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280 Kingsbridge Garden Circle, Mississauga, ON L5R 1L2 Tel: 905-890-6898 Fax: 905-890-7611

PRINCIPAL ……………… F. Bernard

PARISH ………………….. Cristo Rei (905)270-1133

SECRETARY ……………. N. Russo

SUPERINTENDENT ……. L. Papaloni (905)890-1221

PASTOR …………………. Fr. C. Macatangga

COUNCIL CHAIR ………. N. Rampersad

WARD 4 TRUSTEE ……... A. Abbruscato (905)890-1221 WEBSITE ………………... www.dpcdsb.org/MATHW

Be the Difference Live the Difference

PARENT NEWSLETTER MAY 2015

Principal’s Corner – Sharing Some Thoughts

It is hard to believe that the month of May is already here and spring is finally “blooming” all around us. It has been a long and cold winter, but we welcome the extra hours of daylight, the long awaited beautiful warmer weather and always the beautiful song of the birds. Spring definitely lifts all of our spirits.

May is also the month traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a time of special prayer and devotion to the

Mother of Jesus, who is the ultimate model of grace, modesty and devotion to God. We take time during May to pray the rosary and ask Mary to help us in our daily lives.

Sharing Our Thanks and Blessings . . .

We would like to acknowledge and express our gratitude for all the events, and especially the following . . .

Celebrating MOTHERS’ DAY!!

This is a special time to remember our mothers, those living and those who have gone to be with our Lord. We thank all our mothers for showing us their unconditional love, guiding us on our journey, and bringing us joy on a continual basis. We also honour in a special way, Our Heavenly Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. We would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all of our mothers in the St. Matthew Community – HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY - may you always appreciate and value the wonderful work you do everyday with your child(ren). Your devotion and love for your children does not go unnoticed.

Thanks to all the Parents/Guardians/friends of the students who were able to join us for the Virtue of Love assembly. Your presence speaks greatly as to your support for your children and the school community.

Thanks to all the Students who received the Virtue of the Month – Love trophy and certificates. Congratulations.

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CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Virtue for May

During the month of May, we will celebrate the virtue of

ACCEPTANCE. With the students we will reinforce that an accepting person:

 Is friendly and open to all God’s people, regardless of age, beliefs, gender, culture and ability

 Sees the positive traits in all people even if he/ she disagrees with them

 Avoids judging or stereotyping others

 Understands that there may be more than one way to do things

 Sticks up for the “underdog”

Our daily prayer for May will be . . .

Let us pray for the virtue of acceptance-the strength to trust that God is at work in everyone’s life despite what we think. Amen

Catholic Education Week

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road?” - Luke 24:32

Each year, the Catholic community of

Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of

Catholic Education during Catholic

Education Week. This year’s celebration entitled “Exploring Paths of Joy” is the week of May 3-8”

There are five sub-themes for each of the five days of Catholic

Education Week, to help students understand the rich meaning of this year’s greater theme:

Monday – Walking together and sharing our story

Tuesday – Opening the scriptures

Wednesday – Welcoming others to the table

Thursday – Recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread

Friday – Proclaiming the Good News

During this week the Catholic community celebrates the unique and distinctive contribution that Catholic schools make to our students, our community and our province.

Catholic Education Week is a welcome opportunity to celebrate the mission of our Catholic schools as they strive to integrate the gospel values of Jesus in every aspect of the school’s life and curriculum.

Catholic Education Week begins on a Sunday to highlight the partnership that remains the foundation of Catholic education between our Catholic schools and local Catholic parishes. Throughout Catholic Education Week, we ask you to reflect on the significance of Catholic education’s presence and contribution in our church, and in our society.

We invite all members of our community, to participate in the celebrations and activities that will mark the celebration of Catholic Education Week 2014 in our schools.

Each year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association provides our Catholic schools with a resource kit to help schools celebrate Catholic Education Week. Using these resources as well as our own developed activities, we have prepared various activities which will highlight this special week.

Putting Our Faith Into Action

Congratulations to all the Grade 2 students who received this sacrament – a very important step in their faith journey.

