St. Vincent de Paul School
665 Willowbank Trail Mississauga, Ontario L4W 3L6
Tel: (905) 848- 5397 Fax: (905) 848-0738
Principal: Mr. Tony McLoughlin
Secretary: Ms. Susan Ferenc
Trustee: Mr. Mario Pascucci (905) 302-3096
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Fax: 905-890-0888
OfficeTelephone:
905-890-0708 ext. 21061
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
www.TrusteePascucci.ca
Pastor: Fr. John Facey (905) 270-2301
Superintendent: Mr. C. Blanchard (905) 890-1221
May 2013
A Spring Prayer
There is real wisdom, Lord, in the
adage
'It is always Springtime in the heart
that loves God.'
Springtime is a season of optimism
and hope
and the Christian lives a faith centred
on hope.
Winter, with its cold and dark days has gone
just as Good Friday has passed to Easter and
beyond.
We live a resurrection life
reflected in the new life springing up around us.
Thank you, Lord for the hope that you bring
the renewal that you bring
both to this world and to our hearts and lives.
May is the Virtue of Acceptance.
“ God wants us to make friends with everyone
no matter how different they may look or
act.”
An accepting person is…
 Willing to treat everybody as a
member of a group
 Non-judgmental
 Welcoming to those different than
himself/herself
 Loving and happy with who he/she is
EQAO Testing for Grades 3 & 6
Grade 3 and 6 students will
participate in the Provincial
Education, Quality and
Accountability Office testing. The
students will be tested between the confirmed
dates of May 27 to June 7, 2013.
EQAO Website
If parents would like to have their children
practice EQAO questions prior to the test at home,
they may go to www.eqao.ca click English, then
click parent information. There are assessments
available from previous years as well as the
exemplars for marking. You will see the level 1
(code 10) to level 4 (code 40) answers provided for
many of the short answer questions in the
exemplars which refer to the assessments
provided.
Please note: Attendance is very important
during the testing, and we ask that parents
make every effort to have students at school,
on time, for the testing dates.
Speech Competitions
Way to go all of our students who will
be participating in our Junior and
Intermediate Speech Competitions.
Most of the students conquered their
nerves and presented extremely well in
front of their classroom peers in the
classroom portion. Now parents are
welcome to come to our school to see the
culmination of student and staff efforts with our
Junior and Intermediate School Speech Finals on
Thursday May 9 at 1:00p.m.
Warm Weather Dress Code and Sun
Protection
With warm weather arriving, it is
important to review the dress code
and appropriate dress for the
school day. At all times clothing
should be comfortable, tasteful and
appropriate to our Catholic school environment.
Specifically not allowed are: bandanas, string tops,
tube tops, halter tops or anything that exposes a
bare midriff and/or undergarments, skin tight
clothing, spandex shorts or pants, sheer materials,
cut-off shorts, torn or ragged clothing and pants
that sag below the waist.
Protective measures such as hats and sunglasses
are strongly encouraged for protection against
harmful UV rays. Students are reminded that
hats need to be removed upon entering the
building. Bottles for water are allowed in the
classrooms only, not outside in the school yard.
Students who come to school in
unacceptable attire may be asked to
phone their parents to arrange for a
change of clothing to be brought to
the school and/or spend time in the
office.
Medication for Students
Due to safety issues and concerns,
medication must not be sent to the
school for students. We ask that
when possible, the medication be
taken at home during lunch hour if you
are at home, or a schedule is arranged for the
medication to be taken at home just prior to
school or right after school.
If a student requires medication daily or for a
short period of time, Form GF035 must be
completed by the attending physician and signed
by the parents requesting storage of medication
in the school. A copy of this form is available at
the office. We ask parents to not send medication
with their children in their lunch bags.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
There are many things a parent can do at home to
support their children’s learning and to develop a
positive attitude toward school:
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Are you Planning to Move?
We are in the process of
planning staffing and
organizing classes for the
2013-2014 school year. If
you
are planning on moving out of St.
Vincent de Paul School area, please call the office
to make arrangements for a student transfer form
to be prepared and sent home. The transfer form
will serve as an introduction to your new school
and will enable the school to request student
records from us. If your children are remaining at
St. Vincent de Paul School, but you are simply
changing address or babysitters’ please call the
office with up to date information.
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Talk with your child about school, their
friends, and every day events.
Read everyday with your child and/or
encourage them to read for fun. Discuss what
they have read.
Monitor your child’s television viewing and
talk with them about the programs they
watch.
Supervise homework, making sure your child
has a place to work, a set homework time, and
that their assignments are completed.
Encourage your child to write.
Encourage exercise and good nutrition.
Provide learning experiences outside of
school. For example, visit the library,
museums, zoo, and historical sites.
Communicate that education is important and
encourage your child to do well.
Promote good discipline. Children don’t know
intuitively how to behave; parents must teach
them.
Welcome to Kindergarten!!!
Open House for all new
parents and their
Kindergarten children new to
St. Vincent de Paul School are
to attend an information and
learning session on the evening of Thursday
May 30, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. This interactive
session will allow your child to meet their
teachers, new friends and briefly do some
academic Kindergarten activities.
Grade 8 Graduation: Planning May 21
A Graduation Planning Meeting will take place on
May 21 at 3:30 if you would like to help with
Graduation preparations. Plans are already
underway for our Grade 8 Graduation.Formal
activities will take place on Tuesday June 18 at
7pm in the school gym. The children will, as
tradition dictates, go off-site to have their luncheon
and dance on Wednesday June 19 from 10:304:00 p.m. Thank you also to our School Council for
helping with refreshments, awards, etc.
