1300 McBride Ave., Mississauga, ON. L5C 1M8 905 - 277- 4512
PRINCIPAL: S. CALVERT
SECRETARY: A. MILLER
PASTOR:
COUNCIL CHAIR:
SUPERINTENDENT:
TRUSTEE:
FR. JOYSON POTTACKAL
TBD
D. AMARAL
P. FERREIRA
905 279-5742
October 2013
905 277-4512
Issue 2
905 890-1221
416 805-7110 Peter.Ferreira@dpcdsb.org
1957- 2012 “Celebrating Fifty-Five Years of Catholic Education”
Autumn Prayer
God of the Autumn, help us to live
with the grace of falling leaves,
the enthusiasm of the flaming Aspens,
with the serenity of the old trees,
whose roots reach deep into the earth.
God of the Autumn, help us to know
that living and dying are one,
that life is precious, and beautiful, and limited,
that nothing good is ever lost.
God of Autumn, help us to see
in the ways of nature
a way for ourselves.
Amen
Prayer – Christine Robinson “Worship Web”
VIRTUE - EMPATHY
The virtue for the month of October is EMPATHY. Judge your neighbour's feelings by your
own, and in every matter be thoughtful (Sir. 31:15). The St. Gerard school community is
committed to caring about everyone's feelings, just as God wants us to. As empathetic
followers of Jesus, we are confident in the dignity of ourselves and others; we believe that the
cross is the ultimate sign of forgiveness.
WELCOME
We congratulate and welcome our new Superintendent of
Schools David Amaral and our new Associate Director
Sheila McWatters. We wish both Mr. Amaral and Mrs.
McWatters all the best as we continue to be blessed with her
guidance and wisdom!
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
PA DAY
SCHOOL COUNCIL
There will be a PA Day for all students on Friday October
11, 2013.
HALLOWEEN IN A CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Many of today’s Halloween traditions go back to the time of
the Celtic people who lived in Britain and Northern Europe
more than 2,000 years ago. The Celtic’s calendar was based
on seasons and the farming community. October 31st was
their New Year’s Eve and a festival of the dead. When the
Romans conquered Britain and Europe, their festival
honoring the dead was celebrated at the same time.
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
During the early years of Christianity, the church leaders
found it best to add the new religious ideas to earlier, already
established beliefs. All Saints Day was proclaimed on
November 1st so that the people could continue to celebrate
a familiar festival which respected spirits. The mass that was
said on that day was called All Hallows Mass, so the evening
before became known as Hallows Eve or Halloween.
Eventually, the church recognized that Halloween had
become a cultural rather than a religious event.
IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOLS
Halloween should be considered a cultural ritual in which
children participate. In today’s culture, it is rarely a
celebration of the Celtic religion. Children today often dress
in costumes which reflect the heroes of the culture, for
example, Batman. While some claim that Halloween’s
association with the ancient Celtic religion is a threat to
Christianity, clearly the church did not, when establishing
All Saints Day and the Day for the Commemoration of All
Souls Day. In the same way, Father’s Day is a cultural event
which does not detract from our understanding of God our
Father.
St. Gerard Catholic School recognizes the cultural event of
Halloween but attention will be paid to the religious
significance of All Saints Day, which is the honouring of the
whole Church Triumphant, united in Christ, in the
enjoyment of the vision of God and All Souls Day, where we
pray for the souls of the faithfully departed.
On Halloween day students will be permitted to wear
costumes. It is Board policy that any weapons or replicas
of weapons are not allowed on school property. Therefore,
students may not bring replicas such as: toy knives, toy guns
or toy swords as part of their Halloween costume. Students
are also asked not to wear masks. Students are also
encouraged to select costumes that are in good taste, bearing
in mind our Catholic school setting. Please do not send food
on this day. Your support and co-operation is appreciated.
OPEN HOUSE – HUGE SUCCESS
Open house at St. Gerard School this year was a huge
success. Our book fair and presentations had an incredible
turnout. Thank you for joining us!
Our opening school Mass will be celebrated on October 22,
2013 at St. Martin of Tours Parish, at 10:00 A.M. We
encourage parents, guardians and grandparents to join us!
A thank you is extended to those members of last year’s
School Council, 2012-2013, for their dedication and hard
work on behalf of students at St. Gerard School. Their
ongoing commitment and efforts are truly appreciated and
make a difference for our students.
We thank this year’s Council Members: Mrs. Almeida, Mrs.
Collier, Mrs. Forbes, Ms Lopez, Mr. Ouseph, and our staff
rep Mrs. Spudic. If you did not get the opportunity to send in
your name to be part of Council it is not to late!
Our next School Council Meeting will take place on
Monday, October 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the school staffroom.
All parents/guardians are welcome to attend!
OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE
Be sure to visit our school website –
http://dpcdsb.org/GERAR All newsletters and other
pertinent information will be posted regularly.
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECK
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
criminal offence declaration form. If you need a form,
please see Mrs. Miller in the office.
TERRY FOX RUN
Thank you to all who participated in the
terry fox walk by either donating money,
buying raffle tickets and encouraging
your child to wear red and white! Thank
you to Rayshawn, Nicole and Joel for
their great sales expertise on the night of
Open House. We raised $502.55 in ticket
sales and donations of a toonie for Terry.
Alan won this year's Terry fox T-shirts. Congratulations.
Once again, we were blessed with a beautiful day for our
walk. This year we received giant stickers that said "I run for
_____" so many students set their intentions before the walk,
which was a thoughtful touch.
Thank you once again from the Terry Fox Committee.
WORLD TEACHERS’ APPRECIATION DAY
On Saturday Oct. 5, we celebrate UNESCO World Teacher’s
Day along with over 100 countries across the globe.
Teachers influence and touch lives. They lead students on
their faith journey, influence career and life choices, and
work hard to teach the skills needed to participate and
compete in the world. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to
the teachers of St. Gerard School for their commitment to
Catholic education and for the outstanding work they do
with students daily.
SHARELIFE
Staff have contributed funds to ShareLife in order to “dress
down” on Fridays. Thank you to staff for their generous
donation to ShareLife.
CONFIRMATION – GRADE 8 STUDENTS
The Rite of Enrolment for these students will take place on
the following dates:

