Stephen Dempsey Principal Heather Hickey Vice Principal S. Curcic Secretary L. Gallo Clerk/typist J. Wujek Superintendent of Education 416 222-8282 Barbara Poplawski TCDSB Trustee Ward 10 416 512-4301 St. James Church Fr. Ignacio Pineda 416 767-6451

James Culnan Website:

www.jamesculnan.tcdsb.org

J A M E S C U L N A N

C A T H O L I C

S C H O O L P A R E N T

C O U N C I L

O U R N E X T

M E E T I N G W I L L

B E O N

W E D N E S D A Y ,

A P R I L 4 T H A T

7 : 0 0 P M

A L L A R E

W E L C O M E T O

A T T E N D !

J A M E S C U L N A N C A T H O L I C S C H O O L

605 WILLARD AVENUE

416 393 5325

April 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Spring has finally arrived! At long last, we welcome longer days, warmer temperatures, and a greening landscape. With the season’s sense of newness and rebirth, and with Easter upon us, we are reminded that God’s love is stronger than death itself, and that hope blooms in the hearts of all. How appropriate that our Virtue of the Month for April is Justice, as Jesus gave his life for the sake of the unjust. But justice is also an im-portant part of Catholic teaching beyond Christ’s death and resurrec-tion. The need to be just comes from the obligation to respect the digni-ty of every human person. This dignity comes from being created in God’s image. Failing to respect human dignity, including failing to do justice, is a failure to respect the image of God in others. So many initiatives and activities have taken place at James Culnan this year which bring to life the theme of justice. As in this month’s quote, “Let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.” (Amos 5:24), we will continue to demonstrate our gospel values in both word and action. With much planned in the final few months of school, I wish to thank the many staff members, students, and parents, who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to putting our faith into action. I look forward to a continued collaboration as we work to ensure that James Culnan remains a leader in the academic, social, and spiritual development of our students. Regards, Stephen Dempsey Heather Hickey Principal Vice Principal

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

Le Concours D’art Oratoire 2018

On March 7, six candidates from Mme Allen’s grade 5 French Immersion class participated in the French Speech Contest. Each student in the class worked very hard to write, memorize and present a French Speech. The six students that were selected to represent their class, presented their speeches in the Cafetorium in front of students from grades 3 to 8, judges and

parents. A big ‘Merci’ is extended to the 3 teachers who served as judges for the school competition! We congratulate each student for their excellent com-mitment to speaking in French. The three winners are: 3rd place Kendra B., in 2nd place Alexandria P., and in 1st place Brianna B.! Felicitations! March 21, 2018 - At the TCDSB Concours D’art Oratoire, Brianna B. repre-sented James Culnan Catholic School in the grade 5 French Immersion catego-ry. After presenting in front of other students from different schools and a judging panel, she placed First overall! A week later, she competed on March 28 in the Regional competition and placed 2nd in the board overall. We are proud the way she represented James Culnan! Excellent travail!

Junior W5H Success!

On Wednesday February 21st the junior w5h team placed 1st in their divisional tournament to advance to the Regional round. The Regional tournament was held on Thursday March 1st at James Culnan. The team played a fantastic and nail biting tournament, ending in a three way tie for first place against OLPH and St. Michael’s Choir school. After tie breaking point differential was applied James Culnan finished 3rd. Overall they placed 3rd out of 32 schools that competed in the south region. We are extremely proud of their efforts and dedication to the game. They showed respect toward the other competitors and were not afraid to show their enthusiasm when they won games. Congratulations to the team members Lucas C. Frank D. Luis G. Alina V. Kasia P. Hunter D. Jack W. and Annabel I. Thank you to our coaches Ms. Ciccarelli, Mme McQuade, Ms. Galati and Mme Bolduc for all the time they put into practicing with us.

