November, 2016 Our Lady of Peace Catholic School Newsletter...Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar...

November, 2016

Our Lady of Peace Catholic School Newsletter

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE As we enter into the month of November, we focus our attention on the virtue of Peace. Our quote for the month of November is from John 14:27, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you.” November is a time set aside to remember those who fought for peace, and those who continue to work to keep our world at peace. Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in silence for a moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of conflict. Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the official end of World War I.

November is also a month where we remember all saints and all souls. All Saints Day on November 1st is a feast day celebrated by Roman Catholics. It is an opportunity for believers to remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history. All Souls Day is marked on November 2nd, directly following All Saints Day, and is an opportunity for Roman Catholics to remember and pray for the faithful departed. We will be having a Liturgy of the Word led by Mme. Nezic to commemorate All Saints and All Souls Day.

We invite all parents/guardians to attend our Parent Teacher Interviews on Thursday, November 17th from 5:00 -9:00 p.m. and on Friday, November 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Please ensure to book an appointment through our interview request form, which has already been sent home. During the week of November 14th -18th, 2016, we will engage our students in Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week with various activities. This month, our Peace Leaders will begin cooperative games with our primary and junior students during recess.

Please check the school website regularly for Our Lady of Peace news and information. http://ourladyofpeace.tcdsb.org

OUR LADY OF

PEACE CATHOLIC

SCHOOL

70 Mattice Ave. Etobicoke, Ontario

M1B 1T6 416-416-397393-5351

Fax: -6980

Principal

S. Figliomeni

Vice Principal D. Whicher

Superintendent

D. Yack 416-222-8282 Ext: 2732

Trustee

A. Andrachuck 416-512-3402

Parish

Our Lady Of Peace 3914 Bloor St. West

Father Yao 416-239-1259

CSPC Chair:

J. Celio

Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Lunch Hour:

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. ______________________________

OLP is now on Twitter!!

Follow us at @OLP_TCDSB

for news, reminders, information and fun!

NOVEMBER VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: PEACEMAKING

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.”

John14:27

During the month of November, we will be focusing on the virtue of PEACE. We connect the virtue of peace to the Sign of Peace at mass. Each time we gather for Eucharist, we are invited to extend a sign of peace to those around us: our family, friends, neighbours and strangers. Catholic social teaching reminds us that we are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, religious, economic, and ideological differences. We are brothers and sisters keepers where ever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict. What can you do to be a peacemaker in your family, your class, our school, our city and in the world?

OLP SCHOOL LEARNING IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SLIP):

Throughout this term, OLP staff have analyzed school data and compared various assessments in order to identify our urgent critical need. Overall the school achievement continues to be very strong in EQAO results at the primary and junior level. Our grade 6 cohort shows significant improvement between grades 3 and grade 6 EQAO assessments. Although students are enjoying Math at school, student surveys indicated that they are less confident engaging in Math activities at home. Consequently, a focus this year is to give parents more tools and strategies to support their child’s Math learning at home. Based on various assessments and teacher observations, our current grade 3 and grade 6 cohorts will need focused support in Mathematics so that students will continue to achieve at high levels on EQAO.

DRESS CODE: All students are expected to come to school appropriately dressed; that is, neat and clean, and in a manner that suits the aims and atmosphere of a Catholic elementary school environment. To be succinct, any combination of white and navy is acceptable. Absolutely no denim and/or clothing with pictures, slogans or logos are permitted. The Dress Code is now mandated for all TCDSB schools. Adherence to the code is not optional. SCHOOL CONNECTS:

Our Lady of Peace has been using the School

Connects automated program to communicate monthly

newsletters and special announcements and reminders

to our families. Unfortunately our school no longer has

access to the School Connects automated system.

Alternatively, Our Lady of Peace will be participating in

a TCDSB CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) pilot

project which will allow for continued electronic

communication between home and school. Please be

advised that the CASL pilot project is set to launch on

November 6th. More information regarding this new

communication platform will be shared with you once it

becomes available.

