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St. Valent
September 2012
Inside this issue:
Staffing Information
Food Information/Snacks
Student Safety
Student Insurance—Trustee Message
A Prayer for Our School
Kiss N’ Ride—School Hours
Absences—Are You Ticked?
Lord, encircle our school and keep these good things within:
Eagerness to learn; Flowering of talents; A sense of wonder; Enjoyment of sport;
Student Information/Medication
Lunch Hour Routines
Experience of beauty; Warmth of friendship; The art of listening; Respect for all;
Transportation
Service of others; Teamwork between children and
adults;
St. Valentine Catholic School
5610 Heatherleigh Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario
L5V 2V7
Care for the planet; Reverence for life; Fitness of
body, mind and spirit;
Eagerness to read, write and do math;
Brenda LeClair,
Principal
Love for all God has granted.
Franca Dodgson,
Secretary
Amen
Monica Tadros,
Assistant Secretary
Welcome Back!
The staff at St. Valentine Catholic School extend a very warm welcome to all the new families and to
those returning to St. Valentine this year. We trust that over the summer you had the opportunity to
rest, relax and to enjoy peaceful times with family and friends.
Once again we extend a special welcome to our Junior Kindergarten students who begin school for
the first time and to all the new families joining our Catholic community. We welcome back Mme. Ali,
Mrs. Kulik-Oliveira, Mrs. Markovic, Mrs. Mercer and Ms. Ruske. We also welcome Ms. Caputi,
Ms. Frackowiak (for Mrs. Dorscht), Mrs. Zejmo (for Mrs. Karim), Mrs. MacIntosh, Mrs. Sanguigni
(for Mrs. Mancuso), and Mr. Istaifan (for Mrs. Lutes).
This week we begin a new academic year full of ambition and hope. As we begin our new year, let us
be reminded that God gives us each day as a gift…and He encourages us to untie the ribbons.
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Learning
Loving
Cathy Saytar,
Superintendent of Schools
905 890 0708
Peter Ferreira,
Trustee - Ward 6
416 805 7110
Judy Borges,
School Council Chair
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
Pastor
St. Francis Xavier Church
905 890 5290
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 2
Very Important Classroom Information
Below is our current school organization for opening day, September 4, 2012. This organization is based on projected enrolment established through the School Board. This year, through provincial funding, the government is capping primary classes
(JK—3) at 20 students per class and junior (4 –6 ) classes at an average of 25. Schools must be accountable to this guideline.
It is understood that this Ministry initiative will result in more combined grade classes, with a reduced student-teacher ratio.
Based on enrolments within our boundaries during the first and second weeks of September, we may need to reorganize the
classes as you see them below. Therefore, please note that your child’s class is not final until after reorganization occurs. If
reorganization is necessary, it will take place during the Professional Activity Day scheduled for September 14, 2012. If your
child’s placement or teacher changes, you will be notified as soon as the information is available.
JK/SK —S. Diana, L. Lang, C. Fernandes;
Grade 1—3: M. Zejmo, L. Kulik-Oliveira, L. Almeida-Mejia, T. Markovic, S. DiBiase
Grade 3/4:E. Kogut
Grade 4-6: A. Duffy, K. Boone, J. Ruske, J. Dutra, C. Marino
Grade 7-8: D. Fendley, A. Sanguigni, P. Frackowiak
FSL: L. Rundsztuk, R. Ali
Resource Teachers: J. Webster, C. Mercer, K. Morris
ESL: K. Morris, L. Rundsztuk
Planning Time: S. Brown, D. Chiola-Nakai, C. Mercer
Library: D. Chiola-Nakai
ERW—R. Beadle, G. Glsuszczyk, K. Hudec, M. Istaifan
DECE—C. MacIntosh, V. Correia, C. Caputi
Secretary: F. Dodgson; Assistant Secretary—M. Tadros
Custodians: A. Quinsay (Head), T. Quinsay, H. Buenafe (Night); Cleaner: E. Buenafe
Principal: B. LeClair
The outstanding members at St. Valentine Catholic School look forward to working in partnership with parents and the St.
Francis Xavier Parish Team to provide an excellent Catholic education for all of our children.
Anaphylactic Shock—Classroom Snacks
We felt that all parents would like to be
aware that there are several students in
day, if you would like to send something,
Law”, we are no
is a medical condition that can result in
longer permitted to
death within minutes of exposure. Al-
with your child’s lunch that are free from
tion. To acknowledge your child’s birth-
part of “Sabrina’s
food allergy to peanuts and nuts. This
child’s class directly, please send foods
they can bring for their own consump-
Further to this, as
our school with a severe life-threatening
though this may or may not affect your
teachers will advise students what foods
nuts /nut products.
allow treats for
cial occasions (Halloween, Christmas)
Loving
treasures” that are not edible would be
appropriate. Thank you for your con-
sharing with other students. On spe-
Learning
items such as pencils or “dollar store
sideration and co-operation in making
our classrooms safer for students.
