JOIN US FOR OUR MATH NIGHT- FEB. 12
We invite you to join us for St. Cornelius Parent Math
Night: Understanding your child’s math. In order to
engage parents in the learning, we encourage adult
only participation on Feb. 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the
library. A math tool kit will be given to each family in
attendance to help support your child’s learning at
home. Thank you to our Catholic Parent Council for
donating the funds to host this evening!
THE VALUE OF A SMILE
LE CARNAVAL A ST. CORNELIUS
It costs nothing, but creates much, it enriches those who
receive, without impoverishing those who give. It
happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts
forever.
None are so rich that they can get along without it
And none are so poor but richer for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home
Fosters good will in business
And it is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged,
Sunshine to the sad and nature’s best antidote for
trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, bagged, borrowed or stolen
For it is something that is no earthly good to anybody
Until it is given away. Greet each other with a smile!
FEBRUARY 2014: INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Book Fair & News from the Library
Go Cougars Go! Sports at St. Cornelius
Catholic School Council News
Safe Schools Focus for February
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Vive le Carnaval a St. Cornelius! On February 10-14th,
our school community will be participating in a funfilled Carnaval week. Each day we will be having Spirit
days which include: Monday February 10 - Jersey Day
Tuesday February 11- Toque & Scarf Day
Wednesday February 12- Pyjama Day
Thursday February 13 - Wacky Hair Day
Friday February 14 - Red & White Day
All classes will be participating in a mural contest, we
will be playing BRAVO each day and all winners will be
announced on Fri Feb 14th. Bonhomme Carnaval will be
visiting classes throughout the week. Outdoor activities
will take place weather permitting.
The Dufflebag Theatre will be visiting our school. The
Grades 1-8 classes will be watching Les Trois
Mousquataires/The Three Musketeers in French on
Friday February 7th as a Kickoff to our Carnaval week.
We are looking forward to the show. A special thank
you to the Parent Council for supporting this wonderful
event.
Together in Faith and Excellence
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REMINDER OF FAMILY DAY
HOLIDAY
Just a reminder that the Provincial Family Day
holiday is on Monday, February 17, 2014. The
school will be closed on this date. Enjoy your day!
INCREASE THE PEACE ASSEMBLY
We are thrilled to be able to offer an amazing
learning experience to Gr. 1-8 students on
Wednesday, February 5th, 2014. Canada’s
successful basketball trickster Q-Mack and talented
beatboxer J-Box will be presenting an electrifying
assembly on Bullying and confidence building.
Show topics include three times of bullying
(physical, verbal and cyber-bullying) as well as a
spotlight on insults, rumours, exclusions, threats
and name calling. Students will be encouraged to
chase their dreams, to never give up and to
increase the peace by standing up for one another.
for a Silver Birch Award, part of the National Forest
of Reading awards. Look for their book responses
on the bulletin board outside the
library. Nominated books are also being
introduced to primary students during their regular
visits and for intermediate students the nominated
books are on display in the library. Come on in and
check them out!
LOOK WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE
DOING!
Here’s just some of the wonderful
sports that St. Cornelius’ students
are involved with at this time:
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Intramural Basketball (and
try-outs) for Junior Boys and Girls. Runs
from January 20 - February 14. Students in
grades four, five, and six are invited to
participate during the lunch hour.
Boys: Mondays and Fridays
Girls: Wednesdays and Thursdays
"Mini" Tournament for Junior Team
members will take place on Friday, February
14 at St. Andrew School in Orangeville boys AM / girls PM.
Intramural "beachball volleyball" and soccer
for Primary Students. Runs from February
18 -March 6. Students in grades one, two
and three are invited to participate during
lunch hours. Specific days TBA.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
The Book Fair is on! Please stop by
Thursday, February 6 to view and
purchase some great books and
activity sets. There's something
for everyone and proceeds will help
bring new materials into our school library.
The St. Cornelius Book club is going
strong! Participating junior students are busy
reading some great Canadian authored books right
now. Many of these titles have been nominated
REPORT CARDS
Reports for Term 1 will go home on Tuesday,
February 4, 2014. Report card interviews will take
place the evening of Thursday, February 6TH. Please
note: There are no day interviews on Friday,
February 7. Please feel free to contact your child’s
teacher to set up an interview for Thursday night or
a phone interview.
Together in Faith and Excellence
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NEWS FROM OUR
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Upcoming Parent PresentationWednesday, Feb. 26th
Michael Reist will be at our school discussing
‘Effective Discipline’. Michael has extensive
experience with children and is a local person
within the community. He has written a few books
on parenting and the school system and is a ‘must
attend’ for all parents. The flyer is attached to the
newsletter. A sign up sheet will be distributed with
your children in the next week.
Chocolate Fundraiser
An assembly will be at the school for chocolate
sales as our next fundraiser on Tuesday, February
11th. Each family will be requested to sell a box of
chocolates – more information to follow. These
products are peanut and tree nut free. If you do
not want to participate in this fundraiser please
contact Melanie Johannink at Johannink@me.com.
