Stella Maris Catholic School Newsletter Principal’s Message:

STELLA MARIS

CATHOLIC

SCHOOL

NOVEMBER 2018

31 Ascot Avenue Toronto, Ontario

M6E 1E6 Phone Number: (416) 393-5371

Fax Number: (416) 393-5841 Principal:

Elisa Arciero Secretary:

Angie Minnella Clerk Typist: Ida Ferrinho

Superintendent:

John Wujek (416) 222-8282 Ext. 2592

Trustee:

Frank D’Amico (416) 222-8282 Ext. 3406

Parish:

St. Clare Roman Catholic Church Pastor: Father Francesco Marrone

1118 St. Clair Ave. W. (416) 654-7087

School Hours: 8:30 a.m. Entry

10:12 a.m. Recess 11:15 a.m. Lunch Hour

12:15 p.m. Entry 1:40 p.m. Recess

3:00 p.m. Dismissal

CPIC (Parent Engagement--TCDSB)

www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents)

www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto

________________________________

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Call 416-393-5371 or the TCDSB Admissions Department at

416-222-8282, ext. 5320.

For general information about the Toronto Catholic District

School Board, please visit the website at www.tcdsb.org.

Stay in touch with the latest news throughout the school year:

Follow @TCDSB on Twitter

As we enter into the month of November, our thoughts are drawn to the theme of

remembrance and the importance of peace in our lives and in our world. The

virtue of focus for the month of November is ‘Peacemaking’. Students will be

learning about the hazards of war, the importance of bravery and our call to be

peacemakers in our families, our schools, our communities and our world. On

Monday, November 12, we will be gathering for a Remembrance Day Ceremony

in the gym. Parents are most welcome to join us. All staff and students will

receive a red poppy to wear and will bring home a small white envelope. Please

make a donation of your choice, send it back to school with your child, and we

will forward it to support our veterans.

The beginning of November also marks the feast of All Saints’ Day. At this time

of the year, especially, let us be reminded that through compassion for the

suffering of one another, we are led to greater faith and service no matter who we

are. Celebrating sainthood is never easy for the rest of us here on earth, but we

are challenged to strive for progress and not perfection. The lives of the saints can

be an inspiration to all of us.

On All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2nd, we remember our own loved ones who have passed

away. Every family has experienced the loss of a loved one. Families are

encouraged to share with their children their stories and memories. Children need

to learn about their heritage through the stories of their ancestors.

Please join me in welcoming our new Physical Education teacher, Mr. K.

Mandarano. Ms. E. Aloe accepted a transfer to St. John Bosco. We wish her

good luck.

The month of November brings the first reporting period as the Progress Reports

will go home on November 12, followed by our first formal Parent-Teacher

Conferences/Interviews. We invite you to come and engage in conversation with

your child’s teachers dialoging how to best support your child in meeting his/her

full academic potential.

Let us remember the simple words of Blessed Mother Teresa who said, “A smile

is the beginning of peace.”

Sincerely, Ms. E. Arciero

Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC) We celebrated another treasured CSPC event at Stella

Maris C. S. on Wednesday, October 31 – our Halloween

Dance. Students enjoyed dancing to all of the

spooktacular sounds. It was great to see all of the

wonderful Halloween costumes and/or black and/or

orange clothing. We hope that you all had a fun and safe

Halloween! CSPC also launched their cookie dough

fundraiser on Oct. 29th. All orders are due on Nov. 13. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 7 pm in the library. Please join us!

Terry Fox School Walk Day – September 29th

What a great success! Congratulations to all the

students and staff who participated in Stella Maris’

second Terry Fox Walk. Our school goal was to

raise $3,500 and once again our community

surpassed its goal and raised $3684.45! Well

done!! I am very proud to work with a school

community that values the importance of charity

and helping others. All monies raised went directly

to Cancer Research. The top fundraising class is

being rewarded with a pizza lunch.

Congratulations to Ms. Gambino and Ms.

Radovini’s ELP class that earned $655! Our top

student fundraisers were Nicholas E. in Gr. 8 and

Ruiari B. in ELP1. The boys both received Terry Fox

t-shirts.

Pizza Lunches The pizza lunches for November will be held on Friday,

Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 23, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Nov.

15.

Subway Lunch Our November Subway lunch will take place on

Thursday, November 29th. A Gr. 1 student in Ms.

Pedra’s class was nominated for the Read a Book

Certificate for Oct. Congratulations to Nicolo G. for

reading 5 books in 4 weeks! He wins a free kids’ meal at

Subway. Bravo!!

