Dufferin-Peel CDSB
ST. GERTRUDE SCHOOL
Guided by Faith, Committed to Excellence
NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2013
AN EASTER REFLECTION
St. Gertrude School
815 Ceremonial Dr.,
Mississauga, ON
L5R 3S2
Tel:
905 568 7660
Fax:
Lord,
the resurrection of your Son
has given us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
AMEN
905 568 8194
Principal
T. DeVellis-Carino
Vice-Principal
P. Golin
Secretaries
D. Bachle
M. Cherubino
Superintendent
Mississauga
Brampton Central
L. Papaloni
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die,
shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
Trustee
T. Thomas
Parish
St. Francis Xavier
905 890 5290
Pastor
Rev. Msgr. Edgardo Elias
Pan
John 11: 25-26
Principal’s Message
During this Lenten season, we have had the opportunity to reflect on our lives and doing what is right
and just in order to follow the path of Jesus. In the month of March, we celebrated the virtue of Kindness,
and in April, as we continue to foster a safe, caring, healthy and inclusive school community, we will
focus on the virtue of Love.
At an assembly, the book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? was used as the foundation to highlight
how each person can be a “bucket filler” or a bucket dipper. The story compares a bucket to the
container that holds our self-esteem and encourages children to fill others’ and their own buckets daily.
The way to fill a bucket is through our words and acts of kindness, respect and love towards others.
A smile or a compliment are excellent ways to fill a bucket and it makes you happy too. In the older
grades, teachers make connections and talk about the impact of words on social media or in person with
actions such as gossiping. Parents can participate by speaking their child about this initiative and
consider how you too can become a “bucket filler” and make our world a caring and loving example of
Christ our Lord.
Sincerely,
T. De Vellis Carino
Principal
P. Golin
Vice Principal
Page 2
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
APRIL’S VIRTUE - LOVE
This month we celebrate the virtue of Love. God
has given us many guidelines and examples of
how to live our lives. God sent His Son Jesus to
make sure that we could see what life could be like.
Jesus made one lesson clear above all other lessons; the lesson to love. Love is not about us, it is
about forgetting ourselves and looking out for the
good of others. That’s what Jesus did. He forgot
about Himself on purpose. He chose to give up His
life for the good of others—us!
A person showing the virtue of love:
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Wants the best for others
Is willing to make sacrifices for the good
of others
Learns from the heroic lives of saints &
holy people
Knows that we are all lovable
Prays for others
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
Catholic Education Week will be celebrated from
May 5-May 10, 2013. During this week the
Catholic community celebrates the unique and
distinctive contribution that Catholic schools make
to our students, our community and our province.
Catholic Education Week is an opportunity to
celebrate the Mission of our Catholic schools as
they strive to integrate the Gospel values of Jesus
Christ in every aspect of school life and curriculum.
This year’s theme is: “ Catholic Education: Growing
Together in Faith.”
SACRAMENTS
FIRST COMMUNION
Our grade 2 students will receive their
First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 4th, at
10 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church. Please
continue to keep them in your prayers.
CONFIRMATION
Our grade 8 students will be receiving the
Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday, May 30th
at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church. In
preparation, they participated in a retreat at Queen
of Apostles Retreat Centre. It was a wonderful day
for our students to personally reflect on their
spiritual development. As a Faith Community, we
ask you to remember all of our children in your
prayers.
LENTEN MASS
Our grade 1-8 students celebrated mass at St. Francis Xavier Church on Tuesday, February 26th at 9:30
a.m. St. Jude School joined with our school for this
special Lenten Mass. The students were bussed to
the church for this mass with the parish and school
sharing the expense. Special thank you to all the
parents and volunteers who joined us.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
It is critical that the school has all of the up-to-date
phone numbers and emergency contacts in the event
of an illness or injury to your child. Please
inform the office staff of any changes to work, home,
cell and emergency contact numbers. Your child’s
safety and well-being are important to us all.
E.Q.A.O.
Our grade 3 and grade 6 students will be
participating in the Provincial EQAO assessments.
These assessments will take place from May 27 to
June 7. It is very important that your child is present
during the assessment. We are asking that you
ensure that your child is at school during this time.
IMMUNIZATION RECORDS SCREENING BY
PEEL PUBLIC HEALTH
Peel Public Health is required by law to keep
immunization records of all school-aged children in
the Region of Peel. The current review of
immunization records is a routine process mandated
by the Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1990.
Under the Act, students under the age of 18 must
provide proof of up-to-date immunization against:
diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and
rubella. The Act also requires public health departments to issue orders to suspend children whose
records are incomplete.
If you have received a letter from Peel Public Health
regarding your child’s immunizations, please visit
www.immunizepeel.ca for more
information or call 905-799-7700.
