OCTOBER 2016 Saint Cecilia Catholic School News Saint Cecilia Catholic School 355 Annette Street Toronto, Ontario, M6P 1R3 Phone# (416) 393-5218 Fax # (416) 397-6045 Principal: Nick Biagini Vice-Principal: Heather Hickey Superintendent: John Wujek (416) 222-8282 x5371 Trustee: Barb Poplowski (416) 512-3410 Parish: St. Cecilia C.S. 161 Annette St. (416) 769-8163 CSPC Chairs: Marisa Cicero, Olga Geryluk CPIC (Parent Engagement-TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents) www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto Enrollment: 670 Hours of Operation: 8:30am -3:00pm Lunch Hour: 11:15am -12:15pm Principal’s Message Dear Parent/Guardian, A sincere thank you from all of us at the school for the smooth start to the new school year. The transition back to school is not always an easy one for all of the students but your support has made this transition a manageable one for our students. This year we did have to make some moves in order to maintain proper Ministry classroom sizes. A very special thank you to to parents who were able to accommodate the moves in a very smooth fashion. Thanks to the parents who attended our first CSPC meeting and to the many parents who attended our Curriculum Night BBQ. It was a beautiful sunny day and what better way to complete that day than with an opportunity to continue to forge the Family-School partnership. A very special thank you to our CSPC Executive and all of the wonderful parent volunteers who assisted with the barbecue. Without your involvement, we would not be able to provide these enriching opportunities for our students and their families. St. Cecilia Catholic School is an exciting learning environment where teachers are dedicated to providing your children with a complete and interesting curriculum. When you met with your child’s teacher you reviewed the curriculum outline for the year. The teachers plan very carefully in order to create a stimulating classroom environment built on mutual respect. You can certainly assist by limiting screen time at home and ensuring that the students are always completing any homework assignments while always finding the time to stay physically active.. I would like to enlist your help in reinforcing safe travel to and from school. Please review bus safety rules with your children. Emphasize the importance of punctuality and reinforce peaceful behavior through our policy that hands and feet are to be used for helping and never hurting. This promotes good Christian practices in the school yard. This year we will continue our focus on building our students academically, athletically and artistically. We will have many exciting, enriching initiatives to address these areas all the while maintain a solid spiritual base. And finally...we ask for God’s blessings upon us all so that we may all work toward His greater glory. May this year truly be the best possible, remembering our motto for the year: Learning with Hearts, Hands and Minds- Growing in Harmony.. Nick P. Biagini, Principal
Transcript
OCTOBER 2016
Saint Cecilia Catholic School News
Saint Cecilia Catholic School 355 Annette Street Toronto, Ontario, M6P 1R3 Phone# (416) 393-5218 Fax # (416) 397-6045 Principal: Nick Biagini Vice-Principal: Heather Hickey Superintendent: John Wujek (416) 222-8282 x5371 Trustee: Barb Poplowski (416) 512-3410 Parish: St. Cecilia C.S. 161 Annette St. (416) 769-8163 CSPC Chairs: Marisa Cicero, Olga Geryluk CPIC (Parent Engagement-TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents) www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto Enrollment: 670 Hours of Operation: 8:30am -3:00pm Lunch Hour: 11:15am -12:15pm
Principal’s Message
Dear Parent/Guardian,
A sincere thank you from all of us at the school for the smooth start to the new school year. The transition back to school is not always an easy one for all of the students but your support has made this transition a manageable one for our students. This year we did have to make some moves in order to maintain proper Ministry classroom sizes. A very special thank you to to parents who were able to accommodate the moves in a very smooth fashion.
Thanks to the parents who attended our first CSPC meeting and to the many parents who attended our Curriculum Night BBQ. It was a beautiful sunny day and what better way to complete that day than with an opportunity to continue to forge the Family-School partnership. A very special thank you to our CSPC Executive and all of the wonderful parent volunteers who assisted with the barbecue. Without your involvement, we would not be able to provide these enriching opportunities for our students and their families.
St. Cecilia Catholic School is an exciting learning environment where teachers are dedicated to providing your children with a complete and interesting curriculum. When you met with your child’s teacher you reviewed the curriculum outline for the year. The teachers plan very carefully in order to create a stimulating classroom environment built on mutual respect. You can certainly assist by limiting screen time at home and ensuring that the students are always completing any homework assignments while always finding the time to stay physically active..
I would like to enlist your help in reinforcing safe travel to and from school. Please review bus safety rules with your children. Emphasize the importance of punctuality and reinforce peaceful behavior through our policy that hands and feet are to be used for helping and never hurting. This promotes good Christian practices in the school yard. This year we will continue our focus on building our students academically, athletically and artistically. We will have many exciting, enriching initiatives to address these areas all the while maintain a solid spiritual base.
