PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
ADVENT PRAYER
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful
to your promises and ever close to your
Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the
Savior's coming and looks forward with
longing to His return at the end of time.
Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness
that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope
which His presence will bestow, for He is
Lord forever and ever.
Amen.
DECEMBER 2014: INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Bus Cancellations and Delays
Page 2
Answering the Call to Action- School Outreach
Initiatives
Page 3
Dance Showcase Invitation- Gr. 1-8
Page 5
With the upcoming hustle and bustle of Christmas
shopping, the house to decorate and presents to wrap,
it is important, as Catholics, to remember that Advent
has already begun. It is a difficult season to
celebrate because of the commercialism of the
secular world in which we live. At this time, we keep in
mind people who are less fortunate. St. Cornelius
School Community is participating in Project Gift and
Cram-A-Cruiser where students are given opportunities
to love in the light of Christ.
According to the General Norms for the Liturgical Year,
Advent has a twofold nature: It prepares us for
Christmas, when we recall Christ’s first coming among
us, and it is also a time when we look forward to His
second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is the
season of joyful expectation. Our challenge, as
Catholics, is to help our children to look beyond the
materialism of Christmas and focus on the spiritual
preparation.
As a school community, we will be exploring many
avenues during Advent amidst the frantic energy of
preparing for December 25. For example, we will be
lighting the candles on our Advent wreath, and praying
and reflecting on the readings of Advent during our
morning prayers, just to name a few. How wonderful it
is that as Christians, we do not liturgically celebrate
Christmas until December 25 and after, giving us the
opportunity to focus our attention on the true meaning
of the season! A special thank you to our Catholic
School Council for hosting an incredible Christmas
Marketplace last Saturday; what a spectacular event!
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Our Christmas break begins on
Saturday, December 19th. Children return to
school for classes on Monday, January 5th,
2014. From the staff at St. Cornelius, we wish
you and your family a joyous and peaceful
Christmas holiday.
Together in Faith and Excellence
1
BULLYING AWARENSS WEEK A SUCCESS!
During Bullying Awareness and Prevention week,
November 17-21, Ontario students and staff
participated in learning about bullying and its effect on
student well-being and learning. St. Cornelius School
participated in a variety of activities to help increase
awareness and prevention of bullying and support
student well-being. To kick off the week, students
attended A Stand Up to Bullying off Assembly. Our "It
hurts me when you..." graffiti wall had many powerful
messages from students about how it feels when they
are hurting inside. Each morning, throughout the week,
students heard daily reflections about using empathy to
open our eyes to the pain of others.
Students participated in a "Groovin' Kids Workshop"
which empowered them with tools to develop physical,
mental, social and emotional well-being. Each class
decorated a quilt square with a slogan or message that
demonstrated student and teacher voice. As a school
community, we created a quilt to represent our
commitment to stand up to bullying. Students from a
variety of grades spent their lunch hour hearing read aloud
stories about bullying experiences, friendship and how to
deal with social and emotional bullying. A lot of good
conversations were started! A great deal of learning took
place this week that addressed that we can all make a
difference in addressing bullying. Bullying is a behavior,
and behaviours can change. As a school community, we
are committed to stand up to bullying by using our
virtues in our daily interactions with others.
BUS DELAYS DUE TO WEATHER
With winter weather fast approaching, it is possible that
buses may be delayed at times. Please be flexible in
understanding that runs may be delayed due to poor
weather conditions. We suggest that you please check
www.stopr.ca for up- to- the- minute bus delay information.
You will require your child’s OEN number which you can find
on their report card.
BUS CANCELLATIONS and SCHOOL CLOSING
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption of bus transportation and regular school
operations. A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m. and will
be announced on the various radio and T.V. stations in the
greater Toronto area. An information sheet at the end of
was sent home with further details. A further option is to
contact the school as bus cancellation information will be
recorded by 7:00 a.m. on our school’s answering machine.
