Year of the Parish

One Lord, One Faith, One God of All

SAINT JANE FRANCES CATHOLIC SCHOOL

2745 Jane Street Toronto, Ontario

M3L 2E8 Telephone 393-5296

Fax 393-5135

Dear Parent (s)/Guardians,

During the month of November, we will be celebrating the virtue of Peace and

Peacekeeping. In John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us, “Peace I leave to you, my peace I give to

you”. Each time that we gather together as a faith community of believers and pray in our

parishes, we extend our peace towards one another. Throughout the Month of November,

we will be acknowledging students who demonstrate acts of peace throughout the

school. Some of the ways students may display this include: instilling peace in others, staying

calm under pressure, generously forgiving others and practicing conflict resolution by using

their words to resolve disputes and conflicts.

Parents will notice that in November teachers and staff will have a number of meaningful

activities planned for students to help them gain a deeper understanding of the importance

of peace. Your child will also most likely discuss the sacrifices made by our Canadian soldiers,

and may even be writing a letter to a Canadian soldier. In addition to the important activities

planned throughout November, we will be having, a Remembrance Day observance in our

gymnasium for all students. Ms. Couto’s class will be leading us in our Remembrance Day

observance again this school year. We would like to invite our parent community to join us

on November 11, 2016 at 10: 45 a.m. in the gymnasium.

November also marks the time when parents will receive a Progress Report Card from their

child’s teachers. The intent of the Fall Progress Report is to facilitate better communication

between the home and school. The Progress Report encourages teachers to establish plans

for teaching and setting attainable goals, and to assist parents in supporting their child’s

learning. As you will notice, the Progress Report Card places a strong emphasis on the

development of student learning skills and work habits. We look forward to discussing your

child’s progress with you on Wednesday November 16th from 6:00 pm - 8:30pm and Thursday

November 17th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm during our parent/teacher interviews. Interview

forms will be sent home with students who are either the ‘Youngest’ or ‘Only’ in their

families. Teachers will coordinate with their colleagues to accommodate parents’ requests as

best we can. Please keep in mind that we will be celebrating your child’s successes thus far.

I wish everyone a very peaceful month and look forward to seeing many of you in the upcoming month. Sincerely,

Lillian Judit Kurnik, Jacqueline Puri, B.Ph., B.Ed., MEd B.A., B.Ed., MInt’l. Ed Principal Vice- Principal

Principal’s Message November 2016

Principal: Lillian Kurnik

Vice Principal: Jacqueline Puri

Superintendent: Michael Caccamo 416-222-8282, ext. 2267

Trustee: Patricia Bottoni

4165123404

St. Jane Frances Parish:

2747 Jane Street

Toronto, Ontario M3 L2E8

(416) 741-1463

School Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. morning session begins

10:12 a.m. – 10:27 a.m. Morning recess

11:15 p.m. - 12:15 p.m. Lunch recess

1:40 p.m. - 1:55 p.m. Afternoon recess

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Our sincere thanks to Mr. Cole’s grade 6/7 class for organizing the Thanksgiving Food Drive in support of our parish and

community. They collected more than 1500 food items. We thank our parent community and students for their

participation and truly appreciate their generosity by sharing canned and non-perishable goods.

St. Jane Frances Cross Country Regional team: Javier

Alvarez 10th, Kevin Cortez 18th, Robert Herman 22nd

Aleksandor Revi 40th and Trask Charles 41.

Congratulations to our CITY RUNNERS:

Javier Alvarez, Kevin Cortez and

KINDERGARTENS AT CHUDLEIGH’S FARM

Halloween Dance

Parking:

A reminder that the school parking lot should be used on a first come first serve basis. Under no circumstances should you double park or block in cars in the school parking lots or up in the church parking area. Our students have been instructed not to enter the parking lot for safety reasons. Father Amodeo and Father Powell have agreed to allow all parents to use the Church parking lot for the purpose of dropping off in the morning or picking up in the afternoon at dismissal. There is absolutely NO PARKING in the handicapped spaces at the side of the school. The fine is substantial and we need to have those spaces clear for their appropriate use by those that need them. A reminder that the “Kiss and Ride” on Spenvalley is not a parking area. Please do not leave your vehicle after you have dropped off your child in this area. The same applies to the front of the school: PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL!!! THIS IS NOW THE BUS DROP OFF AND PICK UP AREA. YOU MUST PARK ELSWHERE AND COME BY THE MAIN DOORS TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD. YOUR CAR MAY BE TAGGED AND TOED AWAY AS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWING OUR SCHOOL BUSSES TO EITHER PICK UP OR DROP OFF OUR STUDENTS. Thank you for your patience and understanding as safety for all comes first before convenience.

