St. Edmund Elementary School
1250 Melton Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L4Y 1L5
Telephone: 905-277-8962 Fax: 905-277-8421
www.dpcdsb.org/EDMUN
February/March 2014
Principal
A. Maltby
Secretary
B. Vandevalk
Superintendent
C. Blanchard
905-890-1221
School Council Chair
P. Meehan
Chair of the Board of Trustees
M. Pascucci
Mississauga Wards 1 & 3
905-890-0708 x20161
905-302-3096 cell
905-890-0888 fax
Mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
www.trusteepascucci.ca
Parishes
St. Patrick Church
Pastor:
Rev. John Facey
905-270-2301
Sao Salvador do Mundo
Pastor:
Rev. Carlos Macatangga
905-277-8610
What’s Inside:
Important Dates
School Events
Reminders
Math @ Home
Volume 1, Issue 6
A Prayer for Our Classrooms
Dear Father,
You filled our heads with the ability to think,
To feel, and to find our way to you.
Thank you for the gift of judgment,
Which allows us to make good choices.
Being Catholic means involving our hearts in our choices.
May our Catholic education
Teach us to make good decisions
That affect others and the world.
Help us learn well, speak out for a just world,
And value all life as a blessing.
Most of all, we thank you for coming into our classrooms every day.
Amen
Principal’s Message
Despite the cold temperatures, and other weather challenges, our St. Edmund school community is filled with an abundance of school spirit, enthusiasm and activity. Our grades 5 to
8 students shared a dynamic display of their inquiry work in the areas of history and social
studies with their Museum Walk. Thank you to the many parents who were able to come
and take a look at our presentations and displays. Mr. Pividor has kept our sports teams
vibrant by coaching our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, as well as our hockey team. Our
boys’ basketball team advanced to represent St. Edmund at the Mississauga East finals. Way
to Go Wildcats! Our St. Edmund vs. St. Francis of Assisi Spirit Game will take place on March
6 at Port Credit Arena at noon. Please consider coming out to help cheer on our team.
Thank you to our School Council who, through the leadership of Mrs. Landman, organized a
Mississauga Steelheads outing for our school community. The event proved exciting as we
not only cheered on the Steelheads, but also helped support Breast Cancer Research and
Awareness. Thank you to our grade eights who, under the leadership of Mr. Ellsworth, provided us with an inspiring assembly and video on the virtue of Self Control. This Friday, February 28, our grade 6 students will be leading our Respect Virtues Assembly at 9:30 a.m.
Please join us if you can. It is so wonderful to see how many students are proudly wearing
their spirit/virtue tags. As you know, thanks to our Youth Faith Ambassadors, we recently
celebrated our St. Edmund Spirit Week. One of the highlights of the week was our Valentine’s – Party Rocker Dance and Fundraiser organized by Mrs. Worobec, along with other
volunteers from our School Council. Thank you so very much to all families who were able
to support our fundraising efforts. Our Catholic School Council so generously sponsors us for
so many wonderful initiatives throughout the entire year and, with your support, has recently provided our students with a new, portable electronic scoreboard, and Spirit Banners
to be displayed at sporting as well as other competitive events. Thank you to all parents for
your partnership in making your child’s educational experience a excellent one.
A Maltby
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St. Edmund Elementary School
A Different Approach to Fasting
Fasting has a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television but
there are many other creative ways that we can welcome Jesus’ healing touch in our everyday lives. Here are some suggestions that you may wish to consider…
1. Fast from anger and hatred. Give your family an extra dose of love each day.
2. Fast from judging other. Before making judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our
faults.
3. Fast from discouragement. Hold on to Jesus’ promise that He has a perfect plan for
your life.
4. Fast from complaining. When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and
recall some of the little moments of joy that Jesus has given you.
5. Fast from resentment or bitterness. Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
6. Fast from spending too much money. Try to reduce your spending by 10% and give
those savings to the poor.
