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St. Matthias Catholic School 101 Van Horne Ave,

Toronto, ON M2J 2S8

https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stMatthias/

DECEMBER 2 0 1 8 V I RTUE OF CHAR ITY

St. Timothy’s Parish Father Roger and

Father Daren 416-494-6526

Superintendent Mr. Peter Aguiar

416-222-8282 Ext. 2267

Trustee Ms. Angela Kennedy

Angela.Kennedy@tcdsb.org

CSAC Chair Ms. L. Pergola

Principal Ms. L. Graham 416-393-5357

Secretary Ms. Marjorie Chua

School Hours 8:30 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Lunch Hour 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Telephone: 416-393-5357

Fax: 416-393-5168 Twitter: @StMatthiasCES

https://twitter.com/

StMatthiasCES

Portal: https://

www.tcdsb.org/schools/

stMatthias/

CHRISTMAS CONCERT Our Christmas concert for Kindergarten to Grade 8 will be on Wednesday, De-cember 19th. SEE PAGE 2 FOR DETAILS

FOOD ALLERGIES We ask that you DO NOT SEND ANY PRODUCTS THAT MAY CONTAIN PEA-NUT OR NUT PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL, as children can come into contact with children who have anaphylaxis. It is for this reason that students are not allowed to share food at school OR bring food into the classroom that was made in a NON peanut free environment (e.g. McDonald’s). Please remember that Christmas treats should not be food related due to these allergies.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES Please do not allow your children to bring electronic devices to school unless they have been requested for educational use. We have no way of ensuring that they will not be stolen, damaged or lost. The school cannot be responsible for student’s electronic equipment. Students may have a telephone at school only for safety reasons. .

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2019 The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites families with children born in 2015 to register for Kindergarten beginning Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 10 a.m. EST. Parents will be able to complete their application online at: https://soar.tcdsb.org/Login.aspx. A follow up visit to the school to present the required documents will be scheduled by the school following the online application. Please note that we are considered an over-subscribed school so please register early to avoid being put on the waiting list.

NEWSLETTER ALERT!!! In keeping with the vast majority of schools’ eco-certification, St. Matthias is hoping to become formally certified this year. To this end, there will be a number of student led initiatives. In support of this, I will make the newsletter available on our portal https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stMatthias/ under News and under School Calendar. Please look for the newsletter and calendar around the first Monday of each month.

DATES TO REMEMBER

December 2nd—Advent begins December 4—6 and 10—11—Dental Screening December 5th — Rosary Apostolate December 7th—P. A. Day December 10th—Safe Arrival Program begins (see page. 2 for details) December 11th—Advent Mass in the a.m. December 19th—Christmas Concert—ELP—Grade 3/4 at 6:00; Grades 4/5—8 at 7:30 (see page 2 for details) December 21—Last day of classes before the Christmas Break January 7th—First day of classes after the Christmas Break January 15th—Jump Rope for Heart Assembly January 16th—First Wednesday Skate day (specific info will be sent home) January 16th—Kindergarten registration at 10 a.m. NOT BEFORE! January 30th—CSPC meeting at 7 p.m.

SAVE THE DATE! Kindergarten Registration Begins January 16th at 10 a.m.

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OUR PARISH Our Advent mass will be at the school at 10 a.m. on December 11th. Many thanks to Father Roger and Chris Elliott for supporting us. CSPC Our Catholic School Parent Council at St. Matthias is comprised of: Lori Pergola – Chair Yvonne Fiamengo – Secretary Julia Baccinello – Treasurer Henry Agu – voting member Nour Beidas – voting member Michelle Borges-Brady – voting member Marcia Bumbury – voting member Kenny Fernandes - voting member Meriel Lumbao – voting member Paul Mann – voting member The next meeting is Wednesday, January 30th at 7 p.m. CHRISTMAS CONCERT Our Christmas concert for Kindergarten to Grade 8 will be on Wednesday, December 19th in the gym. NOTE: Kindergarten to Grade 3/4 (Dias) at 6:00 p.m. Grades 4/5 (Del Mei) to Grade 8 at 7:30 p.m. We must adhere to this schedule as our gym will NOT accommodate more than 242 chairs due to fire regulations. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE FOR THE SEC-OND CONCERT BEFORE 7:15 P.M. and enter BY THE FRONT DOOR. PLEASE LEAVE THE FIRST CONCERT by 7:15 P.M. and exit through THE BACK DOORS (those with older children will stay). LATE/ABSENT STUDENTS We have a new Safe Arrival System begin-ning December 10th. A letter and magnet with information will be sent home explaining the procedure. When your child is absent, please call the number on the magnet (1-833-251-3286 (toll free)), go to the website go.schoolmessenger.ca or use the SchoolMes-senger Mobile App. If you do not report the absence, you will receive an automated call and you will need to follow the directions on the recording. This will help you input the ap-propriate information. This will repeat until the absence is reported. The school cannot intervene in this process. It can only be done by the parent/guardian who calls the applica-tion. PAUL DAVIS—SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT Thank you to our CSPC for sponsoring this event. Students and parents were educated on how to safeguard against

