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St. John XXIII Catholic School
The Monthly - April 2015
“We believe in the power of prayer.”
Happy Easter!
Dear Parents:
Trustee
Carol Cotton
Superintendent
Nancy Di Nardo
Principal
Chris Mills
Secretary
Celeste Cunha
Parish
St. Justin Martyr
Parish Priest
Father Joseph Singh
St. John XXIII Catholic School
125 Krieghoff Avenue
Unionville, Ontario
L3R 1V8
905-477-3288
http://j23.ycdsb.ca
Twitter: @SJXXIIICES
Celebrating the Virtue of
Reverence
honour and respect God’s gift of life
-appreciate the awe and wonder of
God’s creation
-celebrate the joy of Christ’s
resurrection
“Let parents bequeath in their children,
not riches, but a spirit of reverence.”
Plato
While the month of April often provides us with a glimpse of the warmer weather to come and signs of spring flowers emerging from a deep winter sleep, it is
also a time when we will be celebrating the most sacred and hopeful time of our
faith; Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
To help us prepare for the blessed season of Easter, our Grade 7 and 8 students
will be presenting a play about the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. St. John
XXIII families are warmly invited to St. Justin Martyr Parish at 7:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, April 1st for this special event. Students and staff will also have an
opportunity enjoy The Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ performance on Holy
Thursday, April 2nd.
A special congratulations to our Grade 8 students who will be receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on Tuesday, April 14th, and to our Grade 2 students
who will be receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion on Saturday, April 11th.
We wish them God’s blessings as they continue to deepen their faith and grow
in God’s love.
On behalf of the entire St. John XXIII staff, I would like to wish all of our students and
their families the joy and hope this season of Easter brings.
Warmest regards,
C. Mills
Principal
An Easter Prayer
Lord, the resurrection of Your Son
has given us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
Amen
Creating Quality Learning Communities
Oral Communications
SJXXIII Oral Communications Competition will be held on Thursday, April 9th in the gym. Junior students will
present at 9:15 a.m. and Intermediate students at 10:45 a.m. The top student from each division will attend
the area- level Oral Communications Competition which will be held at All Saints C.E.S. in Markham on April
14th, 2015. Thank you to Mrs. Couchman and Miss Pellegrino for organizing our Oral Communications
program and to all of the teachers and students who have been working hard on their speeches.
Good luck to all!
Grade Three and Grade Six students will be writing their EQAO tests at the end of May and the beginning of June.
Our teachers have been working hard throughout the year to ensure that our students have the knowledge, skills and
confidence to reflect their true competency during EQAO. We encourage you to continue to do your part as parents
in reinforcing and supporting your child’s education. We wish students all the best on their EQAO test writing.
We ask that parents try not to schedule any trips or appointments during these weeks in order to accommodate the
prescriptive timelines of the EQAO testing procedures.
Library News
Forest of Reading: Forest of Reading Competition is Canada's largest recreational reading program and is
organized by the Ontario Librarian Association. This competition helps to celebrate this year's nominated
titles and we will have the opportunity to participate in a province-wide vote. For more information on this
reading program please visit the OLA website atwww.accessola.org.
Parent Resource Section: Thanks to the generous support of our Catholic School Council, St. John XXIII
Library is proud to carry a collection of DVDs, picture books and non-fiction resources on an assortment of
topics that may be of interest to parents. If you would like to sign out one of these resources, please speak with Miss
Pellegrino, the teacher-librarian, who would be more than happy to help you.
Cosom Hockey
Congratulations to the Canucks who defeated the Canadiens by a score of 4-2 in the Cosom Hockey Finals. It
was another great season for all the students who participated! Students demonstrated excellent sportspersonship behaviour and improved hockey skills. Thank you to the Grade 8 students who assisted Mr. Nunno in
coaching the teams and a special thank you to Mr. Nunno for his ongoing commitment in organizing this annual
intramural program!
Basketball
Our boys intermediate Basketball team played very well in the area tournament on March 24th at St. Brother
Andre High School. Thank you to Mr. Racanelli and Mlle Nazar for all their efforts in coaching the team.