November 2nd at 5:00 p.m. Mass

November 3rd at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:00
p.m. Mass

November 9th at 5:00 p.m. Mass

November 10th at 8:00,10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m
.
NO DOGS ON PROPERTY:
In the interest of student safety, please be reminded that dogs
are not permitted on school property. A dog’s behaviour and
response around strangers can be unpredictable; for example,
dogs may jump on visitors or children. Although dogs can
be good pets for some people, they can be scary to some, and
pose an allergic response to others. Therefore, dogs must
not be exercised on school property or brought to school
when dropping off or picking up students
EMERGENCY EVACUATION SITE
In the event of an emergency, we have arranged to relocate
our staff and students to St. Martin of Tours Church.
FIRE DRILL/LOCK DOWN DRILL
In accordance with Ministry regulations, three fire drills will
be conducted in the fall and three in the spring per school
year. While we hope that a real fire situation never arises,
this practice helps prepare students in the event of a real fire.
In addition, our school board has established lock down
procedures should a high risk incident occur in the school, or
on school property, that could endanger the lives and safety
of students and staff. We will practice the emergency
lockdown procedure with students two times in the school
year and review it
periodically.
aware. This may be something as basic as a tennis ball that
accidentally hits your child. We do this in keeping with the
Board’s policy and in recognition of the potential danger of
anything involving the head area. Please do not be alarmed
if you are called. We are attempting to keep you informed
and to err on the side of caution.
PEDICULOSIS AND THE SCHOOL
From time to time, there may be cases of pediculosis or head
lice in a school. This should not be a cause for alarm. They
are a nuisance, but they are not hazardous to your child’s
health, as they do not carry disease. One of the most
important steps to both their prevention and treatment is
knowledge.
Head lice are tiny wingless insects with flattened bodies.
They are about 1/8 of an inch long and can take on the
colour of the hair to which they are attached. As a result,
they are difficult to see and are more easily seen as the eggs
or nits. Nits are oval shaped, silvery, yellowish white, and
often mistaken for dandruff. They lie very close to the scalp
especially behind the ears and the nape of the neck and are
firmly attached to the hair shaft.
Head lice spread either directly, head to head, or indirectly
when they are dislodged in clothing, combs, hat, scarves,
bed linens, towels, earphones, etc. Because head lice are
wingless, they cannot fly or jump. Children are especially
susceptible to pediculosis because they “head” together. It is
important to know that getting lice has nothing to do with
dirt or standards of hygiene.
The treatment for pediculosis is simple. Specially medicated
shampoo or crème rinse is available from your pharmacist.
Carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions and remove
all nits from the hair.
If the presence of head lice is detected in the school, those
children with pediculosis will be sent home for immediate
treatment. The parents of close friends and siblings of these
children will be notified and requested to examine their
child’s head. Past experience has indicated that mass
screening of all students in a classroom and / or school is not
effective in controlling the spread of lice.
Peel Health is available to provide advice to parents, school
staff and students about treatment and prevention. They can
be reached by calling the nurse at Health Line Peel: (905)
791-7800 ext 2401.
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.
HEAD INJURIES
No matter how insignificant, we will call you whenever your
child receives any kind of head injury of which we are
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.
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
It is important for your child to be in attendance at school
and to arrive on time regularly. Late arrivals disrupt