some common social media problems. PIZZA DATES Our pizza day is every Thursday up to and including December 6th. Order forms went home last week and must be returned NO LATER THAN November 30th for our new session that will begin December 13th. It will run until February 28th. SUPERVISION Most buses arrive at 8:15 a.m., and there is no supervision in the school or yard before that time. Supervision in the yard is only available from 8:15 a.m. onward. Please do not drop students off before this time as it is unsafe for them to be unsuper-vised. EXCURSION PERMISSION FORMS From time to time your child will be attending excursions and sporting events that are valuable components of their school life. Teachers will send home permission forms that must be signed by the parent or legal guardian. NO VERBAL PERMISSIONS WILL BE ALLOWED. These forms must be returned to the teacher, with your signature, by the deadline indicated. If there is no signed form, your child cannot phone home and request permis-sion—this is a legal issue. Also, let us remember that we are help-ing students to develop positive character traits when we model these habits of organization and responsibility. PARKING AT SCHOOL When dropping off or picking up your child(ren) at school PLEASE

DO NOT PARK IN THE STAFF PARKING LOT. The staff parking lot is very busy and we run the risk of a terri-ble accident if your child goes through the lot. You may park in the west end of the school in the tennis club parking lot. This is never busy, and right next to the gate to the yard. Your child will then be safe to enter the school yard. LATEST UPDATES ON WEATHER RELATED SCHOOL CLOSURES AND BUS CANCELLATIONS To get the latest information about school bus transporta-tion, see https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Cancellations.aspx Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the transportation portal to get real time information about any transporta-tion issues: https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Subscriptions/Login.aspx Information is also shared via Twitter. Follow @TCDSB. For more information: https://www.tcdsb.org/forstudents/healthandsafety/pages/weather-related-safety-concerns.aspx DRESS CODE With the exception of our Dress Down Days, OR specific events of which you will be notified, all students must be in uniform each day. Dress Down is never mandatory, but if students do wear cas-ual clothes, they must bring in a toonie. Money raised is used for technology and other activities linked to the curriculum FRENCH IMMERSION AND EXTENDED FRENCH INFOR-MATION MEETINGS Dec. 5, 2018 – Feb. 20, 2019 Elementary Schools with French Immersion and Extended French programs invite their communities to attend Information Nights as we approach Kindergarten Registration, which begins Wednes-day, January 16, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. The following schools will host French Immersion Information Nights in December: St. Cecilia – December 5, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.; St. Benedict – De-cember 11, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.; St. Cyril – December 12, 2018 at

