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PRINCIPALS
From the Office:
Administrator’s Message…
As we continue to prepare for the death and
resurrection of Jesus let us try to keep in our minds
and hearts how we continue to grow following the
teachings of Jesus.
As we approach Easter let us continue to use the
period of Lent to pray for peace and harmony in the
world. Let us pray that our students, families and
staff will be able to journey through Lent in health
and with a renewed sense of peace and faith.
events, organized by the school, that give witness to
our faith in action. It is by these very acts of
selflessness and by supporting others that we are able
to experience the full story of Jesus’ Passion and death
and the ultimate joy of the resurrection.
As we journey on toward that most glorious of feast
days within our faith, I wish you and your family all
the spiritual fulfillment and joy the season brings.
Thank you for working with all members of our
school community to support and protect the gift of
Catholic Education.
I look forward to continuing to work with you as we
strive to provide your child with a Catholic Education
steeped in the tradition of excellence that is a
Dufferin-Peel hallmark.
On behalf of the entire St. Raymond Staff, we would
like to wish all the families a holy and blessed
Lenten Season.
God Bless,
W. Brunton & T. Prugo
Sent from your Catholic School Trustee
Peter Ferreira
Dear Families:
As we continue on our journey during this Lenten
season, we are reminded of the tremendous sacrifice
endured by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the past several weeks, we have been immersed in
the true spirit of Lent through prayer and fasting and
by entering into acts of support for others. Our
students have participated in various Liturgical
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CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK THEME:
SERVING IN
THE LOVE OF CHRIST (May 5 – 9, 2014)
Plans are well underway for Catholic Education
Week which runs May 5 - May 9, 2014. This
week provides us an opportunity to reflect on
our enduring gift of Catholic Education. The
theme for Education Week this year is “Serving
in the Love of Christ”. At St. Raymond we
strive as a school community to work with you
and for you in providing excellence in Catholic
Education in our community. We will continue to
proclaim the gospel through what we do and
what we say.
This year, we will celebrate Catholic Education
Week with various activities.
On Monday, May 5th, Parents/Guardians are
invited to visit their child’s classroom(s) during
classroom activities. Visits for JK-Gr. 3 from
9:00-9:45; Gr. 4-6 from 11:0011:45; Gr. 7-8
from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
On Tuesday, May 6th, the school will participate
in the “Hats Off 2 Kidz Walkathon for Sick Kids
Hospital. Our school will walk around the
community in support of Leukemia Research for
the Sick Kids Foundation.
Students and staff will be asked to wear
baseball caps as a tribute to children who live
with leukemia and the effects of chemotherapy.
Students are invited to bring a toonie the
morning of the event to donate to Sick Kids.
Parents are welcome to join the walk.
On Wednesday, May 7th, we will be celebrating
our next Virtues Assembly followed the next
day by a special Vocations Day in which the
Intermediates will have the opportunity to listen
and pose questions to selected parents on how
they chose their occupational fields. On Friday,
May 9th, the school community will gather to
honor Mary Mother of God with a presentation
led by the Rosary of Apostolate. Parents are
welcome to attend.
Our next assembly will take place on Wednesday,
May 7th.
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS
Just a reminder as per Board policy, all school
volunteers, including parents/guardians, are
required to complete a Criminal Reference
Check (CRC) through Peel Police, in order to
attend a school trip as a volunteer. There is no
charge for a Criminal Reference Check when
you are a volunteer. Please allow up to 8 weeks
to process the CRC.
CLASS PLACEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER 2014
The staff of St. Raymond School will meet in the
near future to discuss class placements for your
child(ren) for the 2014-2015 school year.
Placements of all children are given careful
consideration. Letters will be sent home after the
Easter break to allow parents/guardians to
provide feedback. Letters will be sent home later
this month and are due to Mr. Brunton by Friday,
May 2nd.
Please remember the following: Do not make
requests for specific teachers as staffing is
always tentative and changes can take place
between the time of tentative placement and
September.
LIVING OUR FAITH VIRTUES
ASSEMBLY
Every other month, our students gather for an
assembly that will focus on the Virtue of the month.
The assemblies are led by St. Raymond’s Anti
Bullying Team and begin with a liturgy followed by a
presentation or discussion regarding an anti bullying
theme. Three students from each class are
recognized and receive an award for each of the
following categories: Award of Recognition,
Christian Living Award, and Academics Award.
