NOVEMBER 2018

Principal: Mr. M. Starr Secretary: Mrs. E. De Brum

Vice-Principals: Mrs. J. Foster and Mr. J. Shannon

Office Assistant: Mrs. S. Gubert

Trustee: Diane Rabenda

Special Education: Mr. G. Santarelli and Mrs. T. Mclaughlin

SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM - A REMINDER TO PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR CHILD’S ABSENCE (289) 851-9329 Messages will be retrieved between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by office staff. Provincial protocols require that schools exhaust all emergency contacts prior to calling the police in the event of a missing child. Please ensure that you notify the school if your child will be absent and that your contact information is correct.

School Website: https://elem.hcdsb.org/queenofheaven/ Follow us on Twitter @QHMilton

ADMINISTRATOR’S MESSAGE

Queen of Heaven Catholic School continues to be very busy and exciting with a number of initiatives

underway and students and staff engaged in the process of learning. November will be filled with

numerous activities and learning opportunities and will also provide times for reflection and gratitude as

we celebrate Remembrance Day. As always, parents are invited to join us for our special celebrations /

liturgies. We will also be recognizing Bullying Awareness Week (Nov. 19 – 23) with a variety of

activities and discussions that will raise awareness and examine the effects of bullying in our school and

society. All of our students will have participated in age appropriate presentations about this important

issue.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the parental and pastoral support of

our school community. Thank you to the number of parents who have volunteered to be supervisors on

class trips, joined us for liturgical celebrations, participated in activities such as milk days, fundraising,

Catholic School Council etc. and to the parish staff who support us spiritually. It is truly a blessing to

witness and be a part of the partnership that exists between school, home and parish.

Later this month, parents will also have the opportunity to discuss the academic and social progress of

their children. Progress Reports for students in Grades K to 8 will be sent home on Tuesday, November

20th and Parent-Teacher interviews for all students including (Kindergarten) will be held on the

afternoon/evening of Thursday, November 22nd and the morning/afternoon on Friday, November 23rd.

We look forward to discussing your child’s progress with you.

Yours in Catholic Education,

Mr. Starr Mrs. Foster Mr. Shannon

Principal Vice-Principal Vice-Principal

REMEMBRANCE DAY LITURGY:

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – this is Remembrance Day. The community of Queen of

Heaven Catholic School will take time to remember the sacrifice made by the thousands of Canadians

who served our country in the pursuit of peace. Parents are invited to join us on Friday, November 9th at

10:45 a.m. in the gym for our Remembrance Day prayer liturgy.

In Flanders Fields Lt. Col. John McCrae

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

PROGRESS REPORT CARDS & PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS (Gr. K – 8):

Term One Progress Report Cards for students in Grades K to 8 will be sent home with your child on

Tuesday, November 20th and Parent-Teacher interviews are scheduled for the evening of Thursday,

November 22nd and during the day on Friday, November 23rd.

Similar to last year, the scheduling of Parent-Teacher interviews will be done online through the

parentinterview.com site. All parents/guardians will be provided with an access code and instructions to

go to the site between November 5-16 to request your preferred interview time with your child’s teacher.

For students in grade 7 and 8, we request that parents do not schedule interviews with rotary teachers,

only with homeroom teacher and French teacher (if desired). More information will be forthcoming in an

email from the school.

Assessment, evaluation and reporting are intended to lead toward student improvement and increased

student learning. The Progress Report provides an opportunity for early feedback that is clear, specific,

meaningful and timely. It does not, however, contain levels of achievement or grades (these will be

provided on the Term 1 and 2 Report Cards in February and June).

When preparing for your interview, you are encouraged to:

- Review the progress report for improvement statements

- Speak with your child about their successes and areas for improvement

- Bring the student agenda with you to the interview

- Take note of homework and review routines in your home

CHRISTMAS WISH INITIATIVE

We are excited to be able to support a number of wonderful charities throughout our School community

this Christmas season. Beginning November 20th, a Christmas Wish tree will be setup in the foyer of our

school. We invite any families that would like to help out, to select a child from the tree that they will

support this Christmas. In addition, with the support of Catholic School Council, we have developed a

“helping hands” fund at Queen of Heaven, whereby we will fundraise to support the many needs we have

within our own school, such as nutrition, clothing, financial support for families that are struggling, etc.

Similar to last year, we will also look to support the “Toys for Tots” charity through the Halton Police as

well.

SCHOOL ABSENCE SYSTEM

We are pleased to announce that beginning Monday, November 5, 2018, our school will be moving to a

new automated student attendance management system called SafeArrival, offered through

SchoolMessenger®, the company that hosts our parent notification system.

Once implemented, the SafeArrival system will be available 24/7, allowing you to report your child’s

absence in one of three ways:

1. using the SchoolMessenger® mobile app – Download it at the App Store!

2. by logging into the SchoolMessenger® web site: https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/home

3. by calling into an interactive toll-free phone line 1-844-445-4505

The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority, and SafeArrival will enhance our existing

student attendance procedure by making it more convenient for parents to report a child’s absence, and

more efficient for our school office staff to follow up sooner on unexplained absences.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING:

The next Catholic School Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November

29, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library. Parents are always welcome to join us!

TERRY FOX RUN RESULTS:

October 4th was a beautiful day for our school to take part in the Terry Fox School

walk. All of our students and staff participated and we would like to thank the

number of families that generously donated money towards the Terry Fox. Thank

you to Mrs. McGeragle and staff for helping to organize this day of learning,

support and fundraising, towards a tremendously worthy cause.

DANCE-A-THON SUCCESS!!!

We wish to thank our Fundraising Committee for their leadership in our Halloween Dance-a-thon. Thank

you also to the number of parents who came to dance with us!!! Your support of our school is deeply

appreciated. The funds raised by the Dance-a-thon will allow us to provide a number of extra supports to

supplement student programs, resources and activities for our students. Thank you to all families for your

efforts in assisting us with our major fundraiser this year! We will provide regular updates in future

newsletters to show how your fundraising dollars are being spent.

We will publish the names of the Pizza Party winning classes and prize winners in the December

newsletter.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM ON A FANTASTIC 2018 SEASON!!!:

Thank you to all team members for showing excellent determination, commitment,

and sportsmanship at their daily practices over the month of September and

competing at the Halton Catholic District School Board Cross Country Meet on

October 16th at Kelso Park. The team achieved incredible results, showed outstanding

team spirit and were excellent ambassadors for our school as they competed. Your

coaches, Mrs. Kerr, Miss Eskandar, Ms. Romano, Miss Munsters, Mrs. Daly and Mr.

Edwards are very proud of the way you represented your school.

Once again, an extra special thank-you is extended to all of our teachers at the school and our parent

community for your continued dedication and support for our Queen of Heaven School Team.

FAMILY MATH CHALLENGE:

Queen of Heaven Catholic School is beginning a Family Math Challenge. Each

month, we will be sending home a fun Math Challenge to all families. Tasks

will be differentiated with one for each division: Kindergarten, Primary

(Grade 1-3), Junior (Grade 4-6) and Intermediate (Grade 7-8). Instructions

on how to access the Math Challenge will be sent out at the start of each

month. All completed challenges that are submitted back to school before the end of

the month will be entered into a draw to win a fun prize. It is our hope, that students and family will

work together on these challenges and students will show parents the strategies they are working on at

school to solve problems. We look forward to having you participate in a variety of activities with your

children and learning some of the same strategies that your child is learning and working with each day.

Some websites that you may also find helpful:

http://math.com/students/practice.html https://prodigygame.com

https://ca.ixl.com/math/ http://www.mathplayground.com

http://www.kathimitchell.com/math.htm http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm

http://cemc2.math.uwaterloo.ca/mathfrog/ https://www.mathabc.com

http://www.learn-with-math-games.com http://nrich.maths.org/frontpage

VOLLEYBALL UPDATE:

Our Boys and Girls teams have been playing in interschool league play and have

participated in the Catholic Cup over the past month. We are very proud of their work

ethic, how well they are demonstrating sportsmanship and how they are representing

themselves and Queen of Heaven Catholic School. Good luck to both teams as playoffs

are coming soon!!!! A BIG thanks to our coaches: Mr. Santarelli, Mr. Edwards, Mrs.

