Stephen Dempsey Principal Heather Hickey Vice Principal S. Curcic Secretary J. Vidal and S. Lazar Clerk/typist J. Wujek Superintendent of Education 416 222-8282 Barbara Poplawski TCDSB Trustee Ward 10 416 512-4301 St. James Church Fr. Ignacio Pineda 416 767-6451 St. Paul the Apostle Church 416 767-7054 James Culnan Website:

www.jamesculnan.tcdsb.org

J A M E S C U L N A N

C A T H O L I C

S C H O O L P A R E N T

C O U N C I L

N E X T M E E T I N G :

T H U R S D A Y ,

N O V E M B E R 2 N D

A T 7 : 0 0 P . M .

A L L A R E

W E L C O M E T O

A T T E N D !

J A M E S C U L N A N C A T H O L I C S C H O O L

605 WILLARD AVENUE

416 393 5325

November 2017

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents/Guardians: During this month of November, we recognize the virtue of Peace. How fitting that we do so, as on November 11th we remember those who have died fighting for our freedom, striving for peace in the world. On Friday, No-vember 10th, we will be having two Remembrance Day Ceremonies which parents are welcome to attend. The first will begin at 10:35 for students in Kindergarten to Grade 3; the second will begin at 12:35 for students in Grades 4 to 8. As in previous years, students will be given poppies to wear during the ceremony and to take home. We are asking for a small donation that will be sent to the Royal Canadian Legion on behalf of the James Culnan school community. Teachers have been working on the Growing Success Progress Reports which will be sent home on Tuesday, November 14th. These Progress Re-ports communicate the students’ strengths and provide information that will encourage students to set goals for learning, help teachers and assist parents in supporting learning at home. Based on board-wide responses from the survey completed in October, Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held during the evening on Wednesday, November 15th and Thursday, No-vember 16th. Further information regarding specific times will be sent home shortly. On Tuesday, October 31st, our Halloween Dance-a-thon took place in the school gym. I would like to extend my thanks to the CSPC members and all other parents who organized the event and helped out during this busy and fun-filled day. Thanks also to all of you who sent in pledges, as money raised will directly benefit the students during this school year. Finally, thank you to all staff and students for their cooperation on the day and their great school spirit. Regards, Stephen Dempsey Heather Hickey Principal Vice Principal

EcoTeam Book Swap The James Culnan EcoTeam is planning its third annual Book Swap to raise awareness of "Buy Nothing Day", an initiative seeking to reduce consumerism and build community through resource sharing. Last year's event was a huge success and we hope to make it even better this year! It will be held on Friday, November 24th, which is also Black Friday, the day associated with the start of holiday shopping. Book Collection Books in good condition will be collected by EcoTeam members at lunch time, starting November 6th. Please do not donate ripped, stained or oth-erwise unsuitable books. For each book donated, students will receive a voucher, which they will exchange for a "new" book on the day of the Book Swap. Outside of lunchtime hours, books may be dropped off to Rm 324. Call for volunteers Please let us know if you would be interested in volunteering 15 minutes of your time to help supervise the Book Swap (likely during a recess or lunch break) on November 24th.

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

Successful Initiatives

Thanks to the generosity of the James Culnan Catholic School community, hundreds of food items were collected during our Thanksgiving Food Drive, with many items being donated at

the Spooktacular Halloween dance on October 27th. The food is being delivered to the St. Francis Table, which provides meals to the needy.

This year’s Terry Fox Run at James Culnan raised a very impressive $2,638.20.

On October 31st, the James Culnan CSPC hosted our annual Halloween Dance-A-Thon. Pledge forms are still being collected, and a draw will be held shortly to determine the names of our prizewinners. Thanks to everyone for your commitment to these important events.

Pediculosis Pediculosis, commonly known as lice, is a common, but pesky problem in schools and among children. Children are reminded

not to share caps or hats, combs and brushes, or other hair accessories.

