l
a
n
r
u
o
J
e
n
i
St. Valent
Volume 2, Issue 7
March 2013
Prayer for Lent
Inside this issue:
Good and Gracious God
Planning for 2013-2014—School Bus Safety
You call your people back to You this
Anaphylaxis
Student Safety—EQAO-Late Arrivals
Lent.
Lamontagne Fundraiser
May this sacred season renew
Our desire to live fully in the promises of
Homework Help—RESPs—Math Resource
Kiss and Ride—Student Immunization
our Baptism and to love You with a whole
heart.
Wet Clothing -- March Break
Characteristics of 21st Century Learners
Through more frequent prayer,
St. Valentine Catholic School
5610 Heatherleigh Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario
L5V 2V7
Acts of charity and fasting,
May we remember that loving You and
one another is the most important thing we
can do.
In confidence, we ask these things through
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
905 890 0708
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.
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.
Karen Canlas,
School Council Chair
Msgr. Pan,
Pastor
On behalf of the entire St. Valentine staff,
Learning
Peter Ferreira,
Trustee - Ward 6
416 805 7110
As we approach Easter, let us use the period of Lent to pray for peace and harmony
Living
Franca Dodgson,
Secretary
Cathy Saytar,
Superintendent of Schools
Principal’s Message
I would like to wish all the families a holy and blessed Lenten season.
Brenda LeClair,
Principal
St. Francis Xavier Church
905 890 5290
Praying
Page 2
Volume 2, Issue 7
Planning Ahead—Class Placements
In arriving at the decision for placement of your child for the upcoming year, every consideration is given to individual needs. This decision is made in collaboration with all staff who
have been directly involved in your child‘s education this year. If you feel that there are specific needs which should be addressed in determining the placement of your child, please
send a letter addressed to the principal to advise us of your concerns. We ask for all submissions to be sent to the office no later than Friday, April 26th. Your request will be considered at our grade promotion meetings. We remind you that it would not be appropriate
to request one teacher over another as placements are subject to change. However, if there
is other information regarding your son/daughter‘s learning style, or other considerations
of which we ought to be aware, please advise us of these facts in your letter.
School Bus Safety
Ensuring student
safety is a very important goal to all those
working with students.
You are asked to review carefully the following rules for students while riding on
school buses. Students not following these
rules may lose the privilege of riding on a
school bus.
 Listen to the driver when getting on
and off the bus, especially when a road
must be crossed
 Go directly to their seat and stay
seated until they are let off the bus
 Follow all instructions from the bus
driver, especially about where they put
their belongings
 Not eat or drink, fight, swear or demon-
Students are required to:
 Be at their stop at least 5 minutes before the pick-up time
strate other types of poor behaviour
 Not open or close windows unless the
driver permits it
 Keep all belongings inside the bus
 Not damage the bus seats (students
will be held responsible)
 Respect private property while waiting
for their school bus
 Not talk to the bus driver while the bus
is in operation unless it is necessary
The conduct of individual students on the
bus directly affects their safety and that of
their classmates. At the discretion of the
principal, misconduct may result in removal
of bus privileges.
Planning for 2013 – 2014
Are you moving? To help us with our plan-
expected fluctuations in population.
ning for next September, it would be appre-
Flexible Boundary Procedures—A reminder
ciated if you could let us know now if you will
to parents/guardians of students from grades
be moving out of our school area over the
1-8 that are attending St. Valentine School
summer. If you know of any families moving
under the “Flexible Boundary” guidelines
into the area with children who plan to attend that the procedure is reviewed annually and
St. Valentine, it would be helpful if you
permission is granted under the following con-
could alert us.
ditions:
The more information we have, the better we  Transportation is your responsibility.
are able to organize staff and students for
September. In the absence of accurate
information, schools often have to reorganize classes in September due to un-
Living
The Board will not provide either transportation or additional supervision for
students admitted under this procedure.
Learning
 The students admitted under this procedure do not automatically become eligible for the secondary school serving the school. A
separate request must be made to the
secondary school principal.
If you would like to continue to be granted
permission under this procedure for the
2013-2014 school year, please submit your
request in writing by March 28, 2013.
Praying
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 3
Sabrina’s Law—Anaphylactic Students Protection Act
This law came into effect January 1, 2006. Recognizing that there are students within our school system
who are susceptible to anaphylactic reaction, a severe allergic reaction to a food, insect bite or medication,
