1300 McBride Ave., Mississauga, ON. L5C 1M8 905 - 277- 4512
PRINCIPAL: S. CALVERT
SECRETARY: A. MILLER
PASTOR:
COUNCIL CHAIR:
SUPERINTENDENT:
TRUSTEE:
FR. JOYSON POTTACKAL
T. MAILLET
C. SAYTAR
P. FERREIRA
905 279-5742
March 2012
905 848-3215
Issue 7
905 890-1221
416 805-7110 Peter.Ferreira@dpcdsb.org
1957- 2012 “Celebrating Fifty-Five Years of Catholic Education”
A Lenten Prayer
Lord, Jesus Christ
By Your passion, death and resurrection
You have set us free from sin and death.
May Your grace renew our hearts this Lent
And help us to turn from sin in our lives.
May we learn to appreciate more deeply the
Sacrifice You made for us.
Accept our prayer, fasting and acts of charity as
We seek to draw closer to You during this
Holy Season. Strengthen the faith of Your people
So that we may be a sign of Your love to all the world.
Amen
Principal’ s Message
During the month of L ent we pay special attention to turning away from sin to cleanse our
hearts and prepare for the joyous feast of E aster. I t is time for prayer, penance and works of
charity for others. Classroom discussion and activities are designed to enhance understanding
of the H oly Season of L ent. All of these activities are intended to help our students understand
the wonderful journey towards the R esurrection! T hank-you for journeying with us through
this L enten Season and for assisting us with all of the ShareL ife initiatives!
S. Calvert
Virtue of the Month
K indness
As brothers and sisters who share one Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be shown concern
for welfare and our feelings. We have all been given the fruit of the Spirit called Kindness.
God wants us to be kind to everyone we meet. God helps us be kind to our family and friends because by being kind
we are able to see God in everyone we meet. Let us help our students to remember that a kind person gives their
time to others, stands by their friends in time of need, shares with others, is polite, and cares about other people’s
feelings.
criminal offence declaration form. If you need a form,
please see Mrs. Miller in the office.
Indoor Shoes/Changes of Clothing
Grade 2 First Communion
The celebration of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion
will be at masses between Saturday, April 21st and Sunday,
April 29/12.
Grade 8 Confirmation
The Grade 8 Confirmation this year will be held at St.
Martin of Tours Parish on Friday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m.
Lent 2012
Lent is a forty-day period before Easter beginning on Ash
Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days,
because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent
began on February 22 and ends at sundown on April 5th,
which is Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday is the beginning of
the mass of the Lord’s Last Supper. Lent is a season that
reminds us to repent and get our lives centered , our
priorities straight and our hearts clean. This holy season
offers us new chances to say “yes” to God. Lent is a season
of hope in our hearts, we go forth to love and serve others.
Pennies From Heaven
Please continue to support our pennies from heaven
collection for our Parish. Our goal is to raise $350 to give to
our Parish for ShareLife.
Ressurection Mass
Please join us for our Ressurection Mass. It will be
celebrated on April 11th at 1:30 p.m. at St. Martin of Tours
Parish.
Shrove Tuesday
Thank you to our Mrs. Escobar and Mrs. Pacheco and their
students for once again providing pancakes for all of our
students. They worked hard cooking and serving pancakes to
all of our students and visitors to the school. What a treat!
Criminal Reference Checks
A criminal reference check is required if you wish to
volunteer your services in the school, transport students and
assist on trips. If you already have a criminal reference
check on file at the school, you must complete an annual
Please ensure that your child comes to school prepared to go
outside for recess and lunch hour breaks. It is the
expectation that each child comes dressed appropriately to
go outside to enjoy the weather and get some fresh air and
exercise. If your child is prone to getting wet during recess
or lunch hour, please send a change of clothes, especially
socks and sweat pants. Please ensure that your child has
indoor shoes,
Visitors and Security
In the interest of student safety, it is Board policy that all
visitors to the school are required to enter through the front
doors and 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 get
him/her to class. It will be important for everyone to follow
the same procedure if it is to be effective in helping to
maintain a safe environment. Consistency is the key. Thank
you 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.
Attendance Verification
Daily attendance at school and punctuality are very
important. If your child is going to be late or absent from
school, please inform the office at (905) 277-4512. The
school has an answering machine that receives messages
twenty four hours a day.
Safety First
Please continue to support us by:
•
Dropping off your child at the church parking lot;
•
Reporting to the office at all times;
•
If your child is being picked up by someone other
than a parent or babysitter, please arrange for pick
up at the office;
•
No child will be released without parental consent.
•
Please keep the gate to the kindergarten area
closed.
Valuables
Please remind your children not to bring valuables or money
to school. When items such as small electronic toys
disappear, we cannot be responsible for replacing them. It
saves much aggravation and heartache if they are not
brought to school.
E.Q.A.O
Every student in Grade 3 and Grade 6 in the province will be
writing the EQAO provincial assessment in reading, writing
and mathematics. It will take place between May 23 and
June 6, 2012. Kindly avoid booking dental, doctor or other
appointments during that time period. Visit
http://www.dpcdsb/EQAO for more information. Specific
school information will be sent home to grade 3 and 6
students closer to the testing dates.
