ST. CLARE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 4140 Glen Erin Drive Mississauga, Ontario L5L 2Z3 Phone: 905.820.2227 Fax: 905.820.6606 Web: http://www.dpcdsb.org/clare December, 2014. Principal S. Hensman The Season of Advent D. Amaral (905) 890.1221 Lord, fill our hearts with your love and as you revealed to us by an angel, the coming of your Son as man through His suffering and death to the glory of His resurrection, for He lives and reigns with you and the Lord our God, forever and ever. Amen. Trustee Principal’s Message Administrative Assistant E. Iannicca Superintendent Wards 2 and 8 (Mississauga) S. Hobin Cell: (905) 301.1210 Email: sharon.hobin@dpcdsb.org Parish St. Ignatius Loyola Parish 2300 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. Mississauga, ON L5L 3T6 Phone: (905) 820.1444 Fax: (905) 820.6879 Dear Parents and Families, The season of Advent marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year. We wait patiently with hope and joyful expectation for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day. As we prepare our hearts and minds, let us always remember the promises of God. Let us continue to strive for peace through acts of justice and love for each other. Sincerely, Ms. Hensman www.st-ignatius-loyola.com Pastor Father T. Hanley Associate Pastor Father F. Salasiar, CSC School Council Chair I. Ross Enclosures include: * Message from S. Hobin * Inclement Weather * International Student Programs * December Calendar Advent Mass As we began the Season on Advent on Sunday November 30, 2014, let us embrace hope, compassion and love to guide us to the light of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will be celebrating Advent Mass on Thursday December 4, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. Our choir, continues to provide us with beautiful music. All are welcome to join us at St. Ignatius Loyola Church. Seniors Advent Mass On Tuesday December 9 our choir has been invited to provide the music at the 10:00 a.m. Mass. Following the Mass, there will be a reception in the Parish Hall, where our choir will continue to share the gift of music with the seniors. Students will be walking to St. Ignatius Loyola Church with the Choir Leaders. Striving for Excellence December Virtue – Hope / We All Want to Feel Included This month we will focus on the Virtue of Hope. We believe that God comes to us as a real human who can show us the way of life. God has given us this Advent season year after year in order to focus our minds and our hearts on the good all around us. People of Hope… Keep up a positive attitude Can bounce back from tough situations Set and stick to their goals See the good in others even when they make mistakes Work to include others Let others know that they are good people Advent Angel Tree On behalf of the St. Clare Youth Ambassadors, St. Clare Catholic School families are invited to take an angel from our Advent Angel Tree, then bring back a gift card from the store written on the back of the tag. Please write your family name on the tag and return it with the gift card to the office by Friday December 12, 2014. You may keep the angel as a reminder that your family has helped spread the peace, love, hope and joy of the Advent Season. Thank you for your consideration and support! Christmas Concert – “Grandma and Grandpa’s Nativity Story” We will be having our Christmas Concert on Thursday December 18 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Our students will be performing a variety of songs to inspire us with the spirit of Christmas. The Liturgical Committee is requesting a donation of a “toonie”. All money collected will be given to ShareLife. Parish Information – St. Ignatius Loyola Church Sacramental Dates Grade 2 First Communion – Sunday April 19, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. (Church) Grade 8 Confirmation – Thursday May 7, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. (Church) Important Dates from St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church… Advent - 2014 Be reconciled to God and one another through the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) before Christmas. Please plan to celebrate Confession before Christmas – the best gift that you can give yourself this year. The Sacrament is available as follows: - Every Saturday between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. or anytime by appointment - On Wednesday December 10, the Archdiocesan Day of Confessions from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.; 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.; 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. For more info, visit: www.archtoronto.org/confession/ - On Saturday December 20 – extended confessions from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. and on Tuesday December 23 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Father Tim and Father Francis available for individual confessions. Christmas Mass Schedule and New Year’s Mass Schedule: - Christmas Eve: Wednesday December 24 at 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 Midnight - Christmas Day: Thursday December 25 at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 Noon - New Year’s Eve: Wednesday December 31 at 5:00 p.m. - New Year’s Day: Thursday January 1 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 Noon Calling All Young Families…. Please consider having your children participate in our Children’s Dramatization of the Nativity on Christmas