Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
A PRAYER FOR THE EASTER SEASON
Principal:
G. Sideroff
Vice Principal:
S. Salameh
Secretary:
K. Walsh
J. Carere
Superintendent:
D. Oude-Reimerink
Brampton North -East
(905) 890-1221
Trustee:
S. Xaviour
Parish:
St. Patrick’s Church
(905) 794-0486
Pastor:
Fr. V. Marziliano
Father Francis McSpiritt
Catholic School
55 Lexington Road
Brampton, Ontario
L6P 2B1
Telephone: (905) 794-5031
Fax:
(905) 794-9542
Eternal and faithful God
As a people who dwelt in darkness
We have walked Your path of love and listened to Your word
And followed Your Son as He rose from the grave.
Hear the prayer of Your newborn people
As we celebrate the Easter mysteries.
Grant that we, with all Your creation,
May rise with Christ into the light of new life.
Strengthen your Spirit within us
So that we might not rest in our journey of love
Until we reach our home in your city of Light.
Our Virtue for April…..LOVE
This month, we celebrate the virtue of Love. We will learn that:
A Loving person….
 Wants the best for others
 Is willing to make sacrifices for the good of others
 Learns from the heroic lives of saints and holy people
 Knows that we are all lovable
 Prays for others
“Jesus made one lesson clear above all lessons – the lesson of love. Love is not
about us – it is about forgetting ourselves and looking out for the good of the
other. That’s what Jesus did – he forgot about himself on purpose. He chose to
give up his life for the good of others – us!”
PLEASE JOIN OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS ON APRIL 8 AT 1:15 PM
FOR EASTER MASS WITH FATHER V ITO.
GOOD FRIDAY - APRIL 3, NO SCHOOL
EASTER MONDAY- APRIL 6, NO SCHOOL
Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
Growing Together in Faith and Celebrating our Differences
Our Youth Faith Ambassadors performed the “Passion Play” on Wednesday, April 1st, during Holy Week. They
put on an outstanding performance, re-enacting Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Thank you goes out to the students and the teachers for their dedication and commitment. We are very
fortunate to be able to demonstrate our Catholic Faith during this very special time of year.
During Holy Week, our gym will be set up with the Stations of the Cross. You are more than welcome to join us
at any time during the week.
A MESSAGE FROM FATHER VITO
Dear parents, students, and school staff:
Blessings of Easter to all of you and all who are dear to you. It is with great joy that I celebrate with you for
the first time the gift of the Easter Season. I truly look forward to benefit from the grace in store for all of us
as we journey with Jesus towards the fulfilment of God’s promise of new beginnings.
One of the greatest blessings that we have all been given are the children. Along with the challenges of
family life, I know that each child is truly such a gift. In their presence, their words, their actions and their
spirit, they help us focus on what is essential in life.
I am always pleasantly surprised, encouraged and challenged by what they do and say. Their little words at
times have for me a greater meaning than long sermons.
One example: Yesterday, Palm Sunday, as the congregation knelt in one of the masses, when the Gospel of
the Passion was proclaimed and the part was reached when Jesus died on the cross, a few moments of deep
silence were observed. And then, in the midst of that silence, the voice of a young child was heard loud and
clear: “And now what?”
Those words, that question, said everything to me. Yes, now what? After all is said and done, after the
celebrations have been observed, after First Confession, First Communion and Confirmation have been
celebrated, NOW WHAT? When the Easter celebrations have been observed, NOW WHAT?
Where do we go from here? How can we translate our words into action? How can we show our faith in daily
life and commitments?
A BLESSED EASTER TO ALL, DEAR FRIENDS.
Fr. Vito Marziliano,
Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
Class Lists for September
Staff at Fr. Francis McSpiritt will soon meet regarding the organization of classes for the 2015/16
school year. If your children will attend Fr. Father McSpiritt School next year and you feel that there
are specific learning needs that need to be addressed when organizing the classes, please do so in
writing to Mrs. Sideroff by the first week of May 2015. Letters that list a specific teacher or names of
other children with which you would like your child to be placed with, will not be considered.
Information from many sources will be taken into consideration to help us make the best placement
for all children. All staff work very hard on these lists to balance classes including learning styles,
teaching styles, gender, and a cross section of abilities. Keep in mind that primary classes are capped
to 20 students and that combined classes are a fact of life and children will have this experience from
If you are moving and will not be attending our school in
September, please let the office know as soon as possible.
time to time.
SAFETY
As the weather becomes warmer, we would like to remind parents not to send notes to school allowing your child to
leave school property at lunch time to go the the local coffee shop with their friends. For safety reasons, we are
discouraging students from leaving at lunch unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Also, when dropping off or picking your child up from school in your vehicle, please be respectful of our neighbours’
driveways and property. Do not block their driveway or park in their driveway. Drop off at the “Kiss N Ride” area at side
of the school is between 8:30 and 8:45. If you arrive late, please do not use the front driveway. It needs to remain clear
for emergency vehicles. Please park on the street and walk your child.
Thank you for your cooperation.
EQAO Testing – May 25 to June 5, 2015.
Administration of the grade 3 and 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics for this
school year will be held May 25 to June 5, 2015. Specific dates will be forthcoming. We ask that
parents/guardians of grade 3 and 6 students do not book doctor / dentist appointments or vacation
days during this time to ensure that your child is present during test taking.
EQAO tutoring has begun for our grade 3 and 6 students. It takes place every Tuesday and
Wednesday after school.
Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
Extra-Curricular
Our Boys’ Intermediate Basketball Team had the opportunity to take part in a tournament at Notre Dame
High School. Thanks to our coaches Mr. MacNeil and Mr. Toledo for their early morning practices. The
boys were 2 and 2.
