St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School
2350 Hurontario Street South
Mississauga ON, L5B 1N1
P: 905.277.2448 F: 905.277.5910
www.dpcdsb.org/siena
September 2013
Principal
G. Pedroso
Vice-Principal
R. Scicluna
Head Secretary
S. Waugh
Assistant Secretary
S. Jones
Superintendent
D. Amaral
905–890–1221
Trustee
B. Iannicca
905–890-1221
Parish
St. Catherine of Siena
2340 Hurontario St.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5B 1N1
905-272-1454
Pastors
Fr. Camillo Lando,
C.S. Pastor
Fr. Santo Cigolini,
C.S. in Residence
Fr. Mario Lorenzana,
C.S. Associate Pastor
School Council
Chair
Ms. N. Thomas-Davis
Prayer for a New School Year
Dear Lord, as we begin this new school year, we gather once again as your community of
believers. We thank you for the energy and the spirit that you renewed in us through the
summer months. We thank you for the time to enjoy our family and friends and to reflect on
what is important in our lives. Let this year be marked by enthusiasm and love so that,
with the inspiration of your Spirit, we may continue to grow in our faith. Help us
to fulfill your hope for us with honest intentions and works of faith. Let us be
gentle with ourselves and bring laughter, joy and love to others.
We ask this in your name. Amen
Principal’s Message…
On behalf of the entire school staff, I would like to welcome all students and parents back to St.
Catherine of Siena School. We also extend a special welcome to all new families and staff
members who are joining the St. Catherine of Siena school community this year.
I am very pleased and honoured to be the new principal of St. Catherine of Siena School
community. I am joined by Mr. R. Scicluna, the new Vice Principal. We both look forward to this new
professional journey here at Siena. We wish Mrs. C. Bova and Mrs. N. Resendes all the best as
they move on to serve other Catholic School communities in our school board.
We also extend a warm welcome to our newly appointed Mississauga South Family of Schools
Superintendent, Mr. D. Amaral. We look forward to working together to serve the needs of our
school community. We also offer our sincerest thanks to Mrs. C. Saytar, the outgoing Mississauga
South Family of Schools Superintendent, and wish her all the best in her retirement.
The staff has been busy making preparations to make the transition back to school as smooth as
possible. Thank you to Mrs. Waugh, Mrs. Jones and staff who have been working hard to prepare
for the school opening. We also thank the custodial staff for their hard work throughout the summer
to make our school a clean and safe environment.
Ongoing communication between the school and home is essential to supporting your child’s
progress and success. As parents/ guardians, please feel free to contact the school at any time if
you have any questions or concerns. Please get involved in your child’s education by participating in
the various activities and events or perhaps by joining our School Council. Your involvement in your
child’s education is vital.
As a community, we can be successful when all members work together to establish positive
relationships that are open, co-operative and trusting. None being more important than the working
relationships we enjoy and foster with our Parish Team, our Trustee, Bruno Iannicca and
parents/guardians in our school community. The St. Catherine of Siena staff is committed to working
with its partners to continue supporting each child in their quest for knowledge, happiness and
spiritual development.
Wishing everyone a wonderful school year!
Yours in Catholic Education,
G. Pedroso
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
1
September Virtue – FAITH
To begin the new school year, we’ll focus our
attention on the first of our virtues - Faith. Faith is the
great virtue of believing in God and trusting that God
is with us.
A faithful person believes that we are created,
guided by and destined to be reunited with God.
A faithful person believes that God’s plan for us
includes the right to be safe, especially at school.
A Faithful person…
 Prays regularly and reverently
 Learns from Scripture stories
 Honours people’s God-given names
 Assumes that there is good in everyone
 Accepts the God-given worth of themselves
and others
Please note: All Virtue information is included in
the front pages of your child’s agenda.
Parish Information:
St. Catherine of Siena
2340 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON L5B 1N1
T: 905-272-1454
E: office@stcatherine.ca
Pastoral Staff
P Fr. Camillo Lando,
Fr. Santo Cigolini,
Fr. Mario Lorenzana,
C.S. Pastor
C.S. in Residence
C.S. Associate Pastor
St. Catherine of Siena Church Mass Times:
M-F
8:00am & 7:00pm
Saturday Vigil
6:00pm
Sunday
8:30am (English) 10:00am (Italian)
Sunday
11:30am (English)
Sunday
1:00pm (English)
Sacramental Preparation
Staffing / School Organization
The beginning of each school year is always marked by
unexpected changes which require all of us to be
understanding, accommodating and flexible. The
September school organization is based on projected
enrolment prepared by the Board’s Planning
Department. Such enrolment projection determines the
number of teachers assigned to the school and
consequently, the grade and class configurations.
