Highlights For December

3: Advent Mass 1:30pm

5: PA Day– No school

12 Immunization Gr 7 & 8

17 Christmas Concert

JK/SK 1pm

Gr 1-3 6:30pm

Dec 22-Jan 2 Christmas Break

25 Christmas

Contacts

Principal:

Mr. M. Boccia

Vice Principal:

Mr. B. Howlett

Superintendent:

Mr. A. Della Mora

Trustee:

Mr. S. Piccininni

Parish Church:

Fr. Efren

St. Jude

Catholic Church

3265 Weston Rd.

416-742-9072

Secretary:

Ms. P. Pisani

CSAC Chair

Mr. E. D’Alfonso

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

St. Simon is an eco-friendly school:

The newsletter is only available in electronic form.

If you would like a newsletter sent to your email, please

send a request to: brett.howlett@tcdsb.org

The newsletter is also accessible via the school website:

http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stsimon/News/Pages/Newsletters.aspx

If you wish to receive a paper copy please contact your child’s teacher, or the office.

St. Jude’s Parish newsletter is also available on the school website.

St. Simon Catholic School

20 Wallasey Ave.

Tel - 416-393-5383 Fax - 416-397-6299

School Hours

8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee (CPIC):

www.tcdsb.org/cpic

School website:

http://www.tcdsb.org/SCHOOLS/STSIMON

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER

December 2014

Virtue of the Month: Charity

As we enter the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus,

it is rather suitable that this month’s virtue is Charity. Many of us are already

engaging in the mad rush to purchase gifts to put under the tree on the 25th,

but let us be mindful of the fact that charity is not always

about giving material things. Our quote for the month is

”Where charity and love are, God is there”. How can we

practice charity and generosity in our community without

necessarily giving material things? This month, St. Si-

mon’s will be demonstrating charity through out Christ-

mas outreach program. Please look within yourself to

help others in need during the Advent season.

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we enter the final academic month of 2014, we have much to be grateful for and much to do. One im-portant item of note is the advent of full day kindergarten for the year 2015-2016 at St. Simon School. The registration site will open on Thursday January 8th at 10:00 a.m. EST. The site address is www.soar.tcdsb.org

Part of our Christmas celebration will be two Christmas concerts, a kindergarten and primary concert on Wednesday December 17th. The kindergarten performance will take place in the afternoon and the primary one will be taking place in the evening, details will follow.

As charity is the virtue of the month, our school will truly put this into action throughout the following initia-tives: Christmas Outreach Program, canned/packaged food admission to concert and our Rafiki Bracelets for Education in Kenya.

As we move through the hurried days of the Christmas Season, let us pause to reflect on what is important in the season - the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the gathering of friends and family, and charity towards oth-ers - all elements central to our Catholic faith.

A Merry Christmas to you and your families,

Sincerely,

Mario Boccia

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER

December 2014

The Year of Charity St. Simon Supports Great Causes

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

Christmas Outreach Program

This year, St. Simon Catholic School will once again be making Christmas Bas-

kets to donate to families in need. The baskets will be picked up by St. Jude’s

Church on: Wednesday December 17th so they will be ready

for the families on Christmas morning. We will be giving the children more information in the next

few days and we thank you in advance for your help and generosity during this important charita-ble campaign.

Thank you, Me to We Team and St. Jude's Church

Sports Boy’s Volleyball

Volleyball season is now over for the intermediate

boys team but they showed heart, sportsmanship

and skill. The intermediate boys trained and were

dedicated and put forth all their effort to prepare for

the big tournament which took place on Monday

November 10, 2014. After every single serve, set and hit, the interme-

diate boys are proud to say that they came in 3rd place. After all that

training and hard work, the boys were proud to represent our school.

Thank you to our coaches Mrs. Arruda and Ms. Astudillo for provid-

ing us with the skills, training and encouragement and for preparing

us for the volleyball tournament.

Team Members

Captain - Matthew DiSalvo

Assistant Captain - Julian Boccia

Dale Hibbert, Lucas Da Costa, Jaden Andraos Fazari, Renzo

Gutierrez, Antonio Pasqua, Giancarlo Vaccaro, Nicholas Apa

Share Your Stories of Charity

TCDSB Wave of Charity will be showcased through monthly videos throughout the school year. Submit your stories and photos to:

Robert.gallo@tcdsb.org.

Visit our website for more information, or to view the video for October.

http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/YearOfCharity/Pages/Heart-of-Charity.aspx

Lift Up Your Hearts and Keep the Wave of Charity Moving Across the Board!

Share your stories via twitter @TCDSB #waveofcharity

Girl’s Volleyball

The intermediate girls volleyball team played an

amazing tournament at Msgr. Percy Johnson High

School. We came third in our pool, with the help

and encouragement of our fantastic coaches Mrs.

