2018 - 2019 ∙ ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

PRINCIPALS’ MESSAGE

As we enter the season of Advent and we are prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus, with joyful anticipation. Our virtue this month is CHARITY. As many of us are scrambling to purchase presents for under the tree we strive to be mindful that charity is not always about giving material things. St. Thomas Aquinas says “Charity is friendship first with God and secondly with all who belong to God.”

This past Sunday marked the first Sunday of Advent. Discussing the meaning of Advent is of great importance to us as a Catholic community. Not only is it a time of new beginnings and the official start of the Church’s calendar. Advent is a time of quiet, joyful preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and also a time to remember that we wait for Christ to come again. It is also a time of anticipation and excitement for upcoming Christmas celebrations.

This year our Christmas concert will be performed by the primary students. It will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 18th. Once again we will have a daytime and an evening show to help accommodate a large number of spectators. I would like to thank our wonderful staff for all the work they have put into preparing for this celebration.

We have had many changes and new beginnings this year. We said goodbye to many staff members, Ms. Pacey, Ms. Malek, Ms. Estanilao, Ms. Haba, Ms. MacInally and Ms. Smith. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours. We have also welcomed many new faces to the St. John XXIII community, Mr. Almaria, Ms. Ngnia, Ms. Rodrigopulle, Ms. Sulmona, Ms. Opolski, Mr. Chong, Mr. Cianfarani, and Ms. Chiralli. They have already become wonderful contributing members of our school and we look forward to working together to ensure the well-being and academic success of your children.

Finally, on a personal note, I would like to wish our students, our parents, our staff and the community a very Merry Christmas. The school will resume on January 7th, 2019.

Sincerely

Pershia Nelson

Principal

St. John XXIII CATHOLIC SCHOOL

175 Grenoble Drive Toronto, Ontario M3C 3E7

Telephone: 416 393 - 5348 Fax: 416 393 - 5164

Winter, 2018

Pershia Nelson

PRINCIPAL

John Shanahan

SUPERINTENDENT

Angela Kennedy

TRUSTEE

St. John XXIII 416 429-4000

150 Grenoble Drive

PARISH

Amanda Cann

CSPC CHAIR

www.tcdsb.org/cpic

CPIC (PARENT ENGAGEMENT - TCDSB)

www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto

OAPCE TORONTO (PROVINCIAL VOICE FOR PARENTS)

453 9:00 – 3:30 11:45 – 12:45

ENROLLMENTHOURS OF OPERATION LUNCH HOUR

NEW REGISTRANTS WELCOME

Apply online: soar.tcdsb.org

Call 416-393-Phone# 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.

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

We want to take the time to reflect on and celebrate the wonderful learning that has taken place

over the past few months at St. John XXIII. This is a very dynamic school community with

many activities taking place on a continuous basis. Our staff works tirelessly both in and out of

the classroom to ensure that your children have a wide variety of learning experiences.

Skating Acrostic Poem Our class has been learning how to write an acrostic poem. First, we brainstormed words that started with the letters: s, k, a, t, i, n, g. Then, we made our own poems. Next, we shared our ideas and put them on the board. Finally, we co-constructed our poem for the newsletter. S - slippery K - kind and careful A - active at the arena T - trying hard I - ice N - nice on the ice G - getting along Mrs. Cook's grade 2 class

Wow! We just came back from a trip to St. Michael's Cathedral to hear the beautiful voices of the St. Michael's choir. Their singing was so amazing! We wish we could sing like them! I hope we can go to their school again in the future. They were so organized, and their uniforms and church were spectacular! Nathalie & Joshua (Ms. Woo’s Gr. 7 class)

Nathalie + Joshua (Ms. Woo's gr. 7 class)

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

Kindergarten students setting up the nativity scene and

retelling the story.

Ms. Sconza (ELP 3)

The Grade 4/5’s from Mrs. Adato’s class have been busy doing many things.

One of the things they worked on was a big idea of “Our Environment”. Students researched and then designed media billboards. From those, we choose a few ideas to create a 3D-bulletin board made from items found in our school. They then wrote scripts to present the bulletin board to other classes to teach them about our 3D Bulletin board entitled “What Goes Where, Because We Care".

The students in Ms. Adato’s class also worked on tableaus (a

frozen picture using actions) which they presented at our

Remembrance Day assembly. They did tableaus on War,

Freedom, Sorrow and Peace and how these impact our

everyday lives. We watched some videos to fully understand

the true meanings of these words. They then worked on

tableaus in groups to best represent these words. They

finished with a deeper understanding and more gratitude for

what we have in Canada.