In the event that student enrolment falls below or above
projections, an adjustment to the number of teachers
assigned to the school follows, which may affect the
placement of your child.
Staffing and student class placements are
still tentative.
Based on increased enrolment, 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, we will work as quickly as possible to
establish new student and/or teacher assignments. We
will endeavour to keep the best interests of your child in
mind if a new class placement is required.
Special Welcome to…
A very special welcome is extended to the following new
members of our school staff: Ms. Accurso, Mrs. Bagin,
Mr. Da Costa, Mrs. Cargioli, Ms. Kalil, Mrs. McNeely,
Mr. Mintz, Ms. Rodrigues, and
Mrs. Zenga. We welcome back
Mrs. Figurniak, Ms. Leo and
Ms. Seetahal
Thank You…
A big thank you to our custodial staff: Mrs.
Paisana, Ms. Davis, and Mrs. Ferko. They
have worked very hard over the summer
and have the school looking amazing! Your
work is greatly appreciated by the students and staff.
School Hours
FIRST COMMUNION – GRADE 2 STUDENTS
An Information Meeting and Registration will be held on
Monday, Sept. 16 or Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at
the church. The Sacrament of First Communion this year
will be held Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 3 p.m.
CONFIRMATION – GRADE 8 STUDENTS
An Information Meeting and Registration will be held on
Tuesday, Sept. 17 or Monday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at
the church. If your child will be confirmed you must
attend one of these meetings. The sacrament of
Confirmation this year will be celebrated Wednesday,
May 28, 2014 at 7 p.m.
9 a.m.
11:08 – 11:23 a.m.
12:03 – 1:03 p.m.
1:03 p.m.
2:27 – 2:42 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Start Bell – school begins
Morning Recess
Lunch
Afternoon classes begin
Afternoon Recess
Dismissal
Safe School Initiatives
a) Before School Hours Supervision
For your child’s safety, we request that he/she not be on
school property until supervision begins at 8:45 a.m.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
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b) Front Door Entry
Our school will be installing a front door
speaker/buzzer/video monitoring system.
The installation of this system allows us
to enhance the safety and security of
students and staff by locking the front
doors after classes begin. This change in
access to our school requires a new
access protocol that will apply to all
visitors, including parents and guardians.
The new system will be installed and activated early
this fall.
c) Attendance and Punctuality
All students are expected to attend school regularly and
punctually. In the event that your child will be late or
absent, please call the school and follow the prompts to
leave a message. This can be done 24 hours a day.
For students who are absent and for whom a call is not
received, we will attempt to contact you.
PLEASE CALL: 905-277-2448 Press # 1
Please leave the following information:




Date of the absence
Student’s full name
Grade level and teacher
Reason for absence
All students who arrive after 9:00 a.m. or 1:03
p.m. must obtain a Late Slip.
d) KISS and RIDE
To ensure the safety of students,
please observe the
following rules:





Pull up to the front of the line before allowing
children to leave the vehicle
Have the children exit the car from the right
side only
Do not use the bus lane
Do not leave cars unattended in the driveway.
If you do park and leave your car, you will
get a ticket.
The safety of all the children is our shared
concern and priority.
e) School Driveway
We respectfully ask that drivers refrain
from stopping or parking in the drive –
thru lane in front of the school. This
area is a FIRE ROUTE and fines for a
violation are high. Stopped or parked
cars also create a safety hazard.
f) Catholic Code of Conduct
The Catholic Code of Conduct can be found in the front
of your child’s agenda. Please review this information
with your child/children. Behaviour and school
expectations will be reviewed with all students at our
assemblies today.
g) Respect for Self, Respect for Others
As a staff, we continue to work together
to provide example and consistency in
modeling Jesus’ message to our
students. We will assist and remind
students of the importance of being
respectful and working together to create a safe, caring,
inclusive community.
h) Virtues Program / Peel Bullying Prevention
A virtue is a habit or established capacity to perform
good actions according to a moral standard.
