Virtue of the Month –

FORGIVENESS “To Err is Human, to Forgive is

Divine” Alexander Pope

MARCH 2017

St. Helen Catholic School News Dear Parents/Caregivers, As March arrives, we look forward to longer days and warmer weather. As we start this Lenten season, we are reminded of all that Jesus did for us, giving the ultimate sacrifice, his life, to save us from our sins. During the 40 days of Lent, students will be encouraged to seek forgiveness, to forgive others and to do good deeds for others. This month, we also recognize students for the virtue of forgiveness. We hope that students and their families will have an enjoyable and safe March Break! God Bless,

A. Sanborn & J. Bucci ______________________________________________________________________

HAPPY MARCH BREAK

CSPC MEETING – Wednesday, March 1st.

ASH WEDNESDAY MASS – Wednesday, March 1st. St. Helen Church at 1 p.m. All are welcome.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER – Friday, March 3rd.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART – Monday, March 6th – Kick Off Assembly. March 20th & 21st – Jump Day Wear Red all day on your Jump Day.

CUPCAKE PRE-ORDER SALE – Thursday, March 9th. Pre-ordered $2.00 cupcakes to be delivered.

STUDENT LEADERS GREEN DRESS DOWN DAY - Friday, March 10th - Dress in Green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES – Pizza lunch is on March 10th & 24th.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME – Sunday, March 12th – Don’t forget to move your clocks forward one hour!

***MARCH BREAK - March 13th to March 17th - no school for students.

T.C.D.S.B. EARTH HOUR CHALLENGE – Friday, March 24th 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Conserve energy by turning off non-essential lights.

JOIN THE DANCE WINTER TEAM MATCH – Wednesday, March 29th at St. Robert School.

LUNCH LADY – Wednesdays in March. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED SCHOOL WEBSITE AT: www.tcdsb.org/schools/sthelen including school newsletters and calendars.

…that together you may with ONE VOICE glorify the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6

St. Helen Catholic School 1196 College Street,

Toronto Ontario, M6H 1B8 Telephone: 416-393-5208 Fax: 416-397-6142

Principal:

Alise Sanborn

Vice-Principal: Joe Bucci

Superintendent:

John Wujek

Trustee: Barbara Poplawski

Parish:

Father John Cabral St. Helen Roman Catholic Church

1680 Dundas Street Toronto, Ontario

M6H 3M8 Phone: 416-531-8188

School Hours:

8:30 am – 3:30 pm Lunch Hour:

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Family, School, Parish

Together with One Voice

Year of the Parish

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH March - Forgiveness

This month we encourage students to demonstrate Jesus’ teachings through the ability to forgive one another and to seek forgiveness for acts we have committed. The Students of the Month for the virtue of FORGIVENESS for March will be posted next month.

To Err is Human. To Forgive is Divine.

Let your actions be guided by the idea that Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH We encourage our students to demonstrate the monthly virtues. Students will be recognized with certificates on the wall in the office and with a certificate to take home. Congratulations to the students of the month for the Virtue of Love in February. Names will be posted in next month’s newsletter.

The Council meets regularly and encourages the attendance of all community stakeholders. Please join us at our monthly scheduled CSPC meetings on February 1st (cancelled – rescheduled for March 1st), April 5th, May 3rd and June 7th at 6:00 p.m. We encourage your involvement.

FRENCH SPEAKING COMPETITION St. Helen School wishes good luck to our Grade 7 student who will be representing St. Helen at the French Public Speaking Competition on Wednesday, March 1st at the T.C.D.S.B.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART St. Helen School will be participating in the Jump Rope for Heart program again this year. The Kick Off Assembly will be on March 6th and the Event date will be March 20th & 21st. Students are allowed to wear red on their jump day. All money raised will support the Heart & Stroke Foundation in their mission to promote children’s health and fund vital heart and stroke research. Money and pledge forms must be returned by March 31st.

CUPCAKE SALE – pre-orders Pre-order forms for Cupcakes will be sent home shortly for ordering a $2.00 cupcake

that will be delivered on Thursday, March 9th to the students who pre-order. Proceeds will go towards Student Leader Initiatives and Me to We Fundraising.

GREEN DRESS DOWN DAY -

Friday, March 10th Show your St. Patrick’s Day spirit by wearing green today for FREE!!

CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES – March 10th & 24th Volunteers are greatly needed to assist with these hot lunches. If you are able to volunteer an hour of your time on pizza

days, please fill in a volunteer form available in the office and someone will contact you.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS Don’t forget to move your clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 12th.

EARTH HOUR CHALLENGE In order to promote awareness of the planned Global EARTH HOUR event, all TCDSB schools are encouraged to participate and demonstrate how we continue to be stewards of the earth. St. Helen school will participate in the Earth Hour Challenge on Friday, March 24th from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Our task will be to turn off all non-essential lighting for the one hour.