2018 - 2019 ∙ ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

Mr. Soraine’s Gr. 6 classroom has been constructing Papier Mache figures. Watch the progression!

The students in Ms. Opolski’s class have created a Christmas

Wreath. Each student is represented by their hands.

Mrs. Watson's Grade 1/2 Class

In the month of November, we worked on many activities involving "Peace". We read stories, acted out scenes about how to solve problems, attended the Remembrance Day Assembly, and wrote about what peace is.

We just started our Christmas activities. We have made a few crafts and wrote about what we love about Christmas. We included our favourite Christmas songs and what our favourite Christmas movies are. Most of us wrote that...you guessed it...The Grinch is our favourite movie. Merry Christmas!

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

In Science, Ms. Barry’s Grade 2/3 class has been

investigating Structures and Mechanisms. During

November we had the opportunity to attend 2

workshops at the Ontario Science Centre. The

workshops provided a lot of engaging investigations

which the students really enjoyed. The activities

helped to deepen their understanding of the subject

matter.

Grade 2 students now recognize how simple

machines such as ramps, wheels and axles, and

levers etc. play a role in everyday life. “At the

Science Centre, we learned that a pulley is a simple

machine that helps us to lift stuff like boxes.”

Makida, Grade 2 student.

Grade 3 students investigated forces that affect a

structure’s strength and stability. “At the Science

Centre, the scientist taught us how to build an arch

and how to balance the forces, tension, and

compression, to stop the arch collapsing.”

Kyla, Grade 3 student.

Ms. Henry's Grade 3/4 class has been working hard on Science and Technology this term. We have learned all about Animal Habitats, Strong and Stable Structures, Pulleys and Gears, and Forces.

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

The students from Ms. Cooke’s ELP class went to the Harbourfront Centre and learned how to use clay.

Ms. Hewitt’s ELP class

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

The Meaning of

Charity Written By: Joshua Jae Ms. Rodriguez’s Class

The month of December is the month of charity. We are

asked to be charitable, to give to those in need and think about

those in need. Some of us do and some of us don’t. We see

their need, but we don’t take action and give. We all need help

in finding ways to be charitable and we can all use the help.

Our school has shown many acts of charity. From all of

the food drives and donations, we have all been charitable.

With just an act of kindness, we made the world a little bit

better. We helped others and made their lives better. We can

all be charitable together, but we can also be charitable on our

own.

We were all taught to help and give to those in need. We

do this out of habit or because were told to do it, but a rare few

of us do it out of kindness and compassion. We all know how

to give, but we need to learn how to give. Anne Frank once

said “ No one has ever become poor from giving”. Most of us

think about better uses for the change in our pockets, but you

can never have a better use for it than giving. So the next time

you see someone on the street begging for help, give them

whatever you can and really help them because you know that

they need it more you do. We all can be charitable, it is the

choice that matters, are you willing to give?

Hospitality

How can you show Hospitality? Showing hospitality means that you can accept people for who they are. You may accept them in your homes but you also have to accept them in your heart. Showing someone that you care, can mean a lot to someone. Even the smallest act can mean a lot. If you want to show hospitality you can start by talking to someone that you don’t know. Talking to someone new can start a very good friendship. By talking to someone new you get a chance for you to start over and be a good person. Another way, is to invite them over to do something, or even just helping them out with something they need help with. Helping someone and showing that you care can help and set a good example of yourself. There are many more but most importantly, be yourself and accept people for who they are, and accept them in your heart.

You can show hospitality in school too. When you see a new kid at your school you can show hospitality. You can give them a tour around your school and class. You can tell them what they need to know about the school. Also you can help them with getting used to the new environment. Being a new kid is difficult and when there is someone there who is willing to help you out, it makes everything so much easier. You start to feel accepted and welcome to this new place. Even just saying “hello, how are you? What’s your name?” can make someone feel like they are a part of the community. Hospitality can be shown in different ways at school. In big or small ways but either way when you do something to help somebody else you have made an impact in their life. So try and show some hospitality around your community, it can help someone who needs it.

Selom Alemu Gr. 8 Ms. Rodriguez Class

The students in Mrs. D'Arpino's Gr. 3 class have been focusing on Peace and Respect through various activities.

The Gr.3 students each wrote " A Recipe for Peace" showing ways to show peace towards others. It had ingredients such as 1 cup of love, 2 tbsps of kindness and a pinch of hugs! They would like to share their recipes with those around them.