The Virtues Program and Peel Bullying Prevention is
intended to raise awareness, promote conversation and
enliven the faith of both adults and children. Together
with our Religion and Family Life Programs, and the
infusion of Gospel values across the curriculum, the
Virtues Program comprises a comprehensive strategy
that supports the goals of creating and sustaining safe,
caring, inclusive and healthy school communities.
We would appreciate your support in discussing these
virtues with your child and encouraging behaviours that
would demonstrate these virtues.
Volunteers - Criminal Reference Check
We are pleased to welcome our volunteers for another
year to supporting learning in our school. We appreciate
their commitment & support and look forward to a great
year!
The DPCDSB has implemented changes to their
Criminal Reference Check / Declaration Form
procedure. In accordance with the Safe Schools Act, all
volunteers, including those going on one day school
trips, must have a Criminal Reference Check.
Criminal Reference Checks
Anyone working in our school as a new employee or
volunteer must have a Criminal Reference Check
completed by the Peel Police. CRC are free of charge
for volunteers. Forms will be available from the office
and at the Community Information Board.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
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Peanut and Other Life Threatening
Allergies, Sabrina’s Law Anaphylaxis
Reaction
As we begin the new school year, we would like to inform you
that St. Catherine of Siena School is an allergen aware school.
There are pupils in attendance at our school who suffer from
severe and life threatening allergies to certain foods, such as
peanut and nut products. Exposure to the smallest quantities
can cause severe and life threatening reactions. Anaphylaxis is
a severe and life threatening allergic reaction. The most
common allergen triggers are food, insect stings, medications,
exercise and latex. An anaphylactic reaction involves
symptoms from two or more body systems.
We would appreciate the cooperation of
the entire school community by NOT
sending any lunches or snacks that
contain peanuts/nut products. We want
St. Catherine of Siena to be a safe
environment for all students. Thank you
for your assistance with this initiative.
If your child has been diagnosed with this allergy
and you have not notified the school, please do so
immediately. There are forms that must be
completed.
A written communication will be sent to the parents of
children notifying them of the nature of a life threatening
allergy when it is specific to their child’s classroom. Your
continued cooperation in support of our efforts to create
a safe and healthy learning environment for all is greatly
appreciated!
Please do not send birthday
snacks / cakes / treats into the
school. There are many
alternatives such as stickers
and pencils.
We appreciate the cooperation of the entire school
community. We want St. Catherine of Siena Catholic
School to be a safe environment for all students.
Medical Concerns
If your son / daughter has any medical
concerns, please ensure that you inform
the school. Information may be shared
directly with the classroom teacher /
office. If medication is required, forms
will be sent for completion by parents
and the family doctor. All information is
held in confidence.
Communication
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
at 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. Please use your child’s agenda to
maintain communication with the teacher. If you wish to
meet with a teacher please phone the school for an
appointment. Thank you!
Homework Policy
Please refer to your child’s agenda that outlines the
Board’s Homework Policy.
Lunch Policy
Please be reminded that the lunch hour is from
12:03 p.m. – 1:03 p.m. Where children stay for lunch,
they will eat with their classmates and remain on school
property.
Students eat lunch daily from 12:03 to 12:23 p.m. With
the new front door policy (locked), we encourage
students to bring their lunches with them in the morning.
If you are delivering your child’s lunch to school, please
do so between 11:30 and 11:45 a.m. When lunches are
delivered late, it reduces the amount of time that
students have to eat. Please write your child’s name on
his/her lunch bag and place it on the table in the front
foyer (this is new). Thank you for your support.
For safety reasons, if a student is
going home for lunch, a written
request signed and dated in
your child’s agenda or a
separate note from you is
required for each occurrence.
Valuables / Personal Electronic Devices
on School Property (PED Policy)
Students are requested not to
bring valuables, items of
importance or money to school.
The school does not accept
responsibility for the above. Every
effort will be made to help
students find missing items.
Personal items should be marked
with your child’s name.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
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Student Dress Code
Board Policy states that all
students are expected to dress
in clean, neat and practical
attire. Appropriate attire is the
criterion for acceptable dress
that most often reflects our
attitude toward any given situation. The expectation here
is that we avoid such recreational wear such as tank
tops, halter tops, muscle shirts, tube tops, spaghetti
straps, short shorts, cut offs, hats/headgear, wallet
chains and shirts with inappropriate logos/symbols. The
items are contrary to both the philosophy of our Catholic
schools and the standards that we set as parents and
educators.
