november newsletter€¦ · catholic school news november 2015 november 2015 || olw 1 november...
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CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
NOVEMBER 2015 || OLW �1
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 ☎ 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434
Acting Principal: William Kwon Vice Principal: M. Dahdah
Secretary: K PagnelloSuperintendent: John Shain
416.222.8282 ext. 6582Chair/Trustee: Michael Del Grande
416.512.3407
CSPC Co- Chair: Elaine Murphy CSPC Co- Chair: June StonehouseCatholic Parent Involvement
Committee (CPIC) :www.tcdsb.org/cpic
Enrolment 363 ✝
Parish: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary3 Combermere Drive
Toronto, ON M3A 2W4416.445.1760
Father Jude CoyleMass:
Mon. - Fri. : 8:00 am & 12:20 pmSaturday : 9:00 am
Sunday : 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm & 7:oo pm
Reconciliation : Sat. 9:30am & 4:00pm
The Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School community salutes the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, past and present, who have sacrificed their lives and continue to do so to protect our great nation and Canadian interests abroad. May we always remember their contributions and peace keeping efforts in light of the many liberties that all Canadians are afforded. We thank them for keeping our loved ones safe and acting in the name of justice and peace.
November’s Virtue of the Month is “Peace,” accordingly, may we remember Jesus’ teachings, as the “Prince of Peace,” and continue to cultivate in our students and in ourselves the gift of Peace which we are all called to defend. November also marks Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, a reminder if you will, of our school community’s commitment to serving as active witnesses of God’s “truth, justice and love.”
May we reflect on the following question:
What are the qualities of a responsible citizen, seeking peace?
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
W. Kwon M. Dahdah(Acting) Principal Vice-Principal
NEW REGISTRANTS WELCOME:Call 416-393-5273 or the TCDSB Admissions Department at
416-222-8282, ext. 2383.For general information about the Toronto Catholic District School
Board, please visit the website at www.tcdsb.org.
Stay in touch with the latest news throughout the school year: Follow @TCDSB on Twitter and Our Lady of Wisdom @OLWCES
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
NOVEMBER 2015 || OLW �2OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434
SAFE SCHOOLS Code Re(a)d: learn the TCDSB’s Code of Conduct!
To “aid/incite harmful behaviour” is a suspendable offense. You probably remember the slogan from a few years ago, “Be an upstander, not a bystander!” the students were able to talk about what it meant to stand up for others and not just allow things to happen. But what if students are not just bystanding, but actually aiding the aggressor in some way? Inciting (or, encouraging) the behaviour that is harming someone?
Discussion Question: A soccer game is happening. Some of the students kick the ball hard, trying to hit the goalie. They try to get all of the players to follow their example and kick it hard, aiming for the goalie’s head. What would you do?
Thank you to the Safe Schools Action Team 2015-2016 for their efforts in setting our goals moving forward to ensure that Our Lady of Wisdom CES continues to be a safe, caring and welcoming learning environment for all stakeholders.
Bullying Awareness, Intervention and Prevention Goal: 1 To increase our school body's awareness of bullying issues and its opportunities for education by hosting presentations, networking with community partners, and participating in nationwide events. Goal #2: Implement a framework of support services, including intermediate-aged peer mediators and increased adult lunchtime supervision, that will reduce and de-escalate the number of conflicts among all students from JK to Grade 8. Goal #3: We will institute a "Ponder Box", a dropbox in which students from grades 1-4 can express their concerns with bullying issues, to be addressed by the principal and safe schools teacher with help from the peer mediators biweekly.
(A Contest to Decorate the box will be announced shortly. Please stay tuned…)
Progressive Discipline Goal # 1: Create consequences designed to support the pro-social development and future behaviour of the person responsible for the action.
Promoting a Positive School Culture Goal#1: To establish a school based Safe Schools Team that meets to discuss concerns and implements strategies to improve school climate.
EQAO RESULTS
Public reports of school and board results and “Tracking Student Achievement” will be available on November 18, 2015.
