St. Raymond
Catholic Elementary School
5735 Whitehorn Avenue Mississauga,
Ontario L5V 2A9 905-286-1010
January 2013 Edition
Principal
Mr. W. Brunton
JANUARY VIRTUE ~ Self-control
This month we will celebrate the virtue of self-control.
Vice Principal
Mrs. S. Galvao
We may feel pressure from inside or from outside
ourselves to react violently to a situation. We‘ve all ―lost
it‖ at one time or another. We are never proud of those
moments. As soon as they happen, we make a promise
that they will not happen again.
Head Secretary
Mrs. L. Campoli
Assistant Secretary
Ms. T. Caines
Superintendent
Mrs. C. Saytar
Through prayer and concentration, we can get better at
controlling our reactions. We can get better at showing
self-control. Self-control helps us to resist the temptation
to do something that will harm ourselves or others. Selfcontrol is one of the marks of a spiritually mature person.
Trustee
Mr. P. Ferreira
(905) 890-1221
When we all use self-control, we can be sure that our
school will be a safe, caring and inclusive place to live
and to learn.
Parish
St. Joseph‘s Church
5440 Durie Road
Mississauga, ON
905-826-2766
office@stjosephsstreetsville.com
Parish Team
Fr. Andre-Pastor
Fr. D‘Souza -Assoc. Pastor
Youth Minister –
Ana DaCosta
Family Day Care
905-542-0101
@DPCDSBSchools.
PRINCIPALS
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For the latest board news and
information, follow us
Happy New Year
Welcome back to all of our staff and
students. We hope that your
Christmas holidays brought peace and
tranquility to you and that you were
able to enjoy some time with family
and friends.
Another year has come upon us. The
month of January is named after the
Roman god Janus. This Roman god
had two faces so that he could look
ahead toward the future and back at
the past at the same time. As we end
the old year and look forward to a new
one, we try to be a little like Janus. We
know what we did wrong and what we
did right, and hope to do better this
year. Some people make ambitious
New Year‘s resolutions; others just
take it day by day. Let us look to Jesus
as an example of how to take on the
challenges of a new year. Jesus set
the example by teaching right from
wrong and by teaching that love for
each other is paramount.
Let us love one another more than we
did last year.
Let us work harder to improve
ourselves.
Let us bring Jesus’ spirit into the lives
of others.
Let the New Year spark renewal for the
love of learning & achieving to the best
of one’s ability.
Let January’s renewal allow us to focus
next on February’s virtue – the virtue of
respect. Leave everyone who comes
into contact with you, better than when
they first came.
To everyone in the St. Raymond
community, it is our wish that the New
Year brings you and your family
peace, happiness and good health to
all.
The St. Raymond Community would like to extend our
appreciation to Rowes No Frills located on Britannia &
Creditview Rd. for their generous donation that supported the
purchase of food items to support our program.
From the Office:
P.A. DAY’s
There will be a professional activity
days on Monday, January 21st &
Friday, February 8th. Please take note
that there will be NO SCHOOL on
those days.
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for 201314
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 201314 school year, will take place at St. Raymond on
the following days:
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
7 p.m. - 9p.m.*
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
For more information about registration and the
Full-Day Kindergarten program, call St. Raymond
School or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
PLANNING INFORMATION SESSION FOR PARENTS OF
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
On Thursday, January 17, 2013, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board will present an Information Night for Parent
(s)/Guardian(s) of students with Special Needs in the areas of
Vision, Hearing, Autism, Physical/Medical and/or Developmental Delays in the cognitive and/or motor areas.
The session will run from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will be
held in Room 301 at the Catholic Education Centre at 40
Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga.
Please note: Kindergarten Registration will take place at your
local school on January 28, 30, 31, 2013.
Snow Date: January 29, 2013.
.
BREAKFAST FOR KIDS
Breakfast for Kids is up and
running on Thursday mornings at 8:10. Students who wish to
participate must return the parent consent form.
REPORT CARD AND INTERVIEWS
The Term one report card will be going home on
Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Interviews will take place
on the evening of Thursday, February 7th and during
the P.D. Day on Friday, February 8th. It is our hope
to see all parents/guardians during this interview
cycle. Confirmation of the interview time will be sent
home with the Report Card.