Junior Basketball practices for both the boys and girls teams are underway– local tournaments are
scheduled on April 27th and 28th respectively.
Running Club
Running Club will be beginning the end of April – stay tuned for more information.
“We believe in the power of prayer.”
Celebrating Our Faith
The Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ Play
The Grade 7 and 8 students have been working very hard practicing The Passion Play. Their
dedication and willingness to share their talents with each other has been inspirational! The Passion Play will
be performed at St. Justin Martyr Church on Wednesday, April 1st at 7:30 p.m. There is also a second
performance on Holy Thursday, April 2nd at 1:15 p.m. in the school gymnasium. We hope you will find the
time to attend one of these performances as you continue to reflect on the greatest sacrifice ever made.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Our Grade 8 students have been on their faith journey toward Confirmation. They will be
confirmed by Father Joseph Singh at St. Justin Martyr Church on the evening of Wednesday April 14th at 7:30
p.m. May God continue to bless our students and their families as they continue on their journey toward the
Sacrament of Confirmation.
Sacrament of First Holy Communion
Our Grade 2 students have been working very hard preparing for their First Holy Communion which will take
place on Saturday, April 11th at the 5:00 p.m. mass at St. Justin Martyr Church. We pray for our students and
their families as they receive this blessed sacrament and continue on their journey of faith.
Luke 4:18
‘Getting involved and making a difference!’
The members of the Luke 4:18 committee continue to collect milk bags used to make mats in third world
countries. These mats help to keep people dry and clean when sleeping. Please check out the sample
mat in the front foyer! Outer milk bags are perfect because they will not break down in the sun, and they
are waterproof. Milk bags will continue to be collected until June. Thank you for your continued support of this important
initiative!
Our next initiative is to assist Canadian Hearts & Hands. This is a Catholic charity that provides healthcare, education,
and social support services through their missions in Mexico and Kenya. Luke 4:18 Committee members will be promoting
this worthy cause in the coming weeks. Donations of summer clothing for men, women, and children will be collected as
well as school supplies, toiletries, and gently used toys (no stuffed animals, please).
Catholic Education Week-May 3-8
The theme to be celebrated this year will be “Exploring Paths of Joy” and focuses on the proclamation,
‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road.’ (Luke 24:32)
We will be sharing more information of the special events we have planned to celebrate this week.
“We believe in the power of prayer.”
Embracing a Safe and Caring School
Catholic School Council
Our next Catholic School Council meeting is Tuesday, April 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the school Library.
Your voice and ideas are important. Please join us!
Junior Kindergarten
Throughout the months of January, February and March, we have been registering Junior Kindergarten
students for September 2015. If you have a child who is eligible to begin JK in September (born in 2011)
please register as soon as possible.
Volunteer Appreciation Tea—May 4, 2015
‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ Margaret Mead
Our Volunteer Appreciation Tea is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th at 2:30 p.m. and honours the
kindness and support of the many volunteers in our school community who so generously give of their
time and share their talents benefiting all our students.
St. John XXIII Yearbook 2014-2015
Yearbook order forms will be going home on Tuesday, April 7th. The cost for a soft cover yearbook is $35,
but please check the order form for upgrade options. Orders are due on May 15th, 2015. You may also
order online.
Graduation
Grade Eight parents, mark your calendars! Our graduation date has been set for Tuesday June 23rd at St.
Justin Martyr Church. We are very much looking forward to this special ceremony. More details will
follow.
ECO
The Ecoteam will be springing into action for Earth Week from April 20th to 24th! Earth Day is on April 22nd
and our school will be participating in activities such as Boomerang Lunch daily and cleaning of the school
grounds (weather permitting).
On Friday, April 24th we will be having a “Celebration of the Earth” liturgy.
Speed Stacking
Our speed stacking team will participate in a tournament at Bur Oak Secondary School on Saturday, April
18th. The team members are Isaiah L., Vincent D., Kaylyn T., Maximus R., Emma H., Heidi W., Annelise A., and
Amanda B. Continue practicing and best of luck at the tournament!
“We believe in the power of prayer.”