1. education
2. school

St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Elementary School
475 Brownridge Drive, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 5Y6
Phone: 905-738-5703
Fax:
905-738-8121
March 2015 Newsletter
SCHOOL WEBSITE: http://sjw.ycdsb.ca
SERVING OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Ms. P. Preston - Director
Mrs. C. Ferlisi - Trustee
Mrs. N. Di Nardo – School Superintendent Area 2
Ms. Phipps – School Council Chair
Mrs. V. Augustynek - Principal
Mrs. C. Pontes - Secretary
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER CATHOLIC PARISH
FATHER MARIO SALVADORI
191 Wade Gate, Thornhill (905) 660-1253
WEEKDAY MASSES
Monday – Wednesday & Friday – 7 p.m. -Bilingual
SATURDAY MASSES
9 a.m. - Bilingual
5 p.m. - English
SUNDAY MASSES
9 a.m. - Italian
10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – English
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
March sees the first distant signs of spring and takes us through the first days of Lent. Lent is a season
of simplifying oneself and preparing for Easter. It is a time for prayer and restraint and questioning
what is truly important in our lives. This month, we celebrate the virtue of Perseverance, which is
linked with the Mortal virtue of fortitude. “Perseverance: the virtue which disposes to continuance in
the accomplishment of good works in spite of the difficulties attendant upon them.” It is the virtue that
helps us through the dark and difficult days. It gives us the discipline that not only leads us through
the Lenten moments in our lives but in the intellectually and morally trying times. The welcomed
March Break - March 13th to 22nd, 2015 interrupts our academic year. As we move to the end of the
second term, signs of new life and glimpses of summer warmth give us hope.
Mrs. V. Augustynek, Principal
The Colours of Lent
The colours used in the sanctuary for the most of Lent is purple, red, violet, or dark violet. These colours symbolize both the
pain and suffering leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the suffering of humanity and the world under sin. But
purple is also the colour of royalty, and so anticipates through the suffering and death of Jesus the coming resurrection and
hope of newness that will be celebrated in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some churches use grey for Ash Wednesday
or for the entire season of Lent, or for special days of fasting and prayer. Grey is the colour of ashes, and therefore a biblical
symbol of mourning and repentance. Some church traditions change the sanctuary colours to red for Maundy Thursday, a
symbol of the disciples and through them the community of the church. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter.
Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the
ceremony known as the Eucharist. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the
Garden of Gethsemane. Complied from the Catholic Encyclopedia
Trustee Message
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this holy
Lenten season for Easter, let us remember to set aside
time to pray and reflect on Christ’s Passion and greatest
gift to us, His Resurrection. Jesus our Saviour revealed to
everyone that He conquered death and that through Him
we will have everlasting life.
During this blessed time of reflection, I encourage you to
help the less fortunate of our community.
Vive Le Carnaval!
On behalf of Mme Montebello and myself, Mme
Mancinella, we would like to thank Ms. Gallo and Mrs.
Dellaripa for being a part of the Committee and helping
us to organize the fun-filled activities enjoyed by all. A
big merci also goes to the Intermediate teachers for their
patience in helping to organize the highly successful Lip
Sync Competition. Finally, un grand merci goes to the
entire SJW staff, students and parents for their
exceptional enthusiasm. Mille merci et a la prochaine
annee!
Wishing you and your family a safe and fun-filled March
break. May the “Luck of the Irish” be with you on
St. Patrick’s Day.
Please mark your calendar and plan on
attending the upcoming Math and
Literacy Workshop scheduled to take
place on Thursday, March 26th, 2015 at
7 p.m. at St. Cecilia CES located at 300
Peter Rupert Avenue (Dufferin and
Rutherford area).
As always, you may reach me at 416-565-7087 or at
[email protected]. Feel free to visit my board
website at: www.trustee.ycdsb.ca/ferlisi. Find me on
Facebook @ www.facebook.com/trusteeferlisi and follow
me on Twitter @ TrusteeFerlisi.
Catholic School Council Meeting
The next meeting of our Catholic School Council will be
on Thursday, April 9th, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the library.
March Break
March Break will be from March 13th to 22nd, 2015.
There will be no school during this time. School will
continue again on Monday, March 23rd, 2015. We wish
everyone a safe and restful March Break.
The Great Big Crunch
On Thursday, March 12th, 2015, at 2:40 p.m. a
synchronized crunch of locally grown apples will take
place at SJW. Our students and staff will join other
students across Canada in taking one big bite towards
healthy living through healthy eating. All students and
staff will receive a locally grown apple from the Eatrite
Apple Program and on the count of 3 we will take a
Great Big Crunch!!