SUPPLY LUNCH TIME SUPERVISOR NEEDED
We are in need of a supply student monitor, which is a
paid position for 1.2 hours. This person would be called
on occasion when our current lunchtime student
monitors are absent. Please contact Mrs. Graci at the
school if you are interested.
Together in Faith and Excellence
2
KEEPING THE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS AT ST.
CORNELIUS!
1. CRAM-A-CRUISER
We are very excited to support Caledon OPP with this
important initiative being held on Thursday, December
11th. We are hoping to collect enough non-perishable
food items to fill 5 Caledon OPP cruisers! Please refer to
the flyer sent home on December 1st.
2. PROJECT GIFT A GREAT SUCCESS!
If each Family donated just ONE Box then we would be sending hope to
400 children!
Thank you to all students, staff, parents
and community members that
participated in our November
Initiative of Project Gift. Our foyer
has been overflowing with your
generosity Thank you to all for making
this initiative so successful. We will continue to
accept your gifts of hope until December
16. Your generous donations have modelled a
peaceful message to many. Here at St. Cornelius – we
care. All members of the St. Cornelius community
perpetuates the message of charity and hope.
3. OUT OF THE COLD CHALLENGE
As a form of Adult faith development we are
encouraging all parents and guardians to send in their
gently used ADULT sized winter coats for donation to
people in need who are in transition. Often our first
thoughts at this time are the children - as an example
our PROJECT GIFT mission.
However many times the adults in our community are in
need of our kindness as well. The winter
outerwear will be accepted in the front foyer of St.
Cornelius in two different bins, one for men and one for
women. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
KINDERGARTEN ENTRY PLANNING FOR
SEPTEMBER 2015
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2015-2016
school year, will take place at St. Cornelius School on the
following days:
Monday, January 26, 2015
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.*
Wednesday, January 28 , 2015
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday, January 30, 2015
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 27, 2-15
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
For more information about registration & Kindergarten
program visit www.dpcdsb.org or call 905-890-1221.
UPCOMING BOARD INFORMATION
NIGHT
There will be an information session for
parent(s)/guardian(s) of children with differing
abilities including vision, speech, hearing,
autism, physical/medical and/or developmental
delays who are transitioning to Kindergarten in
September 2015. The information session will
be held at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board -- Catholic Education Centre,
Room 301 on Thursday, January 8, 2015, from
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Snow date Tuesday, Jan.
13, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are also reminded to
register their child at our school office. Official
registration dates are Monday, Jan.26th, 2015,
from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Snow Date for
is Tues., Jan. 27th, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00
p.m. Additional registration dates are Jan. 28th,
29th and 30th, 2015, 9- 3 p.m.
EXTENDED FRENCH INFORMATION
MEETING FOR 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September,
2014 are invited to attend an information meeting at:
Tuesday, January 14, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
Holy Family School, 61 Allan Drive Bolton – L7E 1P7
At the present time, the above mentioned school is the
designated centre for our area. Applications will be
accepted at that centre until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday,
February 12, 2015.
Together in Faith and Excellence
3
UPCOMING KINDERGARTEN
CHRISTMAS CONCERT Please
OUTDOOR PLAY STRUCTURE
join us!
December 17- Kindergarten Concert
at 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Please be advised due to fire code
regulations, we are requesting no
more than 4 guests per student at
our Kindergarten concert.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our
4th Annual Christmas Marketplace this year making the
event a huge success. It was a very busy day with many
visitors through and several fun activities for all to
participate in – your support is appreciated – this is an
amazing community event held by our school. Our
poinsettia program was also a great success and
poinsettias have all been delivered to the school for pick
up. Our QSP program has wrapped up also, and final
prizes will be distributed in the next few weeks. Stay
tuned in the New Year for more fun events! Thank you
to everyone for your participation and support of our
programs. The Catholic School Council wish you and
your families a blessed holiday season.
SNOWBALLS/ SNOW FORTS
Now that the snow has arrived, it is of
importance to remind students that
St. Cornelius has a strict rule of
forbidding the throwing of snowballs.
