Queen of Heaven School
1198 Alexandra Ave., Mississauga, Ontario, L5E 2A5
Phone: (905) 278-9771
Fax: (905) 891-5972
A Prayer for a New Year
September
January
2011
2016
Newsletter
M. Cloutier
McCann
Principal
T. Podobnik
Vice-Principal
D. Crook
Head Secretary
T. Lariviere
Superintendent
of Schools
(905) 890-1221
M. Pascucci
Trustee Wards 1&3
(905) 302-3096
mario.pascucci@
dpcdsb.org
R. Chambers
C. vanBroekhoven
School Council
Chairs
Fr. P. Jones
Pastor
St. Dominic
Church
(905) 278-7762
The Feast of the Epiphany
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is he who has been born
king of the Jews? For we have seen his star
in the East, and have come to worship
him." When Herod the king heard this, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
and assembling all the chief priests and
scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born. They told
him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is
written by the prophet: `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no
means least among the rulers of Judah; for
from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem,
saying, "Go and search diligently for the
child, and when you have found him bring
me word, that I too may come and worship
him." When they had heard the king they
went their way; and lo, the star which they
had seen in the East went before them, till
it came to rest over the place where the
child was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and
going into the house they saw the child
with Mary his mother, and they fell down
and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and
frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2: 1- 12
A whole new year is mine today . . .
May I be wiser, Lord I pray!
I’ll strengthen friendships,
old and true,
And learn to cherish new ones too!
May I keep on learning and grow
A little better as I go . . .
To cast aside each grudge and grief,
And hold fast to a firm belief
That life is joyous, gracious, good,
When lived in terms of neighbourhood!
To welcome fun, and play a while.
To lighten work with a happy smile!
To thank the Lord and every day
Remember Him and kneel and pray
In gratitude for strength and health
And blessings which are all my wealth!
This year’s a gift from God to me
To spend, or use, or set me free . . .
A whole new year is mine today . . .
May I be wiser, Lord, I pray!
REMINDERS
Monday, January 18th P.A. Day—No School
Tuesday, February 2nd Report Cards Go Home
Thursday, February 4th Interview Night
Friday, February 5th P.A. Day— Reporting to
Parents
Kindergarten Registration
Monday, January 25th Evening 7:00-9:00 p.m.
If inclement weather on Monday—Registration will be
moved to the evening of Tuesday, January 26.
Kindergarten Registration continues 9:00-11:00
a.m. & 1:00-3:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 27 to
Friday, January 29th.
COLD WEATHER ADVISARY
Once again we are asking that children come to school prepared for
the winter weather. That means
that they are expected to have
warm winter jackets, winter boots,
hats, mittens or gloves and
scarves. Unless the weather is below -20 celsius or colder, with the
wind chill factored in, students will be outside for
two 15 minute recess breaks and one 40 minute
lunch recess period.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND
EXCURSIONS
Students have the opportunity to take field trips
and participate in a number of extra-curricular
activities. Permission forms are sent home to be
filled out, signed and promptly returned to
school.
NO STUDENT WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE
ON A TRIP OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY
WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THEIR
PARENT/GUARDIAN. VERBAL CONSENT OVER
THE TELEPHONE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
No exceptions will be allowed. Teachers give ample notice for trip consent forms. We encourage
parents to support these educational opportunities by volunteering to assist and supervise these
excursions. For the safety of your child, excursions lacking appropriate adult supervision will
be cancelled.
SUPERVISION
A reminder to parents that supervision in the yard begins at 8:15 a.m.
Students should not be at the school
prior to that time and will not be permitted to enter the school building
prior to 8:30 a.m.
Students who do not ride the bus home and are
picked up by parents must be picked up at the
3:00 p.m. dismissal time. Do not contact the
office during the day requesting the office to supervise your child after this time. We do not have
staff available for this service and the secretarial
staff are not permitted to supervise students unless in emergency situations.
January’s Virtue of the Month is:
God has given us the ability to choose
how we react to what happens around us.
Through prayer and concentration we can get
better at controlling our reactions.
