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February, 2016

St. Matthew Catholic School

______________________________

Principal’s Message

It is often said that Catholic education is supported by three pillars: the school,

the parents/guardians and community stakeholders, and the church.

We are blessed to have a parent/guardian community that is dedicated to

supporting learning at St. Matthew Catholic School.

A prime example of this dedication are the parents/guardians who are members

of the St. Matthew Catholic School Parent Council.

The Council has decided to improve technology use at the school by funding,

with monies raised through its fundraising activities, the following hardware: Eight iPad Air IIs, eight Apple T.V.s, and eight LCD projectors. The total cost

of this hardware purchase: Eight thousand six hundred eight dollars ($8,608.00).

Moreover, a Council member, Ms. J. Coutinho, obtained donations from area

businesses to help in this technology purchase: Mr. Martins of Churrasqueira

Martins, Mr. Syrianos of RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc., Brokerage, and Jason

of Senso Group Building Supplies Inc. Their combined donation totaled eight

hunbdred fifty dollars ($850). We extend a sincere thank you to Ms. Coutinho

and the business leaders who donated so generously to our school.

A parent member of our school community, Mr. Matthew Hart, obtained a two

thousand five hundred dollar ($2,500.00) from his employer, TD Bank, in

support of the technology purchase. We are grateful to Mr. Hart, to TD Bank

and to the TD Bank employees who facilitated the donation, Ms. Anna

Commisso and Ms. Juliette Robinson.

This technology will be used to enhance curriculum delivery in all areas of

study: students will be able to work individually, in groups, or as a whole class

accessing resources on the world-wide web and demonstrating and sharing their

learning.

St. Matthew

Catholic School

18 LAVENDER ROAD TORONTO, ONTARIO

M6N 2B5 Ph. 416 393 5240 Fax: 416 397 6101

Principal: L. Pennacchio

Vice-Principal C. Coveney Hunter Superintendent: G. Iuliano Marrello Ph. 416 222 8282 ext. 2267 Trustee: S. Piccininni Ph. 416 512 3403 Parish: St. Matthew 706 Old Weston Road, Toronto, M6N 3B8 Ph. 416 653 7191 Fax: 416 654 2288 CSPC Chair: Ms. Salazar CSPV Vice-Chair: Ms. C. Da Mota Ph. 416-222-8282 ext. 88240 CPIC (Parent Engagement--TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents) www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto Enrollment: 540 (approximately)

Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. _______________________________

Catch the spirit!

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION (NEW STUDENTS)

Parents/Guardians are invited to commence the registration process on-line

using the Board’s “Student On-line Admission and Registration” platform,

known as S.O.A.R., which is found at the following link:

http://soar.tcdsb.org. Children born in 2012 are eligible to register for

junior kindergarten in September, 2016. Children born in 2011 are eligible

for senior kindergarten in September, 2016.

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Good Shepherd and Virtue of the Month

Medals

This school year, after each monthly liturgy, a

Good Shepherd medal and a Virtue of the Month

medal will be awarded to two students from each

classroom.

The medal recipients will be selected by their

classroom teacher and Designated Early

Childhood Educator (Full Day Kindergarten).

Staff members who are not classroom teachers

may nominate a Good Shepherd recipient. The

medal is specific to our school.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board’s

Virtues of the Month, on the other hand, are

Board-wide. The monthly virtues too dovetail

with the theme of Kindness. Each monthly virtue,

encourages us to build better relationships with

each other: September (Hospitality), October

(Gratitude), November (Peacemaking), December

(Charity), January (Courage), February (Love),

March (Forgiveness), April (Justice), May

(Compassion) and June (Faithfulness).

The two medals support the school community’s

overarching theme of showing kindness to all.

Good Shepherd Medal Recipients

For January

The following students were

recognized by their teachers

and Designated Early

Childhood Educators: Gui

Jales, Fabio Santos, Daniel

Godinho, Leonor Rites Lima,

Aylar Pasia, Anthony

Kozlowski, Emma-Marie

Jasztrab, Daniella Lima, John Marcos Costa,

Asiah Guzzo, Ethan Avdoulos, Quincy Flores,

Monserrat Chuidan, Oge

Abasili, Karina Dos Santos

Pereira, Daniel Maio,

Jazmine Pridmore, Melissa

Andrade, Dakota De

Oliveira Vieira, Daniel

Carvalho, Ashley Padinha,

Joao Romano Varatojo,

Alyssia Galati, Lucas Ferreira, Kurt Nartia,

Matthew Lima, Kent Biscette, and Brandon

Lemos.

Above: January’s Good Shepherd recipients with

Fr. Augustine of St. Matthew Catholic Church.

Virtue of the Month Medal Recipients:

January—Courage

The following students

were recognized by their

teachers and Designated

Early Childhood

Educators: Matteo

Rigamonte, Kattrynne

Almeida, Nathan De Lima, Amanda Read, Lara

Figur, Jason Da Rocha, Luana Silva Lima, Romeo

Anacleto Harmer, Stefan Rejdik, Keila Martins,

Stephanie Lima, Jennifer Munoz Lopez, William

Davis, Nicholas Carbone, Luana Costa, Alexis

Pineda, Brandon Almeida, Gabriella Augusto,

Bianca Ruitenbeek, Marin Caldez, Brandon

Geniole, Dina Aynalem and John Acuario.

Above: January’s Good Shepherd recipients with

Fr. Augustine of St. Matthew Catholic Church

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The Virtue for February: Love

Chocolates, flowers,

valentines, and red

hearts, what would the

month of February be

without the

celebration of St.

Valentine’s Day?

While the rest of the

world may choose to

celebrate the ideal of

romantic love on

February 14, TCDSB

schools will be

focusing on the virtue

of LOVE as expressed

in the gospels. “For

God so loved the

world, He gave His

only son.” John 3:16.

As we focus on the virtue of love at St. Matthew

Catholic School this month, let us remember that

love not only inspires the practice of all other

virtues, it is the form and completion of all the

other virtues.

Love, as a Gift from God, has been wonderfully

explained by the apostle Paul in his First Letter to

the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 12.31-13.13 The Gift of Love 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show

you a still more excellent way. 1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,

but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a

clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers,

and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,

but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away

all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so

that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing. 4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not

envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5It does

not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or

resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but

rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes

all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will

come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as

for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we

know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10but when the complete comes, the partial will

come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like

a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a

child; when I became an adult, I put an end to

childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror,

dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I

know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I

have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and

love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is

love.

Ontario Catholic Graduation Expectation

for February: #6 A Caring Family

Member

A caring family member who attends to family,

school, parish, and the wider community.

6. I CARE!

• I love God, myself and my family

• I care about and respect my 'family' at school, at

Church, in the community, and the world

• I care about and respect God's creation and

everything in it

Because I care, I pray for all my families, and I

will live my life like Jesus.

School Mass

The next school mass will take place on Thursday,

April 14 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Matthew Catholic

Church. Parents/guardians and community

members are most welcome. Please join us!

Lenten Confessions for grades three to eight

students will commence at 9:30 a.m. at St.

Matthew Catholic Church on Wednesday, March

2.

Lent

Lent in 2016 began on Ash Wednesday, the 10th

of February and will continue for 46

days until Holy Saturday, the 26th of

March. In Western Christianity, Lent

begins on Ash Wednesday and

concludes on Holy Saturday. The six

Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty

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days of Lent because each Sunday represents a

"mini-Easter,” a celebration of Jesus' victory over

sin and death.

During Lent, we prepare for Christ’s Passion,

Death and Resurrection by participating in these

traditional Lenten activities:

1. Fasting and Abstinence: Catholics of age

14 and older abstain from meat on Ash

Wednesday, Good Friday and all the

Fridays of Lent.

2. Prayer: Catholics are to pray more during

Lent, especially drawing upon Scripture.

Lent is also an ideal time to receive the

Sacrament of Reconciliation.

3. Almsgiving: Honouring the sacrifice of

Christ, many Catholics give to the needy

during Lent.

Giving to charity is a Lenten tradition, and at the

Ash Weds day Liturgy of the Word, the school

presented to St. Matthew Catholic Church as

cheque for four hundred ($400.00 dollars).

Catholic School Parent Council

You will be kept informed of the

dates of our regular Catholic School

Parent Council (CSPC) meetings, and

of all important issues, discussions

and outcomes pertaining to and arising from those

meetings. The CSPC is the means by which you,

the Parent/Guardian, have an opportunity to voice

your opinion and to influence school operations.

The next meeting of the CSPC will be on Tuesday,

March 1, 2016 @ 6:00 p.m. in the school’s staff

room. Please do join us!

Dress for the Weather

The cold weather season this year is

unpredictable. One day we

experience a wet, spring day, and

the next, we shiver in sub-zero

temperatures. Thus, it is more

important than ever that your

children dress appropriately for the weather of the

day.

A safe decision, however, would be to make sure

that your child(ren) come to school with a warm

coat, a hat that can protect their ears, and gloves

or mittens; at school, they can choose what to

wear to match their comfort level.

As well, it is a good idea that your child also has

an extra pair of shoes and socks at school. More

often than not, inclement weather such as rain or

snow can cause shoes and socks to become soaked

through; and your child will need a dry pair of

both to ensure that he/she does not become ill.

Safety considerations also require that your child

be wearing shoes: if they have to exit the school in

an emergency, bare feet or wearing socks alone

will make your child very uncomfortable.

Carnaval de Quebec Ici

Carnaval em Portugal e Brasil

Carnevale in Italia

St. Matthew School’s French, Italian and

Portuguese language teachers and instructors

sponsored Carnaval at the school, which took

place from February 3rd to 9th.

Each day of the Carnaval, bingo was held with the

numbers called out in either French, Italian or

Portuguese.

On February 9th, bingo winners were determined:

Ms. Savoia and Ms. Mezza’s Full Day

Kindergarten class, Ms. Soares’ grade five/six

class, and Ms. Santoro’s grade seven class. Each

winning classroom received a game board as a

prize, which the students can use during indoor

recesses.

As part of the Carnaval activities, every student

decorated a mask, which they wore during a

school yard parade held on February 9th. The

masks were beautifully decorated. Many parents

came to watch the mask parade, and they were

delighted with the colorfully decorated masks

being worn by the students.

A surprise visitor arrived to participate in the

parade: the school’s very own snowman mascot

making his first appearance at the school! All

present were delighted to see the snowman

parading with the students, hugging the primary

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students, and taking pictures with the students,

their parents/guardians and individual classrooms.

We would like to thank Brandon Lemos, grade

eight student, for performing so well as the

school’s snowman mascot.

As well, we would like to thank the following

French language teachers and Italian and

Portuguese instructors for bringing Carnaval to the

school: Ms. C. Arita, Ms. M. Calado, Ms. V.

Carbone, Ms. A. Genovese, Ms. M-T. Luiz, and

Ms. F. Tavares-Ilic.

Grade Eight Graduation Fundraiser:

Colourful clothing and Wacky Hair Day

As part of the Carnaval activities, the school held

a colourful clothing and wacky hair day on

February 9Th. This event was also a grade eight

graduation fundraiser; students made voluntary

two dollar ($2.00) donations. In a future

newsletter, the amount raised will be reported.

Boys’ Junior Volleyball Team

By: Ms. Granata and Ms. Galati.

The Junior Boys Volleyball team participated in

the annual tournament that was held at St.

Matthew on January 27, 2016. They played with

heart and as a team, using all their skills and

talents. In the round robin section of the day they

placed 3rd. They lost in the semi-finals and a

chance to go to the finals.

Great work and team effort was put forth by

everyone.

The team would like to thank their coaches: Ms.

Galati and Ms. Granata.

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Girls’ Junior Volleyball Team

By Ms. Mare and Ms. Sebastiao, coaches.

The Junior Division Girls Volleyball team have

come a long way from their practices to their final

tournament. They showed great heart and

determination as they tied their first preliminary

round. However, as the match progressed, they

tried their best to keep up the score and managed

to gain a slight lead, but were defeated in a close

game. Nonetheless, the Junior Girls’ volleyball

team made St. Matthew proud by finalizing in

third place. Thanks to all the girls for all their hard

work, effort, and sportsmanship.

The team members: Sara Domingues, Liliana

Tavares, Filipa Sousa. Gilliane Rodico, Roxana

Alvarado, Mikhaela Pangilinan, Maria Kelesis

Diaz, Mary Olmedo, Trinity Berardo, Ciara

Lorenzo, Ashley Padinha, and Kathy Bui.

We would also like to send a special thanks to the

Grade 8 helpers, Jessica Domingues and Alice

Alves for their coaching, enthusiasm, and support

throughout the entire junior volleyball season.

We are also very thankful for Ms. Granata and

Ms. Galati for helping us make it all possible!

New Staff—Welcome!

Please join us in welcoming our

new staff member: Ms. J.

Blomeley, Special Education,

Intermediate Division, mornings.

Ms. Blomeley replaces Mr. F.

Barbiero.

Puzzling Picture

The above picture is of the schoolyard taken on

Tuesday, January 19. The temperature at the time

was minus 7 degrees centigrade, and the wind

chill was -19 degrees. Yet there were puddles of

unfrozen water in the school yard. Why was the

water not frozen? This question was posed to

grade seven and eight students.

Alexandra Pineda (grade eight) and Madelyn Rego

(grade seven) came up with the correct answer,

and received a prize from the principal.

Solu

tion: A

ll the

salt th

at h

ad

been

laid

in th

e scho

ol

yard

accu

mu

lated

over tim

e, and

as

a resu

lt it

satu

rated

the

water th

ereby

low

ering th

e

water’s freezin

g

poin

t. Wh

en yo

u

add

salt to

a p

ure

solven

t (wa

ter),

the freezin

g p

oin

t

will g

o d

ow

n a

nd

the b

oilin

g p

oin

t

will g

o u

p.

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Above: Puzzle solvers, Madelyn and Alexandra.

Message from Trustee Piccininni

Although we don’t

traditionally think of new

beginnings when we think

of February, this month

that falls in the dead of

winter actually does mark

the start of new things.

For our students in

semestered schools, it

marks the start of the

second semester, and the

start of the second semester of night school

programs. I hope that everyone was successful on

their exams, and I wish all of our students

continued success and enjoyment during the term

ahead.

February also marks the beginning of Lent and our

journey towards Easter. It is a time of reflection

and preparation. I know our schools will once

again put their faith into action by helping the

needy in our city and elsewhere in the world.

Their dedication to living our Catholic values is a

source of pride for all of us.

The Board is currently working through the

development of a revised Multi-Year Strategic

Plan, and I thank the many parents, staff and

students who participated in the consultation

process that will result in a comprehensive plan

which will set our priorities and strategic

directions going forward.

We look to all of you again to provide input

regarding the development of our Multi-Year

Recovery Plan which will guide our budget

deliberations over the coming years and set us on

a course of fiscal responsibility and sustainability.

There will be opportunities for everyone to

participate in those discussions through an online

survey, a virtual Town Hall and various other

meetings over the next few weeks. I would

encourage you to visit our website at

www.tcdsb.org/MYRP for all the information.

As always, I encourage parents and staff to check

the board’s website for the latest news

(www.tcdsb.org) and to follow @TCDSB on

Twitter for updates on a daily basis.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my

best wishes to everyone for a blessed and holy

Lenten season.

Best regards,

Sal Piccininni

Trustee, Ward 3

TCDSB Monthly Update

New PA Day Added to Calendar

The Board has approved Friday, April 15, 2016 as

a system-wide Professional Activity Day.

https://www.tcdsb.org/school/SchoolYearCalendar

/Pages/Default.aspx

Director’s Annual Report

Check out all the highlights from 2014-2015

https://indd.adobe.com/view/b932c3a2-fa2f-4472-

bb8b-5a46fbaf8c80

Multi-Year Strategic Plan

Welcome to your opportunity to provide direct

input as the Board refines its strategic directions to

produce a revised Multi-Year Strategic Plan

(MYSP) that will guide the organization for the

next several years. All TCDSB stakeholders are

invited to complete the online survey and submit

their personal comments regarding the DRAFT

MYSP by no later than February 1st. Get all the

information here:

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https://www.tcdsb.org/board/mysp/pages/2016-

mysp-consultation.aspx

Multi-Year Deficit Recovery Plan

Virtual Town Hall scheduled for February

9th

Get all the details on our website

www.tcdsb.org

Ready to Pick Your High School Courses?

Check out the 2016-2017 Course Calendar online

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolPr

ogramsK12/GuidanceCoopEd/Documents/33253_

TCDSB_Course_Calendar_2016.pdf

Overseas Credit Courses

Music and History 2016 Credit Course

Scandinavia-Poland

Study in Ireland

Tanzania 2016 Study and Leadership

Program

Credit Program in Italy and Greece:

July 2016

Credit Program in Ireland: July 2016

Credit Program in Sulmona, Abruzzo

September 2016

Credit Program in Italy 2016

Trip to China - Beijing, Xi'An and

Shanghai 2016

Spain, France & Italy - March Break

2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/Continui

ngEducation/SecondaryCreditCourses/overseas/Pa

ges/default.aspx

Resources for Lent

Lent begin February 10th

Information and resources online at

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

ommunity/pages/lent-and-easter-resources.aspx

Night School Registration

Continues until February 26

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/Continui

ngEducation/SecondaryCreditCourses/NightSchoo

l/nsregistration/Pages/default.aspx

Newcomer Adults Seeking English or French

Classes

Try out the new app to find free English and

French courses for adult newcomers:

https://www.tcdsb.org/forcommunity/adulteducati

onesl/pages/default.aspx

Upcoming Events:

February is African Canadian Heritage

Month https://www.tcdsb.org/FORCOMMUNITY

/HeritageCelebration/AfricanCanadianHeri

tage/Pages/default.aspx

February is Psychology Month https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/sp

ecialeducation/psychology/psychologymon

th/Pages/Psychology-Month.aspx

February 3 is Winter Walk Day http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/winter-

walk-day

February 12, 2016—PA Day

February 15, 2016—Family Day

Feb 20 - World Day of Social Justice https://www.un.org/en/events/socialjustice

day/

February 24-29, 2016—Northern Spirit

Games www.tcdsb.org

OAPCE Conference May 6 & 7—Mark

your calendars and stay tuned for more

details. http://www.oapcetoronto.ca/

Lifeguarding jobs with Toronto Police Service

Application deadline March 18, 2016

https://webapp1.torontopolice.on.ca/psp/careers/E

MPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GB

L?&SiteId=2000

Investing in Our Diversity Scholarship

Program

Involved in your community? Planning to attend

school in the fall of 2016? Under 25?

You may qualify for a scholarship of up to $4,000.

Deadline March 23, 2-16 at 5 pm.

Information and application forms:

www.scaddingcourt.org

Follow @TCDSB on Twitter or subscribe to

Enews https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subs

cription.aspx to get all the latest news and

information throughout the year.

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Bus Company Phone Numbers

Please call the appropriate bus company if there

are any problems.