121 Royal Orchard Drive
(905) 454 - 4458
Principal
Vice Principal
Superint endent
Trust ee
S. Mifsud
S. Steer
L. Zanella
Brampton, Ontario L6X 4K9
FAX (905) 454 - 0360
Secret ary
Parish
Past or
Associat e Past or
N . Eisan
St. Anne Church
Fr. J. Cherickal
Fr. P. Magyar
CHILDREN ARE OUR FOCUS. THEIR GOOD IS AT THE CENTRE OF ALL THAT WE DO
PARENT NEWSLETTER
October 2013
School Mission Statement is . . .
The partners of St. Maria Goretti School
recognize that all are called to a lifelong process of
conversion and development in a community of love
established by Jesus Christ.
Within this community, each individual has great dignity and deserves
to live, work, play, and study
in an environment which promotes
one’s potential, self-worth and self-discipline
so as to be a valued member of society.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Blessed are you, loving Father,
for all of your gifts to us.
Blessed are you for giving us the gift of family and friends.
We pause and give you thanks, Lord, for all these gifts:
For the rains that give life,
for the harvest.
As we rejoice in your kindness,
We pray for those who are in need.
Open our hearts to them and teach us to be generous to others as
you are to us.
Thank you, God!
Amen
IMPORTANT NOTICE
We strive to make sure that our school is a safe, caring, healthy and inclusive place in which to learn and to
work.
In response to Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board’s new School Access Protocol, some new safety
procedures will be implemented at St. Maria Goretti School, effective OCTOBER 1, 2013.
The following procedures will now be a part of our safety protocol:
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We are asking that lunches be dropped off on our lunch table between 11:45 and 12:15. Lunches will
be delivered to your child’s classroom. This will lessen traffic at the front entrance. When children
come down to pick up lunch it takes away time from the portion of their nutrition break that they have
for eating. With Primary students this also impacts on your child’s walking partner.
If you need to take your child out for lunch, please come at 12:20pm – 12:30pm to sign them out and
they will meet you in the office. Please ensure that the teacher as well as your child are aware that
your child will be leaving for lunch, if this is not a regular occurrence.
Access during lunch time may be delayed depending on the availability of staff that is required to
monitor the new system. .
The co-operation and understanding of parents/guardians will be an important factor in the success of our
new protocol. In this regard, parents/guardians are encouraged to:
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Arrive at school on time to allow children to enter with their classmates to avoid front entry lates.
We have our opening exercises between 8:30am – 8:45am. This will lessen the interruptions to
morning prayers.
Send lunch with your child in the morning to limit traffic in through the front door at lunch time.
We respectfully request that you limit your visits to the school during the daytime as much as possible
in order to protect the instructional time and reduce interruptions.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation as we implement the new protocol. As always, if you have
any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Healthy Snack: Mini Pizza Sandwiches
4 thin round whole wheat or multigrain buns
1/2 cup (125 mL) tomato or pasta sauce
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup (75 mL) pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Directions: 1. Open buns and lay out on baking sheet. Spread sauce over each bun. 2. Sprinkle half
of the buns with pepper, pineapple and cheese. Top with remaining buns. 3. Bake in preheated 400°F
(200°C) oven for about 10 minutes or until bread is crisp and golden and cheese is melted.
Virtue for the Month of October:
EMPATHY
God has given us the ability to form connections
with each other - to live together. Empathy
helps us to connect and live together in safe,
caring, inclusive communities.
An empathetic person believes that we all share
one Spirit; that we are many parts of one body
because we are all created in the image and
likeness of God.
Attendance and Punctuality
We ask that parents continue to support
their children in their morning routines so
that they can arrive to school on time.
This ensures that your child learns an
essential life skill, participates in the
entire school day, and that disruptions to
the learning environment are minimal.
School Mass
St. Maria Goretti will celebrate
our Opening mass on October 8,
2013. Please join us in the gym
at 11:00 a.m.
Catholic School Council
Please consider joining our School Council!
The meetings will be from 3:10 p.m. – 4:10
p.m. A teacher will be available to
supervise your children while we have the
meeting. Our hope is to bring some new
and fresh ideas to our Catholic School
Council. We promise you will not be
disappointed! Our first meeting date will
be: October 3, 2013
Kiss and Ride
Staff is on duty to supervise arrival of
students to school from 8:15 – 8:30.
If you intend to wait and see that your
child enters the yard or building, we
respectfully ask that you park in a
designated parking spot, or on Royal
Orchard Blvd.
