St. Elizabeth Seton

Catholic School

Newsletter

December 2016

MISSION STATEMENT St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School is a community of learners committed to the

development of the whole person. We are gifts of God working together to serve the Lord

Jesus and each other. With family and parish, we strive for excellence and a

commitment to life long learning.

Advent Prayer (1 of 2)

God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome,

remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,

so that we may share His wisdom and become one with Him

when He comes in glory,

for He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever

Amen

6133 Glen Erin Dr. Mississauga, Ont.,

L5N 2T7 Phone: (905) 821-2277 Fax: (905) 821-3766 www.dpcdsb.org/SETON

Administration

P. Cahill, Principal

Administrative Assistant

D. Stewart

Superintendent

E. Fischer

Phone: (905) 890-1221

Catholic School Trustee E. O’Toole Phone: (905) 812-5163 Email: esther.otoole@dpcdsb.org

Catholic School Council Chairperson

E. O’Grady-Bimm

Parish St. John of the Cross Pastor: Rev. J. Kalluvila 6890 Glen Erin Drive Mississauga, ON L5N 2E1 Phone: (905) 821-1331

For the latest information about school events, causes and initiatives, families are invited to follow us on Twitter.

Our school feed is

@SetonWildcats

During the season of Advent, we wait “in joyful hope”, and we prepare our hearts for the coming of

Jesus. At St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Elementary School, students and staff are engaged in the spirit of

the season by helping those in our community who need our assistance. As a school community, and in

conjunction with our parent and parish partners, we have many special activities planned for this Advent

season that serve to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

On behalf of the staff of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Elementary School, may your family have a peaceful

and joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wishing you a blessed Advent and Christmas season!

- Mr. P. Cahill, Principal

Advent Prayer (2 of 2)

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of

Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who

enlists me in God's own work for justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father's joy. I seek His will so I can

serve with gladness, singing and love.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of

my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life

begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. - AMEN

Celebrating Advent

Advent

As Catholics, we prepare to celebrate the season of Advent. The Advent wreath is a circular garland of evergreen branches representing eternity. On that wreath, four candles (three purple and one pink) are typically arranged. During the season of Advent one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday. Each candle represents an aspect of the spiritual preparation for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Nov. 27 - First Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Hope in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

Dec. 4 - Second Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Love symbolizing Christ's manger.

Dec. 11 - Third Sunday of Advent: pink candle representing Joy or the “Shepherd’s Candle”

Dec. 18 - Fourth Sunday of Advent: purple candle representing Peace also called the "Angel’s Candle"

A REMEMBRANCE DAY TO REMEMBER!

The Grade 1 and 2 students put on a wonderful presentation for Remembrance Day. Students shared var-

ious readings with us and taught us about why we wear poppies and what they symbolize. We listened to

a touching song which reminded us about peace and how precious it is. We watched a video commemo-rating all of the fallen soldiers and what their experience may have been like during their battles. Each

class contributed a unique wreath as a symbol of peace and unity and they were placed on the walls of the gymnasium. Mr. Costa contributed beautiful wooden soldier cutouts and a

cross which were highlighted beautifully as part of our display. On this day, the gymnasium was truly transformed into a peaceful, reflective space.

Hey have you heard?

St. Elizabeth Seton will be putting on a Christmas Concert! What’s it called you ask?

A very Seton Christmas is coming your way with two performances in December. Tuesday December 13, 2016; Group A will be performing both a morning and afternoon performance. Thursday December 15, 2016; Group B will be performing both a morning and afternoon perfor-mance. Please arrive promptly, as doors will be closed at the starting time of the performance. Please be respectful and stay for the entire per-formance, as leaving early will cause distractions to those around you, audience members and the students performing. If you are able, canned food donations will be collected for the local food banks, as Christmas is a high need time in their calendar. Haven’t gotten your tickets yet? Tick-ets are on a first come, first serve bases as fire codes limit the quantity of people able to attend. Ticket requests were sent out at the end of Octo-ber and seats are filling FAST! We look forward to a school full of Christ-mas Cheer!

