November 2014
St. Veronica CES
"In an instant, I saw five brilliant rays of light shine
forth from his most holy wounds, and all came to
my face."
FROM THE PRI NCI PAL
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The Feast of All Saints and All Souls Days on November 1 and 2 are important days in the
Catholic Church. The primary reason for establishing a common feast day was because of
the desire to honor the great number of martyrs. The Church has consistently encouraged the
offering of prayers and Mass for the souls of the faithful departed. On All Souls Day, the
faithful on earth can assist the souls of the departed through their prayers, good works and
the offering of Mass. At this time as well, we remember Mr. Cutcher who passed away in
August, and pray for his eternal rest.
The Progress Reports for Grades 1-8 students will be coming home on Tuesday November
11. All students, JK to Grade 8, will be having a Parent Teacher Interview on November 13
or 14. Forms have already gone home to arrange suitable times. Please note that November
14 is a P.A. Day for this purpose, so there is no school for students.
We would like to wholeheartedly thank the St. Veronica Community for their support of the
Spook-a-Thon. We all enjoyed an amazing time at the dance, and were able to raise
approximately $15000 (before costs). The Fundraising Committee of the Catholic School
Council was instrumental in assisting with the organization and implementation of this great
cause. These funds will be used towards the second phase of our Technology Plan.
Once again, this year our school will be putting on a Christmas production. We are excited to
invite you 'Gabriel's Message’. The production will take place on Wednesday, December
10th and Thursday, December 11th with performances at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Like last
year, tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis with a limit of 4 tickets per
performance per family. The classes involved in the Christmas production are: Grade 1/2, all
Grade 2s, Grade 2/3, all Grade 3s, all Grade 6s, all Grade 8s (including Ms. Terminesi's 8's).
The classes not involved will be part of a Spring Production. We look forward to another
great production showcasing the wonderful student and staff talent at St. Veronica.
sva.ycdsb.ca
@StVeronicaCES
York Catholic Communities of
Faith
Character Trait: Fairness
Catholic Virtue: Justice
I Will:
 Treat others in a just, equitable and
unbiased manner;
 Play by the rules, take turns and
share;
 Be open-minded and listen to others.
Trustee: Maria Carnovale
Director: Patricia Preston
Superintendent: Donna Hackett
School Council Chairs: Tanya Barbosa &
Rocchina Di Tommaso
Principal: Sandra Tuzi-De Caro
Vice Principals: Travis MacDonald, Franco
Di Marco
Secretaries: Mrs. Gallo, Mrs. Lancia, Mrs.
Robinson
Pastor: Fr. John Borean, Fr. Peter Turrone
Dates to Remember
Nov. 1—All Saints Day
Nov. 2—All Souls Day
Nov. 3—CSC Mtg; Daylight Savings Time Ends
Nov. 11—Remembrance Day; Progress Reports go home
Nov. 13 & 14—Parent Teacher Interviews
Nov. 13—Cookie Dough Orders Due
Nov. 14—P.A. Day (No School for Students)
Nov. 17-21—Bullying Prevention Week
Nov. 28—Civvies Day ($2 for ShareLife)
171 Maria Antonia Rd., Woodbridge, Ontario, L4H 2S8 905-653-5920
PAGE 2
ST. VERONICA NEWS
York Catholic District School Board Shared Vision
We are a Catholic Learning community of collaborative partners, called to serve one
another by being committed to and accountable for quality learning by all, with
Jesus as our inspiration.
Allergy Alert
Anaphylaxis (anna - fill -axis) is a serious allergic reaction. It can be life-threatening. Food is the most common cause
of anaphylaxis, but insect stings, medicine, latex, or exercise can also cause a reaction. The most common food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, eggs and milk products. The Ontario Allergy Society tells us that “it is impractical
to achieve complete avoidance of all allergenic foods as there can be hidden or accidentally introduced sources.” However, “it is definitely possible to reduce children’s exposure to allergenic foods within the school setting.” Please be
vigilant and do your part to reduce the risk. Help keep our school safe for all!
21ST CENTURY LEARNING AT SVA
The term “21st Century Learning” refers to learning that extends
students’ thinking to meet all of the expectations of the subject areas of the Ontario Curriculum and to develop additional attitudes and
skills that they will need in the future. These 21st century learning
skills are clustered within six key headings, namely Critical
Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Citizenship and Catholic Character. Four staff
members at St. Veronica were provided
with iPads as well as extensive training in
this area over the 2013 – 2014 school
year. The team has been expanded by two
more members this school year and they
will continue to be provided with training and will share their expertise at the school with the rest of the staff and students.
Over the 2013 – 2014 school year, we were able to purchase 60
iPads and three Learning Labs to house the iPads. Each Learning
Lab has an Apple TV and a MacBook Pro to support the iPads. Students in all divisions will be able to use the iPads this year to support their learning. Our goal this year is to purchase an additional
10 iPads as well as 20 – 40 new desktop computers to support student achievement.
CIVVIES DAYS AT SVA
This year, we will continue to have Civvies Days. On these days,
students do not have to wear their Standardized Dress Code clothing. This month, Civvies Day will take place on Friday November 28. On these days, students may dress in non-Standardized
Dress Code clothing for a $2.00 donation to ShareLife. A reminder that clothing worn on Civvies Days must still
be appropriate to the school dress code (neat, no
inappropriate slogans, fully covered, no spaghetti
straps, no short shorts, etc.)
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Remember that Daylight Savings Time ends on
Sunday November 2. Clocks must be turned
back one hour. This is also a good time to
change the batteries on your smoke detectors.
OUTDOOR CLOTHING
Now that we are into November the weather is getting
colder. We continue to remind parents that the children must come appropriately dressed for outdoor
recess periods. Only during inclement weather (i.e.
rain) will children remain indoors. Fresh air is a necessary ingredient for a responsive child, as is exercise between
periods of class work. If your child is too sick to go out for recess, then they are too sick to come to school. All students who
come to school are expected to go out for recess.
NEWS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB
Waste- Free Lunch Challenge Results
Way to go SVA! St. Veronica’s Eco Club would like to thank all
participating students for your efforts in reducing waste at our
school. Your choice to pack a waste-free lunch has helped our
school make a difference to the environment. In just one day, our
waste consumption decreased by 10KG! Throughout the week, we
increased our organic waste compost, and were using appropriate
bins for recycling and garbage. These efforts allowed SVA to decrease our waste consumption by a total of 52KG during our waste
-free lunch week! We encourage students to continue to bring in
waste-free lunches for the rest of the school year so that we can do
our part to help our planet.
SCHOOL VISION CARE
We are proud to announce that a School Vision Care Clinic is
coming to our school!
This clinic will be offering every child that participates a complete
comprehensive EYE Examination and a FREE pair of Prescription Glasses to all children in the program requiring glasses. This
is a generous opportunity for our students so we strongly encourage you to sign your child up for the Clinic. The permission forms
will be sent home with your child. Please make sure the forms are
completed properly to ensure your child will be tested. Child must
have a valid OHIP # and MUST NOT have had an Eye Examination by an Optometrist in the last 12
months.
PAGE 3
ST. VERONICA NEWS
Community Noticeboard
SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
EARLY ARRIVAL
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM
Parents must plan early arrival for their children. Supervision in the school yard begins at 8:45 a.m. Students may
be safely dropped off at that time. Early arrival enables
students to line up with classmates when the bell rings at
9:00 a.m. JK & SK students have DIRECT ENTRY starting at
8:45 a.m. Those children entering the school through the front door
and not with their class are late and must get a late slip from the
office.
ABSENCES—WE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE. It is
the responsibility of the parent/guardian to inform the
school if their child will not be present at school. As the parent you
are required to report your child’s absence by logging onto the
Safe Arrival Parent Portal at yorkcdsb.schoolconnects.com OR
by calling the Toll Free Safe Arrival Phone Number at 1-855-856
-7862 . If we cannot reach anyone, it is our duty, under the Safe
Arrival Program, to call the police. Let’s work together to make
sure that our children are safe.
PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING
CELL PHONES / ELECTRONICS / TOYS
All parents/guardians, volunteers and visitors are welcome to our
school. In the interest of safety, and to prevent interruptions to classes, all parents/guardians and visitors MUST
first report to the school office when entering the school.
Please sign in and wear the visitor identification provided.
For the safety of all occupants in the building, it is important that
the students and staff know that you are an approved visitor (Policy
611). On behalf of your children’s safety, we thank you for
adhering to this procedure.
PARKING / DROP-OFF & PICK-UP
Our drop off/parking situation at St. Veronica has undergone a
transformation. The Kiss ‘n Ride lane is running smoothly as a drop
-off only (no parking). You may use the Kiss ‘n Ride lane to drop
off your child(ren) but you must remain in your vehicle and move
along as soon as they are dropped off so the flow of traffic can continue. No vehicles should be stopped or parked in the Kiss ’n
Ride lane at any time. Also, PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK ANY
DRIVEWAYS OF THE HOMES ACROSS FROM THE
SCHOOL. The parking lot is open for parents who wish to park
their vehicles. Please do not double-park or block anyone in. Think
safety for all children, staff and community.
STANDARDIZED DRESS CODE
It is wonderful to see the students of St. Veronica dressed
in their standardized dress code. Remember, navy blue
bottoms and white, grey, or navy blue tops are permitted.
No jeans are permitted according to the new policy. This year
students who do not comply to the SDC will be subject to Progressive Discipline. Thank you for supporting this initiative and encouraging your children to wear the school colours. It definitely promotes and illustrates our great school spirit!
LUNCH DROP-OFF / ROUTINES
In order to reduce the number of classroom and office disruptions, we ask that students are sent to school with
their lunch in the morning. If a lunch must be brought to school at
lunch time, we ask that you let your child know to come down at
12:00 to get it in the foyer. A lunch table sits in the foyer so that
the child’s labeled lunch can be left on the table for pick up.
We will not be calling into classrooms as this is disruptive to
both student routines and the office. Thank you for your cooperation.
The use of cell phones is strictly prohibited in the school. Students
will be allowed to use the school phone in emergency cases. All electronics—MP3, IPOD, video-players, tablets,
etc., must be safely left at home. If a cell phone is brought
to school, it must be OUT OF SIGHT AND TURNED
OFF. If it is seen, it will be taken away. As well, all expensive jewellery, clothing items, or toys should also be left at home.
The school is not responsible for lost / stolen items.
MEDICATION
If your child requires medication during the school day, please call
the office to get a medication form. The form and the medication
must be brought to the office. Medication cannot be stored in the
classroom or with the student.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
When it is raining in the morning before school begins,
inclement weather procedures will be in place. In this
situation, at 8:45 a.m.—9:00 a.m., students will begin their day indoors. All outer doors will be locked, except for the front doors
and the kindergarten exit doors. All students, except for Kindergarten students, are asked to enter from the front doors during
inclement weather in the morning. Kindergarten students are
asked to enter through their play area to their exterior classroom
doors. Staff members will be there to greet your child and direct
them to their classrooms. During the school day, inclement weather
procedures will be followed for all recesses when it is raining.
ST. VERONICA WEBSITE & TWITTER
Please visit our website regularly at sva.ycdsb.ca for
lots of up-to-date information. As well, follow us on
Twitter @StVeronicaCES for updates on daily
events. Twitter is the fastest and most efficient way to
remain current with all that is happening at SVA!!
Please follow us!
PAGE 4
ST. VERONICA NEWS
School News at St. Veronica CES
LUNCH TIME ROUTINES
Most students stay for lunch at school on a regular basis;
however, some students do go home. It is imperative that
your children’s teachers are informed of this routine. Any
changes in the routine need to be clearly communicated to the teacher.
Parents wishing to treat their children to a “special” lunch are asked to
come to the office to pick-up their children and sign them out. This
applies to all grades, including intermediate.
Students are NOT allowed to leave school property for lunch, unless:
1) they are accompanied by an adult who picks the student up at the
school office; 2) they go home for lunch everyday.
STUDENT SIGN IN / OUT BOOK
Again this year, if you pick-up your child early from
school for an appointment or your child arrives at
school after 9:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m., it is requested that
you sign your child in / out at the office. It is imperative to know the whereabouts of all students. In the event that another
family member / friend must pick-up your child, you must inform
your child’s teacher via a letter and they must follow the procedures.
It is best that arrangements are made in the morning so a letter can be
sent rather than calling the school as this cuts down on class disruptions.
MORNING ROUTINES & SAFETY
Please remember that only students and staff members on supervision duty are allowed to be on the playground. Parents or Caregivers who bring children to school in the morning
must walk their children to the yard and then leave
them in the care of the teachers on duty. For the
safety of all, the only adults in the yard should be
the teachers and staff members wearing their
safety vests. If you are dropping off your kindergarten child, please bring them into their gate and
then return to waiting behind the parking lot fence.
No one should be standing outside the kindergarten fence, since
that is in the Primary playground area. On behalf of your children’s safety, I thank you for respecting this.
BELL TIMES
9:00 a.m.— Morning Entry
10:25 a.m. —10:40 a.m.— Morning Recess
12:00 p.m.—12:20 p.m.— Lunch
12:20 p.m.—1:00 p.m.—Lunch Recess
2:20 p.m.—2:35 p.m.—Afternoon Recess
3:30 p.m.—Dismissal
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Thank you to all who came out to our meeting on
October 6. It is wonderful to see such a large and
enthusiastic group once again. Our next meeting
will take place on Monday November 3 at 7 pm in the Staffroom. See you there.
CROSS COUNTRY MEET
On October 15th, St. Veronica's Cross Country team went to
Bruce's Mill to participate in the Cross Country Meet. Students represented our school with great enthusiasm and
demonstrated excellent sportsmanship. Several of our students placed in the top ten for their grade level. In
grade 4, Anthony K. finished in 1st place with
Steven P. right behind him in 2nd place. Izabella
S. finished in 8th place for grade 4 girls. In grade
6, Nicholas S. finished in 6th place. In grade 8, Matthew
S. finished in 10th place. We are so proud of all of our students' dedication leading up to this event. A special mention
goes out to Anthony K and Steven P in grade 4 who went
on to compete at the Cross Country Regionals, where they
ran against all of the top runners of the grade 4 boys in our
School Board. A big Congratulations to Anthony K for
placing 6th overall at the Regionals. The entire team's hard
work, commitment and perseverance brought them to the
finish line. Go Vipers!! We thank Ms. Amato and Ms. Leo
for
the
dedication
to coaching
this
team.
SAFETY FIRST!
This is a good time for parents to learn about and
review ways to protect their children from potential dangers.
Here's what children need to know:

GRADE 8 VISUAL ARTS: TWO-POINT
PERSPECTIVE DRAWING
The Grade 8s have learned important concepts related to twopoint perspective drawing. Students were given a photograph of
the Taj Mahal which they had to draw using a double complementary colour scheme. Below is a sample drawing completed
by a student, Kristen M., in Mr. La Gamba's class.
Their name, age, telephone number, address, city and province. This can be done through rhyme or song.
 How to contact their parents at any time, by memorizing cell
or work numbers.
 How and under what circumstances to call 911.
 To never approach or enter a stranger's vehicle. A responsible adult would never ask a child for directions or any other
question for that matter.
 Make sure they know they have a right to say "no" to an
adult, especially when the adult is asking them to do something
they have been taught is wrong or feels uncomfortable. Reminding children of this right is important because children are taught
from a young age to respect adults.
 To always tell parents where they will be and to never enter
someone's home without their parent's permission.
 If home alone, never admit it when answering the phone.
Never answer a knock at the door or speak through it. Adults can
be very persuasive. Teach your child to call you if there is a
knock at the door and if they fear for their safety, teach them to
call 911. Make sure they know that police officers are there to
help them and would not get mad if it were a false alarm.
 If they think they are being followed or are in danger they
INTERMEDIATE BOYS VOLLEYBALL AND
should run home or to a public place. If someone grabs them,
ATHLETICS
they should try to get away, yelling and screaming while doing
so.
