D u f f e r in - P e e l C D S B
ST. GERTRUDE SCHOOL
Guided by Faith, Committed to Excellence
NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2012
St. Gertrude School
815 Ceremonial Dr.,
Mississauga, ON
L5R 3S2
Tel:
905 568 7660
Fax:
905 568 8194
A PRAYER FOR PEACE
LORD JESUS YOU SAID TO YOUR DISCIPLES,
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY WILL
BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD."
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OUR WORLD NEEDS YOUR PEACE, YET IN SO MANY PLACES
THERE IS ONLY WAR AND CONFLICT.
LORD, THROUGH THE POWER OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORM HUMAN HEARTS,
GIVE OUR WORLD A DESIRE FOR PEACE,
Principal
T. DeVellis Carino
AND HELP US TO DO OUR PART.
Vice-Principal
P. Golin
Secretaries
D. Bachle
M. Cherubino
Superintendent
Mississauga
Brampton Central
L. Kazimowicz
Trustee
T. Thomas
Parish
St. Francis Xavier
905 890 5290
Pastor
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
Council Chair
Pending
Principal’s Message
It’s hard to believe we are already in November. There are so many
great things happening in our school. The students are busy with the
curriculum along with being given the opportunity to participate in
sports, clubs and music activities. Our newly elected school council and
student council are both actively planning activities in the school .
Our liturgical committee continues to organize our virtue assemblies
and liturgical events. They are now preparing for the Feast of
St. Gertrude on November 15, 2012.
We continue to work on our Catholic School Learning Plan. Our
primary and junior teachers are focusing on literacy with our Special
Assignment Teacher. The intermediates are involved in a literacy
initiative with a network of schools. This focuses on Guided Instruction
and implementing the new Board resource, “Stepping Up”. We
continue to look at our EQAO scores and other data sources such as
PM Benchmarks and CASI to assess our programs and implement high
yield strategies to improve student achievement.
We appreciate your support and continue to work together to ensure a
healthy, caring, inclusive and engaging school experience for all
students.
T. DeVellis Carino
P. Golin
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Guided by F aith, Committed to Excellence
THE VIRTUE OF CONSCIENCE
God has given us the ability to know the right and decent
way to act and then to act that way. We trust that the
common Spirit we share inspires us and guides us to
make good decisions if we allow our conscience to
become well-formed.
A person of conscience allows prayer and scripture to
influence him/her.
A person of conscience ...
 Chooses to do the „right thing‟ and feels good
about it
 Can see how his/her actions may hurt others
 Admits his/her wrong-doing and feels badly
 Says sorry and tries to make up for mistakes
 Keeps promises
A PRAYER OF CONSCIENCE
Gracious and merciful God of all creation, during this
season of remembrance, we remember how You have
gifted us with free will. You have given us the virtue of
conscience to ensure that we will know the good and
decent way to act and then choose to act that way.
We come to You now asking for the grace and strength to
form and follow our conscience in order to bring to life
Your plan for a safe, caring, inclusive community here at
St. Gertrude Catholic School. May Your virtue of
conscience free us to make decisions that serve the good
of all Your people. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Your
Son, who lived to show us Your way.
AMEN
THE FEAST OF ST. GERTRUDE
Born: January 6, 1256
Died: November 17, 1302
St. Gertrude’s life was one of devotion. It
revolved around the study of Holy Scripture, spiritual
reading and writing, prayer and the liturgy. St. Gertrude’s
life was a life of great spirituality; a mystical life of a
cloistered nun who had a great devotion to the Sacred
Heart and the Lord’s Passion. She became the first great
apostle and prophet of the devotion to our Lord’s Sacred
Heart as a symbol of God’s infinite love for us.
We will celebrate Mass on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 at
12:45 in honour of St. Gertrude. St. Gertrude’s
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of the
need for our commitment, devotion and continuous
spiritual development.
REMEMBRANCE DAY LITURGY
VIRTUE LITURGY
The Remembrance day and virtue liturgies
will be held in the school gym on November
9th at 9:00 a.m.
