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St. Ambrose Catholic School Newsletter 20 Coules Court, Etobicoke, Ontario, M8W 2N9

Telephone: (416) 393-5259 Fax: (416) 393-5039 Visit us: http://stambrose.tcdsb.org and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stambroseces

St. Ambrose Parish Superintendent: D. Yack 416-222-8282 ext. 2732 Principal: K. Van Dinter Fr. Donatello Iocco Trustee: A. Andrachuk 416-512-3402 Secretary: E. Silva (416) 251-8282 CSAC Chair: B. Minor Clerk Typist: M. Sewell

SEPTEMBER 2016

Principal’s Message

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

Welcome back! We hope you had a

restful summer with your family! A

warm welcome to both parents and

students as we begin another

school year! A special welcome to

all students and parents new to St.

Ambrose. We look forward to an

exciting year filled with various

learning experiences and school

events and ask God’s blessing for a

successful year!

I would like to take this

opportunity to thank Ms. Silva, Ms.

MacDougall and Mr. Crisobal for all

their efforts in preparing the

start of the school year!

Outlined in this newsletter is some

important information that will

promote a smooth start to the

school year. Please ensure that the

Student Information Sheet is

returned to the classroom teacher

by Friday, September 9th, 2016.

I am looking forward to working

with the entire St. Ambrose

community! The church, parent

community and the school will

continue to work together to

provide an excellent enriching

Catholic education for all our

students!

Katherine Van Dinter

Principal

Prayer For A New School Year

Loving God, Extend Your our families

This new school year.

May our school be filled with love,

Joy and hope. Let trespasses be forgiven,

Let wounds be healed,

Let conflict melt into harmony.

May our children grow in knowledge,

Understanding and Wisdom;

May they be strong in mind, body

and Spirit;

May they have the courage to follow

Your ways.

Finally dear God,

May home, parish and school work

Together

To create a world where our children

Can help build a civilization of love.

Amen.

Entrance and Dismissal

8:30 a.m. Morning Entry

10:12 a.m. Morning recess 11:15 a.m. L unch Hour 12:15 p.m. Afternoon entry

1:40 p.m. Afternoon recess

3:00 p.m. Dismissal

Student Absence/Lateness

If your child is absent,

parents/guardians must

call and leave a message on

the answering machine (Auto

Attendant, Press #1).

Include your child’s name,

teacher’s name, grade and a

reason for absence.

This action is a required and

necessary part of our Safe

Arrival Program where the

school and home share a

joint responsibility in an

effort to ensure a child’s

safety. When a student

arrives late for school, he

or she must report to the

office before going to

class.

Early Dismissal

Regular school attendance and

punctuality are very important

for student success.

Appointments, whenever possible,

should be arranged outside of

school hours. Students who must

leave before dismissal, must be

signed out by a parent/guardian

at the office.

Visitors to School

All visitors must report to the

office upon entering the school.

A sign-in procedure is in place

for anyone visiting the school.

Inclement Weather

On very cold or rainy days,

students are asked to arrive

to school just before the

bell. Those students present

at school will be permitted to

enter the building at 8:15 a.m.

in the morning. On such days,

the recess periods will be held

indoors and those students

who stay for lunch will be

supervised in the building.

Unless the weather conditions

are particularly bad, cold

weather alone does not

warrant an early entry to the

building or indoor recess.

Appropriate dress is a

requirement on such days.

Kiss’n Ride

Students may be dropped off

and picked up in the inner loop

designated for Kiss’n Ride. The

outer loop is designated strictly

for the buses only. Please arrive

no earlier than 8:15 a.m. for drop

off and no earlier than 3:00 p.m.

for pick up. This will allow

sufficient time for school buses

to enter the outer bus loop.

There is only one loop to enter

and one loop to exit. Buses will be

given priority to enter and exit.

Please follow directions given by

staff members on bus duty. To

facilitate the flow of traffic in

and out of the Kiss’n Ride,

please exit right on Coules

Court.

Please Note: There is no parking

in the Kiss’n Ride zone. Please

proceed to the end of the loop to

the designated drop off/pick up

zone marked off by traffic

cones. Drivers are to remain in

their car while your children

enter and exit from your vehicle.

Students may only exit the

vehicle from the drop off/pick

up zone marked off by traffic

cones.

Bus Transportation

Students must be ready to board

the bus as soon as the buses

arrive at a STOP or the school.

Buses will not wait since they

must keep to schedule, have

various runs and serve other

schools. If buses are late, please

call the bus company directly for

the latest information. The

school does not have any control

over the whereabouts of the

buses. Please note that

inconsistent travel will make it

very difficult to maintain service

for your child. If you request

transportation and your child

does not use the bus on a regular

basis, the space will be taken

away.

