Lord Jesus,
You remind us that whenever we gather in your name, You are in our midst.
Unite and strengthen us in the important work we share.
Help us to listen—to our students, to their parents, to each other,
And to the whispers of your Spirit in our hearts.
Teach us to value every member of our community.
And to build relationships on genuine respect and affection.
We make this prayer, confident in your promise
That you remain always with us.
Amen.
Our Prayer For A New School Year
Newsletter Date: September 3, 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1
St. Pius X Newsletter
September 2013
St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street
Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237
Fax: 416-397-6084
Principal: L. Sposato
Vice-Principal: A.. Iwasykiw
Secretary: S. Pereira
Clerk Typist: S. Cipretti (supply)
Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco, 416-222-8282
Trustee: Barbara Poplawski,
416-512-3410
Parish: St. Pius X Catholic Church
2305 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1859 Fr. MK Park
Masses: Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am
11:00 am
Entrance and Dismissal: 9:00 am Entry
10:45 am Recess 12:05 pm Lunch Hour
1:05 pm Entry 2:10 pm Recess
3:30 pm Dismissal
REGISTRATION is underway. For more information, call 416-393-5237 or the TCDSB Admissions
Department at 416-222-8282, ext. 5320.
For general information about the Toronto Catholic District School
Board, please visit the website at www.tcdsb.org.
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
A warm welcome to both parents and students as we begin another exciting school year at St. Pius X. A special welcome to all new students and their families joining us this year. We hope your sum-mer was a happy and enjoya-
ble experience!
As we begin a new school year, we look forward to work-ing with all of you, and with your children. I wish to per-sonally and sincerely thank Ms. Arciero who has served the community as VP, this last year, with great dedication and commitment. As she assumes her new responsibility as Prin-cipal of St. Rita, we wish her
God’s abundant blessings.
Thank-you, Ms. Arciero !
As we start a new school year at St. Pius X, we renew our expectations and strive to pro-vide our students with a year filled with interesting, and edu-cational experiences and activ-ities to challenge and stimulate them. Your encouragement and interest in your child’s learning is also essential to
inspire and stimulate them to do their very best. Together, we can ensure that your child successfully continues on his/her learning journey. We strongly encourage you to keep in contact with your child’s teacher as we strive to serve his/her needs to the best of our ability. Feel free to con-tact the school should you have any questions or con-
cerns.
To make back-to-school a positive experience for all, we would ask that you review the school routines, practices, and requirements noted in this newsletter. This is somewhat of a hefty package, but a lot of important information is includ-ed. Please do take the time to familiarize yourself with what is new and what has remained the same. Also, keep this information for your future reference. Please do return all signed documents to your child’s teacher at your earliest
convenience.
We are happy to welcome back Ms. Deguara-Miaco from her maternity leave. We wish Mr. Dos Santos, Ms. Kinal, Mr.
Manz, Ms. Romita-Teixeira, and Mrs. Zamrij (clerk typist) many blessings and continued success, while extending a warm welcome to our Vice Principal, Ms. Anna Iwasykiw. I know that all of our new staff are very much looking forward to becoming acquainted with
you and your children.
New to St. Pius this year are: Ms. Agres to Physical Educa-tion, Ms. Frustagli, our supply Early Childhood Educator, and Ms. Cipretti, our supply clerk typist. I know that you will join me in welcoming them to our
school community.
Finally, please know that this year TCDSB has re-organized some superintendencies to streamline and facilitate our TCDSB operations. With this re-organization, we welcome Dr. Jim Saraco as our Area 5 Superintendent and Ms. Ange-la Gauthier as our Director of
Education.
I look forward to the start of a great year ahead with hope, excitement and
expectation.
Entrance and Dismissal: 9:00 am Entry 10:45 am Recess 12:05 pm Lunch Hour 1:05 pm Entry 2:10 pm Recess 3:30 pm Dismissal
Please be advised that school yard supervision will
start at 8:45 a.m. Parents are invited to share “goodbye” hugs and kisses prior to entry in both the morn-ing and afternoon. Please do not enter the school or school yard with your child.