SACRAMENTS
Reconciliation
Sacrament of Reconciliation - Grade Two
St. Francis Xavier Church – January 16, 2013 at
9:00 a.m.
First Eucharist
First Holy Communion - Grade Two
 First Holy Communion Inscription
St. Francis Xavier Church – November 3 & 4, 2012,
during all masses.
 Sacrament of First Holy Communion
St. Francis Xavier Church – May 4, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Confirmation
Sacrament of Confirmation - Grade 8
 Parents and Candidates Meeting
St. Francis Xavier Church – November 6, 2012 at
7:00 p.m.
 Inscription Masses for Confirmation
Candidates St. Francis Xavier Church – December 8
& 9, 2012 during all masses
 Sacrament of Confirmation
St. Francis Xavier Church – May 30, 2013 at
7:00 p.m.
MILK BAGS FOR MATS 4 HAITI
Milk bags, (larger outside coloured bag) will be collected
at St. Gertrude School to be converted into Mats for
Haitians and other third world countries.
Please send your empty, clean milk bags with your child
to school. They will be delivered to a team of dedicated
women who will then crochet the bags into sleeping mats
for children and adults in third world countries such as
Haiti.
“It is in giving, that we receive” Francis of Assisi.
CHRISTMAS TOILETRY DRIVE
The Christmas season is quickly approaching. As a
Catholic community, we understand the importance of
giving during this blessed season.
Once again, St. Gertrude School will be collecting toiletry
items for our annual Christmas Toiletry Drive. Together
with your generous donations, we can help many families
have a special Christmas.
The following are a list of suggested items: shampoo,
conditioner, hair gel, hair brush, comb, soap, shower gel,
body wash, moisturizing cream, toothbrush, toothpaste,
deodorant, bathroom tissue, facial tissue, lip balm,
perfume, cologne, etc.
Thank you for your help and generous support,
Christmas Toiletry Drive Committee
Guided by F aith, Committed to Excellence
PLANNING AHEAD
As we move along in the school year, there have been a
great number of calls to the school for students about
last minute instructions from home. Please try to plan
ahead, and/or have a backup plan with your children to
avoid last minute calls and confusion. This may lead to
placing students in unsafe situations. We
only have one secretary in the afternoon
and her workload is extremely heavy.
Please help us keep school lines open for
emergencies and usage for the daily
activities of the school.
EARLY / LATE ARRIVAL
Please note, that supervision is provided fifteen
minutes before the 8:20 a.m. bell. Thank you to
everyone for making a special effort to be on time,
however, students should not be arriving at school
before supervisors get to the yard. In addition, we are
still concerned about the number of children coming in
late for school. Part of being a responsible student is to
arrive at school on time. It is disruptive to a classroom
environment to have students enter the room once class
has begun. Late arrivals are also recorded on the
student report card and in the School Attendance
Register. Students are asked to come to the office for a
late slip. We are asking that parents do not walk them
to their classrooms. Please make every effort to have
your child at school before 8:15 a.m.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
This year the Grade 7’s and the Grade 8’s elected two
students per class to represent them on this year’s
Student Council.
The representatives are:
Chanelle M., Gianni M., Kathleen T., Shannon L.,
Olivia C., Michelle R., Mercedes C.S. and John D.
The Student Council organized a Halloween Poster
Contest for JK to Grade 6.
The Student Council also organized a Halloween Dance
for Grade 7’s and 8’s which was a huge success.
They also organized the cookie sales for Halloween.
CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE
Students Council will be organizing a
Toy Drive in the very near future.
More information to follow.
CASUAL FRIDAYS
You may observe that the staff dresses in a casual
manner on Fridays. Through donations made on these
Fridays, we are supporting the United Way of Peel and
ShareLife.
Page 3
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
Visitors to the school are reminded to stop in at the
office to sign in and receive a visitor’s sticker.
Staff enter the school by utilizing the keyless card
access at the front and parking lot entrances. This
enables us to keep all doors, with the exception of the
front door, locked at all times.
