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 ________________________________________________________________________________________ OUR VIRTUE FOR NOVEMBER: CONSCIENCE November 2012 A Prayer for Communities Lord, today we remember our schools,teachers, and students. Lord, in some of our schools today, we are frustrated that we cannot honor you openly, in prayer, as we would like. And as you deserve. But we are thankful that there are those who continue to bring the message of your Son Jesus Christ. And they do it through their example. And they do it every day. They are our teachers. Christ came to live with us as a teacher. He encouraged us to use with his wisdom, his truth, and his endurance. He taught so that others may teach the world. And so, as it has been shown to us, may those who will influence and shape the minds of our youth, may they be ever mindful of the greatest Teacher of all. Lord, we pray that you will grant our educators wisdom as they deal with an ever-changing society. Help them to remember that every effort is an opportunity to change a life, to inspire, to energize, to bring out that special gift you have blessed to each and every one of us. Lord, we pray for the strength and endurance of our schools, teachers, and students. The road is a long one, never ending, and at times frustrating. We pray for their patience. We pray that when results are not apparent, may they be reminded that it is your time table that counts, Lord. And may they not be discouraged. And Lord, we pray a special prayer that our teachers and all of student s may know the reward of gratitude and that they may enjoy a sense of achievement in the process. A person of conscience chooses the right thing, even when it is hard A person of conscience takes time to think and pray before making decisions A person of conscience knows that their actions and decisions affect all those around them A person of conscience thinks of others before themselves School Council It is my pleasure to announce this year’s school Council. Elected members of the Council are: Mrs. L. Seville: School Council Chair/Secretary Mrs. L. Pham: Treasurer The next School Council meeting will be held Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. All parents are welcome to attend. A guest from the Mississauga Traffic Safety Council will be attending to discuss the removal of the Crossing Guard at Rathburn Road and Willowbank Trail effective December 21, 2012. REMEMBRANCE DAY Remembrance Day gives us an opportunity to pay respects to the more than 100,000 Canadians who have lost their lives in wars and peace keeping duties for Canada. Remembrance Day began after the end of the First World War which ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. On November 9th,2012. our school will honour those who have served and died in World War I, World War II, Korea and in all peace missions. A liturgical service will be held in the school gym at 10:45 a.m. Parents are welcome to join us. Homework Tips: Be a Role Model Let your child see you reading, writing, using math, and doing other things that require thought and effort. For example, during your child’s homework time, consider doing some of your own work such as paying bills, balancing a cheque book or reviewing a recipe. In this way, your child sees that the skills he or she will need as they mature. HALLOWE’EN With the approach of Halloween (Oct. 31), All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2), it is important to recognize our faith heritage in a special way, while also recognizing the aspects of fun and school spirit associated with Halloween. As a Catholic school, we will be reminding students of the origin of Halloween and the importance of remembering in our prayers the saints and martyrs honoured on All Saints’ Day. 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 prayers. On Wednesday, October 31st, our students will celebrate Hallowe’en with a dance. Grades JK to Grade 8 students are invited to celebrate Halloween by wearing costumes. Parents are asked to have their children leave all accessories at home. No toy weapons are to be brought to school. Santa is Coming! All students will have an opportunity to have their photos taken with Santa on Monday November 26, 2012. Santa will also visit classes for a period of song, stories, and laughter. Detailed information and an order form will be sent home with students. Casual Dress Down Days You may have noticed the teaching faculty of St. Vincent de Paul school dress casual on Fridays. They do this to support Share Life and United Way Charities. Valuables Students are requested not to bring valuables or items of importance to school. Heartache often follows when these items disappear. The school does not accept responsibility for the above, valuable adult time, including instruction, is often consumed assisting students to locate missing items. Personal items should be marked with your child’s name. When visiting the school please take a moment to check the Lost and Found box that is located on the first floor of the school. Missing coats, boots and lunch bags often turn up in this receptacle. Over the past year concern has arisen around the exchanging and selling of trading cards. As you are well aware, many of these cards are of considerable value and many of our children are not of a maturity level that allows them to understand their worth. With this in mind, it is school policy that these cards should not be brought to school. KISS & RIDE DRIVEWAY REMINDERS Parents are reminded that our driveway is a fire route and that it is illegal to park in the drive-through bus lane and the Kiss and Ride lane. We are requesting that you do not park in any of these lanes when you are either picking up or dropping off your child(ren). SCHOOL LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE It is a policy in the Dufferin Peel CDSB that all of its schools conduct a “Lockdown Procedure” twice a year. This will be initiated should an emergency exist on school property or in the