NEWSLETTER
September 2009
Principal
T. Cruz
Vice Principal
M. MacDonald
Secretaries
D. Nolan
J. Harvey
Superintendent
Mississauga North
D. Oude-Reimerink
Parish
Merciful Redeemer Parish
Phone: 905-812-0030
Pastor
Fr. Vid Vlassic
Associate Pastor
Fr. Ivan Camilleri
Fr. Mariush Runevich
School Council Chair
Gail Bellissimo
Trustee
Esther O’Toole
Ward 9
Phone: 905-812-5163
Attendance Verification
Phone: 905-814-9216
Web Site
www.dpcdsb.org/OLMCY
5820 Glen Erin Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 5J9
Telephone: (905) 814-9216
Fax: (905) 814-9217
Beginning of School Prayer
Dear Lord
You give us this new school year.
We are excited to be back
With our friends and teachers.
Help us to make the best of a new beginning.
Guide us to make wise decisions and
To do the best that we can.
Help us to make this a happy year.
Let us share with our friends and
make new friends feel welcome.
Principal’s Message
On behalf of the staff at Our Lady of Mercy School, it
is a pleasure to welcome all of our families and children to the start of a new school year.
A special greeting and best wishes to our Junior Kindergarten children who are starting school for the first
time and I hope that their journey will be filled with
only positive experiences. A very warm welcome to
new families who are coming to our school for the
very first time. You have joined a wonderful and supportive community.
In partnership with Merciful Redeemer Parish, our
school will be able to offer a wide range of learning
opportunities created to enhance the spiritual, academic and physical lives of our students. Our Lady of
Mercy School will continue to be an active community that supports and lives our Virtues program.
In the past we have been blessed to have a very devoted School Council and Parish team. Our council
nominations information is included in this newsletter
so please consider becoming involved in our Catholic
School Council. A great deal of work is done on behalf of your children through this great team and we
need more parents to become involved if we are to
continue to be just as viable.
I wish everyone a very successful school year. Our
staff is committed to working with our parents, parish
and community partners as they support the children
in their quest for knowledge and spiritual development. May God bless you and your families.
T. Cruz
Our Lady of Mercy Staff 2009-2010
Teacher’s Name
Grade
JK/SK
SKam
Grade 1
Grade 1/2
Grade 2
Grade 2/3
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 7
Grade 7/8
Grade 8
Grade 8
EXCEL
EXCEL (CYW)
FSL
FSL
SERT/ESL
SERT
SERC
Librarian
Planning Time
ERW
ERW
Custodian
Head Secretary
Secretary
Vice Principal
Principal
T. Fang
J. Adamkowski
M. Paolone
R. Merle
D. Jessome
J. Cahill
C. Loiacono
P. Fitzgerald
M. Murphy
R. Sowinski
G. Rabiega
M. Capobianco
L. Pierro
M. Xerri-Galiardi
J. Quintana
R. Jelavic
N. Rockarts
J. Guiry
T. Russo
M. Grave
S. Daley
D. Guzman
T. Hillyer
H. Maxwell
K. Read
J. Adamkowski
M. Pereira
E. Armstrong
I. Chaplia
A. Jones
D. Nolan
J. Harvey
M. MacDonald
T. Cruz
P.D. Day (Re-organization)
Friday, September 18th, 2009
(No School for Students)
Early Release Day
Wednesday, September 30th
(Students will be dismissed at 11:45
a.m.)
School Operations
SCHOOL HOURS
8:30 Supervision in the yard
8:45
School Entry
10:50 Morning Recess (Grade 1-8)
11:15 Kindergarten Dismissal
11:45 Lunch (Grade 1-8)
12:45 Afternoon Start
2:15
Afternoon Recess
3:15
Dismissal
POLICY AND PROCEDURES
All students are expected to attend school regularly and
punctually. In the event that your child will be late or
absent, please telephone the school before 8:45 a.m. and
12:45 p.m. to inform us of the absence. All students who
arrive after 8:45 a.m. or 12:45 p.m. must obtain a late slip
from the office. This measure is to ensure the safety of
your child. We thank you for your continued support in
following this procedure.
The number to call is: 905-814-9216
Provide the following information:
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Communication Updates
Welcome to Our New Superintendent Denise OudeReimerink and Farewell to Michael Prospero
Mississauga North Family of Schools
From: Trustee, Esther O’Toole, Ward 9,10
Michael Prospero who has been the Superintendent for the
Mississauga North Family of Schools for the past six years has
announced his retirement. Mr. Prospero has been a key leader
in this Family and has played an integral role in the growth,
successes and challenges of this large Family of Schools. We
wish Michael the Lord’s blessings as he moves on to this next
phase in his life and thank him for all of his contributions to
our schools in Mississauga North.
We are very pleased to welcome Mrs. Denise Oude-Reimerink
as the new Superintendent of the Mississauga North Family of
Schools. Mrs. Oude-Reimerink has been a Principal at both the
school and Board Department levels. She has played important
roles on many of our Boardwide Committees including our
Strategic Review Committee, Management of Information for
Student Achievement, and the Boardwide Speaking Contest
just to name a few. She will bring her many talents to the Mississauga North Family of Schools and we look forward to
working with Mrs. Oude-Reimerink as your Trustees.
Name(s) of student(s)
We wish you all a great start to the school year. We hope to
meet you at School Council Meetings or as we visit the schools
this year. May the good Lord bless you and your family as we
move into another great year for Mississauga North and for
Dufferin-Peel.
Name of student’s Teacher(s)
Extra-curricular Activities & Excursions
Reason for absence
Students will have the opportunity to take field trips and
participate in a number of extra-curricular activities. Permission forms will be sent home to be filled out, signed and
promptly returned to school.
Date of absence(s)
Date of Return
A Student Verification Form for each child has been sent
home. All sheets (even those which have correct information) should be returned to the appropriate classroom
teacher. If you have not returned yours, please do so as soon
as possible, as this will greatly help us to update our records.
In case of an emergency, we need current phone numbers
and up-to-date information to contact you immediately.
Please add cell phone numbers if available. In addition, any
students leaving or returning to the school due to appointments must be signed out and in at the office.
Visitors & Volunteers
To ensure school security for students and teachers, the
Board policy requires that all visitors (including parents)
and volunteers must report to the office when entering the
school. Please enter through the main doors only. Identification stickers are required to be worn when visitors are in the
school.
Volunteers are welcome and appreciated in the school. If
you wish to volunteer, you must complete a criminal reference check. If you completed a criminal reference check last
year, and submitted a copy to the school, you are requested
to complete an Offence Declaration Form this year. Please
contact the school office for more information
NO STUDENT WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE
ON A TRIP OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY
WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THEIR
PARENT /GUARDIAN.
VERBAL CONSENT OVER THE TELEPHONE WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED. No exceptions will be allowed.
Teachers give ample notice for trip consent forms.
We encourage parents to support these educational opportunities by volunteering to assist and supervise these excursions. For the safety of your child, excursions lacking appropriate adult supervision will be cancelled.
We Welcome
Ms. Pierro who will be teaching Grade 6.
Ms. Jelavic who will be teaching Grade 7/8.
Mr. Guiry who will be teaching Grade 8
Mrs. Pereira who will be doing Planning Time.
Mrs. Russo will be running the EXCEL program.
Mr. Grave is the CYW for the EXCEL program.
Ms. Chaplia will be working as ERW within classrooms.
Virtue of the Month
Safety Procedures
Beginning and Dismissal of School
1. Kiss and Ride Program
Affirmation:
I am faithful to what I believe
I am a faithful friend. I do not backbite.
I clear up problems face to face.
I keep my promises. I walk my talk.
What is Faith?
It is holding to what you believe is important no matter what happens.
Faithfulness is being like a rock in the midst of rushing waters. When
you are faithful you can be counted on and trusted. Faith is needed
when you have beliefs and principals that cannot be proven to others.
If you are faithful to your belief, such as belief in God, honesty and
friendship, others see your values in the way you act.
Why practice being Faithful?
When people do not show faithfulness, they say one thing and do another. One day they believe something, and the next day they believe
something else. You can never count on them for anything. When
people are faithful, you know what they stand for and you can trust
them. You can count on them to do what they say they will do. They
are faithful friends.
How do you practice Faithfulness?
Being faithful means you keep your promises. You walk your talk. To
do a job faithfully means you do it with as much excellence and precision as you can. And you do it on time. Listen to your heart when
things come up to test your faith. Faith is not really Faith until it is
tested. Your faith gets stronger when your beliefs are tested and you
still find that they are true.
When you are faithful in relationships, you are loyal. You do not talk
to someone behind their back. If you feel hurt or hurt their feelings,
you go to them and talk about it privately. You do not leave an old
friend when a new one comes along. You make the circle wider.
You are practicing the Virtue of FAITH when you…
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Listen to your heart when your beliefs are tested
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Only make promises you can keep
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Make your words and deeds match
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Do a job as carefully and fully as it needs to be done
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Are loyal to your friends and family

Clear up problems face to face
Vehicles entering school property from
8:30 to 8:45 a.m. are to use the school’s
Kiss & Ride Program. The program is
supervised by staff and volunteers.
There are two lanes to enter the Kiss and Ride, and then
three that have very specific functions.
The lane on the right and closest to the school is for
buses and emergency vehicles ONLY.
There are two lanes to the left of the cement barrier that
serve different purposes. The right Kiss and Ride lane is to
be used for dropping children off at the Drop Off Point.
This drop off point is approximately half of the lane or the
first five vehicles at the front of the Kiss and Ride lane.
Please DO NOT let children leave the car anywhere before
that point. You are definitely putting them in serious danger
of possibly being struck by a vehicle. Children should be
prepared with their bags to exit the vehicle on the passenger
side only. Never exit a vehicle from the driver’s side. Drivers should remain in their vehicles at all times, and a Kiss
and Ride supervisor will assist them to exit the vehicle.
Once your child(ren) has been dropped off, you can access
the left ‘drive through’ lane and ‘slowly ‘ exit the Kiss and
Ride. There is a serious issue with vehicles travelling too
fast through this lane, either to get to the front of the line or
to exit. You will not be able to stop in time when a child
comes out between cars. .
When entering or exiting, be VERY mindful of pedestrian
traffic. Cars travelling southbound on Glen Erin and turning
into the driveway often run the red light, and pull in quickly.
There is a cross walk on the south side of the driveway.
Many children from both schools utilize the crosswalk. You
must be vigilant. Pedestrians have the right of way always.
Thank you for co-operation!
Remember - SAFETY FIRST!!!
2. Supervision in School Yard
You need more practice when you…
Staff are on duty for 15 minutes before the start of the
school day and throughout the entire noon hour. Therefore,
you may safely leave your child in the school yard upon
arrival in the morning or returning to the school after lunch.
Do not believe that anything is important
3. Picking Up Students at Dismissal
Accept a belief without thinking for yourself
At the end of the school day, parents, babysitters, older siblings are to meet students outside (Grades 1-8) at the side or
back doors. The front area and doors of the school are only
for Kindergarten parents, staff and bus students. Parents
picking up their children by car at the end of the school day,
can only park in lane 2 of the Kiss & Ride Lane and must
stay in their vehicles. Staff will be present to help students
walk to the front of the school to meet you.
Say one thing and do another
Talk about people behind their backs
Don’t keep your commitments
Do a quick or sloppy job
Health
Medication
Dates to Remember
On occasion, the school is asked to
store and/or give medication to students. A completed form must accompany each request for medication to be
stored and given out by the school personnel. Ask the Office to supply you with the appropriate
forms. Medical Alerts and Anaphylaxis forms were sent
home at the end of June to facilitate doctor’s appointments and time to complete documentation. This is necessary to update files and inform staff of concerns.
September
17
School Council Nomination Forms Due
18
P.A. Day - Re-organization and Division Meetings
21
Confirmation Parent Meeting - 7 p.m. at the
church
23
Open House - 7:00- 8:00 p.m.
28
Opening Mass - 9:30 a.m. at school
Peanut Awareness & Other Allergens
30
Early Release Day
We have a number of children in our school who have
severe life threatening allergic reaction to peanuts, peanut
butter, peanut oils and any peanut by-products.
October
Other life threatening allergens may include allergies to
eggs, dairy, and flour products, sesame seeds and types of
seafood if ingested by the student.
* Please refer to pink Allergen Awareness letter send
home on the first day of school.
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of
Education, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board annually provides parents with information about
cost-effective student accident insurance coverage via
student courier. Although enrolment is voluntary, the
board encourages parents to take advantage of the inexpensive insurance coverage, especially if their child/
children participate in sports, excursions/field trips, or, if
parents do not have dental insurance coverage.
Enrolment is required in writing -- there are two options
for enrolment:
1) Complete the traditional form and mail it in
2) Photocopy the form and fax it to Reliable Life at 1-905
-522-7211 or 1-800-463-KIDS (5437).
Lunch Students & Leaving School Grounds
The school lunch hour is 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. When
children stay for lunch, they will eat with their classmates
and remain on school property throughout the lunch period. Supervision is provided by staff and a lunch supervisor. For safety reasons, students either stay for lunch or
leave for lunch every day. Changes to this routine are
done only with written permission by a parent/guardian.
Students are not allowed to call home to go out for
lunch. The office is very busy at this time and phones are
needed for office communication and emergency phone
calls. Parents accept the responsibility for conduct,
safety and the well being of students when they are given
permission to leave school property. We thank you for
continuing to support this safety routine.
5
1st Communion Parent Meeting - 7 p.m.
6
School Council Meeting - 6:30 p.m.
12
Thanksgiving
22
School Photo Day
Combined Classes
With the introduction by the Ministry of a primary classroom cap on class sizes, combined classrooms have become
much more common. We check student enrollment each
day and we may be reorganizing over the next week. Parents have been bringing in letters requesting classroom
changes for their children, however, it will be impossible to
accommodate all requests. We will do our best but I want to
reassure parents that teachers use many different strategies
to teach students in combined grades. All classrooms,
whether single grade or combined, include students performing at a range of achievement levels. Several studies
have found that students in combined classes do just as well
as students in single-grade classes. In fact, some students
actually do better in language and reading.
School Council Elections and Nomination Forms
If you are interested in an elected position on School
Council, please pick up a self-nomination form at the office or send a note in with your child. Please ensure that
you fill out your self-nomination form and return it to the
office by September 23rd. Elections will take place at the
School Council meeting on October 6th at 6:30 p.m.
Pick-Up and Drop-Off Policy
Parents or designated individuals are required to sign children in at the office when bringing them to school late and
must also sign them out at the office when withdrawing
them from school before regular dismissal time.
Parents are requested to provide the classroom teacher with
a note if it is necessary for a child to leave for an appointment. Please meet the child(ren) at the main office and sign
them out. Upon their return, they must report to the office
for an admittance slip.