PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
We have entered the season of Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, March 5th. Lent is not an unhappy time but it is a serious time. With our families, we take time to think how we are living up to God’s law of love. We watch and pray with Christ. We all do our part. Together as parents and educators, let us make good plans for Lent. We can choose actions that everyone can participate in. These actions can help us to atone for our sins, to become more prayerful, to make our lives more simple and to share what we have with those in our community and throughout the world who are in need. That is the purpose of our Lenten sacrifices. Some suggested Lenten disciplines for you and your family to consider: (1) Daily prayer as a whole family; (2) Almsgiving ‐ setting aside some change each day as an offering to those in need; (3) Being committed to doing something positive and to also give something up. Together as a school community and within your own families, let us ask God for His graces throughout this Lenten season. A LENTEN PRAYER
O Jesus, you place on my forehead the sign of your saving Cross: “Turn from sin and be faithful to the gospel.” How can I turn from sin unless I turn to you? You speak, you raise your hand, you touch my mind and call my name, “Turn to the Lord your God again.” These days of your favor leave a blessing as you pass on me and all your people. Turn to us, Lord God, and we shall turn to you. MARCH 2014: INSIDE THIS ISSUE
News from Catholic School Council Carnaval a Success! Recess Reminders Safe Schools Focus Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 For the Lenten season, we prepare for Easter, the central feast of the liturgical year, by reflecting on relationships with God, our families, friends and the rest of the community. We are encouraged to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving and strive toward reconciling our lives with all members of the
community especially with those who are alienated, left out and those whom we need to make peace. Together in Faith and Excellence
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CELEBRATING OUR DIVERSITY THROUGH
BLACK HISTORY MONTH During Black History Month, Ms. Leardi’s grade 7 students created a freedom quilt in honour of those who fled slavery. Also, throughout the month, students researched notable black Canadians and Americans and highlighted their accomplishments in projects and daily announcements. Black History Month has become a major part of Ontario's heritage. It is an opportunity for all Ontarians to reflect on the struggles, contributions, and victories of members of the Black community. From our announcements it is evident that it has been a history of suffering and struggle but also one of resilience and triumph. Black History Month presents us with the opportunity to hear about the challenges and victories as well as the contributions in the fields of the arts, science, politics, business, law, education, engineering, health care and skills trades that have been left out of the official account of our history as a province and country in the past. These accomplishments have helped make Canada and the world a better place to live. We look forward to hearing about the many accomplishments and contributions that women in history have made during the month of March with announcements led by Ms. Cerullo’s grade 3 students. JUNIOR BASKETABALL HIGHLIGHTS
The Junior Boys and Junior Girls basketball teams represented our school at the Family of Schools “mini” tournaments at St. Andrew School on February 14! The boy’s team had an early start to the day and fell short by only one basket to both St. Benedict and St. Peter’s Schools. The team left it all for the last game and came out on top by defeating St. Andrew school by three baskets! Team players include: Rory K., Jacob F., Patrick D., Peter M., Nicholas M., Beck K., Mason P., Peter A., Diego D., Marcus D. Coaches: Mr. Zimmerman, Mrs. Foley The girl’s team arrived in the afternoon and immediately jumped into action! They won all three of their games and placed “First” overall! The team advanced to the Family of Schools Tournament, held on February 18, and continued their winning streak! The girls won their first three games, which qualified them for the Final. After a great team effort, St. Cornelius placed second to St. Nicholas who won the game by only two baskets! Team members include: Madeline F., Chiara S., Alyx L., Daniela F., Valentina R., Ashleigh S., Amanda M., Thea L., Emily D. Coaches: Mrs. Kehoe, Mrs. Sebasta MARCH BREAK
A reminder that March Break is from Monday, March 10th to Friday, March 14th. There will be no school for students on these days. We hope everyone enjoys a safe and restful March Break. PARENT WORKSHOP
Please join us in an informative parent workshop, Financial Literacy being held at St. Marguerite D’Youville Secondary School on Monday, April 8th at 6:30 p.m. Please refer to the attached flyer. Together in Faith and Excellence
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NEWS FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL
“Groovin’ Kids” and “I’m a Groover” Dance
Workshops
A huge thank you to all who have been contributing to our fundraisers throughout the year. We have had great success which has resulted in great programming for all students at the school. Our Chocolate bars campaign was a huge success! Thank you for your support The Council will be using this final campaign to consider requests for SmartBoards in the classroom, furniture in the library and various other needs throughout the school. Your participation counts and is truly appreciated.
