Dear Parents and Guardians,

The clerical, custodial, teaching and admin-

istrative staff wish everyone a safe and joy-

ful holiday filled with the blessing of the

Christmas season. May the spirit of peace

and wellness be with you during this time

and throughout the coming year.

Staff of St. Cecilia School.

S T . C E C I L I A C A T H O L I C

S C H O O L

3 5 5 A N N E T T E S T R E E T

4 1 6 3 9 3 - 5 2 4 7

L U N C H : 1 1 : 1 5 - 1 2 : 1 5

R E C E S S E S :

1 0 : 1 0 - 1 0 : 2 1

1 : 5 5 - 2 : 1 0

S C H O O L H O U R S :

8 : 3 0 A M - 3 : 0 0 P M

O F F I C E H O U R S :

8 : 0 0 A M - 4 : 0 0 P M

P L A S P H O U R S :

St. Cecilia Catholic School D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

Principal: Liliana Vani

Vice-Principal: Antoniet-ta Grossi

Secretary: Maria Fau-ceglia

Clerk Typist: Javiera Vi-dal

Head Custodian: Andrew Platnar

Trustee: Barbara Pop-lawski

Superintendent:

John Wujek

Pastor: Fr. Joseph Tran

Parishes: St. Cecilia

Virtue of the Month N O V E M B E R : P E A C E

Virtue Medal Recipients We congratulate the following students for being peacemakers among us and

receiving the virtue medal for the month of November.

Avery Raposo, Katarina Liu, Olivia Correia, Sebastian Bohren, Kaia Jakubawicz, Jack Cabral,

Liam Kearsey, Claire Van Pratt, Anthony Borges, Madeline Nikodym, Declan Benish, Ariana

Mangion, Azzareya Biggart, James Furman, Diego Carreno Palma, Gabriele Sims, Carmen

Beth Bissell, Maeghan Klein, Emily Nikodym, Cecilia Cordeiro, Monica Vu, Matheus Rego,

Jarrett Sims, Kailee Young, Delko Blazanin, Bless Endoh, Shannon Crawford, Olivia Leng.

Peace Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, who is

called the Prince of Peace,

who are yourself our

peace and reconciliation,

who so often said, "Peace

to you," grant us peace.

Make all people witnesses

of truth, justice, and love.

Banish from their hearts

whatever might endanger

peace. Enlighten our rulers

that they may guarantee

and defend the great gift

of peace. May all peoples

on the earth become as

brothers and sisters. May

longed-for peace blossom

forth and reign always

over us all. Amen

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be

called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Community Christmas Mass

St. Cecilia Catholic Church

You are cordially invited to attend a community Christmas Mass to celebrate the Holy Season.

Fr. Joseph Pham will be our celebrant and an enactment of the birth of Christ will be per-

formed by students under the direction of Mme. Faion-Kralik, Mme. Pasquale, Mme. Walsh,

Ms. Sauro and Mr. Schneider.

In order to accommodate parents and students we will be holding

two masses.

The First Mass will be held on Tuesday, December 19th for parents of children

from Kindergarten to Grade 3.

The Second Mass will be held on Wednesday, December 20th for Grades 4 to 8.

Parents with multiple children are asked to attend the liturgy scheduled on the date for the

eldest child. For example, if you have children in grades 2, 4, and 6, you would attend the mass

on December 20th for Grades 4-8 since the eldest is in grade 6.

We look forward to celebrating the Spirit of Christmas you!

Looking Ahead

Jan 8th-First Day of School

Jan 9th– CSPC Meeting @ 7:00pm

Jan 10th-OSLSAT for Grade 4 students

Jan 11th & 12th –Bus Presentations

Jan 17th– Kindergarten Registration

Jan 19th– PA Day

Jan 25th– School Mass

St. Cecilia Catholic School

DECEMBER 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

PA Day

2

3

Advent Begins

4 5 6French Immer-sion Registration Information @ 6:30

Swim Meet try-out @ 6:50

7

Swim Meet try-out @ 6:50

8 9

10 11 12 13

Choir at Queen’s

Park

14Coffee Ap-

preciation

Ned Show

15 16

17 18

Spirit Week:

Red & Green

Day

19

Community

Mass @ 6:30

K-Gr.3

20

Community

Mass @ 6:30

Gr.4-8

21

Kinder Christmas

Concert @ 1:00 in

gym

22

Civvies Day

Last Day of School

prior to Holiday

23

24

Christmas

Eve

25

Merry Christ-

mas!