important teaching and have a direct impact on your child’s
learning and on the learning of all class members. Please
encourage and assist your child to recognize that punctuality
is a responsibility, which all students should be developing.
Frequent absences also have a direct negative impact on a
child’s education. Students should be absent from school
only when they are ill or there is an extenuating
circumstance that cannot be avoided.
Absences and late arrivals are recorded in each child’s
school record. The Education Act (Section 30) states that it
is mandatory for all students, between the ages of six and
sixteen years, to attend school every day. School social
workers are mandated to intervene with students and their
families whenever students are identified as truant.
SCHOOL YARD SUPERVISION
The schoolyard is supervised at every recess, during the
lunch hour, fifteen minutes before school starts and at 3:30
p.m. dismissal. Please do not send your child to school
before yard supervision at 8:45 a.m
As part of our Full Day Kindergarten program parents are
welcome to bring their children into the classroom beginning
at 8:45. Parents are reminded that they must leave at 9am as
the teachers must begin their program.
For those who go home for lunch, please do not send your
child to school before 12:45 p.m.
Homework Help – 2013-2014
Every student in grades 7 to 10 is eligible.
This is a great site to promote in the classroom and with
parents during open house and interview nights.
To use the site students can use their existing account from
last year and if they’ve forgotten their login and password
the site has a FORGOT PASSWORD link that will help
them retrieve their info. New students can register on the
site following the instructions. Any questions please contact
Kevin Williams 905-890-1221 x 24484
We would also like to remind parents that they should not be
entering the school yard or Kindergarten Yard when
dropping off their children. Please wait in the designated
areas. If your child is late you must bring them to the main
office.
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.
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.
Ontario Educational Resource Bank 2013-2014
http://resources.elearningontario.ca
This Ministry run resource site continues to grow with now
over 26 000 resources that include lesson plans, assessments,
video clips and interactive learning tools.
The site supports grades K to 12.
Resources can be accessed by teachers but also by parents
and students and as such the site is a great piece to share
with parents looking for additional support resources for
their children.
Students/Parents:
Username: dpcdsbstudent
Password: oerbs
E.Q.A.O
CROSS COUNTRY
Here at St. Gerard school staff and students continue to work
diligently at implementing high yield strategies to support
student learning. We are proud of our students and applaud
them on their 2012-2013 EQAO results.
Grade 3:
Reading 54%
Writing 79%
Math 54%
Grade 6:
Reading 58%
Writing 72%
Math 28%
St. Gerard’s cross country team takes it to the streets for yet
another training season. Every Tuesday and Thursday at
8:00 am our eager cross country team, made up of students
from grades 4 to 8, lace up their shoes for an early morning
run.
When examining our data we have experienced an increase
in our writing scores, but have experiences a slight drop in
reading and math.
This year we will be participating in a learning Inquiry led
by the Ministry of Education. Two education officers will be
working with our staff focusing on Primary Literacy and
Junior Numeracy. We are very excited to be given this
opportunity by our Superintendent. We hope to address what
we can do as a school to improve the learning environment
for all of our students.
On October 29th the St. Gerard Griffin’s Cross Country
Team will participate in the Mississauga South cross country
meet at Centennial Park.
Thank-you to our dedicated team members, parent
volunteers, and coaches Mrs. Barca, Mrs. Dewsnap, and
Mrs. Mistruzzi-Canning who come out and brave the early
morning elements every Tuesday and Thursday.
Dates to Remember
LUNCHTIME GLEE Club for Grades SK-6

