NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2013
5820 Glen Erin Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 5J9
Telephone: (905) 814-9216
Fax: (905) 814-9217
In Flanders Fields
Principal
D. Della Rossa
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Secretary
S. Droy
Superintendent
Mississauga North
T. Cruz
Parish
Merciful Redeemer Parish
Phone: 905-812-0030
Pastor
Fr. Vid Vlasic
Associate Pastor
Fr. Robert Mignella
School Council Co-Chair
Jennifer Rodrigo
School Council Co-Chair
Keith Mussar
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.
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Principal’s Message
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the students and their families of Our Lady of Mercy community for a very successful dance-a-thon fundraiser. We
collected over $8,000.00. We wish to extend a heartfelt
thanks to the staff for their support and to the parent
volunteers for the countless hours spent on making this a
great success. Also, a special thanks to our parents who
co-ordinate the Pizza Fridays, All Star Reading and the
Yearbook. Thank you to all volunteers for your time,
presence and dedication in helping our school.
As we approach November 11th, we need to take the
time to pause, thank and reflect on the many men and
women who have died and continue to fight for the freedoms that we enjoy. We will see many wearing the red
poppy in honour of all war veterans. We attempt to keep
their memories and our quest for peace alive by wearing
a poppy and through liturgies that commemorate the
bravery of these veterans. On Remembrance Day our
school will be gathering in the gym at 10:45am to participate in an assembly. Please join us.
Also, the week of November 18 to 22 is our Eden Food
Bank Food Drive with Toonie Tuesday on the 19th.
Please support our food drive by bringing in nonperishable food items to support those in need in
our community.
Our 2013-2014 Our Lady of Mercy School yearbook is
underway. The yearbook will capture the story that unfolds this year at school. Thank you to the parents who
have shown dedication and commitment in creating the
yearbook.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.\
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though
poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
Lt. John McCrae
Our Catholic School
Heritage
1. How long have Catholic separate
schools been educating Catholic chil-
We would also like to share with the community that
the repair of our front columns will take place in the near
future. We are very excited that this project will be underway.
dren and contributing to the public good
Many thanks to the entire Our Lady of Mercy community for your ongoing support and partnership.
there were separate schools in many cities,
God bless, D. Della Rossa
in Ontario?
For about 170 years. In the early 1800s
towns and townships. In Peel, three separate schools opened before Confederation
(1867): St. James in Malton in the 1830s,
St. John’s Agricultural College (1861) and
St. Patrick’s (1861), both in Wildfield.
School News
School Operations
ARRIVING ON TIME FOR SCHOOL
Please ensure that your child arrives at school between
8:30 and 8:45 am so they are able to line up with their
class to enter the school in the morning.
LATES – Late for School –
Please, Report to the Office
To ensure safe arrival, late students
need to report to the office rather
than proceed to the back of the
school where students may find
themselves locked out! School
Hours begin at 8:45am.
DRESSING FOR COLD WEATHER
Soon we will be experiencing cold weather and with
winter on its way, we need to prepare. It is important
for students to come prepared to participate in all activities, including outdoor recess. Please ensure that your
child is dressed appropriately for the forthcoming colder weather, including having hats, boots and mittens/
gloves as winter approaches.
COLD AND FLU SEASON
In colder weather, we receive requests
to allow children to remain indoors
when students have a cold or the flu.
Please note that we cannot comply, as
we have neither the facilities nor the
staff to supervise these students. Please
use discretion in keeping your child at home to recover
if they are ill. A child who is coughing, wheezing, etc.
is not in a state to learn and will only infect others. If
your child is well enough to attend school, he/she
should be well enough to go outside at recess.
INDOOR/OUTDOOR SHOES
In order to keep our students warm and comfortable and
to help keep their workplace clean,
please ensure that your child has a pair
of “indoor shoes”. It will reduce the
amount of dirt and mud brought indoors. It will also assist our custodial
staff in keeping our school clean. It is
also important because if the fire alarm
goes off they cannot stop to put shoes
on.
VALUABLES
Students are reminded not to bring valuables such as
electronic games, toys, or personal items of importance. The school does not accept responsibility for
the above.
Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School welcomes French Immersion!
The French Immersion Program at Divine Mercy Elementary School was established as a Grades 1 to 4
program with Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School
as the sister site that would continue the program for
students in Grades 5 to 8. We are excited to welcome
the Grade 5 French Immersion Program and students
at Our Lady of Mercy beginning September 2nd, 2014.
Administrators of Divine Mercy and Our Lady of
Mercy will be working closely together to support a
variety of transition activities.
Please contact the school office should you have any
further questions.
S
News
School Council News
We would like to congratulate all Executive Members, parent representatives, and parents for supporting our transition into a new school year. We recently shared our School
Council October Newsletter with the community that provides key information about the council members and upcoming council events. We would like to thank you for
your ongoing support and partnership in Catholic education.
If you can volunteer some of your time, please contact the
school and a member of the School Council will contact
you directly. For more information on Volunteering, please
refer to the G.I.F.T.S. Volunteer News that is sent home on
green paper every month. For more info call (905) 8149216 or email mercygifts@yahoo.ca
Please join us for our next Catholic
School Advisory Council Meeting:
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
6:30 PM
Virtue
Virtue of
of the
the Month
Month
School News
Toonie Tuesday - Nov. 19th, 2013
Food Drive—Week of Nov. 18—22
God helps us to choose
to be good people.
A person of conscience…

