St. Dunstan School
October 2013
Principal
L. O’Neill
Secretary
M. Romer
Trustee
Peter Ferreira
416.805.7110
Superintendent
D. Amaral
905.890.1221
PARISH
St. Joseph Church
5440 Durie Road
Mississauga, ON
L5M 2J6
905.826.2766
SCHOOL HOURS
Grades 1-8
8:30-11:25 & 12:253:00
Grades JK-SK
8:30-11:00 or 12:303:00
St. Dunstan School
1525 Cuthbert Ave.
Mississauga, ON
L5M 3R6
905.567.5050
http://
www.dpcdsb.org/
DUNST
Thanksgiving Prayer
O Gracious God,
we give You thanks for Your overflowing generosity
to us.
Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and
especially for this feast today.
Thank you for our home and family and friends,
especially for the presence of those gathered here.
Thank you for our health, our work and our play.
Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick
and
suffering from war and violence.
Open our hearts to Your love.
We ask Your blessing through Christ Your son.
Amen.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks to…
The students of St. Dunstan Catholic School and the community support for our Terry
Fox Walk. We raised over $600 for this worthy cause.
All families who attended our Open House and BBQ.
Our volunteers, staff, coaches, leaders and all other persons who give unselfishly of
their time to children and are sometimes taken for granted.
Those responsible for and those who continue to support the right for our children to
experience a Catholic education.
Our friends and families without whom there would be no true celebration.
The entire staff of St. Dunstan extends our best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving
weekend.
School Council
We are pleased to introduce the members of our 2013-2014 St. Dunstan School Council.
Chair - Karen Santaguida
Co-Vice Chair - Susanna Oh, Marni Lebarron
Treasurer - Trish Power
Secretary - Katherine Wieczorek
Parish Rep - Aurora Szarek
Parent Reps - Julia Turcato, Donna Bozzo, Marice De Ascentiis, Sonja McCready, John Pimenta,
Carmen Prades and Aida Da Silva
Teacher Reps - Joanne Percuklijevic, Lidia Fifield, Patty Inkol
Non Teacher Rep - Maureen Romer
Future Meeting Dates - Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 23 at 6:30 pm in the library. All
parents are invited to attend.
Dunstan Athletics
The athletic season is in full swing at
St. Dunstan. The cross country team, led by
Mrs. Swanek, Mme. Bozzo and Mme. Graham
continue to practice for their upcoming meet on
Friday, October 29 at Etobicoke Centennial Park.
The Junior boys and girls volleyball teams have
begun their seasons as well. The Junior boys’
team is coached by Mr. Ward and the girls’ team
is coached by Miss Monardo and Mrs. Perklin.
The Intermediate Co-Ed Soccer Team will be
participating in the Marc Diab Memorial
Tournament on Thursday, October 10th at
St. Joseph Secondary School.
EQAO Results
Our school results on the Primary and Junior
EQAO reading, writing and mathematics were
excellent and indicated strength in all areas.
Our students scored above the levels achieved in
the Board and in the province. You can access a
detailed report online at: www.eqao.com
showing the percentage of St. Dunstan students
in grades 3 and 6 who scored at and above the
provincial standard. Parents of these students
have received their child‘s individual results.
Should you have any questions please feel free to
contact the school.
Reading Writing Mathematics
Grade 3 School
95%
100%
89%
Grade 3 Board
71%
80%
68%
Grade 3 Province 68%
77%
67%
Grade 6 School
86%
82%
82%
Grade 6 Board
79%
80%
59%
76%
57%
Grade 6 Province 77%
PEDICULOSIS
Although it may seem early in the school year, we would like to bring to your attention a
problem which occurs from time to time in each school. The problem is infestation by head lice
(Pediculosis). Unfortunately, in recent years, head lice have become increasingly common
throughout North America. They are parasites which have been common among human beings
for centuries. They are not connected in any way to dirt or neglect. Anyone can be infested. In
order to control these pests, we shall follow these procedures and request your full co-operation.
If cases are found in the classroom, we shall inform parents. We would request that you check
your own children and if you find them to be infested, we would ask that you inform the school,
and you contact the Peel Public Health Department for treatment information. If your children
do become infested by head lice, we will ask you to keep them out of the school until after they
have been treated with the correct shampoo and their hair is entirely clear of both lice and nits
(eggs). Students will not be permitted to return to class until they have been checked by the
office. If we all co-operate in these procedures, we may not entirely escape outbreaks, but we
will be able to bring them under control quickly. For additional information, guidance and any
questions please contact Peel Public Health Department at 905.799.7700. As well you may find
the following website useful www.headlice.org.
