Sacred Heart Catholic School

75 Hupfield Trail Toronto, Ontario M1B 4S3

416-393-5415

Principal: C. Nazar

Administrative Support Staff:

D. Fernandes Office Hours: 8:15am – 4:15pm

Superintendent:

K. Malcolm 416 222-8282 ext. 2263

Community Parish:

St Barnabas Catholic Church Fr. Hansoo Park

CSPC Chair:

C. Walker

Trustee: Gary Tanuan (Ward 8)

School Hours:

9:00 AM -3:30 PM

Dear Families,

As we continue to move along throughout this school year we look at what we need to focus on as a school. Of course the curriculum is our focus but having

looked at our school data we look for areas of growth. Last year we began our

Sacred Heart three year plan in conjunction with the TCDSB Plan. Our focus

continues to be student engagement and a fine tuning of our math focus from

last year. In math we recognize through digging deeper into our data that

reading for meaning in math is an area of focus for our students. As a school community and with our Board resource staff we have been looking

at ways and strategies to develop our student’s math abilities. We are excited

about engaging our students in developing their math skills especially in the

area of understanding exactly what a particular math question is asking

explicitly and implicitly.

A second area that staff have determined is an area of growth and focus is student leadership, student engagement and student voice. We continue to

look at ways to draw from our students their voice. Our Catholic Graduate

Expectations can lead us to develop numerous strategies to grow and develop

the hearts and minds of Sacred Heart students. Our Catholic Graduate

Expectations prepare students to become:

□ effective communicators □ reflective, creative and holistic thinkers

□ self-directed, responsible, life-long learners

□ collaborative contributors

□ caring family members

□ and responsible citizens

This November message to our families is filled with hope and hard work for

staff and students as we continue to strive for student success.

Yours in Christ,

C. Nazar

Principal

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”

PSALM 29.11

The mission of our school community is to develop students that are: discerning believers, effective communicators, reflective, creative and holistic thinkers, life-long learners, collaborative contributors, caring family members, and responsible citizens. Through the partnership of our homes, our school and our church we will strive to ensure that our children reach these lofty but attainable goals.

CROSS COUNTRY FINALS

On Tuesday, October 27th, the Cross Country and the Special Olympics team participated in the City finals at

Earl Bales Park. All our finalists represented Sacred Heart well and we are very proud of them. Congratulations and well done to all our

participants! We take this opportunity to thank our coach Mrs. Drenko and our staff members for all their time and efforts in making this

event a successful one. (ANNOUNCED ON THE P.A ON WEDNESDAY

MORNING OCTOBER 28, 2015) Good morning Sacred Heart.

Yesterday was a very exciting day and successful as the cross country meet. We had 25 athletes attend and 12 medals awarded.

Austin ran with his sister Alyssa and got the gold medal. Shanna-Kay, Haiden, and Matthew also ran hard earned a gold medal also. Jenay, Ryan, Nicole, Thaddeus, Joseph, Angelo and

Emmanuel ran well and earned silver medals in their races. Bryce ran well and earned a bronze medal.

We are very proud of all of you. You showed amazing leadership and sportsmanship. You represented Sacred Heart the best you could.

Keep up the great work!!! A special thank you to all the teachers: Ms. Astudillo, Ms. Packowski, Ms. Grupe, Ms. Malloy,

Ms. Tavares, Ms. Drenko, Ms. Lemos and Ms. Fernandopulle. By Ryan

Good morning Mr. Nazar, teachers and students. My name is Alyssa. Yesterday I competed in the

cross country finals. I am the 77th best grade 4 girl runner in the city. I ran 1500 metres in 7 minutes and 14 seconds.

I had the privilege of running with my brother Austin in the Special Olympics. I am very proud of him and the other Special Olympians.

Have a nice day. By Alyssa

ADVENT FOOD DRIVE (NOV 23rd - DEC 4th)

Sacred Heart's Me to

WE leaders will be

organizing an Advent

Food Drive in support of

the St. Vincent de Paul

Society at St. Barnabas

Church. All

contributions will be

distributed in time for

Christmas to families who are in need in our

community. Please donate generously your

non-perishable food items.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

On Remembrance Day we honour the men

and women who served Canada. We reflect

on the sacrifices of those who have died so

that we may have freedom and peace.

Encouraging discussions and participating in

activities about Remembrance Day

encourages students to become “socially

minded” and fosters feelings of empathy.

Students can say “thank you” in many ways.

