March 2016 Newsletter

St. Gregory Catholic School Newsletter
126 Rathburn Road, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9B 2K6
Telephone: (416) 393-5262 Fax: (416) 393-5189
Visit us: http://stgregorytoronto.com and follow us on Twitter @StGregoryCS
St. Gregory Parish
Fr. John Bertao
(416) 239-4831
Superintendent: Mr. D. Yack 416-222-8282
Trustee:
Mrs. A. Andrachuk 416-512-3402
CSPC Co-Chairs: P. Vokins /A. Grnak
Principal: J. Pannozzo
Vice Principal: A. Pires
Secretary: C. Pulcini
Clerk Typist: S. Shanahan
MARCH 2016
The season of Lent began on Ash
Wednesday, February 10th, 2016.
Our school celebrated with an Ash
Wednesday Mass at St. Gregory
Catholic Church. It was so nice to see
so many families join us at mass.
Friday, March 4th, 2016 is the Word Day of Prayer
and we will recognize this very special day through
morning prayers and the First Communion students
have been invited by the CWC to participate at the
Church. Please note that the March Break begins on
Monday, March 14th and the students return on
Monday, March 21st. Enjoy the March Break with
your children and many blessings for a Holy Easter.
Sincerely,
J. Pannozzo
THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
Friday, March 4th, 2016
The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical
movement which brings Christians of many traditions
together to observe a common day of prayer each year.
To mark this special day, St. Gregory’s Catholic Women’s
Council has invited our First Communion students to join
in on this celebration at the church hall by contributing
artwork and prayers and shepherding the celebration
through song.
Through our
participation in
the World Day
of Prayer, we
affirm that
prayer and
action are
inseparable
and that both
have
immeasurable
influence on
the world.
An Easter Prayer
God of Promise and God of Hope,
who through your great mercy
have granted us new birth
through the death and
Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
we praise your wonderful name!
God of Glory and God of Might
who through your great power
have granted us new strength
to endure all things
through faith in Christ our risen King,
we praise your wonderful name!
Amen
VIRTUE OF THE MONTH
“Forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your
Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done.”
Mark 11:25
How timely that the virtue for March is FORGIVENESS. Not
only because we are in the season of Lent but also because it is
an important cornerstone of our faith and one that Jesus
modeled for us in His life and death. We are reminded that
forgiveness is a gift to ourselves as we let go of the burden of
resentment when we forgive another person and it’s a gift to
our children when we teach and model it to them.
Mental Health Benefits of Prayer
During Lent we are encouraged
to engage in almsgiving, fasting
and prayer. Our focus this
month is on prayer and its many
benefits. Prayer offers
emotional comfort and reduces
stress by: offering a sense of
comfort and hope, creating a
positive frame of mind, stress
relief, and increases feelings of unity and trust.
Engaging in daily prayer with students gives them the
opportunity to deepen their relationship with God and their
community. It also offers a sense of emotional comfort that
everyone can benefit from. See www.childdevelopmentinfo.com
(provides information related to child development, psychology,
health, parenting, learning, media, entertainment, and family
activities)
Information obtained from: M. Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D; P. Gray,
Psychologist; http://www.helpguide.org
In an ongoing effort to promote Math learning we are always looking at ways to support our children. We are
very excited about a learning partnership with our family of schools this year. Along with Nativity of Our Lord
CS and Mother Cabrini, we are part of a Math project exploring attitudes about Math. We know that with the
right mindset children can enhance their learning of Mathematics. The work of Jo Boaler is the foundation for
our learning. She has outlined seven norms that students can use as a tool to encourage their learning in
Mathematics. The norms are: Everyone can learn math to the highest levels* ; Mistakes are valuable* ;
Questions are really important; Math is about creativity and making sense; Math is about
connections and communicating; Math class is about learning and not performing; Depth is more
important than speed (*focus this school year) .
We have started our project by administering a survey to all
students from JK-grade 8 to help them self- assess and
to provide teachers with more information about students’
attitudes in Mathematics. Included in the newsletter is a
copy of the survey that was administered, to provide you
with the opportunity to discuss the survey with your
child(ren). With this information, teachers will be focusing
on ways to setting up positive norms in Mathematics.
Welcome to our journey!
Great Resource for Parents:
https://www.youcubed.org/parents/
A CERTIFICATE OF ACHEIVEMENT is awarded to the students who
consistently demonstrated the ability to organize throughout the month of
January & February. Congratulations to all!