Catholic School Council
Please join us for our next Catholic School Council sponsored event—Movie Night featuring Frozen. Movie Night
is taking place on Friday, March 28 in our gymnasium. As well, please join us at our next CSC meeting taking
place on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:45 p.m. As a staff, we would like to thank our school council who, with your
support, has gifted our classrooms, teams and clubs with numerous resources such as an electronic scoreboard,
Spirit Banners, funds for our Eco Kids, our Lego Robotics Clubs, our Forest of Reading Program, and sports team
needs. For the fall of 2014 we are exploring the possibility of increasing the number of Smart Boards we have in
our school. We are so grateful for this partnership which enables us to enhance what we do for our students.
Black History Month
February is “Black History Month”. This is a time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black
Canadians, who throughout history have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate
and prosperous nation we know today. It is also an opportunity for the majority of Canadians to learn about the
experiences of Black Canadians in our society and the vital role this community has played throughout our
shared history.
Is your child a good Pedestrian?
Our community is unique in that there are many streets with no sidewalks. It is important that students are
taught how to walk to school safely. Continue to remind your child to look both ways before he/she crosses the
street. One should never walk or ride bicycles with earphones in their ears as this makes them less aware of
their surroundings as they cannot hear oncoming traffic or other hazards. When walking on streets without sidewalks, children should walk in single file close to the edge of the road FACING the traffic. This way they can see
St. Edmund Elementary School
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Important Dates:
March – Nutrition Month
March 3
Officer Wayne Moore @ St. Edmund
March 4
Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day
sponsored by our CSC
March 31
Lenten Mass @ 9:30 a.m.
April 1
Silver Creek – Grade 4
April 2
Catholic School Council
meeting @ 6:45 p.m.
April 3
Chess Tournament
May 8
Welcome to Kindergarten
Officer Wayne Moore @ St. Edmund
March 5
Ash Wednesday Liturgy @ 9:00 a.m.
(all are welcome)
March 6
Spirit Game – noon
May 26 to June 6
EQAO
March 7
PA Day – No School for Students
March 10-14
March Break
March 17
St. Patrick’s Day
Lunch and Milk Days—Please mark your calendar
Start
End
Milk
January 6
March 28
Pizza
January 8
March 26
Lunch Lady
February 1
Subway
February 20
March 6
March 20
April 3
Every other week
Gr. 7/Gr. 8 Hep B HPV
School Hours
The Big Crunch
March 18
Skills Canada
Grades 1-8
Microsoft – Gr. 5
March 19
Microsoft – Gr. 6
March 20
Microsoft – Gr. 7
Defibrillator Training @ St. Edmund
March 21
Microsoft – Gr. 8
March 27
Graduation Photos
March 28
St. Edmund Movie Night – Frozen
8:45 – 11:45
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch Hour
1:45 – 3:15
Please make every effort to send your children to
school on time. Please call the school if your child
will be late or absent. Students must report to the
office if they are late. Our attendance line is available twenty four hours a day, 905-277-8962, press 1.
Please continue to call each day that your child is
absent.
Driveway — Kiss and Ride Safety
Many thanks to parents / guardians who have been using the correct and safe procedure for dropping their
children off in the morning in our Kiss and Ride program. Our driveway and parking lot are made safer when
everyone cooperates. Please ensure you have pulled up to the front of the drop-off line to let children in or out
of your car. The driveway gets very congested as 8:45 a.m. approaches, and again at 3:15. Please ensure the
safety of all by making proper use of the Kiss ‘n Ride and parking lot.
Reminders
P.A. Day — Friday, March 7, 2014
March Break — Monday, March 10 to Friday, March 14, 2014
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St. Edmund Elementary School
School Events
Ash Wednesday Liturgy
If you are able to, please join us for our Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Distribution
of Ashes on March 5 at 9:00 a.m.. As well, if possible, please ‘save the date’ and
join us for our Lenten Mass taking place on Tuesday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m.