26 27 28 29 30

31

December Highlights/Updates 2017

Virus Season

What is Norovirus infection?

Norovirus is a highly contagious infection also known as Norwalk virus. It is a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea each win-

ter and is often referred to as 'winter vomiting disease' or 'stomach flu' (although it is not caused by the influenza virus). Norovirus

infections have been linked to outbreaks of vomiting and/or diarrhea in child-care centres, long-term care homes as well as on

cruise ships, camps, schools, restaurants, households and other places where people gather.

How does the Norovirus spread?

People can become infected with the virus in several ways:

• Direct contact (e.g. shaking hands) with another person who is infected

• Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus (e.g. door knob, hand or stair railings, etc.) and then touching your

mouth or eyes

• Eating food or drinking beverages that are contaminated by an infected person

• Airborne transmission has been suggested to explain its rapid spread in settings like schools and day cares

Those infected with Norovirus can spread it once they feel ill and for up to two days after the

symptoms (usually diarrhea) stop but people can carry the virus for up to two weeks longer.

What are the signs and symptoms of Norovirus infection?

Infected individuals usually experience sudden onset of nausea, vomiting and watery diarrhea that lasts about one to three days.

Other symptoms may include fever and stomach cramps. Severe illness or hospitalization is uncommon. Dehydration is the most

common complication, especially among young children and the elderly. Seek medical attention or call TeleHealth Ontario

(1-866-797-0000) if you have high fever, bloody diarrhea or illness lasting longer than 72 hours.

How long do symptoms of Norovirus infection last?

Infected individuals usually recover in two to three days without serious or long-term health effects.

How soon do the symptoms appear after I have been exposed?

Symptoms usually appear within 10 hours, but can develop up to two days after exposure to the

virus.

What should I do if I, or a family member, become infected with Norovirus?

• Stay at home until you are well for at least 48 hours so you are no longer infectious to

others

• Drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration

• Seek medical attention if symptoms persist or worsen

• Clean and disinfect high traffic/touch areas (e.g. taps, bathrooms, doorknobs, surfaces, etc.) frequently with a

dilute bleach and water solution.

Since an increase in student absences due to vomiting and diarrhea have been reported we have provided information

from our Public Health Nurse (Aleksandra Basarab) regarding Norovirus.

Candy Drive

Update

We congratulate Honora Murphy for organizing a successful Halloween candy drive.

The candy was delivered Wednesday, November 8 to the Canadian Food For Children

and was received with gratitude which is extended to the school community for their

generous contributions!

Holiday Guide…. give the gift of reading

PLAYGROUND UPDATE

Maia Puccetti, superintendent of facilities, and Frank Ferrante, facilities manager, have re-

viewed the playground at the south end of the school. An independent assessment con-

firms that the structure is sound and should weather a few more years. The wood chips will

be removed to investigate the full extent of the problem in order to determine the most

viable solution. In the interim, a chain link fence has been placed around the play structure

to restrict access during/after school. Possible replacement materials were discussed with

parents during the CSPC meeting on November 14th and will be followed up at a subse-

quent meeting to be scheduled in the new year. Given the timeline and the weather, it is

unlikely that the play structure will be re-opened before the Spring of 2018. We will contin-

ue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Monthly Update from the Board

December 2017

Parents Urged to Check Their Liability Insurance Coverage

At the October 19, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Board resolved that all parents of the Board should be advised to consider contacting their home insurance providers to determine the adequacy of their home insurance coverage to cover claims arising out of injuries caused by their child at school.

The reason for the Board of Trustee direction is that there have been a few instances recently where legal action has been initi-ated for personal injury or other harm to a student allegedly caused by another child.

A brief consultation by parents with their insurance provider is advised so parents can assess the adequacy of their insurance coverage if they are sued for personal injury or other harm allegedly caused by their child at school.

Inclement Weather Protocol

With the approach of winter and the associated ice and snow, there is always a possibility of school bus cancellations or delays, as well as cancellation of programs and services such as evening classes or permits. Your best source of information is via Twitter @TCDSB. For those who are not on Twitter, please tune in to local television and radio networks for updates. Other good sources of information are:

TCDSB’s website www.tcdsb.org

Toronto Student Transportation Group website https://www.torontoschoolbus.org

TCDSB 24-hour Telephone Information Line: 416-222-8282 ext. 2873

Or if you wish to receive updates right to your email, subscribe to enews: https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Christmas Holidays

The last day of classes before the Chr istmas break will be Fr iday, December 22, 2017. Schools will reopen on Monday, January 8th, 2018.

Administrative offices will be closed from Saturday December 23rd through to Monday, January 1, 2018.

SAVE THE DATE!

Kindergarten Registration Begins January 17th at 10 a.m.

Visit www.tcdsb.org for details.

December’s Virtue is Charity

Find all the resources related to the monthly virtue, as well as other resources to support faith development and Religion and Family Life on our website here: https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Pages/Default.aspx

TCDSB Celebrates Advent and Christmas

Visit the board’s website for the latest news and information from TCDSB schools including food and clothing drives, Christ-mas baskets for needy families, Christmas concerts and other special events.

https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2018/pages/Advent-and-Christmas.aspx

Me to We The Me to We Club is hosting a used

book sale as one of our local cam-

paigns! Please drop off any gently used

books that you would like to donate

in front of the music room.

Books will be collected until Friday

December, 8th.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

The Me to We Club.

Thank you to Everyone who has ordered a Rafiki bracelet. It was a huge success!

Rafiki Bracelets were ordered on Friday, December 1st, and will be delivered to

students in their class upon arrival. Thank you again for ongoing support!!

Rams win a tight game at the Mattamy Centre

On November 3, 2017 Mr. LaGamba’s grade 6 class as well as many other classes went to

the Mattamy Centre to watch the women's Ryerson Rams play against the Brock Badgers. It took a

long time to get into the arena because there was many other schools there and the lines went out

the door. Many students bought chips, popcorn, drinks and candy! When the game started every-

body rushed to their seats. The play was back and forth said grade 6 student Katherine Borkowski.

Each team had their chances to shine. In the first period, the Brock Badgers scored the opening goal

on their second shot. Despite letting in a goal on her second shot, goalie, Rachel Seely played a

phenomenal game, stopping 32 out of 33 shots that she faced. She was not fazed by letting in the

second shot that she faced. Seely was a brick wall for the remainder of the game, staying focused

until the end. The Rams battled back and scored a goal in the first period to tie the game1-1. The

atmosphere was electric and the Ryerson fans cheered loudly and proudly for their team. In over-

time, the Badgers were charged with a penalty to give the Rams a 4 on 3 powerplay for 4 minutes.

Badgers’ goalie, Jensen Murphy played exceptionally well, too. She was able to keep the game tied

at 1. In the shootout, Ailish Forfar, Alex Rodriguez and Elexa Pakozdy scored for Ryerson while

Amanda Ieradi scored for Brock. Ryerson RAMMED the Brock Badgers in the shootout! The

Ryerson crowd went wild as the Rams won the game and improved their record to 6 wins and 3

losses!

By: Grade 6 students Katherine Borkowski and Joshua Bullock

The holiday season is quickly approaching! A sincere thank you our to our Playground Committee and the vol-unteers who came out on a Saturday morning in November to help clean up around the school and kinder yard - it was a small but mighty group of parents! It will be exciting to receive the new St Cecilia athletic wear which was designed/organized by fellow parents Olga and Leisbeth. All of the profits will be going towards enriching the student experience. Thank you to Sonia (of Tiny Trendsetter) for hosting the online purchasing. CSPC will be hosting a St Cecilia staff appreciation on Thursday December 14th at the school (11am-1pm) - spe-cialty coffees will be available for all staff members to enjoy. We appreciate all that you do to make the St Cecilia experience memorable for all of the students. At our last CSPC meeting, Superintendents Maia Puccetti (Facilities Services) and John Wujek (Education), along with Frank Ferrante (Operations Manager West) attended in order to address concerns and answer questions regarding the rat infestation in the back play structure. We would like to thank them for attending and for facili-tating the next step in helping to understand and resolve the problem. This is an important issue as we all want to see the playground open, however, it is a complex problem. The school administration and the Board are working hard at getting the issue resolved.

Please join us at the next CSPC meeting on Tuesday December 12 at 7 pm. Babysitting will be provided .

A very Merry Christmas to you and your families and enjoy time with each other. Sincerely,

Catholic School Parent Council