Townsend, Miss Menjak and Miss Petrina.

During the week of November 19th to 23rd, we will recognize Canada’s National Bullying Awareness

Week.

The Halton Catholic District School Board is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive

environment for all students and staff, and recognizes that all people are created equal, in the image of

God, each with unique characteristics deserving of dignity.

In our school, we strive to create and maintain a positive school climate where students feel safe and

included and where they are free from bullying and intimidation. As such, we welcome the directive of

the Ontario Ministry of Education, as part of the Accepting Schools Act, to designate November 19 – 23,

2018 as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. The goal of the week is to promote safe schools and

a positive learning environment.

During this week, Ontario students, school staff and parents are encouraged to learn more about bullying

and its effect on student learning and well-being, to focus on creating a safe and inclusive school

community, and to establish a positive school climate. Queen of Heaven Catholic School will be hosting

NED show who will be making presentations to our Kindergarten, Primary and Junior students on

November 30th.

Everyone has the right to be respected and the responsibility to respect others.

ECO TEAM NEWS: WASTE FREE LUNCHES:

To help minimize the amount of waste produced at our school, please make an effort to pack a Waste Free

Lunch for your child. To be “Waste Free” consider using the following:

- Reusable Lunch Bag

- Reusable Containers

- Thermoses

- Reusable Cutlery

- Reusable Napkins

COLD & FLU:

Now that the cold weather is approaching, so too are children’s illnesses. Please use

your discretion in keeping your child at home to recover. A child who is coughing,

sneezing or who has a fever etc. is not in a fit state to learn and can infect other children.

Please remember that if your child is well enough to attend school, they are well enough

to go outside for recess. It is impossible for supervision and safety to have some students

inside and the others outside. Please keep an eye on our child’s health because children

who are not feeling well have a hard time struggling through the day.

HEAD LICE:

With the colder temperatures quickly approaching, we tend to see an increase in incidents of head lice at

school. Head lice is not a disease and anyone can get them. Head lice are particularly attracted to clean

hair. To help keep head lice out of the classroom. Please:

• Teach your child to brush or comb their hair vigorously every night. This destroys the head lice

and prevents breeding.

• Check your child’s hair. Frequent checks will help you to find lice early before they have a

chance to spread to others.

• Please remind your child not to share hats, combs, hairbrushes etc.

Information can be found at: http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=70872#q5

If you find head lice, please:

1. Keep your child at home and notify the school so that we can take appropriate action.

2. Get the appropriate shampoo from the pharmacist and treat your child.

3. Pick all nits and lice out of the child’s hair.

4. Have your child checked by We Care Nursing (1-855-507-6562) or medical practitioner to

determine if they are egg and nit free and can be readmitted to school. Students will not be

readmitted to school without written documentation from a medical practitioner or We

Care indicating they are lice-free.

Together, these efforts will help prevent the spread of head lice in the school and in the community. For

more information, visit the Halton Region of Health website, or call 905-878-8113 ext. 5423.

LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES:

Products that contain or ‘may contain’ peanuts and tree nuts are not to be brought onto school site.

McDonalds cannot guarantee nut-free products and therefore should not be sent to school as it presents a life-

threatening risk to some students.

Our school’s anaphylaxis plan conforms to Sabrina’s Law and Halton Catholic DSB Anaphylaxis Policy.

The plan is designed to ensure that students at risk are identified, strategies are in place to

minimize the potential for accidental exposure and staff and key volunteers are trained to

respond in an emergency situation.

To provide the minimized allergen environment required by the legislation, we need the support

and cooperation of you, the parents/guardians and the school community. Students are asked to bring

lunches and snacks free of peanuts and tree nuts and products that may contain peanuts/ tree nuts

such as donuts, granola bars, etc. We ask you to read food labels, checking of peanut/nut

ingredients prior to sending them to school. If your child eats peanut butter at home before school,

please ensure his/her hands are washed thoroughly before attending school. Truly, this is a life saving

measure.