INJURIES AT SCHOOL
It is the goal of all staff that students enjoy both indoor
and outdoor activities at school and remain safe and
healthy at all times. It is an unfortunate fact that
accidents do happen and that injuries must be dealt with
in the quickest and most prudent of manners. At
St. Gertrude School numerous school members have
chosen to become certified in First Aid and annual
recertification is a school priority. As such, there is
always someone certified in First Aid, available to
address any issues of a minor or serious nature. Our
school policy is to err on the side of caution when
dealing with a potentially serious injury. Agendas are
used to inform parents of minor injuries and phone calls
are made to alert parents to any injuries that may require
monitoring.
SNACKS AND SPECIAL TREATS
Our students continue to eat their snacks
inside, either 5 minutes before recess or
after recess breaks. This helps to avoid
the problems presented by seagulls, bees
and wasps as well as those problems that
arise from litter in the yard.
As you are aware many of our students suffer from
allergies. The parents and students at St. Gertrude have
been extremely careful and supportive in promoting a nut
aware environment. With a safe environment in mind,
we ask that you please do not send in food items to mark
special occasions such as birthdays. Children with food
allergies are excluded when birthday items enter the
classroom. They have been trained not to take a chance
on any item that hasn’t been prepared by their parents.
Special events can be marked with a new book for the
classroom library, or a new pencil for each child. Rest
assured, teachers do acknowledge and celebrate
birthdays even if a treat doesn’t mark the special nature
of the day.
VOLUNTEERS & CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECK CRC
Anyone working or volunteering in our school as a new
employee or volunteer must have a Criminal Reference
Check (CRC) completed by Peel Police.
Please note that this includes all parents/guardians who
wish to volunteer as a supervisor on a class trip.
CRC‟s are free of charge for volunteers. Forms are
available at our school office.
Page 4
Guided by F aith, Committed to Excellence
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
On October 24, 2012, 58 students from grades 5 to 8
participated in the Family Level Cross Country Meet at Erindale
Park. Since the middle of September these dedicated runners
trained three times a week under the guidance of their
coaches, P. DeLuca, D. Marques and N. Gentili. Over the
course of their training these students learned about
endurance, pace and importance of stretching. On the day of
the Meet, the St. Gertrude Gators gave it their all and
challenged themselves to do their personal best. It was a fun
filled day in which the students had the opportunity to compete
and to watch and cheer on their peers.
A special mention goes out to Dante R. in grade 6 who placed
first in the grade 6 division and to the grade 7 girls team who
took first place in their run.
In total, 12 students qualified for this year’s Board Level
Competition which will take place at Centennial Park on
Thursday, November 8, 2012.
INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL
B. Todoschuk and M. Silva would like to thank all the volleyball
intermediate team members for their dedication and hard work
throughout the season. All members showed great
improvement since beginning in early October. It was a
pleasure to work with students who always demonstrated a
positive attitude and the willingness to learn. Good luck next
year to the Grade 8’s moving onto high school. Try out for
teams and believe in yourself.
Girl’s Volleyball Team: Brenda N., Olivia I., Olivia C.,
Kathleen T., Michelle R., Mercedes S., Julia S., Stephanie P.,
Amber R., Diana C., Daniela K., Ariane A., Sara R.
Boy’s Volleyball Team: Gianni M., Adam R., Matthew R.,
Michael B., Julian M., Trenton J., Tyler N., Andrew A.,
Shannon L., Christian P.
FRENCH IMMERSION INFORMATION MEETING
Senior kindergarten parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll
their child in the Grade 1 French Immersion class for
September, 2013 are invited to attend an information meeting
here at St. Gertrude School.
School:
Date:
Time:
INCLEMENT WEATHER
With the winter season fast approaching, we would like
to remind you of bus cancellation procedures.
Occasionally, because of inclement weather or other
emergency situations, buses may have to be cancelled.
Information regarding bus cancellation and other
emergency information announcements can be obtained
by listening to the following radio stations:
640 AM
88.5 FM
98.1 FM
Q107
740 AM
104.5 FM
90.3 FM
107.1 FM
680 AM
92.5 FM
100.7 FM
Make sure the announcement is for the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board. If transportation is
cancelled, the schools will remain open except under
extraordinary circumstances and when announced. If
buses are cancelled and parents or guardians
choose to bring their child to school, it is also their
responsibility to pick them up at the end of the day.