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION REMEMBRANCE DAY POSTER AND LITERARY CONTEST

Annually in November, the Maple Leaf/Swansea Legion (Branch #266/46) invites students from schools in its district to submit posters and essays which focus on the goal of fostering the tradition of Remembrance. Once again, students from James Culnan performed exceptionally well in this con-test. Congratulations to the following students:

Intermediate Student Category (Black and White Poster Contest): Juliana P. - 1st - Black and White Poster Mia V. - 2nd - Black and White Poster Serenity B. - 3rd - Black and White Poster

Intermediate Student Category (Colour Poster Contest): Mia V. - 1st – Intermediate Colour Poster Sophia C. - 2nd - Intermediate Colour Poster Junior Student Category (Black and White Poster Con-test): Lucas C. - 1st - Black and White Poster

Junior Student Category (Colour Poster Contest): Alexander C. - 1st - Junior Colour Poster George H. - 3rd - Junior Colour Poster

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

News from Parent Council

@JamesCulnanCSPC www.facebook.com/jamesculnanCSPC/

The school year is flying by but we still have many exciting Parent Council social initiatives planned until the end of the school year. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Safe, Happy and Holy Easter! Carnival Volunteers Thank-you! Parent Council was asked to call upon our amazing ‘Parent Power’ to help the school run another success-ful Carnival this year. We'd like to thank the following parents who were able to volunteer their time. Eliza-beth Jackson-Hall, Katherine Olejarz, Ana Ledo, Catherine Oliver, Nidea Perez, Romina de los Santos, Shannon Warehame-Brown, Anita Choi, Sandra Hunter, Patricia Mero, Romana Vlasic and Alicia Flaherty We need your participation! Parent Council is trying to determine if there is sufficient interest and support for a Spring Dance in conjunc-tion with our Annual Potluck on May 25th. We would appreciate if you could please fill out the ‘Spring Dance Questionnaire’ that you received and return it to your child’s teacher. Thank you to all you who have responded to the Spring Dance Questionnaire, your comments are much appreciated! We are still accepting the forms until April 4th and look forward to sharing more information about the responses at the next Parent Council meeting on April 4th. QSP Fundraising Launch! Last year’s QSP Fundraising efforts have supported our school mainly in technology and other areas. The QSP fundraising packets went home this week and the campaign will run from March 28th to April 10th. Instructions are included in the packet. Pick up will be on Thursday, May 10th, stay tuned as more detailed information will be available closer to this date. This again is an optional fundraiser; we thank you in ad-vance for your support and hope everyone participates to help raise funds for our school initiatives. Get Your Pub Night Tickets! Join us for a parents' night out April 27th at the Lambton House. Doors open at 7pm to Midnight. Mingle with fellow James Culnan parents over a drink or two, grab a bite and have some fun! So be sure to get your ticket before it sells out! Stay tuned as more information will be available in the upcoming weeks about how Tickets can be purchased. Save the Date! April 27th - Parent Pub Night at Lambton House May 25th - Annual Potluck / (Spring Dance TBD) June 14th – James Culnan Fun Fair Volunteering Opportunities It is not too late to get involved. We, the Parent Council promise to be respectful of your time, even dedicat-ing 1 hour to any event per family would be greatly appreciated. We need ‘Parent Power’ and have many different areas of need, and I am sure you have talents that we can use! Please contact our CSPC Chairs: Alicia Flaherty lishlue@gmail.com or Neena Scott neenascott@rogers.com for volunteering opportunities. Our Parent Council continues to be successful because of your efforts. Thank you! Please join us for our next Parent Council Meeting on April 4th at 7pm in the School Library!

J a mes C ul n an C at h ol i c S c h o o l

Turn Off Your Idling Engine!! When picking up/dropping off your child(ren), please be sure to turn your vehicle off. It’s a simple way to help keep our air clean...and it’s the law: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2010/law0775.pdf

Dress-Down Day: Wednesday, April 18th

$2.00 Donation Requested (to help pay for the AED)

Recycle Your Batteries at James Culnan

A reminder that a box has been placed in the school foyer, in which you can deposit used household batteries.

April Message from Trustee Poplawski

Easter Blessings! As we celebrate Easter and greet the coming of spring, we are provided with a much-needed opportunity to recharge spiritually and refocus on the important as-pects of our lives. The Board of Trustees has begun the budget setting process for the 2018-2019 school year. As always, I encourage parents and CSPCs to review the budget documents and let me know what your priorities are. For more information please visit, https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/BudgetandFinance.

Looking forward to seeing you at the TCDSB/OAPCE Annual Parent Reaching Out (PRO) Grant event April 30th 6pm-9pm at the CEC. https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/OAPCE-Toronto

Sincerely, Barbara Poplawski

Trustee Ward 11 Chair of the Board