Important Items
St. Dunstan School
promotes
responsibility,
respect, civility
and academic
excellence in a
safe learning and
teaching
environment.
Parent Council News
St. Dunstan has many volunteer
positions available. Some
ongoing ways that you can
contribute include the All Star
Reading Program, food days and
classroom/library assistance. As
well, we have various special
events that occur throughout the
year such as fundraising, school
concerts, religious and seasonal
celebrations. Any amount of time
you can offer would be greatly
appreciated. We are specifically
looking for volunteers for our
lunch programs. If you are
available on Tuesdays or
Fridays at 11:30 am and are
interested in volunteering, please
let the school know and a
volunteer coordinator will
contact you. Thank you to those
who have already signed up to
volunteer!
Parent Council is also accepting
donations of small prizes for the
upcoming Halloween
Spooktacular Dance.
Parents In The Yard
For your child’s safety we
request that he/she not be on
school property until
supervision begins at 8:15 a.m.
We would also like to remind
you that parents should drop
their children off outside the
school gates. Parents are not
permitted to be in the school
yard at any time. Although you
may be known to your own
child you are a stranger to the
other students in the yard.
Hot Lunches
Our hot lunch programs have
begun. Pizza will be every
Tuesday and Kidssentials
lunches every Thursday. Subs
will also be every second Friday
Halloween Candy
We are asking for donations of
Halloween candy for
Dr. Simone. St. Dunstan will be
collecting any extra candy to
be donated to children in third
world countries during the
week of November 4th.
Open House
Many thanks goes out to all
those who attended our Open
House and BBQ on Thursday,
September 19th. It was great
to meet all the families who
attended. Parents are encouraged to continue to be involved
in their child’s education.
Criminal Reference Check
In compliance with Ministry
directives, a Criminal
Reference Check is mandatory
if you wish to volunteer your
services in the school,
transport students and assist
on trips. A Criminal Reference
Check will be mandatory this
year if you plan to volunteer
for both in school and out of
school activities.
Halloween
Liturgical Celebrations
Students in Grade 2 receive
the Sacraments of
Reconciliation and First Holy
Communion. Students in
Grade 8 receive the Sacrament of
Confirmation. Preparation for these
sacraments is a shared responsibility between
parents, the Parish and the school. Dates for
various liturgical celebrations and activities
are as follows:
All Saints Liturgy
Advent Mass @ St. Joseph
Ash Wednesday Liturgy
Lenten Mass @ St. Joseph
Holy Week Liturgy
St. Dunstan Feast Day
Closing Mass @St. Joseph
Graduation Mass @St. Joseph
Nov 1
Dec 5
Mar 5
Mar25
Apr 17
May 16
June 5
June 24
1:00 pm
9:30 am
9:00 am
9:30 am
9:00 am
9:30 am
9:00 am
10:00am
Head Injury
Whenever a student receives a bump/injury to
the head, it is Board policy that we inform
parents. We will make every attempt to notify
you, even when it is a very minor head
bump/injury.
World Teachers’ Day
October 5th is the day specifically designated
to recognize the contribution of teachers.
World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated in 1994
to commemorate the signing of the
UNESCO/ILO. More than 100 countries
currently celebrate World Teachers’ Day. At
St. Dunstan we are very fortunate to have so
many dedicated individuals who work to
provide for the education of the young people
in the community. Thank you to all our
teachers!
We will be having our annual Halloween Dance-A-Thon
on Thursday, October 31st. Each grade will be a
given a period of time to dance in the gym. This is our
major fundraiser for the year and students are
encouraged to bring in as many donations as possible.
Students are also encouraged to wear costumes to
school on this day. For safety reasons they must follow
these guidelines:
 Do not bring weapon replicas such as swords,
knives, guns or objects that could injure others.
 Masks may not be worn in hallways or outside as
they pose a safety risk with such a large number of
children. Make up is a better option.
 Costumes may get damaged at school. Please
ensure that you are prepared with a back up for the
evening.
 For those who do not wish to wear a costume, we
encourage them to wear black and orange.
Have a fun and safe Halloween!
Peanut Allergies and Halloween
Halloween is coming soon. Many children will be
receiving treats on October 31st. As we have
students in our school who have severe food
allergies, we again ask that you please refrain from
sending Halloween snacks to school
as it is difficult for us to identify their contents.
Edible items that children receive at Halloween
should be enjoyed at home where they may not
pose a risk to others. St. Dunstan is a peanut aware
school and we encourage parents to send pencils,
erasers and stickers to celebrate your child’s
birthday. Your co-operation in helping to keep all
our students safe from food allergens is greatly
appreciated.