Dufferin-Peel CDSB
ST. GERTRUDE SCHOOL
Guided by Faith, Committed to Excellence
NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2013
As we enter into our summer...
St. Gertrude School
815 Ceremonial Dr.,
Mississauga, ON
L5R 3S2
Tel:
905 568 7660
Fax:
905 568 8194
Principal
T. De Vellis Carino
Vice-Principal
P. Golin
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm o f His Hand.
Ancient Irish Blessing
Secretaries
D. Bachle
M. Cherubino
Superintendent
Mississauga
Brampton Central
L. Papaloni
Trustee
T. Thomas
Parish
St. Francis Xavier
905 890 5290
Pastor
Rev. Msgr. Edgardo Elias
Pan
Principal’s Message
It is hard to believe that our first year together is coming to an end so soon!
St. Gertrude Catholic School has been very busy implementing curriculum, preparing for Ministry of
Education testing, going on excursions, practising for sporting/special events, preparing for graduation,
Confirmation and enjoying each other’s company. We are truly blessed to be part of such a dynamic
community.
We are very grateful for the on-gong support received from our partners in education; our dedicated
staff, students, parish and parents of the St. Gertrude School community. Together, we make our school
a wonderful place to be! We thank you for that.
Special thank you to our Catholic School Council and the many parent volunteers who put so much time
and energy toward our school. Volunteers play a very important role and are always welcome.
Congratulations to our grade eight students! June was a very special month for them as they celebrated
the Sacrament of Confirmation and also prepared to culminate their elementary education. We wish you
well as you continue your education in Secondary School.
We wish Mrs. Golin continued success and blessing for her retirement. Mrs. Golin, is a knowledgeable
and dedicated professional who has served many school communities in Dufferin-Peel for over 25
years. It has been a true pleasure to work with her and appreciate her many contributions that have
helped make St. Gertrude a safe, caring, inclusive school, which is “guided by faith and committed to
excellence”.
Please join us as we welcome our new Vice Principal, Ms. Diab.
We wish all families a safe and peaceful summer.
T. De Vellis Carino
Page 2
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
VIRTUE OF FAIRNESS
Our virtue for June is Fairness and was celebrated
with an assembly on June 10th. The committee led
by N. Gentili, A. Petrasek and M. Wasilewski, along
with all the students involved in our ten virtue
assemblies held this year, are thanked for making
these liturgies very meaningful. M. Kapov is
thanked for sharing her many gifts.
GRADUATION 2013
Congratulations to our Gr. 8
students on the occasion of your
graduation from elementary school. This
is a momentous accomplishment that marks the
start of a new and exciting time in your lives, but
also the ending of what we hope was a
successful and joyful journey. We ask all members
of our St. Gertrude Catholic community to say an
extra prayer for our graduates this year.
Creator, please bless these graduates, and share with
them Your wisdom and strength. Please lead them
on the right path. Help them to remember that
whatever they do, whether in word or deed, they must
take action in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father trough Him. Amen.
We are privileged to have had the opportunity to
educate these future leaders. Congratulations
from the staff and students of St. Gertrude
Catholic School.
The Gr. 8 Graduation Ceremony is being
celebrated on Tuesday, June 25th at 6:30 pm in
our school gym.
The Gr. 8 Graduates will be having their luncheon
at Boaden Hall on Wednesday, June 26th from
11 am to 4 pm. They will be travelling with a
school bus and are expected to return by 4:30 pm.
END OF THE YEAR MASS/GRADUATION MASS
This year, the combined Year End Mass and
Graduation Mass will be held on Wednesday,
June 19 at 12:45 pm in the school gym. We are
blessed to come together as a community to
celebrate our Faith and express our thanks to our
heavenly Father for the many gifts that He has
bestowed upon us. We will also be celebrating the
accomplishments of this year‟s graduates.