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ANGEL FOUNDATION FOR LEARNING Through the Loretto Fund and the Social Work Emergency Fund the Angel Foundation supports TCDSB students who are new comers to Canada by helping to offset the costs for items such as school supplies, uniforms, field trips, grocer-ies or other necessities to help them settle into school and life in Canada. You can help support families who have come to Canada in search of peace donations to The Angel Foun-dation for Learning. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, visit http://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/ CLASSROOM UPDATES GRADE 7 In Oral Language and Media Literacy, we learned to do TED Talk style presentations. We began by watching TED Talks and analyzing them for effective qualities. We later chose topics to prepare a speech and present. We focused on speaking clearly, using effective volume, using good eye con-tact, and showing poise in the delivery of our speech. We also learned about infographics (a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data) and are currently creating infographics on the subject of bully-ing. In Reading, we learned to monitor our comprehension while reading. We learned to pay attention to our own reading process and notice when we are losing focus or when com-prehension is breaking down. We le to use learned the fol-lowing strategies: re-reading, asking questions, making notes, putting information in our own words, and looking for clues by underlining and highlighting key words/phrases. In writing, we learned to write the 5 paragraph essay. We began by learning to write effective paragraphs which later extended into writing 5. Our first essay was a compare and contrast essay where we selected two subjects to find the similarities and differences. In Mathematics, we completed the chapters on data man-agement and patterns and relationships. We are currently in our 2-D measurement unit. GRADE 8 The Grade 8’s continue to use our recent novel study of, “Freak the Mighty”, to practise planning and formatting five-paragraph essays. We are rehearsing our lines and blocking positions for our nativity play, “A Night in Bethlehem”. In the new year we will be preparing for a, “Confederation Conference” in History, looking at all the perspectives and voices of those who supported Canada’s Confederation, and those who were against it. We will also be studying Cell Theo-ry in science. On January, 25 a Scientist in the Classroom will deliver a half day workshop in our portable. VOCAL MUSIC During this term, in grades 4/5 and 5/6 students have ex-plored forms and cultural contexts. They are working on their assignment which focus on demonstrating and under-standing of a variety of musical genres and styles from dif-ferent cultures. They will identify the role of music in their communities. Next term we will start the recorder sessions. They have to bring a recorder and we will learn a lot of songs.

VOLUNTEERS FOR THE NUTRITION PROGRAM We are in need of additional volunteers for the Student Nutri-tion Program. If you can spare a few hours a week, please email me at Laurienne.graham@tcdsb.org and I will pass your note on to to Ms. Bacinello, our coordinator. PLEASE REMEMBER—SCENT FREE St. Matthias is a scent-free environment. Please refrain from using scented products, especially hand sanitizers, if you are vis-iting the school. Some examples of scented products are: laun-drey detergents, fabric softeners (liquid and sheets), perfumes. We BELONG As we journey through the first year of our pastoral plan, “Rooted in Christ, we Belong, we Believe, we Become”, the Nur-turing our Catholic Community Team invites you to share your ideas of belonging. We want to hear from our students and staff about how they are nurturing the concept of belonging and inclu-sion in their schools, in their families, in their parishes and their community. ROOTED IN CHRIST—VIRTUES AND CATHOLIC GRADUATE EXPECTATIONS If our Virtues and Graduate expectations are to take root, they must be aligned. Below is an example of how we align the Virtue of Charity with an accompanying Graduate Expectation and Cath-olic Social Justice Teaching. VIRTUE: Charity OCSGE: I am a caring family member who attends to fami-

ly, school, parish, and the wider community. CST: OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are far-ing. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vul-nerable first. International Languages Elementary (ILE) Program: December

Update

ILE Survey Conducted in All TCDSB Elementary Schools

On July 12th, the Board of Trustees of the TCDSB approved a motion to survey parents, in all TCDSB Elementary Schools, from November 13th to November 27th, to determine whether parents wish to continue or initiate an International Languages program at their child’s school.

We would like to thank everyone that was involved with the deliv-ery, distribution and collection of the completed ILE survey. We would like to especially thank all families for providing your voice to the process by completing and returning the survey. Results of the survey will be compiled and reported to the Board of Trustees in January 2019. This report will include a list of results by school, including the response rates for each school. However, only schools with the required threshold of 67% re-sponse rate will receive a detailed summary of parent responses. For updated information regarding the International Languages Elementary (ILE) Program please visit: https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/schoolprogramsk12/internationallanguages/pages/change-to-international-languages-program.aspx Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Year.