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 3
School Safety—Reminder
Parents are welcomed to the school
tion to student programming. Since the
throughout the year, however, for the
hallways are busy during pick up times,
safety of all children, parents and visitors
siblings and parents are asked to arrange
must use only the front door for entry and
with your child, a meeting place outside of
must sign in at the office and receive a
the school. Messages and deliveries
visitor’s sticker each and every time you
(keys, lunches, etc.) are handled through
visit the building. Visitors are not entitled
the office. Please remember: to most
to go to the classrooms as this is a disrup-
students in the school, you are a stranger.
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Student Insurance Coverage
As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of ance coverage. Enrolment is required in writEducation, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
ing—there are two options for enrolment:
School Board annually provides parents with informa-
1)
tion about cost-effective student accident insurance
by school and mail it in;
coverage via student courier. Although enrolment is
2)
Complete the traditional form sent home
Photocopy the form and fax it to Reliable
voluntary, the board encourages parents to take advan- Life at 1-905-522-7211 or 1-800-463tage of the inexpensive insurance coverage, especially if KIDS (5437).
their child/children participate in sports, excursions/
Parents alone have the right to insure their
field trips, or, if the parents do not have dental insur-
children.
Message from Peter Ferreira, Trustee—Ward 6
As your Trustee, it gives me much pleasure to welcome back all
the result of the mutual support and respect we as parents and
students, staff and parents to another year at St. Valentine
educators show one another. It is very important that the positive
School. A special welcome to those who are new to our school com-
relationships of the past continue throughout the upcoming year.
munity, may it be all that you expect from a Catholic school. The
As our students mature, we are reminded that their beliefs, ideals
Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board is a vibrant part of this com-
and sense of responsibility, friendship and family are constantly
munity and of our parishes, and the preferred choice for parents
challenged. The common language and support we share as role
and supporters of Catholic education in our region.
models in their lives will influence their values.
We continue to be a Board that our community can be proud of, as
Our school community is strengthened through our partnerships,
our successes mount and our leadership in provincial initiatives con-
none being more important than our parish team and our School
tinues to be well-recognized and emulated. Each of us contributes
Council. Our students respond respectfully and eagerly to each
to the betterment of our system and, consequently, to the
faith and school initiative; this can only be attributed to the
improvement and quality of experience for our students".
values modeled by their parents. The staff of St. Valen-
We are fortunate to welcome our returning staff mem-
tine School is committed to working with its partners to
bers. They have worked diligently over the summer
continue to support each child in their quest for knowl-
months setting up their classrooms and programming for
edge, happiness and spiritual development. Together we
the new school year. As we anticipate the successes of
are the sculptors.
the year ahead, we are reminded that each success will be
I wish you all a successful 2012-2013 school year.
Learning
Loving
Praying
Page 4
September 2012
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
9
3
4
Labour Day
First Day of
10
11
5
6
7
8
Grandparents’
School
Day
12
13
14
15
PA Day
16
17
18
19
20
Breakfast
Pizza Day
School Photos
9:30—Beginning
Begins
Pizza Day
Program begins
23
Lunch Lady
21
22
29
of Year Mass
24
25
26
27
28
HPV/MenC/
1:00—QSP
Terry Fox Run
Pizza Day
Terry Fox
Pizza Day
5:15 pm—
HepB Clinic
Assembly
Lunch Lady
(Rain date)
Barbeque and
Open House
30
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
Winnie the Pooh
Learning
Loving
Praying
Page 5
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From S
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS
It is our pleasure to invite all parents to consider being a member of our Catholic School Council. Please note that our Catholic
School Council will be comprised of parents, school faculty members (teaching and non-teaching) and an appointed parish community representative. The aim of the Catholic School Council is to support school activities and students through involvement
and fundraising. If you are interested in being a member, please visit the office to pick up a nomination form after September
12th. Forms and a brief biography must be submitted to the office no later than Friday September 21st. If an election is necessary, it will be held on Wednesday September 26th
