October 2017

Father Serra Catholic School News

Administrator’s Message

How appropriate that the Virtue for the month of October is Gratitude. The blessings of food, friends, family and freedom are all gifts from our Creator God, so as we prepare for the celebration of Thanksgiving, we are urged to take some time to remember our blessings and give thanks. School initiatives like the Terry Fox Run, Me-To-We activities, Food Drives, monthly charity giving, Beads of Hope and the James McKeddie Soccer Tournament, highlight the importance of giving and the importance of giving thanks. Thank you to all who organize these events, to the students who so willingly participate and to our community for their support. World Teacher’s Day will be celebrated on October 5, 2017. We would like to applaud our teachers for the caring and generous ways through which they help our students grow in their Catholic faith and expand their knowledge, while developing important life skills and their love of learning. Our teachers reach out and motivate our students to overcome challenges and inspire them to realize their full potential so that they can be the best that they can be. Their example of faith and compassion has a tremendous impact on the lives of our students. Thank you teachers! Thank you also to you, our parent community. You play the most important role in ensuring that your child succeeds at school, you have the greatest influence on your child and you know your child best. We thank you for your efforts in helping to foster a love of learning in your child and supporting the important work that is done here at school.

Catholic School Parent Council News

Your Catholic School Parent Committee (CSPC) has recently been formed and we are deeply committed to delivering and supporting the GREAT events our school is known for this academic year. To all of the families who have submitted their Father Serra Enrichment Support Program Forms and Volunteer Forms, we thank you. A gentle reminder for those who have not yet submitted, the due date is Friday, October 6. Your next CSPC event will be the Halloween Howl, held on October 31th-details to follow. The CSPC welcomes your questions and suggestions at any time, our email address is cspc@tcdsb.org . Feel free to use it anytime. **It is important to note that this year the CSPC meetings will be held on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7pm in the school staff room. Our next meeting will be held on October 4th. We look forward to seeing you there! Sincerely, Rob Berton & Markus de Domenico CSPC CO-CHAIRS 2017/18

Father Serra

Catholic School

111 Sun Row Drive Toronto, Ontario

M9P 3J3 Telephone 416-393-5391

Fax 416-397-6095

Principal:

Beverly Pavan @PrincipalPavan

Vice Principal: Deborah Munro

Superintendent:

Flora Cifelli

Trustee: Joe Martino

Parish:

All Saints Catholic Church 1415 Royal York Road

Toronto, Ontario M9P 3A7

Phone 416-244-3066

Enrollment: 512

Hours of Operation: 9:00-3:30

Lunch Hour: 11:45-12:45

Angela Gauthier, Director of Education

80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org

Picture Day Individual and class photos will be taken on October 20. Please note this date is different than listed on the school calendar. Students are expected to be dressed in full uniform. Students who are not available on this day will have their pictures taken on our school picture retake day November 7 @ 9:00. Sibling pictures will be taken on retake day.

High School Open Houses Grade 8 students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend open houses at TCDSB secondary schools this fall to learn more about the various programs, services and activities that are offered, to tour the facilities and to meet with staff and other parents. For a complete list of dates, times and locations, please visit the board’s website http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/openhouses.htm. October 25 Father John Redmond Chaminade October 26 Michael Power/St. Joseph November 1 Bishop Allen

Roots of Empathy Our school has been selected to participate in the Roots of Empathy program for the sixth year in a row! “Roots of Empathy” is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown a significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. At the heart of the program are a neighborhood infant and parent who visit the classroom nine times over the school year”. This year the participating family will be visiting Ms. Pasquale and Ms. Harris’ Full Day Kindergarten Class.

Student Mental Health and Well-Being

Making Thanksgiving a “Lifestyle” How to be more consistently

mindful of the good, beginning this Thanksgiving.(source : Andy Tix, Ph.D Psychology Today Nov.18,2012)

The most psychologically informed holiday is Thanksgiving. Although most of us associate this holiday with overeating, the meaning of Thanksgiving is much more profound.

Most of us recognize that our thoughts often are negative in tone. Consider, for example, the thoughts to which you personally most often return. If you’re like most people, many of these thoughts probably concern what you lack, what is in the way of your progress in daily strivings, and what could go wrong in your future.

These kinds of thoughts contribute to stress, depression, anger, anxiety, addictive behaviors, and relationship problems. A transformation often occurs when people learn to shift their thoughts from negative to thanksgiving. Although we only celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving one day per year, we all would benefit from making mindfulness of the good in our lives a consistent lifestyle habit. This holiday week would be the perfect opportunity to try out some new practices that might move us in the direction of cultivating a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Some specific suggestions follow.

Express your thanks to someone who made a difference in your life.

In one study, Dr. Martin Seligman and colleagues (University of Pennsylvania) had research participants take a week to write and then deliver a letter of gratitude to someone they never properly thanked. They found that depressive symptoms, on average, declined for 1 month after the event.

This week would be an excellent opportunity to apply this research. Think of someone who made a significant positive impact in your life that does not know how you feel and let them know in some meaningful way.

Keep a gratitude journal. : Many studies have been conducted where they randomly assigned people to daily or weekly record things in their lives for which they were grateful or thankful. Results show consistent psychological, physical, and interpersonal benefits from these practices, even when individuals were in the midst of experiencing a stressful life event. Make it a habit to record what you are thankful for on a regular basis.