Parents are asked to complete Page 3 of the Ontario
Report Card. The Parent – Student Response Form is
an opportunity for parents and students to comment
upon student achievement. This is also an opportunity
for parents to express their personal commitment to
helping their child set goals. When parents return this
form to the school, it will be place in their child‘s
Ontario Student Record (O.S.R.).
Kindergarten Parent Notice: Please note that
Kindergarten children do not receive a report card in
January. Dufferin-Peel will maintain the current
practice of a planned interview at the end of term one,
a checklist in June of Junior Kindergarten/ Year One
and a full report card in June of Senior Kindergarten
/Year Two full-day Kindergarten students.
ADVENT OUTREACH INITIATIVES
Thank You to Our School Community for your
generous contributions towards our Christmas
outreach initiatives including Angel Tree, donation of
personal care items, donation of hats, mitts and
gloves. With your generous support, we were able to
assist families in our community as well as St. Vincent
de Paul Society‘s Christmas Hamper Project 2012.
SAFE SCHOOLS
In accordance with Bill 13, Ministry of Education mandates, and
Dufferin-Peel‗s Catholic Board Learning Plan (CBLP) Catholic
Community Culture and Caring (CCCC) pillar foundational
principle, Dufferin-Peel will be implementing the next phase of
its CCCC School Climate Surveys.
The 2012-2013 elementary CCCC School Climate Survey will
be implemented between January 22nd and February 8th,
2013. All students in Grades 3-8 will be provided with the
opportunity to complete the on-line survey during this time
period.
The board has provided lessons that students will participate in
before they complete the survey, to support further discussions
related to safe, caring, healthy and inclusive learning
environments.
PARENTS/ VISITORS AT ST. RAYMOND
We welcome all parents at St. Raymond but continue to
request that parents/ visitors check in the office. In order to
ensure the safety of our students, we cannot have parents or
visitors visit classrooms or walk through the hallways. If you
need to sign out your child we request that you do so at the
office. In the event that you need to drop items off for your
child, please check in at the office. Parents who bring in lunch
for their children are asked to leave it at the table located in the
school foyer and label it. All students leaving the school early
will be released through the front office as they must sign out. If
your child arrives late we ask you to NOT accompany them to
class.
VOLUNTEERS
We welcome volunteers to our school. If interested, please
complete the Volunteer Brochure located in the Community
Board outside the office in the foyer and return it to the office.
STUDENT ABSENCES/ LATES
Please use our 24 hour answering service to inform the school
of late or absent students. We must hear from a parent or
guardian if a student will be absent, arriving late or leaving
early. Phone 905-286-1010
If a pattern of unexcused lateness or absents
becomes apparent, parents will be contacted by
the school.
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Every few days, Mrs. Goncalves updates the website with
letters, information and other pertinent information. Looking for
a document or information, check out our website:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/RAYMO
Parents please note yard supervision
begins at 8:30 a.m. Students should not
arrive before supervision starts.
LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES
We would appreciate the cooperation of the entire school
community by NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain
peanuts/nut products, seafood/shellfish, eggs, chickpeas,
green peas, lentils and kiwi. This includes products like
Nutella as well as Sushi. Please also be aware that some
salad dressings contain oyster juice which can cause a serious
anaphylaxis response. Please do not send any food products
to mark a child‘s birthday. It is also prohibited to send your
child to school with any WowButter sandwiches. We want St.
Raymond to be a safe environment for all students. Thank you
for your assistance.
FLU SEASON
We are heading into the flu season. Being parents ourselves,
we are only too aware of the work pressure you experience
when providing care at home for a child who is ill.
Nevertheless, aside from being the best course of action for
your child, keeping your sick child at home may also serve to
limit the spread of influenza in the community of school children
and staff. Below, you will find just such advice coming from the
Health Department
• Stay home! Don‘t drag yourself into work or school. You‘ll only
infect your colleagues or classmates
• Stay away from people who are elderly, chronically ill, or have
respiratory problems
RECESS BREAKS
Recess Breaks serve a special purpose in the school routine
and except in unusual cases, students are not excused from
going outside. Students who have the flu, heavy coughs or
colds should be kept at home, for they are too contagious with
the cold germ to be sitting in the classroom with other students.