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School Book Fair
March 25th, 26th and 27th, 2015
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming in March!
More information to follow.
Kindergarten Registrations
We continue to accept registrations for Junior
Kindergarten for the 2015-2016 school year. Please visit
the school office for a registration package!
Lights … Camera … Smile!
Once again this year, we will be selling our 2014-2015
St. Joseph the Worker Yearbook published by Herff
Jones Yearbooks. The price of this colour, high gloss, soft
cover yearbook is $25.00. If interested in ordering a
yearbook, orders and payments must be submitted to
your child’s teacher by March 6th, 2015. Additional order
forms can be picked up in the office. Don’t miss out on
this opportunity to keep all of this year’s fantastic
memories alive for years to come!
Thanks kindly,
The Yearbook Committee.
Lenten Mass
St. Joseph the Worker staff and students will be
celebrating our Lenten Mass on Monday, March 30th
2015 at 1:15 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Parish.
All are welcome to attend.
Internet Safety:
Parents should always be present when students are
accessing any websites.
Attendance
Regular attendance and punctuality is directly linked to
success at school. Poor attendance patterns increase the
risk of failure and dropping out of school. Early
intervention by home and school increases the likelihood
of a student remaining in school. Being consistently late
for school/class is considered an attendance problem.
Remember to set your clocks forward on Sunday, March
8th, 2015.
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 20152016 school year. Please submit the following
information to us in writing as soon as possible:
Student’s Name: ___________________________________
Current Grade and Teacher: _________________________
School your child will be attending next year: __________
Parents of Grade 8 students
Getting Parents Ready for High School Forum:
Thursday, March 5th, 2015 at 6:45 p.m. at St. Elizabeth
C.H.S. More information to follow.
Second Annual Frank Iannuzzi - Terry Fox
Foundation Walk for Cancer – April 10th, 2015
The SJW Luke 4:18 Social Justice committee and the SJW
staff will be organizing the second Annual Terry Fox
Foundation Walk for Cancer in honour of Mr. Frank
Iannuzzi, a SJW staff member who passed away April
10th, 2013. Students and staff will be collecting donations
for this walk. The walk will take place on school
property and will involve all Jk – Grade 8 students. More
information will follow.
Triple P Tip of the Month – MARCH - Swearing
Children often learn words their parents do not like,
particularly swear words. Parents need to decide which
words are acceptable and which ones are not.
KEY STEPS:
•
•
•
•
•
Set a good example
Decide which words are acceptable and discuss
them with your child
Praise your child for using acceptable words
Act immediately when you hear your child
swear
Apply a consequence for swearing
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Pioneer Camp
On February 4th our grade six class ventured off to
Ontario Pioneer Camp for an overnight excursion. We
had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery and
endless amounts of snow which surrounded us for three
days. From snow shoeing to cross country skiing,
bonfires to game nights, we created many memories
which we will always remember. A big thank you to our
staff Mrs. Augustynek and Ms. Jones as well as Mr. Elias
who worked hard to make this all possible. We
appreciate the time and fun we had with all of you.
Basketball News
Intermediate Boys Basketball
Congratulations to the Boys Basketball Team for winning
their Local Tournament at St. Monica on February 23rd.
The boys were undefeated the whole tournament and
played each game with exceptional skill and
sportsmanship. The boys advance now to the YCDSB
area tournament at St. Brother Andre High School on
March 24th. Congratulations Boys and thank you to the
coaches Mr. Abraham and Ms. Gallo.
“Pioneer Camp was a fun learning experience
especially The Amazing Race because of the fun
challenges.” - Eric F.
“At first I was nervous leaving home for the first time but
when we got there I had the best time ever.” – Emily D.
“The tubing and snowshoeing were amazing.”
Andrew Z.
“We worked together as a team to cross a frozen lake. So
that was a good experience.” - Jordan F.
“I learned how to play Broomball. I got to have fun with
my friends.” – Jahvier J.
Intermediate Girls Basketball
On Tuesday February the 24th, the girls basketball team
participated in a tournament at St. Patrick Catholic
School. Led by their coach, Mr. Tersigni, the girls showed
determination, skill and above all sportsmanship. They
played as a team, offering one another encouragement
and support as they faced one opponent after another.
The tournament ended with the girls winning three
games and losing one, placing them in second place. We
are so proud of our girls basketball team!
We thank you for supporting our commitment to a Peanut/Safe environment at St. Joseph the Worker C.E.S.
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