ECOTEAM
The Ecoteam is ready to begin a new year with goals to
continue to reduce the school’s energy consumption
and waste. Our first initiative is to minimized waste by
reducing paper consumption. The Ecoteam will be
providing all classrooms with “GOOS” boxes; this paper
which is “Good On One Side”, can be used for rough
copies, doodles during indoor recess, math problems,
etc. GOOS boxes will also be placed near all printers
and photocopiers so that staff can reuse this paper.
ECO TIP: We all know that paper comes from trees!
Let’s all try to save trees every day by using less paper,
using both sides and by recycling paper.
St. Gertrude School
Monday, January 14, 2013
7:00 pm.
EXTENDED FRENCH INFORMATION MEETING
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their child in
a Grade 5 Extended French class for September, 2013 are
invited to attend an information meeting at:
School:
Address:
Date:
Time:
San Lorenzo Ruiz
100 Barondale Drive
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
7:00 pm.
Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools
Guided by F aith, Committed to Excellence
HEALTHY SCHOOLS
St. Gertrude has re-launched the Walking to
School program on Friday, October 19th! This
program encourages families to lead a more
active lifestyle by walking to and from school.
Each student is given a Frequent Walker card
and is encouraged to keep it readily available on
days they walked to school. They will receive a stamp
from one of the Walking Squad Leaders. The launch was
a great success due to the many supportive community
members, parents, Ministry of Transportation, Peel
Regional Police and the staff of St. Gertrude. For more
information about being ACTIVE, please visit
www.peelregion.ca.
BULLYING AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
WEEK - NOVEMBER 18 - 24, 2012
Ontario has designated the third week of every
November as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
to help promote safer schools and a positive learning
environment. During Nov 18 - 24, 2012 - Ontario
students, staff and parents are encouraged to learn more
about bullying and its effect on student learning and
well-being.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The St. Gertrude School Council invite you to join us on
the evening of Tuesday, November 13 in the library at
6:30 pm.
We still require a School Council Chair. If interested
please forward your name.
We encourage all parents to participate in the life of our
school for we believe as the Ministry believes ...
“When parents are engaged, students improve,
classrooms improve, schools improve and the entire
community benefits.”
Planning Parent Engagement
A Guidebook for Parents and Schools
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY DAY
NOVEMBER 16TH Provincial Priorities
No School for Students on this day.
Page 5
PRIMARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
This year, the students in grades JK-3 will perform two
Christmas concerts on December 19, 2012, during the
school day. There will be one performance in the
morning and a repeat performance in the afternoon. This
celebration of song promises to be a highlight of the
Christmas Season.
RECESS
All students are expected to dress appropriately for
weather conditions and go outdoors for recess. Please
ensure that your child has a pair of warm boots for the
winter months. For many children, a spare pair of
socks, gloves or clothing may save a parent a trip to the
school. In the event of inclement weather, students will
be kept indoors. In the event of wet, muddy or icy
conditions the students will remain on paved areas.
During recess, supervision is restricted to the
playground areas. If your child is not well enough to
participate in outdoor recess, please consider keeping
him/her at home.
Personnel on yard duty are easily recognizable to
students as they carry recess bags, walkie talkies and/or
wear brightly coloured vests.
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
2013/2014
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2013-2014
school year, will take place at St. Gertrude School on
the following days:
Monday, January 28, 2013
7-9 p.m.*
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday, February 1, 2013
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
*Snow Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7-9p.m.
WINTER WEATHER
During the winter season, many parents are
concerned about school policy with regards
to outdoor recess. It is generally accepted
that when the wind chill factor drops below
–25C, students should not go outside for
recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. policy uses
a wind chill of –20C as the determining temperature for
modified recesses. At St. Gertrude, students will
remain inside when the wind chill is reported at –25C or
lower and we will modify the duration of lunch recess
when the temperature reaches –20C. As always,
ensure your child is prepared for the extremes of
Canadian weather.