SNOW & ICE
Now that the cold months have arrived and snow and ice are
plentiful, a reminder of our safety policy is warranted. Throwing
snowballs and sliding on ice are NOT allowed. As much fun as
snow and ice are, they can also be very dangerous when there
are many people in one area. Most student injuries happen
during the winter months. In order for our school to be as safe
as possible, the school rule must be that snow stays on the
ground – no snowballs, kicking snow or any other activity
with snow and ice that could be harmful. Please take a few
moments to reinforce these important safety rules with your
children.
WINTER IS HERE
When students are in attendance at school they are expected
to participate in all school activities which includes recess.
If your child is ill or has not fully recuperated from an illness
consideration must be given to keeping the child at home so
that he/she may recuperate fully. We do not have the
resources to provide supervision indoors when all other
students are out for recess. Please note that children who are
ill are not in a learning state and may very well infect others
around them. We thank you in advance for your consideration
in this matter.
Parents are reminded that students should be dressed
appropriately for winter weather conditions. Recess is
considered a part of the school day and thus students in
attendance are expected to participate in this activity.
Consideration will be given to reducing the amount of time
outdoors for children (grade 8 and under) when the
temperature is -20 degrees Celsius or colder. When the
temperature or equivalent wind chill temperature is minus 25
degrees Celsius children must be kept indoors.
It is also necessary that students bring an indoor pair of shoes
that may be left at the school. This is important, as in the event
of an emergency evacuation we are not able to take the time to
put boots /outdoor shoes on before leaving the building.
USE OF SCHOOL PHONES
Students will only be permitted to use the school phone in
cases of emergency. An emergency is considered to be an
illness or injury. Calling home because it is raining, and/ or for
forgotten shoes, wanting to go to a friend‘s house or other
minor issues are not considered emergencies. A reminder that
students are not allowed to use cell phones or pagers during
school hours. If you have a cell phone it should remain off
during the school hours.
PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PEDS) ON SCHOOL
PROPERTY
As part of our efforts to promote and maintain a positive
Catholic climate in our schools, the board approved a new
policy last year regarding Personal Electronic Devises (PEDS)
on school property. In this regard, all PEDs (i.e. cell phones,
pagers and video games i.e. Game Boys, IPods, Walkman)
must be kept out of sight, turned off and not used within
school premises or during school-sanctioned activities. To
prevent the loss or damage of PEDs, we encourage students
to leave their PEDs at home as the school cannot be
responsible for their safe keeping.
SCHOOL CLOSING/BUS CANCEL-LATIONS DUE TO BAD
WEATHER
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption of bus transportation and regular school operations.
A decision to cancel school transportation and/or to close
schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m. and will be announced on
the following radio stations:
Virgin Radio FM 99.9,
CHUM AM 1050
CFTR AM 680, CFNY 102.1, CJCL 590, CHFI FM98.1,
CFRB AM 1010
EZ ROCK FM97.3, Z FM10
CJBC (FR) AM860 FM93.1
CHIN FM 100.7 FM/1540 AM
CITYPULSE, CBC,
GLOBAL NEWS, CTV
We will communicated the following standard messages to
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 DUFFERINPEEL CATHO-LIC 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.
LOST AND FOUND
Many items have been placed in the lost and found bin. If your
child has misplaced an item, please remind them to check the
lost and found bin found in the office.
LIVING OUR FAITH VIRTUES ASSEMBLY
Each month, all students will gather for an assembly that will
focus on the Virtue of the month. The assemblies will be lead
by St. Raymond‘s Anti Bullying Team and will begin with a
liturgy followed by a presentation or discussion regarding an
anti bullying theme. Three students from each class will be
recognized and receive an award for each of the following
categories: Christian Living Award, Most Improved Award and
Academics Award. Parents of the recipients will be invited via
a letter to attend the assembly but all parents are welcome!
Our next assembly will take place on January 28th.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
A reminder that children are not allowed to keep ANY
medication on their persons, in their desk, backpack or
anywhere in their classroom, unless ordered by their doctor. In
such case, documentation is necessary. All dispensing and
storage of ANY medication must occur from the Office.
KISS & RIDE PROGRAM
Please be advised that NO CARS are allowed to park in the
kiss n ride/fire route lane or drive through lane in the front of
the school. If parents are picking up and waiting for their
child they are to use the designated side streets. Please
ensure that you read all street signs prior to parking on any
side streets. It is also prohibited to park at Whitehorn Public
School. Please do not park at Whitehorn Public School as
all parking spots are just enough for Whitehorn Public
School staff.