Important Information
September enrolment often fluctuates. As a result, it may yet become necessary to ad-just staffing and/or classes. We thank all families who may be impacted in advance for their understanding and con-
sideration.
School Holidays
Attached to this newsletter is a list of Professional Activity Days and Holidays for 2013-2014. Please keep this in a prominent place at home.
Our staff need to have unob-structed supervision of your children in the school yard and when they are collecting their classes from their entry doors. We look to ensure the safety and orderly entry for all our
students.
Inclement Weather
On days when the weather is inclement, students are asked to arrive at school just before the bell. Those stu-dents present at school will be permitted to enter the building
From the Office
“ Only those
who have opened their
hearts to Christ
can offer a
hospitality that
is never
formal or
superficial but
identified by
gentleness and
reverence”
Pope John Paul II
Page 2 St. Pius X Newsletter
at 8:45 am. On such days, the recess periods will be held indoors and those students who stay for lunch will be su-pervised in the building. Un-less the weather conditions are particularly bad, cold weather alone does not war-rant an early entry to the build-ing or indoor recess. Appropri-ate dress is a requirement on
such days.
TTC Identification Cards
Children under the age of thirteen years pay children’s fare on the T.T.C. When a student turns thirteen years of
age, they become eligible for student rates. In order to use student tickets, however, it is necessary for the student to show the T.T.C. operator a T.T.C. identification card, with the student photograph, name and signature, the name of the school, and a serial number. Without the I.D. card, the stu-dent will have to pay the full
adult fare.
Our students will have their photographs taken on Monday September 16th, 2013, at James Culnan at 1:25 pm. The cost will be $5.25 per
student.
Curriculum Night
Our “Meet the Teacher/Curriculum Night” will be held in the gymnasium on Wednes-day September 25th, 2013, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Following introductions and a general overview in the gym, you are invited to your child’s class-room, JK to Grade 3 (6:55-7:25 pm) and Grades 4-8 (7:30 - 8:00 pm) to hear about the curriculum from you child’s teacher. Our Parent Council will also address the communi-ty with regard to upcoming school events with Parent
Council information.
Safety
The safety of our children must always be of the utmost concern. Every effort is made to make our school safe, com-fortable, secure and free from violence, racism and harass-ment. BUS, BICYCLE, CLASS-ROOM, FIRE, PERSONAL, PLAY, ROAD/RAIL and TRIP SAFETY are part of the curricu-lum in the school. Officials from the community visit the school, and present and reinforce this important information to our students. We value and strong-
Safe Arrival Program
At St. Pius X, this is a program in which a parent is telephoned if a student is absent without previous notification. If your child is going to be absent, please phone the school be-tween 8:30 am-9:00 am and 1:00 pm-1:30 pm. When stu-dents have to leave school early for doctor or dental appointments, please have the adult accompanying the child sign out your child at the office.
ly encourage your support in this area, and ask that you regularly review all aspects of
safety with your child.
Student Information
It is essential that we have up-to-date information on each child. Changes in address, telephone numbers (business, home and cell, etc.) should be given to the office as soon as possible. In the event of an accident or emergency involv-ing your child, it is vital that we
have an updated emergency
Help in the school library by cataloguing material, assist-ing children to find materials, book binding, word pro-
cessing, etc.
Assist on field excursions
Please be realistic in deter-mining how much time you can afford to give as the program will suffer if volunteers are unable to meet their commit-ments. If an emergency does arise, please call the school so that teachers and students can
be informed.
If any parent is interested in helping out, or being part of our Parent Council, please contact our school office at (416) 393-5237. As per Board policy, there are forms (including a police check) that need to be com-pleted.
Parent Volunteers
The contributions of parent volunteers enrich the life of our
school and its students.
Volunteers may:
Work with small groups of children while the teacher
works with another group
Read stories to the children
Prepare teaching materials, e.g., selecting and laminating pictures, creating visual and
auditory aids, etc.
“The
contributions of
Parent
Volunteers
enrich the life
of our school
and students.”
Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1
number which will enable us to reach you or your relative im-mediately. Under no circum-stances will a sick child be sent home unattended. We ask that you make arrangements to have your child picked up in an
emergency.
Student Illness
For children who become ill while at school, we can provide only short-term rest facilities until a parent is called. In cas-es where illness or injury ap-pears to be serious, every effort will be made to contact a par-ent. If we are unable to make contact, and it is determined
that medical assistance is re-quired, the Principal or desig-nate may take the student to the hospital. Where appropri-ate, an ambulance will be called. Up-to-date emergency information is essential if the school is to respond effectively in the event of an emergency. If your child has ongoing health concerns, and is under medical attention, please call the Princi-pal or teacher to discuss the situation. In these circumstanc-es, the school will provide medi-cal forms that need to be com-pleted by the doctor and
brought back to the school.
Emergency Situations
In the event that a disaster situation is declared by the Chief of Police which affects St. Pius X school, we would all relocate to St. Pius X Church Hall (416-767-1859). Your children will remain under the supervision of the school au-thorities until the disaster situa-tion has ended or until you, the parent/guardian, personally pick up your children from the evac-
uation centre.
smallest quantities of these products can be life threaten-ing. The most common aller-gen triggers are food, insect stings, medications, exercise and latex. An anaphylaxis reaction involves symptoms from two or more body sys-tems. We at St. Pius would appreci-ate the co-operation of the entire school community in NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain peanuts or nuts, which could potential-ly harm a child. Other re-
Anaphylaxis
As we begin a new school year, we would like to inform you that St. Pius is an aller-gen aware school. There are children in attendance who suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to cer-tain foods, such as peanut and nut products (among other food and/or non-food products). Anaphylaxis is a severe and life threatening allergic reac-tion, and exposure to the
strictions may apply on a class by class basis. Please make sure that all of your children’s caregivers are aware of the food restrictions. Please avoid sending food for birthdays or special occasions. There are many alternatives such as stickers and pencils. If you have any questions, please talk to your child’s teacher or the school staff. We look forward to your co-operation in making this a safe year for all our students.
The forms to dispense any med-ication must be updated on a regular basis and are available from the school Principal. The-se forms, once completed, are kept on file at the school. Also, be advised that staff in TCDSB schools will not dis-pense non-prescription medica-tions to students. Should you require additional information or have any questions about this protocol, please contact the school Principal or the Special Services Department at 416-222-8282 ext. 2486. Your co-operation in this matter is greatly
appreciated. In winter, parents should equip their children with a change of footwear to be worn in the classroom area. The wearing of boots in class is unhealthy and therefore, prohib-ited. Children should come to school properly dressed for the weather (hats, coats, gloves/mittens, boots in winter, broad brimmed hats, sunglasses, sun-screen in summer). Students are expected to be outdoors for recess. Generally speaking, a child who is too sick to be out at recess is too sick to attend
school and profit educationally.
Child Welfare
By Ontario law we are obliged to report any disclosure or suspicion of alleged abuse. We have no discretion in this
matter.
Health Care
Principals, teachers and support staff of the TCDSB are not permitted to administer any type of prescription medication during the school day, unless we have written signed authori-zation from you, the parent, AND the prescribing physician.
“Let’s keep
St. Pius X an
Allergen Aware
School. Please
avoid sending
food for
birthdays or
special
occasions.”
Page 4 St. Pius X Newsletter
Excursions
Excursions which comple-ment and enrich the classroom portion of your children’s edu-cational program are encour-aged at St. Pius X school. They are carefully planned excursions that provide an opportunity to expand students’ programs beyond the class-room. Teachers must follow specific procedures and guide-lines when planning field trips and excursions. Your child is expected to participate in all of these
ventures.
Homework
All homework expectations will be outlined for you on Curriculum Night.
Lunch at School
It is the policy of the school to allow students to stay for lunch for the following rea-sons:
When no one is at home to provide lunch;
When distance is consid-ered too great to cover dur-ing the lunch hour;
When rehearsals or extra-
curricular school activities shorten the lunch hour.
If behaviour becomes a consistent problem with any child, we will ask the parents to make other arrangements
for lunch time.
