Highlights For May

3– Traveling Stage Gr 4-6

4– St. Simon Xpressions @6:30pm

5– Traveling Stage Gr. 4-6

6– Snack Program

Spring Dance

9– Traveling Stage Gr. 4-6

CAT 4 Testing Gr. 5 & 7

10– CSPC Meeting 7pm

Track and Field Divisional- Centennial

12– Traveling Stage Gr. 4-6

Rosary Celebration

Jr. Dance Presentation 6:30pm

13– Snack Program

17– Author Visit: Angela Walker JK-2

18– Author Visit: Mike Wade 3-6

20– Snack Program

Regional Track and Field– Centennial

Sod Turning NEW SCHOOL

23– Victoria Day NO School

24-27 CAT 4 Testing Gr. 2

25– Welcome to Kindergarten 6pm

27– Snack Program

30– Mass @ St. Jude

Contacts

Principal:

Mr. M. Boccia

Vice Principal:

Mr. B. Howlett

Superintendent:

Mr. A. Della Mora

Trustee:

Mr. S. Piccininni

Parish Church:

Fr. Josue

Vargas Lara

St. Jude

Catholic Church

3265 Weston Rd.

416-742-9072

Secretary:

Ms. L. Losiggio

CSPC Chair

Mr. E. D’Alfonso

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

St. Simon is an eco-friendly school:

The newsletter is only available in electronic form.

If you would like a newsletter sent to your email, please send a request to: brett.howlett@tcdsb.org

The newsletter is also accessible via the school website: http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stsimon/News/Pages/Newsletters.aspx

If you wish to receive a paper copy please contact your child’s teacher, or the office.

St. Jude’s Parish newsletter is also available on the school website.

St. Simon Catholic School 20 Wallasey Ave. Tel - 416-393-5383 Fax - 416-397-6299 School Hours 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee

(CPIC):

www.tcdsb.org/cpic

School website:

http://www.tcdsb.org/SCHOOLS/STSIMON

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER

May 2016

Virtue of the Month: Compassion

God of compassion, Help us to grow in kindness and concern for others. Help us to listen and try to help oth-ers when they need it. We know that this brings us closer to you.

Amen.

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER May 2016

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

Intermediate W5H

On Monday April 11, 2016 the inter-

mediate W5H team participated in

the Preliminary Round here at

St.Simon school. The students rep-

resented St. Simon School with

grace and confidence during the

intense rounds of open-ended , toss-

up and designated questions taking

second place in the final! Thank you

to all members for their hard work!

Members are: Vanessa Andrianopo-

lous, Kristien DeLaCruz, Brenda

Enaharo, Heide Asante, David Arma-

ta, Martina Scalfo, Melissa Del Sal

and Anna Ngo. Special thanks to

our coaches Mme Arena,

Wes “Maestro” Williams Visits St. Simon

On April 18th rapper, actor, writer and motivational

speaker Wes “Maestro” Williams visited St. Simon school to

speak with the students about perseverance and over coming

challenges in life. He spoke to the students about his book “Stick

to your Vision”. Students learned about the challenges that Wes

encountered and how his own personal motivation and determina-

tion allowed him to reach success.

Events at St. Simon Kindergarten Has Chicks

An enormous thank you to CSPC for providing the Kindergarten students a hands-on learn-ing experience about the life cycle of a chicken. On March 30th, the unforgettable experience began, with twelve brown eggs arriving to Mrs.Aprile-Cologna's Kindergarten classroom. Over the course of 21 days, the children ob-served eggs in an incubator and learned about various stages of an embryo's develop-ment. Through several scientific egg experiments, including walking on eggs, children quick-ly learned just how strong egg shells really are! They also had a better understanding of just how hard chicks work to peck their way out of their shells. This experience proved to be cross curricular with several language, science, mathematical and art activities taking place throughout the entire experience. At last the most anticipated day had arrived, April 20th! The kindergarten children had a jaw dropping experience as chicks began hatching. Wings and claws popped out of their shells. Children screamed in amazement! The newly-hatched chicks stayed in the incubator for approximately 24 hours, until their feathers dried prior to being transferred to a playpen. For the rest of the week, each class within the school had the chance to visit with the chicks and learn about car-ing and cleaning up after these tiny crea-tures, until being returned to the farm on April 27th. The children were completely captivated by this miracle, what a truly wonderful experience for all!