Eve at the 4:00 p.m. Mass. There will be only 1 rehearsal on Saturday December 20 at 1:30 p.m. Feast of the Holy Family On the weekend of December 27 / 28, we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Our Priests and deacons will be very happy to offer Individual Family Blessings following the final hymn of the Mass. They will ask blessings of the Holy Family upon the lives of our families in the coming year…please plan to take part! Parish Family Skating Party Please mark Saturday December 27, 2014 in your family calendars as the Parish hosts a Family Skating Party at the Erin Mills Twin Pad Area (3205 Unity Drive), where we have booked ice from 5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. After that we will return to our Parish Hall for hotdogs, chips, juice and hot chocolate – fun for all ages. Toonie Tuesday Update Many thanks and appreciation for your generosity on “TOONIE TUESDAY.” We collected $ 267.00 for the Eden Community Food Bank! Safe School Initiatives a) Before School Hours Supervision For your child’s safety, we request that he/she not be on school property until supervision begins at 8:15 a.m. This is when supervision begins. b) Visitors to the School By law, ALL visitors to the school must report to the main office using the doorbell for entry as all doors are locked. Our first priority for all students is their safety. Board and Provincial guidelines clearly outline the process that all visitors must follow upon their arrival on school property, which begins with reporting to the Main Office. You will be issued a Visitor Sticker, which must be worn visibly during your stay and sign in and sign out. c) Attendance and Punctuality All students are expected to attend school regularly and punctually. In the event that your child will be late or absent, please call the school and follow the prompts to leave a message. This can be done 24 hours a day. For students who are absent and for whom a call is not received, we will attempt to contact you. PLEASE CALL: 905-820-2227 Press # 1 All students who arrive after 8:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. must obtain a Late Slip. d) Kiss and Ride Kiss and Ride drop – off begins at 8:15 a.m. with supervisors wearing orange safety vests. The lane along the sidewalk is reserved for DROP-OFF and PICK-UP ONLY. Proceed to the YELLOW post. We respectfully ask that you do not leave your vehicle while in this lane to avoid causing a traffic backup. Children are to exit the car on the passenger side only with their backpacks ready. A staff member is available to escort your Junior and / or Senior Kindergarten child to the Kindergarten yard. Parking and getting out of your car is not allowed anywhere upon entry into the school (especially the north corner of the entrance near the Kindergarten yard). Your assistance and positive response to directions from staff on duty in this area are greatly appreciated. Striving for Excellence e) Respect for Self, Respect for Others As a staff, we continue to work together to provide example and consistency in modeling Jesus’ message to our students. We will assist and remind students of the students of the importance of being respectful and working together to create a safe, caring, inclusive community. Snow Stays on the Ground Students will be reminded that SNOW STAYS ON THE GROUND. Every child in the school is made aware of the importance of this rule in preventing injury to others. Students are encouraged to constructively use the snow that winter brings to build snowmen, forts and sculptures. Students who do not follow this rule will be issued a Snowball Letter, outlining the consequences. Please assist us by reviewing with your child the dangers of throwing snowballs. Together, we will create a schoolyard which is safe for all during the winter season. Winter Dress Reminder It is imperative that all students come to school ready to participate in all activities, including outdoor recess. Please ensure that your child(ren) come to school with hats, scarves, gloves, winter outerwear and boots. As well, all students should have indoor footwear at school. This is essential in case of an emergency evacuation, as students will not have time to put on their boots if they need to evacuate the school in a hurry. Sports and Activities Update… a) Intermediate Boys and Girls Volleyball A great big COUGAR cheer goes out to our Intermediate Girls and Boys Volleyball teams! It was an amazing season filled with fun, laughter and incredible volleyball. Both teams had an amazing season, demonstrating excellent skills and and sportsmanship. The Intermediate Girls won their division and were finalists at the Mississauga South Family Tournament. Your coaches thank you for all your hard work and efforts! They look forward to another fantastic season next year. Intermediate Boys Volleyball Team: Gabriel A., Matthew B., Kyle G., Alex J., Nicholas P., Daniel S., Bomin S., and Aaron T. Intermediate Girls Volleyball Team: Julia B., Jamoya C., Sylvia K., Emily M., Ashley M., Renaysha M., Maridette S., Tillie S., and Tanya S. A huge thank you to all our coaches: Mr. Benec, Ms. DeJulio, Mrs. Newell and Mrs. Zanatta for all their time and dedication to our teams! Sports and Activities Update (continued): b) Student Council As part of our Share Life campaign this year, our Student Council just completed the Spirit Week Activities. We collected $275.00 Many thanks to all of our students who participated! c) Eco Angels: Shepherds of a Greener