Father Serra Times

Father Serra Catholic School 111 Sun Row Drive , Toronto , Ontario M9P 3J 3

Tel : 416 -393-5391 Fax: 416 -397-6095

October, 2012

Mr. Bruce Rodrigues

Director of Education

It was great to see so many parents dur-

ing our special evening on Wednesday,

September 26th during our Blessing of

the new addition, Community BBQ and

Curriculum night. Thank you to our

CSAC and Father Serra staff for coordi-

nating this evening. We also thank our

Director Mr. Bruce Rodrigues for joining

us along with Father Glaba, Trustee Pe-

ter Jakovcic, Superintendent Loretta

Notten, MMP Donna Cansfield and

Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby.

The evening included an opportunity to

review school policies, routines, expecta-

tions and initiatives, as well as providing

an opportunity to meet teachers. You are

encouraged to maintain regular commu-

nication throughout the year with our

school.

We appreciate your support and we

would encourage you to contact our

school at (416) 393-5391 if you have con-

cerns about your child.

Thank you to all the parents who have

assisted us with finding alternate park-

ing before and after school. This has defi-

nitely made a difference in ensuring the

safety of all our students.

Please welcome Father Serra’s new

French teacher, Mr. Alexander Koka. Mr.

Koka will be teaching French in the af-

ternoons.

October will once again be a busy month

at our school. Please review the attached

calendar of events for this month.

J. Pannozzo

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

by Brian F. King,

O Lord, with humble hearts we pray Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day

And ask that at table place, Where grateful folk say words of grace, That Thou will come to share the yield

Thy bounty gave to farm and field. We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,

Each hearth, each home, each festive board; And that Thy peace will come to stay

Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.

Amen

TCDSB Faith and Character Development Monthly Themes

Virtues of the Month

September Hospitality February Love

October Gratitude March Forgiveness

November Peacemaking April Justice

December Charity May Compassion

January Courage June Faithfulness

Principal: Mr. J. Pannozzo Vice Principal: Ms. J. Corsi

Admin. Assistant: Mrs. E. Barbaro Clerk Typist: Mrs. E. Simone

Superintendent: Mrs. L. Notten Trustee: Peter Jakovcic

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

TRUSTEES 2012-2013 Wards 1. Peter Jakovcic 2. Ann Andrachuk Chair 3. Sal Piccininni Vice-Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni 4. Maria Rizzo 6. Frank D’Amico 7. John Del Grande 8. To Be Determined

9. Jo– Anne Davis

10. Barbara Poplawski 11. Angela Kennedy

12. Nancy Crawford Andrew Walker Student Trustee Elect

Principal’s Message

OCTOBER 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 2

CSAC NEWS

We are pleased to announce your new

CSAC for 2012/2013:

Co-Chair– Rob Berton

Co-Chair– Dana Delle Cese-Ahluwalia

Co-Secretary—Christine Carbone

Co-Secretary— Stephanie Hoffman

Treasurer– Teresa Visic

Community Rep– Marianne Pisani

Parent Rep– Karen Lorenowicz

Parent Rep– Melissa Pacienza

Parent Rep– Susy Gallucci

Parent Rep– Mackie Sichetti

Parent Rep– Linda Latini

Parent Rep—Cenzina Bruno

Parent Rep—Cristina De Lellis

Teacher Rep– David Farrell

COMMUNITY BBQ

The Community BBQ was a

huge success. We were blessed

with beautiful weather and it

was wonderful to see so many

families in attendance.

Thank you to all the parent volunteers—we could

not have done it without you. To Mrs. McInerney

for assisting us during the day.

A special thank you to Mrs. Sichetti, for her lead-

ership role in coordinating the Community BBQ.

WITNESS CROSS

This cross was made by students of

Neil McNeil CSS. Last year the Wit-

ness to Faith Cross visited half of the

TCDSB schools in the Eastern part

of the city. This year the Witness

Cross will travel to the remaining schools.

On September 26th, Father Serra received the Witness Cross

and demonstrated our faith by forming a Living Rosary, pro-

cessing the Cross to All Saints Parish and celebrating mass.

Thank you to the Liturgical Committee for all their work in

organizing the events. A special thank you to Mr. Vennare for

photographing, and videotaping the events.

NURTURING OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

THROUGH FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

On May 2nd, 2012 the Board launched its new three-year pas-

toral plan of Faith, Hope and Charity, which builds on the

Word, Worship and Witness focus of the previous pastoral

plan. The Witness to Faith Symposium brought together edu-

cators, support staff, students, parents and spiritual leaders

with the goal to strengthen the faith life of our schools and to

raise the public profile of Catholic education in Toronto.

The focus on Faith, Hope and Charity supports the goals of

the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan with its focus on Living

our Catholic Values, Student Achievement

and Well-Being and Inspired and Motivated

Employees. This focus also ties in nicely with

the Board’s logo, which was designed in 1969

by Allan Fleming, which combines the cross,

the anchor, and the heart representing the

three theological virtues.