St. Simon’s Gr. 7 & 8’s go to Quebec

On April 12th-15th the Intermediate students of St. Simon visited

Quebec City and Montreal. We had an amazing time visiting plac-

es like La Citadelle, Montmorency Falls and Circus School. We

had many great meals and even participated in a student dance

after dinner! We visited some very beautiful churches such as the

Sainte Anne Basilica. One of the highlights of our trip was walking

through the Holy Door of Notre Dame Basilica for the Jubilee Year

of Mercy. Old Quebec City is the only walled city in North Ameri-

ca. We walked down all of the beautiful cobblestone streets that

made us feel like we were in France. The hotel that we stayed at

was the Chateau Frontenac which looked like a castle on the out-

side and it was very fancy on the inside. Overall, we had an awe-

some time visiting “La Belle Province”! By: Melissa Del Sal

Thank you! A huge thank you to our school community for your generous do-nations during our 2016 Spring Food Drive! This Year of Mercy Pope Francis invites us to remem-ber the corporal works of Mercy – one of them being to Feed the Hungry. St Simon community is a wonderful example of this. Thank you to the students, staff, parents and caregivers for opening your pantries and giving. Thank you to Madame Arena, Mr. Vago and the Me to We students for your help with organizing the spring food drive. On behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Jude’s Parish – thank you and God Bless!

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER

May 2016

Happy Children Who Love to Learn

Student Information

Updates

As the year progresses, often some

information changes. Please ensure

that all emergency contact information

is current. If an emergency were to

happen, the school must have current

contacts. If you have changed your

phone number or address please in-

form the office.

Warm Weather is Here!

As the weather is changing, please ensure that students

are dressed appropriately for the warm, wet, ever chang-

ing weather. Students should have a pair of indoor shoes

to wear in the building and packing an extra pair of socks

and pants is recommended.

To report an absence please call 416-393-5383

From the Office

Uniform

As the warmer weather approaches, often students forget what the school dress code entails.

Students are expected to wear the following dress code:

Appropriate Dress Code – consists of any combination of navy blue and white garments (e.g., plain

white top, navy blue bottom, navy blue top and bottom, no denim). Only blue and/or white sweat-

ers are to be worn in the class. All student attire must be in keeping with our Catholic teach-

ings and beliefs, and reflect principles of modesty.

TCDSB School Year Calendar 2015-2016

Number of school days 194

Number of Professional Activity Days 6

Victoria Day May 23, 2016

Last day of classes for elementary students

June 29, 2016

May 2016

ST. SIMON NEWSLETTER Happy Children Who Love to Learn

May is the Month for Mother Mary

The Virgin Mary is known by many names, such as the Blessed Virgin, Saint Mary, Mother Mary, Our Lady, Mother of God, Queen of Angels, Mary of Sorrows, and Queen of the Universe. Mary serves as the patron saint of all human beings, watching over them with motherly care due to her role as the mother of Jesus Christ. Feast Days January 1 (Mary, Mother of God), February 11 (Our Lady of Lourdes), May 13 (Our Lady of Fatima), May 31 (Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), August 15 (the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary), August 22 (Queenship of Mary), September 8 (Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary), December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), December 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Miracles During Mary’s Life on Earth Catholics believe that when Mary was conceived, she was miraculously free of original sin that has affected every other person in history except Jesus Christ. That belief is called the miracle of the Immaculate Conception. All Christians believe in the miracle of the Virgin Birth, in which Mary conceived Jesus Christ as a virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible records that Gabriel, the archangel of revelation, visited Mary to inform her of God’s plan for her to serve as Jesus’ mother on Earth. Luke 1:34-35 describes part of their conversation: "'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'"