Walking and Wheeling to School

Toronto Public Health (TPH) encourages schools to Get Ready, Get Set and to Get Active! Let's get walking and wheeling to

school. Walking and wheeling to school has great benefits for health and the environment. It's also a great way to fit

physical activity into the day, which can energize students, improve self-esteem and foster readiness to learn.

Mrs. Power is hosting a FITNESS CLUB for all students in Grades 3 through 8 during the morning recess every Monday,

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Visitors to the School:

The Toronto District School Board policy states that all visitors to the school MUST report to the office first. This is foremost

to ensure the safety of all students. In an effort to promote the independence of the students and to ensure the integrity of

our excellent programs, we are asking parents to refrain from arriving late and causing interruptions during class and

teaching times. We request that students arrive early/before the bell, prepared for the school day with their homework,

lunch, physical education clothing, musical instruments and other learning material, in order to participate fully in all areas

of the curriculum. We are teaching our students to become independent learners, future leaders, and Catholic citizens who

care about the world around them. Parent who do follow the visitor to the school policy negatively impact on the learning

environment of all children in the school. If you would like to speak to or contact your child’s teacher, which every parent

has a right to do, you may do so through the school office and make an appointment with your child’s teacher, which

means that you may not as a parent engage a teacher or staff in the mornings or afterschool without making and

appointment first. Your kind adherence to this request is much appreciated by all staff and most of all your child’s and

particularly by the students that are trying to learn!

Allergies in the School: NO PEANUTS PLEASE

Our sincere thanks and gratitude is extended to all families that refrained from sending in baked treats at Halloween! As we

slowly approach the Christmas season, we kindly ask parents to continue to follow this practice. In lieu of baked goods, we

always welcome fruit and veggie platters, pencils and erasers during special occasions. We appreciate your understanding

and cooperation.

Attendance/Punctuality /Preparation:

The Education Act states that students must attend school regularly and punctually. Parents are to notify the school (416

393-5296) of a child’s absence. You may call anytime and leave a message on the answering machine. Students who arrive

late for school must check in at the main office to ensure safe arrival and to help in keeping accurate attendance

profiles. Attendance referrals will be sent to the Social Worker and persistent tardiness may result in a meeting with

parents and staff to ensure more regular attendance and offer support to families. Students are expected to arrive in the

yard prior to the bell. All students are to arrive prepared to work and learn. Preparation includes the completion of daily

assignments that are done to the best of the individual student’s ability. Preparation also implies that the student devotes

appropriate time to study in advance of key assessment and test situations.

The ‘Me to We’ Experience:

The school year thus far has been very successful and productive for the Student Me to We Leaders. Grade 8 student,

Anthony Pham had been selected by the ‘Me to We’ organization to represent students and our St. Jane Frances Student

body this year. Anthony was interviewed by the media and we will try to place some of these sound bites and pictures on

our TCDSB: St. Jane Frances School portal. Our students have been focusing on team and community building activities

during their weekly meetings. Many of our leaders have helped to lead school assemblies in past years. Our leaders have

also been involved in community volunteer activities, giving of their time to help out and organize fundraising initiatives. In

addition, they will be preparing to organize and launch our annual Hallowe’en dance. All students will be dressed in

costume, will dance and have a blast! A very special that’s to Mrs. Frydrych for providing these students with the

opportunity to demonstrate leadership, organize and plan to change the world one small person at a time! A special thank

you also goes out the Father Powell for joining our school on We Day this year, and encouraging our students to give back

to those that need our help.

Personal Property and Valuables:

The school does not take any responsibility for the loss or theft of personal items brought onto school premises by

students. The school will therefore, not reimburse or replace lost or stolen articles, under any circumstances. This will

include all articles of clothing and personal school supplies, such as fancy or expensive pens. Markers, binders and pencil

cases will not be replaced by the school if they are lost or stolen. Also, the school cannot be responsible for electronic

toys, calculators, laptops, iPod’s and CD’s. Please note that special edition collector cards and cards of any kind are not

permitted. In addition, all cell phones and any other social media devices will not be replace if they become lost and/or

stolen.