PAGE 3 FATHER SERRA TIMES OCTOBER 2012

IMPORTANCE OF HOMEWORK

With the start of a new school year, your child is getting back into the habit of completing homework on time and with care. Here are a few of the many benefits of home-work.

It reinforces skills and concepts taught at school.

It develops self-discipline, self-motivation, time man-

agement and organizational skills.

It creates a link between home and school.

How can you as a parent help your child?

Make sure your child has a good night’s rest and eats a

balanced diet.

Provide a quiet, regular place to do work.

Listen to him/her read, it does not have to be in Eng-

lish.

Provide occasional words of encouragement.

Contact teachers if you have questions or con-

cerns about homework assignments.

INFORMATION SHEET AND PERMISSION FORMS

Very important sheets were attached to the September newsletter. These sheets provide us with important infor-mation about your child:

Information about your child’s health.

Lunch permission and permission to go on local excur-

sions.

Permission for your child to be filmed or photographed

by the media.

Permission to have access to the internet at school.

If you have not returned these forms, please do so im-mediately. If you are unable to locate a copy, upon re-quest, the school can provide you with another copy.

The Recycling Council of On-

tario is pleased to announce

the return of the Waste-Free

Lunch Challenge!

The Waste-Free Lunch Chal-

lenge is an elementary school

program developed by the Re-

cycling Council of Ontario in partnership with Tetra Pak

Canada.

The goal of the program is to help schools decrease the

amount of garbage they produce and to educate students,

staff and parents about waste reduction.

School lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario with

the average student’s lunch generating a total of 30 kilo-

grams of waste per school year, or an average of 8500 kilo-

grams (18,700 lbs) of waste per school per year.

Going waste-free starts at the home. Please visit

http://www.wastefreelunch.com/parents-resources for

more information and tips on how to pack a waste-free

lunch.

The Waste-Free Lunch Challenge runs October 15-19st, 2012.

Lockdown Procedures

“Keeping our Students and Staff Safe”

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has a prima-

ry responsibility to ensure the safety of students and staff

inside Board buildings and on Board property. In part-

nership with the Toronto Police Services and the Toronto

District School Board, a city wide safety emergency school

lockdown procedures plan has been developed.

The ―Emergency Lockdown Procedure‖ is initiated should

a high risk incident involving weapons, hazardous chemi-

cal spill, severe weather warning, student/stranger intru-

sion, etc. occur in the school or on school property, or

there are circumstances in the vicinity of the school that

could endanger the lives and/or the safety of students

and/or staff.

In order for all students and staff to become familiar

with the expectations during a lockdown, our school will

be practising emergency lockdown procedures as we have

normally done with fire drills. During these drills there

will be signs posted on the entrance doors indicating that

the school is in lockdown . The doors will be locked and no

one will be allowed into the school. This is the same proce-

dure that will be followed in a real situation.

We will be holding two lockdown practice drills during

the school year. They will be held on: October 23rd,

2012 and on March 19th, 2013.

CPIC LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND

PARENT CONFERENCE

A new school year is upon us and the Catholic Parents Involve-

ment Committee (CPIC) members are busy organizing upcoming

events. The Annual CPIC Leadership Summit and Parent

Conference will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2012. All Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Catholic

School Advisory Council (CSAC) members are encouraged to at-

tend and share in discussions of triumphs and challenges. This is

a great opportunity for CSAC members to voice any concerns and

to network. Parents are welcome to attend as well. Mark the

date, more registration information to come.

Remember, CPIC members are here to help parents get more

involved with their children’s Catholic education. If you have any

questions, comments, concerns please contact your Ward Repre-

sentative or your child’s CSAC.

October 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 4

Student Assessment

The school year is divided into two formal reporting periods with a Progress Report given in early November. Parent/Teacher interviews will take place on the evening of November 15th and the morning of November

16th to discuss student progress as indicated on the Elementary Progress Report.

The Elementary Progress Report Card ( Grades 1-6 and Grades 7-8) is to inform parents of the progress students are making towards achievement of the Curriculum Expectations. Assessment on the Progress Report Card is divided into two sections: i) Learning Skills/Work Habits, and ii) Subject areas. The first term (September to January) Provincial Report card will be completed and shared with parents on the evening of February 14th and the morning of February

15th. A final Provincial Report Card will be completed in late June.

For more information regarding the new assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools, please visit:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf or www.edugains.ca

J. Vennare (Gr. 3)

Shawn Driedger

Michael Quinn

R. Troina (Gr. 4)

Violet Romano

Paul Bellissimo

R. Achong (Gr. 4)

Carlie Primomo

Nicholas Primomo

M. Russo (Gr. 5)

Fabio Baramaj

Isabella Frasca

Elisa Litrenta

J. Berneche (Gr. 5)

Noah Biasi

Isabella Vincent

Gabriela Manna

M. MacDonald (Gr. 6)

Nicole Martino

Stephen Giansante

S. Bellisario (Gr. 6)

Christopher Robinson

Joseph Monardo

Charlie Waddell

G. Lui (Gr. 7)

Sydney Mior

Barbara Caka

Matteo Colo

R. Gargano (Gr. 7)

Francesca Litrenta

Jean Paul Garzon

D. Farrell (Gr. 8)

Emily Santos

Daniel MacLellan

Francesca Mazzuca

M. Torrieri (Gr. 8)

Alexandra Mijovic

Azora Di Filippis

Nicholas Carbone

STUDENT(S) OF THE MONTH

CONGRATULATIONS to the following students.