Bullying Prevention-Keeping SAFE at Seton

We participated in Bullying Prevention Week activities (Nov. 21-25) by reading prayers from students each morning during

the announcements, providing information about bullying, the bully and bystander. We want students at St. Elizabeth Seton

school to recognize the similarities and differences between “bullying” and “mean” or “rude” behaviour, and to help them to

develop strategies to handle unkindness or bullying should it occur. All students watched a class-generated power point

presentation on November 27th given by our intermediate students. We believe that student voice and advocacy are

important traits that all youngsters should develop, as well as developing the opportunity to solve

problems with words instead of violence or physical aggression.

We encourage parents to remind their children to: S: Stand Up for Themselves

A: Ask for help when needed

F: Find a solution to conflict

E: End Bullying

We will continue to engage in Bullying Awareness and Prevention activities throughout the course

Term 1 Report Cards

The Elementary Provincial Report Card is designed to show a student’s achievement at two

points in the school year.

Term 1 Report Cards will be sent home on February 7, 2017

Parent-Teacher Interviews: Thursday, February 9th and Friday, February 10th, 2017

(Full Day) Kindergarten Registration

Day Registration: Tues. January 24, 2017 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Wed., January 25, 2017 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Thu., January 26, 2017 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Fri., January 27, 2017 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Evening Registration: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Parent Evening to Support the Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into Kindergarten

Wednesday, January 11, 2017 – CEC Room 301, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

(Snow Date: Monday, January 16, 2017, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)

Please Note: In addition to the above-noted dates, Kindergarten registration occurs continuously throughout the remainder of the school year.

SNOW DATE: Wednesday, January 25, 2017

(7:00 pm – 9:00 pm)

Please visit the Board website for a complete list of the

documentation you need to bring with you at the time of

registration.

http://www.dpcdsb.org> schools> register for school

Safe Play and Snow

Playing in the snow can be a lot of fun, however, our school has a rule forbidding the throwing of snowballs and kicking snow onto others. Students in our school are reminded of the importance of this rule in preventing injury to others. We encourage our students to constructively use the snow that winter brings to build snow sculptures. Please assist us by reviewing with your child the danger in throwing/kicking snow and the importance of preventing injury to other children. This will help to make our school yard a safe place for all of our students during winter.

NPU Officer

We welcome Constable Paul to St. Elizabeth Seton School as our Neighborhood Policing Unit (NPU) officer. Constable Paul had the opportunity to introduce himself to all students when he visited Seton in mid November. Please do not be alarmed when you notice a police car at the front of our school. We are continually strengthen-ing the partnerships established between students, staff and the community.

Cold and Flu Season

Parents are gently reminded to please keep your child at home if they are ill.

A child who is coughing, wheezing, etc. is not in a state to learn and will only affect the health of others. As well, please understand that if your child is well enough to attend school, they should be well enough to go outside at recess. (It is impossible for supervision and safety of the students to have some students in-side and others outside).

On extremely cold days, when the wind-chill equivalent temperature is minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower, students will stay inside as per Board guidelines.

As the temperature drops, students need to dress appropriately for the weather. Mittens, scarves, boots and other winter attire should be worn to school.

Catholic School Council Corner

Thank you to the school community for helping make the St. Elizabeth Seton Dance-a-thon a huge success. We were able to achieve our fundraising goals.

Congratulations to our top fundraising students: Shayla J. Miguel D., Aiden K. Tyler L. Stuart. M.

A special thank you to the following businesses that donated prizes for the dance-a-thon. Your community support is greatly appreciated. Canadian Tire - Meadowvale, Air Riders - Ridgeway Mississauga, East Side Mario's - Winston Park and City of Mississauga - Meadowvale

Community Centre.

Thank you to the families and teachers that also donated prizes towards the dance-a-thon.

We will not be having a CSC council meeting in December as originally scheduled. Our next meet-ing will be February 16, 2017 at 6:30pm in the library. All parents are welcome. Come see what

events are planned for 2017!