Expectations on the Bus and

in Bus Lines

For student safety, the following

expectations must be followed:

Observe the instructions of

the bus driver at all times.

Always show respect to the

bus driver and passengers

Respect others’ property and

do not cause damage to the

bus in any way

Do not talk loudly, yell, throw

objects or fight on the bus

Keep your hands and head

inside the bus. Do not lean

out the window, spit or throw

objects out the window

Remain seated and face the

front at all times until the

bus comes to a complete stop

Do not eat or drink on the bus

Cell phones, cameras, video

cameras and listening

devices may not be used on

the bus

Students are not allowed to

board another bus for any

reason (e.g., friend’s birthday

party, play date, group work)

Students are expected to

always go home on the

assigned bus unless a note is

provided or a telephone call is

made to the school with pick

up instructions.

Bus Information

Attridge: (416) 255-5199

**********

A.M. Routes (Before school)

Route PARO153 – Bus #1

Route CAR0155 – Bus #2

Route PARO164 - Bus #3

P.M. Routes (After school)

Route PAR0164 - Bus #1

Route CAR0166 - Bus #2

Route CAR0170 - Bus #3

Security Safety and Accidents

September is a great time to

review street proofing, basic

safety and security rules with

your child. This will reinforce

the lessons taught at school

during the school year. Despite

the constant reminders and

attention given to issues

regarding safety, occasional

accidents do happen. In the

case of minor accidents (cuts,

scrapes, etc.), first aid will be

administered by the staff.

If the child continues to be

uncomfortable or is in distress,

the school will notify the

parent. In the case of a serious

accident, parents will be

informed. If attempts to

contact you are unsuccessful,

school staff will take the

appropriate action as directed

by TCDSB policy. In case of

emergency, it is imperative that

all work, home, emergency

phone numbers and contacts are

kept accurate and up-to-date.

Student Accident Insurance

Forms

It is quite common for students

to have accidents whether it is

playing sports, or during free

play in the school yard. Parents

can buy an accident insurance

policy to provide no-fault

coverage for these common

injuries. Every year, Student

Accident Insurance forms are

made available to all students.

This plan provides coverage

for a variety of impairments,

dental injury, eyeglass damage

and many other associated

costs caused by accidents

that are not covered by the

Board or Government insurable

Health Services. If you choose

to purchase insurance, please

contact the company directly.

Coverage is available at a low

cost. Application forms and

payments are to be sent

directly to the company.

Lunch/School Form

In order to provide proper

safety those students staying

for lunch must remain on school

property during the entire

lunch period. Parent permission

and parent pick up must be

arranged ahead of time.

Students are expected to

provide a dated note to the

teacher.

Students will not be given

permission to leave the

premises. Please ensure you

return the school form sent out

by the classroom teacher.

In order to support the TCDSB’s

waste reduction initiatives, we

are asking parents to participate

in our “Waste Free Lunch”

program. It involves the

following;

Lunches and snacks should be

packed in a re-usable

container, not in disposable

bags.

Lunches and snacks should be

stored in resealable

containers.

Leftover food which can be

disposed of in the green bin

program at your home will be

brought back in their

reusable containers.

Pizza and Subway Lunches

Pizza and subway lovers! Mark

your calendars! We will be

offering Pizza and Subway

lunches throughout the school

year. Our first pizza lunch is

scheduled for Friday,

September 16th and our first

Subway lunch is Thursday,

October 6th.

Snack Shop

We will be selling healthy nut-

free snacks again this year.

Baked chips, baked Cheezies

and healthy popcorn will be sold

for $1.50 each, and healthy

chocolate chip cookies will be

sold for $1.00. Please refer to

the calendar for more

information.

Allergy

Awareness/Anaphylaxis

St. Ambrose is an allergen-

aware school. Some students at

St. Ambrose have severe life-

threatening allergies. The most

common allergen triggers are

food (e.g., peanuts, nuts), insect

stings, medications, exercise

and latex. Exposure to the

smallest quantities can cause

severe life-threatening

reactions. Contamination of

these products can easily

spread throughout the

classroom, on desktops,

washrooms, door handles and on

buses. Please ensure your child

does not bring items containing

allergens to school. Remind your

child to regularly wash their

hands with soap before and

after eating and remind them

that food is not to be shared

with others. More information

will be provided regarding

specific allergies in your child’s

classroom.