They also learned more about Anti-Bullying awareness and how each of us are unique. They worked together to distribute a pair of socks to each student in our school to decorate for "Odd Sock Day". This helped to spread the message that we are all unique and it is these differences that makes us special and loved by God and each other.

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

The Parenting Centre located within our

school is available to all non-school age

children. We are open 5 days a week - Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Register Now: School Cash Online Parents/guardians are reminded to create their School Cash

Online profile, in order to receive updates and information on

upcoming school activities, including pizza lunches, civvies

days, field trips, and much more. Paying through School Cash

Online offers a safe and convenient payment option that

eliminates the need to send cash or cheques to school. For

more information and to create your account visit

www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/schoolcashonline

Dress Code All students attending a TCDSB elementary school are required to dress in navy and white. This includes hoodies and sweaters. These items can be purchased at any store selling navy and white. Items are available for purchase at the school office with the school crest. Iron on crests are also available for purchase. Since students are wearing very similar items we recommend that you label your child’s clothing to help identify lost items.

Ms. Rodrigopulle and her SK/1 class welcome

a special visitor from the North Pole.

The students in Ms. Sulmona’s Gr. 5/6 class

enjoy a day of skating.

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

Entry and Exit Procedures

On the front page of this newsletter you will find daily instructional times for St. John XXIII Catholic School. Parents are requested to help the school in developing good punctuality and preparation skills in the students by ensuring that the students arrive at school on time and that they are prepared for the school day, homework completed. When the bell rings, all students are expected to enter the school in a quiet, orderly manner. Students arriving after the bell are late and must make their way to the front office for a late slip.

Parents in the School Yard When teachers are on supervision duty in the school yard, parents are asked to refrain from being in the school yard. Supervision begins at 8:45 a.m. Teachers will deal with any issues that occur. The intention of this request is not to suggest that parents are not welcome in the school. Rather, this request is to protect all parents and students. Any correction of inappropriate behaviour should come from a teacher, not from a parent.

Emergency Telephone Numbers All students are required to have an accurate up-to-date telephone number on the student data card for someone other than the parent. These numbers are extremely important in the event that the parent cannot be reached. If your number has changed please be sure to notify the school.

Students Coming To School When Ill/Staying in at Recess With the cold weather and flu season coming it is important to note, as a general guideline, if a child is not well enough to go outside at recess, she/he is not well enough to be at school. Although it may be an inconvenience, a child in this condition should be kept home. Children should not be put in the position of seeking permission to remain indoors during recesses. There is no indoor supervision during recess times therefore such permission will not normally be granted.

Cell Phone and Electronic Devices

Students should not bring electronic devices to school. If you feel that your child needs to carry a cell phone for safety purposes, the cell phone must be turned off during school hours unless used under the direction and supervision of the classroom teacher. All cell phones must be invisible during the instructional part of the day as well as during school hours. If you need to speak to you child/children during school hours, for safety reasons as well as not interrupting the class instruction time, please call the main office and not their personal cell phones. The school accepts no financial responsibility for the loss of cell phones and other electronic devices.

Tops can be white or navy

Long or short sleeved collared shirts or blouses

Turtleneck or mockneck

Sweaters, vests, hoodies Does not include:

Collarless (i.e. t-shirts)

Sleeveless tops Bottoms must be navy

Pants: cotton, fleece, nylon or corduroy

Shorts: cotton, fleece, nylon

Shorts’ length must be to mid-thigh Does not include:

Denim or lycra

Yoga pants, jeggings, tights or leggings Parents, please note that items must be white or navy without accent colours or logos.

Pants: cotton, fleece, nylon or corduroy

Shorts: cotton, fleece, nylon

Shorts’ length must be to mid-thigh Does not include:

Denim or lycra

Yoga pants, jeggings, tights or leggings

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

Food Allergies We have a number of students with severe allergic reaction to peanut, egg and other food allergies. Although St. John XXIII School promotes safe food/allergy awareness practices, the entire school is not an allergy-free school. However, in those classrooms where there is a known severe allergy to specific foods (e.g. peanuts, etc.) we anticipate the co-operation of the families associated with that room to eliminate the food types which could cause very severe problems for the allergic student. Individual classroom teachers will make those concerns known to the families of that class. Your understanding and support in these situations is greatly appreciated. We also encourage all families to refrain from sending foods containing peanut products to the school. A reminder if your child wishes to celebrate his/her birthday with their class, we ask for your cooperation in to bring in only non-food items. Loot bags containing pencils, pencil sharpeners, eraser for example are highly suggested.