The city of Mississauga has been patrolling and have
ticketed cars who are in violation of these parking
procedures. St. Raymond School or the Dufferin Peel
Catholic District School Board will not be responsible for any
fines that have been given to cars that are not following city
parking by laws.
When students exit the car in the Kiss N Ride lane, they
should use the passenger doors only to exit vehicles
this will ensure students will be dropped off on the school
sidewalk safely.
Under NO circumstances should vehicles be backing up or
going the wrong way or parking. No vehicles are to park in
the drive thru lane at any time.
School Kiss & Ride should improve the traffic flow and
ultimately create a safer environment for the children.
Please be advised that beginning of the 2012/2013
school year, teachers will not be opening car doors
during the Kiss N Ride duty. For the safety of all
teachers, students, and vehicles, teachers will only
supervise students as they exit the vehicles. Parents
may assist their child on exiting the vehicle, but are
kindly asked not to park in the Kiss N Ride lane. We
thank you for your cooperation with this matter.
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
On Tuesday, February 5th, students will be taken on a journey
through time, back to African villages and will explore African
history and how its culture and music has affected our world
today. They will play African drums, explore instruments and
artifacts and learn traditional folk dances. They will discuss
black heroes of then and now and use drama strategies to reenact some of the most poignant stories and experiences of
black history. A fun and positive way to learn about difficult
times!
SECONDARY SCHOOL TRANSITION PLANNING
St. Joseph SS Information
Guidance Counsellors and the Academic Resource
Department Head are available to parents to answer
questions. In the spring the grade 8 students come to St.
Joseph Secondary School for a presentation in the cafeteria,
followed by an extensive tour of the building. At this time
students will see a video by First Day Productions (St. Joe‘s
drama students) on the first day of school in high school. For
more details, please refer to the letters that have been sent
home with your child.
St. Francis Xavier S.S. Pre-IB Information
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Please check our IB program for application procedures and
deadline at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/STFXS—IB Program
BE SMART, GET A HEAD START
Head lice are always present in the community. By checking
your child‘s head once a week for head lice, you will catch it
early and treat it before it has a chance to spread. Should you
suspect that your child(ren) have head lice, please notify the
school.
Remember, an infestation of lice is not a reflection on the
cleanliness of your child. In fact, students with appropriate
hygiene habits are as susceptible to lice as any other group. A
reminder to all to refrain from sharing hats at any time, but
especially during the winter months.
The treatment for pediculosis is simple. Specially medicated
shampoo or cream rise is available from your pharmacist.
Carefully follow the manufacturer‘s directions and remove all
nits from the hair.
Any infected student will need to be checked before re-entry to
class. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.
Peel Health (www.peelregion.ca/health/) is available to
provide advice to parents, school staff and students about
treatment and prevention. They can be contacted at (905) 7917800.
Library Corner:
First and Best Booklist:
The following list of titles is the best of 2012 Canadian children
books for primary grade students. They are available through
our school library and the
Mississauga Public Library. These
books are recommended reading
for building reading readiness.
Wishes by Jean Little
Soccer Crazy by Gilles Tibo
Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid
Give Me Back My Dad by Robert
Munsch
Line Change by W.C. Mack
The Magnificient Mario by Mike Leonetti
One Hockey Night by David Ward
Explorers Who Made It .. or died trying by Freida Wishinsky
Upcoming Events:
Winter Book Fair February 4th – 8th
Family Event Thursday February 7th open until 8:00pm
School Advisory Council Corner:
Welcome Back & Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a
blessed Christmas Holiday. Here are a few up & coming items
to look forward to at St. Raymond School.
St. Raymond Reusable Water Bottle – Water bottles are
expected to arrive sometime this week. Pre-ordered bottles
should be delivered to students by Monday, January 14. If you
didn‘t have the opportunity to pre-order, students will have the
opportunity to purchase the bottles everyday during 1st nutrition
break during the week of January 14th for $5.00.
Pizza Order Forms for February and March will be sent home
with students soon. Please do not include payment for pizza
with funds for any other event.
Popcorn/Sub-Day for the month of January will be sent home
with students soon. Please do not include payment for
sub/popcorn with funds for any other event.
Speaker – St. Raymond is happy to announce that Q-Mack will
be performing for students in grades 5 – 8. Q-Mack educates
students about bullying while entertaining them with basketball
tricks. Joining Q-Mack will be beatboxer J-Box. More details to
follow.
Movie Night – St. Raymond Council is pleased to host the
viewing of Wreck It Ralph on February 1, 2013. Students must
be accompanied by a parent and are encouraged to bring their
pillows and a sleeping bag. Cost of admittance is a donation of
a perishable food item which will be donated to our local St.
Vincent de Paul. More details to follow.
Fundraiser – Please watch out for more details regarding our
major fundraiser for the year. A dance-a-thon will take place
sometime after the March Break. More details to follow. Thank
you to all who participated in the gift card fundraiser. A profit of
over $400 was made.
School Council Meeting – Our next school council meeting is
scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 20 @ 6:30
pm in the school library. All are welcome!
Parish Connection:
ROSARY APOSTOLATE
The Rosary Apostolate, a group of volunteers devoted to the
Mother of God, is currently seeking additional volunteers to
assist with the expansion of this faith-based program. Teaching
students about the Rosary will keep our faith alive for
generations to come. Those who would like more information or
are willing to share their love by visiting elementary schools
once a month to teach children about the Mysteries of God‘s
life and how to pray the Rosary, please contact Aileen Haig at
905-607-6851 or Margaret Stanley at 905-567-8371.
NOTICE: *NEW* WEEKDAY MASS
St. Joseph‘s Parish will be adding a 7:00 am morning Mass
from Monday to Friday, beginning the week of January 14th,
2013. The Parish will also be taking one Mass Intention each
day for this additional Mass. This added Mass will run for 25minutes, which will enable those attending to reach their
workplace on-time.
HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION
It is important that our children continue to be
exposed to our Catholic Community through
experiences at the parish.
The Sunday celebration of the Lord‘s Day and
the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church‘s
life. ‗Sunday is the day on which the Paschal
Mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to
be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the
universal Church.‘
Throughout the school year, students experience the mystery
of Jesus Christ through celebrations, liturgies and mass. We
encourage all of our families to maintain these traditions
and obligations throughout the year by attending Mass as
a family every Sunday. St. Joseph’s Parish mass times are
as follows:
Saturday mornings – 9:00 a.m.
Sunday – 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m 12:30 p.m.
and 6:00 p.m.
GRADE 2 FIRST RECONCILIATION/ FIRST COMMUNION
Reconciliation will take place at the school on Wednesday
February 6, 2013.
First Communion will take place at St. Joseph Church on
Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 3:30 p.m.
GRADE 8 CONFIRMATION
The sacrament of Confirmation will take place at St. Joseph
Church on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Raymond Green Team:
In October, many art submissions were sent to the
Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
St. Raymond students did a wonderful job and their
talents were recognized.
Jocelyn (gr. 7) was chosen for the cover of the Anti-Litter
2013 Calendar, Maria (gr. 5) was chosen for the month
of January, and Nicole (gr. 7) is on the back as one of
the eight "Honorable Mentions".
These students received a copy of the calendar, a
certificate and a personalized letter to congratulate them
on their accomplishments.
A copy of the calendar is available for all to see in the
library.
Sports Corner:
BASKETBALL
The session has just begun and St. Raymond will verse five
teams within the Mississauga South Family. The top two teams
will advance to the Family Tournament.
INTRAMURAL/ EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
St. Raymond continues to offer many extra-curricular activities
and clubs for our students. Many activities have been planned
this year such as a Chess team, volleyball, basketball, soccer,
choir, and so much more. Thank you to our staff for organizing
these activities. Please encourage your children to become
involved and enjoy all that St. Raymond has to offer.
This month our PRIMARY students will participate during the
nutritional break and the focused sport will be beach volleyball.
We encourage all students to participate in intramurals as it is
an excellent opportunity for students to develop social skills, cooperative play, and daily physical activity.
FAMILY DAY BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Community News:
FRENCH IMMERSION INFORMATION MEETING
Senior Kindergarten parents/guardians, who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 1 French Immersion class for September, 2013
are invited to attend an information meeting at:
French
Immersion
centres
St Gertrude
St Pio of
Pietrelcina
Our Lady of
Providence
St Angela
Merici
St Joachim
Divine Mercy
St Elizabeth
Seton
St Margaret of
Scotland
Session
location
Date and time
St Gertrude
Monday January
14, 2013
7:00 p.m.
St Joachim
Wednesday
January 16, 2013
7:00 p.m.
St Margaret of
Scotland
Thursday
January 17, 2013
7:00 p.m.
The deadline for submission of Applications will be 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013.
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parents/guardians, who wish to enroll their child in a
Grade 5 Extended French class for September , 2013 are
invited to attend an information meeting at:
St. Rose of Lima School
4590 the Gallops
Mississauga - L5M 3A9
January 15, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
At the present time, the above school is the designated centre
for our area. Applications will be accepted at that centre until
3:00 pm Wednesday, February 6, 2013.
L.I.O.N. PROGRAM
Learning in our Neighbourhood is a mobile early learning
centres program where parents and caregivers can talk to early
childhood professionals about parenting and early child
development. Families can visit LION to attend parent/child
interactive play-based programs with a language, literacy and
numeracy focus. LION will run every Wednesday at St.
Raymond. For more info visit, www.successby6peel.ca
At this time, Family Day Before & After School programs have
available spaces for students in grades 1 to 8. Hours of
operation: Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 8:30 am and 3:00
pm to 6:00 pm. Please call (905)542-0101 for more
information.
ECO FRIENDLY ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
In an effort to be more environmentally
responsible, St. Raymond School is providing
its school newsletter electronically to
parents/guardians. By providing us with an
email address, you will be able to support our
efforts to protect our environment by reducing
the amount of paper and electricity we use in
preparing paper newsletters. We will be able to
send you our school newsletter, more efficiently
and effectively if we have your email address.
If you are interested in receiving the school
newsletters via email and NOT a paper copy,
please fill in the items below and return to your
child’s teacher as soon as possible. Thank
you.
Child’s Name: ________________________
Teacher: ______________________Gr. : ____
Email address:
_________________________________
Confirm email:
_________________________________
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Catholic School Climate Survey
“Love one another as I have loved you”
John 15:12
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
The Ontario Ministry of Education directive on Safe Schools, Positive School Climate and its Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy
require that all schools across the province implement a School Climate Survey for students every two years. Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board finds its direction and educational mission in the teachings of Christ as revealed through Scripture, Church
Tradition, and Church Teaching. The board and its school communities are comprised of a faith-centred Eucharistic people who strive
to form communities of learning that are Christ-centred, inclusive and reflective of a culture that respects and cherishes life for all. As
a Catholic school board, Dufferin-Peel has applied its distinctive Catholic lens to the Ministry of Education’s pillar: Community, Culture
and Caring. A key component of this pillar in our board is the Catholic Community, Culture and Caring School Climate Survey.
Beginning in mid-January 2013, and in support of the board’s Safe, Caring, Inclusive and Healthy School Communities’ initiative,
Dufferin-Peel will be administering its Catholic Community Culture and Caring School Climate Survey to students, as appropriate, in
Grades 3 to 12. The data from this survey will allow our school to understand the school climate from the students’ perspectives.
The survey will be confidential and anonymous in nature, and will take approximately 20 minutes. The survey contains questions
about students’ general information (i.e., school name, grade, gender, years at the school), general safety and inclusion (i.e., feeling
safe, concerns, feeling welcome and included, etc.), general school climate (i.e., friendly, accessible, inclusive, etc.) and will provide
opportunities to identify bullying concerns and/or pro-active supports in bullying prevention.
In addition to the student survey, parents/guardians are also invited to participate in an on-line survey. The parent/guardian survey is
intended to allow parents/guardians to share their child’s/children’s school climate experience at school. There are two versions of
the survey: one for parents/ guardians of students in elementary school (Kindergarten to Grade 8) and one for parents/guardians of
students in secondary school (Grades 9-12).
The parent/guardian surveys will be posted on the board’s website at www.dpcdsb.org between January 22 and February 28, 2013.
The survey links are:
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Elementary: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CCCCSurveyK8
Secondary: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CCCCSurvey9to12)
The surveys may provide opportunities for conversation with your son(s)/daughter(s) regarding inclusivity and well-being at school.
Please contact the school if you have any additional questions, concerns, or comments.
Thank you for your support of improved student achievement and well-being.
Sincerely,
Wayne Brunton
Principal