Chocolates are always a great fundraiser at the
school and is just in time for Valentine’s Day and to
fulfill our chocolate needs before Lent.
Pancake Supper Reminder
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be held on
Tuesday, March 4 and an invitational flyer will be
send out mid February for everyone to register and
join in on the fun. Pancake Supper is being held
from 5-7 p.m.
Upcoming Fundraiser – Adults Only night!
This event is not to miss! School Council is
preparing a special event on Friday, May
30. Please mark this date on your calendar! All
proceeds will go towards supplies for the school to
enhance our children's education.
Business Directory
Did you know the School Council has a list of
businesses that we send information to on a
regular basis? If you have a local business please
let us know and we will add you to the list. Please
email Melanie Johannink at johannink@me.com to
have your business added to the list!
Volunteers
If you are interested in helping the school out in
any way, please don't hesitate to join a Council
meeting to find out what School Council does for
your children to make their school a better
place. Our next meeting is on Monday, February
24th. All are welcome!
ARTISTS IN THE SCHOOL
The award winning CBC acclaimed performers
Braithwaite and Whitely will be visiting our school
on Tuesday, February 18th during Black History
Month. This performance will be for grades 3-8.
Sugar and Gold: the story of the Underground
Railroad in Canada is a lively interactive
performance that includes songs, slides and
storytelling to explain the exciting history of the
Underground Railroad in Canada and the story of
the first Black settlers who settled in Canada. A
special thank you to our Parent Council for
supporting the Artists in the Schools Initiative.
5th ANNUAL TEACHERS’ VS.
STUDENT SHARELIFE HOCKEY
GAME
Sharpen your skates! It’s happening again this year!
Due to the amazing success we had last year, we will
be having our Fifth Annual Teacher-Student Share
Life ice hockey game on Thursday, March 6th from
2:00-3:00 p.m. at the Caledon East Arena. Students
will be walking over to the arena from St. Cornelius
School. The cost for this event is $2 per student and
$2 for any parents who would like to attend.
Participation is strongly encouraged as this is a whole
school community-building event for the Share Life
charity. We will require some parent volunteers to
play on the teachers’ team with a valid criminal
reference check on file in the office. If you are able to
play that day, kindly let the office know and we’ll add
you to our list of players. Also, please note, the
student team will be comprised of various students in
the school, not only those who are on our school
team. This promises to be another fun event for our
school and a great Share Life fundraiser.
Together in Faith and Excellence
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SAFE ENTRY PROTOCOL
Thank you for your support in following our safe
schools protocol where our school doors are
locked, all visitors report to the office and only
students and staff are in the school yard. Please
note that daily at 9:00 a.m. there is a staff member
on duty on the field to escort those students who
walk using the path at the back of the school yard.
However, during inclement weather, when
students are not playing in the yard from 9:00-9:15
a.m., students may be escorted by
parents/guardians to the front door of the school.
Thank you for your cooperation in following these
important safety procedures.
5.
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LOST AND FOUND
Our school’s Lost and Found Box is a good place to
start looking for missing items. Periodically, we
remind students to check the box for any items
they may have lost. Please remind your child(ren)
to check the Lost and Found Boxes if anything is
lost.
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LITERACY TIPS FOR PARENTS
As a follow up to Family Literacy Day on January 27th here
are 10 Tips to help your child with writing.
1. Read from a variety of sources. Reading and
writing are linked – success in one supports
success in the other. Read stories,
newspapers, advertisements, instructions,
etc. to your child every day and then discuss
what you have read.
2. Encourage your child to write. Children love
to make their own birthday cards, write thank
you notes, make place cards for the table, or
send an email to a friend. Save old cards from
birthdays and holidays to recycle for homemade
cards. Whenever possible, let your child see you
writing – grocery lists, instructions on the family
whiteboard, emails, etc. – and get them to help.
3. Writing can be done anywhere. Have lots of
magnetic letters or words on the fridge. Get a
box of chalk and write your names on the
driveway or sidewalk. Get a white board – it can
be used again and again.
4. Play writing games. Make a game of letter
finding. Show them how to form a letter and
then go letter hunting in your house or in a
10.
book – count the number of "Ds" on a page.
Find a picture they like and have them write
words or a sentence about it.
Help children build their vocabulary. Try
rhyming games starting with one word such as
"mat". Say and write down all the words that
rhyme, like "cat", "hat", "fat" and "splat". You'll
be surprised how fast their word list grows.
Explore the meaning of words. Create a word
book at home and have your child add words as
they're learned. Have them note the words they
use the most and talk about why.
Write to each other. Write notes to your child
and leave them in interesting places, like the
lunch box. Ask them to write a reply or come up
with something new. If they have their own
email, email each other. Have kids email jokes
to family and friends.
