A Lenten Prayer

Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race

Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man

And giving His life on the Cross. Help us to bear witness to You

By following His example of suffering And make us worthy to share in His Resurrection.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.

Amen.

Administrator’s Message

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s), February was an eventful month. The students engaged in many educational and fun filled events in and around the school. During the earlier part of the month the students participate in the St. Maruice Olympics. The students gathered in teams and participated in various events to commemorate the Winter Olympics. In addition to this, the students celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a traditional pancake breakfast followed by a liturgy for Ash Wednesday the following day which marked the beginning of the Lenten Season. This month. our Junior students travelled to St. Andre for the annual W5H tournament and represented the school well coming in second place. The intermediate boys and girls basketball teams also played a successful tournament coming in second overall. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and the parent volunteers for all their hard work and efforts.! Sincerely, Ms. Della Rossa

Administrative Team

Principal: Ms. L Manini- Della Rossa

Head Secretary:

Ms. E. Medeiros

Clerk Typist:

Ms. L. Kuchta

Superintendent:

Area 2

Ms. F. Cifelli

Trustee:

Mr. J. Martino

Parish

Transfiguration of our Lord

45 Ludstone Dr.

(416) 247-0513

Pastor:

Fr. George

CPIC ( Parent Engage-ment—TCDSB)

www.tcdsb.org/cpic

45 Kingsview Blvd. Toronto, Ontario M9R 1T7

Telephone: 416-393-5379

School Hours

Morning Bell: 8:30am

Am Recess: 10:12-10:27

Lunch: 11:15-12:15

PM Recess: 2:13-2:28pm

Dismissal: 3:30pm

After School Program

Our after school program continues to accept registra-tions. Please come to the office for more information or speak with the supervisor after school.

ST. MAURICE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

MISSION STATEMENT

In a school community formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions, our mission is to educate students to their full potential by provid-ing:

INTEGRATION of Catholic, Christian beliefs into the total learning experience;

LEADERSHIP in a shared responsibility for the education of all students, exists among the school, the student, the family, the parish and the community;

RELIGIOUS, ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, and TECHNICAL instruction;

INSTRUCTION in the Ontario Curriculum Expectations and the learning process;

ROLE MODELS of Gospel values and Catholic doctrines, teachings and beliefs;

FEEDBACK on the student’s proficiency and progress and;

GUIDANCE in what students need to learn.

March Virtue of the Month –Forgiveness

When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge — or embrace forgiveness and move forward. Forgiveness is letting go of grudges and bitterness. By embracing forgiveness, you can also embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy.

We can find forgiveness by:

Saying a prayer

Focusing on gratitude

Stay true to who you are

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

To support our faith development and Catholic Board Learning Cycle, we infuse our Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations in all aspects of Catholic Education from Kindergarten to Grade 12. As a school we work to support a deeper understanding of these expectations and of our witness to faith. To-gether, as a community we work to embed the seven expectations to support the Catholic Education of our students as they journey through our schools through to vocation.

A DISCERNING BELIEVER FORMED IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH COMMUNITY WHO: Illustrates a basic understanding of the saving story of our Christian faith. Participates in the sacramental life church and demonstrates an understanding of the centrality of the Eucharist to our Catholic story. Actively reflects on God's Word as communicated through the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good. Speaks the language of life…"recognizing that life is an unearned gift and that a person entrusted with life does not own it but that one is called to protect and cherish it." (Witnesses to Faith)

March Break

Please note that the March break will be from March 12-March 16, 2018 . There will be no school on these dates.

BAG2SCHOOL

St. Maurice will be beginning its Bag2School campaign on March 6th. Students are asked to bring in used clothing in boxes or bags by March 22, 2018. All donations will be sent oversees to support families in need. We thank you for you generosity.

Try It At Home

Learning to use standard units of time takes practice and experi-ence. When your child connects the passage of time to personal

events, he or she will begin to develop an understanding of meas-urement terms involving duration:

• Longer and shorter • Faster and slower • First and last •

Use cues to let your child know the passage of time (for exam-ple, “It took us only two minutes to tidy up your toys”). Tell your child the time in the context of daily activities (for exam-ple, “It will be 7 p.m. in ten minutes and time for your bath”).

With your child, use a clock to know how much time it takes to get to school, eat meals, get ready for bed or play a game.

• Involve your child in learning to organize personal and fami-ly events on a calendar. Have your child write on the calendar some favourite “away from home” activities (such as playing a sport, going to the library or visiting a friend) and what time the activity will take place (for example, soccer 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNumEn.pdf

Student Mental Health and Well-Being

During Lent we are encouraged to engage in almsgiving, fasting and prayer. Our fo-cus this month is on prayer and it’s many benefits.

God is a source of comfort, strength and love for us. Through prayer we enter into a deeper relationship with God and gain a sense of attachment to Him. Many studies have shown that individuals who pray to a loving and protective God with whom they have a meaningful relationship are less likely to experience anxiety and stress. Prayer offers emotional comfort and re-duces stress by:

Offering a sense of comfort and hope. When you’re faced with life challenges, prayer offers a sense of comfort. Knowing that God listens to your prayers and that you don’t have to bear your burden alone offers a sense of hope. When you feel hopeful you gain strength and are encouraged to carry on.

Creating a positive frame of mind. By giving thanks and expressing gratitude when praying it creates a positive frame of mind. When you purposefully engage in “thankful prayer” it reminds you of the many blessings you have, and as a result helps to decrease feelings of sad-ness.

Stress Relief. Researchers have found that when focusing on other people through prayer it contrib-utes to a “stress-buffering effect”. Reflecting on the welfare of others can reduce your own stress - it is in giving to others that we receive.

Increases feelings of unity and trust. Praying together with a friend, your class, or as a commu-nity is an experience that brings people closer together. Prayer can help build relationships and feel-ings of social connectedness.

CSPC

Our next CSPC meeting will be on March 22 , 2018 at 6:30. We look forward to seeing you then!

Chocolate Almond Fundraiser

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone

for their participation in the chocolate Almond fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support school

initiatives. We would also like to thank the staff and CSPC for their hard work and efforts !

TCDSB Celebrates the Year of the School in 2017-2018

Seven (7) Professional Activity (PA) Days for ELEMENTARY schools:

October 5, 2018 Provincial Education Priorities/Faith Development November 16, 2018 Parent-Teacher Conferences December 7, 2018 Provincial Education Priorities January 18, 2019 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting February 15, 2019 Parent-Teacher Conferences June 7, 2019 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting June 28, 2019 Provincial Education Priorities

*Seven (7) Professional Activity (PA) Days for SECONDARY schools: October 5, 2018 November 16, 2018 December 7, 2018 February 15, 2019 June 26, 27, 28, 2019

- Three PA days devoted to Provincial Education Priorities and supporting Article 19 of the Collective Agree-ment. - One PA day devoted to Faith Development. - One PA day devoted to numeracy across the curriculum. - The remaining two PA days will be devoted to system priorities, annual learning plans and local goals articu-lated in the School Learning Improvement Plans. * Secondary schools, in consultation with their Local School Staffing Advisory Committee, may schedule a Professional Activity Day to align with the day following one of the Parent-Teacher Interview nights.

TCDSB SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR 2018-2019 APPROVED

Number of school days 194 Number of Professional Activity Days 7 Labour Day September 3, 2018 First Instructional Day September 4, 2018 Thanksgiving Day October 8, 2018 Christmas Break December 24, 2018–January 4, 2019 Start of second semester for secondary schools February 4, 2019 Family Day February 18, 2019 Mid-Winter Break March 11–15, 2019 Good Friday April 19, 2019 Easter Monday April 22, 2019 Victoria Day May 20, 2019 Last day of classes for elementary students June 27, 2019

Monthly Update from the Board