Look- a- Like Products to Peanut Butter:

The Board is requesting that parents do not send their children to school with look-a-like products to

peanut butter. The look-a-like products claim to be so close to peanuts in smell, taste and texture that you

won’t believe it’s not peanut butter. As a result it is difficult for teachers and children to differentiate

between these products and peanut butter. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the look-a-like

products at home and preventing the chance of a mix up between the two products – where the results

could be life threatening.

If you have caregivers who provides your child(ren) with lunches or snacks we encourage you to share this

information with them.

We realize this request may require added planning and effort on your part when packaging your child’s lunch

and snacks, however, we wish to express our sincere appreciation for your support and cooperation.

PLAYGROUND AND PARKING SAFETY:

Thank you for respecting our yard boundaries and ensuring that only “vested staff” are in the school yard

with our students.

We appreciate your help in promoting safety procedures with regard to the flow of traffic and pedestrians

in the parking lots and Kiss ‘N Ride lanes. Please remember that if you need to stop in the morning,

please use a parking space in the parking lot. Thank you for respecting the BUS ONLY LANE at the front

of the school. Cars are never permitted in the bus lane – this is also an Emergency Vehicles lane in the

case of an emergency.

Please remember that yard supervision by school staff begins at 8:20 a.m. Students

should not be arriving and entering the school yard areas prior to 8:20 a.m. as they are

not supervised. Please note that the YMCA staff may have their students into the yard

for outdoor play prior to 8:20 a.m. – they are not able to supervise non-YMCA

students.

If it is raining in the morning, bus students will be directed to the gym through the front doors as they

arrive, walking / driven students will be directed to the gym starting at 8:20 a.m. At recess, students are

encouraged to participate in active play. Students are reminded to play with soft “Nerf” type equipment

at recess.

SCHOOL VISITORS:

All school visitors must report their presence and business to the office staff. This routine is essential for

student safety, plant security and efficient operation of emergency evacuation procedures. We must know

who is in the building at all times in order to provide the safest possible environment for your children.

Parents are asked to refrain from going directly to the classroom to deliver a lunch or to pick up your

child for an appointment. Children will be called to the office to meet you. If you need to pick up your

child for any reason while school is still in progress, please report to the office. Lunches delivered to the

school will be held in the main office and labelled with the child’s name; they will be picked up at lunch

time.

Please note that we try as much as possible not to interrupt the instruction and learning that is taking place

in our classrooms. This is valuable learning time for all our students. Requests to have messages

delivered to a child or other sources of interruptions will be done at non-instructional time.

If there is any deviation from your child’s regular dismissal routine, we request a signed note be given to

the teacher. Please advise the classroom teacher / school office in writing if another adult will be picking

up your child, also informing this alternate that verification of identity may be requested.

If you arrive late, please bring your child to the office as they will need a late slip to enter class. This

avoids unnecessary and upsetting phone calls to parents.

School volunteers and guests are also asked to sign in and wear a visitor badge during their stay. Thank

you for complying with the safety procedures.

HOMEWORK TIPS:

Homework is a regular part of school, and you can help your child do it well.

Teachers give homework for many good reasons - to practice and review class

lessons, to get students ready for the next lesson, to teach them how to work on

their own, to teach them to use a variety of resources and to encourage

parent/child/school communication.

• Set up a regular time and a quiet place for your child to work. Try to

place it away from TVs, cell phone or other loud noise.

• Have your child get all of the materials needed for the work – pens,

pencils, erasers, calculator, paper, books and highlighters – all in one spot instead of searching for

things.

• Make a homework calendar and/or follow the information in the agenda. Help them plan assigned

homework time to ensure it is completed by the date it is due.

• If your child misses school, have a friend or a homework buddy get homework assignments.

• Remember, neatness and organization does count. These notes become study notes for future tests

and assignments. Don’t let your child eat or drink while doing homework.

• Make homework and reading every night a priority.

