May, 2015
Dino Giuliani
Donna Hackett
Father Michael
Father Claudio
Trustee
Superintendent
Pastor
Parish Priest
St. Angela Merici
Principal
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
Mrs. L Piccoli
ST. ANGELA MERICI
Walking in the Light of Christ
MAY IS FOR MARY
“Blessed are you among women…"
Luke 1:40
Mary is special because she lived
the very meaning of the Gospel
that we are all invited to live.
Mary’s example of staying with
Jesus through his suffering and
death encourages us to be filled
with compassion and hope. Mary
did not wallow in grief, but took
courage from Jesus’ resurrection.
We have been promised in Baptism that the hope Mary saw fulfilled in her life will be realized within our own lives.
During the Month of May, we will
be praying to our Mother Mary
during the morning announcements.
We will also be praying the Living
Rosary during the month of May.
This will take place in our school
gymnasium. The date will be provided to our community and all are
welcome to pray with us.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK:
Exploring Paths of Joy
May 4-May 8, 2015
Catholic Education Week this
year takes place from Sunday,
May 4 to Friday, May 8. During
this week, the Catholic Community celebrates the distinctive contribution that Catholic schools
make to our students, our community and our society. This
year’s theme, “Exploring Paths
of Joy”, is particularly appropriate
as schools are faith communities.
We explore together and grow
together in the faith which we
received at our Baptism. There
are 5 sub-themes for each day of
the week:
The staff and students of St. Angela Merici invite you to attend a
celebration of music and dance
on Wednesday May 13 at 6:30
p.m. and Thursday, May 14 at
1:15 p.m.. The students have
been working hard with their
classroom teachers as well as
Signora Gaeta and Ms. Darmanin
to prepare music and dance numbers.Looking forward to seeing
you there.
Day 1 –Walking Together and
Sharing Our Stories
Day 2– Opening the Scriptures
Day 3 –Welcoming Others to the
Table
Day 4—Recognizing Jesus in the
Breaking of the Bread
Day 5—Proclaiming the Good
News
Happy Mother's Day
Virtue for the month
of May...
RESPONSIBILITY
SAM Talent Show A Celebration of the Arts
Sunday, May 10 2015
Monthly Rosary
Look for our upcoming Rosary
liturgy which will
take place in the
gym.
SACRAMENT CELEBRATONS
Our Grade 2 students celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on May 2. We congratulate them
and bless them. .
On May 5th, at 7:00 pm, our grade 8’s will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Peter’s
Church.
We congratulate our students and their sponsors.
CURRICULUM UPDATE & MORE
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Congratulations to the following
students who have placed first,
second and third place in the
2014/2015 Junior and Intermediate Divisions
Oral Communication Competition--We are
extremely proud of your accomplishments and
we extend our congratulations and best of luck
to our first place winners who went to our Area
Finals, which was held at St. Emily C.E.S. on
April 20/21, 2015
Junior Division Winners
1. Julia O-Inequality between Male and
Female Athletes
2. Cristina M-Child Labour
3. Bianca D-Pan Am Games
Intermediate Division Winners
1. Elisabetta C-Inspiring Woman
2. Massimo M-Freedom of Speech
3. Marco C-Want Vs. Greed
Good luck to Elisabetta C. who will move
onto the Board Finals at St. Mary of the
Angels on May 7.
LOST AND FOUND
The school’s lost and found is growing with a
variety of clothing and shoes. Please take the
time to come in and check for any lost items.
Our lost and found box is located in the west
stairwell. After June 19th, all unclaimed items will be donated to a
local charity.
FOOTWEAR FOR SAFETY
Students should not be wearing flip-flops or
any open toed shoes to school. Running
shoes should be worn with socks so as to
avoid getting blisters. Please ensure that
your child wears the proper footwear for their
own safety at school.
DRIVEWAY SAFETY
With the onset of good weather, more and
more children are walking to school. For
the safety of all children, please drive slowly into the school’s driveway when entering
the Kiss and Ride area. The front driveway
is for buses only and it is out of bounds to
all cars. For the safety of all children, cars
must not enter the front driveway.
pledges to help the children of the
Dominican Republic. As a thanks
from Father Michael and Father
Claudio, SAM students enjoyed a
game of bowling at the Woodbridge Bowling Centre on April 30 and May
1st. We thank Ms. Coronas, Ms. DeLuca,
Ms Cecatini and for organizing this fundraiser.
CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
To increase awareness of children’s mental
health both the York Region District School
Board and the York Catholic District School
Board along with the Children’s Mental Health
Agencies which provide services in York Region,
are declaring May 4 to May 8 Children’s Mental
Health Week. Children’s Mental Health Ontario
(www.kidsmentalhealth.ca) and your local children’s mental health providers, Blue Hills Child
and Family Centre (905-773-4323)); Kinark Child
and Family Centre (1-888-454-6275); and The
York Centre for Children, Youth and Families
(905 887-5896) encourage you to learn more
about good mental health as well as the challenges faced by children and youth and the solutions that are available.
Our Grade 3 students will be writing EQAO on
May 25-29. Our Grade 6 students will be
writing on June 1-4. During this week, it is
very important that students arrive at
school on time, have a good breakfast and
a good night’s sleep. Please ensure that
your child attends regularly and we ask
that you avoid booking appointments and
vacations while the testing is going on.
However, if your child is ill, do not send them
to school. Please be reminded that this is
only one assessment of what your child has
learned. The teacher’s regular classroom
assessments remain crucial to the learning
process. Parents will receive a report in the
Fall from the Ministry detailing their child’s
results.
Thank You to our
Catholic School Council
Thank you to our Catholic
School Council for supporting
so many of our programs
here at St. Angela. They
recently approved to support
the following:
1. Purchase of 1 new Promethean Board
2. New Volleyball net
3. Confirmation and First Communion
4. Grade 8 Graduation
5. S.K. Graduation
6. New microphones (cordless and lapel)
The many volunteers support us on a daily
basis with the hot lunch program, and parent night work shops. Our school would not
be the same with the hard work and dedication of these volunteer parents. Thank you
from the staff and students at St. Angela
Merici
Kindergarten News
Students in Kindergarten will be very
busy this month with a number of activities. They include the following:
Jiggy Jump Performance–May 15, 2015
First Impressions for new registrations
– May 22
Growing Celebration of Learning-May
27 at 2:00 p.m.
.
Bowling for the Children of the
Dominican Republic
Thank you to all the families who collected
Page 2
S T . A N G E L A M E R I CI
Schools need to be safe and welcoming places so that
all students feel comfortable to learn. Between 23rd
April and 22nd May, all students in Grades 4, 6, & 7
will be given an opportunity toi complete the school
climate survey. This information will help us learn how
we can continue to make our Catholic School a safe
place in which everyone feels respected and that they
belong. The results collected will be used to build
upon the strengths previously identified in the 2014
survey of parents and school staffs, as well as address areas of concern as we continue our efforts to
promote peace, justice and the sacredness of human
life of all of our students at St. Angela Merici and cre-
MOVING
If you are moving and transferring to another school, it is important that you inform the
school as soon as possible so that we may determine our staffing needs for the 2015-2016
school year.
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION
The process for the formation of class lists for
September will soon begin. The first step in this
process is to determine class organization,
Grades 1-8, consistent with Board, Ministry and
contract guidelines. Each student will be individually discussed and placed according to what
staff believes is best for the child. 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, special education teachers,
French teachers, along with the Principal will
meet to carefully consider the following criteria:
learning styles, academic abilities, social grouping, special education needs, English as a Second Language, behavioral needs, balance of
male/female, previous placement in combined
classes. You can surely appreciate that creating
the best and most functional class groupings
possible is a task which requires much thought
and careful planning. Accepting parental requests for specific teachers would not be in
the best interest of all children in the school
as it could restrict school staff in forming
what we consider the most ideal classroom
groupings. Parents may not request a specific teacher. The teachers who have been workM A Y , 20 1 5
ing with the students all year know them
well and will make determination of placement in their best interest. However, if you
feel there are extenuating circumstances not listed above, or that additional
clarification is needed, you may submit
your concern in writing, including rationale, to the Principal, Mrs. L. Piccoli
by May 15, 2015. Letters written to the
Principal regarding class placements
should not be to request a particular
teacher. Staffing may not be finalized
until late in the school year. As always,
enrollment numbers may necessitate the
need for combined grades in the school.
They are a reality in all elementary schools
across Ontario. There will not be changes
made to our class organizations unless the
change comes through our Administration.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Last School Day for
2014-2015 School Year
is Thursday , June 25th.