chooses to do the right thing, even when it is hard

takes time to think and pray before making decisions

knows that their actions and decisions affect all those
around them

thinks of others before themselves

says sorry and tries to make up for their actions
Our Daily Prayer for November
Let us now pray
For the grace and strength to be
people of conscience—people who know the good
and decent way to act, and then choose to act that way.
AMEN.
.
FAMILY ADVENT MASS
Everyone is invited to attend the Family
Advent Mass on Tuesday, December 10th
at 9:30 a.m. at the School. Come and join
in our Advent celebration!
FRENCH IMMERSION INFORMATION MEETING
Senior Kindergarten parents/guardians, who wish to enroll
their child in Grade 1 French Immersion class for
September, 2014 are invited to attend an information meeting
at:
French Immersion centres
Session location
St Gertrude
St Pio of Pietrelcina
St Pio of Pietrelcina
Tues. November 19, 2013
7:00 p.m.
St Angela Merici
Wed. November 20, 2013
7:00 p.m.
St Elizabeth Seton
Thurs. November 21, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Our Lady of Providence
St Angela Merici
St Joachim
Divine Mercy
St Elizabeth Seton
St Margaret of Scotland
Eden Community Food Bank 3051 Battleford
Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 4Z9 Phone: 905-785-3651
Dear Neighbours,
We would like to encourage you to participate in our 6 th annual
Toonie Tuesday campaign to raise funds for Eden Community
Food Bank.
Eden Community Food Bank pr ovides food and other assistance to hungry families in the L5N, L5M, L5L and L5K postal
code areas of western Mississauga.
By simply donating a toonie on Tuesday November 19th
You will help to make a huge difference in the lives of those who
go hungry in our community.
Your support is needed more than ever, so please help us take a bite
out of hunger.
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
2014-15
Registration for FULL DAY Kindergarten for the 2014-15 school
year, will take place at Our Lady of Mercy School on the following
days:
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.*
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
For more information, call 905-814-9216 or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
LOCKDOWN PRACTICE
As mandated by the Ministry of Education, we will
have our practice lockdown procedure Tuesday,
November 20th, 2013 at 10:30 AM. Lockdown
procedures are part of our systematic safety plan
that includes fire drills and visitor security protocols. A lockdown
could occur in the event of a dangerous situation occurring in or
around the school. We will have our Community Officers from
Peel Police support us through this drill.
A call will be made over the P.A. system indicating that a practice
lockdown procedure is taking place. All staff and students then will
follow the emergency procedures established for this drill which
could include getting low to the ground, moving away from windows and doors, closing doors and turning off lights. Students are
warned ahead of time to reduce any anxiety of what may occur in a
drill of this type. Please feel free to discuss this drill with your
child.
Anaphylaxis
Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis
Dates to Remember
Our Lady of Mercy is an allergen aware school.
There are pupils in attendance who suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to certain foods.
Exposure to the smallest quantities can cause severe
life threatening reactions. Anaphylaxis is a severe
and life threatening allergic reaction. The most
common allergen triggers are food, insect stings,
medications, exercise and latex. An anaphylactic
reaction involves symptoms from two or more body
systems. Safety of all our students is paramount.
November
We at Our Lady of Mercy, would appreciate the cooperation of the entire school community by NOT
sending any lunches or snacks that contain any ingredients identified as food allergens for students in
your child’s class.
19 Toonie Tuesday for Eden Food Bank
Please make sure that all of your children’s caregivers are aware of the food restrictions. We also ask
that you review the letters that were sent home at
the beginning of the school year that spoke to specific allergens in your child’s classroom.
27 Rosary Apostolate Visits
For celebrations, we are once again asking that food
NOT be brought into the school since we cannot
control the ingredients in many baked items.
If you have any questions please talk to your child’s
teacher or to school staff. Your co-operation in
helping to keep all our pupils safe is greatly appreciated.
CASUAL FRIDAYS
You may observe that the staff dress in a casual manner on
Fridays. Through staff donations made on these Fridays,
we are supporting the United Way of Peel or ShareLife.
November
All Saints Day
1
3
Daylight Savings– Turn Clocks Back an Hour
5
Progress Reports Go Home
7
Progress Report Interview Evening
11 Remembrance Day Assembly @ 10:45AM
12 School Public Speaking Competition
13 Catholic School Advisory Council Mtg @ 6:30PM
20 Photo Retake Day
18 to 22 Eden Food Bank Drive
20 Lockdown Practice @ 10:30AM
23 Confirmation–Presentation of Cards@7:00 PM@
Church
December
2 and 6 Constable Visits
10 Advent Mass - 9:30 am. at Our Lady of Mercy
11 Christmas Bazaar
18 Rosary Apostolate Visits 20—No School
EXTENDED FRENCH
INFORMATION MEETING
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September,
2013 are invited to attend an information meeting at:
St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic School
6930 Forest Park Drive 905-785-0066
Thursday, January 16, 2014 @ 7:00 PM
At the present time, the above mentioned school is the
designated cenre for our area.
Applications will be accepted at that centre until 3:00
p.m. Wednesday, February 12th, 2014.