May God bless and be with you always!

Congratulations to our Grade 8 students who received this wonderful sacrament on April 26 .

We ask that you continue to keep them in your prayers.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Father Carlos and the Cristo Rei Parish Team.

OurEasterMass

Come join us, the school & Father Carlos to celebrate our faith, pray as a community and have an opportunity to rejoice in a blessed and joyful

Easter at St. Matthew School’s gymnasium

Wednesday May 6, 2015 at 1:15 p.m.

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Are You Ticked?

MAKE SURE YOUR SCHOOL SUPPORT

DESIGNATION IS ENGLISH SEPARATE (CATHOLIC).

It’s a powerful message in support of Catholic

Education.

Make your vote count, during an election, by ensuring you are registered as an English Separate school supporter.

When you designate yourself as an

English Separate school supporter, you help foster a strong political voice and ensure your rights to a Catholic education for the young people in our province.

To verify that you are registered as an English Separate school supporter:

 Check the assessment section of your Tax Bill or

Property Assessment Notice

 Check your Voter Information Card received by mail during the month of May

We can help you register or change your direction of school support. Contact the Admissions Department at 905-890-

0708 ext. 24512. For more information, please see enclosed brochure and visit www.dpcdsb.org

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Circles of Rosary

The Circles of Rosary have been visiting the students on the third Monday of every month. They lead the students through the praying of the Rosary. Especially during the month of May, encourage your child to pray the Rosary with you. We are grateful for the Circles of Rosary Volunteers who enrich the spiritual life of our school community.

On May 20 at 9:30 a.m. they will help us pray the rosary and join us for the Crowning of Mary – please join us if you are able.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS

Catholic School Council Update

Next Meeting Date

Our next Catholic School Council Meeting is scheduled for

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 6:30 p.m

Sunshine Dance-a-thon Fundraiser

On May 13, the Catholic School Council is hosting is a dancea-thon fundraiser. Please refer to the flyer and pledge sheet that went home with your child(ren).

Community Night

The Catholic School Council is sponsoring and hosting a community night on May 7 th from 6:00 – 8:30 featuring a speaker on Healthy Eating followed by physical activity

Zumba dancing. Your child(ren) have brought home a flyer with all the details.

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PROGRAM & CURRICULUM

Summer 2015 Programmes

Students might like to take advantage of the Summer

Literacy Camps being offered by Dufferin-Peel Catholic

District School Board for Grades 1 to 6 students. There is a fee for these camps. Registration is available only through teacher referral.

Summer School sessions are also available for Grades 7 and

8 students through Principal, teacher and parent recommendations. This is a remedial program for students who may have future difficulty in their studies. There is no fee for these sessions.

Please contact your child’s teacher for more information on these programmes.

E.Q.A.O. Coming Later This Month

This year, Grades 3 and 6 students will once again participate in the mandatory Provincial Education Quality and

Accountability Office (EQAO) testing. The province has designated a time period at the end of May and beginning of

June as the time for administering EQAO provincial assessments. During May 25 th – June 5 th , the grade 3’s and grade 6’s will be writing these assessments. Since attendance will be extremely important during these periods, we ask parents to refrain from arranging doctor or other appointments during this time.

For those interested in more information about these assessments, there is a website made available by the province: www.eqao.com

. The website has parent resources, samples of assessment questions for providing practice and support for your child, and other related information. Please encourage your child to do his/her best on this important assessment of their achievement.

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Talent Show

Our students are preparing for our annual Talent Show. It will occur on May 21 at 1:15 p.m.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

Faith Development & Provincial Priorities

May 11, 2015

No school for students

SAFETY/SECURITY COMES FIRST

Concussion Policy, Guidelines and Protocol

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has developed a Concussion Policy and Guidelines for students who have been diagnosed with a concussion by either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. School staff cannot diagnose a concussion. Anytime a student reports to the office with a head injury, the parent/guardian will be contacted and the incident will be entered into the school’s “Documentation of

Head Injuries” log. Your child may be given an information pamphlet entitled “We want to give you a heads up…Concussions are serious.” This pamphlet outlines the signs and symptoms of concussions. It also includes information about what to do if you suspect your child has a concussion and how a concussion is treated. Guidelines have been developed by Dufferin-Peel CDSB to support a 10phase “Return to Activity” process following a diagnosed concussion. These guidelines include 5 phases for “Return to

Learn” followed by 5 phases for “Return to Play”. With parental consent, school administration will work collaboratively with school psychology staff to monitor your child’s progress through the 10 phases.