Please do not sign to have your child go home for lunch every day if you are not home. Also, do not sign for your child to go home for lunch just to frequent the fast food places in our community. This is not a healthy habit to adopt, not to
mention very unsafe!
that you advise the Principal of the problem in order that various classes can be checked to prevent further spreading. Outbreaks of pediculosis are common among school children and are not considered a health problem. Any person, how-ever clean, may become infested by exposure to oth-er infected persons or their belongings, particularly clothing (hats, coats, combs, hair brushes, etc.). Parents
Health Services
A public Health Nurse is available in the school spo-radically. All students are required by law to be im-munized. Failure to provide proof of immunization could result in suspension of a student by the Medical Of-
ficer of Health.
Pediculosis - Head Lice
If you should discover that your child has been infected with head lice, we would ask
are advised to look for pedic-ulosis when their children are observed scratching their heads excessively. Lice develop through a three week cycle and the eggs (nits) are attached near the base of the individual’s hair, usually along the hairline at the back of the head. Sug-gested Treatment: When infestations occur, effective treatments can be obtained without a doctor’s prescrip-
tion from most pharmacies.
significant reduction in waste going to landfills. We are ask-ing parents to fully participate with your child as we continue this program at our school throughout the year. Be part of helping us become leaders in this environmental friendly waste reduction program. It involves the following three
steps:
1. Lunches and snacks should be packed in re-usable con-tainers, not in disposable
bags.
2. In order to avoid spills, we ask you to use containers that
are re-sealable.
3. Leftover food which can be disposed of in the green bin program available at your home will be brought back home in their containers by
your child.
Our hope is that this practice at school and at home will teach all children to carry this aware-ness and behaviour with them as they grow into young adults. Thank you for your ongoing
environmental support !
Waste Free Lunches
The Toronto Catholic District School Board remains commit-ted to the environment and continues to look for innovative ways to promote conservation through energy and waste re-duction initiatives. The Board approved of a “Waste Free Lunch Program” at all elemen-tary schools. This program is an integral part of the TCDSB’s commitment to promote and teach our students the im-portance of being stewards of the earth, and has resulted in a
The “Waste Free
Lunch Program”
promotes and
teaches our
students the
importance of
being stewards
of the earth.
Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 1
Physical Education
Ministry of Education and TCDSB guidelines require that all students participate in Physi-cal Education, unless otherwise excused by a medical certifi-cate. Please notify us of any limitations or physical disabili-ties that would restrict your child from physical activity. This should be accompanied by a medical report from a physi-cian stating the limitation to be placed on the student. Please note that students must wear running shoes and other proper attire during physical education activities. “Daily Physical Activ-ity” (as mandated by the Minis-
try) across all divisions will
continue to be implemented.
Pupil Clothing
If possible, label your chil-dren’s clothing (boots, mittens and scarves). Each year, a considerable amount of un-claimed clothing gathers in the school. A “Lost and Found” box is provided for this purpose. All unclaimed items will be sent to charitable organizations at the
end of each term.
Appropriate Dress Code
The Toronto Catholic District School Board implemented an Appropriate Dress Code in all
of its elementary schools in September 2011. The Appro-priate Dress Code consists of any combination of white and navy blue garments (e.g., plain white top, navy blue bottom or, navy blue top and bottom; no denim). There is a great deal of choice and flexibility available to parents and students with this type of dress code. You will be able to purchase a varie-ty of clothing styles at retailers of your choice. Some dress code options may be decided by our school community. Please remember that white T-shirts with inappropriate com-
ments or graphics and/or any
minute or two to follow the sidewalk around to our front play area and kindergarten doors.
Bus Transportation and Conduct
PMLC 416-695-1867
Laidlaw (Metro) 905-764-6662
Laidlaw (JK/SK) 905-764-6662
Bussing is a service provid-ed by the School Board. As with any service, there are spe-cific expectations which are conditional to use. In the event
Parking Restrictions
Parking in the school bus loading zone during school hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) is
prohibited by law.