Parents of the recipients are invited via a letter to
attend the assembly but all parents are welcome!
e visit our website:]
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WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN
On Wednesday, May 28th from 6:30 – 7:30
p.m., we are hosting a “Welcome to
Kindergarten” presentation for all parents and
their children registered to start Junior
Kindergarten in September 2014. Due to the
nature of the activities, we ask that only new JK
students and their parents attend. Welcome to
Kindergarten is sponsored by the “Learning
Partnership” and is supported by the DufferinPeel Catholic District School Board.
The
EQAO
(Education
Quality
and
Accountability Office) testing of our Grade 3 and
6 students will take place on selected dates from
May 26th through to June 6th. Kindly avoid
scheduling any appointments or anything
else that will take your child out of school
during the testing dates. A letter to grade 3 and
6 parents with further information will be sent
home closer to the testing dates.
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
for 2014-15
We are continuing to accept registrations for Full
Day Kindergarten for the 2014-15 school year.
The following documents will be needed when
registering: proof of age (Birth Certificate)
• an original Roman Catholic baptismal
certificate
(for
child
and/or
parent/guardian) or baptismal certificate
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
Catholic or is baptized from an Eastern
Church in full communion with the Holy
See of Rome, the parent/guardian must
bring their own baptismal certificate.
•
•
•
updated immunization records (Health
Card #)
proof of Canadian citizenship (Birth
Certificate or Passport) or Landed
Immigrant status
proof of address (any utility bill, bank
statement)
BREAKFAST FOR KIDS
Breakfast for Kids continues to be available to
students on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at
8:10 a.m. Students who wish to participate must
return the parent consent form.
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
EQAO GRADE 3 & 6 PROVINCIAL TESTING
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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
Looking for a document or the date for a
particular event,
check out our website:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/RAYMO
Parents please note yard supervision begins at
8:15 a.m. Students should not arrive before
supervision starts.
LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES
We appreciate the on-going cooperation of the
entire school community of 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.
SPRING TALENT SHOW
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The weather might not be too warm yet, but
spring is definitely in the air at St. Raymond!
Students from grades 5-8 will begin to get busy
preparing for our upcoming Spring Concert and
are very excited about having an opportunity to
display their many talents to all their parents
and friends. This year's show will be held in the
gym on Wednesday, June 18 for both the day
and evening performances. Please mark this
date on your calendar and plan to join us for this
wonderful presentation of song and dance.
SUMMER LITERACY CAMP 2013 (SK6)
Once again, the Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. will be
offering Summer Literacy Camp. This camp is
designed to reinforce literacy for students SK to
Gr. 6. Literacy camp provides a fun and
innovative environment for learners. The dates
of the camp are July 7-25. The camp is from
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There is a fee for the
camp and no transportation is provided. The
deadline for applications is June 3, 2014.
Please contact your child’s classroom teacher
for a Registration form.
Gr. 7 – 8 SUMMER SCHOOL
Once again the Ministry of Education is
providing funding for grade 7 and 8
elementary Summer School. The focus of this
program will be for those students whose
achievement of Grade 7 or 8 Language and
Mathematics expectations indicate that they are
likely to experience difficulty in achieving the
following grade’s expectations. Students MUST
take both the literacy and mathematics classes.
Student eligibility for the summer school
program will be determined by the Principal in
consultation with teachers, parents and
student.
department will be contacting parents/guardians
of children whose immunization is not up to
date.
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 using
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
HATS OFF TO SICK KIDZ WALK
On Tuesday May 6th, 2014, the school will
participate in the “Hats Off 2 Kidz” Walk to
support Sick Kids Hospital. Our school will walk
around the community, following our route for
Terry Fox, in support of Leukemia Research for
the Sick Kids Foundation. Students and staff are
invited to wear hats and blue and white as a
tribute to children who live with leukemia and the
effects of chemotherapy and are invited to bring
in a toonie. Thank you for your support!
GRADE 8 TRIP TO OTTAWA
As part of our efforts to promote and maintain a
positive Catholic climate in our schools, the
board approved a policy regarding Personal
Electronic Devises (PEDS) on school property.
In this regard, all PEDs (i.e. cell phones, pagers
and video games i.e. PSP’s, iPods, etc.) 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.