In the meantime, we will continue to communicate

necessary information via paper distribution and our

school website. We will also send communication via

the OLP.hotlunches.net. platform.

THE YEAR OF THE PARISH: THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES:

We look forward to continuing the celebration of the Year of the Parish throughout the school year. It is a wonderful opportunity for our schools and parishes to connect, or re-connect, and plan activities and ongoing initiatives together that will support the important partnership between Family, Church and School.

Society of Saint Paul “Bundle Up” Collection: The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is a non-profit charity whose volunteer members collect clothing, shoes, linen and small household goods to donate, exchange for vouchers or sell in order to support our works of charity. There will be collection on November 19-20 and items can be dropped off at Our Lady of Peace Church, 3914 Bloor St. W. Etobicoke. Please not appliances, baby furniture, books or mattresses. CROSS COUNTRY: Congratulations OLP! Our cross country team participated in a number of meets this season. Of the 89 runners who went to the divisional meet, 63 qualified for regionals and of those, 36 advanced to the city meet. Honourable mention goes to our 10 year-old boys: Alexander M., Mitchell S., Henry C., Juanjose P., and Luca B.; and out 12 year-old girls: Dawn M., Maya M., Victoria O., Sofia M., Sophia S., Niamh H., and Madeline C. for winning the 1st place pennant for their respective age groups. Honourable mention also goes to Maya M. who placed 2nd and Julian B. who placed 3rd at cities. Our school finished 1st at divisionals, 2nd at regionals and 14th overall in the city among 136 schools. The coaches are extremely proud of all the students who came out every morning - they showed great determination and enthusiasm and represented our school with pride. Special thanks to our dedicated coaches: Mme. Guido, Mlle. Boragina and of course Mr. Covelli for his dedication and for sharing his expertise! PEACE LEADERS: On Wednesday, November 26, 24 of our students from grades 6-8 were selected to participate in a half day training with Toronto Public Health on Playground Activity Leaders in Schools- P.A.L.S. There are three objectives of the P.A.L.S. program: to increase physical activity, to decrease conflict and reduce the incidence of playground bullying, and to provide a leadership opportunity for students. Thank you to Mme Mayer and Ms. Laxton and to the following students for

their commitment in making our school yard safe for all. Thank you/ Merci to our Peace Leaders: Alec T.,Thunder M., Sasha R., Simon B., Luke R., Ariana D., Sydney E., Ethan P., Victoria O., Kaitlyn L., Sara S. Vienna G., Leah A., Isabel L., Maksym W., Hugh M., Matylda S. Kayleigh H., Conrad C.,Allison B., Alexandra J., Daria F., Joseph G., Esabella G. FROM THE LIBRARY/DE LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR: The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Our Lady of Peace on November 11th to November 17th. We invite your entire family to purchase books by some of the latest and greatest authors, such as Jeff Kinney’s new Diary of a Wimpy Kid novel Double Down, Raina Telgemeier’s heartwarming Ghosts, Robert Munsch’s hilarious So Much Snow!, and Ransom Rigg’s spooky Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The book fair is guaranteed to have something special for every age and reading level, making it the most convenient place to get your Christmas shopping done! Everyone will have the opportunity to win exciting prizes through a variety of contests, such as the Family Event Draw. All you have to do is cut out the raffle ticket that comes with your child’s book fair highlight flyer, fill it out, and deposit it in the ballot box at the fair. If your ballot is drawn, you will win $50 in books - $25 for your family and $25 for your child’s classroom! By purchasing books for your loved ones, you are making it possible for our school to purchase new resources for our library and classrooms. In fact, 60% of the profits will go back to our school if we raise $10 000. Thank you in advance for your support. We look forward to seeing you there!