And finally...we ask for God’s blessings upon us all so that we may all work toward His greater glory. May this year truly be the best possible, remembering our motto for the year: Learning with Hearts, Hands and Minds- Growing in Harmony..
Saint Cecilia Parent Advisory Committee (CSPC = Catholic School Parent Council)
We hope the transition to a new school year has gone smoothly for your family and we look forward to an exciting fall at St Cecilia! For those of you not familiar with the role parent council (CSPC) plays at the school, here is a quick summary: 1.We provide a forum for parents, teaching and non-teaching staff and other members of the school community to make plans, share ideas and discuss issues; 2.We provide financial and volunteer support for school activities, both in and out of the classroom; 3.We organize and support programs and events that enrich the life of students and other members of the school community; 4.We do all this in a spirit of fun, community and Catholic values. WANT TO GET INVOLVED? There are numerous opportunities if you’re interested in getting involved. We are a school of over 650 children so there are MANY ways to get involved. If you can’t become a voting member of CSPC/Parent Council, but want to help, we will have numerous Committees this year working on different areas, including: Budget Committee; School Playgrounds Committee; Fundraising Committee; Green Committee; Parent Communications Committee; Audit Committee; Governance Committee and Events Committee. Please visit our blog if you’d like a bit more information about what each of these committees will focus on: http://stceciliaparentcouncil.weebly.com/committees.html . We rely on the generosity of parent volunteers to help us achieve all our goals. The committees are a great opportunity to influence what parent council does, to meet terrific parents in the school community and to get to know your school administration and staff. E-mail List We maintain a list of St Cecilia parent emails that we send parent council information out to. This
information includes agendas and minutes for meetings, reminders about events and activities, requests for volunteer help and other information that we feel is important/valuable. If you are not on our list, but would like to receive these emails, please send a note to [email protected] and we will add you on! Next Meeting Our Parent Council AGM and first meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2016 at 7:00pm in the school gym. Please join us…everyone is welcome! Look forward to seeing you! Marisa & Olga Parent Council (CSPC) Co-chairs St Cecilia parent blog: http://stceciliaparentcouncil.weebly.com/ S Cecilia parent Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stceciliaparents
School Masses & Celebrations October 19 - First Communion & Reconciliation Meeting and Registration 6:30 PM October 27 - School Mass 10 AM - Gratitude November 9 - Confirmation Meeting & Registration 6:00 PM November 24 - School Mass 9:30 AM - Feast of Saint Cecilia and Remembrance/Peace December 22 - School Mass 10 AM Theme: Charity/Christmas January 19 - School Mass 1:00 PM Theme: Courage February 9 - School Mass 10:00 AM - Love March 1 - Ash Wednesday/School Mass Theme: Forgiveness/Lent March 30 - School Confession 9:30 AM April 20 - School Mass 10 AM - Justice April 28 - First Reconciliation 6 PM April 29 - First Communion Mass 2:00 PM May 25 - School Mass 1:00 PM - Compassion June 22 - School Mass 10:00 AM - Faithfulness
St. Cecilia Students of the Month Our opening school mass was held on Tuesday, September 27 at St. Cecilia Church. Congratulations to the following students for embodying the virtue of hospitality.
Estela Andreolli Mia La Roche Isabel Andrews Maya Linowski Gloria Amorim Riley Manna Ante Blazanin Mirabelle Martin Natalia Buchanan Liam McKenna Sofia Costa Tristan Nascimento Lois Daniel Grace Patfield Maya Ege-Montenegro Kathryn Silva Davian Gomes Gregory Stewart Katelynn Huong Eyob Tsegay Samuel Johnston Franco Valdes Arias Kiira Kahar Logan Xerri Heran Yosef
Virtue of the Month for October: GRATITUDE
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it. Psalm 118:24
Guidance Corner – October
Creating Pathways to Success This year, students from grades one to eight will be encouraged to use myBlueprint as a tool to reflect on their growth throughout elementary school. Creating Pathways to
Success asks that students think about: Who Am I? What Are My Opportunities? Who do I
Want to Become? And What Are My Plans for Achieving My Goals?
Intermediate students will be required to work on their Individual Pathways Plans
(IPP) while students from grades one to six will develop their All About Me online
Portfolios. Encourage your children to share their accounts with you. The site is fully
accessible from home. Transition to Secondary School
October will be a busy month for the grade 8 students as they begin the high school
application process. The After 8 transition guides for both students and parents will be
delivered to the school soon, so you can expect to learn more about the process
when your child brings them home. Please note the following important dates: ● Monday, October 31st, 2016 – The
applications will be available for printing at the school. Expect the
application to come home on or just after this date.