Intermediate Basketball
Congratulations to our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams who represented St. Edmund
well this season.
Congratulations to all of our team members! – Our girls’ team - Mackenzie C., Rachel
R., Alexis S., Arden P., Miranda H., Anna W., Sophia T., Lindsay G., Veronica P., Natalie
H., and Vanessa T. Our boys’ team – Joshua M., Luca C., Elliot R., Ryan D., Dillan S.,
Simone J., Marcus C., Aiden H., Bennett T., and Thomas M. Special congratulations to
our boys’ team for making it to the Mississauga East Family Tournament! Thank you
to our coach Mr. Pividor, with the help of Mr. Tome and Mr. Spadafina, for sharing
his time and skills.
St. Edmund Hockey Team
Congratulations to our St. Edmund hockey team members; Ryan B., Diego C., Daniel C.,
Matthew C., Lorenzo C., Dylan C., Brett C., Quentin F., Isabella F., Erika H., Kristy J., Emily
M., Alec M., Ethan M., Damian P., Cameron P., Connor S., Lucas S., Tanner T., Brandon V.,
and Sophia V. for an exciting season! We look forward to a Spirit Game against the St.
Francis of Assisi team taking place on Thursday, March 6 at noon at Port Credit Arena.
Thank you to our coach, Mr. Pividor, for sharing his time and expertise.
Public Speaking
Congratulations to our St. Edmund junior and intermediate Public Speaking Competition
participants – at the junior level Christopher C., Anneli S., Olesia M., Abel O., Miranda
H., Ross F., Marie C., and Vanessa T. – at the intermediate level Quentin F., Leila M., Erika H., Sophia V., Alexa O., and Mario M. All participants represented their classes extremely well on February 12! Our winners, Abel O. (Jr.), Marie C.. (Jr.), Quinton F.(Int.),
and Sophia V. (Int), had the opportunity to participate in the Catholic Women’s League
competition held on Sunday, February 23, 2014. Thank you to each of these students for
taking the St. Edmund spirit to this level of competition. Congratulations to Abel O. who
placed first in the junior category.
St. Edmund Elementary School
Page 5
Reminders
EQAO Update
This year the EQAO assessments for students in grades 3 and 6 will take place between May 26 and June 6. We
ask that you please avoid booking dental, doctor appointments or vacations during this time.
Extended Absences from School
If your family is making plans to travel which will involve an extended absence from school, please send a letter
to Mrs. Maltby in advance of the trip. While family time and travel are very worthwhile, it is not encouraged other than at times when students have a scheduled holiday. There will be valuable learning that is missed during an
extended absence and work missed is often work which the student needs to be present for in order to complete.
In the event that your family does make plans for travel, please discuss your plans with your child’s teacher.
Indoor Shoes
It is important that students come prepared with “indoor shoes” as well as boots for cold
and/or wet weather. This is also a safety request. In the event of a fire alarm, all occupants
must vacate the building regardless of the weather. There will be no time to put on boots or
outdoor shoes. Bedroom slippers are not appropriate for school as they do not provide
proper support or may not be slip resistant. Please label all shoes and boots with your
child’s name.
Immunization Records
Peel Public Health periodically reviews the immunization records of each school in its jurisdiction. If your child’s records are not up to date or on file with Peel Health, Peel Health will issue
a letter to parents notifying them that immunization is incomplete. Students cannot be readmitted to class until Peel Health receives the proper documentation. If you haven’t done so
recently, please take some time to review your child’s immunization records and send any
new immunization information DIRECTLY to Peel Health.
Newsletters by Email
If you don’t already receive your newsletter and notices by email and would like to, please give the office your
email address and you will be added to the list. The office makes use of the parent emailing list on an ongoing
basis in order to send out courtesy reminders and updates. Please help us place your family on this list by
providing us with an email address. To date we have just over 80% of our families on our email distribution list.