school boards must maintain anaphylactic guidelines and procedures.
Sabrina’s Law requires that schools establish and maintain policies , including strategies to reduce risk, a
plan to communicate information about life threatening allergies and regular training for teachers and staff
in responding to anaphylactic reactions.
At St. Valentine School, we have always had the proper procedures in place and will continue to follow
Board policies and guidelines.
We ask that you help us take care of our vulnerable students by continuing to choose lunches and snacks for your children that are free
from all nut products (including Nutella) and to provide snacks that can be eaten easily by the students in class as food is no longer per-
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Student Safety
EQAO
In the interest of student safety, it is Board policy that all visitors
Administration of the Primary (Grade3) and
to the school are required to enter through the front doors and
Junior (Grade 6) Assessment of Reading,
report to the office. Before proceeding to another part of the
school, it is necessary for visitors to be cleared by office staff, sign in and pick up a visitor’s
pass. Please do not go to classrooms, unless you have reported to the office first, even if
only for a moment. If your child is late, please bring him/her to the office. We will arrange to
Writing and Mathematics, 2012—2013 will
be held May 27-June 6, 2013.
Specific dates will be forthcoming for each
get him/her to class. It will be important for everyone to follow the same procedure if it is to
grade.
be effective in helping to maintain a safe environment. Consistency is the key. Thank you
We ask that parents/guardians do not
for your cooperation with this important procedure, and for supporting the school in attempting to provide a safe environment for all. Please inform your caregiver who may be
coming to the school, of this procedure.
Safety First
sitter, please arrange for pick up at the of-
Please continue to support us by:
fice;
• Dropping off your child in kiss & ride;
book any doctor or dentist appointments
during this time to ensure that your child is
present during test taking times.
• No child will be released without parental
consent.
• Reporting to the office at all times;
• Please keep the gate to the kindergarten
• If your child is being picked up by
someone other than a parent or baby-
area closed.
A number of our students continue to arrive late daily. In
Lates
and the anthem, but they also miss valuable teaching time.
some instances, it is the same students arriving after 8:30 am
Late arrivals cause disruption to the other students and
without parental accompaniment. This is a safety concern
also to the teacher who may have already begun his/her
for us. Any student arriving after 8:30 am is considered late
lessons for the day.
and should be accompanied by an adult.
Developing good work habits and time management skills
Please make every effort to have your child/ren at school on
can maximize a child’s learning potential.
time. When a child is late, they not only miss opening prayer
Living
Let’s work together to develop these skills!
Learning
Praying
Page 4
March 2013
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
Gr 8 Confirmation
Retreat
3
10
4
5
6
7
8
Rosary
Gr 2-8
Sara Westbrook
Apostolates
Reconciliation
Presentation
9
11
12
13
14
15
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
School Chess
Chocolate
Tournament
Assembly
28
29
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Daylight Savings
Time
17
St. Patrick’s Day
24
25
Palm Sunday
Holy Week Begins
26
27
31
Easter
“What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favourite day,” said Pooh.
Winnie the Pooh
Living
Learning
Praying
30
Page 5
al
n
r
u
o
J
e
in
t
n
le
St. Va
Volume 2, Issue 7
March 2013
ST. VALENTINE SCHOOL
CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE 2013!
St. Valentine School Council asks for your support of our Lamontagne Chocolate fundraiser. This year we plan to continue supporting various school initiatives, including faith development and sacramental support, the Arts, academic programs…. As a result of your support from chocolate sales last year, the school was able to have students in grades 1-8 participate in Aussie X and all students receive virtues t-shirts! In past years we have purchased sports, gym, and playground
equipment, computers, and subsidized various excursions.
We have exciting incentives for our sellers! The three top selling families will receive:
1. $250 Gift certificate for Great Wolf Lodge
2. Space Scooter
3. Movie Pass for Family of Four
4. Limo and Mandarin Lunch for 10
An Early Bird draw will take place and the winner will receive “a year of chocolate”. Also, the first 200 cases sold will receive a flash wand.
The kickoff assembly will take place on Friday March 22nd. Chocolate will be sent home after the assembly.
We hope that—as in past years—you will be able to support our school and programs offered to enrich the educational experience of your children!
Lunch Lady
“HOT” Home style lunches
prepared fresh daily
Visit their website at www.lunchlady.ca
Our Lunch Ladies are Merri and Iis and can be emailed at
Merri@thelunchlady.ca or by phone 905 828 9919 or faxed at
905 828 6972
Living

