September08 2006 2006 St. Helen Catholic School News · the December newsletter. The Council meets regularly and encourages the attendance of all community stakeholders. Please join

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Virtue of the month:

PEACE “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.”

November 2015 September08 2006 2006

St. Helen Catholic School News

During the month of November we focus on the virtue of PEACE. As we celebrate the Year of Family, we connect the virtue of peace to the Sign of Peace at Mass. Each time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we are invited to extend a sign of peace to those around us. Catholic social teaching reminds us that we are one family regardless of differences in ethnic, religious, or economic backgrounds. We are called to love our neighbour and loving our neighbour has global dimensions in a shrinking world.

A Sanborn M. Bethke CSPC MEETING– Wednesday, November 4th Meeting at 6:00 p.m. POINSETTIA SALE – Warm up your Holiday Season with beautiful Poinsettias while helping to support St. Helen School. Sale begins November 5th. Orders due on November 20th. CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES - November Pizza Days take place on Nov. 6th & 20th. TOY DRIVE – November 9th – 23rd. More details to follow. PROGRESS REPORTS – Go home November 10th. REMEMBRANCE DAY SCHOOL MASS - Remembrance Day School Mass at St. Helen Church takes place on November 11th at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome!

SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY – Red Day – Wear red on November 11th.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES – November 12th & 13th.

**REMINDER P.A. DAY NOVEMBER 13TH – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS**

DENTAL SCREENING – Begins November 16th

PHOTO RETAKE/SIBLING PHOTO DAY- Photo retakes and sibling photos take place on November 17th. LUNCH LADY – Wednesday’s in November.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED SCHOOL WEBSITE AT: www.tcdsb.org/schools/sthelen including school newsletters and calendars.

…that together you may with ONE VOICE glorify the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6

St. Helen Catholic School

1196 College Street, Toronto Ontario, M6H 1B8 Telephone: 416-393-5208

Fax: 416-397-6142

Principal: Alise Sanborn

Vice-Principal: Michael Bethke

Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco

Trustee:

Barbara Poplawski

Parish: Father John Cabral

St. Helen Roman Catholic Church 1680 Dundas Street

Toronto, Ontario M6H 3M8

Phone: 416-531-8188

School Hours: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Lunch Hour: 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Family, School, Parish

Together with One Voice

Year of the Family

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH FOR November is Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) We encourage our students to demonstrate the monthly virtues. Students will be recognized with certificates on the bulletin board in the office each month. During the Month of November we will be celebrating the virtue of Peace.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Students will be recognized with certificates to take home. Students of the month for the Virtue of Hospitality in September are:

Patricia C., Zachary P., Gabriel L., Emma C., Joshua C., Emma F., Julia B., Emily A., Michael N., Chloe D., Rachelle P., Vanessa C., Sara D., Caroline P., Chelsee M., Justin A., Mateus P. Students of the month for the Virtue of Gratitude in October are:

Derek R., Leah D., Caua S., Sierra F., Joseph E., Daniella M., Joseph D., Malisa M., Gabriel D., Liesel M., Mackenzie A., Storm L., Helena D., Agatha A., Lucas A. The Virtue of Peace in November will be posted in the December newsletter.

The Council meets regularly and encourages the attendance of all community stakeholders. Please join us at our monthly scheduled CSPC meetings on November 4th, January 6th, February 3rd, April 6th, May 4th and June 1st at 6:00 p.m. We encourage your involvement.

ST. HELEN POINSETTIA FUNDRAISER St. Helen School is holding a Poinsettia Sale to help raise funds to be used for enhancing and improving our educational

programs at the school. Order forms are being sent home and are due back on November 20th.

Plants will be available for pick up on December 3rd from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. or December 4th during our Christmas Market.

CSPC PIZZA LUNCHES – November 6th& 20th Volunteers are greatly needed to assist with these hot lunches. If you are able to volunteer an hour of your time on pizza days, please fill in a volunteer form available in the office and someone will contact you.

TOY DRIVE Nov. 9th to 23rd St. Helen Student Leaders will be having a Christmas Toy Drive for children in families that haven’t the means to provide a gift on

Christmas Day. The toy drive will run from November 9 – 23 and students are asked to purchase a NEW toy suitable for a child of their age and grade. Unwrapped toys can be dropped off to Room 107 or during our Parent Teacher Conferences Nov 12 & 13. Thank you for your generosity and continuous support of our community!

SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY – NOVEMBER 11TH WEAR RED & A POPPY

St. Helen School will demonstrate our gratitude to those who gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy today by wearing red on November 11th and donating a loonie or toonie to the poppy campaign. Each student will receive a poppy to wear. The Poppy has been widely recognized as a symbol of Remembrance, since it was first adopted in 1921. The basic purpose of the poppy funds is to provide immediate assistance to ex-servicemen and women in need. This may include food shelter or medical attention for them or their families. Thank you for your continuous support.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES Will take place on the evening

of Thursday, November 12th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and on Friday, November 13th from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Forms are being sent home for parental sign up.

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PICTURE RETAKE DAY and SIBLING PICTURES - November 17TH

On picture retake day, students will have the opportunity to retake photographs or have a photograph taken with their siblings with parental permission.

LUNCH LADY - WEEKLY Lunch Lady is very excited to be serving our students weekly pre-ordered hot lunches for the 2015-2016 school year. If you have any questions email/call [email protected] 647-436-9134.

CROSS COUNTRY CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to all our Cross

Country Participants who ran in the tournaments last month and represented St. Helen School with pride. A pat on the back goes out to Solange N., Vanessa E., and Christine E. for representing our school at the City Championship.

BOYS AND GIRLS INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL Good luck to those students who are participating in the Volleyball tournaments and representing St. Helen School on November 9th and 10th.

WE SCARE HUNGER FOOD DRIVE – THANK YOU A big thank you is extended to our St. Helen Community for your generous donations made to our

annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. The non-perishable food items were delivered to St. Helen Church during our School Thanksgiving Mass that were used towards feeding those in our community who are in need.

TERRY FOX RUN – THANK YOU On Friday, October 2nd St. Helen School took part in our Second Annual Terry Fox Run. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to this event. We are proud to announce that the final fundraising total given by St. Helen School to the Terry Fox Foundation was over $5,000.00. Not only did the students reach their goal of getting an extended recess, the teachers participated in a Hippie dress up day and our Grade 7 teacher, Mrs. Oliveira, cut her long hair during our assembly to donate to make a wig for cancer patients. A pat on the back for a job well done!!!

DRESS CODE The “Appropriate Dress Code” consists of any combination of solid white and navy blue garments. (i.e., plain white top, navy blue bottom; navy blue top and bottom; no denim). Any sweaters or hoodies to be worn in the school should conform to the blue/white dress code. Thus any articles of clothing with writing/pictures other than the school crest are not appropriate wear. This also means any articles of clothing in colours other than blue and white are not appropriate. Clothing with stripes and checkers are also not appropriate school wear. The school will contact parents when their children are not adhering to the school dress code. Please ensure that your child is equipped with appropriate wear.

SUMMER: In warm months, students should dress modestly. Tops with spaghetti straps, short shorts and torn clothing are not appropriate wear for school. Students are to be dressed properly for a safe physical education class. Running shoes for gym use should not be black soled as they mark up the gym floor. Makeup and jewelry are not appropriate for elementary students. Excessive make-up is not allowed.

All school related activities shall be governed by the dress code. Students are expected to dress in a manner that demonstrates respect for God, self and others. If students are not adhering to the dress code, parents will be notified and students may be requested to go home to change.

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IN SCHOOL WEAR – St. Helen Crested Clothing If you wish to purchase St. Helen crested blue and white clothing from our uniform supplier - In School Wear, please call them directly at 1-888-338-9880 and someone will be able to assist you with placing an order. Please remember that crested St. Helen clothing is optional and not mandatory.

SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM Again this year, St. Helen will be conducting a Safe Arrival Program. Parents whose

children do not arrive at school will be contacted unless the school has been notified in advance of the student's expected absence. Please contact the school office at 416-393-5208 before 8:30 a.m., or before 12:15 p.m. for an afternoon absence if your child will not be attending school. If your child is absent and we have not heard from you, we will make every effort to contact you. The name and phone number of an emergency contact is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. If we are unable to determine the whereabouts of your child, the police may be called, so it is imperative that you fully complete the emergency form you received and keep us up to date for home or business number changes. With your co-operation this can be a very positive program designed to give parents a measure of peace of mind.

PERMISSION TO LEAVE SCHOOL If your child is required to leave school (before normal dismissal times) a note, which is dated and signed by the parent stating the reason for early dismissal, should be presented to the teacher before the student is permitted to leave. A “sign-out” book is located in the office and all persons picking up students or students with written parental permission leaving early must complete the sign-out information before leaving the school. Parents who send friends, neighbours or relatives to pick up their children must inform the school in advance of changes.

SCHOOL SUPERVISION Our children are supervised in our kindergarten yard and schoolyard from 8:15 a.m. to entrance time. Over the lunch hour, the students remaining for lunch are supervised by staff. For safety purposes, parents and guardians are kindly asked to keep the schoolyard clear by waiting on the other side of the fence from 8:15 a.m. and throughout the school day.