We would like to wish our entire school community a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

- St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School Council

Calling in Absences

If you know that your child will be absent from school, please call us at 905-821-2277, Press 1 for

attendance and leave a message. A message can be left at any time.

Seton Spirit Day

Toonie for United Way and St. Vincent de

Paul Society

On Thursday, December 22nd our school will hold its annual Spirit Day to raise money for the United Way and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The staff at Seton (and a few specially invited guests) will have a friendly game of volleyball against the intermediate team.

We anticipate a fun-filled time for all. Please donate a toonie ($2.00) or more to these

worthwhile organizations. Let’s help others in our community!

Money sent should be directed to your child’s

Recess Rules for Students

We encourage all students to experience their outdoor recess breaks in an enjoyable and safe manner. To ensure that students play safely and do not endanger the safety of other children, we have some very important rules for all children to follow in our school yard.

We help each other We respect all persons and property

We respect the school ‘hands off’ policy We stay off fences

We play non-contact games We use appropriate language

We stay on school property We eat our snacks inside

We leave rocks, stones, snow, etc. on the ground

Please review these rules and expectations with your child(ren).

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

The Government of Canada identifies: December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the Nation in Montreal, in 1989, December 6 represents an oppor-tunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also an opportunity to con-sider 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.

Parents of Grade 4 Students:

Extended French Parent Meeting

St. Therese of the Child Jesus School

Thursday, January 19, 2017 @ 7 pm

Santa Photos

On Wednesday, November 23rd, Santa came

to Seton. We were able to raise over

$1000.00 towards the Mississauga Animal

Shelter. Thank you to our community for

supporting this cause and to Mrs. Stewart for

making arrangements!

Catholic Graduate Expectations

During the month of December, I Have Responsibilities will be presented on our announcements, through our prayers and daily practice. Students are learning to:

Speak, write and listen as Jesus would want

Care about others and speak up for them

Be honest

Think carefully before reacting

Respect all people and their languages

Listen to the Word of God

The Grade 2 students will be

receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation (Monday

December 12, 2016 7:00-9:00 PM with individual confessions)

May God bless them as they grow closer to God and continue their faith journey.

Intermediate Boys Volleyball

Congratulations to the Intermediate boys for a very successful volleyball season. The team came out and played with

so much determination and passion. You all made your coaches and St. Elizabeth Seton very proud! It was a pleasure

coaching each and every one of you. Thank you to Ethan, Jarryd, Nicholas, Kameron, Connor, Marcus, Jayden, Daniel,

Kyle and Tayshon for a wonderful season.

Ms. Lettieri & Ms. Mennite

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the Intermediate Girls Volleyball team for a season well played. The girls worked very

hard over the last month and a half, improving on volleyball skills and demonstrating excellent teamwork. Coaches Mlle Miscolci and Mme MacDonald are especially proud of the girls dedication and positive attitude throughout the practices

and games. Thank you to all parents who came out to support the team and watch the games.

Go Wildcats! Members of the 2016-2017 Intermediate Girls Volleyball team: Arianna B., Nada B., Kristen D., Emma J., Bianca P., Aleksandra S., Mikaela S., & Rylea T.

St Elizabeth Seton is an Allergen Aware School

As a caring community, St. Elizabeth School is committed to supporting the needs and safety of all our students. Our student population includes students who are susceptible to anaphylactic reactions and who have severe life-threatening allergies. We continue to ask that parents avoid sending food products to school for special celebrations (i.e. Birthdays, Christmas, etc). If you would like to send treats in to your child’s classroom, we encourage you to send non-edible items such as stickers, erasers, pencils, small toys, etc. Please be informed that, if food products are sent to school they will remain in the office and will be sent home with the student at the end of the day. Please rest assured that many of the exciting school sponsored activities at St. Elizabeth Seton (i.e. pizza days, pita lunch, etc.) will continue and will comply with the Government of Ontario’s Food and Beverage Policy (PPM 150) Through a cooperative effort, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all our students by continuing to adhere to these policies. If you have any questions, please contact the school office or your child’s teach-er.