STUDENT INFORMATION
We ask that parent(s)/guardian(s) please submit to the office if you haven’t already done so updated data cards to ensure that all information regarding your child is up-to-date. We need to have the CORRECT HOME TELEPHONE, CELL NUMBERS, WORK NUMBERS, HOME ADDRESS AND EMERGENCY CONTACT. If these numbers change please let the school know promptly, IN WRITING.
ROSARY APOSTOLATE
We welcome the women of the Rosary Apostolate, especially Mrs. Morin and Mrs. Mendoza who will be visiting with the students from
JK-Grade 8 once month, commencing October 20th to help students live the rosary, familiarize
themselves with the various mysteries, culminating with the
Crowning of Mary in May of 2016.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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TRUSTEES 2015 & 2016
Wards1 Joseph Martino 2 Ann Andrachuk 3 Sal Piccininni 4 Patrizia Bottoni 5. Maria Rizzo 6. Frank D’Amico 7. Michael Del Grande Chair 8. Garry Tanuan 9. Jo-Ann Davis10. Barbara Poplawski11. Angela Kennedy 12. Nancy Crawford, Vice Chair
Allison Gacad,Student Trustee Karina Dubrovskaya StudentTrustee Angela Gauthier Director of Education80 Sheppard Ave. EastToronto, ONwww.tcdsb.org
COVENANT HOUSE VISIT
On October 28th, 2015, Suzy delivered a dynamic presentation with all of our grade 7 and 8 students in attendance on the topic of Youth Homelessness, Awareness and Prevention.
Covenant House is “Canada's largest homeless youth agency with a mission to educate and advocate for change to help at-risk, homeless and trafficked youth by influencing public policy and delivering prevention and awareness programs.”
The presenter spoke at great length about the serious consequences of bullying in terms of affecting one’s ability to volunteer, travel, financial future, education and career, as well as, victimization from bullying as being a catalyst from depression in later teenage years.
Students learned about known risk factors, the dangers of engaging in self-harming behaviours, as well as how to focus on protective factors and the need for peer support and self-advocacy skills in seeking required help. All in all, the information learned that day was of monumental importance for the students!
Our Lady of Wisdom is pleased to announce that The Angel Foundation for Learning, the charitable organization devoted to assisting students within TCDSB schools, has approved our school’s funding request in support of our excursion to Montreal.
Serving TCDSB students and making a positive difference, we congratulate The Angel Foundation for Learning for helping students since its inception in 1987.
Donations to the Foundation are welcome and can be sent to: The Angel Foundation for Learning, 80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2N 6E8. Tax receipts for donations of $10.00 or more will be issued. For more information about the Foundation visit www.angelfoundationforlearning.org
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
NOVEMBER 2015 || OLW �4OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R
SAFE SCHOOLS/Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week (November 16-20)
Our Lady of Wisdom CES welcomes our C.L.O. (Community Liaison Officer) Jennifer Wilson from 41 Division who will visit with the students in the Junior and Intermediate Divisions and engage the students to explore the topic of “Cyberbullying,” the associated dangers and methods of safe reporting.
The Community Liaison Officer’s role is to work in partnership with students, teachers, school administrators and the community to maintain and enhance healthy, safe and inclusive school communities.
We also welcome our Public Health Nurse-Healthy Schools Substance Misuse Prevention Team Toronto Public Health, who will be visiting on November 6th to plan implementation of Toronto Public Health programming for 2015/2016 school year with a focus on programming related to mental wellness and substance use prevention.
Finally, on Nov. 16th, Freeze Out Bullying will be coming to Our Lady of Wisdom to engage students from K-8 with an interactive presentation that focuses on “demonstrating respect,” “speaking up assertively,” and “safe reporting,” and role modelling virtues like “Compassion.” We look forward to this exciting comprehensive program as it will complement our other Safe Schools initiatives such as Pink Shirt Day to be held on February 25, 2016 and help us to achieve our vision of a safe, caring and welcoming school environment!
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Running Club and Cross Country 2015-2016
Running Club has been a
huge success thanks in large part to the planning and coordination of Mme. Stephanie, M. Wandji with our last day being Thurs. Oct. 22, 2015. It has been an excellent way to promote cardio vascular exercise and the importance of physical activity.Congratulations to the Wisdom Warriors Cross-Country team who ran very well at the divisional meet on October 15th. 96 students participated in races of 1.5km-3km long and displayed excellent perseverance and passion to succeed! 18 students qualified for the regional meet and 6 of those runners competed in the Toronto Catholic city-wide final on Oct. 27th @ Earl Bales Park. Nous sommes fier de nos guerriers!