Picture Re-takes and Sibling Photos Picture Re-take Day is on Friday, November 9th.

A Portuguese Author Visits Stella Maris! On Monday, October 29th, Mrs. E. Mauricio, one of our

Portuguese instructors, welcomed the author, Rosário

Alçada Araújo to Stella Maris C. S. She visited with the

SK/Gr.1 to Gr. 4 classes. Ms. Araújo talked about the

books she has written and read her stories to the children.

It was a wonderful cultural experience for our students

and staff! Obrigada, Sra. Araújo.

Student Safety Parents are reminded that all doors to the school are locked. All

parents and visitors are required to buzz the doorbell, wait for

our secretary, and then enter the school. We ask for your

patience and understanding as we continue to implement this

important safety initiative. Parents, caregivers, older siblings

are asked to wait for their children or siblings in the

schoolyard after school unless a meeting with the teacher has

been scheduled or the person picking up the children is

physically unable to go to the back of the school All students

should enter and exit the school building by their designated

doors. The school’s front doors are not to be used as a shortcut

to the school yard in the morning.

Stella Maris is an Allergen Aware School. Some children in our

school have a severe life threatening food allergy to peanuts,

nuts, and eggs (anaphylaxis). This is a medical condition that

causes a severe reaction to specific foods and can result in death

within minutes. In order to ensure that our school is a safe

environment for all students, we ask that you only send foods

with your children that are free from peanuts and other nut

products. Also, kindly avoid sending food for special occasions

(i.e. birthday, Christmas, etc). There is no other way of

controlling food which comes from home other than the specific

and diligent awareness and action by parents. Please help in

ensuring the safety of our children by helping to keep Stella

Maris Catholic School a peanut and nut free zone.

Cross Country 2018 Congratulations to the 46 dedicated students who competed at

this year’s Divisional Cross Country meet and represented Stella

Maris with pride. Sixteen students returned to the Regional meet

and did their best. On October 23rd, Brandon C., in Gr. 6,

returned to the City Finals. Once again, thank you to our

coaches: Ms. La Rosa, Ms. De Santis, Ms. Grella, Ms. Cescon,

Ms. Toste, Ms. Corsaro, Ms. Gora, Ms. Morra and Ms. Terrigno

for their time and dedication to the team. A special thank you to

the various parents who attended the meets and helped supervise

our students.

Special congratulations to our ME ISP students who participated

in the Cross Country Special Olympics at the City Finals. It was

a cloudy rainy autumn day, but the students had a lot of fun

while demonstrating their athletic abilities. Thank you to Ms.

Pimentel, Ms. Izzo, Ms. Merta, and Ms. Mac Isaac who brought

the students to this event as well as the many participants and

spectators who cheered them on.

Father Francesco and Father Victor On November 14th, Father Francesco will be coming to visit with

the Gr. 2 students and the Gr. 7 students. These are the students

preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Holy

Communion or Confirmation. Father Victor will be visiting with

the Gr. 8 and Gr. 3 students on November 9th.

Follow Stella Maris on Twitter! As of September 2018, I have set up a Twitter account for Stella

Maris C. S. I will be sending out information about events and

sharing achievements. Please follow us

at Stella Maris @ StellaM16256223

Progress Reports The Progress Report will be sent home on November

12th. The progress report:

encourages early and ongoing communication

between you and your child's teacher;

tells you how well your child is developing the

learning skills and work habits we know are

essential for success;

continues to report on all academic subjects —

such as language, math, social studies, science

and technology — but instead of assigning a

grade or mark, it will tell you how well your

child is progressing: “very well”, “well” or

“with difficulty” ;

highlights strengths and areas to improve before

evaluations are completed; and

also includes comments from your child's

teacher .

Parent /Teacher Conferences for the Progress Report will

be held Wednesday, November 14 from 5:00 – 7:30

p.m. and Thursday, November 15 from 5:00 – 7:30

p.m.

Personal Belongings We have an acceptable user policy when it comes to

electronics. For obvious safety and educational

purposes, we ask that no cell phones, cameras, i-pods,

expensive jewelry, hand-held games or any electronic

gadgets be brought to school. Teachers may ask students

to use their cell phones or other devices for instructional

purposes. Cell phones, if brought to school for

emergency purposes, are to be turned off and left in

their schoolbag. Please note that the school is not

responsible for lost items. If students bring their

electronics to school, they are responsible for them.