ARE YOU MOVING?
We are beginning the process of
planning classes and staffing for the
2013-2014 school year.
Please ensure that you complete and submit the
‘Are You Moving’ form which was sent home at
the end of March, as soon as possible.
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
2013/2014 SCHOOL ORGANIZATION
PLANNING
Although it is only April, preparations are being
made to ensure that our school is organized for
the 2013-2014 school year. As such, in the
coming months, teachers will be working hard on
student class placements. As you can appreciate,
many hours of meetings and consultations go into
the class building process, to ensure the
appropriate placement of each and every student.
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When creating a class, teachers look at the
following criteria:
Student abilities and needs in the areas of
academic, social, physical and emotional
development
Balance according to gender.
Learning style connected to required learning
environments.
Student relationships
Parental/Guardian input (see description
below)
Parental/Guardian input is important to us. It will
be considered along with the other criteria listed
above.
Parental/Guardian input in the form of a letter to
the principal should focus on the learning style of
your child and the type of environment in which
she/he best learns. Please include any other
information you feel will assist us in making our
decisions, i.e. has been in a split class. Specific
teacher requests will not be considered. Please
be reminded that although these letters of request
will be considered, we caution that not all parental
requests can be accommodated.
Parents/Guardians who wish to submit a letter are
asked to send them to Mrs. De Vellis Carino by
Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
The Dance-a-thon fundraiser was enjoyed by
everyone. A special thank you is extended to
everyone for your support.
The total funds raised from this fundraiser
after expenses was $6,542.14.
A thank you goes out to our volunteer crew for
their organization
Please join us on Tuesday, April 16 @ 6:30 pm
for our next meeting. All are Welcome!
Page 3
Do not park in the bus lane at any time!
This would mean that the lane along the
entire length of the school, is a car-free
zone.
Also, cars should not be attempting to leave the
driveway at the end of the day when students are
leaving the school grounds. This is a very unsafe
practice.
All the drivers who bring students to school should
be aware of these safety requests and school
policies.
KISS AND RIDE LANE
 Do not let your child leave the car until you are
directed to do so by staff and/or a volunteer in
an orange vest.
 Be sure your child has his/her backpack and
exits from the passenger side doors
 Do not leave the Kiss ’n Ride lane
 Do not cross the Kiss ’n Ride lane at the
flagpole.
WALKING TO SCHOOL
We would like to ask parents/guardians to
encourage their children to walk to school. Walking
is a great form of physical activity. If walking all the
way to school is not possible, how about walking
part of the way? Dropping your children off a few
blocks from school and having them walk the rest of
the way would be a healthy alternative.
SCHOOL SPEECHES
The St. Gertrude students from grades 4 through 8
competed in a school wide speech competition on
February 11th. Vincent S. was the first place winner in the intermediate division with an informative
speech on “Stuttering.” John Steven D. placed
second in this competition and Julian M. placed
third.
In the junior division, Raquelle M. placed first with
an inspirational speech on Persuading Your
Parents. Nida J. placed second and Lysander G.
placed third. Each student represented the school
very well.
Congratulations to all the public speaking
winners and participants!
Page 4
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
SCIENCE OLYMPICS
On Friday, February 22, 2013, a
team of five students, Conrad C,
Russell F., Victoria F., Vincent H.,
and Justin M., led by T. Borisenko,
represented St. Gertrude Elementary
School at the Junior Science
Olympics held at San Lorenzo Ruiz
School. The team had a terrific
opportunity to demonstrate their problem solving
skills through a series of scientific challenges in a
cooperative environment. Thumbs up go out to the
team who put forth their best efforts and above all
else had an excellent experience. Way to go
team!!!!!!!!
MATH MANIA
On Thursday March 7, 2013, a team of five
intermediate students, led by I. Cassano,
participated in the annual Math Mania competition
held at Our Lady of Peace School in Brampton. The
two grade seven students, Michelle R., Brenda N.
and three grade eight students, Christian P.,
Rishi D., and Jed T., competed in individual grade
level and group math challenges from all five of the
math strands. Our students demonstrated a high
level of knowledge, skill, application of mathematics
and are to be congratulated for working together.
The team placed 5th out of 15 schools. The team is
to be congratulated for representing St. Gertrude,
demonstrating the highest level of responsibility,
sportsmanship and the virtues of our faith.
BALLROOM DANCING PRESENTATION
Special thank you goes out to our School Council
for sponsoring Ballroom dancing lessons for our
grade 4 to 8 students. On March 8th, all the
students participated in a wonderful Ballroom Dance
presentation. The audience made up of staff,
students and parents were delighted!