A person with self-control…
• is patient
• knows how to wait his/her turn
• can calm himself/herself down and think before
reacting to situations
• knows how to avoid physical aggression (hitting,
kicking, pushing, fighting, etc.)
• works to include others
• can think things through and do what is best for
everyone
Let us pray this month, for the grace and courage to
be people of self-control – people who will resist
the temptation to cause harm to ourselves or to
others around us.
We want to thank you for supporting our efforts at
home in reinforcing with our children the 10 virtues
which can be found in your child’s agenda.
PLEASE LABEL BELONGINGS
Please label your child’s belongings
so that when hats, mittens,
gloves, boots or jackets go astray
they can be found. Many young
children have similar belongings and we want to
ensure that your child has their own boots and
clothing.
SAFE SCHOOL MISSION
Queen of Heaven is a Catholic community that respects and promotes the uniqueness of all its members. By following the teachings of Jesus, we pledge
to provide everyone with a safe, caring and peaceful environment, which ensures the respect and
acceptance of all. Your child deserves a safe environment to work, learn and play in. If you have any
concerns, please contact us. Thank
you for supporting us as we support your child.
FIRST TERM REPORT CARDS
EARLY YEARS CENTRE
On February 2, 2016 students in Grades 1-8 will bring
home their first term report cards. The Report Card emphasizes and gives examples of the
learning skills and work habits required
to be successful in school and for the
future. It has ample space for teachers
to add meaningful, clear and personalized comments so you can understand how your child is
performing.
The Parent Interview Conference will be held the evening
of Thurs. Feb. 4th and Friday, Feb. 5th. This is an important
opportunity for teachers, parents and students to discuss
their child(ren)’s progress and next steps .
HAPPY NEW YEAR From the Ontario
Early Years Centre at Queen of Heaven
School
Our centre is operated by the Mississauga Parent Child Resource Centres
(MRCRC) and we are pleased to offer the community a
number of FREE drop in activities for children ages 6 and
under with their parent/guardian.
We are open for the following days for drop in play which
includes a circle, snack, and craft time:
Monday 8:45-11:45
Tuesday 8:45-11:45
Wednesday 9:00-11:00
Thursday 8:45-11:45
Special programs offered include: Infant Mother Goose
(Birth to 12 months) Mondays 11:00 a.m.
Ask us about our parenting workshops and our Monday
evening program at Munden Park.
ECO School News
Queen of Heaven is alive and recycling!! Our ECO Team is encouraging us
to “Use our Conscience” and be A ECO
HERO by being stewards of the earth
and understand the importance of
recycling in our lives.
VISITOR AND PARENT SIGN IN
Please do not escort students directly to class; rather, report to the main office.
It is important for the safety of all students in the school
NEWS FROM ROOM 102
that parents wear a visitor’s sticker. Please always sign in
Our Tuck Shop is open from 11:30at the office and obtain your visitor’s sticker. It takes only a
11:40 four days a week. It is run from
minute to help keep your children safe. Students and staff
Room 101 by some of our Grade 8
feel safer when a visitor’s sticker is visible on unfamiliar
students with the support of students
faces as well as familiar ones. Your cooperation is apprecifrom Room 102. The menu will include healthy snacks and ated.
all items sold meet Food and Beverage requirements. Proceeds support the numerous community excursions un- KIDSSENTIALS HOT LUNCH PROGRAM
Take a break from packing lunch! Kidssentials is the fresh,
dertaken by students in room 102.
hot lunch provider at our school. The Lunch Menu for January to March 2014 is now available to order online. To
SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
Please join us for our next School Council meeting being place an order, please log in or create your Family’s account at www.kidssentials.com.
held on Thurs., January 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Lunch Cancellation Policy: If your child is away on a
Kidssentials lunch day (illness, field trip, etc.), Kidssentials
must be notified directly before 8am and a credit will be
LEGO CLUB
Our FREE drop-in LEGO Club continues on Saturday morn- applied to your account for future use – Kindly provide as
ings from 9:30-11:00 am starting Saturday, Jan. 09 through much notice as possible for all cancellations.