Every student has been made aware
of the importance of this rule in the preventing of injury to
others. A snowball that hits another student and causes
injury can be seen as a weapon. Students have been
informed about the consequences for throwing snowballs
and that ignoring this rule can result in suspension. We have
also had issues with students building snow forts. Many
students have gotten into various arguments and fights over
who owns which snow fort and who is allowed into it.
Students are well aware of the Snow Fort Code of Ethics.
Those failing to follow the simple rules will be given
consequences for their actions. We have been sharing the
following over morning announcements:
S- snow stays on the ground
NO- no standing, sitting, sliding down hills
W- winter wonder: building, snow angels, snowmen, snow
forts!
With winter approaching, the freezing
temperatures increase the risk of injury
to students playing on the outside play
structure. Snow and ice-covered
equipment increase slip and fall injuries
and the frozen ground cover offers little protection to
anyone who may slip and fall from the play structure.
Effective immediately, our playground structure will be
“off-limits” until the spring when the warmer weather
returns.
STUDENT ILLNESS-STAYING IN FOR RECESS
Students who are ill should be kept home where they
are most comfortable and can get better, sooner. A
child who is too ill to go out for recess is too ill to be at
school. Your co-operation to keep your child home
when he/she is ill is appreciated.
INDOOR FOOTWEAR
Students are expected to wear shoes in the school
building at all times. Please note that in the event of an
emergency evacuation, students will not
have the opportunity to put on
shoes, boots, clothing articles, etc.
Please ensure that your child has an
extra pair of shoes at school, to keep
their feet dry and warm during snowy weather.
INCLEMENT WEATHER REMINDERS
Our winter season is here! At this time we
would like to remind all students to dress
appropriately for the season by wearing
the proper winter attire which should
include hats, gloves/mitts, winter coats
and boots. When students are dressed properly for the
winter conditions, they can go outside and enjoy some fresh
air and activity in comfort. There will be a few times during
the course of the year where a recess may be shortened or
held indoors due to extreme cold temperatures. Our school
board policy states that although consideration should be
given for keeping students indoors during recesses when
the wind chill reaches –20 C, students are to be kept indoors
during recesses when the wind chill reaches –25 C. In the
colder weather, we receive numerous requests to allow
children to remain indoors when students have a cold, the
flu, etc. Please note that we cannot comply, as we neither
have the facilities nor the staff to supervise these students.
Moreover, the health officials indicate that the fresh air is
good for children….not harmful as long as they are dressed
appropriately.
Together in Faith and Excellence
4
JOIN US FOR OUR BALLROOM DANCE
SHOWCASE
St. Cornelius School
11:15am-12:00pm
Ms. Scarcello, Mr. Furtado, Mrs. Leitch, Mr. Pitcher, Mrs.
McDonnell, Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Moretta, Mrs. Clark
1:30pm-2:15pm
Presents
A Ballroom Dance SHOWCASE
Parents and guardians are invited to attend.
Please provide a non-perishable food item upon entry.
TUESDAY, December 16, 2014
ST. CORNELIUS SCHOOL
GYMNASIUM
Students in grades 1-8 have been busy learning various
styles of Ballroom dance over the past few weeks.
Parents and guardians are invited to attend a final
“Showcase” performance/competition on Thursday,
December 16th. Please consider providing a nonperishable food item upon entry.
Thank you to instructor Carole Simmons and David
Engkant (“Future Steps Ballroom”) for their expert
dance instruction, patience, and guidance throughout
the program. Since its inception in 2006, Future Steps
Ballroom has taught close to 30,000 students across
Southern Ontario, with resounding success. The
program promotes fitness, physical strength, flexibility
and stamina, but also helps to improve social and
communication skills, along with opportunities for
increased self-esteem and self-discipline.
Thank you to our Catholic School Council for supporting
the Arts and Physical Education curriculum through this
particular “Dance” initiative. Students are asked to
consider to dress up on performance day. The schedule
is as follows:
9:45am-10:30am
Mrs. Bell, Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. LaRosa , Ms. Cerullo,
Mrs. McLeod, Mrs. McGee, Mr. Kozjan
Mr. DeRango, Mme. Zingaro, Mrs. Leardi, Mme.
DiMaria, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Kehoe, Mrs. Burke, Mrs.
O’Donnell
**Please note: the order of classes in the schedule
above does not reflect the order of performance.
INTERMEDIATE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Congratulations to the Intermediate Girls Volleyball
Team who competed in the Mini Tournament on
Wednesday, November 19th and finished in first place.
The girls advanced to the Family of Schools'
Tournament on Wednesday, November 26th and came
in 3rd place overall. Mrs. Kehoe and Mrs. Moretta
would like to thank the team for displaying great
sportsmanship both on and off the court. The team
demonstrated great effort and team spirit! Thank you to
all the parents who came out to support the team and
help with transportation. Team members: Anne B.,
Stephanie C., Jada C., Darley D., Cassandra E., Madeline
F., Sieara G., Jillian H., MariaCristina N., Skylar S., and
Nikole T.
Coaches: Mrs. Kehoe and Mrs. Moretta
INTERMEDIATE BOYS
VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Congratulations to the Intermediate Boys
Volleyball Team who competed in and won the Mini
Tournament in Orangeville. The team advanced to the
Family of Schools Tournament which was held on
November 26th . Despite great effort, determination and
team spirit they finished in third place overall. Mrs.
Coward and Ms. Leardi would like to thank the team for
displaying great sportsmanship both on and off the
court. They were great representatives of St. Cornelius!
Thank you to all the parents who came out to support
the team and help with transportation. Team members:
Jordan F., Aiden L., Sal M., Nicolas C., Kieran B.,
Jonathan N., Johnny N., Rory K ., Patrick D., Gabriel
R., Sam D and Reid S.
Coaches: C. Leardi and A. Coward
Together in Faith and Excellence
5
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WEEK
ST. CORNELIUS SCHOOL COOKBOOK
We will be hosting a Christmas Spirit Week in anticipation
for the coming of Jesus. Your child/children are invited to
participate on the following days:
December
December
December
December
December
15-winter sport jersey day
16-santa hat, elf hat, reindeer antlers
17- Christmas colours red and green
18- Crazy Christmas sock day
19- Pajama day
KISS ‘N RIDE STUDENT SAFETY
Attention parents! There is only one safe
crossing point for your students when they are left off at
the Kiss ‘n Ride. Teachers are there to escort the students
safely across. Please let your child off close to the front of
the Kiss ‘n Ride so that they are safe crossing with the
teacher on duty. We cannot ensure their safety at
unsupervised areas.
As a result of the new sidewalk on the north end of the
school connecting to the Pathways community, we have
a teacher on duty to supervise student safely into the
yard. We ask that you remind your child (children) to be
cautious at the end of this sidewalk where the driveway
begins as cars and busses are entering our parking lot.
We ask that your child does not walk on the school
driveway, but rather the grass portion. Thank you as we
continue to work together to ensure your child’s safety is
our priority.
A huge thank you to all chefs and junior chefs in our
community that took the time to send us their
favourite recipes. We got about 60 recipe entries for
our 2015 St. Cornelius Cookbook with all proceeds
going to Operation Smile. The cookbook is being sent
out to be made in early December and we hope to
sell it for $15.00. We will be placing orders for the
new cookbook using the same email:
cornelius.cookbook@yahoo.ca
If you are interested in seeing the cookbook it will be
displayed in the office and or a display case in early
December. Our class hopes we can raise enough
money for a cleft lip and palette surgery for a child in
a third world country ($240). A special thanks to our
Operation Smile team and especially Mrs. Bevan for
all her hard work in helping me put this cookbook
together.
PARENT CORNER: GOOD MANNERS
With regular practice, polite words and actions will
come naturally to your child. Here are ways to help in
use good manners in any situation:

HELP WANTED!
Do you have an hour or more a week to spare? Do you
have your criminal reference check complete? Do you
like to read aloud to children? Do you like to see
big smiles on kids' faces when they finally get their
hands on a good book they've been wanting to read
for two weeks? Then this position is for you! Ms.
