Dufferin-Peel CDSB
ST. GERTRUDE SCHOOL
Guided by Faith, Committed to Excellence
NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2014
St. Gertrude School
815 Ceremonial Dr.,
Mississauga, ON
L5R 3S2
Tel:
905 568 7660
Fax:
905 568 8194
Website:
http://www.dpcdsb.orgGERTR
Principal
T. De Vellis Carino
Vice-Principal
M. Diab
Secretaries
M. Sgambelluri
M. Cherubino
Superintendent
Mississauga
Brampton Central
L. Papaloni
Trustee
T. Thomas
Parish
St. Francis Xavier
905 890 5290
Pastor
Msgr. Edgardo Pan
Council
OCTOBER VIRTUE – EMPATHY
This month we will focus on the Virtue of Empathy. God has given us the ability to form connections
with each other – to live together. Empathy helps us to connect and live together in safe, caring,
inclusive communities. We believe that in a faith community we are nothing without relationships.
An empathetic person….
Listens attentively
Watches people’s body language
Notices and responds when someone is upset
Can name her/his feelings
Can see a situation from another person’s point of view
Knows that different people may feel differently about the same thing
Principal’s Message
September is always a very busy month in our school. We currently have 648 students. Our French Immersion program now has two classes each for grades 1 –6.
Thank you to everyone for your patience as we reorganized on the September PA
Day. We welcome the following new staff members: Mrs. Graham-Murrin, grade 1
Teacher, Ms Coccimiglio, Planning Time Teacher, and Mrs. Arezes, DECE.
Our Open House was well attended and we were pleased to welcome many new
and returning families. Thank you to the many parents who were able to attend to
meet the staff, and learn about the programs.
Thank you to Father Joshua for celebrating our Opening School Mass on September
18 and for the many parents who attended. Father Joshua and Dave, our youth
minister from the parish will continue to visit classrooms throughout the year, as
well as, to celebrate various occasions on our liturgical calendar.
We are looking forward to a very exciting year working with all our partners in
education. This year, we are continuing with the many great initiatives that were
in place last year such as the ECO and Healthy Schools Program. We are also excited that many staff members have come forward to initiate some new programs
that will enhance student engagement and positively impact students’ feelings of
inclusion and well being.
T. De Vellis Carino
Principal
M. Diab
Vice Principal
Page 2
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
SCHOOL MASS/LITURGIES
Our opening School Mass was celebrated on September
18th . Our next mass will be celebrated on Friday,
November 18, the feast day for St. Gertrude. It will
take place in our gym at 9:00 a.m. Please join us for our
masses. We are blessed to witness the parish, school
and families celebrating together. On October 10th we
introduced the Virtue of Empathy.
Please join us for our next virtue assembly on
November 3rd at 9 a.m.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION
Parents and students in grade 2 who will be receiving the
Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion this
year were invited to attend a meeting at the Church on
Thursday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m. The inscription
mass is scheduled for Sunday, November 2 at 10:30 a.m.
Parents and students in grade 8 who will be receiving the
Sacrament of Confirmation this year are invited to attend
a meeting with the parish team at the church on Tuesday,
November 4th at 7:00 p.m. The inscription mass is
scheduled for Sunday, November 23rd @ 10:30 am.
FOOD DRIVE
Each year, the students of
St. Gertrude are involved in a
community wide food drive. Food is
needed by the local food bank to
assist many families who are in need.
It is part of our Christian response to
follow the example of Jesus by
helping those in need among us.
The virtue and practice of charity is one we all need to
develop in our lives. Therefore, before Thanksgiving,
each student was asked to bring in items of nonperishable foods, which were sorted and passed along to
the food bank. Thank you for supporting this activity by
sending along the many needed items. Your assistance
was greatly appreciated by the Knight’s Table.
ATTENDANCE LINE
If your child is absent, please call the
attendance line 905 568 7660 ext. 1. It is
very important that you notify the school if
your child is going to be absent. The office
is very busy and it saves our secretaries
time in calling home if you have called in.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
For regular school updates,
please visit our school
website
http://www.dpcdsb.org/GERTR
SCHOOL COUNCIL
We are looking forward to an exciting year. Our first
School Council for the 2014-2015 school year was held
on October 7th, 2014 in the library.