surrounding neighbour-hood. Part of the process is to practice the “Lockdown Procedure” just as we practice our Fire Drills. We will have a Lockdown Drill with our staff and students on the morning of November 14th. If you come to the school at that time, the doors will be locked and you will not be allowed to enter the build-ing until the Lockdown drill has been completed. Students and staff have been instructed that when they hear the announcement "INITIATE LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES" over the public address system, followed by the "repeated ringing of the school bell", all staff and students will take the following action: A) all students and staff inside the building should go to the nearest room and close or lock the door; B) all students and staff once in the room must lay on the floor away from doors and windows; C) all students and staff in the room are to remain on the floor until further instructions are provided; D) all students and staff that are outside of the build-ing, are to quickly move as far away from the building as possible and remain there until further instructions are provided. Our Primary evacuation site is John Cabot Secondary School and our Secondary site is Westminster Church. The procedure will be conducted with as much sensitivity as possible in order not to cause undue concern with students. The staff and students will remain fo-cused and vigilant in following the procedures. Our second Lockdown drill will not be until the spring. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call the school. CUSTODY OF CHILDREN On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at school asking to visit their child or to take their child home after school. We are best able to serve and protect students when we are made aware of legal custody arrangements, visitation rights and other special instructions. If legal custody matters affect your family, please ensure that our office and classroom teachers are aware of any custodial arrangements that may affect your child during school hours. Intermediate Volleyball Congratulations to the Intermediate Girls’ and Boys’ Volleyball teams, who have played with heart and determination throughout the season. The season continues as we head to possible playoff games. A huge thanks to coaches Lugiewicz, Velagic, Gaglia, DeFrancesco and Sita-Sills for all their hard work both on and off the court. Cross-Country Congratulations to the St. Vincent de Paul’s cross-country running team who participated in the Mississauga East Family Meet at Centennial Park on October 23. Special congratulations to those students who also qualified to represent our school at the Board Finals at Centennial Park th on October 30 . Progress Report Cards Teachers will be sending home student Progress Reports on November 6, 2012. A reminder that a Parent Student Teacher Interview can be requested by the parent and/or the teacher. An Interview Request Form has already been sent out to each student. Open communication between home and school is very important. Although we will be reporting to you formally during the year, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions or concerns. A phone call on the onset of a concern usually resolves itself before it becomes a problem. On our part, if we have any concerns about your child, we will also contact you at the earliest opportunity. Picture Retake Day Monday November 5 has been designated as our Picture Retake Day. Student Arrival We are becoming increasingly alarmed as to the large number of students coming late to school. Research shows that arriving to school on time is crucial for children to be successful in the school programme. Arriving late means that a pupil misses a very important part of the day – the time when instructions for the day’s activities are given, discussed and instruction begins. Entering a classroom late is embarrassing for a child. It interrupts the lesson for both the teacher and the other pupils. Later, valuable time must be taken to once again explain and teach the latecomer. The habit of punctuality is one that should be established very early in a child’s school life. We ask for your cooperation in ensuring that your child arrives before 9:00 a.m. Winter Dress—It Will Soon Be Here!!!! Playing outdoors is a pleasant and healthy activity when students are dressed for the weather. For the younger students it would be helpful if parents labelled clothing with their child’s name, so that each person can easily locate her/his clothing. OUR PARISH TEAM We would like to take this opportunity to welcome back Father John Facey and the Parish team of St. Patrick’s Church. We truly appreciate all of their hard work and dedication to the entire St. Vincent de Paul Community. We look forward to their continued spiritual guidance with our staff and students. As with all faith gatherings, we always encourage you to go to Sunday Mass as a family. A reminder that weekend Mass times at St. Patricks Church are as follows; Saturdays at 5p.m. Sundays at 8:30 a.m., 10:00 am, 12:00 noon. and 7:00 p.m. St. Patrick’s Church office can be contacted at 905-2702301for more information. Thanksgiving Food Drive A huge thank you to the entire St. Vincent de Paul community for your generosity in supporting our Food Drive.This effort followed the vision of Jesus and St. Vincent de Paul of helping those less fortunate. Dates to Remember November 1 th November 5 November 6 th November 6 November 8 th November 9 th November 12 th November 14 th November 15 th November 15 th November 16 November 19-20 November 26 th November 28 th November 29 th Grades 4- 7 Public Skating Picture Retake Day Progress Reports go home School Council: 6:30 pm Interview Night Remembrance Day presentation- 10:45am Rosary Apostolate visits Lockdown Practice Rehearsal Grades 4- 7 Public Skating Youth Ambassadors go to Cristo Rei Church P.D. Day for Evaluation of Pupil Progress Police Presentations- details to follow Santa Photos Grades 4- 7 Public Skating Grades 7-8 Homework Help Presentations