Please realize that parking on Weatherell in the bus-loading zone at entry and dismissal times causes a potential danger for students. Visibility to on-coming cars is limited. For safety reasons, children should not be in the parking lot at any time. We would ask that you please take the extra
that the following guidelines are not adhered to, bus riding privi-leges may be withdrawn. Please review the following guidelines regularly with your children to ensure that they are
aware of the expectations:
Students who take the bus must take the bus at all times. It is not a student’s decision to walk some days and take
the bus on other days.
Students should enter and leave the bus in an orderly
fashion.
be left at home. Significant distress is caused when these are lost or misplaced. If these items are brought to school, however, students are remind-ed that they must be stored in backpacks upon arrival for the duration of the school day. Cell phone use/texting is not allowed during the school day. Our students are also reminded to dismount from bikes, skate-boards, scooters upon arriving to school. Please be reminded that roller shoes/blades are not
allowed at school.
School Insurance
Student Accident Insurance forms will be sent home to you. The cost of the various plans is minimal and you may be saved a great deal of money in the long term. If you decide to take out one of these policy plans, simply complete the application form, and send it, along with your cheque for the appropriate amount in the pre-addressed envelope directly to the insur-ance company. Please do not
send them back to school.
type of tank or halter tops are not allowed. Dresses/skirts/shorts need to be “Bermuda” or arm’s length. Make-up is not allowed for ANY student, and for safety reasons, hoop ear-ings are not to be worn. For more information, please contact the Principal or the
Chair of CSAC.
Appropriate use of Electronics
We do recommend that MP3 players, iPods, cell phones, and other such electronic devices
Remember,
the School
Bus Loading
Zone during
school hours...
8:30 am-5:00 pm
Page 6 St. Pius X Newsletter
Students must be seated, facing the front, before the bus driver can start the bus and during the operation of
the vehicle.
Students must maintain a reasonable noise level while the bus is operating to allow the bus driver to drive the bus
safely.
Students are responsible to the bus driver while they are
on the bus
Students are expected to be polite and courteous to the bus driver while they are on
the bus.
Food is not to be consumed on
the bus.
Children are expected to board and depart from the bus at their
assigned stop.
Students who wish to continue using the bus service must co-operate with these guidelines or risk having their bus privileges sus-pended. In such an event, you will be required to provide alternate transportation. Three written warn-ings by the driver and/or the Princi-pal will be given before privileges are suspended. Please call First Student directly for any delays:
@ 905-629-8200.
A Memo to all Parents
As parents and guardians, you are important members of our school family. Consistency between home and school is a significant part of successful development of positive behav-
ioural attitudes and compliance.
Your support of the school and its’ policies is imperative. In the home, parents should reinforce the expectations of school previously discussed, and project a positive personal role model to their children. It is important that each parent reads and understands the
beliefs and practices discussed
5. Avoid crossing mid-block. 6. Use pedestrian crossovers
properly. Motorists 1. Slow down and
be patient in school zones.
2. Be prepared to stop.
3. Look for pedestrians before making a turn.
4. Do not obstruct school bus load-ing zones.
5. Obey all traffic and parking regu-lations.
6. Parking in no-parking/no-stopping zones and near corners and crosswalks obstructs every-one’s visibility.
Traffic Safety
It is vitally important that parents/caregivers lead by example when it comes to road safety. Here are some traffic tips to help promote the safe arrival and departure of
children at our schools.
Pedestrians 1. Plan your route and take your
time. 2. Remain alert to your surround-
ings - predictable and visible. 3. Walk your child to school - park a
block away and walk to avoid congestion.
4. Cross at controlled locations when possible.
Roofing Renovations Renovations to the exterior of our school will continue through the month of September. To ensure the safety of everyone concerned, we ask you not to access the park-ing lot area, and to use caution in and around the school where the contractors have closed off certain areas with materials and/or equip-ment. Rest assured that the con-tractors will not work during entry, recesses, lunch and dismissal times when our students are in the school yards. The school is work-ing to minimize disruption to regu-larly scheduled programming for our students. We appreciate your
understanding and support.
relationships.