Emergency Response:

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has a primary responsibility to ensure the safety of students and staff on Board

buildings, sites and property. Every school in the Board has been provided with a procedural guide that provides direct

support to school administrators to prevent a threat to school safety. Shelter in Place, Hold and Secure, and Lockdown

represent the responses that should be initiated by the Principal in cases of threats to school safety. An explanation of each

is provided:

1) Shelter in Place – Possible Environmental Danger in the School Neighborhood. This response is generally initiated by the Toronto Police Service or their agencies, including Toronto Fire Services, having jurisdiction over the incident. The threat poses no immediate danger to students or staff unless they leave the building.

2) Hold and Secure- Possible Danger in the School Neighborhood. This response is initiated when the threat poses no immediate danger to students or staff as they leave the building. Staff is placed on a high alert.

3) Lockdown- Danger on the immediate School Site. This response is initiated when imminent danger is present on the school grounds and the safety of students and staff I threatened. Should a real threat to the school safety procedure be initiated, the school will inform parents of the event that led to the particular response by a letter or phone.

We regularly practice our Emergency Response Procedures throughout the year in order to prepare for an actual

emergency. Please Note: Exit/entry doors are locked from 8:30 am – 3:30pm each day and all visitors must be “buzzed’ in

through the front door. We thank everyone for their support in keeping our students safe. The first Lockdown practice will

occur in November and all parents will be notified of the date and time.

It’s Cold and Flu Season:

Toronto Public Health tips for avoiding the spread of flu and other viruses:

Get the flu shot, Wash your hands, Cover your cough/sneeze, Do the knuckle bump, Stay home if you are sick

Monthly Update from the Board November 2016

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.

Parents, school administrators, parents, teachers, pastors and parish representatives were invited to sit down for some

preliminary discussions earlier this year. To see the many ideas that came forward from those Year of the Parish

Conversations, visit our website

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/YearoftheParish/Pages/Ideas-Conversation-Starters.aspx

More information about our pastoral plan here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/YearoftheParish/Pages/default.aspx

November’s Virtue is Peacemaking

Find all the monthly resources associated with our virtues of the month online

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/VirtueoftheMonth/Pages/Default.aspx

Free English as a Second Language Courses for Adult Immigrants

The TCDSB Adult Education Program offers free language training courses for eligible adult immigrants at various locations

across Toronto. After an assessment of language ability, eligible immigrants can enroll in our courses throughout the

year. For more information and to locate courses using our online Course Finder, visit

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORCOMMUNITY/AdultEducationESL/Pages/Default.aspx.

The 2016-2017 TCDSB Awards Season has begun!

Nominations are now open for the following awards which will be presented at Awards Night on May 1,

2017: DEADLINE: third Friday in January (January 20)

1. TCDSB Alumni Award: open to TCDSB alumni who are still active in the Catholic community and who have

distinguished themselves in their career or accomplishments.

2. TCDSB Award of Merit: open to former staff, parents and trustees who have made outstanding contributions to

the TCDSB and to Catholic education (can only be considered for award after a three-year period has passed since

departure from the TCDSB)

3. **NEW** Friends of Catholic Education Award: open to members of the general public (individuals or

organizations) who have accomplished extraordinary service to Catholic Education but who may not be Catholic.

For nomination forms and information, click here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/CatholicEducationWeek/Pages/AwardsNight.aspx

Prime Minister’s Awards

Do you know a terrific teacher or early childhood educator? Consider nominating them for a 2016-17 Prime Minister’s

Award! This prestigious program honours innovative and outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers and early

childhood educators who are helping prepare Canadian youth for the challenges of tomorrow.

Looking for inspiration? Check out some of our previous teaching and early childhood education award recipients.

2016-17 nomination packages are now available at www.pma.gc.ca.

2016 OCSTA Short-Video Contest for Students

OCSTA is now accepting submissions for the fall 2016 short-video contest for grade 4-12 students in Ontario’s publicly

funded English Catholic schools. The contest theme for 2016 is:

"The Story Behind the Name of our Catholic School”

This year’s theme is designed to encourage students to delve into the history of the person/saint for whom their school was

named, and to be creative in telling that story.

Deadline November 28, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/forstudents/opportunitiesforstudents/pages/2016-ocsta-short-video-contest-for-students.aspx

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.

