Contact Information:
Principal: G. Hilton
Vice Principal: R. Coelho
Secretary: K. Romani
Superintendent of Mississauga South Schools: S. Gos (905) 890-1221
Trustee: S. Hobin (905-301-1210) Twitter: @Trusteehobin
Principal Message:
Welcome to a new school year, and a special welcome to those families new to our community!
I am very happy to be the new principal at St. Christopher, and I look forward to working with each of you in the service of our students!
I come to St. Christopher School after five years as principal at Metropolitan Andrei School. Prior to that I was principal at St. Philip School for six years.
Our vice-principal Mrs. Coelho and I, along with the entire staff, welcome your partnership as we all work together toward the common goal of student success.
This year we will continue to strive towards environmental stewardship with all communication to families being sent out electronically. Please ensure we have your most up-to-date email information at the school office. This year we will be communicating to parents via our new monthly newsletter "STORM TRACKER" instead of weekly newsletters.
We look forward to a terrific year of learning at St. Christopher School as together we help prepare students for their future as faithful, responsible, and caring members of the community!
With kind regards,
Mr. Hilton
Principal
Virtue for September: Faith
To begin our school year, we’ll focus on our first virtue –Faith. Faith is the great virtue of believing in God and trusting that God is with us.
A faithful person believes that we are created, guided by and destined to be reunited with God.
A faithful person believes that God helps us to create a safe and caring school.
A Faithful person…
prays whenever they can
learns from Scripture stories
assumes that there is good in everyone
knows that we are all loved by God
Meet Our Storm Trooper Line Up!
Primary: Mrs. Gabrielli, Mrs. MacFarlane, Mrs. McMenemy, Mrs. Smerilli, Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Silvestri, Mrs. McNeilly, Ms. Peters and Ms. Sousa.
Junior: Mrs. Buday, Mrs. Kirkbride, Mrs. Moreira, Mrs. Inglese, Mme. Alcasid
Intermediate: Mr. Carrabs, Mrs. Bertolo, Mrs. Dell'Orso
Extended French: Mme. Dufton, Mme. Saldanha, Mlle. Lesinski, and Monsieur Ahern.
ESL and Special Education Team: Mrs. Dewsnap, Mrs. Cardoso
Support Services Team: Dr. Krane, School Psychologist; Mrs. McKillop, Speech & Language; Cynthia Creary, Child and Youth Worker.
Head Custodian: Mr. Yeboah
Librarian: Mrs. Marshall
Educational Resource Workers: Zorica Matesic, Sheila Almazan, Nina Knak-Kurliatovich
September Medical Reminder:
If your child has a medical condition, please ensure that the school is aware of it by submitting the proper forms and medication as soon as possible in September. Parents are responsible for ensuring that all medications and forms are updated for any student who requires medication to be administered at school. If your child requires medication, please have the necessary forms completed and return them, along with any medication, to the office as soon as possible. Forms are available in the office. Please remember to check the expiry dates of all medication before bringing them to school.
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction. The most common allergens triggers are food, insect stings, medications, exercise and latex. An anaphylactic reaction involves symptoms from two or more body systems. The safety and well-being of all of our students is a priority.
In order to ensure the safety and well being of all pupils, we request that you NOT send any lunches or snacks that contain peanuts and or tree nuts, including peanut butter substitute products. Please make sure that all of you children's caregivers are aware of the food restrictions. Please avoid sending food for birthday or special occasions. There are many alternatives such as stickers and pencils. Should there be a specific allergy concern in your child's classroom, information will be shared by the classroom teacher.
We appreciate your cooperation in supporting a safe learning environment for all pupils.
Asthma Awareness
Very common triggers are: perfume, cologne, scented products, personal care, such as hairspray. The safety of our students is priority. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, we request that our school community refrain from wearing scented personal products, complying with our Scent Free Zone Campaign at school and all school events. We appreciate your cooperation in supporting a safe learning environment for all students.
Concussions and Head Injuries
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has developed a Concussion Policy and Guidelines for students who have been diagnosed with a concussion by either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. School staff cannot diagnose a concussion. Anytime a student reports to the office with a head injury, the parent/guardian will be contacted and the incident will be entered into the school’s “Documentation of Head Injuries” log. This is precautionary only, and we ask that you check your child when he/she gets home for any signs of a concussion or illness. We will also encourage you to go onto our school website, where a brochure containing information about Concussions is provided. Again this is a precautionary measure and for information purposes.
Verification Forms
Student verification forms will be coming home in the first few weeks of school either via email or paper copy. We ask that you kindly review all information to ensure that it is correct. Please ensure that all phone numbers are accurate in case we need to contact you should your child be sick at school.
Attendance Verification
SafeArrival is an application within SchoolMessenger that will allow parents/guardians to report their children’s absences in one of the following three ways:
- SchoolMessenger App
- SchoolMessenger website https://go.schoolmessenger.ca
- Toll Free number 1-844-435-3440
What is SafeArrival:
- SafeArrival is an absence management system that improves student safety.
- It supports school staff to follow up on unexcused absences.
- It allows parents and/or guardians to notify the school in advance about an upcoming absence.
Benefits:
- Better Attendance Management for Enhanced Student Safety
- Faster and Easier Attendance Management
- Simplified Parent Reporting Tools
- Accessible, Convenient and Secure
- Automated Key Tasks With SafeArrival Administrative Tools
Child Safety
The Child and Family Services Act compels educators to report any issues that may compromise a child's welfare. If a staff member suspects any issue that may affect a child's safety, then Children's Aid Society (CAS) must be contacted. It is our Legal Obligation as employees of the school to report any suspicions directly to the Children’s Aid Society. It is not the role of educators to investigate. That is CAS' role. CAS, not the school, informs parents directly of the issue.
Scholastic Book Club
Many of your schools participate in the Scholastic Book Club. Please note that participation in this program is completely optional and that the books curated in these offerings are selected for a wide audience and not specifically for a Catholic audience. We encourage parents to review the selections that their child makes to ensure the material chosen reflects their family values.
St. Christopher will host a Scholastic Book Fair during our school Open House:
September 22nd.
Details to follow.
We Are Many, We Are One
The new school year offers us an opportunity to reflect upon our personal, academic and spiritual growth and to set some new goals.
The theme chosen for the upcoming 2023 Catholic Education Week is:
Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One
L’éducation catholique: À plusieurs, nous sommes un
Catholic Education Week is held each year in May in our 29 Ontario Catholic school boards. It will run from April 30 – May 5, 2023.
When we see – En voyant
Jesus,
You showed us how to see those who are blind, those who are small, those who are fearful and those who climb trees.
We can see with our eyes.
More importantly we can see with our hearts.
You invite us to see with our hearts, to see deeper than the surface.
Guide us this year.
When our attention is called to someone or something, remind us to be loving, compassionate and kind.
Then we will see like you see and we will be one.
Amen.
Parish Information
St. Christopher Parish
1171 Clarkson Road N
Mississauga, ON L5J 2W1
Phone: (905) 822-1171
stchristophersmi@archtoronto.org
Pastor: Fr. Joseph Rodrigues
School Hours
Our School Hours:
School Starts at 8:15 am
Morning Recess: 9:38 - 9:53 am
Lunch: 11:16 am - 12:16 pm
Afternoon Recess: 1:39 - 1:54 pm
Dismissal: 2:45 pm
Please note: We will continue with "soft entry" in the morning, students may enter the building using their designated doors beginning at 8:00am. School starts at 8:15am.
A reminder that we no longer have staggered dismissal. Students will be dismissed at 2:45. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we return to previous dismissal time.
Catholic School Council
Catholic School Council
The School Advisory Council is comprised of parents, a school faculty member, a non-teaching representative, as well as an appointed parish community representative. The aim of the council is to support school activities and students through involvement and fundraising. We are always looking for new parents to join our School Council! If your child is participating in online learning you are still part of our St. Christopher community and therefore you are welcome to attend council meetings and participate in council elections.
Last Council Meeting for 2021-2022 School Year: Please join us for our next council meeting on September 12th @6:30 PM
New Council for 2022-2023: Please join us for our council meeting on September 28th @6:30 PM
Any parent wishing to be a member of the 2022-23 School Council must complete a nomination form. Nomination forms can be obtained via the attachment to this newsletter, or by contacting our school secretary Mrs. Romani at the office. Completed nomination forms can be e-mailed to St.ChristopherInfo@dpcdsb.org or submitted through your child to the school no later than Monday, September 19, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Further information will be forthcoming should an election be required and regarding future Catholic School Council meeting dates. Please also note that all Catholic School Council Members must have a valid criminal reference check.
This school year's meetings will be held in-person in our school library, unless otherwise noted. All are welcome to attend.
STOPR Transportation
The distance criteria for transportation eligibility must be more than:
- 1.0 kilometre for Kindergarten and Grade 1
- 1.6 kilometres for Grades 2-4
- 2.0 kilometres for Grades 5-8
All Kindergarten and Grade 1 students who take the bus are required to be met by a parent or guardian when disembarking from the bus after school.
All bus information for the current school year is posted on the front windows of the school. Transportation eligibility is determined via the Board Bus policy. Information regarding this policy as well as current route information is available through the STOPR website: https://www.stopr.ca/
You may also contact the Transportation Department via the following contact numbers: Transportation: 905-890-6000 Special Education Transportation: 905-890- 6362. To determine if your son or daughter is eligible for transportation, please visit https://businfo.stopr.ca/Eligibility.aspx?Page=School You can also receive up to date information by following STOPR on Twitter @STOPRinfo
To receive updates on whether your child’s bus is running late, please subscribe to STOPR at https:// businfo.stopr.ca/Subscriptions/Login.aspx
STOPR has made the decision not to have Courtesy Seats at this time. Only students who are eligible to ride the bus according to the distance criteria above will be granted a seat on the bus. All bus students are required to wear a mask while boarding the bus until they depart at their destination. They will be provided with an assigned seat and siblings will be placed together to allow for more physical distancing to take place on the bus. STOPR may re-evaluate their decision regarding courtesy seats if the COVID situation improves.
Beginning August 29th, parents can access the bussing portal for their child(s) transportation information.
Access your account HERE
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Bus Safety
Bus safety
If your child rides the bus daily, it is important that they are aware of the safety rules on the bus. Students are required to:
- Listen to the Bus Driver at all times and report any problems or injuries to him/her
- Go directly to their assigned seat and remain seated during the entire bus ride
- Do not eat, drink, swear, fight or chew gum on the bus
- Do not put arms out the window, or throw items or garbage out the window
- If any damage to the seat of bus is caused, students will be held responsible
- Be at least 5 minutes early at your bus stop to ensure that you don't miss the bus
