From the Principal’s Desk:

February was filled with many fun and exciting learning opportunities for our students, staff and parents,

which continue to foster and build a Catholic learning community at St. Cecilia. Carnival at St. Cecilia

ran from February 13th to February 17th. Students, staff, and parents immersed themselves in the spirit

of the week and enjoyed activities such as carnival bingo, crafts day, theme dress up days, and a dance. A

heartfelt thank you is extended to our Catholic School Council for their support and to Mr. Marino,

Mr. Marino, and Christian for offering their DJ services to the school. Many thanks to our organizing

committee: Monsieur Nastro, Madame Scarano, Madame Braccia, Madame Iannello, Madame Jakovina,

Signora Sinicropi, Signora Leonardelli, and Signora Tucciarone for all their hard work in organizing a

very successful and fun-filled week!

On February 24th, our Catholic School Council hosted its first of two Family Bingo evenings. It was

great to see families, staff, and special dignitaries come together to enjoy in the game of Bingo, dinner,

and great memories. We look forward to seeing you at our next Bingo Event on Friday, March 3rd.

Thank you to our countless Bingo Committee volunteers and our Bingo Committee Chairs Ms. DiMarco,

Ms. Mallia, Ms. Rimoli, and Ms. Rotolo for making this community building event such a success.

On February 28th, all our students and staff enjoyed pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Thank you to our

Catholic School Council for their financial assistance and a very special thank you to Ms. Bianchi and

Ms. McDonald who organized this event. Thank you to all the volunteers who cooked over two

thousand pancakes for our students and staff. A special thank you to Sunset Grill on Major Mackenzie/

Dufferin St. for its generous donation of the pancake mix and syrup. A heartfelt thank you to our special

guest servers: Fr. Peter Choi, Councillor Sandra Yeung-Racco, Director Patricia Preston, Trustee Cathy

Ferlisi, Superintendent Mary Battista, the City of Vaughan Fire Chief, Larry Bentley, and Fire Prevention

Inspector Andre Clafton in addition to the several other fire fighters and dozens of parent volunteers who

helped to make the event such a success.

Ash Wednesday, on March 1st, will mark the beginning of our Lenten Season. Lent is a special season

of the liturgical year, where we focus upon the love Jesus has for each of us. The season of Lent runs

from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. Our Lenten

journey must begin as an effort to be more authentic as sons and daughters of God. Our Lord’s fast of

forty days in the desert is a period of preparation for the celebration of the greatest of all celebrations, the

Solemn Feast of Easter.

The staff of St. Cecilia wish you all a safe and enjoyable March Break, and a Happy St. Patrick’s Day on

March 17th.

Yours in Catholic Education,

Mr. F. Nardo Ms. T. Mancini

Principal Vice Principal

Looking Ahead

April 3 Council - 7 pm

April 3-7 Share Life Week

April 7 Civvies Day

Extended Recess

April 10 Mental Health

Symposium

April 14 Good Friday

April 16 Easter Sunday

April 17 Easter Monday

April 19 Boy’s Soccer

Love of Dance

Showcase

April 21 Civvies Day

April 25 School Oral

Communication

April 27 Girl’s Soccer

April 28 Vision Day

300 PETER RUPERT AVE.

MAPLE, ONTARIO, L6A 4P3

PHONE: (289) 304-0725 FAX: (289) 304-0728

http://sca.ycdsb.ca

In the month of March we celebrate the virtue of Perseverance.

I will stick to the goals I have set for myself.

I will always believe in myself and have faith in what I can accomplish.

OUR VISION STATEMENT

Our students will become creative and critical thinkers who integrate Catholic values into

their daily lives, as socially responsible global citizens.

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face and rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen.