Please be aware that a revised PARENT HANDBOOK clearly outlining our CODE OF CON-DUCT will be available to all families of the St. Pius X Com-
munity at our Curriculum Night.
Disclaimer
From time to time, the school will send home infor-mation from non-profit and for-profit organizations. We remind parents and guardi-ans to exercise caution any
time they participate in or enroll their child in an out-side 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 oppor-tunities available within our
local community.
under the IMPORTANT INFOR-MATION AND EXPECTA-TIONS section of this newslet-ter to ensure that parents and the school are in harmony when
responding to various issues.
Good communication is critical to this process. Parents and the school must work closely to-gether if short term and long term success is to be achieved. We hope this outline provides a base of shared support upon which teachers and parents may build effective mutual un-derstandings and constructive
“Consistency
between home
and school is a
significant part
of successful
development of
positive
behavioural
attitudes and
compliance.”
Page 7 Volume 1, Issue 1
of a free space where the stranger can enter and be-come a friend instead of an
enemy.”
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 hos-pitality, be it the newly ar-rived to Canada or the new student at our school. To-day hospitality is more im-portant than ever and it is only through a deep moral obligation to hospitality that we can transform our com-
munities.
Welcome Back to all our St. Pius X
school community !
As we welcome our students back to school in Septem-ber, it seems fitting that this month’s virtue is HOSPITAL-ITY. Our teachers have been busy preparing their classrooms, gathering to-gether resources, supplies and putting up bulletin boards that will invite the students back into a wel-coming environment. Our quote for the month is from Matthew 25: 40, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me”. Accord-ing to Henri Nouwen, “the German word for hospitality is Gastfreundschaft which means friendship for the guest...It means the creation
Virtue of the Month - Hospitality
St. Pius X Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1: September 3, 2013
We’re on the web!
www.tcdsb.org
Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E.,
Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org
TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES
2013-2014
Wards 1. Peter Jakovcic, 416-512-3401 2. Ann Andrachuk, 416-512-3402
Chair 3. Sal Piccininni, 416-512-3403
Vice-Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni, 416-512-3404 5. Maria Rizzo, 416-512-3405 6. Frank D’Amico, 416-512-3406 7. John Del Grande, 416-512-3407 8. Garry Tanuan, 416-512-3408 9. Jo-Ann Davis, 416-512-3409 10. Barbara Poplawski, 416-512-3410 11. Angela Kennedy, 416-512-3411 12. Nancy Crawford, 416-512-3412 William Lawrence, Enrique Olivo, Student Trustee, 416-512-3413
St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street
Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237
Fax: 416-397-6084
Upcoming Events Pizza Day
September 11, 2013
First Holy Communion Parent
Meeting at St. Pius X Church September 12, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Welcome Back to School Mass
at St. Pius X Church September 13, 2013 @ 9:30 am
Grade 8 TTC Photos
September 16, 2013 @ 1:25
James Culnan Catholic School
Lunch Lady
September 18, 2013
Sacrament of Confirmation
Meeting at St. Pius X Church September 17, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
CSAC - AGM General Meeting
September 18 , 2013 @ 7:00 pm
We Day @ Air Canada Centre
September 20, 2013
See/Hear Clinic
Sept. 24-25, 2013
Looking Forward Curriculum Night
September 25, 2013 @ 6:30 pm
Terry Fox National School Run
Sept. 26, 2013
Spirit Day
September 27, 2013
CSAC Website
Please visit the website
www.spxcsac.com for CSAC news and events, committee updates, news-letters, volunteer opportu-nities and helpful resources for parents and students. Remember to visit the CSAC eStore to order SPX logo'd navy & white Appar-el! You can also get school news direct to your phone by following us on Twitter @SPXCSAC!
Stay in Touch To receive regular updates on news and events from the Board, including urgent infor-mation about school bus cancellations and school closures, subscribe to E-
News: https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/
subscription.aspx or follow us on Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/TCDSB Visit our website frequently for news and information at
www.tcdsb.org. Tune in for live webcasts of monthly board and committee meetings at http://www.tcdsb.org/LiveAtTCDSB/Pages/Default.aspx