• Build in breaks.

• Make homework a positive adventure!

• We all share the same goal – student success!!

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE UPDATE:

Students’ first languages are a critical foundation, not only for language learning, but for all learning.

(Many Roots, Many Voices: Ministry Document). Research shows that a strong foundation in the first

language helps students transfer these skills to learning English. Therefore, it is important that students

continue to use their first language at home.

BENEFITS of MAINTAINING FIRST LANGUAGE:

• Ease integration into a Canadian classroom and community

• Support sense of identity, family and cultural background

• Increase self-confidence

• Promote positive attitudes toward learning

• Expand career opportunities

USEFUL WEBSITES for ESL STUDENTS:

On-Line Books

An on-line library of books in English and many other languages including: Spanish, Tagalog,

Portuguese, and Polish.

http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SimpleSearchCategory?ids=16&langid=&pnum=1&cnum=1&text=

&lang=English&ilang=English

A great website for primary students to practice letters sounds, rhyming words, and reading.

http://www.starfall.com/

SAVE THE DATE:

Remembrance Day Liturgy – Thursday November 9th

Parent Teacher Interviews – Thursday November 22nd and Friday November 23rd

Christmas Wish Tree – November 20th-December 10th

Advent Mass – Friday, December 7th

NOVEMBER LUNCH DAYS:

Please note the following dates for lunch days in November.

Pita Pit days are Monday November 5, 12, 19, 26

Lunch Pails days are Tuesday November 6, 13, 20, 27

EastSide Mario’s are Wednesday November 7, 14, 21, 28

Pizza days are Thursday November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Swiss Chalet days are Friday November 2, 9, 16, 30

We are in need of Parent Volunteers! Parents are reminded that in order to volunteer at the school or on

any school event, they must have a Criminal Reference Check (with Vulnerable Sector Screening) on file

with the school.

Parents can email QofHvolunteer@gmail.com if you are interested in assisting in any capacity.

Thank you to our Queen of Heaven community for your time and dedication!!

WOODVIEW @ QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Woodview is an accredited children's mental health centre providing day treatment services to address the

social, emotional and behavioural challenges of children (Grades 3-6) and their families. Woodview

Residential students are also part of this day treatment program that is run in the classroom at Queen of

Heaven.

The day is split into academic and therapeutic components. Academically, the focus is on Literacy and

Numeracy curriculum. Therapeutic programs can include social skills training, cognitive-behavioural

strategies, anger management, coping with high conflict and abusive situations. The Child and Youth

Workers also provide formal, individual and group counselling. The Social Worker provides individual,

sibling and group work for the family.

Length of stay is determined on a per child basis and each are regularly assessed throughout the program.

Referrals should be directed to the Woodview Program Supervisor and Senior Managers of Special

Education Services.

DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY

For the safety and well-being of all our students we politely request that dogs be kept off school

property before, during, and after school hours. We thank you for your cooperation

and recognition that while your dog may be well behaved in crowds and around

children, not all are. With the number of students and parents on school property

before and after school, in addition to the number of cars, it is our responsibility

to keep everyone safe. Please do not bring your dog to school.

IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION FOR OBTAINING CRIMMINAL REFERENCE

CHECKS:

SEAC SOUNDByTES

ONTARIO CATHOLIC GRADUATE EXPECTATIONS:

In 2011, the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) released a revised set of Catholic Graduate

Expectations for students in Catholic schools in Ontario. Fifty-two specific expectations are

included under seven overall expectation groups. Over the coming months, each overall

expectation will be discussed along with ways that these expectations are being made visible at

Queen of Heaven Catholic School.

An Effective Communicator

Who speaks, writes, and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in

light of gospel values.

• Listens actively and critically to understand and learn in light of gospel values.

• Reads, understands and uses written materials effectively.

• Presents information and ideas clearly and honestly and with sensitivity to

others.

• Writes and speaks fluently one or both of Canada’s official languages. • Uses and integrates the Catholic faith tradition, in the critical analysis of the arts, media,

technology and information systems to enhance the quality of life.