ST. DAVID OF WALES
MARCH 2012
Principal
B. Gillis
Secretary
D. Gibson
Trustee
Peter Ferreira
(416) 805-7110
Peter
Ferreira@dpcdsb.org
Superintendent
C. Saytar
905.890.1221
PARISH
St. Martin of Tours
1290 McBride Lane
Mississauga, ON
L5C 1M8
905.279-5742
SCHOOL HOURS
Grades 1-8
8:45 -11:45
12:45-3:15
Grades JK-SK
8:45-11:15 or
12:45-3:15
St. David of Wales
4200 Beacon Lane
Mississauga, ON
L5M 2N6
905.848-4200
WebSite
http://
www.dpcdsb.org/
DWALE
A Lenten Prayer
Lord, Jesus Christ
By Your passion, death and resurrection
You have set us free from sin and death.
May Your grace renew our hearts this Lent
And help us to turn from sin in our lives.
May we learn to appreciate more deeply
the
Sacrifice You made for us.
Accept our prayer, fasting and acts of
charity as
We seek to draw closer to You during this
Holy Season. Strengthen the faith of Your
people
So that we may be a sign of Your love to all
the world.
Amen
Principal’s Message
During the month of Lent we pay special
attention to turning away from sin to
cleanse our hearts and prepare for the joyous feast of Easter. It is time for prayer,
penance and works of charity for others.
Classroom discussion and activities are designed to enhance understanding of the
Holy Season of Lent. All of these activities
are intended to help our students understand the wonderful journey towards the
Resurrection! Thank you for journeying
with us through this Lenten Season.
B. Gillis
Principal
SHROVE TUESDAY
Intermediate Team:
Enrique F.
Andrew G.
On Tuesday, February 21, our School Council
Jonathan S.
Joshua V.
together with volunteers, cooked and served
Daniel Z.
pancakes to all students and staff in St. David
Coach: A. Howard
of Wales to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. Thank you to all of
our volunteers who came out and made Pancake Tuesday a JUNIOR SPEECH COMPETITION
great success! The students thoroughly enjoyed the special
treat! We would also like to thank our local Loblaw Su- Congratulations to all participants of the Junior speech comperstore at Mavis/Dundas for helping us out with our pur- petition. The speeches were well researched, written and prechases. Without our volunteers and the help from our school sented. Franka S. was chosen from the Junior Division to
community, we couldn’t have made our Shrove Tuesday cele- represent St. David of Wales at the Mississauga South Family
bration so successful!
Competitions. She did an amazing job with her speech on
Harry Houdini. Well Done!
Thank you to our volunteers:
Speech Co-ordinator: S. Smutnicki
S. Alvaro
E. Lefebvre
J. Araueta
L. MacDonald
INTERMEDIATE SPEECH
O. Andreou
E. Matrinez
COMPETITION
C. Baron
Y. Mendizabal
S. Bihun
M. Myszkowski
Congratulations goes out to all of the Intermediate students
E. Boaventura
S. Nanor
for their fine efforts displayed in this year’s presentation of
A. Borg
J. Panici
speeches. There were so many excellent speeches and unforC. Darmody
C. Pinto
tunately the teachers could only select one student to repreC. DeMedeiros S. Plourde
sent St. David of Wales at the Mississauga South Speech
R. Echavez
K. Price
Competition held at St. Francis of Assisi. This year’s winner
L. Grad
P. Wall
was Mateo S. from Mr. Howard’s class. The speech was very
informative, well delivered and timely as the topic was The
Also, the St. David of Wales School Council would like to End of the World happening in 2012—let’s hope the Mayan
thank Dr. Julian Bower in the Sussex Centre for kindly prediction does not come true! Good job Mateo and condonating great tooth holders for our students. Now when gratulations to all of the students for their fine presentations!
a child loses a tooth, we have a great place for them to keep it Special thanks to our judges; Mr. Ladouceur, Mrs.Gallant and
until they get home! Dr. Bower has also been kind enough to Mrs. Mete.
donate items for our Birthday Chest for our students which
Speech Co-ordinators: A. Howard
will be starting March 1.