They displayed the Virtue of Hospitality for the

month of September.

M. Palermo-Saraco ELP

Ashoka Ahluwalia

Ryan Bernardino

Abby Bertola

J. Salvadori ELP

Sofia Cioffi

Dylon Da Costa

William Tubaro

L. Di Placido ELP

Georgia Galluzzo

Owen McGuckin

Rafael Lacroce

I.Drohobycky (Gr. 1)

Sonya Pashkewych

Daniel Petti

L. Pimento (Gr. 1)

Leandro Carrion

Vanessa Clarizio

D. Lloyd (Gr.1 and 2)

Emily Ancimer

Christian Giannone

L. Pesegi-Galluzzo (Gr. 2)

Daniel Berton

Samantha Porcarelli

C. Spatare (Gr.2)

Adam Galati

Natalie De Paoli

Bianca Opacak

Olivia Pellarin

Maria Dinatolo

K. Connolly (Gr. 3)

Liana Pinnock

Marissa Carnovale

PAGE 5 FATHER SERRA TIMES OCTOBER 2012

The Elementary Guidance Counsellor

What does an Elementary Guidance Counsellor do?

The most important role of the Elementary Counsellor is to be an advocate for stu-

dents as they strive to meet the challenges and demands of their everyday school

life.

At Father Serra Catholic School, our guidance counsellor works to:

Help with the personal and academic growth of all students.

Develop educational and career decision-making skills among all students.

Promote the development of interpersonal skills among all students.

Provide services to the school community which will assist in the growth and learning of all students.

Our counsellor can help students to...

Do Better in School

Get Along With Others

Cope With Changes

Feel Good About Themselves

Make Decisions

Understand Feelings

What else does our guidance counsellor do?

Visits classrooms

Teaches lessons about: respecting yourself and others, identifying your feelings, solving problems peacefully

making friends and getting along with others, and other such topics

Meets with students individually and in a group for a variety of issues such as: family changes, grief/loss,

anger/self-control, friendship/social skills, self-confidence, stress management, goal-setting

Meets with parents, teachers and other school specialists

Helps the grade eight students transition from elementary to high school

How does a student see the guidance counsellor?

They request to speak to the guidance counsellor

The teacher requests it

The principal suggests it

Mom or Dad requests it

Please remind your children that:

All children have the right to feel safe and happy at school; all children

have the responsibility to ensure that their peers feel safe and happy at

school!

SAFETY CONCERNS FOR OUR CHILDREN:

We ask that all parents and guardians reinforce the following street proofing strategies with their children:

Children should:

Always tell you where they are

Know how to use the pay telephone, including how to call long distance by dialing direct or using operator

assistance. They should always have emergency telephone money with them.

Memorize the telephone numbers (including area code) of home

and a neighbour

Know their name, age, address, city and province

Go places with friends

Never approach or enter a stranger’s car

Never say they are alone if they answer the phone or door

Never let strangers in the house

Never accept gifts from strangers

Never enter anyone’s home or car without permission from parents

Know that it is unwise to believe stories such as a person wanting

them to help find a lost pet, etc.

Know it’s okay to say ―NO‖ to adults, especially if the adult wants

them to do something which makes them uncomfortable or they know

is wrong

Know that no one has the right to touch any part of his or her body that a bathing suit would cover

Recognize suspicious behaviour and report it

Know to tell you if someone has asked them to keep a secret from you

Know what to do in case of unwelcome attention e.g. walk faster, go to a neighbourhood store, head for a busy

street, walk toward a group of people and wave as if they see someone they know

Scream and keep screaming if something is wrong

Kick and bite hard if someone grabs them

Know that police officers are friends

Parents are encouraged to give their children a ―password‖ known only to them. This can be used when a stranger,

a friend or family member approaches them and asks them to come with them.

When necessary use the following numbers for assistance or to report suspicious people or behaviours:

Emergency Help - 911

Metropolitan Toronto Police Radio Room - 416-808-2222

Crime Stoppers – 416-222-TIPS

October 2012 FATHER SERRA TIMES PAGE 6

CRIME STOPPERS - 416-222-8477

You Can Make A Difference

REPORT CRIME

CASH REWARD UP TO $2,000.00

We don’t want your name - Just

your tip

If you have information about a

CRIME and want to

remain Anonymous.

Call: 416-222-TIPS

(8477)

Online: www.222tips.com