February 2014 Edition
Principal
Mr. M. Cassar
CELEBRATING
DIVERSITY
Vice Principal
Ms. T. Owens
Head Secretary
Ms. S. McGee
Assistant Secretary
Mrs. M. Kelly
School Council Chair
TBA
Superintendent
Mrs. S. Steer
Ward 6 Trustee
Mrs. L. Zanella
905-890-1211
Parish Team
Father Jan Gogolewski
Guardian Angels Parish
(905) 970 - 9175
We at Guardian Angels
School, dedicate ourselves to
creating and fostering a
spiritually
rich
learning
environment that empowers
the individual to take
responsibility for their
personal and interpersonal
growth and development.
.
Guardian Angels is placing emphasis on
celebrating and promoting God’s gift of diversity
amongst his peoples. Black History Month will
serve as the platform for this celebration. A
number of events will take place to promote,
celebrate and honour Black History and diversity
in general.
Jim Arnold Music Workshop will visit Guardian
Angels to deliver a power-packed presentation to
students on musical instruments from around the
world – with a focus on the African culture.
The library has a host of books on display related
to Black History as well as a bulletin board
dedicated to the topic. Daily announcements will
also include quotes and historical facts relating to
Black History.
Our front foyer is decorated with elements of
Black History to make this event a prominent part
of our school. I invite you to take a few minutes to
peruse it.
Shannon Thunderbird’s Aboriginal Music
Workshops presented to students on Native
culture and music. Our Virtues Assembly will
focus on the virtue of RESPECT and that ties in
well with respecting our differences, while
recognizing that we are all one with God.
We hope that your Family Day was a great
opportunity to connect with your loved ones!
Next School Council Mtg
Wed., March 5 @ 6:30 PM
Held in the library. Please join us!
All parents are welcome.
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Students are encouraged to
constructively use the snow that
winter brings to build snowmen,
forts, or snow sculptures.
SCHOOL HOURS
Grades 1 - 8
9:00 AM – MORNING BEGINS
10:28 AM – RECESS BREAK
12:06 PM – 12:46 PM – RECESS
12:46 PM – 1:06 PM - LUNCH
1:06 PM – AFTERNOON BEGINS
2:29 PM– RECESS BREAK
3:30 PM – SCHOOL ENDS
Please note that supervision in the playground begins at 8:45
AM. Please do not leave your children unattended in the school
grounds before the teacher supervision begins.
SCHOOL COUNCIL


There are three vacant positions on the
Council:
 Chairperson: This position requires
assisting School Administration with
conducting
Catholic
Council
meetings, meeting with School
Administration on a regular basis, organizing
subcommittee work and maintaining communication
with Council Executive members. Most importantly, is
requires a strong commitment to Catholic education.
OAPCE Representative: This representative will attend
bi- monthly meetings of the Ontario Association for
Parents in Catholic Education and report back on
information of interest.
Parish Representative: This person is responsible for
bringing pertinent information from Guardian Angels
Parish back to our School Council.)
If you would like to run for any of these positions, please fill
out the application attached to this newsletter and submit it
to Mr. Cassar by Friday, February 28th. If there is more than
one applicant for a position, then each candidate will be
asked to speak for a few minutes on why they are an
appropriate consideration for a position. A vote will then
take place. If there is only one applicant, the position is
acclaimed. If there are no applicants, the position remains
open. The election will take place at the Council meeting on
March 5th
The purpose of the Catholic School Council is to support the
school in promotion of our Catholic faith and to support the
school in the promotion of student achievement, in a
respectful, collaborative manner that is Christ centered.
SNOW STAYS ON THE GROUND
The winter weather has begun and the wonderful pleasures that
come with winter such as snow.
Students are reminded that “Snow Stays on the Ground”.
Frequent reminders are made on the morning announcements.
Please assist us by reviewing with
your child the dangers of throwing snowballs and the
importance of preventing injury to other children. Together,
we will create a schoolyard, which is safe for all during
winter. Another important element of constructive play is
respecting the efforts of others. At Guardian Angels,
students are reminded to respect the efforts of others and to
leave snow forts or snowmen standing for all to enjoy.
OUR CATHOLIC VIRTUES
A key aspect of the Board’s
strategic direction is the
continued development of
safe,
caring,
inclusive
Catholic
school
communities. As a Catholic
Community, we are called
to learn, grow and become
more like Jesus. Catholic
education provides us the
opportunity to integrate the
virtues into our students’
daily activity. The virtues
will be covered every month
during
morning
announcements, in class
during discussions, and at
school Living Our Faith
Awards assemblies.
This month, our Virtues
focus is RESPECT. We all
deserve to be shown
courtesy,
consideration,
sensitivity
and
thoughtfulness, which are
different ways of saying
respect. That respect should
come first from us. We have
to respect ourselves and
then we will be able to
respect others. Through prayer and concentration, we can
become better at respecting ourselves as well as respecting those
around us.
A respectful person…