Location: Library (Rm. 224)

Date: Time:

Friday November 11th, 2016 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Monday November 14th, 2016

9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Tuesday November 15th, 2016

9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Wednesday November 16th, 2016

9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Thursday November 17th, 2016

9:00 AM – 3:30 PM; 5:00-9:00 PM

HEURE DU CONTE: Every Wednesday, students in Grades one to three are invited to the library to participate in Heure du Conte during lunch recess. Heure du Conte is a bilingual drop-in story time program, where students have the opportunity to enjoy stories told in French and participate in fun activities. During our first session we read Le gros monstre qui aimait trop lire, an online book we accessed through the Toronto Public Library’s website. Since it was a story about a monster that

learns to read, we made little monster bookmarks. As you will see from the photos below, they were all very unique! The photos, with the exception of the bottom photo, were taken by Madison Reid, a volunteer from York University’s Consecutive Education Program. We are thankful for Madison, as she has helped immensely with the facilitation and organization of the program.

GR. 8 TRIP COOKIE DOUGH FUNDRAISER: The intermediate division will be selling Tasty Batters Gourmet Cookie Dough from November 2 to November 16, to aid in the cost of our 2 night /3 day trip to Montreal. For parents that are interested, please see any grade 7 or 8 student to place an order. We will also be selling the evening and morning of Parent/ Teacher Interviews. Please stop by and see us. The cookie dough will be delivered to the school on Dec 15th and must be picked up on that day as it will be frozen. Tasty Batters Delicious Gourmet Cookie Dough is made locally in Toronto! It’s trans-fat free and lasts 6 months in the freezer and 6 weeks in the fridge. The cookie dough is made in a facility that contains nuts. Don't forget to check out the QSP.ca website for other products available to you!! CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL (CSPC) Our next CSPC meeting will be held on Thursday, November 16th at 6:30 p.m. in room 202. New members are welcome. CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE: Rumour Has It…….Ms. Figliomeni will KISS A FISH!!

As you know, OLP’s CSPC is once again running the Curriculum Enhancement Initiative Campaign!! This is Parent Council's main fundraising initiative. With your support and generosity, we hope to raise $15,000. Any donation amount is truly appreciated but we ask that you kindly consider a donation of $60

(single student) or $100 family donation (2+ students). Please go online to olp.hotlunches.net to donate or send your donation into the school! ** Early Bird Draws!!!** Donate before November 15th and your child’s name will be entered into a Draw for 1 of 10 Cineplex movie passes (incl. movie, drink & snack) ……and it’s true…..if we reach our goal of $15,000 Ms. Figliomeni is going to KISS A FISH!! PARENT SAFETY PROGRAM:

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who donate their time for our PSP “Kiss and Ride” Program on Mattice Ave. This morning and end of day program ensures that students arrive and exit safely from school while easing the traffic flow around the community. This program is made possible with the commitment and dedication of our parent volunteers. If you are interested and available to assist with either the morning or afternoon shift, please contact the main office. On behalf of the OLP community, many thanks to the following parent volunteers for volunteering their time for the well-being and safety of our children: A. Madarova, E. Bavcevic, T. Brenner, B. Ciddio, T. DeMaria, I. Hanna, C. Lopes, S. Mills, I. Stankevych, P. Vanni, and S. Venditti. A reminder to parents to please NOT park in the bus loading zone and to be respectful of the NO parking signs in the area. In addition, please do not linger in your parked cars once your child is dropped off. We need traffic to keep moving to so that students do not have to cross the street to get to the yard. We encourage all families to use the PSP Program and to be respectful to our parent volunteers. We need to work together as a community for the safety of our students. CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENCH: As parent volunteers, we stand to help support furthering Bilingualism at Our Lady of Peace by promoting and Creating opportunities for our students to learn and use French. We do so by using membership dollars to not only to help support our students, but also our teachers and parents alike. Your membership dollars have supported the Community by carving out the following plan for the 2016-2017 school year.

