St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School
2350 Hurontario Street South
Mississauga ON, L5B 1N1
Phone: 905.277.2448 Fax: 905.277.5910
www.dpcdsb.org/siena
School Newsletter
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
January 2015
New Year’s Prayer
Dear God,
We pray that this New Year will bring us closer to You. May we take the time to get to know
You. Help us to truly celebrate the gifts you have graciously given us and use them to serve
You and spread Your word.
We know that all human relations take time if they are to grow and deepen. This is also true of
our relations with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit, which must grow over the course of our
lives.
In this new year let us realize that every action of ours no matter how great or small enables us
to be in touch with You.
Let us accept You in our lives, in the way it pleases You,
as Truth, to be spoken, as Life, to be lived,
as Light, to be lighted, as Love, to be followed,
as Joy, to be given, as Peace, to be spread about,
as Sacrifice, to be offered among our relatives, friends, neighbours and all people.
Amen.
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
Co-Chairs
Ms. Weerawarna and
Ms. Campinos
Administrator’s Message…
Welcome Back! We hope that you had a relaxing and enjoyable break and are refreshed and
ready for the challenges that lie ahead in 2015. We would like to take this opportunity to thank
all of the staff, students and parents for the enthusiasm, generosity and acts of kindness that
collectively made up many of our Advent and Christmas activities.
The month of December was another great month here at St. Catherine of Siena. Activities
included: two Virtue Assemblies on the virtue of Hope, the Miss. South Youth Faith Rally Day,
a visit to our intermediate students from motivational speaker Chris Young, an FDK Christmas
assembly, and our Nativity Play. Working together with the church, we celebrated School
Reconciliation and Advent Mass.
The month of January promises to be another busy and active month. Activities this month
include: two Virtue Assemblies on the virtue of Self-Control, Peel Police presentations, Skating
Lessons for our grades 4’s & 5’s, a trip to Country Heritage Park for the grade 3’s, Kindergarten
Registration, and an Artist in the School Presentations (Music – Fano Soro – Yamo! Yamo!).
Wishing you a very blessed January!
Yours in Catholic Education,
G. Pedroso and R. Scicluna
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
1
Virtue of the Month: Self-Control
God wants us to do what we know and feel is right.
Self-control helps us to resist the temptation to do
something that we will regret. It also helps us to resist
the temptation to do something that will harm
ourselves or others. Each time you exercise selfcontrol you grow stronger in the Lord and invite peace
to settle over life as you avoid any guilt you may feel
from having made a poor decision.
Like a city breached, without walls, is one who lacks
self-control. (Prov. 25:28)
Ontario Catholic School Graduate
Expectations
Distinctive expectations for graduates of
Catholic schools are determined and
shaped by the vision and destiny of the
human person emerging from our faith
tradition. Catholic education views human
life as an integration of body, mind, and
spirit. Rooted in this vision, Catholic
education fosters the search for knowledge as a lifelong
spiritual and academic quest.
The Graduate is expected to be:
Our Daily Prayer for January:
Let us pray for the virtue of self-control so that we will
resist the temptation to cause harm to ourselves or to
others around us. AMEN
From the perspective of the Catholic Graduate
Expectations, a person with self-control…






