February 2011
PRINCIPAL:
K.J. Carey
VICE PRINCIPAL:
C. Klein
SECRETARY:
T. Crayden
SUPERINTENDENT:
C. Blanchard
STS. MARTHA AND MARY
PARISH TEAM:
Fr. E. D’Souza
905-625-5670
www.stsmarthaandmary.org
TRUSTEE:
M. Pascucci
Mississauga Wards 1 & 3
(905) 302-3096
(905) 890-0708, x20161
Fax: (905) 890-0888
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
www.TrusteePascucci.ca
INSIDE
Around the
Halls
Seminars for
Parents
French
Immersion
Kindergarten
Registration
STS. MARTHA & MARY
Catholic School
1760 Bough Beeches Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2B9
905-624-9625
Prayer During Black History Month
Father of creation
Whose Son Jesus incarnated in time
And whose Spirit enlivens our lives today
May we honor the height of your creation,
the Human Family
In every hue that you chose to give each
person of our Human Family
Jesus, brother of us all
Your prayer to the Father “that they all may be one”
Through the Holy Spirit
May we witness this Unity of One
Spirit of God in the month of appreciating
The gift of your children of African descent
May we be inspired to see your kingdom mystery
In one facet of the jewel of our Human Family’s descent
A MONTH OF VIRTUES:
RESPECT
STS. MARTHA & MARY PARISH SCHEDULE:
The month of February, will focus on
the virtue of Respect. God wants us to
treat all people with the respect they
deserve.
A respectful person…
• Sees God’s presence in
themselves and others
• Uses a positive tone of voice
and body language
• Avoids gossip, swearing, namecalling, put-downs, and
inappropriate gestures
• Says ‘Excuse me’, ‘Please’,
‘ThankYou’
Sunday Mass Schedule:
 Saturday Vigil – 4:30PM
 Sunday – 8:30AM, 10:00AM, and 11:30AM
WANTED: ALTAR SERVERS
Sts. Martha and Mary Parish is in need of Altar Servers. Boys and Girls
who are in Grade three and above, who are willing to make a
commitment are welcome.
Please contact the parish office at (905) 625-5670
During the month of February, we will
celebrate the virtue of respect. God has
given us the virtues of friends and
companions to keep us company and to
help us out along the way. Every person
in our lives carries the Spirit of God- and
so every person is our brother or sister
through Jesus Christ. As brothers and
sisters who share one Holy Spirit, we are
all valuable to God. We all deserve to be
shown
courtesy,
consideration,
sensitivity and thoughtfulness which are
different ways of saying respect. That
respect should come first and foremost
from us. We have to respect ourselves
and then we will be able to respect
others. We should also be able to expect
to be treated with respect by everyone we
meet – our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
Through prayer and concentration, we
can get better at respecting ourselves as
well as respecting those around us.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is “Black History Month”. This
is a time to celebrate the many
achievements and contributions of Black
Canadians, who throughout history have
done so much to make Canada the
culturally diverse, compassionate and
prosperous nation we know today. It is
also an opportunity for the majority of
Canadians to learn about the experiences
of Black Canadians in our society and
the vital role this community has played
throughout our shared history.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATIONS:
Grade 2 Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
First Communion: Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
Grade 8 Confirmation classes continue to May 15 for boys and
May 22, 2011 for girls.
Sacrament of Confirmation: Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 2:00
p.m.
** All sacraments celebrated at Sts. Martha and Mary parish
CATHOLIC SCHOOL HERITAGE
Why did Catholic parents and students have to pay tuition to attend
a Catholic high school after grade 10?
In 1871 the Ontario government passed an Act to Improve the Common
Schools and Grammar Schools of Ontario. This Act abolished common
and grammar schools and created public schools for grades one to ten
and high schools for grades nine to thirteen. The highest official with
the Department of Education, Egerton Ryerson, commented that the
1871 Act did not affect separate schools. The separate school boards
operating secondary school classes carried on, receiving funding from
grants and taxes. However, early in the twentieth century the
government passed legislation which forbade a separate school board
from offering education beyond grade ten if its boundaries fell partially
or fully within the boundaries of a high school district. Thus, all but one
separate school board (in Dublin) lost their ability to receive tax or
government grant financing beyond grade ten. Furthermore, if a separate
school board chose to continue operating grades nine and ten, it received
only elementary school grants for them.