Public Speaking

St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School Public Speaking Competition was held on Thursday, November 10, 2016. We had a great turn out of participation; housing a variety of speakers and truly unique speeches. In the junior division the winners included; Danielle D., (4), Jasmine O., (5/6) and Emma B. (5/6) ad-vancing to families. The Intermediate division winners included; Jarryd R. (7), Kirsten D. (7) and Maya K. (7) advancing to families. Thanks to Mlle. Miscolci and Mrs. Lim for organizing and running this annual event. A special thanks to Mrs. Scrivo and Ms. Mennite for all their help with the judging.

Advent Liturgies

Our school community is gathering each Monday of Advent (Dec,5 @ 9:25 am, Dec 12 @ 9:45 am, Dec 19 @ 10 am) to be reminded of our responsibilities to ready ourselves for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Lighting the wreath, sing-ing the Advent song and watching short videos helps us to get in the ‘waiting’ mood! As well, each class is adding beau-tiful decorations to our Jesse Tree which celebrates Jesus’ ancestry with short bible verses and symbols of his herit-age. A special thanks to M. Vis for his beautiful ‘burning bush’! This is one special bible story they won’t soon forget!

Seton’s Student Faith Ambassadors are spearheading a Keys of Kindness Kampaign! Stringing keys, coloured by stu-dents, that represent individual acts of kindness in our school, they hope to encircle the school with concrete evidence of the love and compassion for each other.

Message to Families ‘Walking Forward Together’ Dear Parents / Guardians, Happy New Year! As we enter into Advent, a period of ‘expectant’ preparation, we enter into a new liturgical year for the Catholic Church, an invitation to refresh our faith anew, going ever deeper in our relationship with Christ and the Church. New beginnings invite new possibilities, ‘walking forward together’ in Christ, continuing to build our faith communities.

It is with a wonderful sense of hope and optimism that I assume the role as Superintendent of Schools for the Mississauga North Family of Schools. The Mississauga North of Schools, consisting of 18 schools and 4 parishes and several thousand families, is a dynamic and diverse faith community. Supported by highly responsive trustees, Esther O’Toole Wards 9 and 10, Sharon Hobin, Wards 2 and 8 and Luz del Rosario Wards 6 and 11, together, each and all, we aspire to uplift Catholic Education, student well-being, learning and achievement in our schools.

The pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph during this season of Advent, mirrors our journey in education. The journey can at times be challenging, yet it is also hope-filled. As a Catholic community, we are committed to our partnership of school, family and church, supportive of your central role as parents/guardians. We encourage and invite your active participation in your children’s learning, including active participation in your schools and School Councils. Our teachers, support staff and administrators embrace this partnership with you, aspiring to nurture Catholic cultures of achievement and well-being, within safe, caring and inclusive faith-filled learning environments. We thank all staff for their commitment! We thank you parents/guardians for your on-going support and involvement in your children’s learning.

As we journey through advent toward the miracle of Christmas, may we continue to be inspired by the daily learning, wonderings, dreams and aspirations of your children! May we continue to listen deeply to their voices as we support them on their journey toward achieving the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations!

I look forward to connecting and ‘walking forward together’ with each school community in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Sincerely,

Eric Fischer

‘Extraordinary lives start with a Great Catholic Education.’

From your Catholic School Trustee

Esther O’Toole

During this Advent Season, as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and guardians for choosing a Catholic education for your children.

As we approach Christmas, it’s a good time to reflect on the very busy, but very successful start to the school year. Our schools enjoy strong relationships with our families, local parishes and the community at large, and continue to be safe, caring, healthy and inclusive places to learn and to work. We continue to see strong performances by our students across the board in terms of EQAO scores and graduation rates, which are among the highest in the province. But we are not complacent by any means, and we continue to work hard to make sure that each student has every opportunity to achieve success. As we celebrate this sacred season, I thank you for supporting Catholic education, and wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Please remember to; Forever Rely On God (FROG)

Blessings for your families.

