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Virtue of the month:

CHARITY “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.”

December 2015 September08 2006 2006

St. Helen Catholic School News

Dear Parents/Guardians, We are beginning a new liturgical year with the start of the Advent season. During this month of December, we prepare for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and safe holiday season. God Bless!

A. Sanborn M. Bethke God, Father Almighty,

You sent your son Jesus to be light for a world in great need of

salvation. Help us grow ever closer to you and to one another as

we journey in love through this Holy Season of Advent. Amen.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS - Friday, December 18th, 2015 – LAST DAY OF

SCHOOL. Christmas Holidays - December 21st through to January 1st, 2016. School will resume on Monday, January 4th, 2016.

Please join us for… Advent School Mass – Tuesday, December 8th – 9:30 a.m. at the Church

Christmas Concert – Wednesday, December 16th – 9:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. Christmas Spirit Day – Friday, December 18th – Christmas Sweater $1

SANTA PHOTOS - Santa will be visiting St. Helen School on Thursday, December 3rd to take photos with students. Cost: $3.00.

DRESS UP/DOWN DAY – Free Dress Up/Down Day in Christmas colours on December 3rd.

POINSETTIA SALE – Pre-Ordered flowers can be picked up on December 3rd from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. or on December 4th from 3:30 – 8:30 p.m..

CHRISTMAS MARKET – Join us at the Christmas Market from 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. on December 4th.

CSPC PIZZA LUNCH – December Pizza Day will take place on Dec. 4th and 18th

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DAY – Wear your Christmas Sweaters on December 18th.

LUNCH LADY – Wednesday’s in December.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION - Families with children born in 2012 are invited to register for Kindergarten beginning on Wednesday, January 13th, 2016. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED SCHOOL WEBSITE AT: www.tcdsb.org/schools/sthelen including school newsletters and calendars.

…that together you may with ONE VOICE glorify the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6

St. Helen Catholic School

1196 College Street, Toronto Ontario, M6H 1B8 Telephone: 416-393-5208

Fax: 416-397-6142

Principal: Alise Sanborn

Vice-Principal: Michael Bethke

Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco

Trustee:

Barbara Poplawski

Parish: Father John Cabral

St. Helen Roman Catholic Church 1680 Dundas Street

Toronto, Ontario M6H 3M8

Phone: 416-531-8188

School Hours: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Lunch Hour: 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Family, School, Parish

Together with One Voice

Year of the Family

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH FOR December is Charity

As we enter the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus, it is suitable that this month’s virtue is CHARITY. “Where charity and love are, God is there”. This month at St. Helen, we will be demonstrating charity by being kind to others, helping others, and remembering the less fortunate.

Students will be selected for their ability to demonstrate CHARITY for December and will be included in our January newsletter. Students will be recognized with certificates to take home.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Students of the month for the Virtue of Peace in November are: Brielle M., Sierra K., Miguel N., Robert F., Nathan F., Aaron L., Justin M., Gavin P., Kassiane R., Kayla A., Lauren M., Cassandra A., Kylie V., Amber S., Ashton G., Marcel D., Emily S., Leana C., Katrina L.

SANTA PHOTOS Santa will be visiting St. Helen School on Thursday, December 3rd to take photos with students. Order forms for pre-ordered photos ($3.00) were sent home last month. Forms are

available in the office. This project is sponsored by Student Leaders.

FREE DRESS UP/DOWN DAY On December 3rd, students are invited to dress up/down in festive Christmas colours.

POINSETTIA FUNDRAISER Pre-ordered Plants will be available for pick up on December 3rd from

3:30 – 6:00 p.m. or December 4th from 3:30 – 8:30 p.m.

CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES – Nov. 4th& 18th Volunteers are greatly needed to assist with these hot lunches. If you are able to volunteer an hour of your time on pizza days, please fill in a volunteer form available in the office and someone will contact you.

CHRISTMAS MARKET – December 4th It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St. Helen School! Join us for an evening of family fun and shopping at our Christmas Market on December 4th. From 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. families will be able to make Christmas crafts, watch Christmas movies, shop in our Vendor Market, enjoy some treats in our Café, browse our Scholastic Book Sale, and much more. Please remember that all students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

LUNCH LADY - WEEKLY Lunch Lady is very excited to be serving our students weekly pre-ordered hot lunches for the

2015-2016 school year. If you have any questions email/call anthony@thelunchlady.ca 647-436-9134.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT The St. Helen School Christmas Concert will take place on Wed, Dec. 16th, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The following classes will be participating on that day. Donations of canned goods are welcome!

