Loving God, in this time of preparation and planning,

We thank you for the hope, peace, joy, and love, that you unfailingly offer us.

Show us the creative power of hope.

Teach us the love that comes from justice.

Prepare our hearts to be transformed by your joy,

That we may walk in the peace and light of Christ.

Amen.

“Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.”

Isaiah 40:5

In years past, we know that the St. Christopher school community has been extremely generous and giving to those less fortunate and in need, especially during the holiday season.

This year at St. Christopher Catholic School, we would like to extend this tremendous generosity to help support families in need in our school and the local community. We hope we can all open our hearts and extend our schools’ spirit of giving to families through gift cards this Advent season.

Our Christmas Angels will be hung on our school Christmas tree in the front foyer of the school. Each angel has a suggested retail gift card on the back of the angel. To support our Families Supporting Families: Angel Tree initiative, families are asked to purchase a gift card to donate and return it to the school.

If you are able to support this initiative:

• Please complete the Angel Tree commitment form that was sent home, on November 30th to indicate the number of Angels you wish to collect
• Students can continue to bring their forms to the front office to visit the school Christmas tree and choose an Angel(s).
• Students will then colour in the Angel(s) and write their family name on it
• Return both the Angel(s) and the purchased Gift Card(s) by December 12th, and place the Angel(s) back on the tree. Students may colour in their angels also.
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We also encourage you to use this opportunity to discuss with your own child(ren) about those less fortunate and how we can all come together as a community to help one another.

On behalf of our staff, students and our Catholic School Council, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued generosity and support.

Last month our school engaged in a Treaty Education Presentation offered by the Indigenous Education department. Guest speaker, Melanie Cromier, an Anishinaabe community member, shared with students the sacredness of a promise, through stories. Students were also able to ask questions and examine two wampum belt artifacts.

For anyone wanting to purchase Pizza for their child(ren), St. Christopher school is offering pizza on Thursdays through Gino's Pizza. Orders can be placed using https://dpcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/ Families wishing to place their orders in advance can now do so through June, 2023.

Congratulations to our boys and girls Intermediate volleyball teams. They played in their tournament last week and represented our school well. The boys made it to the semifinals and finished in 3rd place while the girls made it all the way to the championship game against St. Luke before losing in 3 sets.

Thank you again to Mr. Hilton and Ms. Sousa for sharing your time and volleyball experience with our students.

It’s cold and flu season!

Cold and flu season is here, and it is already a bad one. We want to remind parents/guardians that before heading to the emergency room, book an appointment with your family doctor or at your local COVID Cough and Cold Flu Clinic.

If you’re unsure if you need to take your child to the emergency room, you can:

• Call your primary care provider
• Call Health Connect Ontario (formerly TeleHealth) at 811 or chat online with a nurse 24/7: Health Connect Ontario | Health Connect Ontario (gov.on.ca)
• Use the online symptom checker at Sick Kids: Virtual Urgent Care | SickKids

Don’t forget to continue practicing other protective measures such as hand washing, avoiding touching your face, staying home when ill and masking for 10 days after being symptomatic to help protect your children, yourself and others from viruses that are circulating.

Please find the attached French Immersion Promotional information for Kindergarten students interested in the Grade 1 French Immersion Program, along with the detailed letter to parents with important FI information.

December 6, 7:00 p.m.

Microsoft Teams Online Meeting

More information and Meeting Link can also be found on the website (https://www3.dpcdsb.org/programs-services/languages/french-immersion)

December 8, 7:00 p.m.

Microsoft Teams Online Meeting

More information and Meeting Link can also be found on the website (https://www3.dpcdsb.org/programs-services/languages/french-immersion)

Wet, Windy, Wintery Weather is upon us! Students are asked to have a pair of indoor shoes that can be kept at school, along with an extra pair of gloves, mitts, or other winter apparel. An extra set of clothing goes a long way, especially in the primary division. Please also consider labeling your child(s) clothing so that we can return any lost items to them.

At school, we will continue to encourage students to bundle up and we also will continue to provide reminders of snow etiquette in play. Please support our efforts, reminding your children at home that snowball throwing is not permitted. We also ask students to stay off icy areas and to report them, in order to prevent unnecessary injuries. Our messaging to students and in the name of kindness is that any snow structures (snow figures or fort) made by their peers are to be respected and students should refrain from intentionally breaking them. As such, we appreciate your support in reinforcing this message.

We are excited to have students engage in SNOW-much fun this winter season at St. Christopher school!

During the school year we will be rehearsing and will continue to rehearse with students a number of emergency response situations including lock down and fire drills. All schools are required by Board policy to practice these procedures throughout the year. We have these ‘practice drills’ for precautionary purposes only so that in the event of an actual emergency, students will be prepared to respond in a safe and responsible manner. We will also be practicing a Lock Down Drill. During this drill, the outer doors will be locked and the office will be unavailable during the time of the drill. No one will be allowed to enter or exit during the drill while the emergency protocol is being followed. The day will continue as normal following the drill. Thank you for your patience.

​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.

Dear parents,

We are happy to share that we will be offering another lunch order option for students, beginning next week. We have partnered with Lunchbox by SchoolCash Online to offer a sub day on Tuesdays in addition to pizza on Thursdays. Lunchbox is a convenient, online ordering platform featuring local vendors - in this case the Mr. Sub at Lakeshore & Clarkson Rd. Each item order contributes a small donation to our school.

An ordering calendar can be found on your SchoolCash Online items page - once you log in, you will see a blue bar at the top of the items list - click "Order Now" to begin. The first delivery date will be next Tuesday, December 6, and the deadline to place your order for the first week is Sunday, December 4 at noon. You may pre-order as many weeks as you would like, and deadline for each week is always Sunday at noon for the upcoming week. Please see additional information below and attached on how to order and some frequently asked questions.

How to Order:

1. Go to your child’s SchoolCash Online account items page and click “ORDER NOW” on the blue bar at the top of the items list.
2. Confirm your child’s account information including their teacher and grade for the current school year. **Please ensure the correct teacher and grade are selected to prevent errors on delivery days.
3. Proceed with ordering your child’s lunch on the school’s ordering calendar by clicking on the blue date for the scheduled vendors.
4. All orders are submitted on the website and payment is processed on-line by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Debit MasterCard or Visa Debit. Visa and MasterCard prepaid cards are also accepted.

Important Dates:

• Lunch delivery is scheduled to begin Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
• Orders may be placed weekly or in advance, for the full length of the program.
• Sunday, December 4, 2022 at NOON (12:00 PM) is the ordering deadline for the first scheduled lunch delivery.

Things to Remember:

• The ordering deadline is Sunday at 12 PM (NOON) for the upcoming week’s deliveries.
• New orders will not be accepted after the Sunday deadline.
• If buses are cancelled due to inclement weather, lunches will be canceled and credited.
• If there is a school closure, lunches will be cancelled, and a credit will be issued to your Lunchbox account within 3 business days.

Please find the Fall/Winter Newsletter from StopR and an important letter concerning inclement weather and bus cancellations for the 2022-2023 school year.

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. You can also receive up-to-date information by following STOPR on Twitter @STOPRinfo

STOPR website: https://www.stopr.ca/

To receive updates on whether your child’s bus is running late, please subscribe to STOPR. Access your account HERE

Thank you very much to the many parents who safely use the parking lot and the Kiss’n’Ride drop-off and pick-up area! The patience and courtesy demonstrated by our community goes a long way in maintaining a safe environment for all!

A few reminders to help ensure a safe parking lot:

1) Please do not reverse your vehicle while in the Kiss and Ride zone. Children may be crossing behind you using the crosswalk. Be patient.

2) Drive slowly through the Kiss and Ride. We do try to give preference to the buses when leaving in order for them to maintain their morning schedules so please wait at the cross walk until you are directed to cross.

3) Students are reminded not to bounce sporting equipment such as basketballs while walking through the cross walk. Students need reminders that if a ball falls from their grasp, not to chase after it. An adult can help them retrieve it.

4) There is a bike path for students coming in on their bikes, on the south side of the church. Please use this path, and WALK your bike to the bike rack area, as the path is shared with walking pedestrians.

5)Parents and students are strongly encouraged to use the cross-walk instead of crossing in front of the kiss and ride.

6)The parking spaces adjacent to the church, near the cross walk, will be off limits to vehicles for parking. The crosswalk area can become crowded at times and we would like to maintain a clear sight line between children entering and exiting the school grounds.

7) Please ensure that students are being dropped off at the Kiss and Ride designated area and are accessing the cross-walk.

8) Please be aware that when entering the school lot, via the church entrance on the south side, it is NOT advisable to drop children off before the Kiss and Ride designated area. This is a drive-through area. Please merge into the kiss and ride lane when it is safe to do so, and please stop at the stop sign, proceeding with caution to the kiss and ride zone for pick up and drop off.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. We know that everyone is in a hurry in the morning and at the end of the school day, but our number one concern is always the safety of all members of our community at St. Christopher School. Thank you for taking the time to be considerate of others by following these important safety reminders!

P.A.L.S. is a playground leadership program for schools. It encourages all children to participate in activities during recess breaks.

"There is always room for one more".

St. Christopher will be implementing the program here, initiated by our school Child and Youth Worker, Mrs. Creary, as playground, and recess leader for their primary peers. Training has begun, for those students who demonstrated interest in participating as P.A.L.S leaders.

Objectives of the Program

• Increase physical activity
• Decrease conflict and reduce the incidence of playground bullying
• Provide a leadership opportunity for students

Roles

• School staff supervise the program
• Students in grades 4 - 6 act as playground activity leaders for younger students during recess breaks
• Public Health Nurses train staff and students to implement the program and provides ongoing support

More information on the P.A.L.S program can be found HERE

Periodically, throughout the school year, Scholastic Books may be offered by your child's classroom teacher or via Book Fair. While owning books is a valuable experience for children, 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 given it is a secular company.

We encourage parents/guardians to review the selections that their child/ren make/s to ensure the material chosen reflects their family values.