Thank you to all parent volunteers and coaches who helped coordinate and supervise the Cross-Country Meet. A special thank you to Mme. Stephanie, Mme. Ivy O.,Mme. Tymkewycz, Mr. Etienne and Mr. Wandji for helping with Running Club supervision every morning!
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
NOVEMBER 2015 || OLW �5OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434
GOOGLE APPS FOR EDUCATION
TCDSB Students now have a Google account. Your Google
account includes an email address, an unlimited storage drive and
access to docs, sheets, slides, forms, calendar, contacts and classroom. To log on to your
account go to: google.tcdsb.ca and use your board username and
password to login. We have posted flyers around the school with this
information.
YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE:
For K-6, to Sign in, Go to:
google.tcdsb.ca Username: Board Username
Password: Board Password
For 7-12, to Sign in, Go to:
google.tcdsb.ca Username: Board Username
Password: Board Password
Your board email account is: Board [email protected]
FÊTES DE HALLOWEEN
On October 30th, 2015, a collection of the scariest and cutest, I might add, monsters, goblins, witches and ghouls invaded the gymnasium, corridors and every nook and
cranny of Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School.
Parents, staff and students witnessed a parade of all of our little and not so little trick or treaters, as they showed off their finest Halloween wear and their “Thrilling” dancing
skills during our annual Halloween Song and Dance.
Thank you to the Halloween committee consisting of Mme. Makar, Mme. Thokoly, Mlle. Belanger, Mme. Suzan, Mlle.
Christine, Mme. O, Mlle. Camellia and Mlle. Tymkewycz for envisioning the day’s events and using their various talents to make the day an enjoyable one for all of the students!
STUDENT VOTE DAY AT OLW
Students took part in this year’s Student Vote Day on October 14th, 2015, engaging in a simulation of the federal election, consequently exercising civic duty and learning about the importance of the electoral process, as well as specific party platforms and their impact on the nation School Name: Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School || Riding: Scarborough Centre Vote Summary: Katerina Androutsos — Libertarian Party of Canada = 6 Roxanne James — Conservative Party of Canada = 37 Lindsay Thompson — Green Party of Canada = 7 Alex Wilson — New Democratic Party = 13 Salma Zahid — Liberal Party of Canada = 41 Total number of valid votes = 104
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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FDK EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING in Kindergarten
We are pleased to announce that we received our Hatching kit from Green Acres, complete with blue incubator, eggs, auto-turner, manual and other items to begin the early learning exploration of the life cycle of a living organism and the stewardship required to sustain life. Thanks to Mme. Tymkewycz and Ms. Straub for piloting this program.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
I would like to commend the efforts of our teachers, M. Bruno,
Mme. Nardozi, Mlle. Christine and Mme.
Bangala for empowering students to be leaders in their community through
our various extra-curricular activities, such as, We Day committee which has raised for its fall food drive, 13 boxes
of canned and dried goods for donation to St. Francis Table, as well as,
training and implementing this year’s peer student mediator
program which seeks to resolve conflict and empower younger students to resolve
conflict using a Think, Decide, ACT framework
based on Catholic virtues, Gospel values
and logic.
REMEMBRANCE DAY - NOVEMBER 11TH
As part of our Remembrance Day services and in conjunction with the Memory Project, Our Lady of Wisdom CES welcomes Mr. Maxwell MacDougall, a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Mr. MacDougall will be speaking and presenting to our students in JK to Grade 4 about his involvement in the Second World War and his direct involvement in training soldiers to operate wireless command vehicles and universal carriers and his eventual military award.
It is truly an honour to meet a veteran who has dedicated his life to protecting Canadians in the name of democracy, truth, justice and peace! To listen to his story, please visit:
http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/2745:maxwell-mcdougall/
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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MENTAL MATH MADNESS NIGHTOne of our school’s School Learning Improvement Plan goals for 2014-2018 is (Math): If we support all of our students at risk by promoting a growth mindset, nurture a love of learning mathematics in French and English and intentionally teach students mental math strategies, then student achievement will improve in the areas of mathematical computation, reasoning and communication.