IMMUNIZATION
This is a reminder to ensure that your child’s
immunization is up to date. The health
e visit our website:]
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Plans are underway and the students and staff
are gearing up for the Grade 8 trip to Ottawa.
Parents/Guardians can expect an itinerary soon.
Students who will not participate in the trip will
be involved in exciting activities at the school
and local community.
GRADE 8 GRADUATION
The Grade 8 Graduation Luncheon & Dance will
take place on Wednesday, June 25th at Apollo
Convention Centre during the day. Parents will
be invited to attend the evening Graduation
Ceremony that will take place at 6:30 p.m. at St.
Raymond School in our gymnasium. The Grade
8 Graduation Mass will take place at St. Joseph
Parish on Tuesday, June 24th at 10:00 a.m.
Additional info will be forthcoming.
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.
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. Kindly review &
familiarize yourselves with the different traffic
signs posted near school zones.
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.
Children from Tuesday, February 18th until
Tuesday, March 4th. We would like to extend
our appreciation to the St. Raymond Community
who supported our Lenten Project.
GIRLS ON THE RUN IS HERE ONCE
AGAIN
Girls on the Run Ontario is a positive youth
development program which combines training
for a non-competitive 5K run/walk with an
interactive curriculum to develop selfrespect and
healthy lifestyles of 8-13 year old girls. The 10
week curriculum will run at St. Raymond on
Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
from April to June 2014.
The curriculum
combines training for a 5K run/walk event on
Wednesday, June 11, 2014. For more
information, please visit www.girlsontherun.ca or
contact Ms. Yuzik or Mrs. McCracken at St.
Raymond.
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.
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.
LENTEN PROJECT
The St. Raymond Student Faith Ambassadors
organized a STOMP outreach poverty drive in
support of Dr. Simone’s Canadian Food for
e visit our website:]
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LEGO CLUB
Over the past 8 weeks, on a rotating schedule, 160
primary students gathered in the library with Mrs.
Goncalves, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Kellar to participate
in St. Raymond’s first Lego Club. It was a huge
success! The students’ enthusiasm was evident in
their fantastic creations. Thank you to the parents and
the CSAC for donating Lego kits. We look forward to
continuing the Lego Club again next year.
Library Corner:
Choosing Books at the Right Reading
Levels
Books at the right reading levels make for more fun
and less frustration.
"Just-right" books help your child find the right
reading levels and make reading more fun. Have your
children try the "five-finger test" to select a book at
their reading levels:
•
Choose a book you would like to read.
•
Look at a page in the middle.
•
Put one finger down for every word you can't read
or don't understand. If you have five fingers
down, you will need to try different reading
levels.
•
If you have fewer than five fingers down, the
book is "just right"! Read it.
Your child may want to read a book that is "too hard"
based on this test. That's okay. Just make it a book
that you read aloud to her, or that you read together
(perhaps alternating pages or chapters; or she reads,
but you sit alongside to answer questions or help her
with challenging words). This will help your child
climb to more advanced reading levels! Resource:
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/
book-selection-tips/choose-books-right-readinglevels
e visit our website:]
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St. Raymond’s ECO Team
On Friday, March 28th staff and students at
St. Raymond School joined the Eco Team
in celebrating Earth Hour 2014.
After a presentation in the gym by the Eco
Team at 11a.m, staff and students returned
to their classrooms and turned off the lights
and all electronics until dismissal time (3
p.m.).
According to the Earth Hour website,
“#EarthHour 2014 has completed a record
journey across the planet, uniting people
from 162 countries and territories in more
than 7000 cities and towns. With
#YourPower, Earth Hour has become an
ongoing movement creating massive
impact around the world, so imagine what
else we can do with #SpiderMan by our
side. Go beyond the hour and be a
Superhero for the Planet. All you have to
do
is
use
your
power
at
www.earthhour.org”
The Gardening Committee on the Eco Team
will begin cleaning up the front gardens again as
soon as the weather permits and the soil thaws. If
any parents are interested in assisting the teachers
and students please leave a message for Mrs.
Goncalves in the office with your name and
number. Look for the Eco teams Earth Day
spring planting letter later this month.
School Advisory Council Corner:
Here are a few up & coming items to look forward to
at St. Raymond School.
Pizza Order Forms - Orders for April and May can
still be submitted. Order forms can be found on the
school’s website and on the community board in the
school’s foyer. Please note that during the Lenten
Season (Wednesday, March 5th to Monday, April
21st), slices of pizza will be cheese only with no
pepperoni. Pepperoni slices will resume on Tuesday,
April 22.
