St. Thomas More
Catholic School
3270 Tomken Road
Mississauga, ON., L4Y 2Y7
(905) 279-6472
Fax: (905) 279-3205
Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/TMORE
Welcome One Another As Christ Has Welcomed You, Romans 15:7
St. Thomas More Catholic School
Thanksgiving Prayer
Principal
M. Nicoletti
Vice Principal
R. Furtado
Secretarial Staff
A. Rago
L. Antilope
Superintendent
C. Blanchard
(905) 890-1221
Trustee
Mario Pascucci, Chair
Mississauga Wards 1 & 2
(905) 302-3096
(905) 890-0708 x20161
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
School Council Chair
S. Olmedo
Pastor
Rev. John Facey
St. Patrick’s Church
(905) 270-2301
Follow us on Twitter:
@DPCDSBSchools
Thank you, Father, for having created us and
given us to each other in the human family.
Thank you for being with us in all our joys
and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness,
your companionship in our loneliness.
Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow
and for the whole of our lives.
Thank you for friends, for health and for
grace. May we live this and every day
conscious of all that has been given to us.
Amen
OFFICE REMINDERS
Attendance: Please call (905) 279-6472
(press 1) to let us know your child will be late
or absent. This information is important to
the safety of your child.
Visitor’s Protocol:
In keeping with Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board Policy, all visitors to the
school must report to the office.
We are asking for your cooperation to ensure that there are
no visitors on the schoolyard other than those adults
who are staff at the school and can be identified by
wearing an orange safety vest. Parents are welcome to
wait outside fenced areas.
Appointments: Any student leaving the school during the
day due to appointments, etc., must be signed out at the
office. Please ensure that you send a note in this regard to
your child’s teacher.
Newsletter Inserts: Message from the Board,
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) Consent
Form, International Student Programs, College of
Early Childhood Educators, Homework Help, SPYG
Youth Ministry.
PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME
Start Time
9:00 a.m.
AM Recess
11:11 a.m.
Lunch
12:06 p.m.
PM Recess
2:29 p.m.
Dismissal
3:30 p.m.
BUS STUDENTS
ELIGIBILITY
DISTANCE
JK/SK-Gr. 1
Gr. 2-4
Gr. 5 - 8
1.0 KM
1.6 KM
2.0 KM
COURTESY SEATING
We have received many requests for courtesy seats. Every
effort will be made to accommodate requests on a case
We applaud students who are on time for class and ask all by case basis, in adherence to the Board’s “Courtesy Seat
students to make a concerted effort to come to school Policy.” Parents will be informed by mid October whether
in a timely manner, with all homework completed,
their child/children have been granted a courtesy seat for
ready to learn. Punctuality and preparedness are valuable the 2014-2015 school year. The expectation is that any
life skills. In the workplace deadlines must be respected.
student who has been granted permission to ride the bus,
Parents/guardians will be notified of students who are
will be taking the bus every day, not only when they
repeatedly late.
choose to do so. All students riding the bus will also be
required to have their assigned bus tag visible at all times.
FOOD REMINDERS
We thank you in advance for your co-operation regarding
We would like to remind parents that there the transportation of your child. For further inquiries,
are several students in the school with life
such as cancellations, pick/drop-off times and locations,
threatening allergies to various food prodplease visit the transportation website at:
ucts. Birthday celebrations and festivities
www.stopr.ca.
for special occasions are part of the educational experience, but we are requesting that
BUS RULES
parents not send food items and consider alternative treats

be
at
the
bus
stop at least 10 minutes ahead of
to send in to the class. Please consider stickers, loot bags
pick-up
or other non- edible products to ensure the safety of all of
 follow all directions from the driver, especially
our students.
when getting on and off the bus
Please drop lunches at the table in the hall go directly to a seat and stay seated until the
way outside the office and remind your
driver opens the door for drop-off
child that his/her lunch is being dropped
 keep all belongings inside the bus
off at the school. We will not interrupt
 sit quietly at all times
classes to notify students that their lunch has arrived.
 speak only in conversational tones
Parents are also encouraged to leave after dropping off
 no eating on the bus
their child’s lunch and not to open the door for other
 do not speak with the bus driver while the bus
parents. We are asking for your cooperation in this matter
is in operation, unless necessary
to enhance student safety and ensure that your child(ren)
will have enough time to eat their lunch.
SCENT FREE ZONE
St. Thomas More has implemented
the Dufferin-Peel initiative “WE
SHARE THE AIR.” This is a
scent awareness campaign for staff,
students and the school community,
that will help keep our students with
severe allergies and sensitivity to
scents safe in the school environment. We are asking staff, students and visitors to our
school to kindly avoid using perfumes/colognes in our
school environment.