Public Speaking
Congratulations to all of the students who represented
their classes in our public speaking competition on
Feb 17th. The competitors in the Junior Division were
Marin, Brandon, Sandra, Daniella, Mariana, Damian,
Kyle, Elijah, Joshua, Agatha, Nicholas, Ihna, Tara and
Talib, Results: Damian (1st), Brandon (2nd), Tara (3rd)
and Marin (Honorable Mention). The competitors in
the Intermediate Division were Ashley (1st), Nicholas
(2nd), Ann Marie (3rd) and Emilio (Honorable
Mention). Damian and Ashley went on to represent
St. Gerard at the Mississauga South Public Speaking
competition held at St. Francis of Assisi School on
February 23, 2012. We are very proud of the high
quality of the speeches and our student’s
accomplishments. Thanks to classroom teachers and
Mrs. Barca in preparing our students for this event.
Flex Boundary
If you currently live outside the school boundary, and
are attending St. Gerard on a flex boundary request,
you will need to request flex boundary for next year.
The “Flexible Boundary” procedure is reviewed
annually. Please note that flex boundaries will be
looked at on a case by case basis and are not
guaranteed from year to year. If you are requesting
flex boundary, please note that transportation is your
responsibility. The Board will not provide either
transportation or additional supervision for students
admitted under this procedure. Note also that 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 be considered for flex boundary for the 20122013 school year, please submit your request in
writing by March 30th 2012. Please include your
reason(s) for your request.
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. The 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 us a letter to advise us of your
concerns. We ask for all submissions to be sent to
Mrs. Calvert no later than Friday, April 20th. Your
request will be considered at our grade promotional
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. No letters will be accepted after this date.
March Break
Parents please be advised that this year the March
Break will be the week of Monday, March 12th to
Friday, March 16th. Students will return to school on
Monday, March 19th, 2012. We wish everyone a safe
and relaxing break!
School Website
Be sure to visit our school website. All newsletters and
other pertinent information is always updated, Our
website address is http://www.dpcdsb.org/GERAR
Before and After School Program
Our school will have a before and after school
program next year for our kindergarten students. At
this time we would like to ask any parent that would
be interested in having their children in a before and
after school program that are older than kindergarten
age, to please leave their contact information with the
office. Once we determine interest we can investigate
offering a program to older students.
Basketball News
The Intermediate Girls Basketball team
had a very successful season.
Congratulations to the team who
finished the season second in their
Division with a record of three wins and one loss. The team
then qualified for the playoff game vs. St. Herbert.
Although the girls played with determination and gave it
their best, they did not advance further. We are very proud
of the team’s accomplishments during the league and playoff
games. We commend them for their hard work and
sportsmanship in representing St. Gerard School. Thanks to
their coaches Matas Tirilis and Mrs.Tirilis. A special thanks
to Mr. Donnell Asper and Mr. C. Cheng for assisting in
some of the games and Mrs. M. Smith and Ms. Zeno for
taking care of administrative issues. The Intermediate Girls
Basketball 2011-12 team members are:
Abena , Nicole, Caroline, Jesusa, Ella, Georgia, Maya,
Karlyna, Andrea A., Ashley, Dana, Samantha, Francesca
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) – Registered
Education Savings Plan (RESP). Eligible children will
receive $500 at registration for the RESP, and an additional
$100 annually until they reach 15 years of age. No parental
contribution is required. For more information visit the Peel
Post-Secondary Strategy-Enrolled by 6 at www.pcyi.org or
call 905-890-9432
Dates to Remember
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March 8 - School Council Meeting
6:30pm – All are welcome
March 9 – Beach Party Dance-a-thon
March 12-16 – March Break
March 21 – Presentation from the
Peel Aboriginal Network
March 22, 29, April 5 – Grade 3
Swim to Survive program
March 26 – Rosary Apostolate
March 28 – Grad Photos
March 30 – Orientation Day – St.
Martin S.S.
April 11 – Resurrection Mass – 1:30
p.m. St. Martin of Tours – All are
welcome
April 12 – Superintendent Visit (AM)
April 12 – School Council Meeting –
6:30 pm
April 17 – Big Kids Theatre
presentation – Cinderella and the Frog
Prince
April 21-29 – First Communion
April 23 – Rosary Apostolate
April 26 – At Home Alone program
starts
May 4 – Confirmation 7pm – St.
Martin of Tours Church
.
PA Days: May 11 and June 11
EQAO : May 23 – June 6
CRAFT FAIR & BAZAAR
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 12, 2012 for
the St. Gerard School Craft Fair & Bazaar. There will be a
variety of vendors participating in this event.
Dance-A-Thon
A reminder that our
School Council Dancea-thon will be on
Friday March 9, 2012.
All pledges are to be
handed in by March 7,
2012.
For every $5 raised in
donations, you will
receive a ballot.
These ballots will be
entered in a draw to win
a variety of prizes.
More chances to win for
everyone!