Parental support in this area is required and greatly

appreciated. Please monitor your child’s activities on the

internet and the various social media sites. If students

bully their classmates on any site, they will face

consequences. If activity that occurs outside of school

impacts the school climate, consequences will be

imposed. Hockey sticks, baseball bats and hard leather

soccer balls are not permitted at school. All rollerblades

must be removed before entering the school

Students of the Month The virtue for the month of October was Gratitude. The

criterion for the Student of the Month for October is the

student who demonstrates appreciation or is thankful.

Congratulations to the following students for being the

winners for October: Riley B, Damian S, Rita S,

Chayse J, Gustavo A, Belen G, Madison G, Rafael F,

Nuria P, Darragh O, Saoirse O, Caio V, Isabela B,

Lukas M, Quinlan Y, Luana G, Grace N, Madison F,

Arabella R, Izeah F, Brian T, Beatriz M, Goncalo M,

Alexandra D, Jancarlos D, and Sarah D.

Secondary School Open Houses All Toronto Catholic District School Board secondary schools

welcome grade 8 students and their families to open houses each

fall. This is an opportunity to meet some of the staff, check out

school facilities and learn more about the various programs,

services and activities as you prepare for Catholic secondary

school education. Most open houses begin at 7:00 p.m. For a

complete list of dates and locations, visit:

http://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx.

WE The last Friday of every month will continue to be a DRESS

DOWN DAY to raise funds for our WE local charity and school

needs. Students are asked to bring $1.00 to participate in these

days. September’s Dress Down Day raised $210.05 and

October’s Dress Down Day raised $209.15. Thank you for

your generosity.

For the month of October the WE Committee focused on the WE

Scare Hunger Campaign which is a food drive initiative to

collect canned goods. These goods will then be taken to St.

Francis Table, an organization dedicated to providing meals and

a safe and welcoming environment for the needy of our

community. So far, we have collected over 500 canned goods

and non-perishable food items!

Don’t Forget to Turn Your Clocks Back Weekend of November 3-4, 2018. Enjoy the extra hour of

sleep!

Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer Teams The Junior Boys’ soccer team went to St. Clare C. S. to play

their tournament. They played hard with dignity and respect.

The boys came in 3rd place in their pool. Congratulations to the

team members: Captain, Miguel G, Gabriel V, Brian D, Nathan

N, Andre J, Anthony D, Joshua P, Lucas F, Andre F, Daniel L,

Eduard M, Dylan R, and Joshua S. A special thank you to the

co-coach, Makayla D. in Gr. 8

This past month the Junior Girls’ soccer team played

exceptionally well. They tied two games and only lost one game

by 1 point. All the girls were excellent team players and had a lot

of fun. Thank you to the assistant, Melissa R. in Gr. 7.

Congratulations to the members of the team: Sienna C, Jennifer

R, Sianna R, Flavia K-C, Ami K-C, Jhleen D, Gabriel F, Saveion

C, Breanne D, Daniella S, Gabriella G, Ariel, and Genie G.

Thank you to Ms. Calabretta and Ms. Pimentel for coaching and

dedicating their time to both teams.

Kids and Flu The flu germs spread when people cough, sneeze or talk.

The flu germs can also live on surfaces like

toys, countertops, and door handles for up to eight hours.

Students can pass the flu germs to each other, to school

staff and to family members before they show symptoms.

Children under five, seniors and people in poor health are

at greater risk of complications from flu.

Vaccination is the best protection against flu. It takes 2

weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective so get it early.

Tips on staying healthy this flu Season:

1. Get your flu shot early;

2. Wash your hands often;

3. Avoid touching face and eyes;

4. Cover your cough or sneeze;

5. Do not share drinking cups and utensils; and

6. Disinfect common surfaces like door handles,

hand railings, keyboards, cell phones and

tablets.

For more information, visit toronto.ca/health/flu

Province of Ontario Seeks Feedback on

Education The Province is consulting with parents across the

province to address concerns and get feedback in several

areas of the education system.

Feedback from these consultations will help shape

decisions in the following areas:

1. Improving student performance in Science,

Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

2. Preparing students with needed job skills, such

as skilled trades and coding

3. Improving provincial standardized testing

4. Ensuring students graduate with important life

skills, including financial literacy

5. Managing the use of technology in classrooms,

such as cell phones

6. Building a new age-appropriate Health and

Physical Education curriculum that includes

subjects like mental health, sexual health

education and the legalization of cannabis

7. Developing the first-ever Parents’ Bill of Rights

How to participate

There are three ways to participate:

Open submission

Share your views on all or some of the 7 key consultation

areas that are outlined above:

1. Use the private and confidential online submission

form, or

2. Email your written submission

to fortheparents@ontario.ca and:

include your name or the name of your

organization

add “provincial consultations” as the subject

attach your submission as a PDF or Word

document

Deadline is December 15, 2018.