Catholic’s believe that Mary was miraculously taken to heaven in an unusual way. Catholics believe in the miracle of the Assumption, which means that Mary didn’t die a natural human death, but was assumed both body and soul from Earth into heaven while she was still alive. Miracles After Mary’s Life on Earth People have reported many miracles happening through Mary since she went to heaven. These have included a myriad of Marian apparitions (times when believers say that Mary has miraculously appeared on Earth to deliver messages to encourage people to believe in God, call them to repent-ance, and give people healing). Famous apparitions of Mary include those that were recorded in Lourdes, France; Fatima, Portugal; Akita, Japan; Guadalupe, Mexico; Knock, Ireland; Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Zeitoun, Egypt.

Biography Mary was born into a devout Jewish family in Galilee (now part of Israel) when it was part of the ancient Roman Empire. Her parents were Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, whom Catholic tradition says that angels visited separately to inform them that Anne was expecting Mary. Mary's parents dedicated her to God in a Jewish temple when she was 3 years old.

By the time Mary was about 12 or 13 years old, historians believe, she was engaged to Joseph, a devout Jewish man. It was during Mary’s engage-ment that she learned through an angelic visitation of the plans God had for her to serve as Jesus Christ's mother on Earth. Mary responded with faithful obedience to God’s plan, despite the personal challenges that it presented for her.

When Mary’s cousin Elizabeth (mother of the prophet John the Baptist) praised Mary for her faith, Mary gave a speech that has become a famous song sung in worship services -- the Magnificat -- which the Bible records in Luke 1:46-55: “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remem-bering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.’” The Bible records many instances of Mary with Jesus Christ during his lifetime, including a time when she and Joseph lost track of him and found Jesus teaching people in a temple when he was 12 years old (Luke chapter 2), and when wine ran out at a wedding and she asked her son to turn water into wine to help out the host (John chapter 2). Mary was near the cross as Jesus died on it for the sins of the world (John chapter 19). Imme-diately after the resurrected Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Bible mentions in Acts 1:14 that Mary prayed along with the apostles and others.

http://angels.about.com/od/MiraclesReligiousTexts/p/Who-Was-Saint-Mary-The-Virgin-Mary.htm

A May Message from Your Trustee

It is a pleasure to offer my best wishes to all the students, staff, parents and Catholic school supporters for Catholic Education Week.

Each year, the first week in May is set aside as an opportunity for us to celebrate the many things that make our school communities distinct and special. It is a time to cele-brate our successes and showcase the talents of the young people in our schools, and to acknowledge the many adults in their lives who inspire, support and encourage them in the development of their faith and help them to accomplish their goals.

It is fitting that Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, May 2 – 6, coincides with Catholic Education Week. As our young people journey on their paths of exploration and growth, we walk with them, offering support, encouragement and guidance. It is our pri-ority to make every student in our schools feel safe, included, welcomed and accepted. Numerous initiatives, like Stop the Stigma and Bell Lets Talk Day, are run through our schools to help create healthy and compassionate environments where our students can thrive. We are grateful for all our educators and staff, for their dedication to sustaining the positive well-being of our students.

I thank all of you for your continued commitment to Catholic education, and wish you all continued success as we work together to transform the world through witness, faith, innovation and action.

