280 Kingsbridge Garden Circle, Mississauga, ON L5R 1L2
PRINCIPAL ………………
SECRETARY …………….
SUPERINTENDENT …….
WARD 4 TRUSTEE ……...
F. Bernard
N. Russo
L. Papaloni (905)890-1221
A. Abbruscato (905)890-1221
Tel: 905-890-6898
PARISH …………………..
PASTOR ………………….
COUNCIL CHAIR ……….
WEBSITE ………………...
Fax: 905-890-7611
Cristo Rei (905)270-1133
Fr. C. Macatangga
N. Rampersad
www.dpcdsb.org/MATHW
Be the Difference Live the Difference
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2014
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Principal Corner – Recapturing the Memories
Happy Thanksgiving to All St. Matthew Community Members
We hope you and your families will have a chance to stop and reflect
on the many blessings bestowed upon you by God in your lives.
September has been a very busy month. While every school year brings change, this year we have had to reorganize classes in
order to meet the Ministry mandates. Thank you to all for your patience, understanding, and support during the first month of
school. Our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive will be underway and begin on October 6th and will end on October 10th. We would
like to thank everyone who will participate and send in donations. Your kindness and generosity will give many families a happier
Thanksgiving.
Let us give special thanks to . . .

All of our Parents/Guardians who were able to join us for our Open House/ BBQ/Meet the Teacher/Curriculum evening.

All students and their parents/guardians/daycare providers who supported the school BBQ.

Mrs. Falcone & her grade 5 and 6 students who organized our first mass together in honour our patron saint St. Matthew.

All students, parents, and staff who proudly participated in the Terry Fox Walk/ Run Event to celebrate the legacy and
the dream that Terry Fox started many years ago.

Mme. Vinelli and Mme. Menegazzo who organized this special event in the school and helped us to continue to raise
awareness to help find a cure and fight against cancer.

All the parents who put forth their names and time to be members of the Catholic School Council.

All the Staff of St. Matthew School for all their dedication and professionalism in teaching the students.
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Virtue of Empathy for October
During October, we celebrate 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.
An empathetic person . . .
 Listens attentively
 Watches people’s body language
 Notices and responds when someone is upset
 Can name her/his feelings
 Can see a situation from another person’s point of
view
 Knows that different people may feel differently
about the same thing
CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Catholic Education
Several years ago, the Board launched its new resource,
Our Story, Our Tradition, Our Journey. It is a 252 page
photo illustrated history of the role of the Catholic church
in the development of Catholic education in Peel Region and
Dufferin County. It also explores the development and
growth of many local communities and features each of the
board’s 146 schools. The book is a component of two
Community Studies Units for Grade 7 and 10. It was
designed to help students better understand and
appreciate the contribution and role of the Catholic Church
from historical and contemporary perspectives. The book
has been an ongoing project for many years and would not
have been possible if not for the contributions of
numerous, dedicated staff of Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board. This book is available in the school
library.
Putting Our Faith Into Action
October is also designated in the church
as the month of the rosary.
The most
common and best loved Catholic devotion
is the recitation of the rosary because it
helps us to think about events in God’s
plan of salvation. If you can, please take
some time to say the rosary together as a
family.
At school, we will begin the Circle of the
Rosary program – each class will say the
rosary each month with the volunteers
from the Legion of Mary.
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SPECIAL EVENTS
Terry Fox Run – A Huge Success
On Thursday, September 26, after an inspiring kick-off and
the introduction of our mascot, Buster, the students, staff
and parents of St. Matthew’s community, walked in the
neighbourhood to continue Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
Most students were dressed in red and white in honour of
our wonderful country of Canada. Much gratitude to all for
your generosity, we raised almost $900, which will be
donated to the Terry Fox Foundation.
World Teachers’ Day- October 5, 2014
October 5th was a day specifically designated to recognize
the contribution of teachers. World Teachers’ Day was
inaugurated in 1992 to commemorate the signing of the
UNESCO/ILO.
More than 100 countries currently
celebrated World Teachers’ Day. We are very fortunate at
St. Matthew to have dedicated individuals who work to
provide for the education of the students in our school.
We offer them our sincere gratitude for all the work they
do.
All Saints Day, All Souls Day & Halloween
With the approach of All Saints Day, All Souls Day,
and Halloween, it is important to recognize our
faith heritage in a special way, while also
recognizing the fun aspect of Halloween and school spirit.
As a Catholic school our teachers will be reminding
students of the purpose of Halloween and the importance
of remembering in our prayers the saints and martyrs that
the feast of All Saints Day honours. As Catholic parents
you may find this a “teachable moment” to talk with your
child(ren) about the role of the saints in our faith life and
why we remember their sacrifices.
It is also a time for us to remember and to pray for all of
the Faithful Departed on All Souls’ Day that follows. We
will celebrate both feast days with special prayers during
opening exercises. We hope to enjoy a holy, meaningful and
fun season.
On October 31st, on Halloween Day, all students and staff
will be invited to wear their Halloween costumes to
celebrate the “fun” of the day. Costumes or accompanying
equipment must be appropriate to a Catholic school setting
and must not exhibit any evil, violence, inappropriate
language, or actions. Any masks, play swords, daggers,
knives, etc. will not be permitted at school. All students
will be responsible for their costumes - the school will not
be held responsible for any costumes that are damaged,
dirtied, or stolen, causing students and parents to be
unhappy. Individual teachers will provide students with
more information to their particular grade levels if there
are other special activities planned.