● Monday, November 14th, 2016 – Applications are due back at the
School Board. Therefore, they must be returned to the school well before to ensure early arrival. Teachers will
provide due dates to your child so please be sure to return the forms on
time and completed correctly. Don’t forget to visit prospective Catholic
Secondary Schools or you can access a list on line at the following link:
https://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx. Open House
dates have been posted in all elementary schools.
Students are encouraged to note the dates and visit your local secondary schools to
learn about the programs that they offer. Mr. F. Amato
TCDSB Elementary Teacher-Guidance Counsellor Area 5 and Area 6
Holy Family, Pope Francis, St. Luigi, St. Rita, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Cecilia, St. Helen St.
Puis X, St. James, James Culnan, St. Michael, St. Mary, St. Puis X, St. James, James Culnan,
St. Michael, St. Mary, St. Puis X, St. James, James Culnan, St. Michael, St. Mary, & St.
Michael Choir
High School Open Houses Grade 8 students and their families are invited to
learn more about their secondary school options at open houses this fall. For a complete schedule, see: https://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/de
fault.aspx
Walking and Wheeling to School Toronto Public Health (TPH) encourages schools to get ready, get set and to get active! Let's get walking and wheeling to school. Walking and wheeling to school has great benefits for health and the environment. It's also a great way to fit physical activity into the day, which can energize students, improve self-esteem and foster readiness to learn. October is International Walk to School (IWALK) Month! Participate for a day (October 5th), a week (October 3rd – 7th) or all month long! IWALK is an annual global event taking place each October. For more information visit the Active & Safe Routes to School web site or talk to your Public Health Nurse (PHN). Here are some ideas to get your school ready, set and active!
Campbell’s “Labels for Education” is back St. Cecilia! Please remind your students to collect all of their Campbell’s product labels and deposit them into the folder located outside of the music room (Rm. 124). The Campbell’s Company has made the decision to end the contest indefinitely, as such the close the contest will close on December 31, 2016. I would like to honour the efforts made by the students, parents and teachers in past years and purchase something for the music program with the points, however we are not quite at a level to redeem. So, let’s see how many more points we can accumulate in the next few weeks! Thank you to all who attended the Curriculum Night BBQ! Special thanks to Ms. Reilly for being our photographer!
Bussing - Please send a note to school with your child, to be delivered to the office, if they are being picked up at the end of the day instead of taking the bus. This will make bus supervision much easier and smoother for everyone at the end of the day. Attendance - As per board and school protocol, all student absences must be reported to the main office. We ask parents to kindly refrain from emailing teachers to report absences as every absence must must go through the main office so we can maintain accurate records for the board and ministry of education. Doorbells & After Hours Access - Our school is accessible through the front door by ringing the doorbell until 4PM. This is a reminder that students and parents should not be disturbing the PLASP program or ringing their doorbell to re-enter the school after hours. The PLASP staff work very hard to provide quality programming and care for their students. Please respect this boundary and let them do their job without interruption.
Leading To Reading Program
At the Annette Library What is the Leading To Reading Program? Who are the volunteers?
This program helps children who are having difficulty with their reading or writing. It’s for
children who are in grades 1 to 6 as of last September. Children must speak and
understand English to be in this program.
The volunteers may be high school students, university students, adults, or seniors. Toronto Public Library screens
volunteers and provides training for them in this program.
What happens? How do I join?
A volunteer meets your child at the library for one hour per week at a regularly scheduled
time. Children receive help and encouragement with their reading and writing
and also play literacy based games and activities. Fun, engaging and interactive
sessions are an important part of your child’s learning.
Please complete and return this form to the library. Take the Teacher Assessment page and have your child’s teacher fill it in and
return it to you. Please Note: Your application will be
considered only if the Teacher Assessment page is completed.
Your application will be held for six months. If your child has not been placed in the program after this time, please reapply. For example, if you applied in September but your child has not been accepted into the program by March, please reapply.
When does it occur? What else do I need to know?
Sessions run continuously throughout the year with several holiday breaks. The program days
and times depend on the local library.
This is a free program. Enrolment is based on student and volunteer availability,
program space, and child needs, not by application date.
A little more about the Leading To Reading Program…
Leading to Reading is not a formal tutoring service but we try to improve children’s reading and writing skills. We also try to
build children’s interest and confidence in reading, writing and learning.
To help as many children as possible, these registration conditions apply. You and your child must:
Ö Attend all of the program sessions (choose a time when there will be no other activities) Ö Arrive on time, and you must pick up your child right at the end of their session (Please note that we do not supervise your child before or after the program) Ö Let your Leading To Reading volunteer know if your child cannot attend, before the session starts Ö Register your child in this program at only one library branch Ö Have a library card (it’s free) and borrow books to read at home
Please note: If you do not follow this registration agreement, your child’s space may be permanently given to a child from the waiting list. Please call 416-393-7692 if you have questions about the Annette program.