MARCH BREAK
SCHOOL COUNCIL
March Break this year takes place March 12 to March 16 inOur next Catholic School Council
clusive. We return to school on Monday, March 19.
meeting will be held on Tuesday,
April 3, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. Our future
SCHOOL WEBSITE
meeting dates for the remainder of this year are scheduled for
Tuesday, May 1 and Tuesday, June 5. All are welcome to Be sure to visit our school website. All newsattend. We thank our very hard working Council Members letters, calendars and other pertinent informafor their on-going work and support for our children!
tion is always updated. Our website address
is: http://www.dpcdsb.org/DWALE
CHESS TEAM
EQAO Grade 3 and Grade 6 Testing
Congratulations to the members of the St. David of Wales
Chess team. The following students were selected over sev- The EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office)
eral weeks of practice and competition.
testing of our Grade 3 and 6 students will take place from
May 23 through to June 6. Please try to avoid scheduling any
doctor’s appointments or anything else that will take your
Primary Team:
Brandon A.
Tyler C.
child out of school during the testing dates. Tests and materiMartin M.
Rowell O. als cannot be given out to parents prior to or during the testOren S.
ing. Previous media accounts revealed that some parents/
guardians and children become anxious about this test. Please
Junior Team:
Kevin A.
Rodolfo F. try to keep this testing in perspective for your child. A letter
Rielly O.
Joanna S.
to grade 3 and 6 parents with further information will be sent
Anthony W.
home closer to the testing dates.
LENTEN FOOD DRIVE
The Student Council, under the direction of
Mrs. Gallant, will be collecting nonperishable food items during the Lenten season. (March 23—April 5) The last day for collection is
Friday, March 30. All non-perishable goods will be donated to the St. Martin of Tours Community for those families that require some assistance.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
May 7—11, 2012
The chosen theme for Catholic
Education Week 2012 is:
“Walking in the Light of
Christ”
STUDENT ENTRANCES AND EXITS
We remind students on a regular basis to enter and exit
through their assigned doors. Students are not to be entering or exiting through the front door, or side door that leads
to the parking lot. If students are entering through the front
door after the bell has rung they are considered late for
school and must report to the office. Please be diligent and
make sure your child arrives on time.
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS
AND ANNUAL DECLARATIONS
Volunteers are very much appreciated by
staff and students at St. David of Wales.
Board policy states that volunteers that come
into regular contact with students must have a Criminal
Reference Check completed through Peel Police. If you
plan to volunteer for trips, driving students or helping students in the school, please call for an appointment to meet
with Mrs. Gillis and she will sign the form for you to obtain
a CRC. There is no charge for a Criminal Reference Check
when you are a volunteer. An annual Criminal Offence
Declaration must be completed on a yearly basis by all volunteers. Please drop into the office and see Mrs. Gibson for
the Criminal Offence Declaration for 2012.
MOVING
If you are planning a move or have already moved, please
let us know. You are required to complete a new assessment form even if you move within our school boundaries.
If you are moving to a new school we will give you a
Transfer Form to take with you to the new school. If you
are moving but would like your child to remain at St. David
of Wales, please submit your request in writing. We will be
preparing classes for September, 2012 and this information
will be helpful in determining class
sizes. In the past, we have had to reorganize our classes in September due to
unexpected transfers. Please remember
we must adhere to the ministry cap of 20
students in our primary grades.
LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
Our School Board has established lockdown
procedures should a high risk incident involving weapons occur in the school, or on school
property, that could endanger the lives and/or safety of students
and/or staff. We will continue to practice the Emergency Lockdown Procedures with students this term.
EXTENDED VACATIONS
Now that the March Break is fast approaching, we encourage families to plan holidays
during these designated times. Some parents/
guardians have asked teachers to put together
homework packages for their children to complete when they
are away on an extended family holiday. It is difficult for teachers to do so since most of the curriculum being covered is taught
by the teacher in an instructional lesson.