AROUND THE HALLS
YOUTH EDUCATION OFFICER
We welcome Constable Dykstra into
our school and classrooms this month.
She will be meeting with all
of our students from JK to
grade 8 to discuss the
issues of bullying, youth
crime, street proofing and
community partners. We
appreciate her commitment to
community service.
NATIONAL MATH CONTEST
Under the direction of Mrs. Boots,
some of our grade 7 students began
preparing for the national mathematics
contest this month. Training takes
place over the lunch hour and all
interested grade 7 students are welcome
to participate. The top 30
candidates will enter the
competition in April.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
The Public Speaking
contest for the grade
7 and 8 students is
up and running.
The first place
finisher of the school event will proceed
on to the Royal Canadian Legion
competition held on Sunday, February
27th. Although we celebrate all our
winners, only the student taking first
place may represent Sts. Martha and
Mary School at the Royal Canadian
Legion Competition.
HEALTHY FRIDAYS
“Healthy Fridays” have been a huge
success! Keep encouraging your child
or children to bring fruit and/or
vegetables to school each day and
especially on Fridays. Classes will
continue to tally the number of students
who bring a fruit/vegetable to school
for a snack on Fridays. For more
information, please see the bulletin
board near the gymnasium.
WINTER INTRAMURALS
Congratulations to the Primary students who participated in beach
volleyball over the month of January. Students had fun playing
and cheering each other on, with the final game taking place on
Wednesday January 26th. Intermediate students began playing
scooter board soccer intramurals this month. The games take
place in the gym from 12:20 – 1 p.m. every Monday and
Wednesday, with the semi finals and finals taking place the last
week in February. Our Junior students look forward to
participating in European handball intramurals in March. Thank
you to all of our teachers for volunteering their time to supervise
students over the lunch hour. Also, congratulations to our teacher
organizers: Ms. Addario, Ms. Daly and Ms. Prajza.
INTERMEDIATE BOYS’ & GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
TEAMS
The coaches of the Intermediate Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball
teams, Mrs. Ford and Ms. De Simone, would like to thank each
team member for a wonderful season thus far. All the players
have shown great sportsmanship, skill and determination. Our
teams will be involved in league play games and pending the
outcome of the season, may be involved in the Family and Board
tournaments. (See: “Dates to Remember”.)
Congratulations to the Intermediate Girls’
Basketball team who went undefeated, winning the
gold medal at the 3rd Annual Lady Club Basketball Tournament
on Saturday January 22.
FRIENDSHIP STRATEGIES
Parents can be helpful in addressing positive behaviours that will
allow their child to build lasting friendships. Helping children
understand how to treat one another and how to value and make
friends are important, positive steps in eliminating isolating
behaviours.
The Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Friends
1. Show them kindness and respect.
2. Stick up for them.
3. Be supportive when your friends need help and advice.
4. Tell the truth but be kind about it.
5. If you hurt a friend, say you’re sorry.
6. If you make a promise, keep it.
7. Put some effort into your friendships; otherwise your friends
might feel neglected.
8. Don’t try to change your friends; accept them the way they
are.
9. If a friend hurts you and apologizes, accept the apology.
10. Treat your friends the way you want them to treat you.
SCHOOL COUNCIL CORNER
CHRISTMAS GIFT TAG SUCCESS
More than 100 gift tags were taken
from our Christmas tree in December,
resulting in more than 100 children in
our community benefitting from the
kindness of parents and students at the
school. We received many thanks from
the Dixie Bloor community for this
overwhelming display of generosity.
This “tradition” at the school is a long
standing one, with a history of over 10
years of participation. It began as a
thought, as most charitable acts do,
about those less fortunate in our
immediate community, and has
flourished over the years into the
success that it has become. School
Council, again, thanks everyone who
participated in this worthwhile cause.