Use of School Telephone
All students are reminded to
have sports equipment and after
school arrangements made prior
to coming to school each day.
The school phone is to be used
for emergency purposes only.
Student Accident Insurance
As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of
Education, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board annually provides parents with information about
cost effective student accident insurance coverage via
student courier. Although enrolment is voluntary, the
board encourages parents to take advantage of the
inexpensive insurance coverage, especially if their
child/children participate in sports, excursions/field trips,
or, if parents do not have dental insurance coverage.
You may purchase coverage for your child at
www.insuremykids.com or by calling toll free at 1-800463-KIDS (5437). Please direct your question to a
Reliable Life Insurance Representative
Catholic School Council
Communication between home and school is greatly
enhanced by parental involvement with the Catholic
School Council. All parents/guardians are encouraged
to come out to meetings and participate.
The aim of the Catholic School Council is to promote the
vision, values, sacramental life and Catholic practices of
the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and the
Catholic community it serves and to advise the principal
and the Board.
Catholic School Council Elections
According to Ontario Regulation 612, School Council
elections must take place within the first thirty days of
each school year.
Nomination Forms are available at the office.
All parent nominations must be submitted by
Friday, September 20, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.
We encourage all parents to consider running for School
Council. It is a great opportunity to get involved in the
school community.
Our first Catholic School Council Meeting will take place
on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
beginning with elections.
Student Information Forms
Student information sheets for each child have been
sent home in a brown envelope. All sheets should be
returned to the appropriate classroom teacher by no
later than Friday, Sept. 20. This information will help us
to update our records.
Student Verification Forms will be sent home, we ask
you to return this form as well, even those which have
correct information.
Student Agendas
Agendas will be distributed during the
first week of school. Students in Grades
1 – 8 will receive an agenda. The
student agenda is a tool for time
management, organizational skills and
home-school communication.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
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BBQ / Open House / Curriculum Night
Picture Day
Has been scheduled
for Thursday,
September 19.
We will begin with a
BBQ at 5:00 p.m.
The school photographer will be Life
Touch. Photographs of students will
take place on Wednesday,
October 16. All JK to Grade 8
students will have their picture taken
in the morning or afternoon.
More information will follow regarding ordering and
pricing.
Teachers will be their classrooms at 6:00 p.m. and will
provide information about the curriculum, home/school
communication and other items pertinent to your child’s
progress.
Professional Activity Day (P.A. Day)
Friday September 13, 2013 has been
designated as a Professional Activity Day
for teachers for faith development,
curriculum and reorganization (as needed).
There will be no classes for students.
Terry Fox Walk
If your child should happen to be absent that day, picture
retakes will take place on: Wed., November 13.
DPCDSB is now on Twitter!
For the latest board news and information, follow us
@DPCDSBSchools.
Before and After School Care
Mississauga St. Catherine of Siena YMCA Centre
Children aged 4-12 years
Mon.-Fri. 7:30-9 a.m. and 3:30-6 p.m.
Contact Information:
P: (647) 924-0240
E: StCatherineofSiena@ymcagta.org
W: www.ymcagta.org/en/families/child-careprograms/before-after-school/index.html
Dates to
Remember
The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School Terry Fox
Walk will take place on Fri., September 27, 2013.
We will walk around the school. While this event is a fun
day for students, it is also an important occasion to focus
on the ongoing efforts of many to continue the research
that leads to better treatments, a cure and to maintain
student awareness. Thank you for your support!
More information will follow.
Sept. 13
P.A. Day: Reorganization (No school)
Sept. 16 or 24
First Communion Parent Meeting at church (7 p.m.)
Sept. 17 or 23
Confirmation Parent Meeting at church (7 p.m.)
Sept. 18
Opening School Mass (9:30 a.m.)
Sept. 19
BBQ / Open House (5-7 p.m.)
Sept. 20
Virtue Assembly (Faith)
Sept. 24
Catholic School Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 27
Terry Fox Walk
Oct. 11
PA Day (No school)
Oct. 14
Thanksgiving (No school)
Oct. 16
Photo Day
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
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