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FOOD ALLERGIES Please note that we have a growing number of students in our school that have severe, life threatening, allergies to peanuts and nuts. This is a medical condition that causes a se-vere anaphylactic reaction to specific foods and can be fatal. Although this may not affect a student in your child’s class directly, we ask that you DO NOT SEND ANY PRODUCTS THAT MAY CONTAIN PEA-NUT OR NUT PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL, as children can come into contact with one another elsewhere in the school. As well, it is for this reason students are not allowed to share food at school. This includes treats that you may wish to send for celebrations, such as birthdays. If you wish to treat the children for a special occasion please purchase non-food items, such as pencils, stickers etc. that can be shared without risk. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and many other fast food restaurants have declared that they are NOT a peanut free facility. For this reason, we ask that you not send in or drop off these foods. We thank you in advance for your support in helping to keep all the students in our care safe. OUR SCHOOL DRESS CODE (MANDATED BY THE TCDSB) CONSISTS OF:

A White Top, such as a T-shirt, Golf Shirt or Tur-tleneck with No Logo, or with a Very Small Logo and No Lace;

NO Muscle Shirts, Tank Tops, or Hoodies are al-lowed;

White or Navy (dark) Blue Sweaters and Sweatshirts to go over the white top without a Logo, or with a Very Small Logo, and without Lace trim; NO Hoodies are allowed;

Pants, and Skirts or Shorts that are KNEE LENGTH, are to be only Dark Blue and not Blue Jean Fabric;

Skirts are acceptable, but girls may find playing in one awkward, or be cold wearing one in the winter;

Short skirts with tights under them ARE NOT ac-ceptable uniform items.

Please DO NOT purchase for school:

Any Denim (Blue Jean)

Tops/bottoms with Lace Trim or Large Logos, Short Skirts or Short Shorts or leggings

If you are unsure, please feel free to call us. before buy-ing any uniform items. Students must always be in uniform, with the exception of dress-down days and special events. You will be notified of these exceptions. DRESS DOWN DAYS Unless you are notified otherwise , we hope to have a monthly dress down day which will be the first Friday of each month, Thursday, December 6th is our December dressdown day as Friday is a P.A. Day. Participation on dress down days is voluntary, however, if your child decides to dress-down, they should bring in a toonie. Money raised will go to Sharelife, the Angel Foundation and/or our technology fundraiser. It is a good idea to remind our children to save and to contribute to their community. Why not have them begin their toonie collec-tion now so they don’t have to bother you each month. This makes your life easier and teaches them responsibility.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES Please do not allow your children to bring electronic devic-es to school. We have no way of ensuring that they will not be stolen, damaged or lost. The school cannot be responsi-ble for student’s electronic equipment. Students may have a telephone at school for safety reasons. As part of that same safety issue, students are not permit-ted to use the telephones during school hours. If you need to contact your child, please call the office and we will ensure that they receive any messages you may need to forward. Students should come to the office if they need to contact you. This is imperative for, if they are not well, or have been hurt, we need to know immediately so we can help them. Of course, technology is fast becoming an integral part of education. While we might want to turn back the clock on this, we cannot. Your child’s teacher may have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy, but you will know this through a note in the agenda, or from your older student. If students are using their phones during school hours, for non-educational reasons, I will look after it until the end of the day. ECO-CERTIFICATION Many, many schools throughout the province have attained eco-certification. To this end, we will launch a number of initiatives that will be teacher supervised and student led. We look forward to becoming a greener school. Some easy things to implement, that make a significant difference:

Litterless lunches (pack food in reusable containers),

No plastic water bottles—reusable water bottles only,

An electronic version of the newsletter which can re-duce photocopying by at least 50%. Money saved can then be reinvested in learning materials, including technology.

Correspondence by email, TCDSB portal, or Twitter; this is also a timely way to communicate.

TCDSB SCHOOL DONATIONS Donations to schools are used to enhance local fundraising efforts, which support school initiatives that are not funded through Provincial Ministry of Education grants. School Cash Online makes donating to schools easier than ever, and all donations of receive a tax receipt. Click here to learn more or donate today: https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/Pages/TCDSB-School-Donations.aspx FEEDBACK ON EDUCATION IN ONTARIO The Province is consulting with parents across the province to address concerns and get feedback in several areas of the education system.. Please contact fortheparents@ontario.ca by December 11th. Feedback from these consultations will help shape decisions in a number of areas:

Improving student performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Preparing students with needed job skills, such as skilled trades and coding

Improving provincial standardized testing

Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, including financial literacy

Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cell phones

Building a new age-appropriate Health and Physical Educa-tion curriculum .