In-school French bilingual theatrical performance

$1000 school library grant to replenish the library with new French books and resources

Teacher grant to Immersion, Core and Specialty French Teachers

Support for the French Winter Carnaval Online tools and resources can be found at our

FB Page: Canadian Parents for French Toronto Catholic West Webpage: on.cpf.ca/chapter/Toronto-catholic-west/

Our Webpage has a JOIN/MEMBERSHIP button on the right hand side of the page. Let’s work together at supporting their journey through French Immersion. THANK YOU: The staff and students of Our Lady of Peace would like to thank the many parent volunteers that donated their time to assist with Pizza Lunch on Friday, October 28th. Un grand merci à: Mr. Solares, Ms. Astrid, Mrs. Hanna, Mrs. Hingley, Mrs. Jahshan, Mr. Warner, Mrs. Melo, Mrs. Michelucci, Mrs. Quinn, Mrs. Trachuk, Mrs. Venditti.

PLAYGROUND REVITILIZATION UPDATE:

We’re making progress on our new playground! In 2015, the OLP Catholic School Parent Council established the Playground Project Committee- a large committee, with several subcommittees, fully dedicated to delivering a new, amazing, and safe play space for our children. Working in conjunction with school administration and the TCDSB, and with the support of the OLP community, this committee will continue to drive the design, fundraising requirements, and delivery of a revitalized playground for our school. Students, staff, parents and our neighbours have all shared their great ideas and suggestions on what the new playground should look like; and thanks to the incredible support of our community, the OLP Playground Project Committee was able to raise over

$20,000 to kick off our fundraising! As you may recall, these funds were specifically needed to hire a landscape artist required to design official plans for our playground. We are excited to be kicking off our 2016/7 fundraising and volunteer activity. The Committee will have an information booth set up in the main foyer during Parent Teacher interviews on November 17th and 18th. Please come visit us for the latest information on our 2016/7 initiatives including fundraising and volunteer opportunities! A project of this size requires the support of our entire OLP community. Please share your thoughts, ideas, and questions with the Committee at OLPplayground@gmail.com.

HUMANITARIAN AID FOR HAITI:

As you are aware, Hurricane Matthew battered Haiti on October 4, 2016 causing widespread damage, flooding, and landslides. The storm destroyed both crops and food reserves, many homes and schools, even entire villages. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been impacted by this recent natural disaster. ME to We will be collecting $1 donation at our next dress down day to support this cause. If we reach our goal of $500.00 we will have a Spirit Day in December. To learn more and find out how you can help, visit: https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Pages/Humanitarian%20Aid%20for%20Haiti.aspx

SECONDARY SCHOOL APPLICATIONS: Secondary school applications are due no later than Monday, November 7th, 2016.

OUR LADY OF PEACE CHURCH:

OLP Church is having a Bingo and Potluck Dinner on Saturday, November 16 @ 6:00 p.m. Please contact Joan Grima at 647-278-9362 to RSVP.

Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES 2016 – 2017

Wards

1. Joseph Martino 5. Maria Rizzo 9. Jo-Ann Davis 2. Ann Andrachuk 6. Frank D’Amico-Vice Chair 10. Barbara Poplawski 3. Sal Piccininni 7. Michael Del Grande 11. Angela Kennedy-Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni 8. Garry Tanuan 12. Nancy Crawford, Karina Dubrovskaya, Student Trustee

Rhea Carlisle, Student Trustee

MATH TIPS FOR PARENTS Math in everyday life!

It is important to help children recognize that everyone uses math all the time. Here are tips to help your child have a positive attitude about mathematics:

Make learning math a positive experience. Don’t talk negatively about math to your child—it can lead to “math anxiety” (a proven cause of low achievement).

Schedule math homework at the same time in a quiet location every day. Be available during this period to talk with your child. Create a math homework toolkit with pencils, erasers, ruler, protractor, graph paper, counters (beads or beans) and a calculator.

When helping with homework, follow the method being taught. Don’t teach short cuts that could confuse your child. Do not say, “Let me show you my way – it’s simpler and faster.”

Be relaxed and positive. You are not expected to be an expert. You are there to encourage learning.