Treats him/herself and everyone else with equal
consideration and courtesy
Uses a positive tone of voice and body language
Avoids swearing, name-calling, put-downs, and
inappropriate gestures
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
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
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Says ‘Excuse me‛, ‘Please‛, and ‘Pardon me‛
Avoids gossip weather online or in person
February: Respect
March: Kindness
May: Acceptance


April: Love
June: Fairness
interest in classic literature, no doubt led to the "paganizing" of
this martyr's feast, so that the Roman god, Cupid (the counterpart
of Eros in Greek mythology), supplanted the saint in the
celebration of the feast. In Roman mythology, Cupid, the son of
Venus, was a winged immortal who had the mischievous habit
of shooting invisible arrows into the hearts of mortals, which
inflamed them with blind and helpless passion -- for the next
person they might see.
A PRAYER FOR ST. VALENTINE
Cupids. Candy. Flowers. Lacy hearts. Strange, isn't it, that the
best known Christian saint on the secular calendar -- a holiday
devoted to romantic love -- is a martyr for the Christian faith?
Saint Valentine did "die of love", to be sure -- but not of the
romantic sort! Strange, also,
considering its enormous
popularity, that this saint's feast
no longer appears on the
Church's calendar. (Officially,
February 14 marks the feast of
Sts. Cyril and Methodias, 9th
century missionaries to the
Slavs.)
How did the "Saint" disappear from Valentine's Day? Can we
"re-Christianize" the celebration of this popular holiday? Who is
Saint Valentine, anyway? There are three different Saint
Valentines, all of them martyrs, mentioned in the early
martyrologies for the date of February 14th.
One is described as a priest, another a bishop. Both apparently
were martyred in the second half of the third century and buried
at different places on the Flaminian Way outside of Rome. The
third St. Valentine was martyred in Africa with a number of
companions. Almost nothing is known about any of these early
Christian men -- except that they died for the love of Christ!
The popular customs connected with Saint Valentine's Days
probably originated in medieval Europe. At that time, when
"courtly love" was in flower, there was a common belief in
England and France that on February 14th, precisely half way
through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair.
Thus, we read in the 14th century English poet, Geoffrey
Chaucer's "Parliament of Foules":
This belief about "love-birds" is probably the reason Saint
Valentine's feast day came to be seen as specially consecrated to
lovers, and as a proper occasion for
writing love letters and sending lover's
tokens. The literature of the fourteenth
and fifteenth-century in both France
and England contain allusions to this
practice.
According to legend, while awaiting execution, he wrote notes
of instruction, affection and encouragement to the Christian
community in Rome, which were secretly delivered by a boy
who visited him in prison. It is ironic that a Roman Christian who
died defending the faith is now chiefly associated with a pagan
god, Cupid!
Most Gracious Heavenly Father
You gave Saint Valentine the courage to witness to the gospel
of Christ, even to the point of giving his life for it.
Help us to endure all suffering for love of you, and to seek you
with all our hearts; for you alone are the source of life and love.
Grant that we may have the courage and love to be strong
witnesses of your truth to our friends and family and to the
whole world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever. Amen.
SHROVE TUESDAY
Thank you to our wonderful School Council who have offered to
organize a Shrove Tuesday event for students. Shrove Tuesday
marks the day before the beginning of Lent, a time for reflection,
sacrifice and penance. Donations are welcome in support of
raising funds to build our own
Guardian Angels Church…what
greater honour is there than to
instill a Catholic presence in a
community. If you would like to
volunteer to help with Shrove
Tuesday, please contact the
office.
SPORTS
In the world of sports, it is a brand new year and that means it is
time for brand new teams. 2013 was a busy and successful year
for sports at Guardian Angels and 2014 promises to be the same.
This association with romantic love,
along with the medieval revival of
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GUARDIAN ANGELS SPORTS LOGO
The rebranding of our school
office and sports logos are now
complete. Students undertook
to redesign the logos to
represent a new era and look
for Guardian Angels. After 10
years, it was time for a new
direction that represented all that is good about our students, our
school and our community. The new logo represents the motto
“To Light, To Guard, To Rule, To Guide”. Thank you to all of
the students and staff for their input. Further to the development
of the logo, we have purchased new athletic uniforms for
students. The old uniforms had their day after 10 years of use.
Our new uniforms were partially funded with a generous
donation from Sue and Peter Lopes. Thank you to the Lopes
Fmaily for their support of our school and student athletics!
BASKETBALL
The Intermediate Basketball season has
commenced at Guardian Angels. Tryouts
for both girls' and boys' teams have already
begun. On Thursday, February 20, 2014,
both teams will participate in an event held
at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). The
teams will have the opportunity to play a
short game on the actual Raptors’ match court! The tournaments
for Brampton-West will be held the week of April 7. Good luck
to all those students trying out. We hope to have a successful
season!
The Fire Drill can go off in the wintertime, and therefore, we
must evacuate the building immediately.
MRS. SCHIAVONE’S GRADE 2 CLASS
The past month has been an exciting one in Mrs. Schiavone’s
grade 2 class. From transitions to learning centres to learning
about how Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Harriet
Tubman changed our world. The students are doing an
exceptional job at exploring terms such as, liberate, equality,
freedom and rights. They have been researching “The
Underground Railroad” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream for
the world.
We have also been exploring our musical side and we have
started playing instruments. We are making connections on how
music has played an important role in history and how many
people are impacted by music. We learned that many slaves sang
songs of freedom, which gave those hopes and dreams.
Guardian Angels competed in the Brampton
Northwest
Annual
Hockey
Tournament! Coaches Morris and Bell were
extremely proud of their team as they were
one goal away from advancing to the
finals! We have a lot of returning players this
year and worked hard to finish third
overall. The tournament was held at Cassie Cambell CC on
February 6th and 7th which culminated in a game against the
Brampton Fire Fighters’ team.
The grade 2’s have been working on their reading strategies and
I am proud to announce every student has gone up in their PM
Benchmark levels. There are some students who have jumped up
8 levels!!!! Ms. Schiavone would like to congratulate all of you
on your progress. Learning how to make inferences is an
important reading tool we have been practicing. By using clues
from the text and our schema to predict what is not written on
the page has been great fun and now we are using this tool
without even knowing it. In math, we have started our
Measurement unit. We have been learning how to measure
objects using non-standard tools and communicate our
understanding by using our math vocabulary.
INDOOR SHOES
MS. PERESTERLO’S GRADE 7 CLASS
Once again, for the purpose of student
health and safety, we are requesting that
all students, FDK through to Grade 8
have indoor running shoes with nonmarking soles. These shoes are to be kept
at the school every day. Inexpensive
running shoes with white soles are the best choice. Students
require indoor shoes in the case of a Fire Drill or Emergency
Evacuation, as there isn’t sufficient time to put on shoes or boots.
Ms. Perestrelo’s class has been very busy this month. We have
been having a lot of fun! We took part in the virtues mass and
celebrated respect. We were able to read passages in front of the
school as well as create artwork for the mass. Some of us even
brought up the gifts. We have been learning a lot about Black
History this month and are sharing all our findings on Marcus
Garvey with the school. We decorated the school trying to help
create awareness of the significance of many influential black
people.
HOCKEY
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This month we are reading a wonderful book called “No Turning
Back” which is teaching us all about apartheid and the struggles
of racism and segregation in South Africa through the eyes of a
twelve-year-old boy named Sipho. With everything that is
happening this month, it is also Ms. Perestrelo’s last month
here. We are sad to see Ms. Perestrelo leave. She has been an
amazing teacher and she has done so many fun activities with
our class. We will really miss her. Briana and Kushal
PALS AND MRS Di MUZIO’S CLASS
tend to pursue physical activities beyond the gym. My goal as
your child’s Physical Education teacher is to promote life-long
learning, and a life-long love of physical activity.
The minimum requirement to participate in physical education is
clean running shoes (with Velcro in case they have not mastered
the skill of tying their laces…except for gymnastics, when bare
feet are allowed). It is highly recommended that your child
comes to class prepared for our daily activities, and therefore it
is advised that on the days your child will have Physical
Education that they come in comfortable clothing (i.e. not jeans,
tight clothes, or dresses) and have jewelry removed and long hair