LIBRARY NEWS
Mr. Schatz would like to thank and congratulate all of the
students, parents and staff for making the
Book Fair a great success. The school
sold over $5000 worth of Scholastic materials. All money raised from the Book
Fair will be used to purchase items for the
library. Many of the books available at the
book fair have already been purchased for the
library. Students should stop in for a chance to read what
they didn't buy.
The students at St. Thomas More School will have the
opportunity to focus on a virtue each month. We will
celebrate the virtue at the end of each month in a Liturgy.
CURRICULUM FOCUS
Congratulations to our grade 3 and grade
6 students for their excellent performance
in the June 2014 Provincial Assessment.
Here are some of the assessment highlights:
Students At/Above the Provincial Standard @ STM
Grade 3
Reading 91%
Writing 96%
Math
82%
Grade 6
Reading 93%
Writing 93%
Math
74%
Individual reports will be sent home with your child. We
also encourage parents to view the 2013-2014 School Report in more detail by visiting the following link:
http://www.eqao.com/categories/home.aspx?Lang=E
ALL STAR READING
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!
The All Star Reading Program consists
of one-on-one reading sessions to help
students meet grade level reading
benchmarks. The coaches are parent
volunteers who read to students each
week, ideally for a minimum of two
twenty-minute sessions per student. We invite any support you can provide for this program.
Please consider volunteering 1-2 hours a week to assist
with the STM All Star Reading Program. All volunteer
coaches will receive training about the program and the
different strategies that can be used by students to help
improve their reading skills.
WORLD TEACHER DAY
October 5, 2014 is World Teachers’ Day
- a day to recognize and celebrate our
teachers for their commitment and dedication to Catholic education in Dufferin
-Peel.
HOMEWORK HELP
This is an excellent resource for students in grade 7 and 8,
who may need a bit of extra help with their math homework. Please see attached flyer and visit:
Ontario.ca/HomeworkHelp
PEEL REGIONAL POLICE PROGRAMS
Neighbourhood Police Unit
Every school year, all schools are assigned
NPU officers (Neighbourhood Police
Unit). Once gain, our NPU officer is Constable Steve. His role will be to promote
positive relationships by visiting our school
regularly and to participate in our lockdown and fire
drills. Please join us in welcoming Constable Steve to St.
Thomas More Catholic Elementary School. Our first
Lockdown practice will take place on October 24th @
11:30am.
Peel Regional Police Youth Education Department
In collaboration with the Dufferin Peel Catholic District
School Board, many informative programs are offered to
positively engage and influence youth from Grades 1 to
Grade 8. Our Youth Education Officer, is Constable
David and he will be speaking to classes on March 5th,
April 23rd and May 6th 2015. We look forward to his
visits!
HOMEWORK POLICY
Following consultation with system stakeholders, a
Dufferin-Peel homework policy document (Kindergarten
to Grade 12) was adopted to foster consistency across the
board in this area.
The policy addresses the following:
 definition of homework
 characteristics of effective homework
Thank you to Mrs. Bielecka for overseeing the program.
 types of commonly assigned homework
 timing and quantity of homework
 general and specific procedures
 reporting of homework
In accordance with Board GAP policy 801, all parent vol-  roles and responsibilities of administrators, teachers,
unteers, even those attending a one-day only school trip or
students, and families.
The homework policy may be viewed in full at
event, are required to have a Criminal Reference Check
dpcdsb.org/homework A summary of the key features of
(CRC). Applications are available at the school office.
the document is available in the student agenda.
If you would like to volunteer some time to help our
young readers, please leave your name and contact information with our main office. A reminder that all volunteers require an updated CRC.
VOLUNTEER POLICY
KISS & RIDE
PICTURE DAY
Our school picture day will be held on MonOur Kiss & Ride ensures a safe
day, October 20 & Tuesday, October 21.
arrival for your child at school
Photography services are provided by Lifewhile providing the conventouch Canada.
ience of drop-off. It is open at
8:45am every morning.
The schedule is as follows:
Safety First when dropping students off at school
The safety of all children and staff must be considered as
paramount at all times when dropping students off at
school.
The number of serious incidents related to traffic circulation at the front of the school and in the Kiss & Ride area
during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal has risen.
These incidents include vehicles entering the site in the
wrong direction, parking and pulling out of no parking
zones, parking in bus lanes, to name a few.