INCLEMENT WEATHER During cold or inclement weather please send your child to school

only a few minutes before the bell rings, so that they will not have to stand out in the rain or cold for long periods of time. Students will be kept inside on days in which the weather/wind chill factor is significantly cold or raining. Such decisions are made individually respecting local weather conditions.

HARD EQUIPMENT BALLS IN YARD Due to the risk of hard ball injuries to students and staff from basketballs, soccer balls, etc. in our school yard, the only balls to be used in the yard at any time are to be soft foam balls. This rule has been in place for several years and is announced often during daily announcements. Again this year the school has taken measures to purchase soft foam balls to be used during outdoor play. The consequence for hard balls being brought to school is having these balls taken to the office to be held by the Principal. We thank you for your support in respecting this school rule for the safety of students and allowing them to enjoy their outdoor play in a safe environment.

ALLERGIES / SHARING FOOD St. Helen’s is an allergen aware school. There are children in attendance who suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to certain foods, such as peanuts or other nut products (this includes Nutella). Please let the school know if your child has a new allergy. Please remind your child to refrain from sharing snacks and lunches. Students with ANAPHYLAXIS must carry an EPI-PEN with them at all times as well as having a second EPI-PEN stored at the school

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office. Parents/ Guardians will be given a form: TCDSB REQUEST AND CONSENT FOR ADMINISTRATION OF INJECTION OF MEDICATION IN AN EMERGENCY which is to be completed by the parent/guardian as well as the child’s doctor. An EMERGENCY ALLERGY ALERT FORM EPI-PEN ONLY will be completed with the student’s photo and placed on the Medical Alert Board in the office, staff room and student’s classroom.

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL All visitors (including parents) must report to the office prior to proceeding to classes. For security and safety reasons, access to the school is available through the front doors only to the

school. Please ring the bell to gain access to the school. Please advise the office of any strangers around the school. All volunteers must have a police check. All service providers must be approved by the school board.

December Santa Photos – Dec 3rd

Christmas Market – Dec 4th

Christmas Concert – Dec 16th

GUIDANCE CORNER – Mr. F. Amato

Planning for Your Future

During the month of October,

students in most intermediate

classes began to develop their

Individual Pathways Plan (IPP),

as they prepare to enter high

school and think about what they

would like to do beyond

secondary school. Students created accounts on

myBlueprint and began to set goals for themselves, with

a focus on learning skills; thought about the courses that

they will be taking in high school; started to develop a

resume; and explored various occupations and post-

secondary pathways across Canada.

Parents are encouraged to ask their intermediate

child(ren) to show them the work that they may have

done on myBlueprint and encourage them to continue to

develop their plan for the future. If interested, parents are

invited to create their own account where they can follow

their child’s progress. Simply begin by going to

www.myblueprint.ca/tcdsb and follow simple

instructions.

Please contact me, [email protected] if you would like

detailed instructions on how to create an account and

follow your child’s progress.

High School Applications

Parents of grade 8 students are reminded

to be sure to get those high school

applications back to the school and

accurately completed so that the school

can submit them to the Board by

November 16th. Your child’s application

form is due back at the school well before

the 16th, so ask him or her when the due

date is.

You will also be receiving the After 8 student guide and

parent guide to help you through the process of

completing the application form. Ask your child about it

if you do not see one by early November.

FROM THE BOARD

Project Hope A reminder to all that the

Archdiocese of Toronto has launched “Project

Hope”--Emergency Refugee Resettlement

Campaign. In response to the global

humanitarian crisis, Cardinal Thomas Collins,

Archbishop of Toronto, announced a special

emergency appeal to help Syrian refugees . The

100-day campaign will have a target of $3

million and a goal of settling 100 refugee

families within the Greater Toronto Area as

soon as possible. Schools are encouraged to

partner with their local parish to raise funds for

this worthwhile effort. Get more information

online: https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/project-

hope.aspx

Open House Reminder Grade 8 students and their families are invited

to check out their high school options. TCDSB

secondary schools host open houses each year.

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Check our website for November dates and

locations.

http://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Page

s/default.aspx

Another Flu Season has begun Toronto Public Health Tips for Avoiding the

Spread of Flu and Other Viruses:

Get your flu shot

Wash your hands often

Cover your cough/sneeze

Do the knuckle bump instead of shaking

hands

Stay home if you are sick

Remember to follow @TCDSB on Twitter for all the

latest news and important information throughout the

year.

Or subscribe to ENews and regular updates right to your

email:

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

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Please contact the school if you would like to advertise in this publication.