Healthy snacks

Individually labeled lunches

Milk included

3 entrée choices each day
Learning
Praying
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 6
Homework Help
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce that once again it will be participating in the Math Homework
Help pilot project. This is the second year that the students in our Board will have access to live, interactive online math help through the
expansion of a pilot project funded by the Ministry of Education. Homework Help is free, real-time math tutoring by certified Ontario
teachers. The project’s goal remains to provide students in grades 7 to 10 with an after-hours online support in Mathematics.
Students can log in from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for 20 hours a week of individualized confidential math tutoring.
There are discussion rooms for each grade where students can join in and see what questions other students are asking, watch the tutors
draw on the whiteboard, and ask their own question for on-the-spot help.
If they can't wait until the discussion rooms open, videos of best tutorials and commonly asked questions are available
anytime. Other online math resources include math games and a virtual locker, where students can save their work.
To register for the site, visit the website www.ontario.ca/homeworkhelp. Scroll down and you will find the link to the
Homework Help Line. Students will need their OEN number to register. This number is different from their student
number, and can be obtained from their school.
Math Resource
Free Money for Your Kids
Was your child born after 2004? Is your family income less than $42,000
per year? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then your child
is entitled to receive $2,000 in FREE money provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) – Regis-
All our grades are currently using the core resource Nelson
Math textbook. Parents may find the following website helpful:
www.mathk8.nelson.com
Once in the website, choose your child’s grade level and the unit
being covered. In the Student Centre, you
tered Education Savings Plan (RESP). Eligible children will receive
will find “Try It Out” questions or you can
$500 at registration for the RESP, and an additional $100 annually
go to the Parent Centre and select “Try It
until they reach 15 years of age. No parental contribution is required.
Out for You and Your Child to Work”.
Activities can be reset so that your child
For more information visit the Peel Post-Secondary Strategy-Enrolled
can practice more than once.
by 6 at www.pcyi.org or call 905-890-9432
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest board news and information, follow us @DPCDSBSchools.
Kiss and Ride
The kiss and ride program at St. Valentine School continues
Kiss and Ride lane. This causes the driveway to become con-
The following are procedures we need all parents, guardians

to be a major concern in regards to the safety of our students.
gested.
and caregivers driving and/or picking up their children to adhere to.


Use the Kiss and Ride lane to drop off or pick up your
If you would like to walk your child to their appropriate yard,
Do not use the bus, drive through or passing lane at the
please park either in the school parking lot or on a side street.
front of the school to drop students off.

As in previous years, we rely on volunteers for the success of
Move up the driveway in the kiss and ride lane as far as
our Kiss N’ Ride program. If you are able to volunteer your
possible. Do not stop and/or get out of your car in the
Living
Monitor speed when in passing or drive through lanes.
Other cars may pull out unexpectedly as you are driving.
child.