Learning Skill: RESPONSIBILITY
TEACHER
Ms. J. Rosa
Ms. Andreacchi
Mrs. Salmond
Ms. Maxwell/
Ms. Santelli
Mrs. Roy
Mrs. Ceddia
Ms. Mulvihill
Mrs. Barone
Mrs. Alberton
Mrs. Gentile
Mrs. Yetman
Mrs. Loughlin
Mrs. Brajuka
Mrs. Steponaitis
Mr. Zinko
Ms. Hetmanczuk
Ms. Micallef
Mrs. Hall
Mrs. Quartarone
Mrs. Cicirelli
Mr. Natalino
Mr. Vennare
Mr. De Medeiros
Mme. Kusic
Mrs. Botelho
Ms. Salza
Mrs. Silvestre
Mme. Carniel
Mrs. Pitoscia
Mrs. Pires
JANUARY
Hall of Famers
Mason R., Tyffani T.,
Jameson N., Alessia M.
Noah B., John G., Elizabeth R.
Kaya F., Ava J., Victor I.
Michael K., Aiden H., Joseph R.
FEBRUARY
Hall of Famers
Christian S., Frank C.,
Jacob F., Lee N.
Andrea J-M., Alexa M., Noah J.
Julia G., Nicholas M., Raquel G.
Aiden B., Alexandros M., Frances L-G.
Mackenzie K., Ema M.
Sofia A., Connor M.
Knowlton M., Matteo B.
Ruby D., Alexander V.
Colin S., Joseph G.
Adriana M., Anthony F.
Gabriella O., Sarah C.
Sofia R.
Aleksandra L.
Alexander D., Macar P.
Ethan B., Charlotte Q.
David G-R., Andrew P., Francesco R.
Nicholas G., Renee P., Lucas H.
Tea P., Tessa D., Joseph M.
Carli Q., Matteo G.
Alexis D., Vanessa P.
Adam D., Emily C.
Joseph S., Sydney P., Samantha B.
Marc A., Stephen M., Peter P.
Marina G., Natalie S.
Kaitlyn D., Francesca G., Lauren R.
Amy B., Michael A., Lukash D.
Joe V., Kadia B.
Carlos P-O., Kleidi B.
James R., Vince J.
Matthew L.
Gerard P., Stella P.
Michael D., Giorgia D.
Micaela D., Madison M.
Laura C., Mekenzie C.
Samantha L., Gabriel F.
Kyle L-B., Troy D-C
Stefano M., Olivia K.
Samuel W-A
Harry Z.
Analiese S., Mason C.
Travis J., Lindsay K.
Maria C., Austen J., Jack M.
Victoria L., Alexander S., Blake R.
Jimmy R., Joshua B.
Esrom A., Stephen W., Martina C-V
Mya R., Robert G.
Hailey F., Alexander I.
Lucas A., Julia D., Brandon G.
Theresa T., Mariana C., Andrew H.
Zoey-P., Martina F.
Sophia C., Mitchell L. Erik S.
Anne G., Alyce V.
Emily A., Lauren P.
Ryan H., Antony S.
Michael D., Myles S.
Christine S.
LOST AND
FOUND
Items
regularly
make
their way
to our
Lost and
Found. Please invite you and
your children to check for
misplaced/lost items on an
ongoing basis. Given that our
bins are full to overflowing.
We will be donating all
unclaimed items at the end of
March.
ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL
AFTER HOURS
At times, students forget
items at school and return to
the school after hours. We
will assist students or parents
when available. However, if
administration is not present
at the school we ask that
parents or students do not
enter the building/classroom.
We encourage all students to
continue to be responsible
and diligent about recording
and packing their homework.
Wed., Feb. 10th was
WEAR PINK Day in
support of Breast Cancer
Research. A total of
$560.10 was raised for
this worthy cause.
PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
While the TCDSB has established a BYOD- Bring Your
Own Device protocol for the academic use of electronic
devices in the classroom setting at the teacher’s
discretion, the social use of such devices is NOT allowed.
The school’s recommendation continues to be that
electronic devices be left at home. If they are brought to
school, they are to be powered off once having arrived to
school (not just once in the building or classroom) and
put away for the duration of the school day.
Students will NOT be granted permission to respond to texts or messages
on their devices. Should you, as the parent/guardian, need to contact
them, in an urgent or emergency situation, please contact the school at
416-393-5262. Your support is very much appreciated.
Toronto Police Liaison
Officer Rich will be
visiting St. Gregory on
Monday, March 21st, to
meet with our grade 6
students about
Substance Abuse and
grade 2 students about
9-1-1.
The CSPC BRICKS Student Recognition Award
recognizes students in Grade 8 who exhibit the
qualities of Belonging, Respect, Integrity,
Character, and Kindness (BRICKS).
Each Grade 8 student received a package with
their application form and is encouraged to apply.
The BRICKS Foundation Builder Award recognizes
those that have made a positive, lasting
contribution to the St. Gregory Community
exhibiting the BRICKS qualities. Presentations,
application forms and contact information is
available at:
http://school.stgregorytoronto.com/awards.html.
Due date: May 2nd, 2016. We look forward to
receiving your applications!
SAVE THE
DATE!
Thurs., May 12th,
6:00pm-9:00pm
Be sure not to
Through the Bubble Gum miss this wonderful opportunity to showcase
Guessing contest, $105
your talent. Whether you like to paint,
was raised. These
sculpt, knit, sew, build or have a creative eye
in photography, your donated Art &/or Craft
proceeds will go to the
will help make this event successful. If you
Angel Foundation.
would like to donate art or crafts for the
Congrats to Rory Nicol
silent auction, please contact Mr. Vennare at
who guessed the winning the school or email Mrs. Tenuta:
number of gum balls!
tenutal@smh.ca
What a fantastic way
to celebrate nutrition,
raise awareness of
various food
discussions, and
encourage a sense of
both school and
national unity!
Thurs. Mar. 10th will be
CSPC’s annual Dance-aThon. More information
and pledge forms will be
sent home shortly.
This year’s Big Apple
Crunch takes place on
March 10th, 2016 at
2:30pm EST!
CSPC thanks Longo’s
at Ponytrail, who
helped us defer some
of the cost.
Swim Team practices will
be on Mar. 5th, Mar. 19th,
and Mar. 26th.
Prelims will be on April 2nd
and the finals on April 3rd.
#greatbigcrunch
Kidssentials Hot Lunch for April – June
available to order online the first week of March
Field Trip Cancellation Policy Update for Kidssentials
Lunch Dates:
If you have ordered a Kidssentials lunch on a date
your child will be away on a field trip, please
contact Kidssentials to cancel the meal as soon as
you receive the field trip form. Kindly provide as
much notice as possible – 2 business days’ notice
or more - to help them plan most efficiently. Last
minute cancellations are accepted until 8am on the
day of the cancellation.
Employment Opportunities: If you live in the
Oakville/Mississauga area and would like a parttime job working while your child is in school,
contact us today and apply by phone or email.
Kidssentials may be contacted at:
905.855.1914 | mail@kidssentials.com | http://w
ww.kidssentials.com
All families are invited to participate in St. Gregory’s Family Math
Night coming up on Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:00-8:15 p.m. . We
will be presenting engaging activities that highlight effective
math strategies and resources for parents to support their
children's math learning at home and at school.
February was a busy month in athletics at St. Gregory. The basketball season
was in full swing. The boys’ basketball team travelled to St. Francis De Sales
for an invitational tournament and travelled to Our Lady of Sorrows for their
divisional tournament. The boys came up short in each tournament but
worked hard and had fun. On Wed., Feb. 17th, the Intermediate Girls Basketball
Team participated in the Divisional Tournament. The team went undefeated
finishing an impressive first in the round-robin. The team advanced to the finals,
where they placed second over-all, to an exciting and challenging game against
Nativity of Our Lord. Thank you to Mrs. Hall who convened the Divisional
Tournament, as well as, coached the team with Mr. De Medeiros and Mr. Cooper. We also like to thank student
volunteers Malachi F., George C., Charlize B., Tessa D., Joseph M., and Noah S., for assisting with the smooth
running of the tournament. The Coaches are proud of the girls and want to commend the players on
demonstrating skills and good sportsmanship throughout the season. The Hockey season was also in full swing
at St. Gregory. The co-ed hockey team travelled to Albion arena for the Monsignor Percy Johnson Invitational
tournament. The team played well but lost in the semi-finals to Our Lady of Sorrows in overtime. The team’s next
tournament is the Marlies’ Meltdown Tournament in late February. St. Gregory’s girls’ hockey team is practicing
once a week in preparation for two tournaments in March. In addition to hockey and basketball, the junior boys’
and girls’ volleyball teams are practicing every day in preparation for their divisional tournaments in late March.
Cooper’s Corner