Trustee

Ms. C. Ferlisi

416 - 565-7087

Email:

cathy.ferlisi@ycdsb.ca

Superintendent

Ms. M. Battista

416 - 221- 5050

Pastor

Fr. Peter Jae Choi

289-553-1610

www.standrebessette.ca

Principal

Mr. F. Nardo

Vice Principal Ms. T. Mancini

Secretaries

Ms. M. Iantorno

Ms. L. Masucci

CSC Chairs

Ms. P. Rimoli (Chair)

Mr. A. Grace (Vice Chair)

TRUSTEE CORNER

As we continue our journey with Christ

during this holy Lenten season for Easter,

let us remember to set aside time to pray

and reflect on Christ’s Passion and

greatest gift to us, His Resurrection.

Wishing you and your family a safe and

fun-filled March break. May the “Luck of the Irish” be

with you on St. Patrick’s Day.

A gentle reminder to all parents:

The Homemade Literacy and Numeracy Workshop

taking place on Wednesday, March 8 from 6:30 – 8:30

pm at St. Cecilia CES is open to all parents/guardians of

children aged 3-6 years of age – regardless of which

school you attend. If you missed the opportunity to

enroll, please feel free to drop in.

As always, you may reach me at 416-565- 7087 or at

cathy.ferlisi@ycdsb.ca. Feel free to visit my board

website at: www.trustee.ycdsb.ca/ferlisi. Find me on

Facebook @ www.facebook.com/trusteeferlisi and

follow me on Twitter @TrusteeFerlisi.

SACRAMENTS

Our Grade 2 students will be receiving the Sacrament of

First Holy Communion on:

Saturday, May 6th, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.

(Ms. D’Arpino, Ms. Geer)

&

Sunday, May 17th, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.

(Ms. D’Aoust & Ms. Tassone)

Our Grade 7 students will be receiving the Sacrament of

Confirmation on:

Thursday, May 4, 2017

(All Grade 7s)

First Holy Communion and Confirmation will be cele-

brated at:

St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church

191 Wade Gate, Thornhill, Ontario

LITURGICAL CELEBRATION

Please join us for our

Ash Wednesday Mass on

Wednesday, March 1st

at 10:45 AM in the gym.

We thank Fr. Peter for

his spiritual guidance

and leadership. As

always, parents and

guardians are welcome

and encouraged to

attend.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONTINUED

Black History month was truly powerful at SCA. Student

artwork, projects, poetry, and daily reflections sent a very

powerful message to the student body and SCA community

as a whole, on the significant contributions that those of

African ancestry have made throughout history and continue

to make. As a follow up, we also look forward to welcom-

ing Mr. Baba Williams and his Drums Et Al presentation

and workshop on March 24th.

ORAL COMMUNICATION COMPETITION

Preparation for this year's Oral Communication competition

is well under way! Students are beginning to choose their

speech topics and we are looking forward to yet another

successful event this year at St. Cecilia School. Two

students from each class will be selected to represent the

Junior and Intermediate divisions. These students will

present their speeches before their divisional peers on

Tuesday, April 25th. The Intermediate students will

present from 9:15 - 10:20 AM in the school gym while the

Junior students will present from 10:45 -12:00. Parents are

welcome to attend. One student will be selected from each

division and will move forward to the Area 4 Finals on

Tuesday, May 4th at Holy Jubilee CS. Best of luck to all

students! Thank you to Ms. Magro and Ms. Lizano for

coordinating this competition.

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

We would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the

Girls' Basketball Team for their outstanding teamwork and

work ethic thus far. Although many girls were new to the

sport, with the spirit and determination, they have made

great strides in their development as individual players and

as a team. We wish the girls the very best as they compete

in their Divisional Tournament on March 3rd at St. David

CES. It has been a great season for Isabella T., Julia H.,

Cristina B., Lisa K., Serena S., Julia H., Ezra M., Alexandra

L., Selena T., and Mikayla D.. A special thank you goes to

Ms. Di Palma and Mr. Agostino for their dedication and

leadership in coaching the girls this season! Go Crusaders

Go!