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UPDATES FROM THE BOARD

Visit the Board’s website www.tcdsb.org

Subscribe to ENews to receive updates via email every week https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Or Follow @TCDSB on twitter to get updates throughout the day

Register for the Toronto Student Transportation Group Parent Portal to receive real time notifications about school bus cancel-lations or delays: https://www.torontoschoolbus.org/transportation-portal/Account/Register/

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee Congratulations to the new and returning CPIC committee mem-bers:

Chair: John Del Grande, Ward 12 Vice-Chair: Joe Fiorante, Ward 3 Secretary: Geoffrey Feldman, Ward 2 Treasurer: Gus Gikas, Ward 6 Assistant Treasurer: Ruth Oliveros, Ward 8 Communications Director: Desmond Alvares, Ward 11 Ward 11 Rep: Ben Xavier

To connect with CPIC or your local representative, see https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/Pages/CPIC-Representatives.aspx

To learn more about parent engagement and the work of CPIC, see https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/Pages/default.aspx

E-CURRICULUM CORNER Each month we bring you links to educational websites. https://tvo.org is a TV Ontario website that offers a variety of educational supports to students and their families. Math and Homework Help are just 2 of the many resources you can find on the website.

MILK BAGS FOR HAITI We are continuing our Milk Bags for Haiti Program. This is a program that collects the outer bags from 4L milk. These bags are collected, sorted, cut, and then weaved into mats. These mats are delivered to many different countries that have been affected by natural disasters. You can drop off your milk bags (remember only the outer) at the designated bucket by the school office. We appreciate your support. Thank You!

SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR 2018-2019 The Toronto Catholic District School Board has approved a School Year Calendar for 2018-2019. Number of school days - 194 Number of Professional Activity Days– 7 Labour Day—September 3, 2018 First Instructional Day—September 4, 2018 Thanksgiving Day—October 8, 2018 Christmas Break—December 24/18 to January 4/19 Family Day—February 18, 2019 Mid-Winter Break—March 11—15, 2019 Good Friday—April 19, 2019 Easter Monday—April 22, 2019 Victoria Day—May 20, 2019 Last day of classes —June 27, 2019 The calendar also includes 7 PA Days. • October 5, 2018 - Prov. Educ. Priorities/Faith Dev. • November 16, 2018 - Provincial • December 7, 2018 - Provincial Education Priorities • January 18, 2019 - Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting • February 15, 2019 - Parent-Teacher Conferences • June 7, 2019 - Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting • June 28, 2019 - Provincial Education Priorities

TRUSTEES 2018 - 2019 by Ward

1. Joseph Martino 5. Maria Rizzo , Vice-Chair 9. Jo-Ann Davis 2. Ann Andrachuk 6. Frank D‘Amico 10. Barbara Poplawski, Chair 3. Sal Piccininni 7. Michael Del Grande 11. Angela Kennedy 4. Patrizia Bottoni 8. Garry Tanuan 12. Nancy Crawford Taylor Dallin & Joel Ndongmi, Student Trustees

Rory McGuckin, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E, Toronto, On. Website: www.tcdsb.org

LOCKDOWN AND FIRE DRILLS We are required to have a number of fire and lockdown drills. This will ensure that we are all confident of our students’ safety in the unlikely event that one of these should be need-ed. Students are always aware ahead of time, and teachers work to alleviate any anxiety our students may have. If we need to vacate the building for any reason, the community centre next door is a safe place for us to go. STUDENT MEDICAL INFORMATION Kindly provide the school with any information regarding med-ical conditions that your child may have, or conditions they may be affected by, to enable us to assist your child if a med-ical emergency arises. ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION AT SCHOOL From time to time students may need to take prescription medication at school. In order for this to take place, par-ents/guardians and physicians will need to complete and sign the appropriate Special Services Medical Forms which can be requested through the school secretary. The aim of these forms is to ensure that any medication that is being adminis-tered at school is carried out as prescribed by the attending physician. Non-prescription medication WILL NOT be admin-istered to students, nor should they be sent to school.