Earth Winter is coming and with it…cold temperatures. We will be implementing our energy conservation strategies throughout this month. Saving energy not only saves money, but it reduces the amount of resources that we use. We will also be continuing our recycling program and encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. Let’s do our part to conserve the resources that God has given us. Thank you to Mrs. Grattan, Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Zanatta for leading our students! Homework Help – Free Real-Time Math Tutoring Grades 7 to 10 students at Dufferin-Peel now have access to 20 hours a week of free, online math tutoring to help them improve and succeed in math. Check out Homework Help where certified Ontario teachers are available Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., for one-on-one confidential help. Students can access a collection of online math resources 24 / 7. Visit: http://homeworkhelp.ilc.org Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2015 - 2016 Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for 2015 – 2016 will take place at St. Clare Catholic School on the following days: Monday January 26 at 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Wednesday January 28 at 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Thursday January 29 at 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Friday January 30 at 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. NOTE: Snow Date – Tuesday January 27 at 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Junior Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years old by December 31, 2015. Senior Kindergarten - Children must be 5 years old by December 31, 2015. Parents/Guardians must bring the following documents when registering their child: proof of age (birth certificate) original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman, Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one) and child (if the child has not been baptized, a letter of counseling with the parish priest, to complete the process will be accepted) Striving for Excellence Parents/Guardians must bring the following documents when registering their child: (continued) updated immunization records proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed Immigrant status 2 documents for proof of address: 1. Property tax bill 2. Real estate document (i.e. purchase agreement / rental agreement 3. Current utility bill 4. Government of Canada – issued forms (i.e. Passport; Service Canada documents) Dufferin-Peel Hosts Parent Evening to Support the Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into Kindergarten The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Special Education and Support Services Department will host a Kindergarten entry planning information session on Thursday January 8, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Catholic Education Centre (Room 301), 40 Matheson Blvd. West, Mississauga (Hurontario and Matheson). This meeting is for parents and with special needs which affect their learning, such as vision, hearing, speech, autism, physical, / medical and / or delays in the cognitive and / or motor areas who are entering Kindergarten in September, 2015. For more information about this session, call 905.890.1221 Note: Snow Date - Tuesday January 13, 2015. Catholic School Council Update Many thanks to our Catholic School Council for their ongoing commitment to our students. It has been a very busy Fall having had the Spook A Thon and the Pizza and Sub Days. We look forward to our third fundraiser, The Christmas Store! 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, 2015 are invited to attend an information meeting on: Wednesday January 14, 2015 at St. Christopher School (1195 Clarkson Road, Mississauga) – 7:00 p.m. The deadline for submission of Applications is: Tuesday February 17, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. DPCDSB is on Twitter! For the latest board news and information, follow us @DPCDSBSchools. Upcoming Dates Monday January 5 – Classes Begin Friday January 9 – Virtues / Peel Bullying Prevention at 1:30 p.m. Thursday January 15 – Catholic School Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Monday January 19 – P.A. Day: Assessment and Evaluation (no classes for students) Monday January 26 – FDK Registration Evening Closing Christmas Message May our celebration of His birth lead to renewed love and involvement in each other’s lives, and moved by Your Spirit, may we make Your kingdom on earth more like the image of our home in heaven. On behalf of the staff at St. Clare Catholic School, we wish the students, parents and families a blessed and Holy Christmas. May Go May God continue to bless you in 2015! Tuesday December 9 – Christmas Store Browsing Wednesday December 10 – Christmas Store Opens Thursday December 11 – Christmas Store Friday December 12 – Christmas Store If you have any Christmas wrapping paper and / or festive gift bags to donate to help us wrap the purchases, please send it to the school as soon as possible. Thank you for your support! Our next council meeting will be Thursday January 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. We thank our families for their continued support and generosity in helping to make our students’ learning experiences the best that they can be! Future Meeting Dates: 7:00 p.m. • Thursday March 5, 2015 • Thursday May 14, 2015 • Thursday June 11, 2015 Striving for Excellence Striving for Excellence