CONGRATULATIONS, FOND FAREWELLS
AND THANK YOU
We offer a special thank you to the people who have
worked at St. Gertrude this year and have contributed
their special talents to our students. We would like to
acknowledge the following staff: K. Valiquette,
K. DeFaria and D. Planche. They have extended
themselves with long hours spent planning and marking,
but also through the many hours they have spent in the
support of our various extra-curricular activities.
We offer a sad farewell to D. Putzu as she moves to her
new teaching position at her new school. Her skills in
providing a strong, challenging program and her kind
attitude has been greatly appreciated and admired. Our
students have been blessed by being in her exceptional
care.
As well, we bid farewell to our Educational Resource
workers A. Holjevac, J. Colacchio, and L. O‟Connor.
Many of our students have benefited from their
dedicated support, guidance and care. They ensure that
each child‟s safety and well-being are met in the most
kind and caring of ways. We pray that all will enjoy
continued personal and professional success in all their
endeavors. We feel blessed to have had this time to
work with you.
Welcome to J. Thomas, J. Cristante, M. Lackey,
K. Curran, A. Migdal M. Subic, N. Samai and
M. Daniel
Returning to St. Gertrude, A. Markic and
R. Fitzpatrick.
WELCOME TO ST. GERTRUDE
As of September 2013 we welcome M. Diab as our new
Vice Principal. M. Diab comes to us from
St. Sebastian and brings with her much enthusiasm for
her new position.
EQAO ASSESSMENT
Thank you very much to the staff and students for their
hard work during the recent provincial EQAO testing.
Thank you also to the parents of Grade 3 and 6 students
for their efforts in ensuring their child‟s attendance at
school during the assessment period. Congratulations to
all students in Grade 3 and 6 on the completion of
EQAO!!!!
NEW REGISTRATIONS
The school office will be open for new registrations the
week before school begins from August 26 to August 30,
2013 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
TENTATIVE CLASS PLACEMENTS
Staff have spent a great deal of time organizing the
class lists to ensure the best possible placement for
your child during the 2013/2014 school year. As new
enrollments are considered, staff will continue to meet
and will fine tune each class list as the need arises.
All our class placements will remain tentative until
enrollment is finalized during the second week of
September. Due to the possibility of reorganization,
class placements will not be included with the June
report cards.
In September, any concerns regarding class
placements can be addressed in writing to the
office and will be considered at the time of school
re-organization.
MOVING
If you will be moving from the
St. Gertrude Catholic community
over the summer, please notify the
office. It is important that we are
informed so that we can provide the
necessary transfer forms. You will require these
forms as part of your registration into any school in
the province. Your child‟s Ontario Student Record
(OSR) folder is sent to his/her new school only after
we have had official documentation that states
registration.
COLLECTING AND RETURNING ALL BOOKS
Please check your child‟s room at home and be sure
all books belonging to the school (both textbooks and
library books) are returned to the school. As you can
understand, these books are very
expensive to replace. Thank you
for your attention to this matter.
LOST AND FOUND
We have collected quite an assortment of shoes, hats,
sweaters etc. in our Lost and Found box. During the
second and third week of June we will display all lost
and found items. Please drop by and take a look. We
will be packing up whatever is left and forwarding
these items to local charities at the end of June.
REPORT CARDS
Report cards will go home on Wednesday, June 26.
Please complete page 3 of the report, sign and
return it to your child‟s classroom teacher by
Thursday, June 27th.
Page 3
WARM WEATHER DRESS CODE
We would like our students to be neat, clean and
comfortable for learning. Students are expected to
dress in a manner and attire suitable for the
occasion and appropriate to the school
environment. Preferably, boys should wear
full-length T-shirts with sleeves. Basketball shirts or
soccer shirts are allowed for gym wear. Girls are
not to wear anything strapless or have bare midriffs.