Thank you to T. Borisenko for helpling coordinate
this fun and successful learning experience.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to our grade 8
student Vincent S., for placing first in the
Mary Mathews Public Speaking contest
which took place in March.
CHESS CLUB
The Chess Club has started for Grades 3
to 8. We will be playing games at lunch
and after school to prepare for the
upcoming Family of Schools tournament
to be held on April 23. All are welcome experienced players and those who want to learn.
Thank you to B. Shelsen and A. McGuire for sharing
and teaching their skills.
RAPTORS BASKETBALL NIGHT
On February 12, 2013, eighty-seven children and
their parents has a fabulous time at the Air Canada
Center. We watched our Toronto
Raptors defeat the Denver Nuggets in
a dramatic “last second” play. Thank
you to all who joined us and thank
you to B. Shelsen for coordinating this
community event.
BASKETBALL
The basketball season has ended for the
intermediate teams. The coaches, B. Todoschuk,
M. Silva, and B. Shelsen, are proud of their players
for the great season, the highlights of which were
the games played at the Air Canada Centre on the
29th of January.
Boys Team
Andrew A., Joshua B., Juben Jordan C., Camilo J.,
Shannon L., Nicholas M., Jireh M., Christian P.,
Mathew R., and Justin T.
Girls Team
Amber D., Ariane I., Olivia I., Daniela K., Sara P.,
Aliya Q., Julia S., Latavia S., Kathleen T., and
Brenda N.
JUNIOR INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL
Our first Junior Intramural Basketball Season was a
success! There were 4 teams that played over the
lunch hour for eight weeks. There were 43 Grade 5
and 6 students that participated with enthusiasm.
17 Intermediate students volunteered to be fantastic
team coaches, referees and timekeepers.
Congratulations to the Green Team, Frasier T.,
Daniel T., Cole C., Angela A., Taejah R., Monica S.,
Trisha J., Sarah S.,Russell R., Nicky B. and
Justus S., for being our season champs!
Thank you to our teachers, I. Talerico, M. Silva and
P. DeLuca for your dedication and training.
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
Students from Grade 7 and 8 participated in a
Diversity Conference held at Blessed Trinity
School. The conference discussed differences in
culture, race and gender. The guest speaker,
Shannon Thunderbird of the Red Nation spoke
about Aboriginal Culture. She taught us that
there are four clans: the Red, the Black, the
White and the Yellow. The Red Nation is also
called the First Nation. There were special
handmade drums that students and teachers got
to drum on to the beat of Mother Nature’s heart.
We sang songs and did a dance where we all
held hands, danced and sang. Then we watched
a presentation by a St. Francis Xavier teacher
about diversity. We also answered some
questions about our experience with different
cultures and genders, in a group with two
students that were our group leaders. We
played a game called the Human Knot, where we
all held hands with each other and tried to
untangle ourselves without letting go of our
hands.
Page 5
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 29
Good Friday - NO SCHOOL
April 1
Easter Monday - NO SCHOOL
April 3
Virtue Assembly @ 12:30
April 11
Grades 1-8 Rose Theatre am
April 12
Family Chess Tournament
April 16
School Council Mtg @ 6:30
April 26
Board Chess Tournament
May 2
Virtue Assembly @9:50
May 3
French Café
May 4
First Holy Communion 10am
May 5-10
Catholic Education Week
After lunch, students from St. Francis
Xavier led us in some workshops. We learned
about teamwork and how it benefits everybody.
When Shannon Thunderbird was speaking to us
we learned that they don’t like to be called
Iroquois because it translates into rattlesnake.
We all had fun and it definitely opened our eyes
about all these nations.
May 8
Little Red Theatre JK-3
May 13
P. A. - NO SCHOOL
May 14
School Council Mtg 6:45
May 16
Welcome To Kindergarten 6:30
May 20
Victoria Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
By: Olivia C., Olivia I., and Richelle D.
May 27
E.Q.A.O. begins
BULLYING PREVENTION AND WELLNESS
SYMPOSIUM 2013 FOR PARENTS AND
GUARDIANS
The Dufferin-Peel CDSB is pleased to announce
we will be hosting a system-wide Bullying
Prevention and Wellness symposium on
June 1st, 2013 for parents and guardians. More
information to come….
May 30
Confirmation Mass @ 7pm
Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchoolsfor the latest news and information
about the board, school, programs and
PIZZA AND SUB ORDER DATES
Monday, March 25 Wednesday, April 3 Monday, April 8
Monday, April 15 Wednesday, April 17 Monday, April 22 Monday, April 29 Wednesday, May 1 Monday, May 6
Wednesday, May 15 -
pizza day
sub day
pizza day
pizza day
sub day
pizza day
pizza day
sub day
pizza day
sub day