It is imperative that all parents and guardians who drive
their children to school adhere to the traffic circulation
plan and comply with the traffic and parking signage on
the site. It is equally imperative that all drivers follow the
direction of staff managing the traffic circulation on the
school site. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation with this important matter.
KINDERGARTEN DROP-OFF
Monday:
Tuesday:
JK/SK, all grade 7s & 8s and grade 6EF
all grade 1s-6s (excluding grade 6 EF)
Retake Day – Nov. 12th
WONDERFULWEDNESDAYS
Wonderful Wednesdays are back! Every Wednesday
students can purchase healthy snacks which complies with
the Food & Beverage Policy for $1.00. Snacks include
Frozen Yogurt and various flavours of popcorn. Snacks
are nut free. Please call the office for a list of the ingredients in these snacks.
HALLOWEEN
All Saints Day, All Souls Day & Halloween
With the approach of All Saints Day, All
Souls Day and Halloween, it is important
to recognize our faith heritage in a special
way, while also recognizing the fun aspect
of Halloween and School Spirit. As a
Catholic School, we will be reminding
students of the purpose of Halloween and
the importance of remembering in our prayers the saints
and martyrs that the feast of All Saints Day honours. It is
also a time for us to remember and to pray for all of the
Faithful Departed on All Souls Day that follows. We will
celebrate both feast days with special prayer during opening exercises.
The “Blue Curb” adjacent to the Kindergarten Yard is
meant for quick drop off only. If you intend to remain
at the kindergarten gate, you must park your vehicle in a
legally designated area and walk your child to the Kindergarten Yard. When using the Kindergarten Drop-Off
zone, wait your turn in the Kiss & Ride Lane then proceed
Costumes
to the front of the designated “Blue Curb” area.
On October 31, Grade 7 & 8 students will celebrate
DO NOT PARK VERTICALLY, as this puts students’ Halloween with a dance. Grades Kindergarten to Grade 6
are invited to celebrate Halloween by wearing costumes.
safety at risk when you back out into oncoming traffic.
Parents are asked to have their children leave all accessories at home, including masks. No toy weapons are to be
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and
brought to school.
enhancing student safety.
CANADA’S ANTI-SPAM LEGISLATION
CASL prohibits the sending of electronic
communications such as electronic Newsletters. If you would like to give consent to
receiving electronic communications, please
complete the attached consent form and
return it to our main office at your earliest convenience.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
St. Thomas More will be a Polling Station on
October 27th 2014. Parents are informed that we expect
additional traffic and fewer available parking spaces in to
accommodate voters. Under the Education Act of Ontario, school boards are required to provide space in
schools for use as polling stations. The Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board supports and encourages
the use of its schools as polling stations and has issued
permits for each of the designated school sites through
the Permit Dept.
VIRTUE OF EMPATHY
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
An empathetic person…




listens when people speak
notices when someone is upset and
tries to help
can name her/his feelings
can see a situation from another person’s point of
view
accepts that others have different perspectives
Cross Country:
The Cross Country Team has started to train for the upcoming Family Cross Country Meet being held at Erindale

Park on October 22nd Approximately 80 students from
God wants us to care about everyone’s feelings. There are grades 4-8 will be competing against schools from
Mississauga East. Thank you to Mr. Grogan,
days in our lives that we may see others come to school
sad, afraid, frustrated, or even angry. To live the virtue of Ms. Pellizzari and Mrs. Giacobbe for coaching.
EMPATHY is to not judge others. Try to remember that
We wish all runners good luck!
you may not always understand what others are feeling,
but you can always be a good friend. Please join us at our
Volleyball Intramural:
Virtue Assembly on Friday, October 24th.
The Junior Intramural Volleyball League has started!
Every day at lunch, grade 5 and 6 students are invited to
9:30am JK/SK, Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4/5 class
come to the large gym and work on basic volleyball skills
10:15am Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 (excluding 4/5 class)
as well as team-building activities. The league is being faPlease join us at our Opening/Thanksgiving School Mass cilitated by grade 7 and 8 students and will be running
on Tuesday October 7th at 9:30am at St. Patrick’s Church. until Friday, October 10th. We encourage everyone to
come out and have some fun! Thank you to Ms Rampado,
Mr. Grogan, Mrs. Venditti and Mr. Fitzpatrick for supervising this activity. (Written by: Alex and Mark)
As we prepare for the coming Thanksgiving
STM Choir:
weekend, we are reminded of many of the
less fortunate in our community that go hun- The STM choir has started up for another busy year!