On October 27, 2015, throngs of families and students exercised their math brains to learn more about the abaci as a powerful tool to aid in performing math operations, such as, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of single and multi-digit numbers. Parents and their children were given a thorough orientation of this counting frame originating from centuries ago and still very much in use today in parts of Asia and Africa by merchants, clerks, students and the curious. Thank you to the CSPC and all of the teachers for their assistance in helping to make the night a huge success! Parents and students quickly learned how to navigate the abaci and represent numbers from 0 to 1000, understanding the value of beads below and above the answer bar for each of the columns and their corresponding place value. An observable trend throughout the night was students’ and parents’ emergent mastery of the need to regroup and use mental math strategies, such as, compensation from left to right , as they manipulated the beads to add and subtract. There was a great deal of conversation around the abaci’s value as catalyst for sharpening mental math skills and computation starting from the lower primary grades and upwards!
One of the anticipated goals for the event was to facilitate for students and parents multiple ways of representing mathematical thinking, making connections and developing math concepts amongst our students, and improving students’ computation and mental math capabilities
Parents and children alike all enjoyed the Prodigy sessions held in the gymnasium for OLW’s Mental Math Madness Night. Mme. Mari-Berje and Mme. O were excited to see the number of dedicated students and families who tried their hand at creating their own Wizard and successfully complete math challenges to cast spells in the game. We encourage everyone who took part to continue practicing at becoming better wizards at home with Prodigy, the game. Bravo tout le monde!
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING NEWSLETTER
COPING WITH GRIEF
As we reflect on those that have lost their lives and engage in conversations about Remembrance Day, it is important to understand how children and teenagers grieve and how we can support them. Children and teenagers grieve differently than adults and are described as “dipping” in and out of their grief. They tend to show intense sadness for brief periods of time and then switch to behaving as if nothing is wrong. This is a built in mechanism that prevents children from being overwhelmed by powerful feelings and allows them to cope with their grief at a slower pace. Children and teenagers may have difficulty expressing their feelings and thoughts and may behave by acting out, engaging in risk taking behavior, or have physical complaints, such as stomachaches, headaches or have trouble eating or sleeping. They may also substitute feelings that they can handle for feelings that they cannot. This may appear as though they are uncaring, but it is a protective mechanism that prevents them from feeling emotionally overloaded. Adults can help children and teenagers by acknowledging what they may be thinking, validating their feelings and compassionately responding to their behavior. This can be done by:
• Talking to children and teenagers
openly and directly about death and at the child’s developmental level
• Using books, drawing a picture, writing in a journal, or role playing to help children and teenagers to understand death
• Encourage children and teenagers to talk about their feelings. As well, accept their apparent lack of feelings as a normal response. It is helpful to say, “you may feel nothing at all right now, or you may feel very upset – whatever you feel is okay and you can talk to me anytime.”
• It is helpful to understand the needs that underlie a child’s/teenagers acting out or risk taking behavior while at the same time setting appropriate limits. They may be communicating their need to be reassured or comforted. Talking about their feelings and validating their anger will help them to be more open to express their emotions.
(Information obtained from Child Bereavement UK and Bereaved Families of Toronto)
BUILDING RESILIENCE
Resilience is “the ability to adapt to difficult or stressful events in our lives and to succeed despite adversity. It is also referred to as the ability to “bounce back”. We all experience difficult situations in our lives and it’s important to learn to face these challenges successfully in order to decrease any long term effects. We can help children and teenagers to become more resilient by:
Optimistic Thinking : Model positive thinking and attitudes by “thinking out loud positively”. By modeling your positive thoughts and having a “can do” approach it will help foster optimism in students. Positive attitudes such as encouraging oneself to try, perseverance, and applying a problem solving approach are all ways of modeling positive thinking and attitudes.
