St. Agatha Catholic School 49 Cathedral Bluffs Drive

Scarborough, ON M1M 2T6 416-393-5302

twitter.com/StAgathaSchool

G. Grant Superintendent

N. Crawford

Trustee - Ward 12

Ingrid McEachen Principal

Nanssi Chahine Vice-Principal

Sandra Robinson

Secretary

Maria Pisciola Clerk Typist

Byani Icaro Jim Benson Custodians

Father Bernard Lee St. Boniface Church

21 Markanna Dr. Scarborough, ON M1M 2H9

(416) 261-5983

Shark Tales

February, 2016

LOVE Chocolates, flowers, valentines, and red hearts...what would the month of February be without the celebration of Valentine’s Day. We focus on the virtue of LOVE as expressed in the gospels. “For God so loved the world, He gave His only son.” John 3:16

ADMINISTRATORS’ MESSAGE

As we focus on the virtue of love at St. Agatha this month, let us remember to “love thy neighbour as thyself.” Mark 12:31

Awesome activities are happening here at St. Agatha. Our Primary Houseleague soccer and Chess club are soon beginning, providing students with unique opportunities to work together and develop various skills. Our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have trained and participated in invitational tournaments and our Public Speaking representatives are making us proud.

Ash Wednesday, on February 10th, marks the beginning of our Faith’s Lenten journey as we gather together to receive ashes. Please join us at 9:15 a.m. if you are able.

Again this year, our CSPC parents are generously cooking pancakes for all of our students and staff on February 9th, Shrove Tuesday. We appreciate their continued kindness and involvement in our school community.

God bless, Ingrid McEachen & Nanssi Chahine

Conference Time

Report Cards Report Cards for Term 1 will be sent home on Tuesday, February 9th, 2016. Please complete and return the interview request form which will be sent home this week. The scheduled date for parent-teacher interviews are Thursday, February 11th from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and Friday, February 12th from 9:00 – 11:40 a.m. P.A. Day Please note that February 12th is a P.A. Day. There is no school for the students. Family Day Just a reminder that Monday, February 15th is Family Day and there will be no school that day. If you are fortunate enough to have the day off, please enjoy it with your family.

Morning Snack Program

Coming Soon!!!! Within the next few weeks, the Morning Snack Program will take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the target of slowly expanding to every day. This program will not only provide a delicious and nutritious snack, but will also provide information on the importance of good nutrition. Our Nutritious Snack Coordinator is Sherry Pearson, a parent in our community and one of our Lunchtime Supervisors. All children in the school will have this snack available to them and all allergies will be taken into account based on the information you have provided the school. Should you have any questions or would like more information, please call: Ms. Pearson or Ms. McEachen at the school at (416) 393-5302. Thank you and we are looking forward to bringing nutritious snacks to all of our children! Volunteers are needed!!! Please email: Ms. Pearson at stagathasnack@gmail.com

Rosary Apostolate Program The students of St. Agatha School are learning the importance of prayer and how to pray the Rosary. Once a month, we welcome the Rosary visitors from St. Boniface church. They are dedicated volunteers who generously offer their time and talents to spread the love of Jesus and Mary to the students.

Roots of Empathy Program Mrs. McCowan’s students reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others through family visits with Baby Hugo and his mom, Simone.

The mission of Roots of Empathy is to build caring, peaceful, and civil communities through the development of empathy.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Student leadership continues here at St. Agatha, as the St. Agatha Student Council (A.S.C.) leads the entire school in DPA (Daily Physical Activity)) Each council member joins a class while demonstrating and encouraging student participation in the short dance exercise.

Our group of 30 Playground Activity Leaders are in the school yard at recess and lunch to ensure that students are having fun and playing safely. These students serve as positive role models and encourage students of all ages to play carefully and cooperatively.

On Thursday, January 28th, Ms. Watson’s grade 7 class and our Student Council executives participated in leadership training in an innovative Intermediate Leaders In Training Event (i-LITE). They attended workshops that inspired and enjoyed talents that entertained.

TCDSB MONTHLY UPDATE New PA Day Added to Calendar The Board has approved Friday, April 15, 2016 as a system-wide Professional Activity Day. https://www.tcdsb.org/school/SchoolYearCalendar/Pages/Default.aspx

Director’s Annual Report Check out all the highlights from 2014-2015 https://indd.adobe.com/view/b932c3a2-fa2f-4472-bb8b-5a46fbaf8c80

Multi-Year Deficit Recovery Plan Virtual Town Hall scheduled for February 9th

Get all the details on our website www.tcdsb.org

Upcoming Events: February is African Canadian Heritage Month https://www.tcdsb.org/FORCOMMUNITY/

HeritageCelebration/AfricanCanadianHeritage/Pages/default.aspx February is Psychology Month https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/specialeducation/psychology/

psychologymonth/Pages/Psychology-Month.aspx February 12, 2016—PA Day February 15, 2016—Family Day Follow @TCDSB on Twitter or subscribe to Enews https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx to get all the latest news and information throughout the year.

St. Agatha Stewards of the Earth Events

At St. Agatha, we want students to do a good deed because it is the right thing to do. As the Pope states, “We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."

Sweater Day- Thursday, February 4, 2016. Students all around Canada will be supporting conservation of energy by donning their favourite warm sweaters, on Thursday, February 4th. National Sweater Day is a fun way to learn about the importance of saving energy and to inspire you to use less heat all winter. If all Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2°C this winter, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 4 megatons! One student from each class will be chosen for best design, warmth or craziest sweater to win a prize!!! Get Cozy, St. Agatha!!!

Out of the Cold

The Stewards of the Earth are once again asking for your support in donating clothing for men, women and

children for those who are in need. We are looking for socks, shoes, coats, hats, mittens, bags and clothing such as pants and tops. We will ask that your donations be sorted to make the packaging easier to organize: men’s, women’s and children’s. Your donations can be dropped off to the front foyer at St. Agatha School by

no later than February19th. The Great Big Crunch- March 10, 2016

St. Agatha School will enjoy celebrating the good things that grow in Ontario…apples!!!!

Earth Hour- Saturday, March 19, 2016. Turn off the lights and support our Earth by conserving energy. Make a statement to the rest of the world! Scarborough Seedy Saturday and Green Fair– April 2, 11-4 pm

The Stewards of the Earth would like to invite you to join us at one of the largest seed exchanges in the city on

Saturday, April 2, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Blessed Cardinal Newman High School. Our Stewards of the Earth will be sharing their passion for the Earth by presenting their research projects, conducting audits and surveys as well as serving foods to the 500 plus attendees at the fair. In the past 6 years, we have generally over 60 vendors including one of the largest seed exchanges in the city including heirloom seeds, organic

honey and honey products, worm composting, vendors from garden associations and regional organizations such as LEAF, the TRCA, Rouge Park and Parks People. Earth Rangers

Using the extraordinary power of live animals

this presentation by Earth Rangers taught our students about the issues facing Canadian wildlife. It inspired many of our students to

take action by becoming directly involved in helping to protect animals and their habitats.

If you are interested in sharing your

Environmental passion, please contact Liza Tilander or Anne Marie McCowan at 416

393-5302.