PRO GRANT SEMINAR DATES:
School Council has established dates
for both the Kidproof Canada and the
Nutrition seminar that have been
arranged through the Pro Grant
initiative this year. Please mark your
calendars to attend either or both of
these educational sessions. You are
welcome to invite a neighbour, family
member or friend to join you! These
free sessions will be held in the school
gymnasium and each will last
approximately 1.5 hours. Refreshments
will available to all and books will be
raffled off at both events.
KIDPROOF CANADA presents
“PROTECTING YOUR KIDS
ONLINE: From Street Savvy to
Internet Savvy”
DATE: WEDNESDAY MAY 18,
2011 AT 7PM
Description: Kidproof Canada
speaker, Tracy Watson, will educate
parents on keeping their children safe
while enjoying the benefits of the
internet. The presentation will help
parents understand that they don’t have
to be “techies” to keep their children
safe in cyberspace!
KIDPROOF CANADA will also present “CYBERSAFE” to
students in grades 4-8 during a school assembly on May 18, 2011
between 10:45am-11:45am in the school gymnasium. This 40
minute presentation is designed specifically for children to learn
how to safely surf the internet.
“THE SECRET LIFE OF SUGAR” NUTRITION
SEMINAR:
DATE: TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2011 AT 7PM
Description: Andrea Olynyk, Registered Dietitian, will educate
parents on the myths and facts associated with sugar consumption
in this interactive and informative seminar. Parents will learn
how to effectively gauge sugar consumption at home, grocery
shop armed with a better knowledge of label reading, learn about
“hidden” sugars, and understand how much sugar is “too much”
according to the experts.
MARLIE’S DAY AND FAMILY SKATE PARTY
RETURNS!
The Toronto Marlie’s hockey game will take place on Saturday
Feb 26th at 3:00 pm at Ricoh Coliseum, Exhibition Place with the
annual family skate party immediately following the game. Bring
your skates and helmets and join in the fun! Ticket order forms
will be sent home with students soon! (Please note that all
children are required to wear a CSA approved helmet on the rink.)
NUTRITION NUGGET FOR FEBRUARY!
Did you know that your child’s eating habits can affect their
academic performance? This month’s Nutrition Nugget
investigates the link between diet and scholastic achievement.
Breakfast is the food of academic champions!
Studies show that children who eat a nutritious breakfast daily
have improved school attendance, better concentration, stronger
memory skills and superior school achievement in general over
those who regularly skip breakfast. Breakfast does not need to be
complicated. A ½ cup of fresh fruit on yogurt, a slice of whole
grain toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk covers off the
food groups while providing enough carbohydrates for brain
energy and protein for a kick start to your day! If cereal is a
favourite at your house, try to stick to cold or hot cereals that have
at least 2g of dietary fibre per serving but are less than 10g per
cup of sugar. Most people are surprised to learn that, while
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran cereal boasts 7g fibre per cup, that amount
also contains 5 tsp sugar!
What else do high academic achievers eat? Students who
achieve average grades above 90% at school are more likely to
consume milk, fruit and vegetables daily than those who report
lower grades. Sadly, upwards of 70% of Canadian children do not
get enough fruit and vegetable servings each day and about 60%
fall short on milk products.
TRANSPORTATION
CANCELLATIONS /
SCHOOL CLOSURES
A
decision
to
cancel
school
transportation and/or close schools, due
to inclement weather, is usually made
by 6:00 AM. Only the Director of
Education has the authority to cancel
transportation and/or close schools.
Please listen for DUFFERIN-PEEL
CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD cancellations or closures.