MENTAL HEALTH
• TCDSB Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy 2015-18 to be released soon
• Support for schools in developing a mentally healthy classroom. See Supporting Minds on the Ministry’s website and edugains.ca
• Building partnerships with programs that promote helping, sharing, and treating others with respect eg. Violence prevention, antibullying, and Stop The Stigma programs. Invite a guest speaker to speak with staff and parents about how to build resiliency
Foster Feelings of Competency: Students who achieve academic success and develop personal talents feel more competent and are able to deal with stress more positively. This can be done by treating students as collaborators in the learning process, providing consistent, clear expectations, and teaching good study skills.
(Information obtained from Virginia Smith Harvey)
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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Suggested Readings and Websites:
Books
Jason and the Memory Box by Shelley Fiset
Explaining Death to Children by Earl Grollman
Resiliency: Strategies for Parents and Educators by Virginia Smith Harvey
A Great Attitude by Sandi Hill
When I Feel Good About Myself by Cornelia Maude Spelman
Websites
National Association of School Psychologists: www.nasponline.org www.childbereavementuk.org bfotoronto.ca www.raisingresilientkids.com www.parentbooks.ca
Fostering The Family:
The TCDSB Pastoral Plan 2015-18 “ Together With one Voice: Harmonizing Our Faith Through Family , Parish, and School” 2015 focuses on the FAMILY
As a family we can honour the memory of loved ones by:
• Sharing special memories
• Praying together
• Continuing family traditionsPatricia Marra-Stapleton, Psychological Associate/Mental Health Lead
Marci Buhagiar, Psychological Associate: [email protected]
A special thank you to Sandra Figliomeni, Principal St Barnabus for her contributions
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
TCDSB Monthly Update November 2015
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.
Toronto Catholic Family Film Festival Coming in the spring of 2016. TCDSB invites student films focusing on the theme of Family. Deadline for submissions February 19, 2016 Get all the details here: https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Year-of-Family/TCFF/Pages/Default.aspx
Project HopeA reminder to all that the Archdiocese of Toronto has launched “Project Hope”--Emergency Refugee Resettlement Campaign. In response to the global humanitarian crisis, Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, announced a special emergency appeal to help Syrian refugee . The 100-day campaign will have a target of $3 million and a goal of settling 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
Open House Reminder Grade 8 students and their families are invited to check out their high school options. TCDSB secondary schools host open houses each year. Check our website for November dates and locations. http://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx
Reminder to Students About University and College Applications By the end of November 2015, students will receive your Application Access Code Letter from your guidance counsellor with your school number, student number and temporary PIN. Keep this letter for your records. You will need this information to apply. January 16, 2016--Deadline to submit your completed University application to the OUAC. http://www.ouac.on.ca/deadlines/ February 1, 2016—Application deadline for community colleges http://www.ontariocolleges.ca/apply
November Events/Observances • November 1 All Saints Day https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2014/pages/all-saints-day.aspx • November 2 All Souls Day https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2014/pages/all-souls'-day.aspx • November 2 OAPCE Commissioning Ceremony and Principal of Excellence Awards 7:00 – 9:00
p.m. • November 1-7--National Down Syndrome Awareness Week http://www.cdss.ca/ • November 4—Take Our Kids to Work Day https://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2015/Pages/Take-
Your-Kids-to-Work-Day.aspx • November 11—Remembrance Day https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/remembrance-day.aspx • Angel Foundation Gala November 13. Mark Your Calendars! http://
www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/gala-about/ • November 13--PA Day for Elementary and Secondary Schools
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CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
• November 15-21—Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week https://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2015/Pages/Bullying-Awareness-and-Prevention-Week.aspx
• November 23--OAPCE/CPIC Parent Networking Night • November 24--TCDSB Memorial Mass (in honour of students and staff who have passed away) • November 27—Holodomor Memorial Day https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/holodomor-memorial-
day.aspx • November 29—Advent Begins https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/season-of-advent.aspx
• November 30—Caucus Meeting (Swearing in of new Board of Trustees; election of Chair and Vice-Chair)
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
Consider following @TCDSB on Twitter for breaking news and important information throughout the year. OR Subscribe to Enews and receive weekly news about Board events, issues and initiatives right to your email: https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx AND Remember to visit the board’s website at www.tcdsb.org for all the latest news and information including special events, athletics, parent engagement and opportunities for students.
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CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
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