The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
November
2011
St. Raymond School
5735 Whitehorn Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 6X3
Telephone: 905 286-1010
Fax: 905 286-0712
Principal: W. Schuster
Vice Principal: M. D’Alessandro
Principal’s Message:
All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1, reminds
our community of those men and women who have
lived faithful lives in the Church. This day is a part of
the liturgical calendar of events, and we remember
our saints in our prayers. The historical roots of this
celebration have to do with those martyrs who died
in the early Church. Later, Pope Gregory VII declared this day to be the date we remember all who
lived and died for their faith.
Head Secretary: L. Campoli
Assistant Secretary: T. Caines
Remembrance Day
On Friday, November 11th grades 5-8 students will
attend a special presentation focusing on the theme of
Remembrance Day. As stated in the principal‟s message, Grade 1-8 students will pay tribute to those
men and women of sacrifice on Remembrance Day.
Also, St. Raymond will be making a donation to the
Royal Canadian Legion to show our support for the
war veterans.
On All Souls Day, November 2, our faith remembers
all who died and we remember those with liturgies,
celebrations or prayers. Both dates remind students
of the depth of our faith and our participation in the
Catholic Church.
On November 11th, Canadians all across the country stop and remember the men, women and children who were killed in wars. There are parades
and memorial services. Everybody stands in silence
as they remember the more than 100,000 brave
Canadians who were killed. World War One Armistice was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month. That is why November 11th is called
Remembrance Day. St. Raymond School will acknowledge those who gave their lives for freedom on
Friday, November 11th with a special tribute presented by our grade 7 students beginning at 9:15
a.m. in our school gym. All are invited!
These three events help remind us as a Catholic
school system of the importance of celebration of
our faith, and prepare us for the end of the liturgical
year and the celebration of Advent, the beginning of
our new liturgical year.
W. Schuster
Principal
St. Raymond School Advent Mass
On Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 11:00
a.m., our St. Raymond School Advent Mass
will take place in our school gym. Parents,
please consider attending if your schedule
allows.
Parish Corner
St. Joseph‟s Church
5440 Durie Road
Mississauga, Ontario
905-826-2766
Pastoral Team
Fr. Marc-Andre Campbell
Assoc. Pastor Fr. Matthias Kim
Deacon Lionel Gomes
Deacon George Jurenas
Youth Minister Ana Da Costa
Dufferin - Peel CDSB
Personnel
Trustee Ward 6
Peter Ferreira
416-805-7110
Peter.Ferreira@dpcdsb.org
Director of Education
J. Kostoff
905-890-1221
Associate Director
R. Borrelli
905-890-1221
Superintendent
Cathy Saytar
905-890-1221
Bus Transportation
905-890-0614
Family Daycare
905-542-0101
Intermediate Halloween Dance
On Friday October 28, 2011 students from grades seven and eight were treated
to a Halloween inspired dance, which was their first of this new school year.
This was a great opportunity for the intermediate students to interact with their
peers in a fun, social environment. Intermediate dances are organized by the
St. Raymond Student Council and are seen as a reward for positive student
behavior, so thanks to all of the intermediate students for starting this school
year off on the right track. A special thanks goes out to the student DJ team,
consisting of George G., Jagger L., Anthony R., and Keishaun E. for doing a
great job as our DJ‟s for the dance.
Primary and Junior “Spooktacular” Movie Event
During the Terry Fox Foundation pledge drive, the students at St. Raymond
were challenged to exceed the $6000 goal, which was set for the entire school.
The incentive for doing so was that the students would be treated to a movie in
the gym. As you already know the St. Raymond community raised more then
$6500 for the Terry Fox Foundation for Cancer Research. As a result of this
achievement the Primary and Junior divisions were treated to a “Halloween”
themed movie on Monday October 31, 2011. The intermediate division was
rewarded for their part in exceeding our fundraising goal by having their Halloween dance.
Cross Country
Congratulations to the cross country runners from grades 5-8 who trained three
mornings a week at 7:45 a.m. for the past five weeks to prepare for the meet
that was held Friday, October 14th at Centennial Park. The students showed
commitment, willpower and determination in their excellent efforts running long
distances as well as up and down a huge hill. The students were exemplary in
showing sportsmanship towards their team members and all runners at the
meet. They made St. Raymond proud! Way to go running rockets! Honourable
mention goes to Gizelle H. and Marc D. who advanced to the family level meet.
