Tel: 416-393-5391 Fax: 416-397-6095 Father Serra Times · Community Rep– Marianne Pisani Parent...
Transcript of Tel: 416-393-5391 Fax: 416-397-6095 Father Serra Times · Community Rep– Marianne Pisani Parent...
Father Serra Times
Father Serra Catholic School 111 Sun Row Drive , Toronto , Ontario M9P 3J 3
Tel : 416 -393-5391 Fax: 416 -397-6095
October, 2012
Mr. Bruce Rodrigues
Director of Education
It was great to see so many parents dur-
ing our special evening on Wednesday,
September 26th during our Blessing of
the new addition, Community BBQ and
Curriculum night. Thank you to our
CSAC and Father Serra staff for coordi-
nating this evening. We also thank our
Director Mr. Bruce Rodrigues for joining
us along with Father Glaba, Trustee Pe-
ter Jakovcic, Superintendent Loretta
Notten, MMP Donna Cansfield and
Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby.
The evening included an opportunity to
review school policies, routines, expecta-
tions and initiatives, as well as providing
an opportunity to meet teachers. You are
encouraged to maintain regular commu-
nication throughout the year with our
school.
We appreciate your support and we
would encourage you to contact our
school at (416) 393-5391 if you have con-
cerns about your child.
Thank you to all the parents who have
assisted us with finding alternate park-
ing before and after school. This has defi-
nitely made a difference in ensuring the
safety of all our students.
Please welcome Father Serra’s new
French teacher, Mr. Alexander Koka. Mr.
Koka will be teaching French in the af-
ternoons.
October will once again be a busy month
at our school. Please review the attached
calendar of events for this month.
J. Pannozzo
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
by Brian F. King,
O Lord, with humble hearts we pray Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day
And ask that at table place, Where grateful folk say words of grace, That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field. We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board; And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.
Amen
TCDSB Faith and Character Development Monthly Themes
Virtues of the Month
September Hospitality February Love
October Gratitude March Forgiveness
November Peacemaking April Justice
December Charity May Compassion
January Courage June Faithfulness
Principal: Mr. J. Pannozzo Vice Principal: Ms. J. Corsi
Admin. Assistant: Mrs. E. Barbaro Clerk Typist: Mrs. E. Simone
Superintendent: Mrs. L. Notten Trustee: Peter Jakovcic
TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
TRUSTEES 2012-2013 Wards 1. Peter Jakovcic 2. Ann Andrachuk Chair 3. Sal Piccininni Vice-Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni 4. Maria Rizzo 6. Frank D’Amico 7. John Del Grande 8. To Be Determined
9. Jo– Anne Davis
10. Barbara Poplawski 11. Angela Kennedy
12. Nancy Crawford Andrew Walker Student Trustee Elect
Principal’s Message
OCTOBER 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 2
CSAC NEWS
We are pleased to announce your new
CSAC for 2012/2013:
Co-Chair– Rob Berton
Co-Chair– Dana Delle Cese-Ahluwalia
Co-Secretary—Christine Carbone
Co-Secretary— Stephanie Hoffman
Treasurer– Teresa Visic
Community Rep– Marianne Pisani
Parent Rep– Karen Lorenowicz
Parent Rep– Melissa Pacienza
Parent Rep– Susy Gallucci
Parent Rep– Mackie Sichetti
Parent Rep– Linda Latini
Parent Rep—Cenzina Bruno
Parent Rep—Cristina De Lellis
Teacher Rep– David Farrell
COMMUNITY BBQ
The Community BBQ was a
huge success. We were blessed
with beautiful weather and it
was wonderful to see so many
families in attendance.
Thank you to all the parent volunteers—we could
not have done it without you. To Mrs. McInerney
for assisting us during the day.
A special thank you to Mrs. Sichetti, for her lead-
ership role in coordinating the Community BBQ.
WITNESS CROSS
This cross was made by students of
Neil McNeil CSS. Last year the Wit-
ness to Faith Cross visited half of the
TCDSB schools in the Eastern part
of the city. This year the Witness
Cross will travel to the remaining schools.
On September 26th, Father Serra received the Witness Cross
and demonstrated our faith by forming a Living Rosary, pro-
cessing the Cross to All Saints Parish and celebrating mass.
Thank you to the Liturgical Committee for all their work in
organizing the events. A special thank you to Mr. Vennare for
photographing, and videotaping the events.
NURTURING OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
THROUGH FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY
On May 2nd, 2012 the Board launched its new three-year pas-
toral plan of Faith, Hope and Charity, which builds on the
Word, Worship and Witness focus of the previous pastoral
plan. The Witness to Faith Symposium brought together edu-
cators, support staff, students, parents and spiritual leaders
with the goal to strengthen the faith life of our schools and to
raise the public profile of Catholic education in Toronto.
The focus on Faith, Hope and Charity supports the goals of
the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan with its focus on Living
our Catholic Values, Student Achievement
and Well-Being and Inspired and Motivated
Employees. This focus also ties in nicely with
the Board’s logo, which was designed in 1969
by Allan Fleming, which combines the cross,
the anchor, and the heart representing the
three theological virtues.