Cathol ic School Parent Counci l (CSPC)

@JamesCulnanCSPC www.facebook.com/jamesculnanCSPC/

ANAPHYLAXIS ALERT Allergen-Aware Environment

Please take special note that we have children in our school who have a very serious, life-threatening allergy to tree nuts, peanuts, all nut/peanut products, all seafood products, called Anaphylaxis. We are notifying all parents that students should not bring any nuts, peanut butter or any food containing nuts or peanut products such as peanut oil, sesame seeds, etc., as well as any seafood products. We ask that you DO NOT bring any personal baking or other treats to the school to share with the class.

PARKING LOT

A reminder to all that the school parking lot is for staff only. Please do not use it for parking, as we do not have enough spots for staff. There is absolutely NO PARKING in the handicap space at the front of the school. The fine is substantial and we need to have the space clear for the appropriate users that need it over the course of the day.

Be on Time for School...

A reminder to all that school begins at 8:30 a.m.

Too many students are consistently arriving at school after the morning bell.

It is very important for children to develop habits of arriving on time at an early age. Doing so teaches children about routines and commit-

ments, which is directly linked to success at school.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

As shared in October, a major safety concern noted by the police is:

Cars parking “left wheels to curb” Crossing into the wrong lane to park is extremely dangerous and puts members of our community at risk.

If you want to park on the school-side of the road, approach from the South on Willard Ave.,

or from the North on Windermere Ave.

Also, be sure to park outside of the designated

“Bus Loading Zones” and

do not block neighbours’ driveways.

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

A New Place to Play is on the Way...

After many months of planning, community input, and student consultation, construction on our new play structure is scheduled to begin on November 6th!

During the installation, which is expected to take three weeks, certain areas of the junior and intermediate yards will be sectioned off with safety fence, and designated off limits. Given the restrictions on play space and access points to the school, temporary adjust-ments to recess schedules, as well as student line-up and end-of-day pick up locations will be required.

In order to allow service vehicles access to the work site, a clear path from Willard Ave. to the gate leading into the intermediate yard will have to be maintained. During the con-struction process, the two parking spots in the south lot, directly in front of the gates will not be available. Please respect the markers which will be set up to define the space.

Everyone’s patience is appreciated as we look forward to the completion of this exciting new structure.

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

Cross Country

James Culnan had 65 students compete in this year’s Cross Country Divisional Meet that occurred on October 10 at the Beaches Boardwalk. These students represented the school well in both athleticism and sportsmanship. Advancing to the Regional Meet on Oc-tober 17 were Andrew A., Kinga Z., Emily M., Kendra B., Layla D., Brianna B., George H., Aleah L., Etenesh A., Zari-yah N., and Sienna. J-V. The City meet was held at Earl Bales Park and James Culnan was represented by Andrew A., who finished in a very impressive 6th place!! We would like to thank all the students who were part of the team for their diligence in training and for the many coaches who took the time to assist with training super-vision on a daily basis. Thanks to Ms. Ciccarelli, Ms. Fe-ness, Mme. La Cute, Mr. Neri, Ms. Pedro, Mr. Baird, Ms. McKeon, Ms. Usher, Mme. Imre, M. Bello, Ms. Domagala, Ms. Galati, Mme. McQuade, and Ms. Weing.

Me To We Initiatives

Wondering what to do with your leftover Halloween Candy? The James Culnan Me To We committee is collecting hard candy for donation to Dr. Simone’s charity: Canadian Food For Children. Please send unwanted hard candies to the school between November 1 and November 8. The Me To We committee will be holding a bake sale during the evening of Parent-Teacher Interviews on Thursday, November 16th. Every $50 will allow us to buy a goat for an international family, which will support and provide independent sustainability and income for them. Your support for this event is most appreciated.