tied back. I recommend that you send a water bottle along during
the days your child has gym class to maximize their activity time.
Healthy eating is the new unit for the grades 1-3. The Health
Committee will be encouraging healthy snacks. The class
with the majority of healthy items for the week will be
proudly hosting the award in their class.
Guess what everybody? The P.A.L.S. leaders are back! This
month, Mrs. Di Muzio's grade 5 students will be out on the
playground for fun filled sessions of ball games, tag and
skipping. The P.A.L.S. leaders will be out every day during
recess time teaching students new games. Just look for the bright
red P.A.L.S. pinnies and come out and join the fun!
THE GRADE 3 CLASSES
The Grade 3 Trip to Crawford Lake Conservation Area:
On January 16th our grade three students went for their field trip
to Crawford Lake Conservation Area.
While we were there, we explored the reconstructed 15th century
Iroquoian village. Our journey back in time started in the Turtle
Clan longhouse where we learned deeper about the history,
religion, culture and daily life of Ontario’s First Nations (Wendat
People). Inside the longhouse, the students were fascinated by
lots of hands-on artefacts, samples of hunting and farming, tools,
furs and crops. Our tour guide, Adam, showed us how to
produce fire with friction. It was amazing!
The students also had the opportunity to experience the magic of
snowshoeing and engaged in playing Aboriginal children’s
games. It was an exceptional history lesson beyond the
classroom where history was brought to life.
The Jr. Girls basketball team recently finished first at the Annual
Notre Dame tournament and we are excited for the next
tournament. If we win the first tournament, we could be going to
the finals, which will determine the best team of our
Board.
Coaches Valezi and Lorusso are very excited to
represent our school and hopefully add another banner for
Guardian Angels.
MRS. GALLANT’S GRADE 7 CLASS
Mrs. Gallant’s grade 7 class has been doing many exciting things
so far this year. In Religion class evry month, we learn a new
virtue that helps us become better children of God. These
virtues, including self-control, respect, and faith, can help us
become better stewards of God by exploring the characteristics,
examples, and non-examples of each virtue. Language has also
been fun and exciting. We created exciting book trailers for the
books we read in our book clubs, wrote sequels to our books, and
wrote our own versions of the Nativity story from fun and
different perspectives. Science class has taught us about
reducing our Ecological Footprints on the world and we made
PowerPoint presentations to encourage others to do the same.
This has been a great learning experience.
We have also learned something that no class has ever done!
Since Mrs. Gallant was a previous high school teacher in Japan,
she taught us a daily morning exercise routine that she learned
from her students in Japan. We are happy we learned this fun
exercise routine for DPA that also shows us the different ways
of Japanese culture.
Julia, Mariella, and Kristyn
LIFE AS A GRADE 5/6 "PARRISIAN."
MR. VALEZI AND PHYS. ED.
Physical Education is a favourite subject for many
students. Success in the gym often translates to a sense of
wellbeing in the classroom. As confidence develops, children
Life in grade 6 is super busy with EQAO just around the
corner. Life in grade 5 is also super busy trying to live up to
grade expectations ... yet there's so much more to grade 5/6. We
get to experience 10 months in Mrs. Parris' class. We are
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learning new fun ways to do math with the awesome three-part
math lessons. Here, the grade sixes got the opportunity to help
the grade fives with geometry. We mentored them in
constructing triangles and measuring angles with a
protractor. We are creating media projects on Harriet Tubman
to celebrate Black History month, and the grade fives are going
to explore life in ancient civilizations soon. This month we are
going on a skating and Library trip. A big thank you to
Mr. Cassar as well for ordering us a smartboard ... we cannot
wait for it to arrive. Well, that is all the news for now. The Grade
six "Parrisians", Abigail, Ashley, and Melita
STUDENT COUNCIL UPDATE
The new year started well with
an amazing visit by author
Helaine Becker, so the student
council decided that there is no
better way to listen to an author
read her stories than in your
pajamas!! Thus, we had pajama
day on January 24. Students
walked around in onsies and fun
pajama pant prints with cool slippers and even some teddy bears
joined the festivities.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics has begun. Our student
council will keep the students updated on daily events, medal
standings, winter Olympic sports, and, of course, the Canadian
athletes. There will be fun activities as the games progress.
Peel
Public
Health
at
905-799-7700,
or
visit
www.ImmunizePeel.ca. Translation services are available.
LATES
Our day begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. Students who arrive late
for class often miss vital instructional time, interrupt classroom
routines and disrupt the learning of others. Attendance and
punctuality are essential components of the elementary school
program. The Education Act dictates, “A pupil shall attend
classes punctually and regularly.” The Ministry of Education
indicates that poor attendance and frequent lates are often one
indication that a pupil is a ‘Student at Risk’ for successful
completion of a Secondary School diploma. Letters have been
sent to parents of students who show a pattern of lates.
SCHOOL SECURITY PROTOCOL
We have taken proactive measures to
secure the safety of staff and students by
locking the front door. Visitors may gain
entrance by pressing a buzzer mounted
on the wall, beside the door. The buzzer
activates a 2-way speaker and camera
system. The Office will then be able to
tell who is at the door through a TV
monitor and thus, regulate visitor access to the school. Other
protocols include:
Finally, we will be celebrating St. Valentine’s Day in fine style
with another great school dance. All grades will have a time to
celebrate and dance in the gym.
o
BRAMPTON NORTHWEST OLYMPIC EVENT
o
Ten students from Guardian Angels school were invited to
Cassie Campbell Arena on Friday, February 7th to participate in
an Olympic Opening Ceremonies. The students did a torch relay
around the building, participated in an on-ice banner event, and
had a fun skate. Olympic athletes Lori Dupuis and Vicky
Sunohara were in attendance and the students had their picture
taken with the athletes. Our school also had a special privilege
on that day as our school hockey team were invited to play the
Brampton Fire Department at lunch. It was great to cheer on our
team to a 4 – 3 win over the firefighters. Now it is time to cheer
on our Canadian athletes as they go for gold in Sochi. Go Canada
o
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PEEL HEALTH IMMUNIZATION
Peel Public Health will be reviewing immunization records of all
students at our school from February 1, 2013. Peel Public Health
must have proof that your child has been fully vaccinated
(immunized) according to the Ontario immunization schedule.
If you receive a letter, please ensure that your child has received
the required vaccine(s), then give the date(s) your child received
these vaccine dose(s) to Peel Public Health immediately to
update your child’s record. For more information, please call
o
o
All outside doors are locked and entry can be gained only
through the front door.
All visitors are to sign into the office and wear a visitor’s
badge.
All supply teachers sign into the office and wear a Supply
Teacher badge.
All Dufferin Peel staff wear an ID badge.
Regularly scheduled fire drills occur throughout the year.
Regularly lock-down drills occur throughout the year.
Intruder alert protocols for students and staff are in place.
An evacuation plan is in place.
Student attendance is taken and calls to parents are made to
verify absences.
Criminal Reference Checks are conducted on all employees,
student teachers and volunteers.
ME TO WE – PROMOTING RESPECT
Spread the love, Spread the warmth.
Our Me To We team is encouraging the
school community to donate winter
accessories such as gloves, scarves,
hats, mittens and blankets to be given to
people in need. We are collecting these
items at our school Valentine's Day Dance on Friday February
14. There is also a student/staff charity basketball game on
Friday, February 21 at lunch. Admission to the game is a
donation of a winter accessory to promote "Spread the love,
Spread the warmth". Next, The Me to We team is working on
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an Aboriginal Awareness Campaign, Stay tuned for more from
this social justice group which is always looking to help those in
need.
Written by Sarah Penacho- Grade 8 student
User name: guardianas
Password: books
Please return all overdue library books.
MRS. ENG’S GRADE 1 CLASS
RECONCILIATION and FIRST COMMUNION
Grade 2 Parent Information Meeting
Already occurred December 1st , 2013 after 12:00 (noon)
Mass @St. Edmund Campion Secondary School
Celebration of the Sacrament:
RECONCILIATION March 19th, 2013, 9:15 a.m.
@ Guardian Angels
FIRST COMMUNION May 25th, 3:00 p.m.
@ Our Lady of Fatima
CONFIRMATION
Grade 8 Parent Information Meeting
Already occurred on December 8th, 2013 after 12:00 (noon)
Mass @St. Edmund Campion Secondary School
Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
May 31st, 2013 5:00 p.m.
@ St. Edmund Campion Secondary School
FROM THE LIBRARY
Helaine Becker, Canadian author and illustrator visited Guardian
Angels School on Friday, January 24 to help celebrate Family
Literacy Day. The students enjoyed Helaine's enthusiasm and
humour as she talked about her many books as well as the writing
process. Many of the author's books are available at the school
library for the students to sign out.