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St. Edmund Elementary School
Healthy Eating / Healthy Living
This year, in partnership with our Catholic School Council, St. Edmund is focusing on the theme of Healthy
Eating/Healthy Living. Healthy eating is important to good health. Food nourishes your body and gives you energy to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Eating the right foods can also help reduce your risk of many chronic
diseases.
On the Health Canada website, at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/part/
tb-bo/index-eng.php, you will find a Healthy Eating Toolbox filled with a wide variety of resources, tools, and tips
on promoting healthy eating. Included there is a guide for children, youth and adults to track their food intake to
make sure they’re meeting the recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide. The My Food Guide Servings Tracker
can be found at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/track-suivi/index-eng.php
Information can also be found at www.HealthyCanadians.gc.ca/EatWell. For example, the section on food labels
(www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/
label-etiquetage/index-eng.php) includes interactive quizzes and tools with information about how to use nutrition information to make more informed choices.
Another good site for nutrition information is the “Healthy Life” channel on the Canadian Living website, produced in collaboration with Health Canada.
(www.canadianliving.com/health/__healthy_life/). The site provides tasty recipes, informative articles and videos, top nutrition advice and a fun, skill-testing quiz.
Through a Parents Reaching Out Grant, on Friday, May 9, our Catholic School Council will be sponsoring a Zumba
Night for parents and students. Please ‘save the date’ for this exciting, energy-filled event! More details will
follow as we get closer to the date.
Defibrillator Training
On Thursday, March 20, 2014 from 3:30 – 6:30 staff and community members have the opportunity to be
trained on the use of a defibrillator. A defibrillator will then be placed in our school. Training involves a 3 hour
session with a light dinner provided. If you are interested in the training, please call Mrs. Maltby at 905 277
8962.
Kindergarten Parent Information Bulletins
Please find a link below with helpful information pertaining to Kindergarten Parent Information Bulletins/Sheets
as provided by Marianne Mazzorato, Superintendent Early Years Community Partnerships/Relations:
http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/rssfeed/xmlmail/kinder/rssparent_info_sheets.html?
utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+edugains%2FYuQT+%
28Kindergarten%29
Supervision of Students
Supervision begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. Please do not bring/send your children to school earlier
than this time due to safety concerns. Please make other arrangements for the care of your children prior to
8:30 a.m. Please meet your child at the school at 3:15 p.m. when they are dismissed.
St. Edmund Elementary School
Page 7
Kindergarten Registration
If you, or someone you know, wishes to register their child for the St. Edmund Full Day Kindergarten Program,
please be aware that the following documents are required for registration:
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proof of age of the child (birth certificate or passport)
Original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (for child and/or parent/guardian) or baptismal certificate
from an Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome. If the child has not been baptized,
and the parent/guardian is a baptized Roman Catholic or has been baptized in an Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome, the parent/guardian must bring their own baptismal certificate.
updated immunization records (Immunization Card, Peel Health Form or Letter of Exemption)
proof of Canadian citizenship (Birth Certificate/Passport) or permanent resident status
proof of home address (tax bill, utility bill, bank statement)
emergency rural address numbers for identifying your property, if applicable (residents of Caledon and
Dufferin County)
proof of English Separate School Support (may be done at the time of registration by completing an Application For the Direction of School Support and/or a Separate School Lease Agreement available at
the school)
education records, if available
Admissions are open to Catholic children and children of Catholic parents. Kindergarten students must be at
least 4 years of age by December 31, 2014. Please see our office or call 905 277 8962 to register or to obtain
more details. Kindergarten Parent Information Bulletins
Minimizing Disruptions to Classes
We appreciate continued parental help and support in minimizing disruptions to classes, whenever possible. By
trying our best not to disturb classes, except in very important situations, we are reducing disruptions to quality
teaching and learning time. To this end, we ask the following:
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If you wish to discuss something with your child’s teacher, we ask that you set up an appointment with the
teacher. Approaching the teacher, before, during and/or after school makes it difficult for the teacher to
focus on her/his students. T his also becomes a safety issue. Please leave a message with the office and the
teacher will call you back.