Spaghetti straps, tank tops and crop tops are not
acceptable. Shirts with inappropriate messages or
pictures are not permitted at school. Please ensure
that shorts are of a modest length (no short skirts,
shorts or cut off jeans are allowed). Nor are
students to wear tights under short shorts or skirts.
If students do not adhere to these guidelines,
parents will be called and/or alternative attire will be
provided. We hope you will assist us in maintaining
a sense of dignity with respect to the clothes that
are worn to school.
JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
B. Shelsen and M. Silva would like thank the junior
boys basketball team for their commitment and
teamwork. Congratulations to the team who placed
first at the pod tournament and then went on to
compete in the Family tournament at St. Francis
Xavier. The 8 students made their coaches proud
by their efforts to do their best and showing great
sportsmanship.
Way to go John Tino C., Tyler D., Justin D.,
Massimo M., Dante R., Justus S., Daniel T.,
Frasier T. A special thank you goes out to the Gr. 8
students who helped out during practices and at the
tournaments: Nicholas M., Justin T.,
Jordan C., Amber R., Adam P., Aliya Q.,
and Kathleen T.
JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Junior Girls‟ Basketball team
participated in a POD tournament, Friday, April 26,
2013. The girls played extremely well. The defense
kept the scores low and offensive players played
aggressively. The girls came in third place. Thank
you to Erica M., Monica S., Kaylyn A., Simone R.,
Sabrina C., Cassandra C., Katarina R., Isabella R.,
Chrystal L. and Niki D., for their dedication
athleticism and excellent sportsmanship.
Coaches: D. Putzu and I. Talerico.
Page 4
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
CROSSING GUARD
We will continue to have our crossing guard at the
exit driveway at St. Gertrude School in September.
A special thank you to Mrs. Suida for her dedication
and her smile. You will notice that there is “NO
PARKING” by the crosswalk. A sign has been
erected by the city. The safety of our children is
always our first priority.
ST. GERTRUDE
ANNUAL BBQ
Thursday, June 20th, 2013
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Come out and enjoy many of the exciting activities that
our School Council has planned.
It’s sure to be loads of fun for all ages!!
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
We would like to take a moment to thank our
Catholic School Council for their ongoing support
and their initiation of the many worthwhile activities
and events that took place this year. Their support
has proven itself to be an enhancement of our goals
and initiatives. We are grateful for their insights,
enthusiasm and child-centered approach to all
decision making. Our school council members each
enriched the school, by attending meetings and
organizing fundraising events which have supported
school based initiatives: ballroom dancing, stained
glass window, literacy materials. School Council
has also generously recognized many milestones
within our students‟ lives. Gifts are provided on
behalf of the school community in recognition of
Graduation, Confirmation and First Communion.
Teacher reps: N. Benevides, L. O‟Connor,
A. Beaton
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS
A reminder that the elections for the Catholic School
Council for St. Gertrude Catholic School will be held
in September. Nomination forms for parents/
guardians representatives will be available in the
main office of the school from September 3.
Nominations are due September 19th at 4:00 pm.
Eligible parents/guardians are encouraged to
complete a nomination form and become a parent/
guardian representative. Electors must be parents
or guardians of students enrolled in the school and
must be separate school supporters. We
encourage everyone to come out and get involved
in your child‟s education. Our first School Council
Meeting for the 2013/2014 school year will be
October 1st at 6:30 in the school library.
ART REACH WORKSHOPS
Thank you to the Parent Council for graciously
funding the ArtReach Workshops for all our primary
classes, JK- grade 3. ArtReach is sponsored by
Visual Arts Mississauga (VAM). Artists instructed
two hour hands on workshops in 16 classrooms
during the month of May. They provided all
materials and our FI classes had their instruction in
French! Some activities were working with clay,
mask making or print making. Thank you for the
great learning experiences for our young artists!