Announcements are made on the
following radio stations:
CFNY – FM 102.1
CFRB – AM 1010
CFTR - 680 AM
CHFI – FM 98.1
CHIN FM 100.7
CHUM AM 1050
CJCL – 590 AM
AM 640,
AM 1540
EZ ROCK 97.3
FM 93.1
FM Q 107
FM Z103.5
VIRGIN RADIO
– 99.9
Announcements are made on
following TV stations:
the
CITY PULSE
CBC
CP 24
CFTO
GLOBAL NEWS
FRENCH IMMERSION
INFORMATION MEETING
Senior Kindergarten
parent(s)/guardian(s) who wish to enroll
their child in a Grade 1 French
Immersion class for September, 2011
are invited to attend an information
meeting at:
St. Pio of Pietrelcina
4765 Huron Heights Drive
On Tuesday, February 22, 2011
At 7:00 p.m.
The deadline for submission of
applications is
2:00 p.m. Friday, March 11, 2011.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 1: Term 1 Report Card sent home
February 3: Parent Teacher Interview Evening
February 4: PA Day - Term 1 Reporting to Parents
February 7: Double Header (Away) at St. Pio @ 4 p.m.
February 7: 7 – 9pm Junior & Senior Kindergarten Registration
February 8: Snow Date**Kindergarten Registration 7 – 9pm
February 9: French Immersion forms due for SKs and Gr. 4s at
Immersion sites by 2 and 3 p.m. respectively
February 9, 10, 11: JK/SK Registration 9–11 am, 1–3 pm
February 9: Grade 7 Dance Program in the gym
February 10: Double Header (Home) vs. Garnier at 4 p.m.
February 11: Mad Science Workshop - Grade 2s
February 14: Today we remember Saint Valentine who was
a bishop and bravely died for his faith. The name
Valentine means “Valiant” or “Strong”.
February 14: Intermediate Valentine Dance
February 14: Girls (Home) vs. St. Basil at 4 p.m.
February 15: Youth Education Officer visits
February 17: Ms. Sanfilippo’s class at Silvercreek
February 18: Youth Education Officer visits
February 21: Family Day (no classes)
February 22: Mad Science Workshops – Grade 3s
February 23:Family Tournament@Philip Pocock(Girls A.M. Boys P.M.)
February 23: Youth Education Officer visits
February 25: Mrs. Ciccolini’s class at Silvercreek
February 25: Mad Science Worshop – Grade 5s
February 26: Toronto Marlies Hockey Game at Ricoh Coliseum
Exhibition Place at 3 p.m., followed by a Family Skate Party
March 1: Facebook & Twitter Presentation, 7 – 8:30 at St. Philip
Catholic Elementary School
March 3: Facebook & Twitter Presentation, 7 – 8:30 at St.
Edmund Catholic Elementary School
March 8: Shrove Tuesday
March 9: Ash Wednesday Liturgy and distribution of ashes Lent begins.
March 14-18: March Break
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The next School Council Meeting
will be held on:
Tuesday April 26, 2011 at 7p.m. in the school library.
Please feel free to attend and learn more about your child’s
school!
Junior & Senior Kindergarten Registration for 2010-2011
Registration for the 2010-2011 school year
will be held at all Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary schools
February 8, 2010 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
*Snow Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
February 10, 11, 12, 2010 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Junior Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years old by Dec. 31, 2010
Senior Kindergarten - Children must be 5 years old by Dec. 31, 2010
Parents/Guardians should bring the following documents when registering their child:
 Proof of age
 Original Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate (for parent and child) or Baptismal
Certificate of other rites in communion with the Holy See of Rome (if the child has not been
baptized, a letter of counseling with the parish priest, to complete the process will be
accepted)
 Updated immunization records
 Proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed Immigrant status
 Proof of address (utility bill, bank or credit card statement)
 for schools in Caledon and Dufferin County: emergency rural address numbers for
identifying your property
Unbaptized Children of Catholic Parent (s)/Guardian(s):
The School Principal will provide the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the unbaptized child with a written
statement (a copy to the Pastor) explaining the difficulty and complications which will be
encountered with regards to sacramental preparation.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will be asked to arrange an interview with the Pastor to discuss steps which can
be taken towards having the child baptized.
For more information, contact your local Catholic school or call the Admissions Department
at 905-890-0708 ext. 24500.