To learn more and find out how you can help, visit:

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Pages/Humanitarian%20Aid%20for%20Haiti.aspx

Get Your 40 Hours: Student Community Involvement

Community service for our TCDSB students is more than a diploma requirement. Our TCDSB community members are

called to apply Catholic social teachings in all that we do; invited by our board vision to be people who “transform the world

through witness, faith, innovation and action”. The experience gained through community involvement allows students to

grow in knowledge and appreciation of themselves and their God-given gifts, and to find meaning, dignity and vocation in

work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good. It is hoped that this experience early in their high

school years will continue to motivate our students to stay involved and to answer the call to support

Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and sacredness of human life in their community

involvement experiences.

All students who earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma must complete 40 hours of community

service.

Find resources, information, and volunteer opportunities here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/GuidanceCoopEd/Communityservi

ce40hours/Pages/Default.aspx

November Events/Observances:

November is Aboriginal Education Month

November 1--All Saints Day

November 1-7--Down Syndrome Awareness Week—“See the Ability”

November 2 --All Souls Day

November 2--Take Our Kids to Work Day

November 6-12—Treaties Recognition Week

November 8—A Catholic Call To Serve

November 11--Remembrance Day

November 14-19--Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week

November 18—PA Day

November 22--Memorial Mass to Celebrate the Lives of Staff and Students in the TCDSB

Community at 7 p.m. at the Catholic Education Centre

November 27—Advent Begins

November 28—TCDSB Caucus/Inaugural Meeting—including election of Chair, Vice-Chair

For more information or resources connected to any or all of these events/initiatives, visit the

Board’s website at www.tcdsb.org. Get all the latest newsFollow @TCDSB on Twitter to get the

news as it happens.

Or subscribe to Enews to receive information via email one or more times per week.

https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 All Souls Day

2 All Saints Day

3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

Sneak Peak of Book Fair

11 Remembrance Day Service 10:30 – 11:15 Pizza Day

12

13 14 Progress Reports Sent Home 3:30PM Book Fair Begins Gr. 8 High School Applications Due

15 16 Parent Teacher

Interviews 6:00PM- 8:30 PM

17 Parent Teacher

Interviews 6:00PM- 8:30 PM

Book Fair Ends

18

Professional Development Day

No School

19

20 21 22 Leaders in Partnership Program Graduation

Celebration

23

CSAC Meeting 6:30PM – 8:45PM

24 25 26

27 28 29 Bright Pics

Santa Pictures JK – Gr.4

(AM)

30 CPIC Ward Parents

Engagement Meeting 6:30PM

(Financial Literacy)

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 Professional

Development Day No School

3

4 5

6 Advent Mass 9:00 AM

Primary Advent Celebration 2:00 – 3:00 PM

7 8 Advent Celebration Gr. 1 – 6 and Band

6:30-8:30 PM

Popcorn Coats for Kids

9

10

11 12

Feast of St. Jane Frances Day

13 Snack Club Cookies and Milk

14

15 Pizza Day 16

17

18 19 20

21

22 23 Last Day of

School

24

NOVEMBER 2016 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John

14:27)

DECEMBER 2016 “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but

rather determine this – not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in another’s way.” (Romans 14:13)

Dear Parents and Families, The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! What better way to promote reading to our students than by supporting this important literary event. We invite your entire family to participate by purchasing the latest and greatest in children’s books. Your support of this vital literary event is a key part of helping us obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms. You’ll find hundreds of quality books at our Book Fair with a wide assortment for all reading levels. Visit the Scholastic Book Fairs website at www.scholastic.ca/bookfairs to get more detailed information about these books. You can also watch book trailers and author videos with your child on the Book Tube page.

Don’t forget to mark the Book Fair dates on your calendar! We look forward to seeing you during our Scholastic Book Fair and thank you, in advance, for supporting this great literary event. Thank you for believing in books and the impact of reading on your child’s future. Sincerely,

Ms. Caravaggio Book Fair Chairperson

Book Fair Dates: Monday November 14th, 2016 – Thursday November 17th, 2016 Times: Monday & Tuesday 9:00AM – 3:00PM

Wednesday & Thursday 9:00AM – 3:00PM as well as 6:00PM – 8:00PM (during Parent Teacher Interviews)

Location: Library (Room 225)