We wish the girls and boys teams the best of luck as they prepare to represent our school at the Brampton
NorthEast Basketball Tournament which is coming up on April 23 @ St. Anthony School.
We would like thank Mr. Parent and Mrs. Steward for working with our Chess team in order to
prepare them for the upcoming annual BNE Chess Tournament on April 7, at Lester B. Pearson
Elementary School. Best of luck to the team.
On March 4, Holy Spiritt School hosted the Catholic Women’s League Intermediate Speech
Competition. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our 3 competitors.
Natasha spoke about Women’s Rights, Roshan discussed Social Media and Kris educated us on
the topic of Global Warming. They all did a fabulous job and we are very proud of all three
participants. They competed against 12 participants from our neighbouring schools.
Congratulations to Roshan, who took 2nd place and Kris, who took 3rd place.
Thank you to our school council for their continued support with the transportation costs for the
various extra-curricular events.
The Great Big Crunch
On Thursday, March 12, Father Francis McSpiritt School participated in the "Great Big Crunch".
This fun fundraiser helped raise awareness about healthy eating, as well as supplementing the
much appreciated funding for our Snack Program from Breakfast for Learning.
Our 640 students, plus staff, parent council members and volunteers enjoyed a delicious apple
provided by the Sadat Family from our McSpiritt community. Thank you to Mrs. Harris for
coordinating the event and thank you to our community. We were able to raise $200.00 to help
support our program.
ECO – INITIATIVE
Thank you to our McSpiritt community for dropping off their used batteries. We have collected
over 14 lbs. and have diverted potentially harmful chemicals from entering our environment. The
school receives money for all batteries that are collected and they are disposed of in an
environmentally friendly manner. Thanks again to Tonolli Canada for their $200.00 donation in
support of eco – school initiatives. Please continue to drop off your used batteries into the
collection buckets that are found in the office area.
Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
Parent Engagement Opportunity at Father Francis McSpiritt School
Our School Council has invited Dr. C. Sturdy to come and speak to our parent community about
“Homework Support”.This session will take place on April 21st at 7:00 PM.
Almost every parent has at one time or another struggled with their child when it comes to completing
homework. Parents sometimes get frustrated, annoyed, anxious, upset, angry and/or confused – to
name only a few emotions that get conjured up at ‘homework time’.
During this session, Dr. Sturdy provides insights and tips to reduce your level of frustration. He outlines
the top 16 ways to provide homework support through practical examples and experiences.
Additionally, Dr. Sturdy will provide parents with the top 10 ways to influence kids. These are the
foundation for building a supportive, loving, caring relationship with kids – the very ingredients
necessary for setting up a supportive homework environment.
Dr. Sturdy has over 27 years teaching experience, including 10 years as a former school principal. In
addition to being a professional speaker, he is a father, author, coach, and community volunteer. He
resides in Toronto, Ontario.
RSVP will be coming home soon with your child.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING ON MAY 27 @ 6:30 pm IN SCHOOL
LIBRARY.
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found bin is once again overflowing. Please encourage your child(ren) to go through the lost
and found and claim any winter items that they may have misplaced or lost.
You are also welcome to stop in and go through items as well. Any unclaimed items will be donated at
the end of the school year.
Grade 8 Confirmation- May 23 at 10:00 AM
Our Grade 8 students have been quite busy as they prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation. On April 2,
they will be visiting Mount Alverno for a retreat day.
Graduation
Edge Imaging will be here at the school to take graduation pictures of the Grade 8 students on
April 14, 2015. Packages will be coming home for you to look at and order, if you choose to do
so.
Arrangements are presently being made for our Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony. The event will
take place on June 24 at Fontana Primavera Banquet Hall in Woodbridge. Please put this date
into your calendars.
Father Francis McSpiritt April Newsletter 2015
First Communion – May 16
First Communion will take place on May 16 at St. Patrick Church – 12:00 and 2:30 PM. Notices would
already have come home with specific times for your child.
School Council has arranged for a photographer to be present, in the church basement, for picture taking.
This is totally voluntary on your part and there will be a fee for the purchase of the package. Father Vito
reminds us that no pictures should be taken during the mass. An opportunity will be provided after the
mass to take pictures with Father.
Dates to Remember
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 5
April 6
April 8
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 20
April 21
April 27
May 4 – 9
May 6 & 7
May 11
May 16
May 18
May 23
May 27
May 25 to June 5
June 3, 4, 5
June 8
June 10
June 12
June 12
June 17
June 24
June 26
Passion Play during Holy Week
Grade 8 Retreat at Mount Alverno
Good Friday – No School
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday – No School
Easter Mass at 1:15 with Father Vito
Pizza
Graduation Pictures for our Grade 8 students
Grade 2 Retreat in school gym
Pizza Day
Parent Engagement –Dr. Sturdy – 7:00 PM at McSpiritt
Pizza Day
Catholic Education Week – “Exploring Paths of Joy”
Evening Performance of the “Wizard of Oz”
PA Day – No School for Students
First Communion for Grade 2 Classes
Victoria Day – No School
Confirmation at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick Church
School Council Meeting @ 6:30 PM in library
EQAO testing for Grades 3 and 6
Dental Screening for grades FDK, 2 & 8.
PA Day – Assessment and Evaluation of student progress
BNE Science Olympics at McSpiritt
Immunization Clinic – Gr. 7 Hepatitis B, Gr.8 Girls HPV
School Council BBQ
Year End Mass with Father Vito
Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony and Dance
Last Day of School