Also, please do not send any

food to school for birthday

celebrations. Birthdays can be

recognized in a variety of ways

(stickers, pencils, etc.) which do

not include food items. Thank

you for your support in

providing a safe ‘allergen aware’

environment!

Medications

At times, students need to take

medication during regular

school hours. Please note that

all medication brought to school

(prescription or non-

prescription) must be stored in

the office. Students cannot

keep medication in their desks

or in their backpacks.

Principals, teachers and support

staff are not permitted to

administer any type of

prescription medication during

the school day unless they

have written authorization

signed by the parent/guardian

and the prescribing physician.

The forms to dispense

medication must be updated on

a yearly and regular basis.

Forms can be obtained by the

office.

Also, please be advised that

staff in TCDSB schools will not

dispense any non-prescription

medications to students.

Although school staff cannot

administer medication, we can

supervise your children while

they are taking it. It is

extremely important that all

medication brought to the

school must be:

1. Measured and put in single

dose containers

2. Labelled clearly with your

child’s full name, time and

amount to be taken, and

whether refrigeration is

required.

When your child is ill, please

keep them at home. Sick

children can spread germs to

others, do not learn well and

cannot be supervised indoors

during outdoor activities. If

children are well enough to come

to school, they should be

outside getting their exercise

during recess and other outdoor

activities.

TCDSB Appropriate Dress Code

The appropriate dress code for

our school, as per TCDSB

SS.07, includes the following

guidelines:

*Top-Solid Navy Blue or

White

Including: dress shirts, blouses,

t-shirts (with or without collar,

long or short sleeve), turtle

necks, sweaters, vests, etc.

*Bottom-Solid Navy Blue

Including: Dress pant, chinos,

skirts, skorts, shorts (Bermuda

length), active wear (wind pants,

yoga pants, track pants), capris,

tights, leggings, etc. No Denim

or jeggings!

1.) All attire is free of any logo

or graphics (Gap, Roots, Polo,

etc), but may include the St.

Ambrose school crest

2.)Appropriate Dress Code

includes Phys. Ed. Attire,

school team training and day

excursions

3.)Navy and white school spirit

wear is permissible

4.)Exceptions to the

Appropriate Dress Code

include school-designated

Spirit or Theme Days and

picture day.

5.) All attire worn inside the

classroom (ie sweaters,

hoodies) must adhere to

Appropriate Dress Code

guidelines.

6.)Inappropriate dress shall

include anything that does not

meet the above criteria, as

well as hats and other attire

considered inappropriate in

the TCDSB policy, including,

but not limited to spaghetti

straps, racer-back tops,

midriff revealing tops, short

shorts and biking shorts.

Students are expected to comply to the Local School Dress Code. Non-compliance will lead to progressive discipline.

DRESS DOWN DAYS

Dress down/Civvies days will be

held the last Friday of each

month. Students are asked to

contribute a donation of $2.00

per student to support monthly

Share Life/Social Justice

initiatives. This month, all

proceeds will be directed to

our TCDSB Breakfast

programs to help give a

healthy start to the school

day for many students who

attend our Catholic schools.

Electronic Devices &

Cell Phones

Students are encouraged to

leave iPods, MP3 players, digital

games or toys, cameras, cell

phones and other personal

belongings of value at home. If

your child brings a cell phone to

school, it MUST be turned off

while on school property and

remain out of sight, including

classrooms, the hallways, the

washrooms, the parking lot

and the school yard. Matters

of urgency are dealt with at the

office. If your child needs to

contact you, they are to seek

permission to use the school

phone. The school will not be

responsible for lost/stolen

phones. In accordance with our

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

policy, students are only

permitted to use their cell

phones when there is a clear

educational purpose that has

been identified and supervised

by the teacher. Students who

have their phones on in school

will be given one warning

followed by a discipline report

for any further infractions.

PEDICULOUS

If you discover that your child

has been infected with lice,

please inform the office so that

the class can be checked to

prevent further spreading.

Pediculous (head lice) are

common among school children

especially after holidays where

students have attended camps.

Pediculous is not considered a

health problem – just a

nuisance. Any person, however

clean, can become infected by

exposure to other infected

persons or their belongings,

particularly hats, coats,

blankets, brushes, combs, etc.

Parents are advised to check

regularly. The eggs (nits) are

attached near the base of the

hairline at the back and the

sides of the head. For more

information, contact the school.

AGENDAS

Each student Grades 1 to 8 will

receive an agenda compliments

of the CPAC (Catholic Parent

Advisory Council). The agenda

is a valuable tool to assist with

student achievement. It allows

students to develop their

organizational skills, assist with

time management skills and

provides ongoing communication

between the home and the

school. Please review the St.