Don't limit what you write with or what you
write on. The sky's the limit – pudding, sticks or
fingers in mud, earth, snow and sand, sparklers,
steamed up windows and mirrors, and bubble
soap markers for some sudsy learning.
Writing comes in all shapes and sizes. Point out
different ways writing is used – letters, signs,
advertisements, instructions – and explain why
they are different. Also point out different ways
letters are created – printed, cursive and fancy
variations. Let them be inspired to create their
own letter art.
Start writing at an early age. Children often
learn to write before they can read. Encourage
this by showing them how to print their name
or the names of friends and other family
members. Buy them notebooks with lines so
they can learn to make their letters correctly or
a practice book with letters they can trace.
Source: Ministry of Education- Tips and Tools for
Parents http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc/eng
Together in Faith and Excellence
4
SAFE SCHOOLS FOCUS FOR
FEBRUARY –
Telling an Adult about
Bullying is Not
Tattling
This month’s focus is the
difference between tattling and telling. In dealing with
bullying situations, students are encouraged to use the
strategy, ‘telling an adult’. Although this sounds simple
and logical, there are many difficulties and roadblocks
associated with this strategy. Younger children struggle
to understand the difference between telling and
tattling, while older children struggle with their desire
to deal with situations independently. The goal of telling
an adult is to keep children safe. Students will learn to
identify the difference between telling and tattling
(reporting and ratting), explore reasons students don’t
report bullying and understand how to effectively and
safely report to an adult.
Tattling/ratting is defined as telling in order to get
someone into trouble, or telling when there is no one
being hurt and no rule being broken that could result in
a dangerous situation.
Telling is defined as reporting unsafe behaviours to an
adult in order to get help for someone – to get someone
out of trouble.
VIRTUE CORNER
Our Virtue for the Month of February is Respect.
God wants us to treat all people with respect they
deserve. A respectful person:
• uses a positive tone of voice and body language
• avoids swearing, name-calling, put downs, and
inappropriate gestures
• says “Excuse me”, “Please”, “Pardon Me”
• avoids gossip
Tips for parents:
- use incidences where one child is telling you about
sibling behaviour to help children identify whether they
are tattling or telling
- practice with your child how to ‘tell an adult’ about
bullying (what happened, how they feel, what help they
desire)
- develop awareness of the ‘reasons’ children state for
not reporting bullying to adults
Monday February 17, 2014 (Family Day)
Caledon Fairgrounds, Caledon Village
Open 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Admission/Parking: Free
Together in Faith and Excellence
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IMPORTANT DATES: PLEASE PLACE
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DATES ON FAMILY CALENDAR
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February 3 - 11
Book Fair
February 4 - Report Cards go
home with students
February 5 - Increase the Peace Assembly
9:30 am Grades 1 - 8
February 6 - 4:00 - 9:00 pm Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
February 6 - DARE program for Grade 6
students
February 6 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
February 6 - Pizza Day
February 7 - Grade 3 and 4 students skating at
Caledon East Arena 10:15 - 11:15 am
February 10 - Just Catering for Kids
February 10 - Jersey Day
February 11 - Toque and Scarf Day
February 12 - SAIDAT - Safe Schools Assembly
February 12 - Parent Math Night
February 12 - Pajama Day
February 13 - DARE program for Grade 6
students
February 13 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
February 13 - Grade 5 and 6 classes skating at
Caledon east Arena 10:15 - 11:15 am
February 13 - Sub Day
February 13 - Wacky Hair Day
February 14 - Valentine's Day
February 14 - Red and White Day
February 17 - Family Day - School is closed
February 18 - Black History Presentation for
Grades 4 - 8 students 10:00 a.m.
February 19 - Rosary Apostolate
February 20 - DARE program for Grade 6
students
February 20 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
February 20 - All Day - St. Cornelius Cougars
Hockey Tournament at Caledon East Arena
February 20 - Pizza Day
February 20 - Grade 1 and 2 students skating
at Caledon East Arena 10:15 - 11:15 am
February 22 - Mrs. Bell's Grade 8 Enrolment
Mass at St. John the Evangelist church
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February 24 - Just Catering for Kids
February 24- Catholic School Council
Meeting 6:30 p.m. in the library. All are
welcome!
February 27 - Sub Day
February 27 - DARE program for Grade 6
students
February 27 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
March 3 - DARE Graduation for Grade 6
students in gymnasium (time to follow)
March 5 - Ash Wednesday - Lenten Mass at
1:40 pm in gymnasium- ALL ARE WELCOME!
March 6 - Pizza Day
March 6 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
March 6- Teachers vs. Students ShareLife
Hockey Game at Caledon East Arena 2-3 p.m.
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 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 26 - Rosary Apostolate
March 27 - Pizza Day
March 27 - OPP Kids program for Grade 7
students
March 28 - Grade 1s at Peel Safety Village
March 31 - Mrs. McGee's class to Silvercreek
March 31 - Grade 8 students on retreat to
Mount Alverno
Together in Faith and Excellence
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Together in Faith and Excellence
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