Jonkman is looking for adult volunteers to help in the
library, scanning books, shelving and organizing the
books. If you have even a small amount of time to
spare and would like to help out in the library, please
let Ms. Jonkman know. Full training provided!


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
6
SAFE SCHOOLS FOCUS FOR DECEMBER –
DECEMBER VIRTUE
EVERYONE NEEDS TO FEEL INCLUDED
December Virtue of the Month is HOPE
People of Hope:
 Keep a positive attitude
 Can bounce back from a tough situation
 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
In December the focus is on
including and accepting others.
The message “we all want to feel
included” underscores the idea
that all of us desire the same
thing and we all have some
responsibility in creating an atmosphere that is inclusive.
Students will learn the meaning of empathy and explore
feelings associated with being excluded. Research shows
that bullying behaviours demonstrate a lack of empathy
toward others. Students will also look at how to help
someone feel included and examine ways of
strengthening their friendship building skills.
The daily prayer of HOPE for December is:
Tips for parents:
 talk with your children about ways to build
friendships with others;
 reinforce the message that even if we aren’t good
friends with someone we can still be friendly,
considerate and welcoming;
 use ‘teachable moments’ (e.g., family situations,
media, and movies) to explore empathy with
your children and help them relate to and
understand how others are feeling.
Together in Faith and Excellence
Let us now pray...for
the grace and
courage to be
people of Hope.
People who can see,
participate in and
contribute to God’s
goodness emerging
around us.
Amen
7
IMPORTANT DATES- December 2014
Jan. 5th - Just Catering for Kids
Jan. 7th - Confirmation Sponsor Meeting at St.
John’s Parish 7:00 pm
Jan. 8th - Sub Day
Jan 12th - Just Catering for Kids, Freeze Comic
Workshop 1:15 - 2:00 pm - Grades 2 – 6
Jan. 14th- Extended French Information Meeting for
Grade 4 students –Holy Family School in Bolton
7:00 p.m.
Dec. 4th - Pizza Day, Grade 8 Course Registration
for RF Hall S.S. in Computer lab
Dec. 6th - 5:00 pm - Mr. DeRango Enrolment Mass
at St. John’s Church
Jan 15th - Rosary Apostolate, Pizza Day
Jan 19th - PA Day - No School for Students (Report
Card Writing Day)
Jan. 22nd - Sub Day
Dec. 8th - Just Catering for Kids
Jan 26th - Just Catering for Kids
Dec 10th - Mr. Furtado's Grade 5 class to
Silvercreek Outdoor Centre
Jan 27th - St. Cornelius Wellness Day
Dec. 11th - Sub Day, Cram A Cruiser- please bring in
your non-perishable food items by today to help us
fill 5 Caledon OPP cruisers!
Dec. 15th –Winter Sport Jersey Day, Just Catering
for Kids
Dec. 16th- Santa/Elf Hat, Reindeer Antlers Day
Dec. 17th - Advent Mass 9:45 a.m. in gymnasium All Are Welcome! Christmas Colours Day (Red and
Green), Kindergarten Christmas Concert - 6:30 pm
Jan. 28th - First Communion Parent Meeting - 7:00
pm at St. John’s Parish, Intermediate Mass 10:00
am - St. John’s Parish- All are welcome!
Jan 29th - Hepatitis B, Meningitis and HPV 2nd
Shots, Pizza Day
Jan. 30th- Gr. 8 Graduation Photos
Attachments


Math at Home
International Student Programs
Dec. 18th –Crazy Christmas Socks Day, Pizza Day,
Rosary Apostolate, Mrs. Leitch's Grade 5 class to
Silvercreek
Dec. 19th – Christmas Sing-a-long , Virtue of the
Month Assemblies at 9:30-10:30 (FDK-Gr. 3), 11:00
am-12:00 p.m. (Gr. 4-8), Pajama Day
Dec. 22nd to Jan. 2nd - Christmas Break
Together in Faith and Excellence
8