Cash, Visa, MasterCard and American Express are welcome. NO CHEQUES PLEASE

Math Advice for Parents

Professor Jo Boaler, Stanford University, retrieved and edited from

https://www.youcubed.org/handout-for-parents/

Some children find mathematics difficult but they really do have the potential to do well. You can help them become confident in their abilities. Jo Boaler suggests the six following strategies for parents to work with their children to create a love of math. Encourage children to play math puzzles and games. Award winning mathematician, Sarah Flannery reported that her math achievement and enthusiasm came not from school but from the puzzles she was given to solve at home. Always be encouraging and never tell kids they are wrong when they are working on math problems. Instead find the logic in their thinking – there is always some logic to what they say. Never associate math with speed. It is not important to work quickly, and we now know that forcing kids to work quickly on math is the best way to start math anxiety for children, especially girls. Never share with your children the idea that you were bad at math at school or you dislike it – especially if you are a mother. Researchers found that as soon as mothers shared that idea with their daughters, their daughter’s achievement went down. Encourage number sense. What separates high and low achievers is number sense – having an idea of the size of numbers and being able to separate and combine numbers flexibility. Perhaps most important of all – encourage a “growth mindset” let students know that they have unlimited math potential and that being good at math is all about working hard. When children have a growth mindset, they do well with challenges and do better in school overall, not because they’re “smart” but because they persevere and learn. What is the Best Way for Students to Learn Math? - THE FACTS ON EDUCATION Canadian Educational Association and the University of New Brunswick, retrieved from; http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/cea_fone_mathlearning.pdf Starting from early childhood, we make sense of the objects and space we experience. Effective teaching builds on students’ mathematical experiences, which differ among individuals and across contexts. High expectations for performance, initiative and independence support achievement. Even young children can reason mathematically. People learn mathematics when they wrestle with problems, connect them with their prior mathematical knowledge, and develop coherent and relevant methods and explanations. Teachers can help students learn mathematics by engaging them in this way. Students understand procedures better if they have the opportunity to manipulate concrete materials to represent mathematical operations (e.g., using blocks to represent place value: a cube to represent one, a stick made of 10 ones, a square made of 10 sticks, etc.), and to talk about reasons for their procedures. Calculators and other technologies can be useful tools for exploration of patterns and relationships, but children still need to be able to perform calculations and understand them without reliance on the technologies. Regular and effective feedback from teachers and peers supports students’ mathematical learning when it focuses on noticing patterns, exploring predictions, and explaining reasoning. Students’ errors are best viewed as opportunities to clarify incomplete understanding and can help teachers know what concepts need more exploration. Mathematics curriculum should build topics onto each other. The sequence of these topics is more important than matching age-related stages. An overloaded curriculum can be a barrier to learning. Teachers need to be comfortable with mathematics and have conceptual understanding. Their teaching benefits from collaborative planning that focuses on the central ideas of mathematics. Language skills are necessary for learning mathematics. Teaching should recognize that a students’ first language may be one important resource in their mathematics learning. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds can benefit with intervention in the early years to connect mathematics to their experiences and thus increase their comfort with it. Conceptual understanding (knowing why something works), fluency with calculations (comfort with basic mathematics facts and procedures), and problem solving work together in mathematical learning. However, no high quality research supports any kind of ideal ratio between such focuses; they are all necessary.

A Message from the Catholic School Parent Council

Thank you to all of the parents for coming out to Curriculum Night and our CSPC Honor Roll Evening in October. They were

both a great success and it was wonderful to meet some new parents whose children have joined our school. One of our

goals this year is to increase parent engagement in our school so we will continue to host events throughout the school

year. Keep an eye out for our upcoming November event.

The CSPC has continued to work closely with the school in updating our FDK yard. We recently have received drawings of a

new and improved play and learning areas for our little ones. We will be meeting with our board partners later this month

to learn about funding and the time line for our project. We will keep you updated.

As the weather starts to change, there will be more rainy and cold days and the children we be having more indoor

recesses. We are asking all families to take a look into their closets and donate any used board games so that the children

have something to do. Games can be sent directly to your child's teacher.

Our next meeting is Wednesday November 23rd at 6:30 pm in the library. All parents are welcome to come out and join in

the conversation.

If you would like to contact us we can be reached by email at cspc.stjanefrances@tcdsb.org or by phone 416-222-8282 ext.

88296 or via a note dropped off in our mail box in the school office.

Congratulations go out to Joe Fiorante, our CSPC Chair, who will be

recognized as a ‘Parent Volunteer of Excellence’ on Monday November 7th, 2016.