JOIN THE DANCE WINTER TEAM MATCH - Wednesday, March 29th St. Helen classes participating in the Join the Dance competition will be showcasing their talents on March 29th at St. Robert School. We wish them good luck with their

performance. St. Helen School will be hosting a Join the Dance Showcase for the parents of the students who are participating, on Wednesday, March 22nd. More information to be sent out to families of participating students.

LUNCH LADY - WEEKLY Lunch Lady is very excited to be serving our students weekly pre-ordered hot lunches for the 2016-2017 school year. If you have any questions email/call anthony@thelunchlady.ca 647-436-9134.

PARENTING & FAMILY LITERACY CENTRE Parents of young children are reminded that the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre offers exciting play-based learning activities. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2017

The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites families with children born in 2013 to register for Kindergarten beginning Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 10 a.m. EST. Registration options:

• Online: Parents will be able to complete their application online at: https://soar.tcdsb.org/Login.aspx. A follow up with visit to the school to present the required documents will be scheduled following the online application.

• In Person: Parents can register at their local school with the required documents.

Information: 416-222-8282 ext. 5320 or 5314, www.tcdsb.org/kindergartenregistration

WINTER WEATHER Students are sent outside for recess unless it is extremely cold. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately. Please ensure that they have winter coats, boots, hats, gloves, scarves and indoor shoes. A suggestion for younger children – please send an extra pair of socks, gym clothes, etc. in the event that your child requires a change of clothes. Due to unforeseen ice conditions in our school yard, we will occasionally have indoor recess. A staggered approach to recess has been implemented in order for students to get some fresh air and exercise while minimizing accidents.

INCLEMENT WEATHER Reporting of cancellations or closures due to inclement weather. Winter weather arrived early this year. Please note that any cancellations or closures due to inclement weather will be reported before 7 a.m. Best place to get the info quickly is through Twitter @TCDSB (please follow us), the board’s website www.tcdsb.org and the 24-hour telephone information line 416-222-8282 ext. 2873.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE / LATES Our school hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is imperative that the students arrive before the 8:30 a.m. morning bell and that

they are ready to line up for school entrance with their class. When students are late, they miss important morning announcements that the Principal needs to make as well as important instructional time. The student who is late disrupts the classroom lessons that have been started. Student attendance is monitored closely and warning letters are being sent home when a student is consistently late. When a student is late more than 15 times a social work referral will be made.

CELL PHONE USE Although many students bring cell phones to school as a communication device for parents to keep in contact with their children outside of school hours, please note that CELL PHONE USE IS NOT PERMITTED DURING CLASS TIME. Students are to keep their cell phones powered off during class and while on school property. Class time is precious and students will not be allowed to engage in texting/ calling/ emailing during school hours. If you need to contact your child, please call the school and we will make every attempt to relay the message to your child and/or to bring your child to the office telephone. Failure to follow school policy may result in the confiscation of the cell phone. Any use of cell phones/electronic devices, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to intimidate others will result in confiscation of the phone.

Please refer to the TCDSB AUP http://www.tcdsb.org/board/policies/aup

CLASSROOM ACCESS A reminder that students are not allowed to have access to classrooms once supervision is over at 3:45 p.m. Classroom doors are

locked at 3:45 p.m. and students are not to wander the halls without school staff supervision. Students are to pack bags and bring all necessary items to go home with them.

ADMINISTERING OF MEDICATION Please be advised that a student is only allowed to take medication with the “Request and Consent for the Administration of Oral Medication” TCDSB forms approved and signed by the prescribing doctor. These forms are printed by the office. Once these forms are completed and handed into the office, along with the medication, the child will be allowed to self-administer the medication while administration supervises. The child needs to be taught at home how to take the medication while under supervision. No staff member is allowed to administer medication. All medication is to be kept in the office at all times. Please note that without any doctor authorized TCDSB forms, no medication can be administered.

BIRTHDAYS Birthdays are announced over the P.A. and children are invited to the office to choose a small token in

celebration. Sending something for your child’s birthday for the class is not necessary; however, if you wish to do so, we encourage non-food items (e.g., pencils, erasers, stickers, etc.). With caution, any food treat to be shared from home must be pre-approved by the teacher and must be certified peanut-free by the manufacturer.

PEDICULOSIS – HEAD LICE TIPS FOR TREATMENT & PREVENTION Please read the following information for facts and tips regarding Pediculosis. The most obvious sign of head lice is scratching. PREVENTION

To stop the spread of lice, we ask that you monitor and check your child’s head periodically.

A tip to prevent lice from spreading on girls’ hair is for girls to wear their hair up in a bun, a

ponytail or a braid. Hair spray on the braid or ponytail is a common tip.

Rinsing with vinegar after washing your child’s hair is another common tip.

TREATMENT

To check your child’s head, part the hair in sections and look for small grey or brown insects, slightly larger than a pin-head. Lice lay tiny silvery white eggs called nits. Nits can be found over the entire head but are most common behind the ears and in the nape of the neck. They stick to the hair shaft.

If your child has head lice, please make sure that the office is aware so that a notice can be sent home to the other classmates to have their parents check their hair. Rest assured, the student’s name will always remain anonymous.