We will have a prayer service in the AM and

an observance at 11:00AM.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Research shows that children whose parents are involved in their education

are more likely to be successful in their education. Don’t miss this

opportunity to support your child’s education!!! Great Questions to Ask:

What does my child do well?

What skills does my child need to develop further?

What activities can we do at home to strengthen those skills?

Does my child do his/her homework and assignments efficiently and conscientiously?

Is my child facing any struggles in class not

related to his/her schoolwork?

Is my child receiving additional help?

How does my child get along with other

students?

What is the best way to contact you if we have more questions?

Interview Tips

Talk to your child about school before the interview. Ask how they think they are doing

and how the teacher can help them meet their goals.

Go over their homework. Get an idea of what

the curriculum is like, the level your child is working at, and areas where they are struggling.

Decide what you want to know. Make a list of

what you want to know before you go into the interview. You can even prepare questions ahead of time if it will make you feel more at

ease. Knowing what you want to know and writing it down ensures that you don’t forget anything, and that you get the information you

need. Be open and honest. Feel free to add your own

observations around your child’s behaviour,

strengths and weaknesses. Find out what they are learning. Ask curriculum

questions, find out what your child has learned

and what is coming up in the term ahead. Know the skills your child will need to be successful in the term ahead (i.e. knowing how to multiply

and divide fractions). Ask about strengths and weaknesses and

possible problems. Find out about problems

before they happen. Building on weaknesses allows students to help before they fall behind.

Ask about homework policies. Find out how often and how much homework is being assigned. Also ask if your child is completing

his/her homework regularly, how long the work assigned should take to complete and does the teacher correct the homework regularly. The answers to these questions will help you better

monitor your child’s homework habits. How can you work together? Ask what you can

do at home to help your child. Make a

commitment to support your child by monitoring their homework, and helping them learn specific skills.

MOVING ON AND MOVING IN

We have been very fortunate to have as our ECE Ms. Jordan in our kindergarten class since last year. She has been and continues to be a

valuable and hard working part of our kindergarten team. Congratulations to her as she has accepted a position at another school

and we will miss her. Good luck and thanks for all you have contributed to Sacred Heart. As sad as we are to see her leave us, we are

excited to welcome Shantelle Fernandes as our new ECE. Coming into Sacred

Heart as well is our new head caretaker Mr. Cardinale. He

comes with a wealth of knowledge and hard work behind

him and we are grateful to have him at Sacred Heart to share that

wealth of knowledge and professionalism

with us. Welcome!!

OUR THANKS

On behalf of our staff and students we would like to thank Mr. Kuttikadan for his valuable

donation to our computer lab. Sacred Heart now has 28 new computers! 25 of the refurbished computers have been placed in the library for

students.

YEAR BOOK 2015-2016

The Sacred Heart Yearbook will be available

again in June 2016. Last year, our year book was a tremendous success. What a great memento of the school year! Students can cherish their

Sacred Heart memories forever. Year-round activities, events and pictures will be published. Please place your order as soon as possible to

avoid disappointment. The cost is $20 and it must be pre-ordered. No extra copies will be available. Please fill out the order form

(attached) with your $20 cash only and send to your child’s teacher.

BULLY AWARENESS WEEK (NOV 15 – 21)

The Toronto Catholic District School Board

(TCDSB) schools promote social responsibility and a sense of belonging for all students. We recognize and value the role of educators,

parents, students and community partners in shaping the Catholic climate, culture and safety

of our schools. TCDSB is an

educational community formed by Catholic values that is committed to

providing a safe, comprehensive and

healthy learning

environment. Over the course of Bully Awareness Week, there will be an increased focus on anti-bullying education.

GUIDANCE CORNER

As the time for Progress Reports gets

closer, help your child focus on their

Learning Skills and Work Habits.

Responsibility, Collaboration, Initiative,

Self-Regulation. Organization and

Independent Work are key skills that help

students to be more successful in all areas

of the curriculum. More information on the

Learning Skills and Work Habits and how to

help your child develop them, can be

found at the following links:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfundin

g/growSuccess.pdf (pgs. 10-14)

http://www.fslhomeworktoolbox.ca/homew

ork_tips/learning_skills_and_work_habits.p

hp

November is Bullying Prevention month

across Canada. Help your child recognize the

signs of bullying and what to do if they or

someone they know is being targeted. In our

age of technology, bullying can happen

electronically, as well as face-to-face. Here

are some helpful websites you may wish to

visit:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools

/prevention.html

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

SafeSchools/BullyingAwarenessAndPreventi

on/Pages/default.aspx

It's a busy month for our Grade 8 students

and the transition to High School! Open

house nights are underway and parents of

Grade 7 & 8 parents are encouraged to visit

the local high schools to see all the amazing

programs and opportunities that are

available. You may be aware that we have a

Regional Arts Program at Blessed Mother

Teresa, a Math, Science, Technology

program at Francis Libermann, an

International Baccalaureate program at St.