Has a positive, confident sense of self and others
Adapts to situations in light of the common good
Thinks reflectively to solve problems
Applies effective communication, decisionmaking, problem-solving & resource management
skills
Reflects on personal values, abilities and
aspirations
Participates in leisure and fitness activities for a
balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your
paths. -- St. Francis de Sales
Please note: All Virtue information is included in the
front pages of your child’s agenda.
1. A discerning believer formed in the Catholic Faith
community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery
of God's presence through word, sacrament, prayer,
forgiveness, reflection and moral living.
2. An effective communicator who speaks, writes and
listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in
light of gospel values.
3. A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who
solves problems and makes responsible decisions with
an informed moral conscience for the common good.
4. A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner who
develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.
5. A collaborative contributor who finds meaning,
dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of
all and contributes to the common good.
6. A caring family member who attends to family,
school, parish, and the wider community.
7. A responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic
social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the
sacredness of human life.
Siena Awards Award Winners!
Parish Information:
St. Catherine of Siena
2340 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON L5B 1N1
T: 905-272-1454
E: office@stcatherine.ca
Sacramental Preparation
FIRST COMMUNION – GRADE 2 STUDENTS
The Sacrament of First Communion this year will be held
Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 3 p.m.
CONFIRMATION – GRADE 8 STUDENTS
The sacrament of Confirmation this year will be
celebrated Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 7 p.m.
When teachers notice a
student(s) living out the
virtues, here at school, they
will give out a SIENA Award
Slip to the student(s).
> K-3: Joyaley C. (Brennan) and Brandon H. (Ferraro)
> 4-6: Julius M. (Sobala) Princess K. (Hyacienth)
> 7-8: Maria S. (De Vito) and Maura C. (Sgro)
These students have been acknowledged school wide
through a P.A. announcement and have their picture
posted on our SIENA Award / Virtue board. Teachers
focused on, although not limited to, the virtue of the
month.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
2
PA Day
Extended French Information Meeting
A reminder to all parents that Monday, January 19,
2015 will be a P.A Day for all students,
as teachers will be engaged in a
variety of Assessment and
Evaluations throughout the day.
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s),
who wish to enroll their child in
a Grade 5 Extended French
class for September 2015 are
invited to attend an
information meeting at:
Report Cards
The report card for Term 1 will be going home on
Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Interviews will take place
on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 5 and the day of
Friday, Feb. 6. Forms will be sent home soon to
schedule an interview time. Confirmation of
the interview time will be sent home with
your child’s report card. It is our hope to
see all parents during this interview cycle.
Where: St. Philip School (905‐306‐8420)
345 Fairview Road West
When: Thursday, January 15, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Kindergarten Registration (2015-16)
Family Literacy Program
> Talk. Read. Play. Sing!
Kindergarten registration for the
2015-16 school year, will be held at
all Dufferin-Peel Catholic
elementary schools on:
Mon., Jan. 26
@ 7-9 p.m.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Snow date:
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
For more information, parents/guardians should contact
the school, or visit the board website at
http://www.dpcdsb.org.
DPCDSB hosts Kindergarten Chat
Sign up to participate in an online chat about the
Kindergarten registration process and the Catholic
education your child will experience in our schools.
Dial in on January 19 or 20, 2015 @ 7:00 p.m. to
find out more about what we have planned for
your child in FDK. Board staff will be available online
to greet you and to respond to any questions you have
about the registration process or the Catholic education
your child will experience in our schools. Complete this
brief survey to let us know who you are, when you'd like
to join in and what your most pressing questions are. We
look forward to hearing from you.
Complete this brief survey
(http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/mariannemazzorato/kinderparent-chat/) to let us know who you
are, when you'd like to join in and what your most
pressing questions are.
See more at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Schools/Register+for+Scho
ol/KinderParent+Chat.htm#sthash.dHv2YYfx.dpuf
At the present time, the above mentioned school is the
designated centre for our area. The submission deadline
for completed applications is 3 p.m. on Tuesday,
February 17, 2015.
Free workshops for families offered by the Region of
Peel at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary
School.
The Family Literacy Program is for
families with children aged 0 – 6
years. Families come together for
stories, snack, and activities.
Research from the University of
Toronto has shown this program
makes an impact to a child’s Early
Literacy skills along with their family’s support.
The program will be held in the library on Wednesday
nights, beginning February 25 and ending April 29.