The first Catholic School Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday October 3rd (tentative) at 7:00 p.m. in the school library.
The Catholic School Council will have a display set up in the front hall the evening of the Open House outlining their role in our
school, the events they are proposing for the school year, along with sign up lists for volunteers for these events. All parents and
guardians are invited to join them in the Catholic School Council General Meetings.
REMINDER:
If you are renewing magazines previously purchased through QSP (school fundraising) or that are on the QSP list, you can do
so online and still support St. Valentine! Simply go to www.qsp.ca and enter the school code: "18412".
THANK YOU!!
The hard working and successful members of last year’s council were:
Mrs. Borges (Chair), Mrs. Tome, Mrs. Sottile, Mrs. Balestra, Mrs. Canlas, Mrs. Kwan, Mrs. Francone, Mrs.
Pagas-Ferreira, Mrs. Allegretti-Costa, Mrs. Fredrick, Ms. Morris and Mrs. Dodgson.
We thank the council members for their contributions to the St. Valentine School community this past year!
Learning
Loving
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 6
Kiss N’ Ride
The success of this program is de-
and into the school yard. Drop off
Parents should NOT be using the
pendent upon parents, guardians,
time begins at 8:15 a.m. as yard su-
front of the school to drop off stu-
members of our community, staff
pervision begins at this time.
dents—this area is for school bus
and students becoming knowledge-
use only.
able about the program and commit-
As in previous years, we rely on vol-
ted to following the basic principles.
unteers for the success of our Kiss
Please drive to the end of the
N’ Ride program. If you are able to
Kiss’n Ride and drop off your child.
volunteer your time before the
They will then walk on the sidewalk
school day begins, please contact
and walk across the school building
the office.
School Hours
Student Absences
Our school hours have been altered slightly to allow for consistent
literacy and numeracy blocks. The change is during the lunch hour
Student safe arrival at school is paramount. If
when lunch will begin 5 minutes earlier at 11:25.
your child is absent, please call the school atten-
Please note the following:
dance line at 905 890 0909 and Press 1. This
8:00 School Office Opens
procedure helps to ensure the safe arrival of all
8:15 Supervision Begins
students. If your child is late for school, they must
8:23 Morning Bell
10:30 Recess
check into to office before
11:25 Lunch
proceeding to class.
12:25 Afternoon Bell
2:05 Recess
Children must be signed out at
3:00 Dismissal
the office by an adult.
4:00 School Office Closes
Are You Ticked?
Direction of school support has long been an issue for Catholic school boards in Ontario. The
fact is that, unless the municipality is notified, the
ernment perception of support for Catholic education.
We want to bring a greater awareness around
school support designation, for assessment pur-
this matter and in past years, have created the
address.
If you would like more information on school sup-
poses, automatically defaults to public school sup- Are You Ticked? campaign as the communication vehicle for this awareness.
port when an individual or family moves to a new
This may have an impact on students’ eligibility to port designation or would like us to help you
attend Catholic elementary schools, trustee repre- check or change your school support designasentation on school boards, and on gov-
Learning
tion to the Catholic system, please call us at
(905) 890-0708, ext. 24512
Loving
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 7
Updating Student Information — Medication
Student information forms will be
numbers. Please return the Student
the school to store and distribute your
sent home with your child during the
Information Forms promptly to the
child’s medication during the school day.
first week of school. It is very impor-
classroom teacher.
These must be completed by the parent
tant that this information be up-to-
Please contact the
date. In the event of illness or injury
office to obtain the
of your child at school, we must have
appropriate medical
current contact names and phone
forms if you require
and doctor. If your child has a sever e
medical condition or allergy, pleae meet
with school administration to provide up
to date information.
Lunch Hour Routines
If you plan to drop off your child’s lunch, please assist us in efficient distribution by reminding
your child to come to the office at lunch time. Please label the lunch bag with the child’s name
and teacher/grade. There will be a spot inside the office where you can drop the lunch.
A reminder that students who regularly stay for lunch are NOT permitted to leave school
property unless indicated by a signed and dated note from parents each time they leave
school grounds. We encourage consistency. Students either go home for lunch or stay in
school for lunch. Thank you for supporting this important safety routine. A form regarding
lunch routines will be sent home this week. Please return it to your child’s teacher promptly.
Bus Transportation
Distances:

JK – Grade 1
1.0 km

Grades 2 – 4
1.6 km

Grades 5 - 8
2.0 km
Permission to ride under this policy is provided under the following conditions:

thest away are considered first.
Safe and considerate behaviour while
travelling to and from school is an expecta-

tion. Repeated misbehaviour on the bus
Bus transportation is provided by the
Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic Separate
may result in the loss of riding privileges.
School Board only to those students who
If empty spaces on the buses permit room
live more than the distances outlined be-
for riders in addition to the designated bus
low, or more, from the school.
Bus stops are posted each year on the
front doors of the school about one week
before school starts.
tion under the Empty Seat Policy in October each year.
Learning
Loving
Empty seat riders must use an existing
stop—NO NEW stops will be added.

Empty seat requests are only valid for
the current school year and are dependent on availability and may be
students, parents may apply for permission
for their children to receive bus transporta-
The youngest students who live far-
withdrawn at any time.

Applications will be available in the
school office beginning September 20,
2012.
Praying
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 8
The Last Word
Manage Morning Mayhem—Start the day friendly, not frantic.
Your clock radio goes off at 6:30 and like a runner out of the starting block, you begin the morning rush. You shower, dress, wake the kids, get
them breakfast fix school lunches, attempt a cup of coffee, find missing homework, pack backpacks, brush a couple bedheads, double-knot your
1st grader's sneakers and dash out the door. It's downright alarming how much gets accomplished before the school bell rings. If getting to 8 a.m.
feels like an entire day's work, some simple A.M. strategies may be all that's necessary to put the "good" back in to your morning.
Lunch: While cooking dinner (or cleaning it up), for example, get a jump on the next day's lunches. Have the kids clean out their lunch boxes and
add water bottles, napkins, whole fruits like apples or oranges and other no-spoil food (boxed raisins, crackers, baggies filled with pretzels or
nuts). "Whatever you can cross off your list tonight gains you precious minutes in the morning," says Goldberg. "Remember, most leftovers put
between two pieces of bread make a delicious midday meal. Or, skip the bread and roll deli ham or turkey between cheese slices -- you can't get
much quicker and easier than that!"
Clothes: Other nighttime tasks should include readying backpacks (and your coffee pot) and selecting the next day's attire. Richmond, Virginiabased psychologist and mom of three Debbie Glasser, Ph.D., says it's easy to make wardrobe selection fun. "Show your kids how to lay clothing on the floor to look like them -- shirt on top, pants on the bottom, accessories to match and socks underneath." Peel recommends designating
an area in the closet for school clothes. "Tie a ribbon to the rod and push to one side of the closet. Explain to your child that everything to the
right of the ribbon works for school. Slow dressers are often confused about what to wear." Stacy DeBroff, mother of two and founder of
Momcentral.com, takes the guesswork out of the equation completely. "When doing laundry, I fold coordinating outfits together before I put
them away in dresser drawers."
Calendar: For children ages 7 and up, checking the family calendar should become a nightly ritual. A large, centrally located calendar is vital.
Some families code entries by assigning each family member a color. "That way it's easy for kids to distinguish their schedules from everyone
else's and it gives them a sense that we're all in this together!" says Peel, who is also the mother of three. Goldberg believes that consulting the
calendar promotes self-reliance. "When Jessica sees 'ballet' on the calendar for Thursday, she'll know to put her leotard and dance shoes in her
backpack Wednesday night," the former school librarian explains. It's a skill that truly contributes to lifelong success.
Rise to the Occasion: What's the best way to get sleepyheads out of bed? Children under 7 can't developmentally understand the concept of
time -- how to manage it comes even later -- but even 1st graders can respond to a bell, buzzer, or favorite song. Encouraging a child to wake up
on his own, without a gentle nudge from mom, can be a time-saver. But Glasser doesn't recommend alarm clocks for all children. "Some kids feel
stressed by a buzzer or bell," she warns. "Others will be eager to take on the responsibility, but talk to them about it first." Technologically savvy
preteens may enjoy the challenge of figuring out how
to set their cell phone, computer, or wristwatch to wake them. Starting the day with their favorite music may also be a draw. For super sleepyheads, be sure to put the clock, watch, or iPod across the room. This tactic forces kids to get out of bed and get moving.
Silence Stress -- Yours and Theirs: Two hours of lead time should be enough to get your family through the morning and out the door on time.
But as Glasser points out, mom sets the tone for the day, so you may want to start yours early enough to build in some solo time. "Kids respond
to our mood and stress level, so it's important to be calm and upbeat for them," she says. Her advice: "Take the time you need to get your act
together first! If the family rises at 7, wake up at 6:30. Enjoy a cup of coffee alone, meditate, pray, or shower before everyone else is awake. The
best gift you can give your child in the morning
is the feeling of being happy to start the day."
Keep it quiet: Television can really add to morning chaos as well. Forbid kids' programming before school Monday through Thursday. Leaving
the house on time can be rewarded on Friday morning with 10 minutes of TV if (and only if) everyone is completely ready to walk out the door
for school.
Easy edibles: Another effective way to end dawdling is to insist that no one arrive at the breakfast table in pajamas. Have children get completely dressed for school first. And don't even think about making anything more complicated than cereal on weekdays. For variety, serve hard
boiled eggs (made in advance, of course) and plain yogurt -- instead of milk -- with cereal. "If kids enjoy pancakes and French toast, make extra on
the weekend and freeze them. Then, pop in toaster or microwave for a quick and easy before school breakfast," says Peel.
Ann Matturro Gault
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Learning
Loving
Praying