JK/SK – Mrs. Andrade & Ms. Viveiros Grade 1 – Ms. Ciarrocchi, Ms. Hrzina Grade 2 - Mr. Carinci, Mr. Hewitt Grade 2/3 – Ms. Buczel Grade 3 – Mrs. Nesci Grade 3/4 – Mrs. Fotiou Grade 6 – Mrs. Iglio Grade 6/7 – Mrs. Andrade-Marco French – Mrs. Bennacer Instrumental Music – Mr. Medeiros (tentative)

** All remaining classes will participate in the Spring Concert.

Due to limited space in the gym, families will be given a maximum of two tickets for the evening performance and, for the day performance, can indicate the number of tickets requested. Student permission forms and ticket forms were sent home on Nov. 30th, 2015. Tickets to be sent home on Dec. 9th. If you would like additional evening tickets, please indicate on the order form and we will do our best to provide them.

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CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DAY - $1.00 This month the student leaders

have organized the school’s spirit day to take place on December 18th. Don’t forget to wear your “Christmas Sweater & Hat”. The $1.00 each student contributes to Spirit Days helps our school in many ways: games for indoor recess; outdoor equipment for recess; birthday box; charities; local outreach; prizes for dances and spirit days; free school presentations; etc.

WINTER DRESS During cold inclement weather please send your child to school only a few minutes before the bell rings; thus they will not have to stand out in the cold for long periods of time. Students will be kept inside on days in which the weather/wind chill factor is significantly cold. Such decisions are made individually respecting local weather conditions.

Please encourage your child/children to wear a hat, mitts or gloves, proper footwear and warm clothes for winter. It is recommended that students

wear various layers of clothing which will permit them to adjust to the changing weather conditions throughout the day. Please ensure that your child/children’s clothing is properly labeled and thus can be easily identifiable when lost or misplaced. During snowy months when boots are worn, it is required that students maintain at school a pair of shoes or slippers into which they may change to ensure student safety. In the event of an emergency, students must exit the building quickly and would not be able to stop to find their boots.

TOY DRIVE - THANK YOU A big pat on the back and thank you to all families for your generosity in donating new toys for children to have a gift on Christmas Day.

POPPY DONATIONS – THANK YOU

St. Helen School demonstrated our gratitude and generosity to those who gave their lives for the freedom through our poppy donations. Our community was able to donate over $550.00 to the local legion for providing immediate assistance to ex-servicemen and women in need. This may include food shelter or medical attention for them or their families. Thank you for your continuous support.

PRIMARY GIRLS SOCCER

Good luck to those students who are participating in the Soccer tournament and representing St. Helen School on December 2nd.

ALLERGIES / SHARING FOOD St. Helen’s is an allergen aware school. There are children in attendance who suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to certain foods, such as peanuts or other nut products (this includes Nutella). Please let the school know if your child has a new allergy. Please remind your child to refrain from sharing snacks and lunches. Students with ANAPHYLAXIS must carry an EPI-PEN with them at all times as well as having a second EPI-PEN stored at the school office. Parents/ Guardians will be given a form: TCDSB REQUEST AND CONSENT FOR ADMINISTRATION OF INJECTION OF MEDICATION IN AN EMERGENCY which is to be completed by the parent/guardian as well as the child’s doctor. An EMERGENCY ALLERGY ALERT FORM EPI-PEN ONLY will be completed with the student’s photo and placed on the Medical Alert Board in the office, staff room and student’s classroom.

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL All visitors (including parents) must report to the office prior to proceeding to classes. For security and safety reasons, access to the school is available through the front doors only to the

school. Please ring the bell to gain access to the school. Please advise the office of any strangers around the school. All volunteers must have a police check. All service providers must be approved by the school board.

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KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2016

Kindergarten Registration will begin for all

Elementary Schools on Wednesday, January 13,

2016 at 10:00 am EST.