Students' prompt arrival at school. St. Matthew begins
promptly at 8:50 a.m.. Students and parents are
reminded that each student has a responsibility to be
on time. Arriving late disturbs the other students,
interferes with the program and centres attention on
the student who is late. If students are late they are
to go to the office to receive a late slip. Please help us
teach the value of being punctual-a necessary life skill.

Not leaving school early. The entire day is full of
instruction which is essential to a child's learning, so it
is extremely important that children arrive on time and
stay for the entire day and not leave early. Try and
avoid making appointments during the school day.

Students come to school with their lunches in the
morning.
This helps to reduce disruption to the
classroom program, allows more time for children to
eat their lunches and less confusion for the children.
If it is necessary to bring a lunch, please have your
child’s name and teacher’s name written on the lunch
and leave it on the office counter well before the start
of lunch time which is 11:50 a.m. Your child should be
aware that a lunch is being dropped off at the office.
Students will be given time to come to the office to
pick up their lunches. For safety reasons, students
will not be allowed to wait by the front doors or
outside in the driveway for their lunch to be delivered.
The parent must come into the school to drop off the
lunch.

Our procedure is that either a student stays for lunch
every day or goes home for lunch every day. If there
are any changes to this routine, then a note must be
provided to the student's teacher and they will need to
be picked up by a supervising adult. We are not
prepared to deal with the fallout from groups of
unsupervised students roaming the community. We
believe this will provide a safe and supervised lunch
arrangement for your child. Students who stay for
lunch are expected to be well behaved and remain on
the school grounds for the entire lunch period.
If students prefer not to bring costumes, they are welcome
to wear black and orange.
Closer to Halloween, we will also take the
opportunity to remind students of the safety
tips when going out trick or treating.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Catholic School Council Update
Thank you to all the parents who put forth their
nominations to become members of our School Council. We
look forward to working together. Our first meeting will be
held on October 7th at 6:30 p.m. At this meeting, the
Executive will be determined from those who put forth
their nominations.
Fundraising
Our school raises additional funds through a variety of
means. These include proceeds generated from Catholic
School Council drives (e,g, chocolate sales, dance-a-thon),
pizza lunch days, drink machines, school photographs,
charitable fund activities and events to raise funds for
special school purposes.
The proceeds are used for
purposes such as student special events, activities and
equipment, classroom support, support of families and
students in need, and hospitality for school guests,
volunteers and staff.
Your contributions for these
initiatives are much appreciated, and help to make our
school a special place.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
Class Interruptions – Let’s Reduce Them!
Research shows that time on task increases the learning of
an individual. We are aiming to make reductions in the
interruptions to the daily instructional time. At the school
level, we are very conscious of interruptions during the day,
such as the timing and number of announcements, moving
from one location to another and so on. We also request
that families help us to greatly reduce interruptions in the
following ways:
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EQAO Results for 2013-2014
St. Matthew’s EQAO results can be viewed on the EQAO
website www.eqao.com. Staff is in the process of analyzing
the data received from these assessments.
This assessment data is considered a “snapshot” of the
children’s performance base on their respective grade level
expectations.
We are very proud of our students’
achievement. The School Improvement Team will use the
data collected from this assessment along with other data
to improve instruction and focus learning. You are able to
see more detailed results on the EQAO and Board website.
Each student’s individual report will be sent home soon.
Family Literacy Program: talk, read, play,
sing!
FREE workshops for families offered by the Region of Peel
At St. Matthew Elementary School
The Family Literacy Program is for families with children
aged 0 – 6 years. Families come together for story times,
snack, and activities. Research from the University of
Toronto has shown this program makes an impact to a
child’s Early Literacy skills along with their family’s support.
The program will be held in the school on Wednesday
nights, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. for nine weeks, starting
October 1st and ending November 26th. We welcome all
families with children under 6 years, as well as older
children in your family. Please register by calling 905 791