Saturday, Feb. 27. Ages 5+, no registration required, par- SNOW DAY POLICY:
The seasons are changing and there is an iments welcome!
portant Snow Day Policy in your school: Kidssentials will
still be delivering lunches as scheduled, regardless of
SUPER SARAH MAGIC SHOW!
A very special appearance by popular children’s magician whether busses are cancelled in your region. If your child is
and entertainer Super Sarah in our Program Room – Satur- unable to attend school on snowy days, please be sure to
day, January 23, 2:00-3:00 pm, Ages 5+, $3.00. Tickets on cancel their meal before 8:00am. Kidssentials may be
reached at 905.855.1914 or via email at
sale now.
mail@kidssentials.com
BURNHAMTHORPE LIBRARY
VALENTINE’S DAY CRAFT
Come make a take-home craft perfect for your favourite
Valentine. Saturday, February 13, 2:00-3:00 pm, Ages 5+,
$2.00 per child, parents welcome to attend and assist.
Kindergarten Registration in January 2016
Kindergarten registration for the 2016-17 school year,
will be held at all Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary
schools on January 25* from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and January 27, 28, 29 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. *Snow dateJanuary 26 from 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Junior Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years old by
Dec. 31, 2016
Senior Kindergarten - Children must be 5 years old by
Dec. 31, 2016
The following documents are required for registration:
Parent Evening to Support the Transition of Children with Differing Abilities into Kindergarten
2016
There will be an information session for parent(s)/
guardian(s) of children with differing abilities including
vision, hearing, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays, who are transitioning to Kindergarten
in September 2016. The information session will be
held at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
-- Catholic Education Centre, Room 301 on Tuesday,
January 12, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Snow
 proof of age of the child (birth certificate or passport) date, Wednesday, January 13, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to
 Original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (for
8:30 p.m. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are also reminded to
child and/or parent/guardian) or baptismal certificate
register their child at their school.
from an Eastern Church in full communion with the
Holy See of Rome. If the child has not been baptized,
and the parent/guardian is a baptized Roman Catho- Extended French Program
lic or has been baptized in an Eastern Church in full Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their
communion with the Holy See of Rome, the parent/ child in a Grade 5 Extended French program for Sepguardian must bring their own baptismal certificate. tember 2016 are invited to attend an information
meeting:
 updated immunization records (Immunization Card,
Thursday, January 14, 2016 7 p.m. at
Peel Health Form or Letter of Exemption)
St. Thomas More
 proof of Canadian citizenship (Birth Certificate/
3270 Tomken Road, Mississauga
Passport) or permanent resident status
 proof of home address (two of the following: property tax bill, current utility bill, real estate document or At the present time, St. Thomas More School is the designated centre for our school. ApGovernment of Canada issued forms)
plications to the program will be
 emergency rural address numbers for identifying
your property, if applicable (residents of Caledon and available at the information session
and will be accepted by St. Thomas
Dufferin County)
More School .
 proof of English Separate School Support (may be
done at the time of registration by completing an
Application For the Direction of School Support and/ French Immersion Program
or a Separate School Lease Agreement available at French Immersion program for Grade 1 students are
available for September 2016 at the following centers:
the school)
St. Gertrude
St. Pio of Petrelcina
For more information, contact your local Catholic
Our
Lady
of
Providence
St. Angela Merici
school or call the Admissions Department at
St. Joachim
St. Elizabeth Seton
905-890-0708.
St. Margaret of Scotland
Divine Mercy
Online registration will be open from January 11 to
February 14. Should the number of applications exceed
the number of spaces available, a centralized, computer-generated lottery will be held following the deadline.
STORAGE/ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
INCLEMENT WEATHER/BUS CANCELLATIONS
Parents are responsible for ensuring that all medication
and forms are updated annually. If your child requires
medication, please have all pertinent
forms completed and returned with
the medication to the office as soon as
possible.
A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or close schools, due to inclement
weather is usually made by 6:00am. Only
the Director of Education has the authority
to cancel transportation and/or close
schools.
A bus cancellation and/or school closure message will
also be available online at www.dpcdsb.org or by calling
NO CHILD WITHOUT MEDIC ALERT 905-890-1221.