School Council Executive members:
Chair:
S. Dutra
Secretary:
T. Camara
Treasurer:
T. Wah Kan
Other Members:
OAPCE Rep:
TBA
Parish Rep:
S. Borges
Teaching Rep:
N. Gentili
Non Teaching Rep:
TBA
Our Catholic School Council is committed to supporting
the students in a variety of initiatives in the school. The
Council provides opportunities for parents to be
engaged and learn how to more effectively support
their children’s learning. Council also supports student
engagement by purchasing items such as student
agendas for grades 1-8 and keepsakes in their
Sacramental years and sponsoring many experiential
activities such as artists in the school. We are very
grateful to have an active School Council which has the
children’s and school’s best interest at heart. Please
join us at our next School Council meeting on Tuesday,
November 4, 2014, in the library at 6:30 p.m. All are
welcome!
SCHOOL DRIVEWAY - KISS ‘N RIDE
Please use the south entrance of the school driveway
to drop off your child during morning Kiss and Ride.
For your child’s safety, please use the curb or passenger side for drop off. The parking lot
is
reserved for staff only. If you need
to park, we ask you to please park
on the streets that are designated for
parking and not in front of the school or driveway.
Tip: Parking a few blocks away will ensure you a
parking spot and increase daily physical activity for
you and your child. This also supports our
Healthy Schools and Walk to School initiatives.
FRENCH IMMERSION INFORMATION MEETING
There will be a meeting for parents of Senior Kindergarten students, outlining the French Immersion Program.
For more information, please attend the
information meeting at St. Gertrude School on
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 at 7:00 pm.
More Details to follow.
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
Page 3
SCHOOL AGENDAS
TERRY FOX WALK
Students in Grade One to Eight have received their
School Agenda. As you can see they are an excellent
organizational tool and an excellent means of
communication between teachers, students and
parents. Please check your child’s agenda to ensure
that it is being used properly. A special thank you to our
School Council for purchasing the agendas for our
children. The new homework policy can be reviewed in
the agendas.
Our annual Terry Fox Walk was held on
September 22, 2014. Schools across
Canada participated in this very worthwhile
cause in different ways. We started with our
kick-off assembly. It is always amazing to
see our entire school participate in this walk.
Again our St. Gertrude Community displayed their generosity through our “Toonie
for Terry” drive. We hope to continue Terry’s dream
through his “Marathon of Hope”. A special thank you is
extended to the many parents who joined us for the
walk. Our total pledge will be approximately $1000.
HALLOWE’EN & Spook-a-thon!
Halloween and our first Boogie-a-thon fundraiser will
be held at St. Gertrude on Friday, October 31st.
In keeping with the Hallowe’en and spook-a-thon
theme, students, staff and parents who participate in
the fundraiser by dancing and collecting donations, are
encouraged to wear costumes that demonstrate
creativity , ingenuity and good taste!
No weapons or gore please!! Masks should also be
avoided as they can impair vision.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
Our teacher-librarian, Mme Marchand, would like to
thank all the parents and students who supported our
school book fair. Reading at home is crucial in improving your child’s literacy skills. The money raised will be
used to purchase more books and materials for the
library.
INDOOR / OUTDOOR SHOES
As we move into the Fall Season and a change in
weather we would ask that students bring a pair of
indoor shoes that can be worn inside of the school and
left in their classrooms.
MEDICAL ALERT – ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK -
Peanut Allergies
This year, as in the past, we continue to
have some students with severe life
threatening food allergies especially NUTS
(PEANUT) . This is a medical condition
that causes a severe reaction to certain
allergens and can result in death within minutes.
Although this may or may not affect your child’s class
directly, please send foods with your child to school
that are free from peanuts or nut products.
To celebrate special events such as birthdays, we
ask that you do not send food products. Special
pencils, stickers or erasers, are some safe, non-edible
alternatives. Please feel free to contact your child’s
teacher if you have any concerns or questions. We
thank you for your co-operation and attention to this
health watch as we continue to strive to keep all our
students safe!