1585 x 7222 or visit our website at www.peelregion.ca and
click on Child Care. We hope to see you there.
SAFETY/SECURITY COMES FIRST
School Access System
As most of you have noticed from last year, St. Matthew
has a new access system. The front doors will be locked
throughout the day. An intercom will be used to gain
access to the building. Before entering, you will be asked
your name and the purpose for entering the school. Once
you enter the school, you must report to the office. If you
arrive after 8:50 a.m., you may find yourself waiting while
morning announcements are completed.
Kiss N’ Ride Update
Thank you to all the parents/visitors who are following the
Kiss N’ Ride procedures. The entire driveway procedures
are much safer. Safety is our highest priority, and we
continue to ask for cooperation in ALWAYS following the
rules. Please be reminded of the following:
 All students must exit the car on the passenger
side only.
 Never PARK in the Kiss N’ Ride Lane at any time
during the day.
 Pull up to the top of the lane and let your child out
there.
 If you park in the visitor’s space, you must wait till
Kiss N’ Ride is finished – do not back up into the
driveway lanes.
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
If you are able to volunteer to help with the Kiss
N’ Ride process in the mornings or at the end of
the day, please contact the office.
Fire Drill & Lockdown Procedures
During the school year, Ministry regulations instruct
schools to hold fire drills to help prepare students in the
event of a real fire.
Our School Board has also established lockdown procedures
in the case of a high risk incident involving weapons that
could endanger the lives/safety of students and staff. The
main goal during a lockdown drill is to hide and remain quiet
during a time when a possible dangerous intruder is in or
near the school. We will be practicing this lockdown
procedure this month and continue to review the procedure
during the school year. Please review the reasons for
conducting these drills with your children, to help them
understand that we have a safe school, but that we should
always be prepared for emergencies.
For emergency purposes, safety, and other health reasons,
it is essential that students wear proper footwear at all
times while in school.
Should an evacuation to another building ever be required
because of an emergency situation, our main emergency
evacuation centre is Hunting Ridge Public School with our
alternate site being St. Hilary School.
School Property Safety Reminders. . .
Dogs are not allowed on school property. A dog’s
behaviour and response around strangers
can be unpredictable; for example, dogs may jump on
visitors or children. Although dogs can be good pets for
some, they can be scary to some other people, and pose an
allergic response to others. Therefore, dogs must not be
exercised on school property or brought to school when
dropping off or picking up students.
Scooters, Skateboards, and Rollerblades
are not permitted on school property.
No Smoking – No smoking anywhere in the school
or on school property by anyone, at any time.
Bicycles - need to be walked once on school property.
They should be placed in the bike racks and locked. Again,
we cannot accept responsibility for the security of these
items.
Parents in the Playground - One of the greatest fears for
students and staff is witnessing unfamiliar adults on school
property, both within the building and in the playground. It
is not possible for our supervisors to recognize all parents
or relatives. We ask that you, your relatives or caregivers
drop off the students into the schoolyard and leave
promptly. Again we remind parents/guardians to escort
students only to the playground boundary.
NOTE: Morning Arrival and Supervision - Some students
are arriving before supervision begins in the morning – this
is not a safe procedure.
While they are to be
complimented for not being late, students must arrive after
8:35 a.m. which is when staff supervision begins.
ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION
CALL 950-451-8501
Press # 1
You can leave a message anytime
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
Personal Electronic Devices/Toys/Valuables
Students are asked not to bring to school any valuables,
items of importance, toys, or other items valuable to them.
Examples of these items may include (but not limited to)
Game Boys, expensive sports equipment, cell phones, walk
man, laser pointers, CD players, MP3 players, trading cards,
cameras, or other items valuable to them. These items
present a temptation which causes theft to occur and can
also be a great distraction to the learning process. If
students choose to bring these items on school property,
the item will be given to the office and a parent will need to
pick the item up. The school will not assume responsibility
for the care and loss of these items and we will not spend
precious school time to conduct investigations.
Change in Weather/Extra Indoor Shoes
The weather is beginning to change and we
remind everyone of our school procedure,
which encourages an extra pair of running shoes to be kept
at school or carried by students for indoor use. Not only