Sincerely, The Artists in the School Committee
P. DeLuca, S. Martelli, D. Marques, N. Sanderson &
I. Talerico
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
It is time for the transportation department to get
ready for next September. Transportation eligibility
is based on distance from the school. As per Board
policy, until routes are established, no consideration
will be made for courtesy seat riders. Parents of
children from grades 1 to 8, who hope to access the
school bus through the courtesy seat policy next
year, are reminded to find alternative transportation
until the availability for additional riders has been
determined in October.
Please note that the schedule for our bus will be
posted on the front doors of the school the week
before school starts or by visiting the following link
for bus schedules and bus availability for your area.
http://www.stopr.ca
EcoSchool….CONGRATULATIONS EcoTeam!!
Congratulations to all members of the EcoTeam.
St. Gertrude has been re-certified as a “silver”
EcoSchool! It has been an amazing year with the
many environmental projects the dynamic EcoTeam
focused on this year. The EcoTeam‟s efforts in
Energy Conservation and Waste Minimization are
commendable; there is definitely a culture of
environmentalism taking shape at St. Gertrude.
The EcoTeam would like to thank all teachers,
students and parents/guardians for their support of
all initiatives and we look forward to another great
year.
Guided by Faith, Committed to Excellence
THANK YOU TO TEAM DEPOT
S. Martelli‟s and D. Bagnarol‟s JK/SK classes
would like to extend a big “Thank You!” to the
team of employees and volunteers at Home
Depot (Heartland Location). “Team Depot” came
to St. Gertrude during the month of May to
donate and help assemble birdfeeders for
Mother‟s Day. They visited again on June 5th
and helped students hammer away on a special
gift for Father‟s Day. Students were very excited
about the hands-on experience of building with
real tools and materials. We just might have
some future carpenters or builders within the
classes! A special “Thank You” to the students
in the grade 7 and 8 classes for coming down to
help the kindergartens with their building.
SUMMER READING, WRITING AND MATH
Parental involvement and support
are an integral part of students
retaining their academic skills over
the summer.
Support your child‟s learning by
making reading, writing and math a
natural part of their summer.
Encourage reading as a bedtime activity, rainy
day activity or even while in the car. Have your
child write notes and cards to friends and
relatives, keep a journal, write out shopping or „to
do‟ lists. The work that you do with your child is
invaluable academically and personally. Sharing
quality time with your children is rewarding for
all.
Page 5
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
We would like to take this
opportunity to wish all our
fathers in the community a Happy
Father‟s Day. We hope that you
have a wonderful day with your
families.
A message from Fun avec French
2013 FRENCH IDOL CHARITY EVENT
CONTESTANT
“Bonjour, On May 5th we held our 8th annual
French Idol Charity Event at the Cyril Clark
Lecture Hall. Contestants performed French
songs and poems in order to raise funds for
the Breakfast for Kids program. Through
admission fees and donations, Fun avec
French raised $410.00, which will enable the
Breakfast for Kids program to provide over 320
students with healthy breakfast.
I would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate the following student from your
school who did a fantastic job and
congratulations to your school for cultivating
such a talented student.
Hannah P.
Category: Song gr. 2, 3 & 4
Title of Presentation: L’été ”
Congratulations Hannah!!
Totus Tuus Catholic Summer Camp at St. Francis Xavier Parish
Come and join us once again this summer for the Totus Tuus Catechetical Summer Camp for children and Youth to be
held at St. Francis Xavier Parish. The camp encourages and helps our youth and children to learn more about our faith
in a fun, engaging, interactive and motivating way. The experienced missionaries ensure that everyone is having fun
while learning about the gospels of the Lord.
The camp details are as follows:
Grade 1 to 6
August 5th to 9th
9:00am to 2:30pm
$55/ per child
Grade 7 to 12
August 4th to 8th
7:30pm to 9:00pm
$35/ per child
For more information or to register:
Visit our parish website: http://stfrancisxavierchurch.blogspot.ca/
Email us: SFX.TotusTuus@gmail.com
Contact us: Parish Office at 905 890 5290