PEDICULOSIS
A problem, which seems to occur in most schools, is
pediculosis or head lice. Head lice are parasites and
they are not connected in any way with hygiene. If a
case is found, we shall inform all parents of all children in
that class. We ask that you periodically check your own
children. If you find that your child has pediculosis,
please ensure that they get the proper treatment. Even
if cases are not reported from the school, it is a wise
precaution to check your children periodically. If your
children are infested, we will be asking you to keep them
out of school until after they have been treated with the
correct shampoo and their heads are entirely clear of
both lice and nits (eggs).
EARLY ARRIVALS
Our supervision begins at 8:05 a.m. Students must not
arrive at school before this time as they will not be
supervised. Please make arrangements to ensure your
child does not arrive at school before 8:05 a.m.
LATE ARRIVALS
There have been a number of children coming into
school after the bell has rung. School begins promptly at
8:20 a.m. Parents are encouraged to have their
children at school five minutes before the bell. Children
who are late must report to the office and pick up a late
slip. It is uncomfortable for your child to come into class
late, miss valuable learning time and disrupt the learning
of others. Your co-operation in helping your child
develop the life long skill of punctuality is appreciated.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Each and every school within the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board is required to have a fire
emergency and evacuation plan. We
are required under Board Policy to
have three practice fire drills in the first term. The classroom teachers have and will continue to review these
procedures with their students. The fire department is
also asking that families review the plan that you would
have within your own home if a fire should occur.
Guided b y Faith, Committed to Excellence
Page 4
LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
SECURITY AT ST. GERTRUDE
We are also required to review and practice a lockdown
procedure. This procedure is to prepare students in
case of an intruder in the school or immediate area.
Teachers will be assuring their children that this is strictly
a practice and hopefully it will never have to be
implemented. Please be assured that we always have
the safety of your children as our first concern.
As you may be aware, all doors to the school are locked
throughout the day. A reminder that all visitors must
come to the office, sign in and pick up an identification
badge.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS-RETAKES
Students who were absent on Picture Day or require a
retake will have an opportunity to have their picture
taken on Friday, November 7.
ELEMENTARY REPORTING PROCESS
There will be a progress report going home on
November 11th and the teachers may request interviews for some students at this time.
The Elementary Provincial reports will go home on
February 3 and June 24.
SPORTS & ACTIVE NEWS
SOCCER
Coaches A. Lonardi and M. Lackey congratulate our Int.
Boys and Int. Girls teams! They both represented our
school with pride at the Mississauga Brampton Central
Soccer tournament. Congratulations to the Boys team
on their 2nd place win.
CROSS-COUNTRY
We have a large number of students from both the Junior and Intermediate grades training at lunch hour and
after school. The Family meet is scheduled this year on
Friday, October 24. A special thank you
to our coaches:
P. DeLuca and N. Gentili.
VOLLEYBALL
Special thanks to the many coaches helping to prepare
the Jr. and Int. teams for the upcoming volleyball season. Thank you goes out to M. Silva, R. McIntosh, N.
Benevides, V. Guerreiro, K. Curran, T. Borisenko, K.
Dela Cruz and B. Todoschuk.
Congratulations to the Junior Boys and Girls teams.
They both placed 1st in the Pod Tournaments. Way to
go Gators!
Starting at 8:05 a.m., staff wearing orange vests are on
duty to supervise students until the bell rings. For
student safety, parents and other adults dropping
students off, are asked to exit the school yard. When the
bell rings, the classroom teachers will come to the doors
to collect students.
At dismissal time, parents are asked to wait outside the
school at your child’s exit door or another area away
from the front doors. The front door exits are reserved
for bus students only.
Early Dismissal
If your child needs to leave the school at a
time other than regular dismissal, we ask that
you advise the teacher via a note. If you
intend to send someone else to pick up your child,
please write a note to your child’s teacher specifying who
is picking up your child. Parents or designates must
come to the office to sign out the student.
EQAO
We are very proud of our EQAO results for 2013-2014.
Our focus will continue to be numeracy this year.