Ambrose Student Handbook

inserted in the student

agendas. Please sign and date

the behavior expectations

chart indicating that you have

read the rights, responsibilities

& behavior expectations

outlined in the St. Ambrose

Catholic School Student

Handbook.

BBQ CURRICULUM NIGHT

Thursday, September 29th

At 5:30 pm

We welcome parents to our

BBQ/ Curriculum Night on

Thursday, September 29th! This

is an excellent opportunity to

meet your child’s teacher, to

see the classroom learning

environment and to receive an

overview of the curriculum for

the year. BBQ Curriculum

Night forms will be directed

home soon!

CATHOLIC PARENT

ADVISORY COUNCIL (CPAC)

ELECTIONS AND COUNCIL

MEETING Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

Library – 6:30 pm

All parents are invited to

consider becoming a member of

the Catholic Parent Advisory

Council. Your participation can

only serve to enhance all the

wonderful things that happen in

our school! We will be holding an

election to fill the

parent/guardian positions for

the 2016-2017 term. You will

find a nomination form attached

to this newsletter. All

nomination forms and profiles

must be returned to the

school no later than Tuesday,

September 13th, 2016.

An election committee,

consisting of parents/guardians

that are NOT planning to run

for a position on the CSPC

council, is also being formed to

assist with the election process.

If you are interested in joining

the election committee, please

email

Katherine.vandinter@tcdsb.org

Childcare will be provided for

your school- aged children

during all CSPC meetings.

SECONDARY SCHOOL

OPEN HOUSES

All Toronto Catholic District

School Board secondary schools

host open houses each fall for

Grade 8 students and their

families. This is a great

opportunity to meet some staff,

check out the school facilities

and learn more about the

various programs, services and

activities as you prepare for

secondary school education. For

a complete list of dates and

locations, visit: https://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx

The Open House for Father

John Redmond Catholic

Secondary School is October

27th, 2016 at 6:30 pm.

CLASS PLACEMENTS

Please be mindful that current

student class placements are

tentative until September 30th

(and on occasion, into early

October). Student enrolment

does fluctuate during the

month of September and all

class sizes must meet Ministry

and TCDSB requirements by the

end of the month. It may yet

become necessary to

restructure our classes. We

thank all families who may be

impacted in advance for their

understanding and

co-operation!

DISCLAIMER

From time to time, the school

will send home information from

non-profit organizations. We

remind parents and guardians to

exercise caution any time they

participate in or enrol their

child in an outside

organization’s event after

school hours. The school and

the TCDSB are not liable for

the quality of service these

organizations provide or for the

safety of the participants. We

forward this information to

keep our parent community

informed of the wide variety of

opportunities available with our

local community.

Parent Email Distribution List -

September 2016

At St. Ambrose Catholic School,

we strive for on-going

communication between the

school and parent community. In

September, we will continue to

provide parents/guardians with

weekly updates of upcoming

events and important notices by

email (i.e., the ‘Friday Flash’) as a

blind carbon copy (Bcc). For your

privacy, these email messages

will be sent to you without your

email address appearing in the

message.

The monthly newsletter and

calendar will also be sent home

electronically. Pertinent

messages or reminders will also

be sent to you by email. Please

note that paper copies of

excursion information and

permission forms for team/club

practices and meetings will be

sent home for parent/guardian

signature.

If you would like your email

address included in the

distribution list and haven’t

already done so, please complete

the form attached to this

newsletter and return to the

office. If you require a paper

copy of the

newsletter/messages, please

complete the form attached.

Safety in the School Yard

during Recess

During recess, we want our

students to keep active, healthy

and safe. Recess equipment has

been purchased for the classes in

order to encourage safe physical

exercise during outdoor play.

Hard balls (i.e., soccer balls, hard

footballs, etc.) are not permitted

in the yard. Students must play

in the designated areas (i.e.,

soccer on the school yard field,

basketballs in the basketball

courts) and are reminded to be

cognizant of their surroundings

including other students standing

or playing nearby. At no time

may a ball be kicked up or

thrown in the air or over

groups of students, over long

distances, high up on an

exterior school wall. Students

who are chatting with friends or

participating in other games are

asked to find a location away

from ball play to reduce their

risk of injury.

Please remind your child to seek

assistance from the teacher on

duty if a conflict or issue arises.

The teacher can assist in

mediating situations in a peaceful

and equitable manner.

REGISTRATIONS

All Registrations require the

following documents:

A. Birth Certificate

B. Baptismal Certificate

C. Health Card

D. Immunization Record

E. Proof of Permanent Address

F. Passport (if born outside

Canada)

G. Telephone numbers for

home, work and emergency

contact

New for September 2016-2017!

St. Ambrose YMCA

Before and After School Program

Full Day Kindergarten Quality Care for 4 & 5

Year Olds

•Located in St. Ambrose Catholic

School •Open at 7:30a.m. until 8:30 a.m. (the school bell) and after school until 6:00p.m. • P.A. Days, Winter Break and March Break included in your fee (excluding A.M. Only) Program Fees: A. M. Only -$18.00 /day P. M. Only – $25.80 /day AM/PM – $29.00 /day (Subsidy is available with the City of Toronto, call 311 for more information. Current child care fee subsidies are transferable) Register today! For program details call; (416) 622-6331 or filomena.zita@ymcagta.org

SEPTEMBER

,

HOSPITALITY

As we welcome our students back

to school in September it seems fitting that this month’s virtue is

HOSPITALITY. Our teachers

have been busy preparing their classrooms, gathering together

resources, supplies and putting up bulletin boards that will invite the

students back into a welcoming

environment.

Hospitality is more than just a

welcoming back. Our quote for the month is from Matthew

25:40, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do

unto me”. In our school community

and in our homes we can discuss the concept of the least of our

people or the stranger who needs our hospitality, be it the

newly arrived to Canada or the

new student at our school. Today hospitality is more important than

ever and it is only through a

deep moral obligation to hospitality that we can transform

our communities. We encourage our students to always be

welcoming and inclusive to others

in their everyday words and actions. Simple acts of kindness

such as a smile, a warm-felt hello, and inviting everyone to play makes

others feel welcomed and included.

In our homes, we encourage parents/guardians to discuss the

virtue of hospitality and how we

can welcome others into our lives.

SCHOOL MASS

Our First school mass with

Father Donatello will be on

Friday, September 16th at 9:15

am. All are welcome to attend!

Sacramental Preparation Sacramental preparation is done through the Parish. Confirmation will be for grade 7 and grade 8 students this year. If you would like to register for First Communion or Confirmation, please refer to the website: www.stambroseparish.com and click on the link ‘sacraments’ for more information!

TCDSB THREE-YEAR PASTORAL PLAN

This year the TCDSB

introduces a new three-year

pastoral plan entitled “Together

with One Voice: Harmonizing

Our Faith Through Family,

Parish and School”. This theme

builds on faith, hope and

charity of the previous three-

year pastoral plan. The 2016-17

year’s emphasis will on the

“Parish”. Resources for the

Year of the Parish can be found

on the board’s website: https://www.tcdsb.org/board/nurturingourcatholiccommunity/year-of-family/pages/default.aspx

CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AWARD

The Catholic Community Award

is a monthly award given to

students who display the virtue

of the month.

These are the students whose

daily efforts contribute to

nurturing our Catholic School

communities.

In keeping with the Board’s

focus on living our values, the

Catholic community award is

given to those students who

display the virtue of the month.

They are the students whose daily

efforts contribute to nurturing our

Catholic community. Students who

have received the Catholic community

award will be acknowledged at our

monthly virtue assembly.

September: The Catholic Community

Award:

Criteria for the Virtue of Hospitality

Students who welcome others

Students who work on the

positive, and believe the

universe is basically a friendly

place

Students who accept and

celebrate diversity and

pluralism

Students who approach and

accept others who might be

“different” from the status

quo, with an open heart

Our first virtue assembly will be

held on Wednesday, September

28th at 10:40 am. All parents/

guardians are welcome to attend!

NEW FACES, NEW NAMES

We have a few new staff members

who have joined our St. Ambrose

community this year! A very warm

welcome to:

Ms. B. Jovanovska - ECE

Ms. T. Martins-Pereira - Grade 2/3

Ms. M. Sauro – Vocal Music

INFORMATION, URGENT MESSAGES, NEWSLETTER AND CALENDAR TO THE

ST. AMBROSE PARENT/GUARDIAN SCHOOL COMMUNITY REQUEST

Please complete the following information and return to the office.

(Please Check One):

Add my contact information to the St. Ambrose Parent/Guardian Email Distribution List.

(Please Note: All emails are sent using blind carbon copies (Bcc) for your privacy.)

Send home a Paper Copy of the school newsletter/notices.

Parent Name (Please Print): _____________________________________

Child: ________________________________ Grade: ____ Teacher: ____________________________

Child: ________________________________ Grade: ____ Teacher: ____________________________

Child: ________________________________ Grade: ____ Teacher: ____________________________

Father’s Email Address: _______________________________________________________

Mother’s Email Address: ______________________________________________________