PAGE 3 FATHER SERRA TIMES OCTOBER 2012
IMPORTANCE OF HOMEWORK
With the start of a new school year, your child is getting back into the habit of completing homework on time and with care. Here are a few of the many benefits of home-work.
It reinforces skills and concepts taught at school.
It develops self-discipline, self-motivation, time man-
agement and organizational skills.
It creates a link between home and school.
How can you as a parent help your child?
Make sure your child has a good night’s rest and eats a
balanced diet.
Provide a quiet, regular place to do work.
Listen to him/her read, it does not have to be in Eng-
lish.
Provide occasional words of encouragement.
Contact teachers if you have questions or con-
cerns about homework assignments.
INFORMATION SHEET AND PERMISSION FORMS
Very important sheets were attached to the September newsletter. These sheets provide us with important infor-mation about your child:
Information about your child’s health.
Lunch permission and permission to go on local excur-
sions.
Permission for your child to be filmed or photographed
by the media.
Permission to have access to the internet at school.
If you have not returned these forms, please do so im-mediately. If you are unable to locate a copy, upon re-quest, the school can provide you with another copy.
The Recycling Council of On-
tario is pleased to announce
the return of the Waste-Free
Lunch Challenge!
The Waste-Free Lunch Chal-
lenge is an elementary school
program developed by the Re-
cycling Council of Ontario in partnership with Tetra Pak
Canada.
The goal of the program is to help schools decrease the
amount of garbage they produce and to educate students,
staff and parents about waste reduction.
School lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario with
the average student’s lunch generating a total of 30 kilo-
grams of waste per school year, or an average of 8500 kilo-
grams (18,700 lbs) of waste per school per year.
Going waste-free starts at the home. Please visit
http://www.wastefreelunch.com/parents-resources for
more information and tips on how to pack a waste-free
lunch.
The Waste-Free Lunch Challenge runs October 15-19st, 2012.
Lockdown Procedures
“Keeping our Students and Staff Safe”
The Toronto Catholic District School Board has a prima-
ry responsibility to ensure the safety of students and staff
inside Board buildings and on Board property. In part-
nership with the Toronto Police Services and the Toronto
District School Board, a city wide safety emergency school
lockdown procedures plan has been developed.
The ―Emergency Lockdown Procedure‖ is initiated should
a high risk incident involving weapons, hazardous chemi-
cal spill, severe weather warning, student/stranger intru-
sion, etc. occur in the school or on school property, or
there are circumstances in the vicinity of the school that
could endanger the lives and/or the safety of students
and/or staff.
In order for all students and staff to become familiar
with the expectations during a lockdown, our school will
be practising emergency lockdown procedures as we have
normally done with fire drills. During these drills there
will be signs posted on the entrance doors indicating that
the school is in lockdown . The doors will be locked and no
one will be allowed into the school. This is the same proce-
dure that will be followed in a real situation.
We will be holding two lockdown practice drills during
the school year. They will be held on: October 23rd,
2012 and on March 19th, 2013.
CPIC LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND
PARENT CONFERENCE
A new school year is upon us and the Catholic Parents Involve-
ment Committee (CPIC) members are busy organizing upcoming
events. The Annual CPIC Leadership Summit and Parent
Conference will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2012. All Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Catholic
School Advisory Council (CSAC) members are encouraged to at-
tend and share in discussions of triumphs and challenges. This is
a great opportunity for CSAC members to voice any concerns and
to network. Parents are welcome to attend as well. Mark the
date, more registration information to come.
Remember, CPIC members are here to help parents get more
involved with their children’s Catholic education. If you have any
questions, comments, concerns please contact your Ward Repre-
sentative or your child’s CSAC.
October 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 4
Student Assessment
The school year is divided into two formal reporting periods with a Progress Report given in early November. Parent/Teacher interviews will take place on the evening of November 15th and the morning of November
16th to discuss student progress as indicated on the Elementary Progress Report.
The Elementary Progress Report Card ( Grades 1-6 and Grades 7-8) is to inform parents of the progress students are making towards achievement of the Curriculum Expectations. Assessment on the Progress Report Card is divided into two sections: i) Learning Skills/Work Habits, and ii) Subject areas. The first term (September to January) Provincial Report card will be completed and shared with parents on the evening of February 14th and the morning of February
15th. A final Provincial Report Card will be completed in late June.