does this promote good health and comfort, it helps keep
the classroom floors dry and clean, for everyone’s benefit.
PLASP Child Care Services–at St. Matthew
PLASP operates Before and After School Programs for
children up to 12 years of age. The before school program
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operates from 7:30 p.m. until school starts with a nutritious
breakfast served daily. The after school program begins
once school is dismissed and goes until 6:00 p.m. Children
participate in recreational activities, are served a
nutritious snack daily and have time for homework.
PLASP also operates Before and After School Programs for
Full Day Kindergarten children and follow the Kindergarten
curriculum based on children learning through play.
Breakfast, snacks and age appropriate activities are
provided daily.
Children from 2 ½ to 5 years can attend the PLASP Centre
to learn and grow, prior to starting school. The centre (run
separately from the school) is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. and is staffed by Early Childhood Educators.
Fee assistance is available. Visit www.plasp.com.
KEEPING HEALTHY
School Food & Beverage Policy
St. Matthew School community continues to be committed
to making the school a healthy place for all of its Staff and
Students. A healthy school environment enhances student
learning and success, as well as student social, emotional
and spiritual well-being. Good health is celebrated as a
gift from God and is a vital component for learning, and the
growth and development of the student. When nutritionally
adequate food, beverages, and education towards the
benefits of healthy eating are available and promoted
within a school environment every day, it comes easier for
students to select and participate in healthy eating.
Healthy eating and the School Food and Beverage
Policy/Program Memorandum No. 150 have become a vital
component to our Catholic Community Culture and Care
Pillar.
The commitment to a healthy school environment which will
improve education and health outcomes for all students
align with the new Ministry policy. The Board and school
are required to ensure that all food and beverages sold on
school premises for school purposes meet the requirements
outlined in the policy, including nutrition standards for food
and for beverages. For more information about Ontario’s
healthy schools initiatives, visit www.ontario.ca/ healthy
schools.
Starting Simple on Healthy Eating Birthday Treats
Children enjoy having their birthdays announced on the day
of or close to it, and we enjoy acknowledging their birthday.
We also realize that parents mean well when sending treats
in to classes for celebrations and birthdays. However . . .
many of our students and staff suffer from various
allergies. We ask that treats provided to students for
birthdays and other celebrations be non-edible or healthy
in nature, such as, carrot sticks, celery etc.
We will be holding the treats at the office and then
returning them if they do not adhere to these procedures.
November 16
Rite of Enrolment for
Confirmation at Cristo Rei
Please check your child’s agenda nightly
for important information.
Attachments
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
International Language Program Information
Message from the Board on EQAO
. . . AND FINALLY
I Leave You With This Thought
DPCDSB is on Twitter!
For the latest Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board news and information on schools, programs,
in-services, follow:
@DPCDSBSchools
PRAY THE ROSARY
AS A FAMILY
Mark Your Calendars
October 5
October 7
October 9
October 13
October 16
October 20
October 24
October 27
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 2
November 5
November 11
November 11
November 13
November 14
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World’s Teachers’ Day
First Catholic School Council
Meeting in library
CC CSC Family of Schools Chairs’
Meeting
Thanksgiving Holiday – no school
World Food Day
Rosary Apostolates visits each
class for the Circle of Rosary
United Nations Day
Photo Retake Day
Municipal Election Day. Polling
station here at St. Matthew
Virtue of Empathy Assembly
Halloween
All Saints Day
All Souls Day
Take Your Child to Work Day
Progress Reports go home
Remembrance Day Tribute
Progress Reports interviews
PA Day – no school for students
There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and
these are divided into the five JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the
five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, the five SORROWFUL
MYSTERIES, and the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
THE ROSARY
1. Make the Sign of the Cross & say the "Apostles'
Creed"
2. Say the "Our Father."
3. Say three "Hail Mary."
4. Say the "Glory be to the Father."
5. Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our
Father."
6. Say ten "Hail Mary," while meditating on the
Mystery.
7. Say the "Glory be to the Father." Say the pray of
the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima.
8. Announce the Second Mystery; say the "Our
Father." Repeat 6 & 7, continue with 3rd, 4th and
5th Mysteries.
9. Say the “Hail Holy Queen”
prayer.