School Board Province
Grade 3
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
Grade 6
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
84
93
78
73
83
67
70
78
67
88
93
66
82
82
57
79
78
54
YEARBOOK
Attention all Gators! Missed out on ordering a yearbook
last year? Still interested in remembering the awesome
year we had? You’re in luck. We have a very limited
number of yearbooks still available for sale. These extra
yearbooks will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.
Students wishing to buy are asked to bring payment to
Mme McIntosh as soon as possible. The cost is $25
cash or cheque, payable to St. Gertrude School.
COURTESY SEAT STATUS
Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools
Continue to visit the following website to
check your child’s courtesy seat status.
http://businfo.stopr.ca
Reminders and Resources: Cold and Flu Season
As cold and flu season approaches, the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board continues to be vigilant in ensuring that our schools are clean and that
our school communities are educated regarding good
ROSARY APOSTOLATES
hand hygiene and cough etiquette. These practices
are promoted on an ongoing basis, but as the prevaThe Rosary Apostolates are inspired by Pope John
lence of colds and flu increases, our board increases
Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization in his third
Millennium. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that the the cleaning of contact surfaces, as well as reminds
”Rosary is a Biblical prayer interwoven with Sacred schools to review cold and flu prevention with students and staff. Many resources are utilized from our
Scripture…It is a prayer of the heart …helps us to
regional health units.
meditate on the word of God”.
We are pleased to welcome this group of dedicated
volunteers who will be visiting the classrooms to
teach and pray the Rosary with staff and students.
The Rosary Apostolates will visit St. Gertrude
monthly throughout the school year. We will have a
final Celebration on May 4, 2015
SCHOOL SCREENING ASSOCIATION
It’s Hearing and Vision Screening time!!!
School Screening Association will be visiting our
school this year on Monday, March 2, 2015 to concuct their clinic. Your child’s hearing and vision
should be screened every year.
Growing children are very susceptible to middle
ear problems and one of the best ways to prevent
hearing loss is early detection of middle ear function issues.
 A visit to an audiologist costs upwards of $50.00
and is not covered by OHIP. However, if your
child is referred to a hospital clinic by your doctor, the cost is covered by OHIP
 Your child’s hearing is not being monitored unless they are being seen by an Audiologist or an
E.N.T
 A Free vision screening is included with the
Hearing Clinic. Eye Examinations are covered
by OHIP
 A fee of $15.00 is collected to help offset the cost
of bringing this clinic to our school.
A permission form will be sent home with your child
Approximately 2 weeks before the clinic date. Please
fill out the form, include $15.00 fee and return to the
school prior to the clinic date.

A reminder, as well, that communicable diseases can
be contracted in public places throughout the year.
For example, cold-related viruses, such as Enterovirus, are transferred from person to person through
hand contact. Cold and flu viruses typically peak
from December through February, but can start as
early as October.
Regional Health Unit Resources
Please assist us by reviewing good hand washing procedures, as well as other preventative measures, as
outlined in the various Peel Health and Wellington
Dufferin Guelph (WDG) resources available to you
through their websites. As always, children who are
unwell, should be kept at home.
Flu Clinics
Also available on the Peel Health and WDG websites, are the schedules of local Flu Clinics.
For more information, visit the health unit websites:
Peel Health website: http://www.peelregion.ca/health
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health website:
www.wdgpublichealth.ca
Direct links to the above information can be found in
the Parent Section of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board website at www.dpcdsb.org
Walk to School Relaunch
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Walking Crew
Elementary International Language
Classes are available to students in
grades JK to 8.
Please register at the IL sites (listed
below) on Saturdays.
Day schools do not accept
registrations. Call 905-891-9263.
There is continuous enrolment.
For more information please visit
www.dpcdsb.org/programs &
services/languages/international languages
BOLTON
St. John the Baptist
BRAMPTON
St. Kevin
Pauline Vanier
St. Francis Xavier
St. Isaac Jogues
MISSISSAUGA
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Divine Mercy
MISSISSAUGA
Father Daniel Zanon
Mary Fix
Metropolitan Andrei
St. Bernadette
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Clare
St. Herbert (Sunday classes)
St. Jude
Sts. Peter & Paul
St. Philip
Sts. Martha & Mary