St. Raymond
Catholic Elementary School
5735 Whitehorn Avenue Mississauga,
Ontario L5V 2A9 905-286-1010
“Living In Faith”
Principal
Mr. W. Brunton
Vice Principal
Mr. T. Prugo
Head Secretary
Ms. T. Caines
Assistant Secretary
Ms. R. Leonardo
Superintendent
Mr. D. Amaral
Trustee
Mr. P. Ferreira
(905) 890-1221
Parish
St. Joseph’s Parish
905-826-2766
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
October 2013 Edition
“Vivo In Fides”
OCTOBER ~ Empathy
Thanksgiving Prayer
This month we will focus on the virtue of empathy.
God has given us the ability to form connections with
each other - to live together. Empathy helps us to
connect and live together in safe, caring, inclusive
communities.
We understand empathy to mean the ability to identify
with and feel other people’s concerns. We believe that in
a faith community we are nothing without relationships.
Relationships that grow in a spirit of communion- an
understanding that we share an identity based on being
created in the image and likeness of God and being
imbued with one Spirit. We are many parts of one body.
An empathetic person believes that we all share one
Spirit; that we are many parts of one body because we
are all created in the image and likeness of God.
An empathetic person…
 Listens attentively
 Notices and responds when someone is upset
 Can name her/his feelings
 Can see a situation from another’s point of view
 Knows that different people may feel differently
about the same thing
Father all powerful, Your gifts of love
are countless and your goodness
infinite.
For Thanksgiving, we come before
You with gratitude for Your
kindness.
Open our hearts to concern for our
children, men and women, so that we
may share your gifts in loving
service.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus,
Your SON, Who lives and reigns in
the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever.
Amen!
†
OPENING PRAYER
Gracious and merciful God of all creation,
You made us to live together in communities.
We are nothing without relationships.
You have given us the virtue of empathy to ensure
that we are able to identify with and feel other people’s
concerns.
We come to you now asking for the grace and strength
to follow your plan and to form a safe, caring, inclusive
community here at St. Raymond.
May your gift of empathy lead us to know and feel your
presence among us.
We ask this in name of Jesus, your Son, who lived to
show us your way.
Amen.
1
Staff Update for 2013 – 2014…
Below is a list of our staff for this school year:
L. Wilson & R. Jeorgy
JK/SK
P. Kellar & M. Faria
JK/SK
S. Kojundzic & J. DaSilva
JK/SK
R. Orsini & C. Borges
JK/SK
L. Soutsos
1
S. McCracken
1
D. Yuzik
1/2
L. Strk
2
S. Moussa
2
L. Ciavarra
3
L. LeBrun
3
M. Miceli
3/4
J. Pacheco
4
G. Flammini
5
K. Corvese-Abdou
5/6
A. Heath
6
A. Cillis
6
J. Doret
7
K. Maier
7
C. Abitrante
7/8
M. Paterson
8
T. Allen
8
L. Goncalves
Library/Planning
L. Bet
FSL
M. Voyatzis
FSL
M. Rousseau
ESL
R. Davenport
SPEC.ED
L. Cortellucci
SPEC.ED
P. Passarelli
SPEC.ED/Planning
I. Alves
Planning Teacher
P. McTavish
Planning Teacher
M. Piccinin
ERW
R. Pugliese
ERW
J. Holden
ERW
V. Noguera
ERW
ATTENDANCE
Please call to register an absence – 905-286-1010. You can call
24hrs. An answering machine is available to take information.
Please provide your child’s name, grade and teacher’s name.
If an absence is not reported, our policy is to call home to
verify student absenteeism. A parent or guardian must sign out
students who leave early. A reminder to parents and students
that an expectation set out from the beginning of the year
clearly indicated that all students must arrive at school on time.
Being consistently and continuously late interrupts the
classroom lessons, creates delays in the office and sets a poor
example for those who do arrive on time. Please note that
issues with lates and absenteeism will be dealt with strictly,
and may involve the school’s Administration, Child Youth
Worker and Social Worker. Please help us teach your
children the value promptness and punctuality.
ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Research has shown that children perform better in school if
their parents are involved in their education. We as a staff at
St. Raymond School welcome and encourage parental
involvement. Become familiar with the curriculum. Contact the
teacher with any questions or concerns. Work in partnership to
support your child’s learning.