PROGRAM
VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9 CHUM AM105
CJCL AM590
CJBC (FR) AM860
CHFI FM98.1
EZ ROCK FM97.3
CFTR AM 680
CFRB AM1010
FM Z103.5
FM93.1
CFNY
FM102.1/AM640
CTV
The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540
CBC FM99.1
membership to students who attend our school and are
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
between the ages of 4 to 14. If your child has a medical
condition, allergy, or is required to take medication on
a regular basis, then you should consider a MedicAlert
membership through this program. For further information pick up a brochure at the school office, or visit
www.nochildwithout.ca. If your child is already part of
the program but his/her medical condition or contact
information has changed, call 1-877-282-5378.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK 2016 Theme:
Opening the Doors of Mercy / Ouvrir des portes de miséricorde
JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY officially proclaimed by Pope
Francis, began on December 8, 2015 when the Holy
Doors were opened at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
“The Motto, ‘Merciful Like the Father’ serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who
asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to
give love and forgiveness without measure.” (Pope
Francis)
Sub themes:
Advent:
“Mercy that Welcomes”
“La miséricorde qui accueille”
January: “Mercy that Loves”
“La miséricorde qui aime”
February: “Mercy that Forgives”
“La miséricorde qui pardonne”
March:
“Mercy that Lives the Gospel”
“La miséricorde qui vit l’Évangile”
April:
“Mercy that Rejoices”
“La miséricorde qui rend grâce
Remember that we are the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board and we are located in the
Region of Peel.
The two announcements that pertain to our school and
the effect on the transportation system are as follows:
(Please note that the highlighted text only will be communicated by the radio stations).
“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED.” This means that:
ALL Transportation services provided by the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board and The Peel District School
Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been cancelled for the entire day.
“THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE DUFFERIN-PEEL
CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ARE CLOSED.” This means that:
ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel
District School Board schools and offices are closed to all
students and staff.
PARISH FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM
In 2016, St. Dominic’s Parish will undertake another parish
family photo album. This is a great way to get to know each
family and their names. Appointments will be taken beginning in January 2016. Employees from IPC, the photography company, will be at the entrance of the church for
several weekends after all Masses. Please make sure you
sign up for a photo session to have your family portrait in
St. Dominic Photo Album. There is no charge for this service and every family appearing in the album will receive a
copy when everything is completed in March.
Fr. Phil
DATES TO REMEMBER
SCHOOL LOCKDOWN DRILL
It is a policy of the Dufferin-Peel CDSB that all schools
conduct a practice of “Lockdown Procedures and/or
Hold and Secure” at least twice a year. This procedure
will be initiated should an emergency exist on school
property or in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Listed are the procedures that our students have been
trained to follow. The school held one formal practice
which was attended by Peel Regional Police Officers.
Upon hearing the announcement “Initiate Lockdown
Procedures”:
 Lockdown bell sequence will be repeatedly rung.
 All students and staff inside the building will remain in
their classrooms.
 Students in the hallways or washrooms will go to the
closest classroom.
 Students in classrooms will remain in their locked
classroom, in a corner of the room which is out of the
sightline of all windows and doors.
 All students and staff who are outside the building are
to move quickly to our evacuation site of St. Paul’s
Secondary School and remain there until further direction.
 The announcement “Lockdown Procedures complete”
will indicate the completion of the drill.
January
Virtue of Self-Control
Happy New Year 2016
4
Welcome Back!
5
Kidssentials Hot Lunch
6
Grade 5/6 & 6 classes to Mass
Pizza Lunch
12
Special Needs FDK meeting 7-8:30 CEC
Lego Club
Kidssentials Hot Lunch
Junior Basketball Games at St. Dominic
13
School Mass /
Pizza lunch
PM Gr. 4/5 & 5/6 Skating
14
Extended French Meeting for Parents of
Grade 4 students at St. Thomas More 7p.m.
AM Gr. 5/6 & Gr. 6 Skating
PM Gr. 3 & 3/4 Skating
16
St. Dominic ’ s Parish Annual Skating Party at
Carmen Corbasson Community Centre 7:15-8:15 pm
STUDENT PUNCTUALITY
18
P.A. Day No School for students
Punctuality is a necessary life skill that if practiced now,
will be beneficial in the future. Arriving early or promptly
for your day at work enables you to compose yourself
and ease gently into your environment. Children who
arrive late are often out-of-sorts and rushed into beginning their day. Their time to socialize and greet their
peers is lost in their hurried entry into the classroom.
It is the school expectation that instruction begin at 8:30
a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Late arrival disturbs the class and
interrupts lessons. For those parents that ensure early
arrival for their children, thank you. For those who are
regularly late, please make every effort to arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., and prior to 12:30 p.m. If by
chance students are late, we ask that they obtain a late
slip from the office. This late slip is not meant as a punishment but an important link in our safe entry process.
When a child is alerted to the office as absent, the secretary cross-references to students who have entered late
before making calls home to confirm a child reported as
absent. The skill of punctuality must be instilled early.
Children do not necessarily understand or respect the
consequences of tardiness. Please help us help them.
19
Kidssentials Hot Lunch
Junior Basketball HOME Games
20
Grade 4/5 class to Mass at St. Dominic /
Pizza lunch
21
School Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
25
JK/SK Registration 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Junior Basketball HOME Games
26
Kidssentials Lunch
27
Gr. 3/4 class to Mass at St. Dominic
Pizza Lunch
27 – 29 JK/SK Registration 9:00-3:00 p.m.
29
Virtue Assembly
February
1
Junior Basketball Games at St. Edmund
2
Report Cards go home Grades 1-8
3
Gr. 3 class to Mass
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest
4
Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
board news and information, follow us
@DPCDSBSchools.
5
PA Day—Parent/Teacher Conferences
10
Ash Wednesday School Mass
11
Dental Screening—JK, SK, Grade 2
15
Family Day—no school
18
School Council 7 p.m.
On Sunday December 6, 2015 at approximately 4:46 pm an eastbound GO Train was required to go into an emergency stop as
some children ran across in front of the train at the Alexandra Avenue crossing. The crossing warning devices were active and working
properly. There is no way to identify the children.
A special constable with GO Transit and their Community Safety
Officer will be working with our school to bring a rail safety awareness program called Operation Lifesaver to our students in the hope of preventing a tragic
event from occurring. Please take a few minutes and discuss the safety tips with your
child(ren).
GO Transit Safety Railway Safety Tips
1. A locomotive engineer who suddenly sees someone on the tracks will not be able to
stop on time. It can take up to 18 football field lengths to stop a train. So STAY OFF, STAY
AWAY, And STAY ALIVE!
2. Walking or playing on tracks is dangerous and illegal, you can be arrested. If you see unsafe behaviour around train tracks report this to a teacher or principal. You could save
someone’s life.
3. The only safe place to cross the tracks is at a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing
with either a crossbuck (the big red and white “x”), flashing red lights and bells and there
may be gates. If you cross anywhere else, it is illegal. Do not cross tracks immediately after
a train passes. If there are two or more tracks, a second train may be coming the other
way and you may not see that train as it is blocked from view by the other train. Always
wait for the gates to go up, the red lights to stop flashing and the bell to stop as well. But
always double check to make sure it is safe to cross. LOOK, LISTEN, LIVE!!
4. Always pay attention to your surroundings. Never wear your headphones or text or call
someone near train tracks. You may not hear a train coming. Also, being distracted could
also cause you to walk into car traffic. Be safe!
5. Playing on station platforms is dangerous activity. If you fall onto the tracks, remember
it takes a long time to stop a train. Even if no train is coming, you can get seriously hurt.
Play in parks or school grounds. Stay Safe!!
6. Always say ”no” when friends try to get you to play near or on train tracks- tracks are for
trains. Tell your friends about the dangers and get them to stay away too.
7. Never throw things at trains; you could hurt someone, maybe even you!
8. Never place anything on train tracks. When a train strikes the debris, it could go flying
and hurt you, or worse, it could cause the train to leave the tracks and hurt a large number
of passengers on the train.
Remember to STAY OFF, STAY AWAY, STAY ALIVE and always LOOK, LISTEN, LIVE.
For more information please visit: www.operationlifesaver.ca or www.olkids.ca