Warm Weather Coming: Dress Code, Sun

Protection & Fluids

The warm weather is showing some signs of arriving and shopping for new clothing is a possibility. We ask that you review the dress code and appropriate dress for the school day as a place of learning. Students are expected to dress in a manner and attire which instills the values of cleanliness, neatness, and good taste, while within our Catholic school environment. Here are guidelines:

 Students are allowed to wear sleeveless tops, provided they are tight to the underarm.

 Shorts may be worn when the weather warrants it, so long as they are not too tight or too short. Cut-off or ripped jeans may not be worn. Length of shorts and skirts must go past the bottom of the students’ fingertips when hands are relaxed at their sides.

 The top of the pants must meet the bottom of the shirt with no exposure of midriff or undergarments at anytime, even when they lift their arms.

 Muscle shirts, tank tops, halter tops, tube tops, spaghetti strap tops or tops that reveal a bare back or midriff (even when they lift their arms) or undergarments are not permitted at school. We highlight the need to maintain good coverage, both for sun protection, as well as for moral reasons. Tops must have a minimum of 5 cm (approximately width of 3 adult fingers) at the shoulder.

 Clothing with offensive, suggestive or inappropriate slogans or pictures or violent symbols are not permitted.

 Tight, revealing and/or spandex clothing is not acceptable.

 Shoes or sandals with backings must be worn at all times for obvious health and safety reasons. With students involved in many active games and activities, it is highly recommended that open-toed shoes not be worn to school. Please do not send your child with flip flops.

 Protective measures such as hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are strongly encouraged for protection against dangerous UV rays. Students are reminded that their hats and sunglasses need to be removed upon entering the school building.

 Bottles for water are allowed in the classroom only not outside in the schoolyard. Bottles coming from home and going home at the end of the day need to be inside a backpack – not exposed.

Students who come to school in unacceptable attire may be given spare clothing that we have stored at school or asked to phone their parents to arrange for a change of clothing to be brought to the school and/or spend time in the office.

Your co-operation is appreciated if we need to contact you in the event that your child is required to change their attire. We ask for your support and co-operation in assisting students to make appropriate clothing choices.

Bicycle Safety

With the nicer weather, students may be riding their bicycles to

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schools. We expect students to follow these rules when riding their bikes to school:

 Bicycles must be walked on any part of school of the school property.

 Lock bicycles on the bicycle parking area/rack.

 Obey all bicycle safety rules.

 Wear a helmet to and from school – this is the law.

Please ensure that your child complies with these rules. Also note, that the school will not be responsible for any bicycles left on school property or during the day.

Safety Drills

During the second term, a second lockdown drill will be completed and three fire drills will be practiced with staff and students as per Board Policy. In the event of an actual evacuation or emergency situation, it is extremely important to be well prepared.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS

Safety First When Dropping Students Off at

School

The safety of all children and staff must be considered as paramount at all times when dropping students off at school.

Thank you to the many drivers who do follow the safety directions for traffic on school property.

Some serious incidents related to traffic circulation at the front of the school and in the Kiss and Ride area during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal are still occurring.

These incidents include parking and pulling out of no parking zones, parking/stopping in bus lanes, parking and leaving vehicles in Kiss N’ Ride Lane, children coming out on the wrong side of the lane, vehicles entering the site in the wrong direction, to name a few. In addition, don’t ask your child to cross through the live lanes of the driveway. Have them walk around to the sidewalk areas.

It is IMPERATIVE that all 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.

