St. Marguerite d’Youville
Catholic School
April 2015
Newsletter #7
1359 Bayshire Drive
Oakville, Ontario
L6H 6C7
Phone: (905) 849-7772
Fax:
(905) 849-4605
http://schools.hcdsb.org/marg
https://twitter.com/MargueriteHCDSB
Principal: T. Agro
Vice Principal: D. Cochrane
Superintendent: L. Naar
Administrative Assistant: J. Neumann
Secretary:
T. Lefebvre
Office Assistant: T. Purnell
SCHOOL HOURS (GRADES JK-8)
(morning) 8:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. (afternoon) 12:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM
A reminder to please phone the school at 905-849-7772 to report all absences or late arrivals. You can call the
school early in the morning, or the evening before, and leave a message on our answering machine. Clearly state
your child’s name, grade, teacher, a brief reason and length (if known) of the absence. Our Safe Arrival Program
ensures the safety of your child.
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Table of Contents
Page
Principal’s Message
3
Curriculum Update
4
Liturgical
5
Catholic School Council
6
School Events
8
Green Club
9
Special Notices and Highlights
10
Important Dates
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Spring has hopefully arrived. The warmer weather reminds us of new life and gives us an opportunity to celebrate
our Faith.
It is hard to believe that we are entering our final stretch of the school year. We remind our students to continue to
work hard and do their best. It is time for students to examine areas they would like to improve in the final months
of the school year and to identify the goals, which will ensure their success. With your support and assistance, you
may be able to offer your child some ideas and strategies to use in achieving these goals. We look forward to the
next 3 months being successful and rewarding for all.
As we prepare to celebrate Volunteer Week this month, I would like to thank all the parent volunteers who
contribute their time and talents and along with our dedicated and caring staff, help to make St. Marguerite Catholic
School the wonderful school community it is.
Hoping our community enjoys a wonderful Easter with family and loved ones.
God Bless,
Mr. T. Agro
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CURRICULUM UPDATE: INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING
Inquiry-based learning is a whole school area of focus here at St. Marguerite. The first step in an inquiry-based
approach is for teachers to guide their classes in formulating student-generated questions. A valuable tool in
this process is the Q Chart or Questioning Grid.
Factual and Predictive questions are a great way to begin thinking about a topic and how it may be affected by
external factors. The smaller sections, Analytical and Application Synthesis, allow students to dig deeper and make
connections.
Ask your child’s teacher about the ways in which the Questioning Grid is being used to support student learning in
their classroom.
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L ITURGICAL EVENTS
MARY MOTHER OF GOD PARISH, 2745 North Ridge Trail, Oakville, ON L6H 7A3, 905-337-2184,
www.mmogp.ca; [email protected].
Easter Message from Fr. John Van Hees, Pastor
The Cross is a Fruit Tree - “It was I Who chose you to go forth and bear fruit.” - John 15:16. The Lord
commands, graces, and chooses us to bear fruit in the Easter Season, fruit that is abundant and lasting. This means that we are
chosen to lead many people to a total commitment to the Lord and to disciple them so deeply that they will persevere in their
commitment. We bear this abundant, lasting fruit not by our power or efforts but by abiding in the Lord and letting Him abide in us.
We bear abundant, lasting fruit both by being slaves of Jesus who obey Him even when we don’t understand Him, and by being a
friend of Jesus who knows what our Master is about. We bear fruit by letting the Lord trim us clean by His Word. Ultimately, we
bear the right quantity and quality of fruit by loving one another, even to the point of laying down our lives for each other. We bear
fruit by denying our very selves, taking up the cross each day, and following Jesus. Jesus proclaims: “I solemnly assure you,
unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit”. This
Easter, as we journey in the shadow of the cross, let us remember that the cross is the only fruit tree that bears abundant and
lasting fruit. Bear your cross!!! Bear Fruit!!!
Holy Week Mass Schedule: Holy Thursday - Thursday, April 2nd at 8:00 p.m. – Eucharistic Adoration until 10:00
p.m.; Good Friday: Friday, April 3rd - Children’s Remembrance with Gospel Dramatization at 11 a.m.; Adults’ Solemn Liturgy
at 1 p.m.; Easter Vigil—Celebrating Christ’s Rising and the Easter Sacraments: Saturday, April 4th at
8:00 p.m.; Easter Sunday - Our Lord is Truly Risen!!! Sunday, April 5th at 9:00 a.m.; 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon
PARISH COMMUNITY NEWS:
SPRING CLOTHING DRIVE - SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: APRIL 25/26. Our Ministry is
currently serving 85 families in need (including 165 children) who live in our immediate neighbourhood. The
families rely on the clothing drives to meet their clothing requirements and we will gratefully accept your
donations of gently used clothing, shoes, linens and towels before and after the 5pm, 9am and 11am
Masses on April 25/26. PLEASE SORT CLOTHING AND LABEL EACH BAG ACCORDING TO GENDER AND SIZE
(Ladies M, Boys 4-6X, Girls 10-12, Mens L, etc.) as this will greatly help with the sorting efforts. We are in special need
of boy’s clothing and Ladies XL.
Our Mission: The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is a lay Catholic organization whose mission is: To live the Gospel
message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. Our Values: The Mission of the Society of
Saint Vincent de Paul implies that as Vincentians we: see Christ in anyone who suffers come together as a family have
personal contact with the poor help in all possible ways
We thank you in advance for your generous support. Your SSVP Volunteer Team.
"THE EYE IS THE WINDOW TO THE WORLD!" GENTLY USED PRESCRIPTION EYE GLASSES AND
SUN GLASSES ARE A NECESSITY FOR MANY PEOPLE IN THE THIRD WORLD! CONSIDER DONATING YOUR
SPARE AND SURPLUS EYE GLASSES TO HELP THOSE IN NEED! DROP OFF IN THE BINS I THE NARTHEX OF THE CHURCH
BEGINNING APRIL 25TH!
SOAP FOR HOPE SPRING DRIVE AT MARY MOTHER OF GOD PARISH - APRIL 25th/26th,
WEEKEND. Let us pray that God will inspire us and others to get soap to poor families. When a bar of soap is given to a
poor family, we give HOPE! We thank God for all of you that will help us collect soap for the poor. Andrew Alexander
Simone, MD, Executive Director, Canadian Food for Children. We will accept all forms of soap eg. Liquid, bars, or laundry
soap or for that matter any hygiene product. Drop off at the parish bins in the Narthex.
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CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Your School Council welcomes all families back from a much deserved break and we hope everyone
had a safe and fun time away from the regular routines. The next meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7th,
2015 in the Forum. As always we encourage your feedback and your ideas and all parents are invited to attend our
meetings. You may submit any new business proposals to Council 48 hours prior to the meeting. You may send those
directly to [email protected].
UPCOMING EVENTS
This year has been another wonderful and active year at our school. Students have been involved in numerous
interesting and diverse learning opportunities provided as part of their curriculum. The months following March
break are always full of exciting things for the students as Spring brings new energy and continued focus towards a
successful wrap up of another great year.
April is VOLUNTEER appreciation month. The Staff and Students of our school will be hosting
a LITURGY followed by HIGH TEA on:
Wednesday April 15th at 11:15 am.
School Council encourages all our parent volunteers to come out to the annual Volunteer Liturgy and High Tea hosted
by the wonderful staff and students at our school. This special afternoon is set aside to say thank you to all the
volunteers who have helped make our school the wonderful place that it is through the generous sharing of their,
time, talents and energy.
ST. MARGUERITE'S MARAFUN RUN PROGRAM IS BACK IN SPRING!
MaraFun will begin on Monday April 27th.
St. Marguerite School Council is proud to announce the return of the exciting and highly successful MaraFun Run
program. This creative way to offer an opportunity for some weekly physical fitness to our students will begin in
April. This program is modeled on the Mississauga Marathon. The Marguerite MaraFun Run Program is based on the
same commitment to showing kids the benefits of running for their own personal fitness. We selected the morning
run times as studies have clearly indicated the benefits of starting the day with exercise and the positive impact on a
child’s attentiveness, energy level and mental alertness for the rest of the day. This program is a non-competitive
running program which goes for 7 weeks where students run together 3 mornings a week and log their
distance. They will complete 40 km in that 7week period and the final 2 km will be run together at the MaraFun
Finisher scheduled for Thursday, June 18th at our End of Year Barbecue. Parent volunteers and staff will be on hand
each morning to assist and support the students in achieving their distance goals.
MaraFun Launch for Students in Grades 3 – 8 will take place on Thursday, April 16th during last recess.
MaraFun Practice Runs: Mon/Wed/Fri at 8:00 a.m. beginning Monday, April 27th.
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Susan Bentzen is looking for volunteers who would like to help with the morning training runs. Once the site is live
all interested volunteers will be able to register on-line. If you are considering coming out to help please email Susan
directly at [email protected].
If you have questions or need more information on this program please contact me directly at
[email protected].
SPRING CLOTHING DRIVE TO SUPPORT ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
Saturday, April 25th – from 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 26th – from 8:30 until 12:30 p.m.
This year in lieu of a separate Spring Clothing Drive our school will be partnering with our Church to help support our
local Saint Vincent de Paul families. Our school community has always taken advantage of the Spring arrival to turn
over closets and look for gently used items for families in need. In the past we have run our clothing drive to support
Dr. Simone. This year again we are focusing closer to home as we work together as a community to support the
needs of the many families in need in our own community. We encourage you to support our local community by
collecting your items and dropping them off at Mary Mother of God Church. Below is some information from
the Parish.
LUNCH TIME YOGA IN THE FORUM WINTER SESSION
We would like to extend a thank you to our wonderful yoga instructors, Mrs. Elsa Poorrashidi and Miss Cassie
Hurley who provided a fun, enriching and authentic yoga practice for all our young yogis. We look forward to
another opportunity next winter to provide yoga again. Thank you to all the parents who supported the program and
the students who came to practice each week bringing their smiles and their great energy.
CATHOLIC PARENT INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE (CPIC)
CPIC Parent Involvement Award - Nominate someone you know today!
A reminder that CPIC has launched it's Parent Involvement Award and School Councils will be accepting
nominations. All parents will be receiving an email from the Board with the nomination package shortly. Please
consider some of the wonderful volunteers in our school community who go above and beyond in their service to the
school. One nominee will be selected by our School Council to be submitted to CPIC for the Regional Award.
School Council will receive nominations until Wednesday April 15th.
The monthly meeting of CPIC will be held on Monday April 13th at the Board office in Burlington. All parents are
welcome. If you have any questions or concerns relevant to parent engagement opportunities or the role of CPIC
in our Board, please contact, Lyn Hartman, Vice Chair - CPIC and Oakville Regional Representative at
[email protected]. Please look out for upcoming information regarding a call for Nominations to join
CPIC this spring.
If you have any questions regarding CPIC or School Council related questions, concerns or feedback. Please do not
hesitate to contact me, Lyn Hartman, School Council Chair at [email protected].
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SCHOOL EVENTS
CRAWFORD LAKE – Grade 6 Students
April 8th students will be travelling to Crawford Lake to participate in
outdoor activities related to their Social Studies Unit on Communities.
Students and Staff will be travelling by bus, leaving the school at
approximately 9 a.m. and returning at approximately 2:30 p.m.
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
Will be celebrated this year during the week of April 12 – 18, 2015.
National Volunteer Week pays tribute to the millions of Canadian volunteers who graciously donate their time and
talents to our communities. Canada’s volunteers make a tremendous contribution in communities across the country
and around the globe. They make our communities resilient and our country vibrant. Every day, Canadians lend a
hand to their neighbours and friends. And many of them don’t realize that in doing so they’re volunteering.
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
The staff and students of St. Marguerite d’Youville School extend an invitation to all parents who have at any time
during this school year volunteered to assist with special clubs, teams, events, trips, celebrations, safe arrival,
working with students, etc. You are cordially invited to our Volunteer Tea and liturgy on Wednesday, April 15th at
11:15 a.m. The Liturgy will begin at 11:15 a.m. in the school gym followed by a tea in the Forum. RSVP by Thursday
April 2nd (hard copy is being sent home). We look forward to seeing you there!
STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEON – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The 18th Annual St. Marguerite Staff Appreciation Luncheon will be held Wednesday, May 13th. It is sponsored by
the parents and School Council of St. Marguerite. Any parent volunteers interested in being involved in planning the
Staff Appreciation Lunch are asked to call Maria Guerrieri at (416) 277-2427 or e-mail [email protected].
P.A. DAY – Friday April 24th – No school
SHARING THE SPIRIT STUDENT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Our School Board annually recognizes a student from each school who demonstrates outstanding qualities in the
areas of Catholic leadership, family commitment, involvement in school affairs and community activities, and
dedication to a difficult situation or task. We are proud to announce that Brandon Goh was selected to represent St.
Marguerite d’Youville at this year’s award presentation on Monday, April 27th, 2015, 7:30pm at Corpus Christi School
in Burlington. Congratulations Brandon!
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GREEN CLUB – Mme. Wells
April 20th-24th Earth Week Clean Up at St. Marguerite. All students will
participate to clean up our immediate neighbourhood. Beginning with our own
school yard and extending to our bordering pathways and neighbourhood
park. This is always a fun and rewarding school event. More details to follow in
your child's agenda.
ONLINE PAYMENTS NOW AVAILABLE!
School related expenses are now available online for your convenience!
Please take a few minutes to register!
Here’s how:
Step 1:
Please visit: https://hcdsb.schoolcashonline.com
Step 2:
Step 3:
Register by selecting the “Get Started Today” and following the steps.
After you receive the confirmation email, please select the “click here” option,
sign in and add each of your children to your household account.
School Cash Online provides parents with easy access to make online payments for a variety of student
activities, providing greater flexibility and control on how payments are made to the school. This new online
payment method will also help reduce the risk of theft and cash misplacement. For more information
including an FAQ, the benefits of this program, and how to register for School Cash Online, please visit:
http://www.hcdsb.org/Parents/Pages/School-Cash-Online.aspx .
Please be advised that the implementation of credit card payment options is being explored due to
increasing demands.
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SPECIAL NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
The Kidssentials Hot Lunch Program
Take a break from packing lunch! Kidssentials is the fresh, hot lunch provider at our school.
The Lunch Menu for April - June 2015 is now available to order online. To place an order, please log in or create your
Family’s account at www.kidssentials.com.
Lunch Cancellation Policy: If your child is away on a Kidssentials lunch day (illness, field trip, etc.), Kidssentials must
be notified directly before 8am and a credit will be applied to your account for future use – Kindly provide as much
notice as possible for all cancellations.
Kidssentials may be reached at 905.855.1914 or via email at [email protected] or www.kidssentials.com
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
Catholic Education Week takes place from May 3rd-8th, 2015. The theme this year is “Exploring Paths of Joy”. As
always, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for everyone in our school community to experience firsthand our
commitment to Catholic education. Our staff committee is busy organizing the activities for the week. Soon, you will
be receiving a complete schedule of events. Parents are invited to visit our school during this special week and to
participate in the planned activities.
EQAO Testing
The grade three and six students will be taking part in the Provincial Testing during May 25th-June 5th, 2015. These
assessments allow your child to demonstrate his or her skills and knowledge of reading, writing and math. The
results are also an important part of improvement planning for teachers and are used to review teaching approaches
and improve student learning.
If you have a child in these grades please ensure that they are in attendance for the full week. We appreciate your
cooperation in scheduling appointments around this block of time.
BICYCLE SAFETY
It’s that time of year again! With spring upon us, more children will be out on their bicycles, so now is a good time for
some reminders. Please remind your child/ren that cyclists are governed by the same rules as drivers, and review
safe cycling procedures at home.
Be certain that the bicycle is “road worthy” and that your child is able to ride it in a safe manner. Teachers review
these rules every year, but you are more aware than we of the level of your child’s cycling skills. But this year,
It is advisable that students record at home the serial number of their bicycles. We request that ALL students LOCK
their bicycles in the racks at school to prevent loss. Students have been reminded that they must not sit on another
child’s bike while it is in the racks, nor should they play amongst the bikes or on the bicycle rack. To ensure safety of
other students, cyclists must walk their bicycles on school property.
BICYCLE HELMETS ARE MANDATORY AND STUDENTS MUST WEAR A PROPERLY FITTING HELMET FOR THEIR
SAFETY!!!!