The program will run from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Please note
there will be no program on March 18 and April 1. All
families with children under 6 years, as well as older
children in your family, are welcome.
Please register by calling 905 791-1585, ext. 7222 or
visit our website at www.peelregion.ca and click on Child
Care. We hope to see you there.
School Council
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Communication between home and school is greatly
enhanced by parental involvement with the Catholic
School Council. 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.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
3
Inclement Weather, School Closures and
Bus Cancellations
End of the day pick-up, please keep the
Doorways clear
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption to bus transportation and regular school
operations. A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m. and
will be announced on the following radio stations:
In support of our Safe School procedures here at Siena,
we are asking the doorways at the back be kept clear
and accessible for students to make their way out to the
school yard. It is imperative that teachers are able to see
a child’s parent before allowing them to
leave (Gr. 1-3). To help with this, we ask
parents/guardians to stay well clear of
the exit doors. This is a safety concern
for our students, we want to make sure
they are not walking home alone. We ask
for your continued cooperation in this
very important safety procedure.
VIRGIN RADIO FM 99.9
CFNY FM 102.1
FM Z 103.5
CHIN FM 100.7
EZ ROCK FM 97.3
FM 93.1
CBC 99.1
FM 98.1
FM Q107
AM 640
CFRB AM 1010
AM 1540
CHUM AM 1050
CJCL AM 590
CFTR AM 680
CJBC (FR) AM86CHFI
CITYTV
CTV
GLOBAL NEWS
The message usually takes the following form, “The
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and the
Peel District School Board buses are cancelled.” This
means that buses are cancelled for the entire day.
Or, to indicate school closures, “The schools and
offices of the Peel District School Board and the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board have been
closed.” Should the announcement refer to cancellation
only in the COUNTY OF DUFFERIN, this does NOT
affect our school.
Outdoor Play
The winter season is upon us.
Please ensure that your child is
properly dressed for outdoor
play in a Canadian winter. It is
a school expectation that all
students go outside for
recess for exercise and fresh
air. If your child is unable to go
outside for recess because of
illness, please consider keeping them home until they
are feeling better. We also ask that your child have a
pair of indoor shoes for classroom use, labeled with
their name for easy identification. Many students are not
remembering to bring a separate pair of shoes, and are
tracking the mud from the field into the classrooms,
hallways and bathrooms. Your help with this is
appreciated.
We would appreciate your support in reinforcing the
school rule that all snow stays on the ground. For
everyone’s safety we do not allow snowballs,
kicking snow, or any other snow\ice activity that
could lead to potential harm or injury.
Electronic Devices/Valuables
Students are asked not to bring to
school any valuables, items of
importance, toys, or other items
valuable to them. Examples of these
items may include (but not limited to)
Game Boys, expensive sports equipment,
cell phones, MP3 players, trading cards, cameras, etc.
The school will not assume responsibility for the
care and loss of these items. Cell phones, MP3
players, Ipods, digital cameras and all PEDs are not to
be used on school property. It is against School and
Board policy to have these devices on school property or
at any school sanctioned event.
Volunteers - Criminal Reference Check
Anyone working in our school as a new
employee or volunteer must have a
Criminal Reference Check completed by
the Peel Police.
We would love volunteers to help in
the school, and especially on field trips. If you’re
interested, we recommend you get a criminal reference
check right away, as they usually take three weeks. CRC
are free of charge for volunteers. Forms are
available from the office.
Pediculosis (Head Lice)
Head lice are always present in the
community, and are not a reflection of a
child’s cleanliness. By checking your
child’s head once a week for head lice,
you will catch it early and treat it before it
has a chance to spread. If cases are found in the school,
we shall inform all parents. If your child does have head
lice, we ask you to keep them out of school until after
they have been treated and their hair is entirely clear of
both lice and nits (eggs.) Any infected student will need
to be checked before re-entry to class. A reminder to
refrain from sharing hats at any time, but especially
during the winter months.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
4
Attendance and Punctuality
Kiss ‘n’ Ride @ St. Catherine of Siena
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.
The driveway at the front of
the school is set up as our
Kiss ’n’ Ride, allowing
parents the opportunity to
drop off and pick up their children in a safe and effective
manner. To this end, the success of this requires the
mutual understanding and support of all our parents to
assure as smooth a transition as possible to the start
and end of each day.
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
If the bell has rung, all students (Gr. 1‐8) who may be late, are to go to the back of the school and join a line. If there are no students, and the doors are closed you are to come to the front of the school and obtain a Before School Hours Supervision
For your child’s safety, we request that children not be
on school property until supervision begins at 8:45 a.m.
Guidelines:

Follow the arrows on the driveway to the dropoff/pick-up area (in front on the Kindergarten yard).
Please do not use the Bus Loading zone (right next
to the sidewalk) as this area is meant for buses or
emergency vehicles.

Pull up as far as you can, it allows more cars to use
the Kiss’n’Ride.

Do Not Park or Get out of Your Vehicle in this
area, even if only for a few seconds. Parents who
wish to get out of the car are asked to park in the
designated visitor parking in the front and at the side
of the school.

Students are to exit the vehicle on the passenger
side (right side)

Once your child has left the car, please exit right
away at the south end of the school, driveway closet
to the Fire Department.

Please drive slowly and carefully in these lanes at all
times.

Please do not walk your children through the Kiss’N
Ride lanes, this can be unsafe.
Lunch Drop-Off
With the 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 the school, we will open the doors at
noon. Please do not block the
doorway, and have your child’s lunch
labeled with their name and class, and
place it on the lunch table.
T
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.
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.
The safety of all the children is our shared
concern and priority.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
5
Anaphylaxis Reaction Reminder
As there are a number of students in our school who
have a severe life threatening allergy to nuts, we ask our
families to refrain from sending to school any food, etc.
that contains nut products (i.e. peanut butter
sandwiches, snacks with nuts, etc.). While we cannot
guarantee a “Nut Free” or “Allergen Free” environment,
you can help to reduce the risk to our students by not
sending in peanuts, nuts of any kind, products containing
nuts, nut oil, or nut by-products, foods that MAY have
come in contact with nuts or nut products and fast food
or commercial snacks where the unclear (i.e. Timbits).
Thank you!
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.
Breakfast for Kids
The Breakfast Club provides
meals/snacks for any students
every morning beginning at 8 a.m.
in the school’s Breakfast Room.
All students are welcome.
Many Hands, Many Lands, One Heart, One God
6
JANUARY 2015
Sunday
Monday
5
Tuesday
6
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
7
8
9
10
15
16
17
Peel Police
Presentations
11
12
13
14
Peel Police
Presentations
Peel Police
Presentations
Virtue
Assemblies
Peel Police
Presentations
Gr4-8 @ 10 a.m.
FDK-3 @ 1:30 p.m.
18
25
Feb. 1
19
20
PD DAY
Term 2 begins
26
27
21
22
23
24
31
HPV Round 2
28
29
30
JK Registrations
(7-9 p.m.)
JK Registrations
(9-3:30)
JK Registrations
(9-3:30)
JK Registrations
(9-3:30)
Grades 4 & 5 to
Skating
Gr. 3 Trip to
Country Heritage
Park
Artists in the
School (Music)
K-5 @ 10 a.m.
6-8 @ 1:15 p.m.
Feb. 2
Feb. 3
Feb. 4
Feb. 5
Feb. 6
Grades 4 & 5 to
Skating
Reports Home
Virtue
Assemblies
Interview Night
Gr.4-8 School
Gr4-8 @ 10 a.m.
FDK-3 @ 1:30 p.m.
National Sweater
Day
PD DAY
Report to
Parents
Speech
Competition
Feb. 7
Volume 4
Web Resources:
Primary:
Measurement
Clifford Big Red Dog Measuring Up
People with measurement sense have an
understanding of the “howmuchness” of different
standard units. (A Guide to Effective Instruction in
Mathematics, K-3, Measurement)
http://pbskids.org/games/math.html
Junior:
Units of Measure
www.onlinemathlearning.com
Family Math Activities
Grades K-2
 Compare large cans with small cans and large boxes with small boxes. Which one
is big? Which one is small? How do you know?
 Talk about heavy versus light items in a grocery store
 Find the shortest and longest line in a grocery store
 Estimate the number of footsteps between two trees on your walk
 Keep a record of the daily temperature outside and your child’s outdoor
activities. After a few weeks, ask your child to look at the record and see how
the temperature affected his or her activities
Grades 3-6
 Have your child use a measuring tape or ruler to measure the dimensions of
various household items (e.g. food containers). Encourage your child to estimate
the dimensions before measuring
 Discuss how far a kilometer is
 Walk a kilometer together – estimate the distance between two objects while on
your walk

Grades
7 and 8
Measurement Game Show
www.resources.elearningontario.ca (OERB)
Ontario Education Resource Bank:
user id “dpcdsbstudent”
Password “oerbs”
Elementary Program Team 2012 2015
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a
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Tue
Peel Regional Police
–
0
2
.
JA N . 1 0
FEB
LIMITED SEATING
REGISTER TODAY
TUESDAY EVENINGS
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
EMIL V. KOLB CENTRE
FOR POLICE EXCELLENCE
COMMUNITY ROOM
180 Derry Road East
Mississauga
905-453-2121
ext .
4021
REGISTER ON-LINE
www.peelpolice.ca
select
Crime Prevention • Academies & Seminars
Cyber Academy
* All 4 sessions MUST be attended
to receive certificate
P
CYBER Academy
eel Regional Police have developed a breakthrough concept in crime prevention, the CYBER Academy. The crime
prevention experts at Peel Regional Police have designed a certificate program* that will help keep you, your children
and families safe while using the Internet. During this course, you will learn the basics of:
JANUARY 20
JANUARY 27
FEBRUARY 3
FEBRUARY 10
PCYBER–FRAUD
PINTRODUCTION
P COMPUTER SAFETY
(passwords, firewalls, viruses,
spam)
P SOCIAL MEDIA
- social networking (facebook)
Unlocking The Secrets
(identity theft, phishing,
electronic banking, credit checks,
mail tampering)
P MEDIA
DISTRACTION
P CYBER–BULLYING
P MEDIA ADDICTION
Are You Hooked?
P PREDATORS /
CHILD EXPLOITATION
- child pornography
- on-line luring
- cyber-dating
At The Click Of A Mouse
(bullying on digital mediums,
computer, cell phone, records,
evidence)
DUE TO SUBJECT MATTER PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE & OVER