Parents/guardians with children born in 2012 or

earlier and who will be enrolling in Kindergarten,

have the opportunity to apply on-line using the

“Student On-line Admission and Registration”

platform known as S.O.A.R. and found at the

following link: http://soar.tcdsb.org

Parents will be able to complete an application for

registration from the convenience of their own

home, the office, a public library, or anywhere there

is internet access, 24 hours a day. The on-line

application also offers access to translations in

different languages with built-in help functions and

features.

Alternately, families may choose to register in

person at our school. We will begin to accept

registrations at 10:00 a.m., on January 13, 2016.

As part of the registration process, school staff will

meet with parents. These meetings may be

scheduled on the electronic application or in person

at the school. During the meeting, school staff will

verify the original documentation required for

registration. This consists of a Baptismal

Certificate, Birth Certificate and/or Passport,

Immunization record, proof of residence and

Application for Direction of School support.

Applications to register children in grades other

than Kindergarten can also be completed on the

online S.O.A.R. application. Please share this

information with any parents/guardians with school

aged children in the community.

For further information, please contact our school

office at 416-393-5208. For general inquires or

further information you may contact 416-222-8282

extension 5314 or visit our website at

www.tcdsb.org

GUIDANCE CORNER –

Mr. F. Amato

We All Belong – Bullying Awareness

Week November was Bullying Awareness Month

and it served as a reminder that the

elimination of bullying behaviour will only

occur if parents, students and staff work

together. We encourage students to speak up if they

are victims. We remind bystanders to stand up for

those who are being bullied. And we remind parents

to work in conjunction with the staff to settle any

issues that may arise. And above all, we should

always remember that “We All Belong”. Let us

celebrate our differences and make everyone feel a

part of our community. We all deserve to feel

accepted.

National Day of Remembrance and Action

on Violence Against Women December 6th is Canada’s National

Day of Remembrance and Action on

Violence Against Women. On this

day 25 years ago, 14 young women

at l’École Polytechnique de

Montréal died because they were

women. Wear a white ribbon to

commemorate this very important

day. As well as commemorating the 14 young

women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based

violence that shocked the nation, December 6

represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect

on the phenomenon of violence against women in

our society. It is also an opportunity to consider the

women and girls for whom violence is a daily

reality, and to remember those who have died as a

result of gender-based violence. And finally, it is a

day on which communities can consider concrete

actions to eliminate all forms of violence against

women and girls.

Season’s Greatings Mr. Amato, the TCDSB Elementary Guidance

Counsellors, and the Student Success team would

like to wish the school community a Blessed

Christmas and best wishes throughout the New

Year.

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FROM THE BOARD

French Immersion and

Extended French New for September 2016, French Immersion begins in

Junior Kindergarten

The Extended French Program is offered to students beginning in grade 5 at several TCDSB sites. Interested parents are encouraged to attend an information evening to learn more about the program. Please note dates, times and locations for sessions planned for December through to February: https://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2015/Pages/French-Immersion-and-Extended-French.aspx

Resources for Students Heading

to High School Helping students prepare for high school

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

sK12/GuidanceCoopEd/Transition%20to%20High%20S

chool/Documents/AFTER%208%20TRANSITION%20

GUIDE%202015.pdf

Transition Guide for Parents is available in several

languages

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

sK12/GuidanceCoopEd/Transition%20to%20High%20S

chool/Pages/default.aspx

Archdiocese of Toronto’s Project

Hope A reminder to all that the Archdiocese of Toronto has

passed the midway point of its 100-day “Project Hope”

$3 Million Emergency Refugee Resettlement Campaign.

The goal is supporting the settlement of 100 refugee

families within the Greater Toronto Area as soon as

possible. Schools are encouraged to partner with their

local parish to raise funds for this worthwhile effort. Get

more information online:

https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/project-hope.aspx

Visit the TCDSB Website www.tcdsb.org to get all the

news and information from around the board,

including athletics, news for parents and students.

Follow the board on Twitter @TCDSB to get updates

as they happen. Or subscribe to Enews and receive

regular email updates.

https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscripti

on.aspx

The Staff of St. Helen Catholic School wishes

everyone a Happy and Blessed Christmas!

A Special Thank You to our….

CSPC

Volunteers

Parish Team

Student Nurse

Teacher Candidates

Community Partners

Your commitment to serving our school

community is commendable!

Please contact the school if you would like to advertise in this publication.