PICTURE RETAKES:

Wednesday, November 22nd (a.m. only)

News from Parent Council James Culnan Parent Council hosted its 1st Halloween Spooktacular Family Dance Friday evening and it was fantastically attended by our school community and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone! Thank you to all who supported it and made it a spooktacular success! “Please DON’T STOP the music”, JCCS Parent “James Culnan School Community knows how to put on a party!”, Barbara Poplawski, School Trustee “This was the best school event ever”, Grade 8 students These were just a few of the comments heard from the James Culnan School Community. It took a few weeks of planning and coordination lead by Alicia Flaherty (Decor/Games), Neena Scott (Communication/DJ), Jackie Avelino and Ana Ledo (Food/Beverage). A special mention to Mr. Dempsey, Ms. Hickey and Custodial Staff that helped assist. We would like to Thank:

Those who donated and prepared Halloween Treats (Jackie Avelino, Ana Ledo, Xana McCormick, Neena Scott, Nancy Wanigatunga, Garth Mercer)

Our volunteers that helped serve at bar (Xana M and Garth and Gabriella Mercer)

Our volunteers for the 50/50 Draw (Neena Scott, Paul Pacheco and Kelly Daluz) Special thank you to Peter Bailey the winner of our 50/50 Draw for donating his winnings back to James Culnan Parent Council All this would not have been possible without a crew of wonderful volunteers who helped make this a huge success! Laura Iantorno & niece Abby, Joanna Cox, Dianne Oliveira, Anita Choi Gibson, Patricia Mero, Nidia Perez, Joy Bis-cocho, Sophie Park, Mary Lynne Anstette, Sylwia Halas, Stephanie Curesma, Jeanine Wood-Soloman, Tammy Decaire , Kelly Daluz, Diane Cordeiro, Bruna Gomess & Friends, Dianna O., Elizabeth D’Agostino, Elizabeth Jackson- Hall, Ann Ma-rie Farrugia, Julio & Partner, Shannon Wareham-Browne, Michelle Steele, Anabela & David Belluomini, Maria McChesney, Sonia, Emma and Paul Pacheco, Helen Brubacher, Ana Mora, and Ayla Clarke. Our annual Halloween Dance-a-Thon was in full ‘swing’ on Tuesday, October 31st where students and staff enjoyed danc-ing during the day. Thus far, the students have raised a total of $4300. Every dollar raised helps our Parent Council fund Student and School Initiatives. If you have not yet had an opportunity to donate and would like to, please send in your donation with the pledge envelope provided or in an envelope labelled ‘Dance-a-Thon’ with your child’s name, grade and teacher. Dance-a-Thon donations will be accepted through Friday, November 3rd, 2017. We would also like to extend a big thank you to Shannon Wareham-Browne, Maureen Smith and Michelle Steele for coordinating and organ-izing another successful Dance-a-Thon. A HUGE thank you for the Volunteers who helped out at Dance-a-Thon.

Elizabeth Galloway & Grandma Mimi, Elizabeth Jackson Hall, Neena Scott, Troy Scott, Larissa Vitorino, Jamie Ferron, Helen Brhe, Romana Vlasic, Nidia Perez, Debbie Montlouis, Vesna Vojnic, and Jackie Avelino. Our volunteers make it possible to have all the events that Parent Council has each year! Please reach out to Parent Council (CSPC) Co-Chairs (Alicia Flaherty and Neena Scott) 416-222-8282 ext. 88325 to seek out opportunities where you can volunteer during the school year.

YOU’RE INVITED! Come out and join us for our next Parent Council Meeting Thursday, November 2nd, 2017 at 7-8pm in the (School Library) Babysitting will be provided!!! Popcorn and a Movie for the kids We hope to see you there! Save the Date Parent Council Events: $2 Dress Down Day - Wednesday, November 15th 2017 Parent Council Meeting - Wednesday, December 6th 2017 at 7- 8pm (School Library) Christmas Family Movie Night - Friday, December 8th, 2017