Forest of Reading
The Forest of Reading titles have been announced and the
students are busy reading the nominated books. The students are
very excited about the various reading programs, which are run
through the school library: Blue Spruce (grades 1, 2 and 3);
Silver Birch Express (grades 3 and 4); Silver Birch- Fiction and
Non Fiction (grades 5 and 6); and the Red Maple (grades 7 and
8). The students in Silver Birch and Red Maple have an online
component to the Reading club in the form of a wiki. The
students are able to post comments about the books that they are
reading as well as read comments from other students. Having a
voice via the wiki is a very good way for the students to interact
about what they are reading. For more information about Forest
of Reading visit www.accessola.com and search for the Forest of
Reading section to view this year’s nominated titles.
Mrs. Eng's Grade 1's are excited the weather has warmed up and
they are able to play in the snow at recess. They are learning the
skills of letter writing and look forward to receiving responses to
their letters. They are also enjoying exploring Measurement in
Math. They are discovering many items that can be used for nonstandard measure.
MRS. SIVASANKARAN and MRS.
GRAESSER’S KINDERGARTEN CLASS
During the month of January, the children enjoyed exploring and
learning about different countries with our “Countries Around
the World” theme. We were able to enjoy the various countries’
cultures, music, learn about languages spoken in each country,
money, animals that live there, food and traditions.
In February, we will conclude our Countries Around the World
theme. We will focus on the Winter Olympics, and will support
all the countries being represented. We will also focus on
Valentine’s Day and friendship, as well as winter animals. In
math, we will be focusing on mass. The children will be involved
in several different inquiries that will focus on mass.
We would like to welcome Mrs. C. to our class as our new E.C.E.
student teacher. We kindly ask that you ensure that your child
has appropriate clothing for outdoor play daily including, a warm
coat, snow pants, winter boots, hat, waterproof mittens and scarf.
We are outside for two 30-minute play blocks.
TELEPHONE CALLS TO THE SCHOOL
Each day our office receives numerous
phone calls from parents with messages for
their children. With the lines tied up, these
calls are often left as messages on our
machine. In an effort to ensure that we do not
miss one of these messages and not get it to
your child on time, we ask that you please
ensure that arrangements are made the night before and children
know what they are to do after school.
In addition, we encourage parents to send lunches, notes and
messages in the morning with their child(ren) in an effort to
avoid interruptions at the classroom level. We understand that
emergencies do happen and we will do our best to assist in these
situations. Thank you for your cooperation.
ADULT FAITH FORMATION
Tumble Books is an online database for reading books as well as
quizzes and activities to complete. The school has purchased a
license for this site. Please visit tumble books at:
www.tumblebooklibrary.com
On the first Thursday of every month (8:30 am), the staff of
Guardian Angels meet in our front foyer to celebrate our faith
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through a liturgy. To enrich the prayer life of our Catholic
School, we begin with ourselves. When we join together in
prayer we nourish our faith development and establish a renewed
sense of inspiration for our students. Parents are welcome to
join us on our spiritual journey.
CHOIR
The choir has been singing their way into
the hearts of many this year. We have the
amazing opportunity to sing the National
Anthems at a Raptors’ game on February
27, 2014. Although we are only able to take
28 choir members to sing at the Raptors’
game, the entire choir spread Christmas joy
and sang at Fortinos on December 11 at 10:30. The choir also
sang at the Christmas Mass on December 18th and our Virtues
mass last week
GRADE 7 AND 8 SKI TRIP
The Intermediate students had the exciting opportunity of
attending a ski trip to Mansfield Ski Resort on Thursday, January
30, 2014. It was cut short due to inclement weather and road
conditions. Fortunately, we will be able to make up for it and
return on March 6th. Mansfield Outdoor Education Centre runs
a very successful ski program where students have the
opportunity to learn a new winter sport, or to further refine their
skills. We hope with this experience many students will develop
a love for either skiing or snowboarding.
GUARDIAN ANGELS ENVIRONMENT TEAM
help you save gas, and above all else keep our air clean! Thank
you for your help!
WIKIS FOR EDUCATION
Many of the students will be talking
about their Class wiki and/or Forest of
Reading wiki. You ask… what is a
wiki? A wiki is: “A Web site
developed collaboratively by a
community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content.”
Mrs. McCannel, the Teacher Librarian, has been introducing the
concept of wikis to the teachers and the students. We started
exploring wikis with the Forest of Reading wikis that students
used to post comments and respond to other student’s comments
about the books that they were reading.
Some class wikis have been developed to support Inquiry units
for the Social Studies curriculum. The wikis are monitored by
the Teacher Librarian and/or the classroom teacher and are
password protected. Only individuals invited into the wiki are
allowed to participate and the students have been taught how to
be responsible wiki users. The students have really excelled in
their use of wikis and it has been exciting to see this online
technology excite our learners. What a wonderful way to merge
technology with learning.
EXCURSIONS AND FIELD TRIPS
Trips that extend learning opportunities are encouraged.
Teachers must follow appropriate Board procedures. The school
must have on file permission forms, which must be signed by
parents. VERBAL PERMISSION cannot be accepted.
Litter-less Lunch Fridays
We would like to take this opportunity to
ask students and parents to help with
minimizing
waste
at
Guardian
Angels. Every Friday will be known as
Litter-less Lunch Fridays. We are asking
students to bring in reusable containers
and/or Tupperware to reduce waste as
much as possible.
During our initial review of our environmental practices at our
school, we have noticed a substantial amount of food waste is
going into our garbage. Students, please remember to consume
as much food as possible, and whatever you cannot finish, to
bring back home. Let's not waste food!
Idle-Free Zone
Parents, please help us reduce air pollution by not idling your
vehicle. Did you know that idling your car for more than 10
seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine! Even during
cold weather, the best way to warm up your car is to drive it
gently. You need no more than 30 seconds of idling before
driving your car. This will keep your engine in better condition,
LE CARNAVAL DE QUEBEC!
The largest winter Carnival in
the world! Le Carnaval de
Québec!” Experience one of
Quebec's most famous cultural
events celebrated annually for
59 years! Guardian Angels will
be hosting our very own schoolwide winter Carnival in the
month of February 2014.
You will get an opportunity to meet the ambassador and a very
famous personality of this celebration, Bonhomme Carnaval! He
is the living incarnation of the snowmen that have enchanted
children of Québec City for generations. Bonhomme is the
ambassador of this celebration as well as the symbol of the
festivities during this joyous period of the year! For more
information about the history of Carnaval visit
http://carnaval.qc.ca/en/about/history/. This initiative is made
possible in part by our fundraising efforts. Thank you to Mr.
Caputo, Ms. Gunia and Mrs. Scornianchi for taking the lead on
this initiative.
Visit our website: WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/GANGL
8
MASSES
Celebration
Date and Time
Location
Ash Wednesday
Liturgy
Wednesday, March 5
In Class
Lenten Mass
Thursday, April 3
@ 9:15 AM
School
Resurrection/Easter
Mass
Wednesday, April 23
@ 9:15 AM
School
Year End Mass/
Guardian Angels
Feast Day
Wednesday, June 18
@ 9:15 AM
School
Special Masses
Date and Time
Location
First Reconciliation
Wednesday, March 19
@ 9:15 AM
School
Confessions for
Grade 8
Students
First Communion
Wednesday, March 19
@ 10:30 AM
School
Sunday, May 25
@ 3:00 PM
Our Lady of
Fatima Parish
Confirmation
Saturday, May 31
@ 5:00 PM
St. Edmund
Campion School
YOUTH FAITH AMBASSADORS
Mrs Petrusa and Mrs Parris would like to
thank the Youth Faith Ambassadors for
their wonderful help and support during
the Christmas season. At the concert, they
assisted with several classes to get ready
and keep students entertained, they
greeted parents and visitors with a
friendly smile and escorted them to their
seats. They displayed Catholic virtues by
their dedication and commitment by organizing the beautiful
"Giving Tree" in the foyer and attending the concert both
nights. Thanks to all!!
SAFE SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
LIVING OUR FAITH AWARDS
We celebrate student success by holding
once-a-month assemblies. There are
three awards per class given out: Living
Our Faith Award, Most Improved
Award and an Academic Award.
The assemblies start with a brief
liturgical reflection. This process
provides an intimate and special opportunity for students and
parents to celebrate success. Our next assemblies will be:


Kalyce G. (gr.2), Phylicia M. (gr.3), Olivia S. (gr.5), Alexandra
L. (gr.5), Cleo P. (gr.5), Gabriel P. (gr.6), Justine A.
(gr.6), Samantha P. (gr.6), Serena Z. (gr.6), and Leah (gr.6)...
Congratulations again!
Tuesday, February 26 for Gr’s K to 4 @ 9:30 AM and;
Thursday, February 27 for Gr’s 5-8 @ 9:30 AM.
All parents are welcome to join us. Parents of children
receiving awards will receive personal invitations.
THE DANCE TEAMS
A very special thank you to all the Primary and Junior students
who tried out for the dance team this year. We had
an overwhelming response, over 100
students tried out and everyone did an
outstanding job! We would like to
congratulate the 10 students that will
represent the 2013/2014 Guardian Angels
Primary/Junior dance team at the Rose
Theatre in April.
Guardian Angels is a Catholic
community that respects and
promotes the uniqueness of all its
members. By following the
teachings of Jesus, we pledge to
provide everyone with a safe, caring and peaceful environment,
which ensures the respect and acceptance of all. Because of these
beliefs, bullying will not be tolerated. Your child deserves a
safe environment to work, learn and play in. If you have any
concerns, please contact us.
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers play an important role in
the life of our school community.
They help to enhance the learning
opportunities available to students
and make a difference in the academic life of our students. If you
can spare some time to read with students, help teachers in the
classroom (other than your own child’s) assist in the literacy
room, photocopy, count money for special events etc., we need
you!
If you are interested in volunteering within the school, please
contact Ms. Persad, our volunteer coordinator. Please note that
anyone working or volunteering in our school must have a
criminal reference check completed by the local police service
before volunteering can begin. The CRC is free and the form can
be picked up at the office.
VALUABLES
A reminder that AS PER BOARD POLICY, students are not
allowed to bring PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES like
cell phones, pagers, iPods, MP3 players, cameras, etc. to school.
Visit our website: WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/GANGL
9
These items, especially cell phones, will be confiscated and
parents will be required to pick them up from the office.