Special thanks go out to the coaches, Ms. Yuzik, Mrs. McCracken, and Ms.
Barran for their commitment and support.
Co-Ed Intermediate Soccer Team
The St. Raymond Co-Ed Intermediate Soccer Team participated in the Annual
Marc Diab soccer tournament at St. Joseph Secondary School on October 12,
2011. The team consisted of Michaela, Ivana, Chelsea, Andrea, Gabby, Alexandra, Anna, Piotr, Jordan, ReShaun, George, Mark, Daniel, Steven, Elton,
Layth, and Jagger. The team made it all the way to the semi-finals where we
were challenged and defeated by All Saints School. Everyone gave it their best
and had fun!
Coach Pacheco would like to express how proud he is of the team…. GO
ROCKETS GO!
Girls Intermediate Volleyball
Congratulations to the Intermediate Girls Volleyball Team for a fun and exciting
season! The girls worked together as a team and improved with every practice
and game. The team finished the season with a 3-2 record. They showed determination and most importantly sportsmanship, making St. Raymond proud!
Way to go girls!
The following participated on this year's team:
Michaela H., Jordanna O., Trisha G., Gabriella P., Andreia L., Francesca C.,
Ivana Z., Angelica P., Veviean Y., Leisha F., Andrea P.
Special thanks to the coaches Ms. Maier and Ms. Foligno
All Star Reading
St. Raymond is once again kicking off the “All Star Reading” program. This early intervention program, as part of
balanced literacy, supports early readers as they move
into the wonderful world of literacy. Grade One and Two
students learn strategies to become more independent,
self-directed readers. It is a wonderful way to help students in the early primary grades to become more confident, successful readers. Grade Two students have been
chosen by their teachers and will be participating in the
program starting in November. Grade One students will
begin All Star Reading in March. This program depends
on parent volunteers who take on the important role of
becoming reading coaches. If you are able to offer some
time to participate in this program, please inform the
school office. Thank you to our present dedicated parent
volunteers for their ongoing support and valuable time.
Virtue of the month …
November … Conscience
10 Great Reasons to Read to a Child
Reading stimulates your child‟s imagination
Children learn lots of new words through reading
Reading builds a child‟s ability to concentrate
Children learn about the world through books
Reading builds a child‟s listening skills
Children gain awareness of letters and words
Children learn to appreciate the richness of language
Reading together brings you and your child closer
Children thrive on the positive attention at story time
You will give your child a lifelong love of books by
reading aloud regularly
Reading aloud to your child 15 minutes a day brings
all of the benefits above, as well as prepares your
child for success in school. It’s never too late to begin.
School/Home Communication
Every effort will be made to communicate information to
our school community as efficiently and effectively as
possible. A school newsletter will be sent home on a
monthly basis. Teachers will also be sending home
classroom information at least once per term. In the new
year we hope to have an outdoor sign installed at the
front of the school to assist in communicating important
school events. Also, consider visiting our always improving website at:
http://w3.dpsdsb.org/RAYMO
Further suggestions to enhance school/home communication are always welcome … please contact Mr. Schuster directly.
Virtues Awards
As sports teams/clubs and academic achievements
are recognized at various times throughout the year, it
is very important to not forget about the other very
important qualities we want students who attend St.
Raymond School to aspire to, those being qualities
that will help them in all facets of life and in relationships with others. For this reason, throughout the
school year, students displaying the qualities/characteristics of the virtue of the month will be
nominated by staff to receive recognition and a special
award (virtue bracelet) from Mr. Schuster. The virtue
of the month is displayed and described in each
monthly newsletter.
Student Council News
The St. Raymond Student Council has been busy over
the last month. From the planning and executing the
several events surrounding the Terry Fox Pledge
Drive, to their efforts in planning and preparing for the
first Intermediate Dance of this school year. The St.
Raymond school community is thankful for their efforts
and their continued commitment to making St. Raymond such a wonderful place to be apart of.
Green Corner
(A new monthly newsletter feature)
What are some of the ways you can be friendlier
to the earth?
*walk
*bring a litterless lunch*
*recycle and compost to reduce garbage
*recycle inkjet and laser toner print cartridges
*do not waste water or electricity
*practice the 4 R‟s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and
Respect
What makes a litterless lunch?
*reusable lunch container
*Litterless lunch does not mean taking your garbage home. It means not having anything in
your lunch that is garbage.”