Winter Dress

Our students will be going out during the school day unless weather conditions are severe. Therefore, proper and appropriate dress from head to toe is essential. Please listen to the radio or television for up-to-date weather forecasts and plan ahead. On extremely cold days, we will keep the children indoors in accordance to board protocol. Children are not to be in school if sick or suffering from colds/flu, as germs can spread very quickly. Colds are spread by people. During the winter months they are more frequent because we are indoors more and in close contact with each other. Attending school when ill only promotes the spread of these illnesses. Please do not ask that your child remain indoors while at school during recess breaks. If a child is well enough to attend school, he/she should be well enough to go outside for fresh air and play.

Monthly Update from the

Board

December 2018

Latest Updates on Weather Related

Cancellations or Closures To get the latest information about school bus transportation,

see

https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Cancellations.asp

x

Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the transportation

portal to get real time information about any transportation

issues:

https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Subscriptions/Log

in.aspx

Information is also shared via Twitter. Follow @TCDSB.

For more information:

https://www.tcdsb.org/forstudents/healthandsafety/pages/weat

her-related-safety-concerns.aspx

Angel Foundation for Learning Through the Loretto Fund and the Social Work Emergency

Fund the Angel Foundation supports TCDSB students who are

new comers to Canada by helping to offset the costs for items

such as school supplies, uniforms, field trips, groceries or

other necessities to help them settle into school and life in

Canada. You can help support families who have come to

Canada in search of peace donations to The Angel Foundation

for Learning. To learn more about the work of the Foundation,

visit http://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/

Christmas Holidays The last day of classes before the Christmas break will be

Friday, December 21, 2018. Schools will reopen on Monday,

January 7th, 2019.

Administrative offices will also be closed starting Saturday

December 22rd and reopening on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

SAVE THE DATE!

Kindergarten Registration Begins

January 16th at 10 a.m. Visit www.tcdsb.org for details.

Apply online starting January 16th at https://soar.tcdsb.org

2018 - 2019 is THE YEAR OF WE BELONG

The Catholic Register's popular

children's drawing contest is back! The Catholic Register is conducting its eight annual

children's Christmas drawing contest. The top entry in

each of 3 categories will receive a $75 gift certificate for

a day at the movies. The winning drawings will appear

in The Register's Christmas edition, Dec. 24. The contest is open to children in Grades 1 to 8. Entries

must be original, in colour, drawn or painted on a page

8.5” x 11” or larger and illustrate some aspect of the

birth of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. We want

paintings or drawings that depict the true meaning of

Christmas so, please, no Santas or reindeer. https://www.catholicregister.org/ChristmasContest

December’s Virtue is Charity Find all the resources related to the monthly virtue, as well as

other resources to support faith development and Religion and

Family Life on our website here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunit

y/Pages/Default.aspx

TCDSB Celebrates Advent and

Christmas—Advent Begins December 1st Visit the board’s website for the latest news and information

from TCDSB schools including food and clothing drives,

Christmas baskets for needy families, Christmas concerts and

other special events.

https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2018/pages/Advent-

and-Christmas.aspx

PRESTO Cards for TCDSB Students Over the past few weeks the Toronto Catholic District School

Board and the Toronto Student Transportation Group have

been working closely with the TTC on the logistics for

providing complimentary PRESTO cards to all students ages 6

to 12 (child cards) and 13 to 19 (youth cards). The purpose of

this initiative is to help students smoothly make the transition

away from TTC passes, and tickets, to the PRESTO electronic

fare card.

Please note that the TTC will stop selling tickets and

tokens on August 3, 2019. The TTC is providing the PRESTO cards to school boards free

of charge.

Watch for more information to come from your school soon.

We Belong As we journey through the first year of our pastoral plan,

“Rooted in Christ, we Belong, we Believe, we Become”, the

Nurturing our Catholic Community Team invites you to share

your ideas of belonging. We want to hear from our students

and staff about how they are nurturing the concept of

belonging and inclusion in their schools, in their families, in

their parishes and their community.

We invite you to submit student artwork, written work,

videos/slideshows, songs or any other creative expressions of

belonging to ncc.team@tcdsb.org by no later than Friday,

March 22, 2019.

When sharing your initiatives on social media, tweet or post

@TCDSB with the hashtag #TCDSBelongs so we can follow

your progress. For ideas and resources linked to our pastoral

plan, click here.

All submissions will be featured on the TCDSB website, as

well as at our year-end celebration to be held May 21st. All

schools will be invited to send two representatives (any

combination of student, parent, teaching or non-teaching staff,

school administrator).

A poster is attached as a reminder. Please feel free to share

with your staff and your CPSC members, and parishes!