Hold and Secure Drill
A reminder that Board policy directs that schools
conduct a practice of “Hold and Secure”
procedures at least twice a year. This procedure is
initiated should an emergency exit on school
property or in the surrounding neighbourhood. All
exterior doors are locked and only the police are
allowed entrance into the school. Students and
staff have been trained on hold and secure
procedures. During the month of May, we will
again be practicing the procedures at school.
Valuables at School
Just a reminder that students are
not to bring valuables or items of
importance to school. This
includes CDs, CD players, iPods,
MP3 players, Game Boys, Cell
Phones, expensive sports equipment, etc. We
cannot assume responsibility for lost or damaged
valuables.
Catholic Education Week
May 5- May 10, 2013 is Catholic
Education Week. The theme this
year is ―Growing Together in
Faith‖. Teachers will be sending
notices home of the specific times and
themes of activities that parents can observe or
actively participate.
Catholic Education Week 2013 begins on a
Sunday to highlight the partnership that remains
the foundation of Catholic education. We
particularly want to underline the relationship of
Catholic schools with the broader Church
community, especially within the parish that
remains the centre of the worshipping faith
community.Every year, the Ontario Catholic
School Trustees’ Association provides our Catholic
schools with a resource kit to help students
prepare for Catholic Education Week. We invite
all members of our community to participate in
the activities at our school that will mark the
celebration of Catholic Education Week 2013.
Indoor shoes
Here is a list of some of the activities taking place
at St. Vincent de Paul during Catholic Education
Week:
To keep our hallways,
classrooms and gym clean
and safe, please ensure that
your child has a pair of
shoes to wear inside the school. Children may
not wear outside shoes and/or boots in their
classrooms. Many students come in from recess
breaks with muddy and dirty shoes. For safety
and hygiene, they are required to change their
shoes when entering their classrooms. Please
Running shoes with non-marking soles are
required for participation in the physical
education programme.
May 6- Trias’ sing the Blues in French:2:45 pm
May 7- Crowning of Mary—9:30am for Primary
Crowning of Mary- 11am for
Jr./Intermediate Scientists in the School1pm for Grade 8
May8- Share Life Toonie 2 Ball—details to follow
May 9- Grade 1 Community Day-9:30am/1:30pm
Grade 2- Trip Around the WorldGrade4-8- Speech Festival- 1pm
May 10- JK/SK-- Celebration of God’s Creation
9:30am
May 10- Krol’s sing the Blues in French:1:00 pm
Elementary Summer School
Gr. 7 and 8 students: Remedial Literacy and
Numeracy starts Tuesday July 2 to Friday July 19,
2013 from 8:30 am to
12:30 am. Students are recommended by the
Principal and classroom teacher. Busing is
provided at the home school pick up points.
Deadline for applications is May 24, 2013. The
Elementary Summer School for St. Vincent de
Paul is St. Pio School located at 4765 Huron
Heights in Mississauga.
Students Riding Bicycles
As the warmer weather approaches, some
students will be choosing to ride their
bikes to school. Please keep in mind
that students ride their bikes to school at their
own risk. St. Vincent de Paul School cannot be
responsible for any lost or damaged bicycles.
Students are to get off their bicycles when on
school property and then lock their bicycles. They
may bring in their helmet to inside the school
during regular class entrances.
Summer Literacy Camp
This program is offered to SK to grade 6 students
starting Monday July 8 to Friday July 26, 2013.
You may choose a two week or four week program.
There is a fee for this program. This half day
program runs from 9 - 12 am. Transportation is
not provided. Deadline for applications is June 3,
2013 and students must be recommended by their
teacher. The home school for St. Vincent de Paul
would be Father Daniel Zanon School located at
450 Hillcrest Avenue Bough Beeches Blvd. in
Mississauga.
Flexible Boundary Policy
Some students attend our school under the
Flexible Boundary Policy. This offers convenience
for many parents as they access daycare in the
area. Parents who have requested flexible
boundary admittance for their children must be
aware that the policy will be considered on a
student- by-student basis, taking into
consideration the class size of the students who
are enrolling. Although we offer as much support
as possible for our students, please understand
that availability of the flexible boundary policy
should not negatively impact on the school
resources. As previously stated in the April 2012
Newsletter: If you would like to continue to be
granted permission under this procedure for
the 2013- 2014 school year, the request was
supposed to be in by April 30, 2013. Please get
your Flexible Boundary Request letters in as
soon as possible!!!
Modified School Year Calendar
The calendar for the 2013-2014 school year has
been approved. School will begin for students, as
usual, on the September 3rd Tuesday after Labour
Day. September 13th has been designated as
Ministry of Education Professional Development
Day to deal with topics of Student Enrolment,
Adult Faith Development and Special Education.
There is no school for children on this day.
There is no change to the normal two week
Christmas Break commencing on December 23,
2013.The calendar can be found on the DufferinPeel website at www.dpcdsb.org.
Holiday Homework.
Homework is generally work not completed in
class. Often when families take holidays other
than during the regularly scheduled holiday times,
parents request the work which would cover the
material being missed. We recommend having
students read material related to what they will
see and write a journal about their activities.
If a student is having difficulty demonstrating the
expectations of the grade level, parents may want
to be cautious of how much school time is missed
and the possible effect on the academic success of
their children.
IMPORTANT DATES
May 13 nd – PA Day
May 15th – Diversity Conference at Philip Pocock
May 21st – Toronto Argos Spirit Presentation
May 21st- Graduation Planning Meeting- 3:30pm
May 24th – Jr./Intermediate Faith Symposiumdetails to follow
May 24th- Intermediates to Dr. Simone
May 27th- EQAO begins
May 30th – Welcome to Kindergarten—6:30 p.m.
June 3rd- Sacramental Celebrations—Grade 2 and
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