Bucci, Ms. Fata and Mrs. De Caria. We tried our

very hardest and played to the best of our abilities.

Team Members: Captain: Isabella Naccarato Assistant Captain: Isabelle De Ciantis-Freire

Victoria Cafua, Nikki Atanda, Raquel Bermudez,

Camila Contento-Parrotta, Alona Fiandaca, Alexia

Barahona

Christmas Concerts

This year, St. Simon will be presenting two

Christmas concerts.

Date: December 17th

Time:

1pm Kindergarten classes

6:30pm Gr. 1-3 and the band

Location: Gym

Come and be entertained with Christmas

songs and cheer.

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER

December 2014

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

SCHOOL CALENDAR 2014 – 2015

Number of school days 194

Number of Professional Activity Days 6

Christmas Break December 22, 2014–

January 2, 2015

Family Day February 16, 2015

Mid-Winter Break March 16 - 20, 2015

Good Friday April 3, 2015

Easter Monday April 6, 2015

Victoria Day May 18, 2015

Last day of classes June 25, 2015

Six Professional Development Days

Parent teacher interview November 14, 2014

Faith Day December 5, 2014

Ministry January 23, 2015

Parent teacher interview February 13, 2015

Ministry June 5, 2015

Assessment & Evaluation June 26, 2015

Student Information Updates

As the year progresses, often some infor-

mation changes. Please ensure that all

emergency contact information is current. If

an emergency were to happen, the school

must have current contacts. If you have changed your

phone number or address please inform the office.

Winter is Knocking On Our Doorstep

As the weather is changing, please ensure that students

are dressed appropriately for the cold, ever changing

weather. Students should have a pair of indoor shoes to

wear in the building and packing an extra pair of socks,

gloves and pants is recommended.

Book Fair

The Book Fair took place from Nov 10-14. It was a great success for the school. Thank you to

all of the parents, staff and students who participated in the book fair. A special thank you to

all of the parent and staff volunteers who helped. It would not have been successful without

your skill and dedication to the event.

To report an absence please call 416-393-5383 (5pm-9am)

From the Office

Wards

1. Joseph Martino 7. Michael Del Grande, Chair

2. Ann Andrachuk 8. Garry Tanuan

3. Sal Piccininni 9. Jo-Ann Davis

4. Patrizia Bottoni 10. Barbara Poplawski

5. Maria Rizzo 11. Angela Kennedy

6. Frank D’Amico 12. Nancy Crawford, Vice-Chair

Christopher MacDonald, Student Trustee Hannah McGroarty, Student Trustee

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

TRUSTEES 2014-2015

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration for the 2015-2016 school year will begin on January 8th 2015 at 10am.

You may register online at http://soar.tcdsb.org

Monthly Update from the Board

December 2014

Reporting of cancellations or closures due to inclement weather

Winter weather arrived early this year. Please note that any cancellations or closures due to inclement weath-er will be reported before 7 a.m. Best place to get the info quickly is through Twitter @TCDSB (please follow

us), the board’s website www.tcdsb.org and the 24-hour telephone information line 416-222-8282 ext. 2873.

Policy Consultation

The Board invites parents, students and staff to participate in a review of draft policies. Your input is encour-aged into the following policies:

Draft Policy for Catholic School Advisory Councils (CSACs)

Draft Policy on Secondary School Admission and Placement

Details are posted on the board’s website: http://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2014/pages/consultation-csac-and-admissions-policies.aspx

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kindergarten Registration Starts January 2015

Please visit the board’s website at www.tcdsb.org to fill out the application forms online, and find out more about the registration process.

Registration (online and in person) begins at 10 a.m. on January 8th.

High School Students Reminded About Application Deadlines

University Application Deadline is January 14th http://www.ouac.on.ca/deadlines/

College Application Deadline is February 1st http://www.ontariocolleges.ca/apply/important-dates

Nominations Open for TCDSB Alumni and Merit Awards:

Deadline January 16, 2015

Do you know a member of our community who is a witness to the gospel values of our Catholic faith and who is transforming the world through faith, innovation and action? Nominate them for an award: http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/CatholicEducationWeek/Pages/AwardsNight.aspx

Catholic School Advisory Councils Invited to Training Session

Goal Setting, Multi-Year Plans, Making Meetings Matter

December 3, 2014, 7-9 p.m.

Catholic Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Avenue East

Details here: CSAC - December training flyer.pdf

Other Dates to Note

December 3rd

—International Day of Persons with Disabilities http://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2014/Pages/International-Day-of-Persons-with-Disabilities.aspx

December 5th—Board-wide Professional Activity Day (no classes for students)

December 10th—International Human Rights Day http://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2014/Pages/Human-Rights-Day.aspx

December 22nd to January 2nd—Christmas Break

January 1st—International Day of Peace-“Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters” http://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2015/Pages/International-Day-of-Peace.aspx