For more information regarding the new assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools, please visit:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf or www.edugains.ca
J. Vennare (Gr. 3)
Shawn Driedger
Michael Quinn
R. Troina (Gr. 4)
Violet Romano
Paul Bellissimo
R. Achong (Gr. 4)
Carlie Primomo
Nicholas Primomo
M. Russo (Gr. 5)
Fabio Baramaj
Isabella Frasca
Elisa Litrenta
J. Berneche (Gr. 5)
Noah Biasi
Isabella Vincent
Gabriela Manna
M. MacDonald (Gr. 6)
Nicole Martino
Stephen Giansante
S. Bellisario (Gr. 6)
Christopher Robinson
Joseph Monardo
Charlie Waddell
G. Lui (Gr. 7)
Sydney Mior
Barbara Caka
Matteo Colo
R. Gargano (Gr. 7)
Francesca Litrenta
Jean Paul Garzon
D. Farrell (Gr. 8)
Emily Santos
Daniel MacLellan
Francesca Mazzuca
M. Torrieri (Gr. 8)
Alexandra Mijovic
Azora Di Filippis
Nicholas Carbone
STUDENT(S) OF THE MONTH
CONGRATULATIONS to the following students.
They displayed the Virtue of Hospitality for the
month of September.
M. Palermo-Saraco ELP
Ashoka Ahluwalia
Ryan Bernardino
Abby Bertola
J. Salvadori ELP
Sofia Cioffi
Dylon Da Costa
William Tubaro
L. Di Placido ELP
Georgia Galluzzo
Owen McGuckin
Rafael Lacroce
I.Drohobycky (Gr. 1)
Sonya Pashkewych
Daniel Petti
L. Pimento (Gr. 1)
Leandro Carrion
Vanessa Clarizio
D. Lloyd (Gr.1 and 2)
Emily Ancimer
Christian Giannone
L. Pesegi-Galluzzo (Gr. 2)
Daniel Berton
Samantha Porcarelli
C. Spatare (Gr.2)
Adam Galati
Natalie De Paoli
Bianca Opacak
Olivia Pellarin
Maria Dinatolo
K. Connolly (Gr. 3)
Liana Pinnock
Marissa Carnovale
PAGE 5 FATHER SERRA TIMES OCTOBER 2012
The Elementary Guidance Counsellor
What does an Elementary Guidance Counsellor do?
The most important role of the Elementary Counsellor is to be an advocate for stu-
dents as they strive to meet the challenges and demands of their everyday school
life.
At Father Serra Catholic School, our guidance counsellor works to:
Help with the personal and academic growth of all students.
Develop educational and career decision-making skills among all students.
Promote the development of interpersonal skills among all students.
Provide services to the school community which will assist in the growth and learning of all students.
Our counsellor can help students to...
Do Better in School
Get Along With Others
Cope With Changes
Feel Good About Themselves
Make Decisions
Understand Feelings
What else does our guidance counsellor do?
Visits classrooms
Teaches lessons about: respecting yourself and others, identifying your feelings, solving problems peacefully
making friends and getting along with others, and other such topics
Meets with students individually and in a group for a variety of issues such as: family changes, grief/loss,
anger/self-control, friendship/social skills, self-confidence, stress management, goal-setting
Meets with parents, teachers and other school specialists
Helps the grade eight students transition from elementary to high school
How does a student see the guidance counsellor?
They request to speak to the guidance counsellor
The teacher requests it
The principal suggests it
Mom or Dad requests it
Please remind your children that:
All children have the right to feel safe and happy at school; all children
have the responsibility to ensure that their peers feel safe and happy at
school!
SAFETY CONCERNS FOR OUR CHILDREN:
We ask that all parents and guardians reinforce the following street proofing strategies with their children:
Children should:
Always tell you where they are
Know how to use the pay telephone, including how to call long distance by dialing direct or using operator
assistance. They should always have emergency telephone money with them.
Memorize the telephone numbers (including area code) of home
and a neighbour
Know their name, age, address, city and province
Go places with friends
Never approach or enter a stranger’s car
Never say they are alone if they answer the phone or door
Never let strangers in the house
Never accept gifts from strangers
Never enter anyone’s home or car without permission from parents
Know that it is unwise to believe stories such as a person wanting
them to help find a lost pet, etc.
Know it’s okay to say ―NO‖ to adults, especially if the adult wants
them to do something which makes them uncomfortable or they know
is wrong
Know that no one has the right to touch any part of his or her body that a bathing suit would cover
Recognize suspicious behaviour and report it
Know to tell you if someone has asked them to keep a secret from you
Know what to do in case of unwelcome attention e.g. walk faster, go to a neighbourhood store, head for a busy
street, walk toward a group of people and wave as if they see someone they know
Scream and keep screaming if something is wrong
Kick and bite hard if someone grabs them
Know that police officers are friends
Parents are encouraged to give their children a ―password‖ known only to them. This can be used when a stranger,
a friend or family member approaches them and asks them to come with them.
When necessary use the following numbers for assistance or to report suspicious people or behaviours:
Emergency Help - 911
Metropolitan Toronto Police Radio Room - 416-808-2222
Crime Stoppers – 416-222-TIPS
October 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 6
CRIME STOPPERS - 416-222-8477
You Can Make A Difference
REPORT CRIME
CASH REWARD UP TO $2,000.00
We don’t want your name - Just
your tip
If you have information about a
CRIME and want to
remain Anonymous.
Call: 416-222-TIPS
(8477)
Online: www.222tips.com