Artist in the schools program including Fit 2 Dance will be coming soon and we are certain this will be a great program for the students. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to invite “GrooveEDGEucation” (formally Fit2Dance) to our school once again! The “Groovin’ Kids” Workshop (K‐5/6) on Monday, March 17 will focus on creating a safe space for all students to get active through dancing and moving, as well as building their self‐esteem and community with their fellow students. Dance styles include; Hip Hop, Latin, Country, Bhangra, Krump and more! The “I’m a Groover” workshop (6‐8) on Tuesday, March 18 includes the above dance styles and has added discussions around character education and bullying prevention themes such as self‐
confidence, acceptance, inclusion and community. Monday, March 17 9:30‐10:00 Papa/Mule and Walker/Zanella 10:10‐10:55 Kehoe, DiCristoforo, MacLeod, Kelly, LaRosa 11:00‐11:15 RECESS 11:15‐12:00 Pitcher (5’s), Zimmerman, Furtado, McGee 12:05‐1:05 LUNCH 1:15‐2:00 O’Donnell, Clark, Kozjan, Burke, Sebasta, Moretta 2:15‐2:45 Arbelo/Hawco and Calla/DiFeo Tuesday, March 18 9:30‐10:45 Fernandes (6’s), DeRango (7’s), Gregoric, Leardi 10:50‐12:05 Zingaro (8’s), Bell, Leitch Our annual Pancake Supper in recognition of the beginning of Lent was held on March 4th. This amazing community event where a delicious pancake dinner was cooked by volunteers and members of our Parent Council was a hit! Spring is just around the corner! We wish everyone a blessed Lenten Season.
Our next School Council meeting is on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Together in Faith and Excellence
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CARNAVAL A SUCCESS
GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO WORK
WITH OUR PARISH
During the week of February 1Oth to the 14th, St. Cornelius celebrated its annual Carnaval week. This was an amazing week and a wonderful experience for all staff and students! Our kick off assembly was a fantastic dramatic play, “Les Trois Mousquetaires” presented by the Dufflebag Theatre. All staff and students had the opportunity to participate in wonderful events such as jersey day, tuque and scarf day, pyjama day, wacky hair day, and to end off the week, red and white day! Bonhomme Carnaval also made a visit to the school. All teachers and students enjoyed the week, playing Bingo each morning. All classes had the opportunity to participate in a mural contest, a snowball raffle, and celebrating all of the week’s festivities. A special thanks to Special Greetings and Annemarie for donating the wonderful Penguin and Polar Bear announcement. A great big thank you to the FSL teachers for organizing all of the week’s events and to all classes who participated in the contests! Until next Year! YEARBOOK
The yearbook committee is hard at work gathering pictures and assembling pages for this year's yearbook. Order forms for the yearbook will be distributed soon. If you have a concern about your son/daughter’s photo being included in the yearbook, please advise the administrative team at the office. Provide‐a‐ Meal Our parish will be participating in a program through The Good Shepherd Centre. Volunteers are needed from our school community and parish to prepare and freeze the meals at home using the Good Shepherd recipes. Our parish chose nutritious chili! The meals are collected by Good Shepherd on the last weekend of each month. Aluminum containers, the recipe, labels and lids are all provided by Good Shepherd and may be picked up in the Parish Hall after each mass the first, second, or third weekend and dropped off frozen after any mass the last weekend of each month. This would be a great opportunity for grade 8 students to add to their community hours. Thank you for your generous support. For more information please contact: Roz Walton 905‐584‐
7219. RECESS REMINDERS
We continue to reinforce the need for students to play games and activities safely. At St. Cornelius School, we have a hands‐off policy. This means that activities such as contact sports, tackling, play‐
fighting, tripping, pushing, piling on and any rough play are not permitted. Students are consistently reminded of these rules by staff, supervisors and administration. We recommend that parents have conversations with their children about the types of games they play at school. We need your help to reinforce with them the dangers and consequences of rough play and the importance of notifying staff on duty during recess time. The health and safety of our students is always our priority at St. Cornelius. Together in Faith and Excellence
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NEWS FROM THE ST. CORNELIUS GREEN
TEAM
LETS REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION! Water is something we tend to take for granted in this country, however fresh water is a resource that we must conserve. There are many easy tips to reduce water consumption and save money. Here are a few tips the ECO Team has come up with:  Never leave a tap running when you are not using it (for example, brushing teeth, washing dishes, shaving).  Make sure your dishwasher and laundry machine are full before running the appliance.  Fix all leaky faucets and toilets (add food colouring to the back of your toilet tank to determine if you have a leak).  Think about switching to low flow toilets, some new models use as little as 3 litres of water per flush!  Switch all faucets and shower heads to low flow models (this is a fast and easy way to save money), water pressure is not dependent on the amount of water that flows through a faucet or showerhead.  Keep your showers short, a five‐minute shower uses 40 litres of water and a bath requires about 75 litres of water.  Keep tap water in the fridge so that you don’t need to run the tap when you need a cool drink of water.  Don’t over‐water your lawn and garden; always adhere to the restrictions given during the dry months of summer.  Use rain barrels in your yard for gardening.  When buying new appliances (washer, dishwasher) make sure it is energy star rated. Remember St. Cornelius, GET INTO THE GREEN SCENE
