1. education
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Christ the king
Catholic School
329 Valleymede Dr., Richmond Hill, Ont., L4B 2E1
Phone: (905) 771-6036
Attendance Line: 1-855-856-7862
Fax: (905) 771-9725
Principal: Mr. M. Bergeron
Vice-Principal: Mrs. M. Smith Secretary: Mrs. N. Panacci
Superintendent: Mrs. Mary Battista
Secretary: Mrs. K. Peat
Trustees: Mrs. Ann Stong and Mr. Dominic Mazzotta
“Feel the Spirit. Get involved. Make a difference!”
May-June Issue
With Catholic Education Week just ahead of us, we find ourselves progressing towards the end of the year and
a well-deserved Summer break. You will find in your hands the final newsletter for this year with the information you will
need to end this school year informed and prepared for September 2015.

This is the first paper newsletter since March 2015. Most of our school information is shared on our website
ctk.ycdsb.ca. The website allows parents and guardians to access school news in real time while the information is still current. We will continue the practice of using the website as our main means of communication
next year but are considering expanding to sending the newsletter by e-mail. A paper newsletter will be sent
home in September 2015.

Please be aware that EQAO assessments will take place between May 25th and June 5th. These are significant
days for the students. It is important that they attend school on those days and that they come well-rested and
prepared to write the assessment. Absent students affect the overall result of the assessment which may lead to
inaccurate data. We rely on that data to plan our school goals. English-track students write all three components
of the assessment while French Immersion students write only the Math component.

Parent Protocol for School Trips—We recognize that school trips are only possible with the support of parent volunteers playing an integral role in ensuring adequate supervision. In order to ensure consistency in our supervision practices, parents accepting to supervise understand and agree to follow these important guidelines: 1)
Supervisors must be actively supervising the students and avoid distractions (i.e. using a cell phone), 2) Due to
life-threatening allergies, supervisors must not purchase any type of food for group members, 3) Only supervisors selected by the teacher may attend the trip; no other family members, please.

Please keep in mind that in September, students will be required to purchase their agenda. The cost will be approximately $8.00. Agendas are very important in helping students learn organizational skills. We expect each
student in Grades 1-8 to have one and to use it regularly. We will be collecting the money during the first week of
school and agendas will be distributed thereafter.

Our school BBQ is Friday, June 12th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. A separate memo with specific information is forthcoming. Food will be available to purchase on that day but we are buying a limited amount of “extra” food.

We are a uniform school and most students have been coming to school dressed in a standardized uniform. With
the warm weather upon us, we are reminding parents and guardians that our uniform has specific elements that
make it a uniform. Details are on the school website. Please avoid sending your child to school in something that
is not in the spirit of the uniform. Also, a student’s uniform should be clean and free of patches, rips and tears.
Thank you for your co-operation in helping us promote pride in the school uniform.

Lunch-time supervisors needed—Because of our transition to Full-day Kindergarten last September,
we continue to require lunch-time supervisors to supervise the Kingergarten children for one hour during
lunch or to supervise students in Grades 1-8 while they eat their lunch and go out for lunch recess. It is
a paid position and runs Monday to Friday from 11:30-12:30 p.m. You may choose to work one or two
days a week which is fine. Please let our office staff know if you are interested or if you know somebody who would be suitable for this position.

Our school continues to grow and, as a result, we are adding classes to our existing organization. An
interest in French Immersion has resulted in a school that is steadily growing. That means that we will
now be adding one, two or possibly more portables. Growth in certain grades and decline in other
grades means that there will be several combined classes in both the English and French Immersion
tracks. Although some parents do not favour combined classes, criteria for which students will be
placed in a combined class have been established and the criteria will be used to make our decisions
with regards to class composition.

The process of the formation of class lists for September will begin shortly. Each student in the school
will be individually discussed and placed in a class according to what staff believes is best for the child
and what is in the best interest of the school as a whole. Our goal is to establish balanced classes to
provide effective working groups which will benefit all children in each class. Teachers from both the
receiving and sending grades will meet to carefully consider the following criteria: learning styles, academic abilities, social education needs, English as a Second Language needs, behavioural needs, balance of males and females and previous placement in combined classes. I am sure that you can appreciate that creating the best and most functional class groupings possible is a task which requires
much thought and careful planning. Although we welcome a letter from you (due in the office by May
15th) suggesting ideas that will help us place your child in the best possible environment, parents, as a
general practice, cannot request a specific teacher. Any letters containing the names of teachers will
not be considered and will be returned to the parent/guardian.

The Government of Ontario, the Ministry of Education, and local School Boards are responsible to students and to their parents to ensure that as much funding as possible is directed to the education needs
of students. Recent provincial announcements have highlighted the need for school boards across the
province to reduce surplus capacity through the implementation of a Long Term Accommodation Plan.
At its Regular Meeting of the Board held on March 24th, 2015, the Board of Trustees approved the York
Catholic District School Board’s Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP) for 2015-2020. The LTAP is a
planning report which highlights the current and future student accommodation needs of the York Catholic District School Board. Implementation of the LTAP will begin in the Fall 2015. The LTAP focuses
on the four (4) Rs: "Right Program" (elementary school and/or secondary school initiatives); "Right Facility" (physical space in the building, school yard and parking lot); "Right-Size" (student placements,
school organization); and, "Right Location" (geography). The LTAP includes a number of accommodation initiatives, which range from new schools to accommodation reviews and boundary reviews, program considerations, temporary accommodations, as well as, facility partnerships. Each accommodation initiative will be guided by a process that includes opportunities for community participation and
consultation. The York Catholic District School Board is committed to keeping all stakeholders informed
throughout the process. To view the Long Term Accommodation Plan in full, and for more detailed information, visit: http://www.ycdsb.ca/departments/Planning/ltap.htm

Our staff takes the responsibility of teaching and caring for your child/children very seriously. If there is
anything we need to know about your child (recent assessments, emotional issues, etc.), either between now and the end of June, or over the Summer months, please let us know so that we can meet
his/her needs and program for him/her accordingly.
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