From the Board: Allegations of Sexual Abuse

Regarding the Late Fr. James (Jim) Roth, OSFS

Information regarding an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor related to the late Fr. James (Jim) Roth, OSFS, is posted on the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s main webpage at www.dpcdsb.org

Additional information, including where to report abuse or suspected abuse, is also posted on the website of Father Roth’s religious order, the

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, at www.tdprovince.org

and the Archdiocese of Toronto at www.archtoronto.org

. Please consult these sources as appropriate.

Student Supervision Times

We continue to remind you that teachers are on supervision duty 15 minutes before the start of the school day. We ask that your child NOT ARRIVE at the school before 8:35 a.m. as supervision is not available until that time. Also, please ensure that your child is PICKED UP promptly at 3:20 p.m. when the bell rings at the end of the day.

Criminal Reference Checks

Volunteers are not permitted to assist at our school without having a Criminal Reference Check (CRC) on file with us. In order to assist with any type of activity at school and/or go on excursions, we must have a Criminal Reference Check – there are no exceptions to this policy. If you have not yet provided us with a CRC and would like to volunteer for 2015-

2016, please pick up a form from the office. The form must be signed by the principal before it is submitted to Peel

Regional Police. The CRC is free for volunteers. If you wait until the activity or the excursion, then it is too late to volunteer, since it requires some time to receive a CRC.

If you already have a current Criminal Reference Check for this current year on file, you will receive a letter from me in the near future about Criminal Reference Declarations.

Moving? Kindergarten Students Ready for

School? Keep Us Updated and Informed

We are in the process of planning staffing and organizing classes for the 2015-2016 school year. If you are planning on moving out of the St. Matthew School area, or simply changing address within our boundaries, please let the office know as soon as possible. We also ask anyone with school-age children and who live within our school boundaries who need to be registered to please contact our office.

We also continue to remind parents to provide us with updated contact numbers. This is extremely important in cases where the school needs to contact a parent immediately regarding their child.

Welcome to Kindergarten

All new Junior Kindergarten students who will be attending

St. Matthew School in September are invited to our

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Welcome to Kindergarten evening on Tuesday, May 5 th at

6:30 p.m. This is an orientation program where the parents and child participate in activities that will help the JK child prepare for school.

Victoria Day

Monday, May 18

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, 2015

NO SchooL – Enjoy the holiday

KEEPING HEALTHY

Going Green - Eco Team

St. Matthew has a very active Green Team composed of students who are very interested in making our world a better place for everyone. Thank you to Mrs. Falcone who leads the Eco Team. Our Eco Team has been instrumental in educating the school as well as leading many initiatives such as turning off the lights, yard clean up, the Great Gulp, encouraging recycling, and others.

. . . AND FINALLY

I Leave You With This Message

May 26-June 6 EQAO sessions

May 29

June 5

Virtue of Acceptance Assembly

Summer Movie Night

June 8

June 16

June 17

June 24

June 24

June 24

P. A. Day – no school for students

Catholic School Council Meeting

Hotdog Day

Report cards go home

End of the Year/Graduation Mass-morning

Grade 8 Graduation-evening

June 25

June 26

June 26

Virtue assembly

Last day of school

Grade 8 Luncheon/Dance for important dates & information

Attachments Included with this Newsletter

 May 2015 Math @ Home Sheet

 2014=2015 Trustee Newsletter May 2015

 PLASP News

DPCDSB is on Twitter!

For the latest Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School

Board news and information on schools, programs, in-services, follow:

Mark Your Calendars

May 4-10

May 4

May 5

May 6

May 7

May 7

May 10

May 11

May 13

May 18

May 20

May 21

Catholic Education Week

Music Monday

Welcome to Kindergarten Night

Easter Mass

Community Night

Lunch Lady for those who order

Mothers’ Day

P. A. Day – no school for students

Sunshine Dance-a-thon

Victoria Day – holiday for everyone

Circle of Rosary & Crowning ofMary

Talent Show

Salve Regina

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy.

Hail my life, my sweetness and my hope!

To you do we cry, poor banished children of

Eve!

To you do we send up our sighs; mourning and weeping in this vale of tears!

Turn, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward me, and after this, our exile, show to us the blessed fruit of your womb,

Jesus Christ!

Clement, loving, sweet Virgin Mary!

Amen.

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