Popcorn/Sub Days - Please note that there will be no
Sub Days during the Lenten Season (Wednesday,
March 5th to Monday, April 21st). Sub Day will
resume on Friday, April 25th. Popcorn days for the
month of April are Friday, April 11th and Friday,
April 25thth. Order forms have been sent home and
are due back by Friday, April 4th.
Movie Night –St. Raymond Council hosted the
viewing of Frozen on Thursday, March 6, 2014,
which was a huge success. Thank you to everyone
who came out and donated non- perishable food items
which were donated to our local St. Vincent de Paul.
Blue Jay Game Day – Save the Date!!! Council has
once again scheduled a family outing to a Blue Jay
Game on Friday, June 6th. The Toronto Blue Jays
will face off against the St. Louis Cardinals. Seats
have been reserved in sections 240/241 at a cost of
$24/ticket. More details to follow.
e visit our website:]
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Fundraiser – Please watch out for more details
regarding our major fundraiser for the year. A dancea-thon will take place on Friday, May 16th. More
details to follow. Council would like to request from
parents any prize donations they can contribute. Any
donation, big or small, will be greatly appreciated.
Simply drop off your donation at the office, leaving
your name and the name of your child(ren) with your
donation.
Anti-Bullying Presentation - St. Raymond Council
is happy to announce that Q-Mack will be performing
for students in grades 4 – 8 on Thursday, May 15th
at 9:00 am. Q-Mack educates students about bullying
while entertaining them with basketball tricks. Joining QMack will be beatboxer JBox. Parents are welcome to
attend.
School Council Meeting – Our next school council
meeting is Wednesday, May 7th @ 6:30 p.m. in the
school library. Council offers free child sitting for
children 4+ during our council meetings. Just email us
an rsvp to st.raymond.sac@live.com. All are
welcome!
DR. SIMONE – CFFC – Thank you for continuing to
donate items to Dr. Simone’s foundation. We will
continue to accept donations of clothing, toys, etc.
throughout the year. During the month of April, we
will hold a drive for sewing supplies. Women in
particular use sewing skills as a source of income
which also provides them dignity and self-esteem.
Supplies of fabric, thread, embroidery material,
scissors, knitting needles, crochet hooks, wool,
buttons, zippers, patterns, etc. will be accepted and
put to good use. Please place your contribution in the
"St. Raymond's Chapel", the donation box which is
located in the school’s foyer. Thank you for your
continued support.
Parish Connection:
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.
LENTEN MASS
Our Lenten Mass will take place on Thursday,
April 10th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Parish.
All parents are welcome to attend.
GRADE 2 FIRST COMMUNION
First Communion will take place at St. Joseph
Church every Saturday at the 5:30 p.m. and
Sunday at the 9
a.m. and 12:30 p.m. mass from April 26th to
June 8th.
GRADE 8 CONFIRMATION FOR ALL
SCHOOLS
The sacrament of Confirmation will take place at
St. Joseph Church every Sunday at the 3:30
p.m. mass from May 4th to June 8th.
e visit our website:]
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FAMILY DAY BEFORE & AFTER
SCHOOL
CARE
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 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
to 6:00 p.m. Please call (905) 542-0101 for more
information.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
April
April 1-3 – Watershed on Wheels (W.O.W)
Presentations for Gr.1-8 April 10
– Lenten Mass at St. Joseph’s Parish
April 13 – Palm Sunday
April 18 – Good Friday
April 21 – Easter Monday
April 30 – Virtues Assembly
May
Catholic Education Week (5-9)
May 5 – Classroom visits by parents / guardians
May 6 – Hats Off 2 Kidz Walkathon
May 7 – Virtues Assembly
- School Advisory Council meeting at 6:30
p.m.
May 15 – Q-Mack Anti-Bullying presentation for
Gr.4-8
May 21-23 – Grade 8 OTTAWA Trip May 28 –
Welcome to Kindergarten Presentation at
6:30 p.m.
e visit our website:]
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ON THE NEXT SIX PAGESIMPORTANT INFO ON
UPCOMING SEMINARS AND
TALKS FOR PARENTS AND
UPDATES REGARDING
STUDENT TRANSPORTANTION
FOR SEPTEMBER 2014……
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