STRANGERS IN OUR SCHOOL
Parents/guardians, please remember that at no time should you
be on the playground or near the doors at the back of the school
during school hours. Parents/guardians are not permitted in the
hallways without first signing in at the office and receiving a
“visitor” badge. Kindergarten parents/guardians must greet
their children at the outside gate of the Kindergarten fenced
area. . Please remember that if you do not have a “visitor”
badge on, you are a stranger to our school.
ATTENDANCE
Late and absent students MUST be reported to the office.
Please call our attendance line (this line is available 24 hours a
day) at 905-848-4200, Push “1” and leave a message. It is often
very difficult to reach parents/guardians in a timely fashion and
as always, the safety of your child is of our utmost concern.
Please remember to always inform the office if any of your contact numbers change. It is vital that our contact records are accurate at all times. We must always have the most current information in case your child needs you during the school day. We
thank you for your continued support in this
matter.
LATES
A number of our students continue to arrive late
daily. In some instances, it is the same students
arriving after 8:45 a.m. without parental accompaniment. This is
a safety concern for us. Any student arriving after 8:45 a.m. is
considered late and should be accompanied by an adult. Please
make every effort to have your child(ren) at school on time.
When a child is late, they not only miss the anthem and the
opening prayers but they also miss valuable teaching time. Late
arrivals cause disruption to the other students and also to the
teacher who may have already begun his/her lessons for the day.
Developing good work habits and time management skills can
maximize a child’s learning potential. Let’s work together to
develop these skills!!
GRADE 2 FIRST COMMUNION
The celebration of the Sacrament of First
Holy Communion will be during masses
between April 21 and April 29.
GRADE 8 CONFIRMATION
The Grade 8 Confirmation this year will be held
at St. Martin of Tours Parish on Monday, April
30, at 7:00 p.m.
INDOOR SHOES/CHANGE OF
CLOTHES
your responsibility. The Board will not provide either transportation or additional supervision for students admitted under this procedure. Note, the students admitted under this
procedure do not automatically become eligible for the Secondary School serving the school. A separate request must be
made to the Secondary School Principal. If you would like to
be considered for flex boundary for the 2012-2013 school
year, please submit your request in writing by March 8, 2012.
Please include the reason(s) for your request.
LETS WASH OUR HANDS
Hand washing when done correctly is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as
the flu. Please help us to reinforce the proper techniques with
your child.
Please ensure that your child(ren) come to
school prepared to go outside for recess
and lunch hour breaks. It is the expectation that each child comes dressed appropriately to go outside
to enjoy the weather and get some fresh air and exercise. If
your child is prone to getting wet during recess or lunch hour,
please send a change of clothes, especially socks and sweat
pants. Please ensure that your child has indoor shoes.
1) Wet our hands
2) Soap our hands
3) Wash our hands
4) Rinse our hands
5) Dry our hands
6) Use paper towels to turn taps off..
Say goodbye to germs.
PERSONAL TREASURES
BUS SAFETY
A “personal treasure” is any item, regardless of
its monetary value, that holds a personal significance to a person. This might include jewelry, cards or stuffed animals. Parents are asked to reinforce
with their children that these items are NOT to be brought to
school. All electronic devices and personal electronic devices
(ipods, cell phones, cameras, etc.) are not allowed at the
school as per Board policy.
Ensuring student safety is a very important goal to all those
working with students. You are asked to review carefully the
following rules for students while riding on school busses.
Students not following these rules may lose the privilege of
riding on a school bus.
SCHOOL YARD SAFETY


Just a reminder that student supervision
begins at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Students must not be dropped off at

the school before this time.

SAFETY IN THE GYM
Students are reminded that they must wear proper indoor
shoes for gym and appropriate gym clothes. Jewelry must be
removed when in gym class or during sports activities. Students are not allowed to wear their “outside” shoes in the
gym.