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SKATEBOARDS/IN-LINE SKATES
The use of skateboards, in-line skates and scooters are strictly prohibited on school property! However, as long as the
students are cautious and considerate they may ride them to school. If this becomes a problem, then they will no
longer be permitted to do so.
Safety tips:
BE PROTECTED!
 Wear an approved helmet.
BE HEARD!
 By law, all bikes must have bells or horns.
BE VISIBLE!
 Wear reflective armbands/tape and bright clothing.
 A white front light and a red rear light or reflector are required when riding between ½ hour before sunset
and ½ hour after sunrise.
 A bicycle must have white reflective tape on the front forks and red reflective tape on the back forks.
BE ALERT!
 Look for hazards such as sewer grates, car doors and gravel.
 Watch for vehicles about to pass you.
 Stop before driving into the street from a driveway or lane.
BE SMART!
 Know the rules of the road.
 Obey all traffic lights and signs.
 Use correct hand signals.
 Ride on the right side of the street.
 Ride single file.
 Ride one to a bike.
 Keep your bike in good repair.
EASTER CANDY
When the Easter Bunny delivers candy on Easter Sunday morning he may not check
to see if the chocolate and other candies are nut free. Please ensure that you check
for the nut/peanut free symbol on any candy or chocolate treats that you send in
with your children. If you would like to send in a treat for your child’s classmates, an
Easter pencil or an Easter book for the classroom would be much appreciated. We
cannot distribute any homemade baked goods. Thanks for your understanding!
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Scent Awareness
Exposure to perfumes and other scented products can trigger serious health reactions in individuals with asthma,
allergies, migraines or chemical sensitivities. Fragrances can be found in a wide range of items and products,
including flowers, perfume, cologne, deodorant, soap, fabric softeners, laundry detergents and air fresheners. It is a
personal choice to use fragrances, however, fragrance chemicals by their very nature, are shared. The Chemicals
vaporize into the air and are easily inhaled by those around us.
WE ARE SILENT CAMPAIGN – Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Monachino
On Thursday April 16th 2015, St. Marguerite will be taking part of the We Are Silent Campaign. Students are
encouraged to be silent today for the millions of girls around the world silenced by poverty and denied the right to an
education, for the students who have reported being bullied, for the parents in Canada who said they skipped meals
so that there was enough food for their children. Staff and students will be silent for those without a voice. Because
sometimes speaking out means using no words at all.
ME TO WE – Spirit Day – Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Monachino
Spirit days are held once a month with a specific theme, asking students to donate $2.00 to the Free the Children
organization. Our next Spirit Day will be on Friday April 10, 2015 –Beach Day!
NEXT SPIRIT DAY...Beach Day – Friday April 10, 2015
GRADE 8 GRADUATION
The end of the year mass will be held on Friday,June 19th at 10:00 a.m. at MMOG Parish.
The Graduation Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd at 7:00p.m. in the school gym.
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IMPORTANT DATES
April 2
April 2
April 3
April 5
April 6
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 12-18
April 14
April 15
April 17
April 16
April 16
April 19
April 22
April 23
April 23
April 24
April 25-26
April 25-26
April 27
April 27
April 29
April 30
May 3-8
May 7
May 8
May 13
May 15
Cheese Pizza
Holy Thursday
Good Friday (No School)
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday (No School)
Grade 6 Trip Crawford Lake (9am-2:30pm)
School Council Meeting – Forum (7 p.m.)
Crawford Lake – Grade 6 Students
Pepperoni Pizza
National Volunteer Week
School Council Meeting (7pm) Forum
Volunteer Appreciation Tea and Liturgy-Forum (11:15 a.m.)
First Communion Retreat at MMOG Parish (9:45am)
Cheese Pizza
We Are Silent Campaign
First Communion Celebration at MMOG Parish (1pm)
Earth Day
Pepperoni Pizza
Picture Day – Spring Photo
P.A. Day (No School)
Spring Clothing Drive – Society of St. Vincent De Paul
Soap for Hope MMOG
Student Awards of Excellence Ceremony
MaraFun begins
Kindergarten Orientation Meeting for New Parents
Cheese Pizza
Catholic Education Week – “Exploring Paths of Joy”
Education Week Mass at MMOG 10:00 a.m.
Pepperoni Pizza
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Jump Rope for Heart and Stroke - Gym
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