Students and parents can expect to be informed of due dates for
assignments and summative tasks via the agenda. Teachers will
ensure that all students have an opportunity to record daily
homework in the agenda. Parents should check the agenda
daily and monitor homework completion. Parents are
encouraged to be proactive in communicating concerns about
homework or assignments to their child’s teacher. If
extenuating circumstances prohibit homework completion, it is
the parents’ responsibility to inform the teacher. If an
extension of a due date is required, parents are responsible for
requesting the extension in writing, explaining the reason, well
in advance of the due date.
School boards across the province have received a new
ministry document titled “Growing Success” that clearly places
expectation and responsibility on students for their work at
school.
Students are responsible for ensuring that they are adequately
prepared for tests and that they complete all tasks to the best of
their ability. Students are encouraged to seek assistance as
required.
Regular attendance is critical for success. Although we
encourage you to keep your child home when he/she is ill to
avoid the spread of illness, we do also encourage you to avoid
making appointments and planning vacations during regular
school hours. Much of the learning that takes place in the
classroom is through discussion, interaction with teacher and
peers and through in class tasks. These experiences cannot be
duplicated. If you choose to take your child out of school for a
holiday, the classroom teacher will provide you with the topics
being covered, but cannot be responsible for the daily lesson
planning.
Scores Achievement Levels:
We are pleased with our achievement level scores for our
Grade 3 and 6 students in 2012 / 2013. Below are the results
regarding the data. The DPCDSB will be posting the entire
St. Raymond Catholic school learning plan on our website,
please feel free to review.
Grade 3
School
Reading
61%
Writing
67%
Mathematics
61%
Grade6
School
Reading
74%
Writing
81%
Mathematics
71%
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ST. RAYMOND SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE BBQ
Thank you to all of our families who
attended our Open House BBQ Night on
September 26th. It was a pleasure to see
so many parents attend the barbeque and
visit their teacher’s classroom. We look
forward to working in collaboration with all
of our parents to ensure your child receives the best possible
Catholic educational experience.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL 2013-2014
St. Raymond School would like to congratulate the following
parent representatives who are members of our 2013-2014
School Council Executive Positions:
Chair: L. Tedesco
Secretary: M. Foti
Treasurer: R. Pinelli
Community Rep: A. Marchao
Parish Rep: J. Zammit
Parent Reps: A. Alfonso, J.Domingo, and N. Morgado
We look forward to working with our parent council to provide
the best Catholic Educational experience for our students.
For exciting news on what they have planned turn to page 7
of this newsletter!
Gr.2 First Reconciliation & Holy Communion
Meeting
Once again, you are reminded of the mandatory informational
sessions for all parents. You can attend either on Thursday,
October 10th, (7:30 – 9:00 p.m.) or Saturday, October 12th,
(10:00 a.m. – noon) to be held at St. Joseph’s parish. Kindly
bring all required forms as outlined in the Parish letter.
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.’ [CIC, can. 1246 # 1]
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.
Additional Masses:
Christmas Eve Mass – Tuesday, December 24, 2013 - 4:00
p.m., 6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (All
English)
Christmas Day Mass – Wednesday, December 25, 2013 –
8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (All English); 9:30
a.m. (in Portuguese)
New Year’s Eve – Tuesday, December 31, 2013 – 5:30 p.m.
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of
Obligation) New Year’s Day – Wednesday, January 1, 2014
– 9:30 am., 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
ANAPHYLAXIS PLAN
We have a number of staff and students
in our school who have severe allergic
reactions to peanuts, peanut butter,
peanut oils, peanut by-products, pinenuts, shellfish, and
seafood. As in the past, we are asking you to not put anyone at
risk. Do not send any PEANUTS, PEANUT BUTTER,
PEANUT OILS AND ANY PEANUT BY-PRODUCTS,
PINENUTS, SHELLFISH, OR SEAFOOD INTO THE
SCHOOL. 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 not to send your child to school
with any WowButter sandwiches and/or products as it is
against board policy and has not been approved.
Student birthdays can be acknowledged by sending non-food
items such as a pencil or pen to celebrate a child’s birthday
with his/her peers. Thank you for your co-operation in this
very important matter.