Esther O’Toole Esther O’Toole (and Rusty)

Here are some ways to be Eco (and wallet!) friendly by

re-using newspaper/magazines: 1. The images are usually professional. You can cut them out and paste them onto

an eco-friendly material (wood, cardboard) and create:

- ornaments - cards -magnets -decorated boxes - photo frames

2. Along with pictures you can use different texts to make a fun message for

someone.

3. Both make great wrapping paper!

4. In some newspapers they feature local and famous writing pieces like poems

which you can use in your cards to loved ones.

5. If you made or purchased a fragile gift for someone and you need to mail it, you

can use newspaper to protect it.

You can also use old Christmas cards and convert them into a

gift box. Fold on blue lines, cut on red lines. Fold in tabs and fit the top into the

bottom:

Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR)

Bus Cancellation/School Closing due to Bad Weather

2016/2017 School Year

During the winter months inclement weather may cause disruption of bus transportation and regular school operations. A decision to cancel school transportation and/or to close schools is usually made by

6:00 a.m. and will be announced on the following radio and television stations:

VIRGIN RADIOFM99.9 CHUM AM1050 CFTR AM680

CFNY FM102.1/AM640 CJCL AM590 CHFI FM98.1

NEWSTALK1010 AM EZ ROCK FM97.3 CJBC (FR) AM860

FM Z103.5 FM93.1 FM Q107

CHIN FM100.7/AM1540 CBC99.1 CITYPULSE

GLOBAL NEWS CTV BREAKFAST TELEVISION

We will be communicating one of six standard messages to the radio stations. The six announcements and their effect on the transportation system are as follows: (Please note that the highlighted text only will be communicated by the radio stations).

“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES SERVING ST. ANDREW, ST. BENEDICT AND ST. PETER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND R.F. HALL SECONDARY SCHOOL ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”

“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES AND PEEL DIS-TRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE TOWN OF CALEDON ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY”.

This means that ALL buses which operate into, out of, and within the Town of Caledon are cancelled for the entire day.

“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES AND THE PEEL DISTRICT

SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE TOWN OF CALEDON AND THE COUNTY OF DUFFERIN ARE CAN-CELLED FOR TODAY”.

This means that all runs listed under announcements #l and #2 are cancelled.

Individual schools will be notified if this cancellation affects their school.

4. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”

This means that ALL buses which operate into, out of, and within the City of Mississauga are cancelled for the entire day.

“ALL DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND PEEL DISTRICT

SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.” This means that ALL transportation services provided by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Dis-

trict School Board and the Peel District School Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been cancelled for the entire day.

“ALL BUSES ARE CANCELLED AND THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE DUF-

FERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ARE CLOSED”.

This means that ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel District School board schools and offices are closed to all students and staff.

December 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

Swim to Survive - Gr

3FI

3

4 5 6 7 8 9

Bully Brave -

Gr. 4-6

Swim to Survive - Gr

3FI

10

11 12

13

Christmas

Concert (more in-

formation to follow)

14 15

Christmas

Concert (more

information to

follow)

16

Swim to Survive - Gr

3FI

17

18 19

Rosary

Apostolate

20 21 22 23

Virtue Assembly - 9

am

24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

MONTH of January Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 HAPPY NEW YEAR

2 3 4 5 6

6

8 9 Welcome Back to School!

10

11 12

13 14

15 16 Rosary Apostolate Sub Day

17 FDK students with Differing Abilities, CEC@7:00pm

18 19 Catholic School Council@6:30 Pizza Day

20 21

22 23 Professional Activity Day-No school for students

26 Feast Day Mass@7:00pm Dental Screening(JK/SK/Gr 2)

25

26 Covenant House@9:00 am, Gym (Gr 7&8) Pizza Day

27 28

29

30 Kindergarten Registration 7:00-9:00pm Sub Day

31 Safety Village@9:30, Gr 5 Kindergarten Registration (10:00-3:00)