Mme Di Ilio and Mrs. Kolenko are very excited at the
gry on a daily basis. Our Youth Faith
Ambassadors have initiated a Food Drive for level of enthusiasm! Over 100 students have signed up to
sing at masses and concerts. Practices will usually be during Wednesday and Thursday lunch recesses.
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE Thank you to Mrs. Kolenko for organizing our choir.
SCHOOL MASS
Oct. 6 – Oct. 31, 2014. We would like
to thank everyone in advance for
your contribution to this drive.
Reminder:
School will be closed on Monday October 13th for the
Thanksgiving holiday.
Youth Faith Ambassadors (YFAs)
The St. Thomas More YFAs attended their Commissioning Mass on September 26th at Cristo Rei Parish. The
YFAs will be involved in several social justice initiatives as
well as promoting our WITS initiative throughout the
year.
WITS is a strategy that will be used by students and
school staff to support students and help them reduce
and resolve conflicts. Students use their WITS when they
remember to walk away, ignore, talk it out or seek help.
TERRY FOX
Empowering students to resolve their conflicts is an important step in conflict resolution and to follow the valSTM Loves Terry Fox! Friday, September 26 was STM’S ues that Jesus showed us on how to treat each other.
“W.I.T.S”
20th Annual Terry Fox Walk. Students walked through
(Walk Away, Ignore, Talk it Out, Seek Help)
the neighbourhood, ran around the field, and did a variety
of class activities celebrating a true Canadian hero.
Congratulations on raising $2932.45!! A special shout-out
to Ms. Sequeira's Gr. 8s for their unbelievable donation of
$740!!
OTTAWA PARENT INFO NIGHT
The Grade 8 teachers are planning a
year-end trip to Ottawa for the Grade
8 students. The trip would take place
in mid-May for three days, two nights.
This will be a wonderful opportunity
for the students to live and experience
the History/Geography/French curriculum, as well as making memories
that will last a lifetime.
There will be an important parent information session on
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 6:30pm in the small gym.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Welcome back parents! Thank you for actively participating in the school BBQ event. We had a wonderful turn
out! Our new Council is looking forward to connecting
with you and working together with teachers and administration to give our children a better education.
Volunteers are always welcome!
We are participating in the QSP Magazine fundraiser again
this year. There were assemblies on September 24th and
students were given information on the program and a
package to take home. All orders are due by
October 29th, 2014. Parents are encouraged to order
online. The login information and password are contained
in the
package received. Consider giving a magazine subscription as a Christmas gift! QSP will also honour any
magazine renewals that you may have; even if your
renewal price is less than the price in the QSP catalogue.
We thank you for your continued support.
2014-15 St. Thomas More Catholic School Council
Council Executive:
Chair:
Vice-Chair:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Parish Rep.:
OPACE Rep.:
S. Olmedo
M. Gwiazdowski
M. Kohl
T. Zappulla
T. Schmiedt
C. Farmer
Other Members: G. Barros, T. Beaudry, M.
Conte, A. V. Devotta, Farmer,
J. Hawtin, A. Kaur, R. Kochevar,
D. Moore, M. Swiezawski,
M. Thompson, T. Whelen,
Principal:
Vice-Principal:
Teacher Rep:
Non-Teaching Rep:
M. Nicoletti
R. Furtado
Mrs. Bielecka
Miss Rodriguez
Next Council Meeting: Monday, October 20th 2014
IMPORTANT DATES
October 5th
World Teacher’s Day
October 7th
Pizza Day
October 9th
5:30pm CCCSC: Family of Schools
Meeting with Superintendents,
School Administrators and Catholic
School Council Chairs at St. Francis
Xavier S.S.
October 13th
Thanksgiving—School Closed
October 14th
Pizza Day
October 15th
Ottawa Parent Info. Night
October 20th
School Photos: JK/SK, all grade
7s & 8s and grade 6EF
9:30am Intermediate Presentation
by Troy Vasiga, Professor at the
University of Waterloo's Math
Department
7:00pm Catholic School Council
Meeting
October 21st
School Photos: all grade 1s-6s
(excluding grade 6 EF)
Pizza Day
October 22nd
Family Cross Country Meet @
Erindale Park
October 24th
Virtues Assembly
9:30am JK/SK, Grades 1, 2, 3, 4
and 4/5 class
10:15am Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8
(excluding 4/5 class)
11:30am Lockdown Drill with
Constable Steve
October 27th
Municipal Elections: St. Thomas
More is a Polling Station
October 29th
QSP Magazine Fundraiser Orders
Due Today
October 28th
Pizza Day
October 31st
1:06pm Halloween
Dance (Gr.7-8s)