INTERMEDIATE BOYS’ BASKETBALL:

On March 2nd, the Intermediate Boys’

Basketball team will host the divisional

tournament in our very own school gymnasium.

The team has shown great determination and skill in all of

the team practices and scrimmages and eagerly await the big

tournament. We are very proud of our team which consists

of Nikita F., Christian S., Jacob B., David B., Julian C., Anthony

L., Christian M., Charles O., Adamo R., Razmik P., and Vincent I. A special thank you goes to Mr. Takaoka, Mr. Spatari, and

Mr. D’Agostini for their dedication and leadership in

coaching the boys this season! Go Crusaders Go!

GIRL’S GROUP NEWS

St. Cecilia's Girl's Group has worked hard to take a stand against bullying. Their most recent

initiative has been to participate in the Vaughan Mills Pink Shirt Day Contest. The girls were

asked to decorate a PINK shirt to show their commitment to stand up against bullying. The shirt

was decorated with an inspirational message that would make others aware of bullying and the

importance of ensuring it comes to an end. Our wonderful team of students and staff have decided

to add their own flare to the contest and show the community that being yourself and kind to

others, never goes out of style. We commend them for making a difference in our world!

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM

On April 10th, St. Cecilia is proud to participate in the 2nd Annual Mental Health Symposium, called

“A Healthy Mind Means a Healthy Life.” The symposium will promote mental health and well-being in

students. The symposium aims to raise awareness about mental health, increase mental health literacy, and

promote healthy coping and resiliency skills in students.

MARCH BREAK

March Break begins on Monday, March 13th, and continues through to Friday, March 17th.

Students return to school on Monday, March 20th. We wish you an enjoyable time with family and

friends and a safe and restful March break.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS

On Thursday, March 9th, at 2:30 pm, St. Cecilia will be participating in the Great Big Crunch. This year on March 9th,

marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Big Crunch, where everyone gets together and bites into a crunchy fruit or

vegetable to celebrate and enjoy healthy snacking! Since 2008, over 900,000 people have joined the Great Big Crunch

for an annual moment of anti-silence and loud crunchiness. This is yet another initiative on behalf of our Healthy

School Committee. We commend our student leaders who strive to promote healthy eating and active living on a daily

basis. It is crucial that students understand the value and importance of eating healthy and living an active lifestyle.

FAMILY FITNESS EVENING

In an attempt to promote active living and

mindfulness, St. Cecilia’s Healthy School’s Club

is proud to present Family Fitness Night on

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 at 6:30 p.m..

Staff, students, parents, extended family

members, and community leaders will take a

journey together around the world to explore and

engage in a variety of trending dances, led by the

talented group from X Movement - X Dance.

The goal is to have students, and the community

as a whole, embrace physical activity; bolster

self-esteem; and experience success on a

completely different ‘stage’. All are invited to

attend. So please mark your calendars and we

look forward to seeing you on the dance floor.

Also, permission forms will be coming home in

order to have your child participate in the 2-3

school day in-school dance component. Once

again, there is no expense associated with this

opportunity. We thank you for supporting yet

another Healthy School venture.

GENEROUS COMMUNITY DONORS

Every year, St. Cecilia’s Annual Bingo Event helps to raise community engagement and excitement levels.

Generous donors and community partners help to make this event a tremendous success. This year, we

would like to thank the following community partners for contributing to the excitement of the event and for helping us

to build community: Sunline Roofing, HVAC Air Systems, Glama Gals, Chateau Le Jardin Event Venue, Once Upon a

Cake by Michelle Gemmell, Lady Creations, Pretty Things By Melissa, Sparks Premium Grill, Totera, Antonino’s, Mr.

Sub, Vince’s No Frills, Via Panini, Panetta Cleaners, Cob’s Bread, Porto Family (Skyzone), Astoria, New Roots Herbal,

and Trustee Cathy Ferlisi. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017

St. Cecilia CES (Gymnasium)

6:30 PM

A St. Cecilia Healthy School Committee Initiative