Friday June 26th is a
P.A. Day. Report cards
will be sent home on the
25th of June,
Grade 8 Events
Our Grade 8 students will be travelling to Ottawa
on June 2, 3, and 4th to enjoy the sites and culture of a new city. Supervisors attending the
excursion include Mrs. Zingaro, Ms. Bagazzoli,
Ms Staltieri, Ms. Colaianni, and Mrs. Piccoli.
Graduation Mass for our graduates will be on
Monday, June 22, 2015 at 10:45 in the School
Gym.
Graduation Ceremonies will be at Le Jardin on
Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. More information on these events is forthcoming
TAKE NOTE ……..
SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY
PUNCTUALITY
It is critical that students arrive at school on
time. The bells ring at 8:50 a.m. Students
who are late create a disruption to both the
classroom and the office. They also miss
out on the initial instructions and plans for
the day. Please do your best to ensure that
your child arrives before the bell in the
morning. Yard duty supervision begins at
8:35 a.m. There is no supervision before
then. Afternoon classes begin at 1:00 pm.
Again, your child must arrive on time to
begin the afternoon sessions. If your child
goes home for lunch or is absent for the
morning, please ensure they are back on
time for the afternoon.
Continuing Education
Greetings from the Continuing Education Department of the York Catholic
District School Board.
A copy of our Elementary Course Guide
and a brochure entitled, "Passport to
Gr.9" for Grade 8 students should be
making its way home to you by the beginning of May. Kindly take notice of
the opening and closing registration
dates for various programs. For more
information, or to register online, please
visit the Board website and click on
Continuing Education or visit us at http://
ce.ycdsb.ca. Our programs are offered
on a first come, first serve basis. Register early and avoid disappointment. We
thank you for your continued support.
.
Page 3
Athletics at St. Angela Merici
Junior Boys’ Basketball
Good luck to our Junior Boys Basketball Team who will be competing at their Divisional Tournament held at St.
Catherine of Siena on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, The following boys were selected to represent St. Angela
Merici: Marco C., Nicolas V., Joshua B., Joshua V., Justin P., Nicholas P., Gabriel R., Luciano R., Alexander
S., Eric D., and Jack I.
A special thanks to Mr. Naccarato for coaching our boys and to the team managers. Very special thanks to all of the parents
for coming to support our boys.
Junior Girls’ Basketball
The Junior girls’ basketball team is hard at work practising for their season. The following students were selected to represent
St. Angela at the area tournament: Victoria C., Emily P., Taija S.,Emily Z., Victoria C., Emma C., Cristina M., Lea R., Maia F.,
Bianca D., Cerrina T., Giulia O.
Thank you to their coach, Ms. Cavuto and parent coach Mr. Sta. Maria for their time and commitment to Junior athletics.
Intermediate Soccer
Preparations are underway for the creation of both a girls and boys intermediate soccer team. Thank
you to Mr Naccarato, Ms. Zingaro, Ms. Coronas and Ms. Roccari, and volunteer Steven Bagazzoli for
their time and commitment in coaching these teams. The Giochi Della Gioventu tournament will be
taking place on May 11 and 12.
Track and Field
Students at St. Angela Merici have begun to prepare for their track and field season. Within the physical
Education program, teachers have begun to train the children in the many track and field events. Individual coaches have also begun to work with groups of children in preparation for the June 8th meet at
St. Maximillian Kolbe in Aurora. Thank you to Mrs. Greco and Ms. Sisti for leading the coaching team
and organizing the school level event as well as Ms. Malone and Mr. Naccarato for leading the early
morning conditioning sessions.
Transportation
Student School Transportation Eligibility
Did you know that students’ busing eligibility changes throughout their school career? Your son/daughter’s eligibility to ride the school bus may change according to their grade and distance from home to school.
York Catholic District School Board’s (YCDSB) Transportation Policy #203 outlines the student transportation
eligibility requirements:
•All YCDSB students in Grades JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation
•All YCDSB students in Grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation
•All YCDSB students in Grades 9-12 who live within 4.8 km of their school or 3.2 km in a non-transit served
area are not eligible for transportation.
To view the full policy, go to the board website at www.ycdsb.ca. Check under Board of Trustees and click on
Board Policies.
Don’t wait until September to find out if this may affect your child’s school transportation eligibility. Find out
now. For more information about student transportation and to determine your son/daughter’s eligibility, please
visit www.schoolbuscity.com.
The York Catholic District School Board approves
Long Term Accommodation Plan for 2015-2020
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