HEALTHY LUNCHES FOR CHILDREN
Did you know that a healthy lunch includes foods from at least 3 of the 4 food groups from Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating? Parents want lunches to be healthy, convenient, affordable and most of all eaten and enjoyed by their children, while kids want something that is fun, appealing, tastes good and is approved of by their friends. Involve children in the planning and preparation – they're more likely to eat their lunch that way. Put a copy of Canada's Food Guide on the fridge and encourage your children to include lunch foods from at least 3 of the 4 food groups. Here are some tips to make nutrious lunches for your children: ‐Add variety to make sandwiches delicious. ‐Use a cookie cutter to make interesting star, animal or heart shapes.‐Try a variety of breads (e.g. wholegrain, rye, roti, enriched or cheese flavoured breads, rolls, bagels, English muffins or pita bread). ‐Mini pitas stuffed with meat, vegetable or cheese. ‐A filled roti or tortilla wrap, cut into small pieces Flavoured cream cheese on whole‐wheat melba toast, bagel chips, crackers or rice cakes. Cool Foods Children like to eat foods cold that adults wouldn't imagine having. Cold leftover pizza, chicken fingers, fish sticks Cold pasta or cold macaroni and cheese with tuna, sliced meat or extra cheese Mini‐kabobs with cubed meat, cheese, sweet peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grapes, melon or kiwi Leftovers Lunch can be leftovers or even a breakfast type of meal. Meat or vegetable stew, Chili con carne, leftover pancakes or waffles, preferably whole‐
wheat. Together in Faith and Excellence
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Pre‐Packaged and Easy Include a small treat or an occasional pre‐packaged lunch item if that is important to your child. Although most children love fruit, at lunch they may not have the patience or time to peel fruit. Pack small bite size pieces of fruit like grapes, pineapple chunks, strawberries, cherries or pieces of melon. Send containers of applesauce or canned fruit, cut oranges into wedges, halve kiwis and include a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Make a small cut into banana stems for easier peeling. Pack fruit into protective plastic containers to prevent bruising. SAFE SCHOOLS FOCUS FOR MARCH –
Bullying Can Be Stopped
This month we look at safe strategies students can use when faced with a bullying situation. Students learn how to deal with bullying using the ‘3 Rs’ – Recognize bullying behaviour; Refuse to be bullied; Report bullying behaviour. There is no set formula that works for dealing with every bullying situation. Students need to learn a variety of strategies and the skill to determine when and how to apply them safely. Key strategies that will be addressed include: avoiding, playing with others, staying calm, ignoring, walking away, saying ‘stop’, being assertive and telling an adult. Tips for Parents: ‐ review strategies with your child ‐ help your child practice speaking assertively (role play) ‐ take time with your child to make a plan for how you want them to deal with situations THINKING ABOUT POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR
With regular practice, polite words and actions will come naturally to your child. Here are ways to help parents in working towards encouraging positive behaviour in their children in any situation:  Point out examples. Your youngster can learn by watching what others do (“It was polite of that man to hold the door for us”). If you get thank‐you note in the mail, read it to your child so he can see what thank‐you notes are for and how they’re written.  Be consistent. A youngster who uses good table manners at home, for instance, is more likely to use them in restaurants and in other people’s homes. If you expect your child to ask before being excused or to try foods he’s offered when he is a dinner guest, have him use those manners at your table.  Give quiet reminders of how to act. Before your youngster leaves a friend’s house, say, “Let’s help clean up before we go.” When he receives a gift of something he already owns, you might quickly say, “What a great toy!” Together in Faith and Excellence
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IMPORTANT DATES:
VIRTUE CORNER
Our Virtue for the Month of March is Kindness. God wants us to give generously to others around us and be kind to everyone we meet. A kind person gives their time to help others, stands by their friends in time of need, shares with their friends, is polite, and cares about other people’s feelings. Being kind is more than just pretending to be nice. It is about helping and playing with others because we want to and not because we feel we have to. God helps us to be kind to our family and friends because by being kind, we are able to see God in everyone we meet. PLEASE PLACE DATES ON FAMILY CALENDAR
March 4‐6‐ Mr. Zimmerman/Mr. Gregoric’s Classes at Albion Hills March 6 ‐ Pizza Day March 6‐ Student/Parent/Teacher ShareLife Hockey Game at 2:00 p.m. at Caledon East Arena March 7 – Ministry of Education Designated Day ‐ no school for students March 10‐14 ‐ Mid‐Winter Break ‐ no school for students March 17 ‐ Just Catering for Kids March 17 ‐ St. Patrick's Day March 17 ‐ Groovin' Kids Workshop for Grades K ‐ 5 March 18 ‐ "I'm a Groover" Workshop for Gr. 6 ‐ 8 March 19‐21 ‐ Grade 8 students to Camp Muskoka March 20 ‐ Sub Day March 20 ‐ OPP Kids program for Grade 7 students March 24 ‐ Just Catering for Kids March 25 ‐ Chris Whitely ‐ Artists in the School 10:00‐11:00 pm March 26 ‐ Rosary Apostolate March 26 ‐ First Reconciliation 7:00 pm Grade 2 Students March 27 ‐ Pizza Day March 27 ‐ OPP Kids program for Grade 7 students March 28 ‐ Grade 1 students to Peel Safety Village March 31 ‐ Mrs. McGee's class to Silvercreek Together in Faith and Excellence
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