It is important to play in safe areas, never take shortcuts and stick The Intermediate Boys Volleyball Team are scheduled for tournaments on the following dates:
with a buddy whenever possible.
Exhibition Tournament on Nov. 6th at SVA (after school)
It is never too early or too late to teach children the importance of Divisional Tournament on Nov. 24th at St. Clare (during
personal safety. Common sense, communication and consistency school)
St. Jean de Brebeuf Tournament on Dec 4th
are the keys. Remind children to alert a responsible adult if
something strange happens that makes them feel uncomfortable. (during school)
Please remember to be a spectator you must
have parent supervision (a parent must be with
Remember, crime prevention is everyone's responsibility.
you).
For more information on this subject, contact the York Regional Go, Vipers, Go!
Police Community Services Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext.
7980, or by e-mail at [email protected], or visit www.yrp.on.ca.
As well, we would like to inform all Parent(s)/Guardian(s), that
REMEMBRANCE DAY
On Tuesday November 11, at 10:45 a.m. in the gym, we will be
commemorating those who have
fought for our
freedom with a
Remembrance
Day Service. All
parents are
invited to attend.
we will be using the SVA webpage (sva.ycdsb.ca) to communicate to parents regarding expectations or events that are being
held at SVA by your child's Physical Education Teacher. Thank
you, Ms. Nalli and Ms. Greco.
BULLYING AWARENESS WEEK
November 17-21 is designated as Bullying Awareness Week. During this time, classrooms will be
working on various activities designed to raise awareness about Bullying among students and what can be
done to stop it.
November 2014
S
M
U N
T
O N
W
U E
T
E D
F
H U
S
R I
A T
1 All Saints
Day
2 All
Souls Day
3 CSC Mtg—7
pm
4
Daylight
Savings
Time Ends
(Clocks
back 1 hr)
9
5 Gr. 8
Leadership Links
Conference
7
8
Night @ St. Jean de
Brebeuf—7 pm
Int. Boys Volleyball
Exhibition
Tournament—SVA
4-9 pm
10
11 Remembrance Day
Service—10:45
am
12 Gr. 1/2, 2 & 2/3
Trip to the
Kortright
Conservation
Centre
13 Parent-Teacher 14 P.A. Day—No
Interviews
school for
Students
Cookie Dough
Orders Due
Parent-Teacher
Interviews—am
15 YCPIC
Conference
for CSC
19 Gr. 8 Mental
Health Workshop
(Stress)
20
22
Progress Reports
go home (Gr. 1-8)
16 Bully-
6 Gr. 8 Parent Info
17
ing
Prevention
Week
18 Gr. 8
Montreal Trip
Parent Info
Night—7 pm
21
Gr. 7 Trip to the
EcoSchool
Kids O’ Course
Awards Night—7
pm
23
24 Gr. 7 & 8
Immunizations
Intermediate
Boys Volleyball
@ St. Clare
30
25 Intermediate
Girls Volleyball
@ St. Padre Pio
26
27 St. Jean de
28 Civvies Day—
Brebeuf Concert— Bring $2 for
Gr. 6-8
ShareLife
29
Catholic School Council News
Remaining
Catholic School
Council
Meetings for
2014-2015:
Meetings are held this
school year on
Mondays at 7pm
in the Staffroom
as follows:
Nov 3
Jan 12
Feb 9
April 13
May 4
June 8
You are always
welcome to join
us at our next
meeting!
Have ideas for
the
Catholic School
Council?
Come out to our
next meeting
and share your
ideas
and/or
send an e-mail to
[email protected]
Nov
2014
Spook-a-Thon Huge Success!
What a wonderful time all children and even parents
had as they all joined in the dancing and “spooking”!
A great big THANKS to members of Fundraising
Committee who worked so hard at making it a great event!
The CSC Bulletin Board in the school foyer is always updated
with current news and information.
Please check it out regularly so
you know what great things
are happening at SVA!
Look for the plaqued photos of
the two children from the
Philippines that our CSC is sponsoring.
They will be placed in the foyer.
“We all need to count our blessings
and share them”.