December 2013

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School News

Warmest gratitude and best wishes to Mark Szczerba, our head caretaker, who will be leaving us to join the Msgr. Fraser School community. Thank you for your years of humble service and dedication to the SFA community. You will be sorely missed!

Welcome to Mr. Caravaggio, our additional Instrumental Music teacher!

“And now abide with faith, hope, charity, these three; but the

greatest of these is charity.” (1Corinthians 13: 1)

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectation: A Collaborative Contributor Principles of Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable Overview of the Virtue of Charity

The virtue of Charity means being generous with our presence, time, and money.

Charity allows us to give freely without expecting anything in return.

The virtue of charity encompasses a range of small acts and habits that affects our own immediate surroundings as well as the larger global community. It can be as simple as giving someone a smile or it can be expressed on a larger scale through raising funds for world organization

A heartfelt thank you to the all the students, staff and families who have contributed to fundraising efforts to support relief efforts in the Philippines. St. Francis of Assisi School raised $517.25. Many thanks for your generosity in both prayer and financial support. At a Glance: Some Important Dates to Remember December 5

th to 12

th: Scholastic Book Fair

December 10th: Primary Soccer Tournament, SFA hosting

December 11th: Advent Confessions, SFA Parish

December 12th: Advent Concert and Showcase

December 13th: Advent Mass, SFA Parish, 9:30 a.m.

December 20th: PD Day, no classes for students

December 23rd

to January 3rd

: Christmas Break January 6

th : Classes Resume

Please see the monthly calendar for additional information and events.

St. Francis of Assisi

Catholic School

80 Clinton Street Toronto, ON M6G 2Y3

Telephone No.: 416 393-5206 Fax No.: 416 393-5782

Principal:

Connie Giordano

Superintendent: John Shanahan

416 222-8282 Ext. 5371 john.shanahan@tcdsb.org

Trustee: Jo-Ann Davis 416 512-3409

Jo-anndavis.ca jo-ann.davis@tcdsb.org

Parish:

St. Francis of Assisi Church 72 Mansfield Avenue

Toronto, ON M6J 2B2

416 536-8195 Fr. J. Zammit

Hours of Operation: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Lunch Hour:

11:35 am to 12:35 pm ________________________________

NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH The following students best demonstrated November‟s virtue of Peacemaking. Congratulations to: JK/SK Juliana A SK/1 Shane B 2/3 Sofia G 3/4 Alexander S 5 Joanne Z 6/7 Nayla I 7/8 Philip V Ms. O‟Keefe/Nina Amarri S S Ms. Calautti Christopher P Ms. Bamber Liam P French Rebecca F Portuguese Jacob B Instrumental Music Chiara F

INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL Congratulations to our Intermediate Volleyball teams, who both played in tournaments at Holy Family. Both teams displayed great skills, teamwork and sportsmanship on the court and held their own against their opponents. They faced some tough competition all day, yet proved to be just as tough. Off the court, our young athletes displayed terrific camaraderie, respect and behaviour. They may not have ended their tournaments as champions, but they were champions to Ms. Prsa, Ms. Pol-Bodetto, Mr. Totten and Mr. Cotton for their efforts and commitment to practice. Congratulations go to:

Boys: Back Row: Antonio V, Max T, Simon C, Marcio G, Luigi DF Middle Row: Ethan P, Jacob B, Philip V, Tiago O Front Row: Vitor C

Girls: Back Row: Stephanie DS, Nayla I, Stella B Precious C, Kaityln DS, Rachela DF Front Row: Cecilia L, Jessica F, Anne C, Asiah G, Anne H

HOLOCAUST EDUCATION WEEK PROGRAM AT THE COLLEGE/SHAW LIBRARY As part of our ongoing partnership with TPL, our grades 6, 7 and 8 students had the rare opportunity to listen to Holocaust survivor, Mr. Eisen.

Mr. Eisen among our students

“Mr. Eisen came to the Public Shaw Library and told the grade 6, 7 and 8 classes a very sad but inspiring story about his life in the Second World War. Mr. Eisen is a Jewish man who had to run away with his family, was separated from his family and traveled alone to many countries, hiding himself and came upon many unimaginable obstacles where death was so close. His strong desires to survive and determination to find his family moved us and made us appreciate our life here in Canada. Mr. Eisen now lives in Canada, is married with two children and five grandchildren. Mr. Eisen travels the world, retelling his amazing story of hope, death and miracles.” Antonio V.

The students are continuing to visit the Shaw Public Library each month where they have the opportunity to explore a variety of books, magazines and newspapers.

“It is so nice to be able to sit in a quiet setting and read a book that I selected and like.” Anne C “We get to read different books and find genres that we like.” Adrien B

“I like that it’s quiet and I like looking at all the comic books.”Nayla I

Ms. O’Keefe’s class visit to LOBLAWS By: Marcio G

My experience at Loblaws was great. Surprisingly I enjoyed it

because I thought it was going to be boring. I thought because it

was a food trip it was going to be boring.

I met a dietician named Maxine. She is the person who helped

my class and I make these great dips. We made two dips that we

got to taste and eat. The dips were great and delicious! We ate

the dips with carrots, broccoli and bread.

A few things I have learned at Loblaws are:

1. At Loblaws, there is a star programme to tell people what is healthy and what is not.

2. I have learned that a lot of my groceries weren‟t as healthy as I thought they were.

3. I learned how to make two great dips to enjoy at home when I got the supplies (ingredients).

4. I have learned how to eat healthier.

Well, from this experience I have learned many things. From

what I eat, how it‟s made and what to buy. I thank Ms. O‟Keefe,

for choosing this trip. Also, I thank Maxine, the dietician who

helped us.

Students from Ms. O‟Keefe‟s class reading and interpreting

nutritional information on labels.

BULLYING AWARENESS AND PREVENTION

SYMPOSIUM: We All Belong!

On Thursday, November 20th, each elementary school from the

TCDSB sent representatives ( a teacher, CYW, parent and

students) to the 3rd Safe Schools Bullying Symposium.

This year's theme is "We All Belong". There, we were treated to a variety of presentations by Sol Express and Detective McBryde on Cyber Safety and given tools, strategies, and materials to share at school. Thank you to Ms. Antoinette Garda, Dylan C and Stella B for volunteering their time to represent us. To help reinforce this, our Grades 5 through 8 students participated in a Safe and Secure Online Presentation sponsored by Scotiabank. During this presentation, students learned how to navigate the web in a safe and responsible manner. Below are some of their comments.

"I learned that if you are getting bullied online to tell your mom or dad and to print a copy of the messages that were sent to you"

"Show your parents before updating something on your computer because it

could be a hacker trying to load a program on your computer"

"When you put something on the internet, it never goes away"

"I learned that people can change the sound of their voice with

computer programs"

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2014 The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites families with children born in 2010, to register for Kindergarten beginning Wednesday, January 8th, 2014. Please call the school to set up a time to register. For parents who cannot register their children during regular school hours, St. Francis of Assisi will be hosting an evening registration from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, January 20

th, 2014.

For September 2014: • Children born in 2010 are eligible for Junior Kindergarten • Children born in 2009 are eligible for Senior Kindergarten and French Immersion Senior Kindergarten. New for 2014: parents can save time and complete their application via the Board‟s new Online Registration Website: http://soar.tcdsb.org The following documents are required for registration:

1.Child's Birth Certificate (Certificate of Citizenship or Landed Immigrant Status) 2.Child's Catholic Baptismal Certificate (or other proof of Catholicity) 3.Child's Immunization Record 4.Proof or residency in Toronto

General information is available by telephone at 416-222-8282, ext. 5314 or via the board‟s website at www.tcdsb.org

FRENCH IMMERSION INFORMATION EVENING

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is pleased to offer French Immersion to students beginning in Senior Kindergarten at eight locations in the City of Toronto. St. Francis of Assisi in Toronto is among the newest schools offering French Immersion. Children who are five years old by December 31, 2014 are eligible to attend the program. Please join us for an information evening on Monday, January 20

th, 2014

at 6:00 p.m. in the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Music Room.

CAVALCADE OF LIGHTS

On Thursday, November 28, Ms. Sobol‟s Grade 5 class helped kick off Little Italy’s Cavalcade of Lights celebration. With Mr. Kelly‟s musical accompaniment, they sounded angelic on that frosty, snowy night. It was definitely a wonderful community event. Many thanks to Ms. Sobol, Mr. Kelly and all parents for helping us make this such a sweet success.

AGO On Friday, November 22

nd, Ms. Sobol‟s Grade 5 class visited the

Art Gallery of Ontario. The morning portion of the visit was spent exploring the David Bowie Is ... exhibit. This revolutionary exhibit combined all the senses to show the life and times of David Bowie. Each student had a headset that played music, information, interviews and commentary as they traveled around the exhibit that spanned 2 floors of the AGO. The students were most impressed by the creativity and longevity of Bowie as a musician and artist. His costumes, especially, were a big hit! In the afternoon the students became artists themselves by sculpting city blocks out of all sorts of different materials. The students worked in groups to build four buildings on a scale model of a city block. The creativity flowed and each group crafted an amazing piece of work. When we returned to school we placed all of the blocks together in order to see our imaginary city take place! A big thank you to Mrs. Virdo and Mrs. Weir for joining us as supervisors. "I learned that David Bowie's costumes show his different personas"

"I learned that David Bowie is a singer, artist and clothing designer" "It was really cool how he was just being himself and look at the attention he got!"

"I learned about David Bowie's art, style and music" "In the sculpture workshop, I learned how to turn ordinary materials into a city block" "The school felt so small when we got back!"

Sculpture of a city block created by Ms. Sobol‟s students.

INFERENCE GYM

To support our identified area of greatest need in Literacy, our Grades 3, 4 and 5 students have been working on reading for meaning in their inference gym. Students rotated through four stations to support their work with making inferences. The stations were Inferring for Meaning with Poetry; Inferring with a Storyboard; Inferring with music; and Inferring on the Computer. While students were actively engaged and enjoying the activities, we also found that their ability to make inferences was augmented by this experience.

Students showing their understanding of lyrics and meaning of

song through art.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI PARISH NEWS

A reminder for the Rite of Enrolment for the First Holy Communion and Confirmation candidates who have not yet attended is this Sunday, December 1

st at the 11:30 a.m. Mass or Saturday, December 7th during

the 5 p.m. Mass. A reminder to the Confirmation Candidates that their first meeting for Unit 1 is also on Sunday, December 1st at 10.30 am or Saturday, December 7th at 4:00 p.m.

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Christmas Eve: Tuesday, December 24

th

No Morning Mass Christmas Prelude 8:30 p.m. Mass in English 9:00 p.m. Christmas Prelude 11:30 p.m. Bilingual Mass 12 midnight Christmas Day: Wednesday, December 25

th

Mass in Italian 9:00 a.m. Mass in English 11:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve: Tuesday, December 31

st

Exposition of Blessed Sacrament and Adoration 3:30 p.m. Benediction of Blessed Sacrament 4:45 p.m. Mass in English 5:00 p.m. New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1

st

Mass in Italian 9:00 a.m. Mass in English 11:30 a.m. Wednesday December 11th is Day of Confessions Schedule at St Francis of Assisi Parish is: 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. All are welcome.

A FAMILY ADVENT-URE

Throughout December, students in Senior Kindergarten will take home a „Joy Bag‟ for one night to celebrate Advent together as a family. The „Joy Bag; contains a purple and pink mat, a small advent wreath with four candles, a nativity scene, a Christmas story and a response journal for families to record their comments. At home, the children invite their families to place the Advent wreath and nativity scene on the mat, light the appropriate candle(s) and read the Christmas story. In this manner, the entire family experiences the gift of God coming among us.

WINTER WEATHER As the colder weather approaches, please ensure that students come to school well prepared. All students should be dressed appropriately, so that they may participate in all aspects of the school program. Warm jackets, snow pants, hats, gloves, scarves and warm boots will be necessary as the temperature drops. We recommend that you label all items. Please keep a labeled pair of indoor shoes in your child‟s classroom, so that we can keep our classrooms dry. We do not want students walking around in sock feet. Students who are well enough to attend school will go out for recess. In cases of extreme cold or weather conditions, recess will be held indoors. During inclement weather, students will enter through the atrium no earlier than 8:15 am., where they will be supervised by a teacher. They will then proceed to their classrooms where teacher will be present to supervise. With the approach of winter, please note that should it become necessary to cancel school bus transportation or close schools due to inclement weather, the Communications Department and Toronto Student Transportation Group will endeavour to provide updates through the following vehicles:

News releases to radio and television outlets in Toronto (Note: although the news release is provided to the media outlets, there is no guarantee that all television and radio stations will broadcast the information in a timely fashion.)

Notification to E-News subscribers

Updates will also be posted on the Board‟s 24-hour information line, 416-222-8282, extension 2873.

The information will also be posted on the homepage of the Board‟s website at www.tcdsb.org

The Toronto Student Transportation Group will post this information on its website at http://www.schoolbus.to/c_home.asp

Follow TCDSB on twitter @tcdsb

CSAC Many thanks to parents who supported the various fundraisers this fall, by purchasing poinsettia plants and the much beloved SFA wolf t-shirts. Notice for January to March pizza and subway orders has gone out. Please submit these order forms, no later than December 13

th, in order to ensure your child continues to enjoy lunch on

Tuesday‟s and Thursday‟s.

LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS Our Learning Through the Arts Program is underway with our teachers working alongside the artists in providing an interactive, hands-on, alternative approach to learning curriculum. This is a reminder to return the application form and donation for the Learning Through the Arts program. The recommended donation is $45.00 per child and a cheque should be made out to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School. Please note that this can be claimed as a tax deduction and that you will receive a tax slip from the Toronto Catholic School Board directly. All grades - JK through grade 8 will be participating. Our goal is to provide two sessions of this program- one in the fall and one in the spring. Each session is 6-8 weeks long. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS SESSION: Our Primary students have connected Social Studies with Media Literacy. They are investigating signs of the season, past and present traditions, community, as well as celebrations within each student‟s family and the communities to which we belong. They will be using iPads to create a movie to present their findings. Both the Grade 3/4 and the Grade 5 classes are exploring Data Management through Dance. The students are creating dance movements that define each of the vocabulary terms for this unit and putting them all together as a dance routine. The Intermediate students will be using the elements of dance to explore the big ideas presented within their Social Studies strand. Grade 7 will explore issues related to the shift of power in Canada from France to Britain and how these different groups responded in different ways to the shift in power, while Grade 8‟s will explore the reasons for Confederation and explore 1850-1890 as an era of major political and economic change. Join us at our Advent Concert on December 12

th, where we will showcase

their culminating performances.

JK/SK students using their iPads to capture signs of the season.

TRUSTEES 2013 – 2014

1. Peter Jakovcic 5. Maria Rizzo 9. Jo-Ann Davis, Chair 2. Ann Andrachuk 6. Frank D„Amico 10. Barbara Poplawski 3. Sal Piccininni 7. John Del Grande 11. Angela Kennedy 4. Patrizia Bottoni 8. Gary Tanuan 12. Nancy Crawford, Vice Chair William Lawrence, Student Trustee Enrique Olivo, Student Trustee Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON www.tcdsb.org