*reusable containers for food and drink
Another benefit of your child bringing their food/
drink in resealable containers is that they can
bring home what they couldn’t finish and you
will be aware of what they are eating. Resealable containers can be purchased at grocery
stores.
*cloth napkins
*composting (fruit and vegetables)
*recycling (paper, cardboard, cans, plastic)
Lates
Parents and students are reminded that school begins at 8:30 a.m. Students who arrive after the 8:30
bell are considered LATE. Transportation issues and
inclement weather conditions are certainly taken into
consideration when determining legitimate lateness.
Students who are late for school miss valuable instructional time within the classroom. As well, students who are late arriving to school, disrupt the flow
and energy of their class. Please note, student who
arrive late 5 times or more per month will receive a
letter home to be signed and returned to the school
office. Thank you for your continued co-operation.
Absence Reporting
Thank you to all parents who continue to call our attendance line and leave messages regarding their
child‟s absence from school. This is very helpful to
Ms. Caines and Mrs. Campoli who need to verify
each child‟s absence from St. Raymond on a daily
basis.
Primary Christmas Concert
Once again, our primary students are planning to
present a Christmas concert prior to the Christmas holidays.
A more detailed invitation will be sent home in
December outlining all special events planned
prior to Christmas.
Christmas Charity Support
This Christmas season, St. Raymond is planning
to support and organize Christmas Hampers and
our Angel Tree gift giving program targeting needy
families in our own school and the St. Joseph Parish community. More specific information regarding these projects will be forthcoming in December.
LION Program
The Learning In Our Neighbourhood Program
takes place each Wednesday at St. Raymond
School. There is a morning and afternoon session
that have been well received by the community.
Preschool children and their caregivers will experience play based programs with a focus on language, literacy and numeracy. Parents will learn
about early childhood development while socializing and listening to guest speakers. For information call:
L.I.O.N. 647-929-5466
Goodbye and Thanks
Thanks and best wishes to Ms. Foligno for her
efforts in grade 5 and with our girls intermediate
volleyball team. Mrs. Corvese-Abdou returns from
her maternity leave on Tuesday, November 22,
2011 …. Welcome back!
School Safety
St. Raymond school takes pride in keeping safety standards paramount. This includes the outdoor supervision
times of our students. We discourage anyone, other
than school staff, to be on the play yard during the
school day, beginning at 8:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please
remember this is to keep all students as safe as possible. We would like to thank all parents/guardians who
make the effort on a daily basis to walk around the
school to take children to different areas of the school
yard, who remain behind the chain fenced areas, and for
keeping clear the passage ways/gated areas through
which the students enter and exit. Your support in these
matters helps with the active supervision of all students.
Whitehorn Public School Has a Concern
We have always had a very friendly, cooperative relationship with our neighbouring school Whitehorn Public School. Recently, Whitehorn School has informed
us that some parents of St. Raymond School have
been parking in the Whitehorn School parking lot during the day (primarily at 3:00 p.m.) - this is causing
safety issues/concerns at Whitehorn. We ask that
parents please refrain from parking in the Whitehorn
parking lot and to park along Whitehorn Avenue to
pick up their children. Thank you.
Walk to School
Thank you to all students who continue to participate in
the Walk to School initiative. The Program will run until
December 2, 2011. Keep walking and filling out your
Walk to School cards and don‟t forget to enter your completed cards in our draw for great prizes.
Breakfast for Kids
Kiss and Ride Update
School site safety is a major concern here at St. Raymond School. The primary concern is vehicle congestion as parents attempt to part as close to the
school as possible. This creates a serious concern
for the students of St. Raymond School as parents
stop and park their cars within prohibited areas (Kiss
and Ride Lane). When vehicles with no driver sit in
the Kiss and Ride Lane they are obstructing traffic
on the school driveway and fire routes. The success
of the Kiss and Ride program depends on you. St.
Raymond school is asking parents, guardians, members of our community, staff and students to use the
Kiss and Ride Lane responsibly. Thank you.
6465 Erin Mills Parkway (905) 817-1644
Thank you to Dennis and Cristine’s No
Frills for donating food and other items to
our Breakfast for Kids program.
Fund Raising for 2011-2012
More information regarding this year‟s school fundraising project will be forthcoming in the new year.
Traffic Enforcement
Recently, city parking authorities have been ticketing
cars parked and left unattended in the school driveway at various times of the school day ($100 fine…
ouch!) If using the Kiss „n Ride or picking up/
dropping off your child(ren) early, never leave your
car unattended as the driveway is a designated fire
route.