Treat your child with a special medicated shampoo or rinse that is made just for lice. It is available at most drug stores.

Once treated, remove the nits using the special comb that is included in the kit daily over several weeks.

The child should be treated and free of head lice

before returning to school.

GUIDANCE CORNER -Mr. F. Amato

High School Registration is Underway! High school registration nights have begun and will continue into the month of March. Be sure to read through your child’s acceptance packages carefully and complete all of the necessary forms before submitting them on the date of registration. Some forms require teacher or principal signatures. Exchange of Information Meetings Representatives from all of the high schools will be in contact with teachers this month to discuss your child’s progress and to ensure that the secondary school is prepared to receive their new grade 9 students. At the meeting, teachers will discuss proper placement (e.g. academic, applied or locally developed) for your child as well as any strengths or needs that they may have.

Change of Secondary School Forms Change Forms will become available early in March. Students who have moved into another area of the city or who have changed their minds about the school they would like to attend are asked to request a form from their teacher. Forms must be completed and submitted as soon as possible. Please remember that submitting a Change Form does not guarantee your child a spot in a different high school. Admittance is still based on availability of space. Please read your options carefully when receiving the form. Have a Wonderful March Break!

IN APRIL Grade 8 Grad Photo Day – April 7th Kindergarten Spring Photos – April 7th Retake Day for Grad and Spring Photos – April 25th Swim to Survive for Grade 3/4 and 4 classes – April 4, 5; April 11, 12; April 18, 19

NEWS FROM THE BOARD

Parent input being requested. The TCDSB is considering implementing an online

application that would permit parents to make payments

electronically through two methods.

Method 1: Parents can securely transfer funds from

their bank account directly to an online ‘myWallet’

account. When they wish to make a payment to the

school, they simply add an item to their shopping cart

and pay for the item from their ‘myWallet’ account.

Method 2: Parents can use a credit card such as

VISA or MasterCard

Using this electronic payment application, for large

payments such as overnight trips, parents would also be

able to pay through installments.

In order to offer this application, the TCDSB would have

to charge a 1% administrative fee to help offset the cost

of the application. To do this schools would set their

charges 1% higher.

For example, an item that costs $9.90 would cost $10.00.

At the time of the purchase, $9.90 would remain in the

school account to pay for the item and $0.10 would go

directly to the TCDSB central account to help offset the

cost of the online application.

In order to gauge interest in such an online application,

we are engaging in a consultation process, in the form of

a short survey.

The survey is open now and will close on Tuesday 7

March at 12 noon.

To participate in the survey, please click on this link:

www.surveymonkey.com/r/Onlinepaymentconsultation

Or scan this QR code using a QR code reader app on

your phone or tablet:

Anonymous Alerts Starting in March, students in TCDSB secondary schools

will be able to anonymously message their school

principal about a range of issues including bullying and

other safety concerns. www.anonymousalerts.com/tcdsb

Let’s Get Ready to Celebrate Canada 150 Everyone in the Toronto Catholic District School Board

community is invited to join in Canada’s 150th birthday

celebration throughout 2017. The 150th anniversaries of

our nation and our province, coincide with our ongoing

focus on our Pastoral Plan: “Together With One Voice:

family, parish and school” which honours the three

partners who have created the solid foundation on which

Catholic education has been built. Catholic schools have

been a rich and vibrant part of Canada’s and Ontario’s

heritage since before confederation. JOIN US as we

recognize our Boards unique place in Canadian history

during this sesquicentennial year.

A website has been created for the many exciting events

and initiatives that are already underway around the

board: https://www.tcdsb.org/Canada150

Parish Family Day May 5, 2017 As we continue to celebrate our Year of the Parish we

want to know what makes your pastor and/or your

parish unique. Students are invited to create a short video, an original

song, or piece of original artwork, write a short story or

poem, or express themselves in any way artistically to

highlight the relationship that the students have with the

local parish and/or the priest/pastor at their church.

Remember that this does not have to be an additional

assignment. Why not use the pastor/parish theme for a

regular classroom lesson--whether that be a writing

exercise, a poetry writing session or visual art project. “Promote Your Parish” and let’s celebrate the many

ways that our parishes and our parish priests contribute

to our schools and communities. Submit the completed

projects via email to parish.project@tcdsb.org by no

later than April 7, 2017.

2017 ShareLife Parish Campaign

During this, our Year of the Parish, we encourage all

students, staff and their families to consider supporting

the many local Catholic charities that are funded through

ShareLife. These Catholic agencies help families, single

parents, the elderly, individuals with special needs,

immigrants and refugees, the homeless and the needy, as

well as the education of clergy within our own City of

Toronto. Learn more about these organizations here:

http://www.sharelife.org/Public/ShareLife-List-of-

Agencies. During Lent, and throughout the coming

months, we invite you to consider partnering with your

parish and support the work of ShareLife as it continues

to “work wonders” in our own community and around

the world.

Follow @TCDSB on Twitter or

subscribe to Enews https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscriptio

n.aspx to get all the latest news and information

throughout the year.

Wishing you and your families a happy March Break!!