Terry Fox Run
Thank you so much to all the families of
St. Maria Goretti who once again
supported our school effort. To date our
children have raised approximately
$1700.
EQAO
Assessment of Reading, Writing and
Mathematics
Administered in Grade 3 and 6
Last week individual assessment
results, for the year 2013/2014 were
sent home with students currently in
grade 4 and 7.
The detailed school results will be
posted on our school website.
Please visit our website at:
www.dpcdsb.org/GORET
Pizza Lunches
St. Maria Goretti will once
again have weekly Pizza Days. Every
Tuesday, students will have the
opportunity to order a slice or slices of
pizza. The cost is $2.00 per slice.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is celebrated on Monday,
October 14th, 2013. Students do not
attend school. We wish all students and
families a very blessed and safe
Thanksgiving Holiday.
Safe Schools – Bill 157
The DPCDSB requires that every
school practice fire evacuation
procedures six times per school year.
We are also expected to practice Lock
Down procedures once per term.
A Lock Down of the school would be
initiated if it were determined that
there was a high risk of a weapons
incident about to unfold, or an intruder
in the school.
When a Lock Down is initiated, all
students and staff are required to
remain quietly in their locked rooms,
seated on the floor with the lights out.
When a Lock Down is initiated, the
police respond and take control of the
situation.
Although the need for a Lock Down is
rare, practice for such an event is
essential, for the safety of all
students and staff. Please discuss this
important safety issue with your child.
Student Monitors
We are always looking for Student
Monitors to work from 12:30 pm. to 1:20
pm. each day. The responsibilities include
indoor and outdoor supervision of
students. If you are interested in this
paid, occasional position, please contact
the office. A Criminal Reference Check is
mandatory for all applicants.
Allergy Alert—Sabrina’s Law
We have a number of students at St.
Maria Goretti with life-threatening
allergies. Anaphylaxis is a severe
reaction, which can be caused by even
very small quantities of the allergen. The
most common allergens are food (for
example peanuts, nut products and byproducts, sesame and shellfish)
insect stings, medications and latex. We
ask for the cooperation of the entire
school community by NOT sending any
lunches, snacks or treats that contain
peanuts, peanut products or shellfish. At
St. Maria Goretti, we continue our ‘no
outside food’ policy in order to protect
these students. Our students are not
allowed to share lunches or snacks. Please
do not send food products to be shared in
your child’s classroom (including
doughnuts and/or timbits, which are not
nut-free). If you would truly like your
child to share their special day with their
classmates we suggest that you consider
non-food items such as pencils or
stickers.
PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
St. Maria Goretti Staff 2012/2013
A reminder that Dufferin-Peel CDSB has
a PED policy. Students are asked to leave
all electronic games, cell phones, iPods,
walkmans, etc, at home. The school will
not be responsible for lost, damaged or
stolen items. The PED policy (outlined in
your child’s agenda) clearly states that
consequences, as per our Catholic Code of
Conduct, will be levied for students who
do not adhere to the policy.
J. Tautkus
L. Hancock
P. D’Paiva
J. Skikavich
M. Corrigan
N. Raju
A. Khalid
C. DePasquale
J. Biffis
S. Mandaric
M. Oliveira
D. McCabe
N. LaFontaine
A. Conflitti
L. Martin
N. LaPorte
J. Page
J. Sousa
J. Catenacci
J. Dunec
N. Williams
M. Lewis
C. Patterson
S. Bernier
A. Neglia
K. Bradbury
E. Donald
M. Decasa
S. Kaidas
P. Gonzalves
A. LeDonne
N. Eisan
S. Mifsud
Important Dates:
October 2 – Open House & BBQ
October 3 – CSC Meeting-3:10 p.m.
October 11 – P.A. Day – No Classses
October 14 – Thanksgiving – No Classes
October 23 – Picture Day
October 29 – Virtue Assembly -9:30 a.m.
October 30 – Gr. 7& 8 Immunization
Clinic
November 5 – Progress Reports Go Home
November 7 – Book Fair Open During
Interviews
November 7 – Interview Evening
JK
SK
Gr. 1/2
Gr. 1
Gr. 2
Gr. 2/3
Gr. 3/4
Gr. 4/5
Gr. 5
Gr. 5/6
Gr. 6
Gr. 7
Gr. 7/8
Gr. 8
Primary Planning
Special Education
Special Education
Librarian
FSL
FSL & Planning
CYW
ERW
Psychologist
Social Worker
SLP
Head Custodian
Custodian
Custodian
Student Monitor
Student Monitor
Student Monitor
Secretary
Principal