can be!
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers who have some time to share
during the week to assist the students of St. Jerome in the
following areas:
All Star Reading
Providing assistance with reading to students (1/2 hour per
student/session). Students are seen approximately three
times per week and “coaches” focus on specific strategies that
are identified by the co-ordinator. Each coach receives
training prior to the program.
Library
Providing assistance in the library to maintain the collection of
books.
If you can spare 1/2 hour or more per week, please contact
Mrs. Sisti with your availability. We will contact you with
schedule details, including a training time if you are
volunteering as an All Star Reading Coach.
Thank you for your consideration!
Phone Calls
The office often gets requests from students to make phone
calls home to ask parents to bring forgotten items such as
running shoes, textbooks or homework. We are reinforcing
with students that it is their responsibility to bring all
necessary items to school and to arrange in advance their out
of school activities. Students will not be given permission to
make such calls. Also, please make after school arrangements
with your children prior to school. We make every attempt
to minimize interruptions to classes.
Dates to Remember
Mark your Calendar
October 2 or 4
Parent Meeting for Communion (Gr. 2)
October 3
Beginning of the Year Mass 10:00 a.m.
October 8
Thanksgiving Day. No school.
October 24
Picture Re-take Day
November 2
Hep B Clinic Grade 7
November 6
Progress Reports go home
November 16
PA Day. No school.
November 24
Grade 2 Reconciliation 10:30 a.m.
December 5
Advent Mass 1:30 p.m.
PA Days:
Nov 16, Jan 21, Feb 8, May 13, June 7
Christmas Break:
Monday, Dec. 24 to Friday, January 4, 2013
March Break:
Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 15, 2013 inclusive
Fire Drills/Lockdown/Hold and Secure
As a precautionary measure, we will practice fire drills, lock down
procedures and hold and secure procedures throughout the year.
We are required to hold 6 fire drills each year as well as 2 lock
down/hold and secure drills. During fire drills, students are asked
to move safely and swiftly to the nearest exit and to report to
their designated area outside of the building. If an exit is blocked,
students are reminded to use their alternate exit. We will have
three of the fire drills in the fall and the remaining three in the
spring. In a lock down, students are alerted over the P.A. that we
are “initiating lock down”. Students are directed to move away
from all windows and doors to a safe area. Classroom doors and
windows are secured. Students remain this way until the alert is
cancelled. In hold and secure our exterior doors are locked and
no one can enter or exit the building. Discussing these procedures with your child will help reassure the importance of these
safety procedures. In the unforeseen event that we should have
an emergency in our school, we will evacuate to Huron Park
Community Centre. Safety regulations require us to have this
contingency plan in place. In such an event, your child will remain
with school staff until we contact you.
Terry Fox Walk
On September 28, 2012 the St. Jerome community participated in
our annual Terry Fox Walk. On the walk each student had a
sticker to write the name of someone they wanted to dedicate
the walk to. As a school we dedicated our walk to Steven Sadlowski, a student that lost his life to cancer last year, and all the
many friends and relatives that are affected by cancer in our community. We thank you for your generosity and support of the
Terry Fox foundation!