Kindly assist us in reminding children to use the walkway
to enter upon and exit off of school property.
time before the school day begins, please contact the office.
Learning
Praying
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 7
Student Immunization
The Peel Public Health will be collecting all student immunization records from every
school in the Peel Region. A series of letters will be mailed out to parents for those that
have out-standing immunization records. If the records are not updated by a third letter,
schools will follow up with a mandatory suspension for the student until their immunization
records have been updated. Please ensure that you have met all the requirements for
your child‘s immunization records so as not to interrupt your child‘s education. Immunize
on time and report every time. Update your records online at www.immunizepeel.ca or call
Peel Public Health at 905 - 799– 7700.
Virtue for March—Kindness
This month we will celebrate the virtue of kindness. God has given us the gifts of friends and companions to
keep us company and to help us out along the way. Every person in our lives carries the Spirit of God – and
so every person is our brother or sister through Jesus Christ. As brothers and sister who share one Holy
Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be shown concern for our welfare and our feelings. We
have all been given the fruit of the Spirit called kindness. Kindness can only be seen through actions. It’s not
enough to say I will be kind or I am kind. We must show that we are kind by our words and our actions. Through
prayer and concentration, we can get better at showing kindness to everyone we meet.
REFLECTION… Who can I think of right now that would really benefit from an act of kindness?
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR MARCH
Let us now pray… for the virtue of kindness so that everyone we meet will feel like we are looking out for their
good.
AMEN
Wet Clothing
With the
long, wet
winter and
the unpredictable temperatures,
our schoolyard alternates from icy
and slippery to soggy and muddy.
When conditions become dangerous or too
wet, we close the field to student use. On
We have been encountering some issues,
March Break this year takes place March
however, with wet clothing. Often times—
11th to March 15th inclusive. We return
especially our older students—students
come to school without boots and snow-
Living
to school Monday March 18th.
pants.
We ask for your assistance in ensuring
that all students come to school with appropriate attire for the weather, including
boots, to ensure that they are comfortable
to learn when returning indoors.
Please also consider leaving a change of
clothes (or even just socks) in your child’s
most days, however, the students have access backpack. This will alleviate the office
to the field and complete paved areas.
March Break
from having to call home for a dry clothes.
Learning
As March Break approaches, we wish
everyone an enjoyable and restful week
with friends and family. If you are traveling, we wish you a safe journey!
Praying
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 8
The Last Word
21 Characteristics of 21st Century Learners
Whether you are a teacher, a parent, an aunt or an uncle, it is important to know that today’s students are wildly different in some ways, from
past generations.
21st Century learners…
1.
Want to have a say in their education. They’ll respond better when their voices are heard.
2.
Often have higher levels of digital literacy than their parents or teachers. They don’t know a world without computers.
3.
Expect transparency in their parents, teachers and mentors. They’ll see right through you. (Makes it really hard to plan a surprise birth-
day party for them!)
4.
Want you to tell them when you have messed up, apologize for it, and move on. Everyone messes up. No big deal. Just don’t try to hide
it. If you do, they are likely to post it on Facebook.
5.
Don’t care as much about having a job as they do about making a difference. The very concept of a “job” has changed so much in the
past decade, the future is about making a difference.
6.
Demand the freedom to show their wild creativity. 21st century learners balk at rote learning and memorizing. They’ll do it if you make
them, but be prepared to let them loose to be creative, too.
7.
Want to connect with others in real time on their own terms. They want their social media, their phones and their mobile technology.
They want to be connected. All the time. In a way that makes sense to them (not necessarily to you).
8.
9.
Collaborate amazingly well. They love teamwork and figuring things out with their friends.
Really can multi-task. To do other wise is… yawn! Bo-ring!
10. Appreciate a “trial and error” approach to learning new skills. Thank you, video-game industry.
11. Learn by doing. Just try making them sit down and learn from you by watching. See what happens.
12. Have a “can do” attitude. Of course, they can do it, silly! There is nothing to be afraid of.
13. Thrive in an atmosphere of controlled challenge. They must be challenged or they zone out, but they need structure, too.
14. Have multicultural awareness and appreciation. This generation is more aware of a variety cultures, countries and ways of life than any
generation before them.
15. Open to change. Really, what’s the big deal?
16. Are equal parts “consumer” and “creator”. Today’s learners download their own songs and apps from iTunes… and then they create
their own stuff and upload it to share with others.
17. Increasingly aware of the world around them. From the environment to politics, today’s learners are asking questions and demanding answers.
18. Know where to go to find information. Google was first incorporated in 1998. 21st century learners have never known a world without
Google.
19. Are better educated than any generation before them.
21st century learners really do know more than their parents (but that doesn’t
necessarily make them wiser!)
20. Expect inter-disciplinarity. It is we, the older generation, who organize topics into “subjects”. The 21st century learner understands that
subjects are inherently interconnected.
21. Know that they are the future. They look at their parents and their peers and understand that the world’s future rests in their hands.
We are on the web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/VALEN
Living
Learning
Praying
Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton