NEWSLETTER
September 2013
Principal
D. Della Rossa
Secretary
S. Droy
5820 Glen Erin Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 5J9
Telephone: (905) 814-9216
Fax: (905) 814-9217
Beginning of New School Year
Loving God, you give us the new school year
and new friends with whom to share it.
Bless all who pray, work and learn together.
Grant a happy year to the entire world.
Superintendent
Mississauga North
T. Cruz
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Principal’s Message
Parish
Merciful Redeemer Parish
Phone: 905-812-0030
Pastor
Fr. Vid Vlasic
Associate Pastor
Fr. Robert Mignella
School Council Co-Chair
Keith Mussar
School Council Co-Chair
Megan Scott
Trustee
Esther O’Toole
Ward 9
Phone: 905-812-5163
Attendance Verification
Phone: 905-814-9216
Web Site
www.dpcdsb.org/OLMCY
DPCDSB is now on
Twitter!
For the latest board
news and information, follow us
@DPCDSBSchools.
As the new school year begins, I would like to extend
my heartfelt appreciation for the kindness and support
extended to me as I transitioned into my new role as
principal at Our Lady of Mercy School. I would also
like to welcome all the new families to our school community and welcome back all those who are returning.
A special greeting is also extended to our Junior Kindergarten children who are starting school for the first
time. May your days here be memorable.
Our custodial staff, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Cluypa, and
secretarial staff, Mrs. Droy, have been diligently preparing the school for your children. My deepest appreciation is extended to them and all educational staff
who have truly extended themselves in preparing the
school for another year of academic excellence. We
wish to welcome back Mrs. Sherri and Mrs. Cheung
from their maternity leaves as well as Mrs. Duivesteyn
who is here for Mrs. Dodaro while she is on maternity
leave. We wish to extend a warm welcome to Mrs.
Fawaz, our French teacher, Ms. Kramarikova, our new
Education Resource Worker and Mr. Bloom our School
Child Youth Worker who are joining our school community.
Our school is part of a larger educational community.
In partnership with Merciful Redeemer Parish, the
home and other community partners, 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 relies on cooperation and teamwork. Our school community is
strengthened by the working relationships we enjoy
with our Parish Team, our active School Council, our
new Superintendent Tilia Cruz, our Trustee, Esther
O’Toole and you the parents. Your contribution to the
success of your children cannot be over emphasized.
For this we urge that you continue to be an active participant in your child’s education this year.
I wish everyone a very successful school year. Our
staff is dedicated and 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.
D. Della Rossa
Our Lady of Mercy Staff 2012-2013
Grade
Teacher’s Name
JK/SKam
H. Maxwell
JK/SKpm
H. Maxwell
Grade 1
R. Merle
Grade 1/2
C. Loiacono
Grade 2 /3
R. Sowinski
Grade 3 /4
P. Fang
Grade 4
J. Cahill
Grade 4 /5
N. Rockarts
Grade 5
M. Murphy
Grade 6
M. Sherri
Grade 6 /7
K. Kariam-Rudyk
Grade 7
M. Xerri-Gagliardi
Grade 7 /8
S. Daley
Grade 8
C. Dodaro
EXCEL
L. Austin
EXCEL (CYW) C. Cheung
FSL
D. Guzman
FSL
N. Fawaz
SERT/PT
T. Hillyer
ESL/PT
S. Cunningham
SERC
K. Read
Librarian/PT M. D’Emilio
ERW
I. Kostelnik
ERW
D. Kramarikova
Custodian
O. Cluypa
Custodian
C. Huertas
Head Custodian A. Jones
Head Secretary S. Droy
Principal
D. Della Rossa
As we start the new school year, staffing
and student class placements are still
tentative. Ther efor e, please note that
your child’s class will be not finalized until
after reorganization occurs. If your child is
part of the reorganization we will inform
you by September 13th.
P.D. Day (Re-organization)
Friday, September 13th, 2013
(No School for Students)
School Operations
SCHOOL HOURS
Extra-curricular Activities & Excursions
8:30
Supervision in the yard
8:45
School Entry
10:50
Morning Recess (Grade 1-8)
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.
11:15
Kindergarten Dismissal
11:45
Lunch (Grade 1-8)
12:45
Afternoon Starts
2:10
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:





Communication Updates
Date of absence(s)
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.
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.
Name(s) of student(s)
Name of student’s Teacher(s)
Lunch Students & Leaving School Grounds
Reason for absence
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.
Date of Return
A Student Verification Form for each child will be 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 and an –email address if you wish to receive school news electronically. 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. Forms
are available in the office. 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.
Construction Update
Due to circumstances, the columns in front of the school have not
yet been completed. We have been assured that this project will
take place and we will share further information with you in the
near future.
PLASP operates a BEFORE SCHOOL PROGRAM that begins at 7:30 a.m., with children receiving a nutritional breakfast and participating in
recreational activities. In the AFTER SCHOOL
PROGRAM, which runs from 3:15 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., the children enjoy a healthy snack, recreational activities, and have time for
homework. To find out more, or to register your child, please speak
to the PLASP staff at the school, during program times. You can
also call the PLASP head office at 905-890-1711 or visit
www.plasp.com.
Agendas
The agenda is a very useful tool to help them organize and track
assignments, homework reminders and special events. The student
agenda is also an excellent tool to support parent/teacher communication. Please read your child’s agenda on a regular basis. Agendas will be provided to students from Grade 1 to 8 at no cost this
year. W e wish to thank our School Council for supporting us with
the cost of these agendas. Please review our school policies in the
agenda with your child.
Virtue of the Month
Safety Procedures
Beginning and Dismissal of School
1. Kiss and Ride Program
Our Virtue for September….Faith
To begin the new school year, we’ll focus our attention on the
first of our virtues – faith.
Faith is the great virtue of believing in God and trusting that
God is with us.
A faithful person believes that we are created, guided by and
destined to be reunited with God.
A faithful person believes that God’s plan for us includes the
right to be safe, especially at school.
A Faithful person…
Prays regularly and reverently
Learns from Scripture stories
Honours people’s God-given names
Assumes that there is good in everyone
Accepts the God-given worth of themselves and others
Gracious and merciful God of all creation,
You have loved us since before we were born.
From our mothers’ wombs to our eternal place in heaven
You have given us the gifts to live and grow in safety.
We come to You now asking for the grace and strength
to follow Your plan and to form a safe, caring, inclusive
Community here at
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School.
May our faith in You and Your plan lead us
to know and feel Your presence among us.
We ask this in name of Jesus, Your Son,
who lived to show us Your way. Amen.
History of Catholic Education
How long have Catholic separate schools been educating Catholic children and contributing to the public
good in Ontario?
For about 170 years in the early 1800s there were separate schools in many cities, towns and townships. In
Peel, three separate schools opened before Confederation
(1867): St James in Malton in the 1830s, St. John’s Agriculture College (1861) and St. Patrick’s (1861), both in
Wildfield.
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 fr ont 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 always have the right of way.
Thank you for co-operation!
Remember - SAFETY FIRST!!!
2. Supervision in School Yard
Staff are on duty for 15 minutes before the start of the
school day and throughout the 40 minutes lunch recess.
Therefore, you may safely leave your child in the school
yard upon arrival in the morning or returning to the school
after lunch.
3. Picking Up Students at Dismissal
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 stop in lane 2 of the Kiss & Ride Lane and must
stay in their vehicles.
Medication
Health
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.
Peanut Awareness & Other Allergens
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, as well as
nuts, dairy, egg, seafood (including shrimp), & shellfish .

Please refer to the Allergen Awareness letter sent
home on the first day of school and an additional
letter specific to each class if it is necessary. Additional information on anaphylaxis can be found on
our school website.
ANAPHYLAXIS CANADA PRESENTATIONS
A representative from anaphylaxis Canada will be visiting
our school to educate staff, students and the community
about allergens and safety. Please join us on Thursday,
September 12th. The schedule is as follows: 9:10 Primary
Classes, 9:55 Junior Classes, 11:05 Intermediate Class &
12:45 Kindergarten(PM)
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
your child. Although enrolment is voluntary, the board
strongly 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.
Parents alone have the right to insure their children. An
acknowledgment form(GF401) has been sent home with
the attached brochure. It must be signed and returned to
the school to ensure an awareness that the board does not
provide insurance and that you have received the insurance brochure. It is a requirement for the participation in
excursions and/or extra-curricular activities.
School Council Elections and Nomination Forms
If you are interested in an elected position on School Council,
please pick up a nomination form at the office or send a note
in with your child for one to be sent home. Please ensure that
you fill out your self-nomination form and return it to the office by September 20th. Elections will take place before the
first School Council meeting on Tuesday, September 24th .
MedicAlert’s No Child Without Program is at Our
School
The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert
membership to students who attend our school and are between the ages of 4 up to their 14th birthday. If your child
has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medication on a regular basis then you should consider a MedicAlert membership through this program. MedicAlert is
your child’s voice in an emergency,
MedicAlert membership:
Gives emergency first responders immediate access to a
your child’s medical information on their MedicAlert
bracelet or necklet.
Enables first responders to quickly obtain up to date medical information by means of the child’s Electronic Health
Record through the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline.
Communicates with the parent or emergency contact upon
activation of the Hotline
Allows free updates of the child’s medical record as needed
MedicAlert identification can alert school staff, friends,
coaches and others about your child’s medical condition
should an emergency occur.
For further information come to the office for a brochure or
go to www.nochildwithout.ca. To register your child you
will need a No Child Without brochure from the office.
If your child is already part of the No Child Without program and there have been changes to their medical condition, medications or emergency contact information, call
MedicAlert at 1-866-679-3220 to update your child’s file.
Dates to Remember
September
12
13
18
20
23 or 25
Anaphylaxis Canada Visit
PA Day - Re-organization
Open House 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
School Council Nomination Forms Due
Confirmation Parent Meeting.
Merciful Redeemer Parish 7:30pm
24
School Council Election and Meeting
26
Terry Fox Walk
30 or Oct. 2
First Communion Parent Meeting
Merciful Redeemer Parish 7:30 p.m.
October
8
11
14
18
22
26
Opening Mass - 9:30 a.m. at the school
PA Day
Thanksgiving
Grade 7 and 8 Immunization Clinic
School Photos
Confirmation– Letter of Request
Merciful Redeemer Parish 7:00 p.m.
26 or 27 First Holy Communion–Presentation of
Names—Merciful Redeemer Parish(Any mass)