PRINCIPAL:
VICE PRINCIPAL:
HEAD SECRETARY:
ASSISTANT SECRETARY:
E. Fischer
T. Maiolo
C. Fay
A. Burt
OCTOBER 2012
120 Harvest Moon Drive, Bolton, Ontario L7E 2W1 Phone: (905) 857-7582
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: P. McMorrow
1-800-387-9501
TRUSTEE:
F. Di Cosola
905-951-8898
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH
PASTOR:
Fr. L. Leger
905 857-1938
ASSOCIATE PASTOR:
Fr. D. Young-Sam You
Fax: (905) 857-9353
ST. NICHOLAS CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
CHAIR:
M. De Amicis
VICE-CHAIR
J. Nielsen
TREASURER
J. Cugliari
SCECRETARY
M. Pacek
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM: Please remember to phone in your child’s absence: 905 857-7582.
The answering machine is available 24 hours - Messages are picked up regularly.
For more information about school events, go to our school website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/NICHO
Student Faith Formation And Engagement: The Heart Of All We Do
FROM THE PRINCIPAL / VICE PRINCIPAL
Next Monday, we will pause and take time from our busy
lives to celebrate Thanksgiving, a day where we humbly
count our blessings and give thanks for the bounty we
enjoy. For us, as a faith community, giving thanks to God
takes centre stage as we realize the blessings we enjoy in
being able to make faith come alive in our school.
As Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board faculty, staff and
administration, we take our commitment to Catholic education seriously.
From the visible faith statements that mark entry to our schools, to the sacred
spaces that enjoy prominence
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
and participation within each
October 1-9, 2012
classroom,
to
the
daily
Students and families are invited to
reflections and prayers shared
contribute non-perishable food items.
aloud throughout our schools to
begin and end our days, to the
organized presentation of Catholic faith within our elementary curriculum, to
the celebration of monthly Catholic virtues that celebrate a lived expression
of our faith, we strive to offer solid and beneficial instruction and
participation in our Catholic faith. We strive to instil a solid appreciation of
the faith that make our schools Catholic, and we work in union with Holy
Family Church, for we cannot fulfill our mandate without them. Ours is a
sacramental faith, and without a lived experience of our wider church
community, our work is incomplete and unfulfilled.
We have found that, throughout
our lives and educational
experiences,
our
Catholic
values and faith have benefitted
our children the most when the family-parish-school connection is strong.
When families/church/school work together, our children thrive, because
they find themselves grounded and connected to a seamless system of faith
whose ultimate goal is to build and enhance their spiritual confidence and
well-being. Together as a church, families and school, we work in strength
and unity as a triangle of faith for the well-being of our children. May God’s
blessings continue to be with you and your family during this time of
Thanksgiving and throughout this school year.
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
October 9, 2012
9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
A Student Prayer
Lord Jesus; you were once a
student like me. You studied
God’s law, the history of our
people and a trade by which to
earn a living. You lived in a
human family, and yearned to
discover your vocation in life.
Open my mind to truth, make
me humble before the awesome
mysteries of the universe, make
me proud to be a child of God
and give me the courage to live
my life in the light of your
Gospel.
Amen.
Inside:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dates Ahead
Virtue
Bullying Prevention
Catholic School Council
EQAO Results
Dates Ahead
Wishing You a Blessed and Prayerful Thanksgiving
Learning Through Faith: A Pathway to Excellence
SEPTEMBER – A HIVE OF ACTIVITY
This past month has been a hive of activity. Student backpacks have been
making the ‘daily trek’ home with homework assignments. Adjusting to the
daily routine of setting time aside to complete assigned work has nudged out the
carefree days of summer. Students
should be tracking their work daily
The beginning of school invites
in their agendas. Junior and
new routines and expectations.
intermediate baseball practices
took place this past week. Cross country runners have been training for an
October meet. Intermediate volleyball teams have been selected. Our recycling
team is up and running. Our Athletic Council unveiled spirit wear at our Open
House. Our student Faith Ambassadors have been selected and begun the
process of mapping out faith activities for the year. Student Parliament elections
will take place early in October. Parent volunteers were invited to sign-up for
All Star Reading which will pave the way for parents to become actively
involved in supporting learning opportunities for our students. During our
professional activity day, staff were involved in faith development and setting
goals and expectations for this school year. The Catholic School Council
(parents) brought closure to last year and looked towards setting an agenda for
this upcoming school year.
ENROLMENT - REORGANIZATION
Our enrolment has settled in at 783 students. Due to slight fluctuations in
enrolment a small number of primary students were requested to change classes.
TERRY FOX AND ISAIAH RUN
Congratulations to all our students for sharing in the ‘Unbreakable Spirit’ of
Terry Fox and Isaiah, during our Annual Terry Fox Run. Students showed great
determination in running/walking /jogging many laps around the courses which
were located throughout the community. Thank you to our student / parent /
staff marshals who kept all our runners on course during the run. Thank you is
also extended to Ms. Stegmann, Ms. Blazys, Ms. Gadzala, Ms. Bernardi, and
Ms. Pettinaro for organizing this special event. Students also engaged in a
school wide chalk-talk, whereby students chalked messages of hope. Our
students are to be congratulated on their wonderful display of spirit and
community as they walked, jogged and ran around the school and throughout the
community. Over $1,500 was raised. Half the proceeds will go to the Terry
Fox Foundation and the other half of the proceeds will go to the
Bernandino Family. Please keep Isaiah and his family in your prayers.
BUS PATROLLERS – BRAVO!
Thank you to all bus patrollers who have voluntarily stepped forward to be an
additional set of eyes for our bus drivers. These responsible and dedicated
individuals have been trained to assist fellow students on and off school buses,
on the way to and from school. They have also been trained to help with bus
emergencies. Keep up the great work! Special thank you to Ms. Marbella and
Ms. Nicoletta for working with our Bus Patrollers.
BULLYING PREVENTION CORNER
The theme for the month of October is “Bullying is not acceptable.” Students
develop the ability to understand and apply the definition of bullying through
constant exposure, repeated use and consistency. St. Nicholas School’s
definition of bullying is posted in every classroom and on the school website. It
is important for students to have opportunity to share their own examples of
bullying situations. Setting the ground rule of sharing experiences without using
names is imperative and provides a sense of safety for all students. The main
focus of sharing these situations should be on exploring feelings. This may
develop through identifying their own feelings or feelings they think someone
being bullied might experience. Discussing feelings allows students to develop
and act with empathy.
VIRTUE - EMPATHY
The virtue for the month of October is
empathy. Judge your neighbour's feelings by
your own, and in every matter be thoughtful
(Sir. 31:15). The St. Nicholas school
community is committed to caring about
everyone's feelings, just as God wants us to.
As empathetic followers of Jesus, we are
confident in the dignity of ourselves and
others; we believe that the Cross is the
ultimate sign of forgiveness.
LIVE ON THE EDGE – PARISH LIFE!
Holy Family Parish is inviting all students in
grades 6, 7 and 8 to join us at The Edge. The
Edge is a youth group for students to interact
with other youth their age in a supportive and
Christian environment. From small group
activities, skits, and more, students have the
opportunity to learn more about their faith and
have fun all at once! The EDGE meets every
Friday evening at Holy Family Church from
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. For more information
please contact the Parish.
SCHOOL LOCKDOWN
In the event that a high risk incident occurs on
school property (e.g. an unwarranted stranger
and/or an incident involving weapons) and
poses a threat to the safety of students in our
care, a Lockdown procedure may have to be
initiated. School Board Policy and Procedures
require that we, at the school, take a number of
actions to secure the safety of staff and
students. In the coming week, staff will be
reviewing lockdown procedures with their
students.
WORLD TEACHER DAY – OCTOBER 5
In September, the Board passed a
proclamation recognizing World Teachers’
Day and thanked teachers for their dedication
and commitment to students and Catholic
education. Over 100 countries around the
world celebrate United Nations Educational
Scientific
and
Cultural
Organization
(UNESCO) World Teacher’s Day. We salute
and say thank you to the teaching and support
staff at St. Nicholas School for your on-going
commitment to student learning.
BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board proclaims October 17th, 2012 to be bus
driver appreciation day whereby all DufferinPeel Schools are invited to celebrate and thank
their bus drivers for a job well done. St.
Nicholas School honours and appreciates the
wonderful efforts of our bus drivers who
transport our students safely to and from
school on a daily basis.
World Teacher Day, October 5, 2012
Bus Driver Appreciation Day, October 17, 2012
FIRE PREVENTION DAY
The Caledon Fire Department will be visiting St. Nicholas School on October
11, 2012 reviewing home and school emergency procedures with students.
PARKING ON SIDE STREETS – AVOID BLOCKING DRIVEWAYS
When parking on side streets please refrain from blocking driveways. We
continue to receive concerns from our neighbours that during our busy times,
driveways are being blocked.
VOLUNTEER ALL STAR READING COACHES
The All Star Reading Program provides opportunities for students to develop
and to enhance their reading and thinking skills. The students, who have
previously participated in the program, have achieved very positive results. We
really need volunteers to be All Star Reading Coaches. This entails a half-day
training session and then one to two hours per week commitment for ten weeks.
We look forward to working with you to support our students’ reading. Please
pick up a form at the office and return it to the school, if you are interested in
volunteering as an All Star Reading coach. Please contact Ms. Armstrong, if you
have any further questions.
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT TEACHER
Dufferin-Peel will continue to have a Special Assignment Teacher (SAT)
visiting each school in the system to assist with the teaching of primary and
junior literacy and mathematics across the curriculum. The SAT will be working
in partnership with classroom teachers to implement the junior literacy and math
plan. She will be working with students, alongside the classroom teacher, to
target the learning needs of all students. This teacher may be working in your
child’s classroom from time to time throughout the year. Our on-going focus
will be literacy. Welcome to Vicki Parry who is the SAT assigned to St.
Nicholas School.
EQAO RESULTS
The Primary and Junior Division EQAO assessments measure how well students
have met the expectations in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 - 8. The
assessments test what students know and how well they apply their knowledge
and skills in reading, writing and mathematics, in everyday situations, by
requiring students to read and respond to passages, to write and to solve
mathematical problems. EQAO assessments combine performance-based
activities, requiring written responses, with multiple-choice questions. The
results are reported in terms of achievement from Levels 1 to 4, with level 3 as
the standard, which represents a high level of achievement. The results for St.
Nicholas School, stated as the % of students meeting the Provincial standard
(Achieving Levels 3, 4) are as follows:
PRIMARY /GRADE 3
St. Nicholas
2011
2012
JUNIOR/GRADE 6
St. Nicholas
2011
2012
Province
2012
Grade 3
Province
2012
Grade 6
Reading
58 %
67 (+9%)
78 %
81 (+3%)
66%
75%
Writing
75 %
83 (+8%)
81 %
78 (-3%)
76%
75%
Mathematics
70 %
76 (+6%)
72 %
70 (-2%)
68%
58%
School results indicate significant increases in grade 3 reading, writing and
mathematics as compared to the previous assessment (2011) and sustained
achievement in grade 6 in all three areas of the curriculum. Assessment results
also indicate achievement above the provincial average in all areas of the
curriculum. Congratulations to students, staff and parents! It is important to
emphasize that these results should not be used to compare or rank schools, they
are intended for the purpose of improving teaching and learning for all students.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Thank you is extended to those members of
the School Council for their dedication and
hard work on behalf of students at St. Nicholas
School. Your on-going commitment and
efforts were truly appreciated and made a
difference for students.
2012 - 2013 SCHOOL COUNCIL
Congratulations and welcome to the newly
appointed executive and parent members:
J. Armstrong – staff
J. Christie
J. Ciavoliello
J. Cugliari – Treasurer
M. De Amicis - Chair
N. D’Emilio
A. DiVincenzo – staff
J. Dobranski – Past Chair
K. Foschia
J. Gatti
L. Girimonte
V. Lionti
T. Macri – Fundraiser Chair
L. Moore
J. Nielsen – Vice Chair
M. Pacek - Secretary
M. Tyrell
Non-Voting Members
E. Fischer – Principal
T. Maiolo – Vice Principal
The next meeting of the School Council will
be the evening of Thursday, October 25,
2012 at 7:00 p.m.
NO DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
A reminder to parents, there should be no dogs
on school property, even if they are on a
leash.
END OF THE DAY ARRANGMENTS
St. Nicholas School continues to be a very
large school. As a result, the beginning of the
day and the end of the day can be extremely
hectic.
Unfortunately, we cannot always
answer the phone. Parents should not be
calling the school at the end of the day and
requesting the school to make arrangements
for pick-up. We will certainly make every
effort to assist parents with requests in the
event of an emergency; however, this should
not be happening on a weekly sometimes daily
basis. Please make arrangements the night
before or with a neighbour. Also, please
discuss with your children a back-up plan in
the event daily routines are disrupted.
Next Catholic School Council Meeting: October 25, 2012
DATES AHEAD
SCHOOL HOURS & SUPERVISION
Supervision in the school yard begins at 9:00 a.m. Please do not drop your
children off at school prior to that time as they will not be supervised. The
school day ends at 3:45 p.m. Parents are asked to ensure that arrangements
are made for their children to leave school at 3:45 p.m. Students are not
supervised after 3:45 p.m. Please do not rely on the school to supervise children
after 3:45 p.m. The exception to this is, of course, our students who are bussed.
The doors of St. Nicholas School are open to parents who wish to visit or confer
with staff, however, an appointment is necessary, as the classroom teacher’s
first responsibility is teaching the class during regular school hours. Please
report to the office upon entering the school. Thank you for your support in
keeping classroom interruptions to a minimum and maintaining a safe
environment for our students.
QSP REMINDER
We are now in full swing in our QSP—Family Literacy Initiative. Please be
reminded that the campaign will end in mid October (ALL order forms must be
returned to your child’s teacher no later than Oct. 23rd). Online orders continue
throughout the course of this year. If you wish, please visit our school website
where you can find a link to order new magazines or renew at any time during
the year for yourself or as a gift…birthdays, mother’s day, father’s day etc. St
Nicholas School Group ID number is 32376. Thank you for supporting this ongoing literacy initiative. Happy Reading!
MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR
UPCOMING CRAFT SALE
School Council will be hosting a CRAFT SALE
Saturday, November 17, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Vendors are most welcome!
Please contact the School Office for details.
DATES AHEAD
OCTOBER
1-9
Thanksgiving Food Drive
3
Kick-off Fundraising Assembly
3
Albion Orchard, Gr. 1
4
Albion Orchard, Gr. 1
4
Hydro One Presentations, Grs. 2-6
4
Student Parliament Speeches
5
World Teacher Day
9
Opening School Mass
10
Thanksgiving Holiday
11
Fire Prevention Day
15
Junior Softball Tournament
16
Intermediate Softball Tournament
17
Bus Driver Appreciation Day
17
Parent Meeting, overnight Intermediate
Trip, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Board Catholic School Council Meeting
18
19
Cross Country Meet
23
QSP Orders are due
25
School Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
25
Virtue Assembly
31
Halloween Dance-a-thon
NOVEMBER
1
All Saints Day Celebration
2
All Souls Day
2
Picture Retake Day
5
Reptilia. Grade 2
6
Reptilia. Grade 2
6
Progress Reports Sent Home
7
Curling Presentation, Grades 1-4
8
Interview Evening – requests only
9
Remembrance Day Celebration
12
Curling Presentation, Grades 1-4
16
Provincial Priority Day – No School
17
CRAFT SALE
UPCOMING SCHOOL COUNCIL
HALLOWEEN DANCE-A-THON
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The School Council (parents) will once again be hosting a
student Halloween dance-a-thon.
This activity is the major fundraiser for St. Nicholas School.
Pledge forms will be sent home this week.
A kick-off assembly will be held on
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Prizes – Dancing – Costumes and
Much, much more!!!
http://www.dpcdsb.org/NICHO