Ask your child’s teacher for strategies to use at home that reflect your child’s learning style. If your child asks for help and you do not know the answer, be honest and say, “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out together.” If you continue to be unsuccessful, you can also ask your child’s teacher for help. This gives your child permission to ask for help as well.

This edition of “Math Tips for Parents” was written by Lynda Colgan, Associate Professor and Director, Queen’s

Community Outreach Centre, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Congratulations to the following recipients for September Hospitality Virtue Medal and Peace Certificate.

TEACHER HOSPITALITY MEDAL

PEACE CERTIFICATE

Ms. R. Della Mora Ava M. Josh D.

Ms. S. Fisher Vanessa S. Marta D.

Mr. C. Walters Trista L. Marco M.

Ms. R. Pontes Julian L. Monika R.

Ms. A. Ryan Ethan C. Mia P.

Ms. S. Guido Mary S. Enzo S.

Ms. S. Ludlow Nicole G. Miguel A.

Mr. M. Perzia Layla C. Christopher G.

Mr. Vennare Gianna B. Eamonn M.

Ms. C. Laxton Esabella G. Nicolas D.

Mlle. E. Robinson Emily T. Orlando N.

Mlle. S. Morassutti Ella C. Zack D.

Mme. H. Fortino Lylah M. Caelan M.

Mme. S. Matteo Martina P. Miguel T.

Mme. B. Wysokinski Maya M. Gianluca C.

Mme. F. Cote Anna P. Ben B.

,Mme. I. Richard Ariana T. Kylie Q.

M. J. Prifti Sophia S. Railly T.

Mme. S. Correia Riya U. Mia D.

Mme. J. Giordano Claire H. Marcus R.

Mlle. M. Boragina Monica A. Declan M.

Mme. A. Mondano-Ventura Aurelio N Lily L.

Mme. K Micco Alexander D. Valeria P.

M. S. Alphons Jordin J. Xavier R.

Mme. T. Del Giudice Julia J. Keliane A.

Mme. S. Mirija Jasmin E. Juanjose P.

Mme. M Sliwa Veronica B. Robert R.

Mme. M. Mayer Niamh H. Lucas G.

Congratulations to the following recipients for October Gratitude Medal and Peace Certificate.

TEACHER GRATITUDE MEDAL

PEACE AWARD

Ms. R. Della Mora Isabella D. Yolanda Q.

Ms. S. Fisher Carmen P. Molly L.

Mr. C. Walters Laura S. Alexander S.

Ms. R. Pontes Kyla D. Mitchell S.

Ms. A. Ryan Gabriel M. David G.

Ms. S. Guido Teresa F. Vanessa I.

Ms. S. Ludlow Francesco C. Stella C.

Mr. M. Perzia Brianna M. Sophia I.

Mr. Vennare Agnes Z. Lucas W.

Ms. C. Laxton Daniel W. Max W.

Mlle. E. Robinson Chelsea D. Chance B.

Mlle. S. Morassutti Celina M. Lily B.

Mme. H. Fortino Eva S. Madelyn L.

Mme. S. Matteo Katherine M. Ethan H.

Mme. B. Wysokinski Cassandra R. Francisico O.

Mme. F. Cote Gwyneth S. Brayden B

,Mme. I. Richard Ezra O. Julia S.

M. J. Prifti Leila M. Alexandra B.

Mme. S. Correia Ibukun F Daniel A.

Mme. J. Giordano Thomas H. Biemnet M.

Mlle. M. Boragina Julian C. Matissen A.

Mme. A. Mondano-Ventura Emil A. Katelyn S.

Mme. K Micco Emmett S. Piper S.

Mme. T. Del Giudice Kiana S. Nathaniel C.

M. S. Alphons Milena L. Victoria T.

Mme. S. Mirija Vanessa M. Daniel J.

Mme. M Sliwa Jack R. Nicole Reeve

Mme. M. Mayer Erin D. Connor M.