John Paul II and Advanced Placement

programs at a number of different high

schools. Application forms for Grade 9 are

now available and are due back to your

child's teacher in early November. Please

complete Section C carefully and make sure

signatures have been included before

returning the form to school. Please note

that chances for acceptance increases, the

closer the high school is to your child's

elementary school. If your child is

redirected, there are no guarantees of

placement at the alternate choice school.

The redirection will be to the closest high

school that has space. Also, the TCDSB does

not have access to information for high

schools outside of our own board. You will be

receiving a Transition Guide for Parents

early in November, which contains important

information regarding the transition to high

school. There are translated guides in a

number of languages, available upon request.

DRESS FOR THE WEATHER

With less sun, more rain,

and snow coming it is

important that we

dress our children

for the changing

conditions. Ensure that

your child has

mitts/gloves, a hat, a

scarf, a warm coat and

boots. Expect that your child will go outside

every day. (From time to time we will stay

inside based on the weather conditions.)

BUS CANCELLATIONS DUE TO INCLEMENT

WEATHER

Cancellation of school

bus transportation or school closures due to inclement weather will

be reported through News releases, TCDSB on twitter, Updates on

the Board’s 24-hour information line, 416-222-8282, ext.2873.

SOME REMINDERS

Christmas Holidays: Saturday, December 19th

2015 until Sunday, January 3rd, 2016. Schools re-open on Monday, January 4th, 2016.

Save the Date: Thursday, December 17 is our

Christmas Play at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. More

news to come.

Please make your payments to the Nutrition

Program as soon as possible in order to ensure

the smooth running of the program

School wide math problems will be starting

again soon. This helps us to work indepen-dently and collaboratively on math focused problems

UPDATE FROM OUR BOARD

Update on Negotiations

Please remember to visit the board’s website https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2015/

pages/labour-negotiations-update.aspx to stay up to date on the status of labour negotiations.

HEALTH Another Flu Season has begun

Toronto Public Health Tips for Avoiding the

Spread of Flu and Other Viruses:

Get your flu shot Wash your hands often

Cover your cough/sneeze Do the knuckle bump instead of shaking

hands

Stay home if you are sick

MATH IN EVERYDAY LIFE

It is important to help children recognize

that everyone uses math all the time. Here

are tips to help your child have a positive

attitude about mathematics.

-Make learning math a positive experience.

Don’t talk negatively about math to your

child—it can lead to “math anxiety” (a proven

cause of low achievement).

-Schedule math homework at the same time

in a quiet location every day. Be available

during this period to talk with your child.

Create a math homework toolkit with

pencils, erasers, ruler, protractor, graph

paper, counters (beads or beans) and a

calculator.

-When helping with homework, follow the

method being taught. Don’t teach short cuts

that could confuse your child. Do not say,

“Let me show you my way – it’s simpler and

faster.”

-Be relaxed and positive. You are not

expected to be an expert. You are there to

encourage learning.

OUR SCHOOL FOCUS –

NUMERACY AND STUDENT

ENGAGEMENT

This year,

similarly to

last, we are

looking at

numeracy as a

school focus.

While we look

to improve

student

achievement in

all areas we will have a particular focus on

math – very specifically we will be looking at

reading for meaning as it relates to math

questions and problem solving. We will be

engaged in professional development to grow

our own

learning

as

educators

and then

draw upon

the

strategies

we’ve learned and support our student

growth. Also this year we are under District

Review which means that TCDSB staff will

be in to visit classrooms for a half day to

observe how we are doing in meeting our

challenges in our area of focus. Our other

area of focus besides math is student

engagement.

LOOKING GOOD

Recently we had our school sign on Hupfield

power washed. It is clean and ready to be

spruced up. Grade 8 students during their

lunch hour are painting the letters in solid

black so that the name of our school stands

out. It’s looking great and should be

completed shortly.

THE SACRED HEART WHAT?......

Coming this fall Sacred Heart

will endeavor to make a name for

itself. We are having a contest

to see who can best represent

the spirit of Sacred Heart with

the creation of a new school mascot

and nick name. Following the

selection of the mascot and logo

through a contest we will work

towards promoting it through

various types of spirit wear and

accessories. The spirit at Sacred

Heart keeps growing!!!