Please keep your child’s valuables at home. Staff cannot be
responsible for any valuables that your child brings to school.
Money, jewelry, Pokemon cards, electronics, toys, etc., should
be kept at home. “Wheelie shoes” and “Bay Blades” are not
allowed at school.
PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Just a reminder to students and visitors to the
school that PED’s such as cell phones, cameras,
iPod, electronic games etc are NOT to be used
on school property or during school related
activities, such as field trips or sporting events.
If students have a cell phone for use on the way
home after school, it must be turned off and
stored away out of site in their knapsacks
during school hours. Devices may be
confiscated, and parents will be required to pick
it up from the Principal/Vice Principal.
GUARDIAN ANGELS WEBSITE
Every few days, Mrs. Gallant updates the website with
letters, information and other pertinent items. Looking for a
document or information? Need to contact our School Council
Chair? …check out our website: www.dpcdsb.org/guardg
Thanks to Mrs. Gallant for up keeping the website
CHILD ILLNESSES
Please keep your child at home if he/she is sick. We discourage
children who have a fever, are coughing, vomiting, or have a
runny nose, from coming to school. They will recover from their
illness much quicker if they are resting at home.
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY RULES
The conduct of individual students on the bus directly affects the
safety of all the students on the bus. The driver’s attention needs
to be on the road. We are requesting that all parents/guardians
reinforce the School Bus Rules with their child(ren). All
Students Should:










Be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to their stop time.
Never play close to the road.
Be ready to board the bus by waiting in an orderly line.
Board the bus in single file, use the handrail and sit down in
their seat as quickly as possible.
Listen to the bus driver.
Always remain seated while the bus is moving.
Do not throw anything out of the window.
Keep the aisles clear of objects (backpacks, lunches, etc.).
Do not shout or cause any other unnecessary noises.
Never put any part of your body out an open window.


Be sure to look all ways before
crossing the road.
Do not damage the bus in any
way.
Do not throw garbage on the
floor.
Do not consume any food or drink
on the bus.
Bus privileges will be revoked if need be. Thank you for your
support in ensuring that our students journey safely to and from
school.
ATTENDANCE
Please call to register an absence (905)
595-0909, press 1 for the attendance. You
can call 24hrs. An answering machine is
available to take information. Please
provide your child’s name, grade and
teacher’s name. If an absence is not
reported, our policy is to call home to
verify student absenteeism. A parent or guardian must sign out
students who leave early. A reminder to parents and students that
an expectation set out from the beginning of the year clearly
indicated that all students must arrive to school on time.
Being consistently and continuously late interrupts the classroom
during lessons, creates delays in the office and sets a poor
example for those who do arrive on time. Please note that issues
with lates and absenteeism will be dealt with strictly, and may
involve the school’s Administration, Child Youth Worker and
Social Worker. Please help us teach your children the value of
promptness.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
If your child requires medication, please
have all pertinent forms (Available in the
Office) completed and returned with the
medication to the office as soon as
possible.
A reminder that children are not allowed
to keep ANY medication on their persons, in their desk,
backpack or anywhere in their classroom, unless ordered by their
doctor. In such case, documentation is necessary. All dispensing
and storage of ANY medication must occur from the Office.
CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
On occasion, we are faced with difficult situations in where noncustodial parents arrive at school asking to visit or remove their
child. We are best able to serve and protect students when we are
made aware of legal custody arrangements, visitation rights and
other special instructions. If legal custody matters affect your
family, please ensure that our office and classroom teachers are
Visit our website: WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/GANGL
10
aware of any custodial arrangements that may affect your child
during school hours.
work that will take time to clean up. For everyone’s safety,
please note the following:
HEAD INJURY POLICY