Little Jammers Glee club is coming to St Gerard this
fall for students that love to sing and perform in grades
Sk-Grade 6
Students will learn to sing and perform pop songs
We will also focus on pitch, breathing, and performing
techniques
The program ends with a performance during the last
class

The club runs for 8 weeks and takes place every
Wednesday during lunch hour
Dates: Wednesdays (Oct 9 2013-Nov 27 2013)
Time: Lunchtime

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Cost: $144

To register, please complete the registration
form that was sent home and return it to the
St Gerard School Office. Please include a
cheque payable to: Little Jammers. You can
also register online at littlejammers.com
Lunchtime Beginner Guitar Program
(Grades 1-6)
Little Jammers Guitar Program is coming to St Gerard
this fall. It is a fun way to be introduced to playing
guitar. Students learn to play and read notes and
chords on the guitar. We also develop strumming
techniques and learn age appropriate pop songs.
This is an 8 week program, which runs once per week
during lunch hour on Thursdays
Dates: Thursdays (Oct 10 2013-Nov 28 2013)
Time: Lunchtime
Cost: $144 + $20 (optional guitar rental fee for
students who do not have their own guitar)
To register, please complete the registration
form that was sent home and return it to the
St Gerard School Office. Please include a
cheque payable to: Little Jammers. You can
also register online at littlejammers.com
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October 7 – Catholic School Council Meeting
– Primary classes to Riverwood
October 8 – Gr 3 to Riverwood
Junior Volleyball game against
Mary Fix School
October 9 – Life Skills Classes visit
Westdale Mall
October 10 – Junior Volleyball game against
St. Catherine of Sienna School
October 11 – PA DAY – No School
October 14 – Thanksgiving Day – No School
October 15 – Superintendent visit
Junior Volleyball game at
Blessed John XXIII
October 16- Junior Volleyball game against
St. Jerome School
October 22 – School Mass at St. Martin of
Tours Parish @10:00am
October 24/25 – Grade 8 Trip to Teen Ranch
October 25 – Trees for Life Tree planting day
October 29 – Photo Retake day
October 30 – Life Skills call to Westadale
Mall
Nov 2/3 and Nov 9/10 – Enrollment masses
for Confirmation.
November 5 – Progress Reports go home
November 7 – Parent Teacher Interview
evening
November 19 – Grade 6 to Silvercreek
November 25 – First Reconciliation 10:30 am
at St. Martin of Tours parish
December 10 – 7pm School Mass – Advent
Family Mass
PA Days: Oct 11, Dec 20, Jan 20, March 7, June 9
Christmas Break: Monday, December 23, 2013 to
Friday, January 3, 2014 (inclusive) School starts
January 6, 2014
March Break: Monday, March 10 to Friday, March
14, 2014 (inclusive)