Sincerely,

Sal Piccininni

UPDATED School Year Calendar 2016-2017

As Approved by the Board

Number of school days 194

Number of Professional Activity Days 7

Labour Day September 5, 2016

First Instructional Day September 6, 2016

Thanksgiving Day October 10, 2016

Christmas Break December 26, 2016–January 6, 2017

Start of second semester for

secondary schools February 6, 2017

Family Day February 20, 2017

Mid-Winter Break March 13–17, 2017

Good Friday April 14, 2017

Easter Monday April 17, 2017

Victoria Day May 22, 2017

Last day of classes for elementary students June 29, 2017

Seven (7) Professional Activity (PA) Days for ELEMENTARY schools:

October 7, 2016 Provincial Education Priorities

November 18, 2016 Parent-Teacher Conferences

December 2, 2016 Provincial Education Priorities/Faith Development

January 20, 2017 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting

February 17, 2017 Parent-Teacher Conferences

June 9, 2017 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting

June 30, 2017 Provincial Education Priorities

Family Math Challenge

As a family, try this Math problem:

Make Sure you Tie Your Laces?

While playing ball hockey outside with his friends, Mr. MacIsaac tripped on his untied

shoelace. He went inside and asked for a bandage from his Mommy. If Mr. MacIsaac

needs a new bandage everyday for the month of May, how many bandages will Mr.

MacIsaac use? If a bandage costs 40 cents each, how much money will Mommy

MacIsaac spend in the month of May?

Monthly Update from the Board

May 2016

Summer School Registration Begins April 29, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/ContinuingEducation/SecondaryCreditCourses/SummerSchool/Pages/Default.aspx

Fourth Annual Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC) and Administrator Appreciation and Recognition Liturgy

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 5:30 p.m. to 6: 45 p.m.

Includes Light Dinner, Mass and Celebration to recognition the contribution of parents and school administra-tors to Catholic education. Catholic Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Avenue East

Catholic Education Week May 1-6, 2016 “Opening Doors of Mercy”

https://www.tcdsb.org/board/nurturingourcatholiccommunity/catholiceducationweek/pages/default.aspx

Woodbine Centre Festival of the Arts May 2-6, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/woodbine-centre-festival-of-the-arts.aspx

Student Mass and Peace Walk for Catholic Education Week May 3rd 10 a.m.

Live webcast at https://www.tcdsb.org/LiveAtTCDSB/Pages/Default.aspx

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week May 2-6, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/specialeducation/mhs/news/mhw/pages/childrens-mental-health-awareness-week.aspx

World Catholic Education Day May 5, 2016 https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/world-catholic-education-day.aspx

Last Chance to Register: OAPCE Conference, AGM & Gala Dinner

May 6-7, 2016

CSPC members can attend the conference portion of the event at no charge, thanks to CPIC who is subsidiz-ing the cost for registration

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ec6a0r4n5fb01bdc&llr=57qgf7bab

Respect for Life Week May 8-14, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Pages/Respect-for-Life-Week.aspx

May is Asian Canadian Heritage Month

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORCOMMUNITY/HeritageCelebration/AsianCanadianHeritage/Pages/default.aspx

Asian Heritage at York University:

Filipino Voices in the Arts & Academia

What does it mean to be Filipino in Canada?

How do parents and their kids think differently about this question?

How is this question tackled by writers, artists and researchers?

May 16th 12:30 p.m.

https://www.tcdsb.org/forcommunity/heritagecelebration/asiancanadianheritage/events/pages/asian-heritage-at-york-university.aspx

Filipino Canadian Parents, Students and Teachers Conference

Enhancing Parent Engagement and Community Involvement

Saturday May 14, 2016 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Catholic Education Centre, TCDSB,

80 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, Toronto

You can read more about the 2nd Annual Conference of Filipino Canadian Catholic Parents, Students & Teachers.

Elementary Track and Field Meets

Regionals start May 17th

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/HealthOutdoorPhysEd/TDCAA/Pages/Track-and-Field.aspx

TCDSB Mini Special Olympics

May 31st Hangar, Downsview Park—all day event

https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/special-mini-olympics.aspx

Staff Arts Presents Mary Poppins June 11-18, 2016

https://www.tcdsb.org/affiliates/StaffArts/PastSeasons/20152016/Pages/Musical.aspx

Get all the latest news and information:

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