Please walk carefully when on school/board property; do not
run.

Please ensure students dress appropriately for the
conditions. We ask all visitors to wear proper footwear for
the conditions, including boots/shoes with non-slip soles.

When a student has a birthday, we give
them a WALK WITH JESUS or a
WHAT
WOULD
JESUS
DO
BRACELET. Students with birthdays have their names called
during the morning announcements as well.
Although efforts have been undertaken to clear sidewalks,
paths, patches, parking lots and paved play areas, in some
cases, ongoing freezing temperatures combined with the
base of ice resulting from the ice storm will continue to
make areas slippery.

Our parking lots do have ice buildup. Please exercise
caution when leaving your vehicles. As always, please drive
safely.
NUT ALLERGY AWARENESS POLICY

Every effort is being made to remove all downed trees/limbs
and hanging branches at our sites. To this end, there might
still be some branches at our sites awaiting removal next
week. Please be aware of this when on our property.
When a student receives an injury/bump to the head (however
minor), it is a Board Policy that we inform parents. A phone
message will be left at one of your contact numbers. This is
precautionary only and we ask that you check your child when
they get home for any signs of a concussion or illness.
STUDENT BIRTHDAYS
Please be reminded that no nut products are allowed in school.
We have a number of staff and students who have potentially
fatal anaphylactic sensitivities to nut products. Please do not
send peanuts, other nuts, Nutella or any other nut products.
Thank you.
HEALTHY SNACKS
Please let us know if you see any concerns while on our
school/board properties. Thank our custodial and maintenance
staff for their hard work in preparing our site for next week under
some very challenging conditions.
In the past, we noticed a number
of students coming to school with
soda pop and caffeine “energy
drinks”. We are thrilled that this
concern has greatly decreased
over the course of the school year.
Through education and awareness programs, students are
articulating a need to drink more water, and less “junk food”
drinks. Many caffeine drinks are banned in several countries
because of its adverse health effects. One can contains of 80 mg
of caffeine and 8 oz. of sugar. One pop can contains enough
sugar to have a negative affect the pancreas and increase
weight and energy levels.
LIFE IN GRADE 6
Guardian Angels is working hard to promote healthy eating.
These drinks defeat the purpose. Please provide water, juice, or
milk in your child’s snacks and lunches!!
By: Valerie S., Samantha P., Brandon F., Leah D.
GUARDIAN ANGELS - PRECAUTIONS
As you know, our school communities
experienced a significant ice storm over the
Christmas break. Our custodial and
maintenance staff continue to work with
plant services contractors to remove ice and
snow, broken tree branches and other
debris from our site; however, it is difficult
This year, grade 6 has been so much fun. We have been doing so
many great activities. For example, on February 19, 2014 we
have a skating trip at Mount Pleasant and we know it’s going to
be awesome! We have also been doing our 3-part math lessons
every day. It is really helping us understand the problems and it
is always taught in a simple way. Ms. Valentini always makes
everything fun and every day we walk out of our classroom with
a smile on our face. Ms. Valentini is also a very good listener for
when we have trouble with our work. Our class is filled with a
variety of talents. Athletes, artists, dancers, and singers are just a
few of these special talents.
TENTATIVE DATES
Monday Feb. 10 to
Wednesday Feb 12

Jim Arnold African Music workshops
for students
Thursday, Feb. 13

Friday, Feb. 14

Junior Boys Basketball Tournament at
Guardian Angels
Valentine’s Dance
Monday, Feb. 17

Family Day. School is closed.
Monday, Feb. 24

Fire Drill
Visit our website: WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/GANGL
11
Wednesday, Feb. 26

Living Our Faith Awards Gr. K-4
Thursday, Feb. 27


Living Our Faith Awards Gr. 5-8
Raptors’ Game – buses leave at 5 PM
Friday, Feb 28

Carnivale
We want you to read our
newsletter!
Answer the question below and you
can help your child win a free slice of
pizza courtesy of
Mr. Cassar and Ms. Owens.
Answer:_____________________________
Child’s name: _________________________
Teacher:____________________________
Date: ______________________________
Please return to Ms. McGee ASAP.
Visit our website: WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/GANGL
12