FLEX BOUNDARY
If you currently live outside the school boundary and are attending St. David of Wales on a flex boundary request, you
will need to request flex boundary for next year. The
“Flexible Boundary” procedure is reviewed annually. Please
note that flex boundaries will be looked at on a case by case
basis and are not guaranteed from year to year. If your are
requesting flex boundary, please note that transportation is






Be at their stop at least 5
minutes before the pick-up
time
Listen to the driver when
getting on and off the bus,
especially when a road must
be crossed
Go directly to their seat and
stay seated until they are let off the bus
Follow all instructions from the bus driver, especially
about where they put their belongings
Not eat or drink, fight, swear or demonstrate other types
of poor behavior
Not open or close windows unless the driver permits it
Keep all belongings inside the bus
Not damage the bus seats (students will be held responsible)
Respect private property while waiting for their school
bus
Not talk to the bus driver while the bus is in operation
unless it is necessary
The conduct of individual students on the bus directly affects
their safety and that of their classmates. At the discretion of
the principal, misconduct may result in removal of bus privileges.
PEDICULOSIS (Head Lice)
A problem which seems to occur throughout the school
year is pediculosis or head lice. Head lice are parasites
which have been common among human beings for centuries. They are not connected in any way with uncleanliness. Anyone can become infested with them. Unfortunately, in recent years they have become quite commom
throughout North America. In order to control these pests
we shall do the following and we request your full cooperation If a case is found in a classroom, we will check the
students and send a letter home asking the you please check
your child(ren) as well. It is a wise precaution to check
your child(ren) periodically and advise the school immediately should you detect head lice. Proper treatment may be
obtained from your pharmacist or by contacting the
Region of Peel Health Department.
Thank you so much for assisting us with this very important
issue. If you have any questions or concerns please do not
hesitate to contact the school.
FREE MONEY for your
kids. YES REALLY!
Was your child born after
2004? Is your family income less than $42,000 per
year?
If you answered yes to both
of these questions, then your child is entitled to receive
$2000 in FREE money provided by the Government of
Canada through the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) - Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). Eligible children
will receive $500 at registration for the RESP, and an additional $100 annually until they reach 15 years of age. No
parental contribution is required.
The Peel Post-Secondary Strategy: Enrolled By Six is a
regional strategy to engage all sectors and partners to enroll
every child in Peel for the CLB. Learn more about how
you can register your child(ren).
Visit online at: www.pcyi.org or call the information
line: 905—890-9432 (local) 905-890-8089 (TTY), or 1888-836-5550 (long distance).
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, March 5
9:00
Virtues Assembly
Tuesday, March 6
10:00 Lent/Easter Mass
Wednesday, March 7 —Pizza Day
Monday, March 12—Friday, March 16 - March Break
Wednesday, March 14 —Pizza Day
Monday, March 19—Rosary Apostolates
Wednesday, March 21 —Pizza Day
Thursday, March 22
Grade 8 & Senior Kindergarten Graduation Photos
Wednesday, March 28 —Pizza Day
Sunday, April 1 to Saturday, April 7
Holy Week
Monday, April 2
1:00
Virtues Assembly
Tuesday, April 3
6:30
School Council Meeting
Wednesday, April 4 —Pizza Day
Friday, April 6
Good Friday (no school)
Monday, April 9
Easter Monday (no school)
Wednesday, April 11 —Pizza Day
Monday, April 30
7:00
Grade 8 Confirmation
Tuesday, May 1
9:00
Virtue Assembly
May 6—May 11
Catholic Education Week
Thursday, May 10
Crowning of Mary
6:30
Welcome to Kindergarten Night
Friday, May 11
P.A. Day (no school for students)
Wednesday, May 23
7:00
Mississauga South School Council Chairs Meeting
Location TBA
Monday, June 4
1:00
Virtues Assembly
Tuesday, June 5
6:30
School Council Meeting
Monday, June 11
P.A. Day—(no school for students)
Tuesday, June 12
1:30
End of Year Mass
Friday, June 15
1:00
Movie Buy Out (Junior Division)
Friday, June 22
1:00
Movie Buy Out (Intermediate Division)
Tuesday, June 26
Report Cards sent home
Thursday, June 28
12:00 Graduation Luncheon @ Renaissance by the Creek
6:30
Graduation Mass & Ceremony @ St. Martin of Tours
Church—Reception to follow in the Church Hall
Friday, June 29
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL