St. Thomas More Catholic School
November Newsletter 2019
St. Thomas More Catholic School
3270 Tomken Road
Mississauga, ON., L4Y 2Y7
(905) 279-6472
Fax: (905) 279-3205
Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/TMORE
Principal
Vice Principal
Secretarial Staff
L. Antilope, Head Secretary
M. Shahbaz, Assistant Secretary
Superintendent
M. Lewis
(905) 890-1221
Trustee
School Council Chairs
Pastor
Rev. John Facey
St. Patrick's Church
(905) 270-2301
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEKEEPERS, FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD. MATTHEW 5:9
REMEMBRANCE DAY
On November 11th, we will come together as a school community during our Remembrance Day assembly as we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Parents/Guardians are invited to attend.
9:55 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Group 1: FDK 1, FDK 2, 1A, 2A, 2/3A, 3B, 4/5A, 5C, 6A, 6C, 7B, 7/8A, 8B
10:40 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Group 2: FDK 3, FDK 4, 1/2A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5B, 5/6A, 6B, 7A, 7C, 8A,8C
OFFICE REMINDERS
Attendance:
Please call (905) 279-6472 (press 1) to let us know your child will be late or absent. This information is important to the safety of your child.
Visitor's Protocol:
In keeping with Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Policy, all visitors to the school must report to the office.
We are asking for your cooperation to ensure that there are no visitors on the school yard other than those adults wearing an orange safety vest. Parents are welcome to wait outside fenced areas.
Appointments:
Any student leaving the school during the day due to appointments, etc., must be signed out at the office. Please ensure that you send a note in this regard to your child's teacher.
Parking Lot Safety and Kiss 'n' Ride:
PLEASE NOTE: The Kiss 'n' Ride lane is for drop-off/pick-up ONLY.
You CANNOT park your vehicle in this lane or in the driveway or bus lanes. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
STUDENT REMINDERS
PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME
Start Time 9:00 a.m.
A.M. Recess 11:05 a.m.
Lunch 12:00 p.m.
P.M. Recess 2:30 p.m.
Dismissal 3:30 p.m.
BUSSING NEWS
Courtesy Seating:
We received many requests for courtesy seats this school year. We were not able to accommodate all of the requests. Please note that requests will be kept on file and should seats become available, parents will be notified. Thank you for your understanding in this regard.
Inclement Weather:
As colder weather and winter approaches, bus transportation may face disruptions, including delays and cancellations. Please refer to media announcements for information. Parents can also subscribe to have any delays or cancellations sent directly to their e-mail by registering at stopr.ca.
Terry Fox Run
Our annual Terry Fox Run was held on the morning of Tuesday, October 1st. This event marked the 25th year that St. Thomas More has participated in the Terry Fox Run, and over the years, St. Thomas More has raised over $72,000 for cancer research! In addition to fundraising, our students took part in various activities and lessons that helped us to commemorate the life of this extraordinary Canadian hero. It is often said that when we want to teach our children about courage and selflessness, we need look no further than Terry's example.
Our original fundraising goal was set at $6500, and we not only matched our goal, we exceeded it! Continuing in our great tradition of supporting cancer research and treatment, we are very excited to announce that this year's Terry Fox event raised a total of $7035!!! This is our highest school total ever! Thank you to all of the staff members, students, parents, family members, neighbours and co-workers who gave so generously to our event this year. We would like to send a very special shout-out to the 22 students of Miss Sequeira's Grade 8 class for their tireless dedication and outstanding fundraising contribution of $2121!
On October 30th, we welcomed a representative from the Terry Fox Foundation, who presented our school with our 25 year banner for participation in the Terry Fox Run. The presentation took place at our October Virtue Assembly. As we continue to hold our Terry Fox events each year, we will always remember and fight for Terry's dream, that one day, all forms of cancer can be cured!
Great work STM!
Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week (November 19-25)
TREATIES RECOGNITION WEEK
November 4 -10, 2019
Ontario has passed new legislation designating the first week in November (beginning on the first Sunday) as Treaties Recognition Week. In honour of Treaties Recognition Week, and in alignment with the Catholic Board Improvement Learning Cycle, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) would like to engage school communities in learning about the treaties that have shaped the province of Ontario.
In November we celebrate the Virtue of Conscience
A person with Conscience…
· listens to the voice of the Holy Spirit inside
· can see how their actions can help or hurt others
· chooses to do what Jesus would do
· admits their sins and feel badly about poor choices
· says sorry and tries to make up for hurtful actions
God wants us to know the difference between right and wrong choices, and how your choices can impact others around you.
We invite parents/guardians to join us at our Virtues Liturgy and Assembly to acknowledge the Virtue of Conscience on Thursday, November 28, 2019. Ms. Serino's class and Ms. Capizzano's class will prepare for this special Liturgy and Assembly.
1:15 p.m.
Group1: FDK 1, FDK 2, 1A, 2A, 2/3A, 3B, 4/5A, 5C, 6A, 6C, 7B, 7/8A, 8B
1:45 p.m.
Group 2: FDK 3, FDK 4, 1/2A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5B, 5/6A, 6B, 7A, 7C, 8A, 8C
CURRICULUM NEWS
Library:
The September book fair was a great success and many of the books purchased directly from the fair have been catalogued and are circulating. Lots of fiction books at various levels, as well as a handful of picture books, were added to the school’s library collection. Books that have been ordered and will be appearing later in the school year include Dog Man: Fetch-22, Captain Underpants in full colour and the newest book by David Shannon, author of the No David series. Watch for these, and other great titles in the school library.
Elementary Library e-Resources
Are you looking for ways to help your children with their work or for entertainment? Through the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board students have access to a number of electronic resources. To begin, go to http://www.dpcdsb.org and then select the "Students" banner and then "Library e-Resources". Under the elementary library e-Resources page you will find several different electronic resources including:
BookFlix Ontario
An online resource that joins video storybooks with related nonfiction eBooks.
Username: duffpeel
Password: duff7878
Britannica
A wealth of encyclopedia content that includes articles, images, videos, primary sources, e-books, and recommended Web sites, and a world atlas.
Username: duffpeel
Password: duff7878
RAZ Kids Language Program:
Students can continue to access this great on-line program at home again this school year.
Mathify
Previously known as Homework Help, Mathify is the new and improved math support platform from TVO. This is an excellent resource for students in grades 7 and 8 who may need a bit of extra help with their math homework. Register for a new Mathify account.
Ontario.ca/HomeworkHelp
Students Attend Youth Climate Change Leaders' Forum
On Monday, October 21st, Mrs. Fera and 5 Intermediate Students (Victoria S., Nathan C., Matthew C., Krystian P. and Sara-Maria R.) attended a Climate Change Youth Forum at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario. The students participated in various hands-on activities which explored the impact of climate change on our planet. Mrs. Fera dug deep down into the nitty, gritty literature on carbon emissions, with keynote speaker and activist, Carol Aziz.
The Eco Team, along with teachers, Ms. Rynkiewicz and Ms. Cuff have been given an opportunity to further explore and create a school action plan that could help lower our carbon emissions. This is just the beginning of a fantastic, and eco-friendly year! Stay tuned for upcoming Eco- initiatives and events! Written by: Mrs. Fera.
Ms. Costa's class enjoyed a great outdoor experience at Silvercreek on October 9, 2019!
STUDENT ACTIVITIES AT STM
Cross Country
The Cross Country Team had a very successful season this school year! All athletes showed dedication and determination during our daily practices in the weeks leading up to the meet. The Grade 7 Girls' team won Third Place overall at the Family Meet. As well, STM had 8 athletes that moved on to the Board Level. Congratulations to everyone who was part of the team, we are proud of all of you! Go STM!!
Thank you to Mrs. Giacobbe, Ms. Celia and Ms. Oliver for coaching the team.
Junior Boys' and Girls' Volleyball
A big congratulations is extended to the Junior Boys' and Girls' Volleyball Teams on a successful season and for their incredible performance at the Mississauga East Family Tournament. Both teams displayed perseverance, team work, determination and amazing skill. Mme. Cruz, Ms. Oliver and Mr. Remigio are very proud of your hard work. Go Grey Wolves Go!!!
Intermediate Volleyball
Preparations for the upcoming intermediate volleyball season is underway. After an overwhelming student turnout for tryouts, we are in the midst of finalizing our rosters. There is no doubt this year's teams will be ready to compete. Our intermediate season will begin at home on November 4th as we host our first double-header season. Coaches Cruz, Di Filippo, Oliver, and Remigio would like to thank all the amazing students who exemplified commitment and passion during tryouts. We are looking forward to a competitive and fun filled season of volleyball. LET’S GO WOLFPACK!
Eco Team
Youth Faith Ambassadors
Lead by Ms. D'Souza, Ms. Costa, Ms. Serino Ms. McLeod and Ms. Giacobbe, our Youth Faith Ambassadors are busy helping to promote the faith formation of the STM school community. They had a successful Thanksgiving Food Drive and we look forward to a Hard Candy Drive and Christmas Food Drive! They will be involved in several social justice Initiatives and faith activities throughout the year. Future correspondence will be sent home in regards to upcoming initiatives.
Hard Candy Drive - Begins Friday, November 1, 2019
15 Boxes collected for the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thank you for the generous donations!
Christmas Food Drive - begins Monday, December 2,
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Training for Catholic School Council Executive Members -
Saturday, November 2, 2019
@ St. Joseph Secondary School, Mississauga
8:30 a.m.
Next council meeting: November 20, 2019.
SHADOW DAY
IMPORTANT DATES
November
6 - Gr. 8 Shadow Day at Philip Pocock S.S.
6 - Trip to Ste. Marie Among the Hurons - grade 7 students
7 - Picture Retake Day
8, 11-14 - Dental Screening
12 - Report cards sent home
15 - P.A. Day (No school for students)
19 - Immunizations for gr. 7 students
22 - School Bus Safety Training
26 - Taiko Drum Workshop - Grade 1 students
26 - Maracas Workshop - Grade 2 students
28 - Virtues Assembly
29 - Spirit Day for ShareLife - "Mustache Day"
*Recurring Events at STM*
Pizza Days (Tuesdays)
Wonderful Wednesdays
Mr. Sub (Thursdays)
Lunch Moms (Fridays)
PARENT CORNER
Health Reminders
We would like to remind parents that there are a number of students in the school with life threatening allergies to nut products. Please do not send in food containing these products. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all students safe.
St. Thomas More continues to implement the Dufferin- Peel initiative “WE SHARE THE AIR.” This is a scent awareness campaign for staff, students and the school community, that will help keep our students with severe allergies and sensitivity to scents safe in the school environment. We are asking staff, students and visitors to our school to kindly avoid using perfumes/colognes in our school environment.
Parents are asked to remind their child to use good hand hygiene and cough etiquette, to minimize the spread of germs during cold and flu season.
Good hand washing procedures, as well as other preventative measures, can be found at the Peel Health website:
SchoolCashOnline
Make online payments with SchoolCashOnline for:
Field trips,
Sports events
Activity Fees.
Register at https://dpcdsb.schoolcashonline.com
Toys and Personal Items from Home
Toys and personal items are not to be brought to school from home. We will not take responsibility for any toys or items that are stolen or damaged in any way. Thank you for your understanding.