If your child is late please have him/her report to the office. PLEASE DO NOT ESCORT YOUR CHILD TO CLASS.
Send a note in advance, to your child’s teacher when your child needs to be picked up early, then meet them
in the office and sign them out.
If delivering lunches to your child at school, write your child’s and their teacher’s names on lunch bags and
leave them on the table in the front foyer.
Thank you for your assistance in helping ensure our daily routines run smoothly.
Volume 5
Page 8
St. Edmund Elementary School
Web Resources:
Primary:
Math and Logic Puzzles
www.mathisfun.com
Junior:
Number Sense and Numbers
www.mathfrog.ca
Intermediate:
Integers
Remember
the Ontario Educational
Resource Bank? Trywww.wiredmath.ca
ELO1411070, ELO
Operations: Understanding Numbers
Numbers are used to describe quantities, to
count, and to add, subtract, multiply, and
divide. Understanding numbers and knowing
how to combine them to solve problems helps
us in all areas of math.
Nelson Math has an at home connect for
Grades 3-8! http://www.mathk8.nelson.com/companion.html
Just click on the grade level required, then on the Student Centre icon
to find practice activities, web activities, games and web quests with
real world connections.
Need extra help in Grade 7 or 8 math?
Remember the
Ontario Educational
Resource Bank
(OERB)?
Try ELO 1411070,
ELO 1414560 and
ELO 1414550!
Contact your school for
Password information
Visit the Homework Help website for free help from Ontario
certified teachers. On this site, students have access to live chat rooms
between the hours of 5:30-9:30 from Sunday to Thursday and 24/7
resources such as
videotaped lessons and interactive tutorials. Homework Help is ideal for understanding
homework, reviewing lessons, studying for tests, and searching math topics.
Register today at https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/. All you need to register is your student OEN
number which is found on the report card. If you have additional questions, please contact your
classroom teacher.
St. Edmund Elementary School
Page 9
Virtue of February: Respect
A respectful person
 Treats himself/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
 Says “excuse me”, “Please,” and “Pardon me”
 Avoids gossip
God has given us the virtues of friends and companions to keep us company and to help us out along the way.
Every person in our lives carries the Spirit of God—and so every person is our brother or sister through Jesus
Christ.
As brothers and sisters who share one Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be shown courtesy, consideration, sensitivity and thoughtfulness which are different ways of saying respect.
That respect should come first and foremost from ourselves. We have to respect ourselves and then we will be
able to respect others. We should also be able to expect to be treated with respect by everyone we meet—our
brothers and sisters in Jesus.
“Do unto others as they would do unto you.” is known as the Golden Rule. The concept of respect is rooted in
this adage and is universal.
St. Francis of Assisi once said “preach the Gospel and when necessary use words.” He meant that by speaking,
acting and serving one another as disciples of Jesus we more powerfully demonstrate our beliefs and share the
Good News with our bothers and sisters.
Virtue of March: Kindness
In the month of March we will celebrate the virtue of Kindness.
God wants us to treat all people with kindness. A kind person…
 Says nice things about others so they feel good about themselves;
 Sticks up for people who are picked on or need help;
 Refuses to join others who are insulting, intimidating, mean or hurtful;
 Watches and looks for ways to help those in need.
The Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Friends
1. Show them kindness and respect.
2. Stick up for them.
3. Be supportive when your friends need help and advice.
4. Tell the truth but be kind about it.
5. If you hurt a friend, say you’re sorry.
6. If you make a promise, keep it.
7. Put some effort into your friendships; otherwise your friends might feel neglected.
8. Don’t try to change your friends; accept them the way they are.
9. If a friend hurts you and apologizes, accept the apology.
10. Treat your friends the way you want them to treat you.