STUDENT BIRTHDAYS
When a student has a birthday, we give
them a special gift bookmark and pencil.
Students are engaged in a discussion
about making good decisions and are
presented with the gift from the school.
Just a reminder that students are no longer able to bring in
food products to celebrate a birthday in keeping with
Sabrina’s Law. If food is to be brought into the school for
mass consumption, a permission letter must go home first
www.dpcdsb.org/raymo
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from the classroom teacher listing all the ingredients.
Please see your child’s teacher for specifics
Bus privileges will be revoked if need be. Thank you for your
support in ensuring that our students journey safely to and
from school.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
KISS & RIDE PROGRAM...
REACT forms for parents to fill out in the
event that your child has a medical concern have
been already been sent home and returned to us.
The form requires information on the medical
issue, and a picture of the child. 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 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.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
At the end of September, students eligible for Courtesy Seating
were informed in writing by Mr. Prugo and received a Bus
Privilege card. We are now pleased to report that as of
September 30th, those students can now begin using our school
bus. We would like to thank you for your patience with this
matter.
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY RULES
The conduct of individual students on the
bus directly affects the safety of all the
students on the bus.
The driver’s
attention needs be on the road. We are
requesting that all parents/guardians
reinforce the School Bus Safety Rules
with their child(ren).
All Students
should:
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Be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to their stop time.
Never play close to the road.
Be ready to board the bus by waiting in an orderly line.
Board the bus in single file, use the handrail and sit down
in their seat as quickly as possible.
Listen to the bus driver.
Always remain seated while the bus is moving.
Do not throw anything out of the window.
Keep the aisles clear of objects (backpacks, lunches, etc.).
Do not shout or cause any other unnecessary noises.
Be especially quiet at railway crossings.
Never put any part of your body out an open window.
Be sure to look all ways before crossing the road.
Do not damage the bus in anyway.
Do not throw garbage on the floor.
Do not consume any food or drink on the bus.
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 reminded that 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.
PICTURE DAY(S)
Please note that picture re-takes will be held
on Tuesday, October 15, 2013.
Personal Electronic Devices (PED’s)
As part of our efforts to promote and maintain a
positive Catholic climate in our schools, the
board approved a policy regarding Personal Electronic Devices
(PED’s) such as cell phones, cameras, ipods, ipads, etc on
school property.
In this regard, all cell phones must be kept out of sight,
turned off and not used within school premises or during
school sanctioned activities.
At St. Raymond Catholic School we ask that students leave all
4
electronic devices and games at home as the school cannot be
responsible for their safe keeping. Cell phones are permissible
as long as they are turned off and not used in or on school
property.
Please keep your child’s valuables at home. Staff cannot be
responsible for any valuables that your child brings to school.
Money, jewellery, electronics, toys, etc., should be kept at
home.
LUNCH POLICY
Thank you for completing the Lunch
Permission Form and returning it to your
child’s teacher. This will ensure that the
school is aware of where you prefer your
child(ren) to be over the lunch hour. Any changes to the
agreement throughout the year must be submitted in writing to
the teacher and/or office. Thank you for your cooperation in
this matter.
Once children have arrived back at school, they must remain
on school property. They are not permitted to leave school
again without written permission.
The Lunch Table…
A table has been placed outside the office for lunches. Lunches
should only be dropped off on rare occasions. If you are
dropping off a lunch for your child please clearly label your
child’s name and teacher’s name on the outside of the lunch
bag/container and place it on the lunch table. Classes are not
to be interrupted for students to pick up lunches. Please advise
your child(ren) to expect a lunch to be dropped off. They will
be allowed to come down and pick up their lunch at 12:35 PM.
TEXTBOOKS
HALLOWEEN DAY – THURS. OCT. 31ST
All students and staff are welcome to wear
costumes on Halloween Day - Thursday,
October 31st.
Please note that Halloween costumes should:
allow for movement without risk of tripping
when using stairs and allow for a totally and
unimpaired view of their surroundings (No Masks).
Please also bear the following in mind and discuss these points
with your children; costumes should be modest and in keeping
with the values of our Catholic schools. (No graphic images)
No weapons of any kind or REPLICAS of weapons may be
brought to school as part of any costume. The Safe School
Policy of this school board makes it an offence, with serious
consequences, to bring any weapons or replicas to school.
Please - no masks of any kind.
Thank you for your co-operation!
HALLOWEEN TREATS
AND
ANAPHYLAXIS
As Halloween approaches we remind you that our school
has numerous students who have LIFE THREATENING
allergies. All of our affected children have been well
prepared to avoid the potential for a life threatening
allergic reaction while at school. However, as a
community, we must make every effort to minimize the
risks for this segment of our student population. Please
DO NOT send in food items of any kind. Let’s avoid
disappointment by creatively considering other ways to
celebrate birthdays and other occasions at school (ie:
pencils, stickers). As always, we thank you for your
continued understanding and support.
School textbooks are school property and
are loaned to the students annually. The
expectation is that textbooks will be
returned at the end of the school year.
HALOWEEN/ALL SAINTS DAY/ALL SOULS
DAY
Students are responsible for these textbooks and will be asked
to pay if these books go missing or have been vandalized. The
cost of an average textbook is about $50.00 each. Please
encourage your child to take care of textbooks!
It is that time of year when our “little ones” will want to
visit their neighbours for trick or treating. In school, we
will remind them about the safety rules so that they can
both enjoy the evening and stay safe.
Halloween Safety…
Visit our website: www.dpcdsb.org/raymo
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Choose brightly coloured costumes
Use face paint instead of masks
Plan a safe route with your child
Remind your child of road safety rules
Accompany your children
Remind children not to enter homes
Check the treats before allowing your children to
eat them
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TERRY FOX WALK-A-THON - Update
Promoting the Home-School Connection:
Thank you to all students and families who participated in the
Terry Fox Walk-a-Thon on Wednesday, September 25, 2013.
Collectively we raised $4,182.00!
Helping your child with Math
PIZZA DAYS
This month our parent council will be
organizing pizza days for our school on
Tuesdays. Please ensure that you place your
order with the exact amount of money for your child. Students
who have not pre-ordered will also have an opportunity to
purchases slices on Pizza Day. We thank you for your
continued support.
Try the following strategies the next time you sit with your
child(ren) to help them with their homework. Ask them:
What do you know?
What do you need to know?
ST. RAYMOND WEBSITE
What do you need to find out?
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
How can you show your work?
What can you try to do to solve this problem?
Do you think that your plan is working?
BREAKFAST PROGRAM
Is there anything else that you need to do?
We are currently finalizing our breakfast program for students.
All students who wish to participate must return the signed
consent form. This year, the Breakfast Program will take place
on Thursday morning’s beginning on October 10, 2013.
L.I.O.N. Program
L.I.O.N. is returning to St. Raymond School. LION (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
BOOK FAIR
Our Fall Book Fair was a great success. Our total sales were
just over $ 5,000.00 This means the school library will acquire
over $3,000.00 worth of books in the very near future. By
supporting our Book Fair, the community has contributed not
only to promoting books and reading but also to fostering the
understanding that learning is a commitment involving many
partners. Thank you for attending our event and participating
in our fun and educational activities.
Visit our website: www.dpcdsb.org/raymo
Do you think that your answer makes sense?
Is there any other way to solve this problem?
These are some examples of the questions we use in math to
develop higher order thinking skills and to help students gain a
deeper understanding not only of what they are learning but
why.
Do you remember when you used to play the following Board
Games? They are a great and fun way of promoting critical
thinking skills.
Game
Title
Smath
Math
Game
Candyland
Manufacturer
Toys R Us
Grade
Level
1-3
Milton Bradley
1-3
Yatzee
Parker Brothers
1-6+
Monopoly
Parker Brothers
1-6+
Money
Bingo
Trend
1-3
Dominoes
Toys R Us
1-8+
Strand
Number
Sense and
Numeration
Number
Sense and
Numeration
Number
Sense and
Numeration
Number
Sense and
Numeration
Number
Sense and
Numeration
Number
Sense and
Numeration
6
Battleship
Milton Bradley
1-6+
Blokus
Alary Games
3-8+
Connect
Four
Sequence
Hazbro
1-8+
Patterning
and Algebra
Jax, Ltd
2-8+
Mancala
1-8+
Mastermind
University
Games
Jax, Ltd
Patterning
and Algebra
Patterning
and Algebra
1-8+
Rush Hour
Toys R Us
3-8+
Mind Trap
Toys R Us
2-6+
Chess or
Checkers
Toys R Us
2-8+
Risk
Milton Bradley
6-8+
Guess Who
Milton Bradley
1-4
Geometry
and Spatial
Sense
Geometry
and Spatial
Sense
Patterning
and Algebra
Thinking,
Strategy and
Problem
Solving
Thinking,
Strategy and
Problem
Solving
Thinking,
Strategy and
Problem
Solving
Thinking,
Strategy and
Problem
Solving
Thinking,
Strategy and
Problem
Solving
Looking for additional curriculum resources, videos and
lessons?
Then try the Ontario Education Ministry’s website:
https://resources.elearningontario.ca
Username: dpcdsbstudent Password: oerbs
SCHOOL COUNCIL CORNER: Updates from
our Chairperson.
Pizza Tuesdays is set to start on Tuesday, October 1st. If you
forgot to pre-order, students can always purchase slices of
pizza for $2/slice.
Popcorn/Sub Days – have been increased to twice per month.
For the month of October, these dates are Friday, October 4th
and 25th.
Pre-Christmas Fundraiser – This year we will be having a
pre-Christmas fundraiser with a variety of programs. Choose
one or all programs and help support our school. Programs will
include:
- Avgen Gift Cards where you can purchase gift cards
for retailers such as No Frills, Canadian Tire, Tim
Hortons, and many more;
- A Christmas catalogue filled with lots of products to
help you get ready for the Holiday Season;
-
Mini-Peel Sticker coupons – this booklet costs $10
and include coupons to a variety of stores in the Peel
area; and
Family Jingle & Mingle is a Christmas celebration for all
ages. A festive celebration consisting of entertainment,
pictures with Santa, bouncy castles, carnival rides, cupcake
decorating, shopping, animals, photo ops and more!
As always, there will be some great prizes for participation.
Watch out for your fundraiser package to arrive with one child
only soon!
Speaker – St. Raymond is happy to announce that Mr. Chris
Vollum will be speaking with students on Monday, January
13th on Internet Safety. We will also be hosting an evening
presentation for parents on the same day. More details to
follow.
School Council Meeting – Our next school council meeting is
scheduled to take place on Monday, December 9 @ 6:30 pm
in the school library. Council is now offering free child sitting
for children 4+ during our council meetings. Just email us an
rsvp to st.raymond.sac@live.com. All are welcome!
ST. RAYMOND’s GREEN TEAM
In an effort to engage students in small environmental
initiatives that can have a big impact, our school is
participating in the year-long Waste-Free Lunch Challenge
(WFLC) beginning on Thursday October 3rd, 2013.
School lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario – the
average student’s lunch generates a total of 30 kilograms of
waste per school year, or an average of 8500 kilograms of
waste per school per year.
Therefore, we ask that students NOT throw anything out after
snack and lunch. They are to take home everything in their
lunch bags (garbage and recyclables). This will give parents a
visual of how much waste their child(ren) are creating.
Below are some suggestions on how to reduce lunchtime
waste:
Yes please
Please avoid
REUSABLE
lunch container
REUSABLE container
(Tupperware, plastic)
REUSABLE drink bottle
or thermos
CLOTH NAPKIN to
wash and re-use
AVOID paper or plastic
bags
AVOID plastic wrap, foil,
wax, or styrofoam
AVOID single-use
containers
AVOID paper napkins
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CUTLERY
to wash and re-use
HEALTHY snacks!
AVOID plastic
forks/spoons
AVOID over-packaged
snacks
A Call for Board Games:
The staff at St. Raymond’s school are looking for any ‘old’
but well-kept board games for our students to use during
inclement weather days or in the classroom. If you have any
you wish to donate kindly bring them to the office. It is muchappreciated.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
October / November
October 11 – P.D. Day – no school for students
October 14 – Thanksgiving Day – no school
October 15 – School Picture Re-takes
October 17 – Peel Water Presentations Gr. 2-8
October 21- Earth Rangers Presentation
October 29 – Living Our Faith Virtues Assemblies
October 31 – Halloween – information on school
activities is forthcoming
November 5 – Progress Report Cards sent home
November 7 – Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
Visit our website: www.dpcdsb.org/raymo
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