TCDSB Trustee Election Results Congratulations to the newly elected and re-elected Trustees for

the Toronto Catholic District School Board:

Ward 1 - Joseph Martino

Ward 2 - Markus de Domenico

Ward 3 - Ida Li Preti

Ward 4 - Teresa Lubinski

Ward 5 - Maria Rizzo

Ward 6 - Frank D’Amico

Ward 7 - Mike Del Grande

Ward 8 - Garry Tanuan

Ward 9 - Norm Di Pasquale

Ward 10 - Daniel Di Giorgio

Ward 11 - Angela Kennedy

Ward 12 - Nancy Crawford The new Board of Trustees will be sworn in at the Inaugural

Meeting on Monday, December 3, 2018.

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee Congratulations to the new and returning CPIC committee

members:

Chair: John Del Grande, Ward 12

Vice-Chair: Joe Fiorante, Ward 3

Secretary: Geoffrey Feldman, Ward 2

Treasurer: Gus Gikas, Ward 6

Assistant Treasurer: Ruth Oliveros, Ward 8

Communications Director: Desmond Alvares, Ward 11

Other Ward Reps:

Ward 1: Alison Canning and Raul Tellez

Ward 2: Natalia Marriott

Ward 5: Melinda Hackett

Ward 8: Wendell Labrador

Ward 10: Annalisa Crudo-Perri

Ward 11: Ben Xavier

Ward 12: Anthony Antonucci

And the Parent and Community Representatives:

Isabel Starck

Karla Coto

Patricia Buzzo, OAPCE Toronto

Mary LaFramboise, Faith in Your Child

To connect with CPIC or your local representative, see

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/Pages

/CPIC-Representatives.aspx

To learn more about parent engagement and the work of CPIC,

see

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/Pages

/default.aspx

After school Program at Stella Maris C. S! On October 22, 2018, the Dovercourt Boys’ and Girls’ Program

started at Stella Maris C. S. The program runs from 3 p.m. to

5:30 p.m. Students work on their homework first and then get to

enjoy arts and crafts and/or play sports. If you are interested in

signing up your child, please contact 416-536-4102 for more

information.

International Languages Elementary (ILE) Program: November Update

IL Survey to Be Conducted in All TCDSB Elementary Schools

On July 12th, the Board of Trustees of the TCDSB approved a motion to survey parents in all TCDSB Elementary Schools to

determine whether parents wish to continue or initiate an International Languages program at their child’s school.

Process and Timelines:

One survey will be sent to each family with the Progress Report card with the oldest or only child in each family.

All surveys must be completed and returned in the sealed envelope provided, to the school principal no later than

November 27, 2018.

No survey will be accepted after November 27th.

Should parents wish to have a translated version to assist with the completion of the English survey, they can request a translated

copy from the school principal or download a copy of the target language from:

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/InternationalLanguages/International-Language-

Survey/Pages/Default.aspx. Translations are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Filipino, Chinese (Simplified

and Traditional) Tamil, and Italian.

All parents are encouraged to participate to ensure that results reflect the individual and collective voice of the school community.

Surveys from 67% of all families in the school must be completed and returned in order for the results to be considered viable. In

order to determine if the program is to be continued, using the Board approved model or to move the IL program to an alternative

model, the majority of 51% should be attained for the preferred selection.

In January, a report will be submitted to the Board of Trustees. This report will include a list of results by school, including the

response rates for each school. However, only schools with the required 67% response rate will receive a detailed summary of

parent responses.

For updated information regarding the International Languages Elementary (ILE) Program please visit:

https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/schoolprogramsk12/internationallanguages/pages/change-to-international-languages-

program.aspx

From Our School Nutrition Program:

Parent Homework Tips Instill Organization Skills Organizational skills are essential for academic and personal success. Teach your child how to use their school agenda effectively, recording all assignments and due dates. Most school planners offer helpful suggestions for managing time and achieving goals. Many families also find a wall calendar useful to keep track of tests, assignments, extracurricular activities, rehearsals, special events, etc. Help your child organize and set out what they need the night before, e.g., homework, books, clothes, and permission letters, etc. This practice builds important life skills and reduces family stress in the morning rush. Make sure your child knows that you are there to listen to their feelings and concerns, and that you do not expect perfection – only that they try their best. Encourage effort and perseverance in all they do.

Rory Mc Guckin, Director of Education

80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON Website: www.tcdsb.org

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