Savor the moment. One idea for promoting mindfulness before a meal is to begin with grace. If you have not engaged in this practice for a while, perhaps you can reinstate it this Thanksgiving. Ideally, this would involve a meaningful expression of heartfelt thanks. If this isn't right for you, consider having a moment of silence in which those present have permission to express thanks quietly in a way that is meaningful to them. Engage yourself fully in the conversations with your loved ones. Enjoy the moment. Begin a tradition to make meal times a “technology free zone,” with no television or many of the above-mentioned thanksgiving practices may be difficult for some to implement because they require vulnerability to softer feelings. In particular, it may be difficult to openly express a sense of heartfelt thanks in the presence of others. Vulnerability may be necessary for the connection that many of us deeply seek. Have the courage to be vulnerable, and this Thanksgiving may be one of the most meaningful Thanksgiving celebrations you’ve had in a long time.

Grateful people sleep better. Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep, according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer.

Me-To-We

On Thursday, September 28th a small group of our Me to We members had the opportunity to go to We Day at the Air Canada Centre. Students enjoyed listening to various artists perform and heard stories centered around empowering youth to make a positive difference in the world. We even heard from Prince Harry and the importance he places on young people as change makers. It was a great way to motivate us for the year ahead!

Intermediate Softball

Congratulations to all members of the Intermediate Girls Softball team! We came a long way since our first practice. The coaches are very proud of your hard work, determination and positive attitudes! Despite being cold and wet from the rain, the girls gave it their all and won two of their three games which brought us to the finals against St. Gregory. Despite our 14-13 loss in the finals, we brought home a pennant to hang in our school. Congratulations again, girls!

The coaches and the girls would like to give a special thank you to the parents who stayed with us. Thank you for keeping our girls warm and dry with the blankets and tents and most of all, thank you for your support and for cheering us on during the tournament!

Congratulations to the Boys’ Softball team who also played

in their tournament at Westway Park last week. They

played very well and all the games were very close, all

decided by one run and another game ended in a tie. The

boys deserved credit for playing with determination and

effort. Congratulations to them and their coaches, Mr.

Rivera, Mr. Russo and Mr. Granata. Also, thank you to the

parents who came out and cheered them on.

Le Coin Francais Bonjour! Welcome to Le Coin Français…brought to you by the French Department Bienvenue au mois d'octobre! Nous espérons que tout le monde a eu une excellente rentrée de l'école. Here in the French Department at Father Serra, we hope that everyone had a wonderful transition back to another school year. “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.” (Stanford Psychologist) We are now in full swing into another school that will bring us challenges and successes.

Staff, parents and students, we should all ask ourselves, "what kind of mindset do I have?" Each school day brings new learning opportunities coupled with challenges and at times failure. Here is some food for thought in helping our students achieve a growth mindset (une mentalité croissance) in all subject areas.

Language Trivia…Did you Know? French is the only language, with English, that is taught in every country in the world, with 100 million students and 2 million teachers – 20 % of whom are outside of Francophone countries

Tongue twister: Combien de sous sont ces saucissons-

ci? Ces saucissons-ci sont six sous.

(How much are these sausages here? These sausages

here are six cents.)

Au revoir et à la prochaine !

PARKING LOT SAFETY

As we have limited parking spots for staff members only, we ask parents to find an alternate area to park when visiting the school and dropping off students.

Please be aware of our designated bus loop for the buses to drop off students in the morning and pick them up at 3:30 p.m. Coming into the school parking lot, interferes with the flow of our buses, please refrain from doing so.

Please do not park in our designated “Kiss and Ride” drop-off zone which runs along Sun Row Avenue, immediately north and south of the parking lot entrance.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety of our students.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

We will be collecting non-perishable food items for St. Francis’ Table. They are in need of canned goods (soups, beans, tomato paste, sauce, mushroom, mixed vegetables) as well as cleaning supplies (floor cleaner, hand soap, laundry detergent, multi purpose cleaner, steel wool and window cleaner).

Halloween Celebrations

Halloween is a great time for children. However, all the excitement can cause them to forget safety rules, particularly when trick or treating. The tips below will help you to keep your kids safe during this fun time.

Make sure that drivers can see your child. Use costumes with bright fabrics and decorate

costumes with reflective tape. Give each child a flashlight to carry. To prevent falling, your child’s costume and shoes

should fit properly. Costumes should not be longer than your child’s ankles

If you are making a costume, use materials that are fire resistant. If you are buying a costume, make sure it is labelled flame resistant.

Avoid costumes with loose sleeves, pants, and skirts.

All costume accessories such as swords or knives should be made of soft, flexible material.

Your child should wear face paint or make-up instead of a mask. Make-up and face paint are better than masks because they don’t block your

child’s ability to see. If your child is wearing a hat, wig, or scarf, tie it

Students are allowed to wear their costumes to school on October 31 provided they are safe and appropriate. No weapons of any kind are permitted. Costumes should also allow for easy movement as the students will be dancing up a storm during our Halloween Howl. Due to the large number of students with food allergies at our school, we are asking that you refrain from sending in any treats.

Monthly Global Awareness Campaigns Each month one class will educate the rest of the school on an issue of global significance through PA announcements, posters and an informational bulletin board. Mr. Russo’s class kicked off the initiative with a look at the use of plastic water bottles. One student wrote “Have you

ever drank from a plastic bottle,, or had your snacks or lunch in a plastic bag or wrap? Chances are you have and that contributes to about 630 million lbs. of plastic used by Canadians every year with each person using about 180lbs. To make matters even worse, only 5% of plastic gets recycled and rest doesn’t. to help this issue, you can b ring reusable water bottles and containers in your lunch bags. It would be great for the school and make the world a better place.

Autism Awareness Month

In Canada, October is Autism Awareness Month. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviours. Prevalence rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Canada are about 1 in 94 children – a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. This increase in the number of students with autism has also been observed in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. There are over 1,700 students with autism in our schools, making this the third largest exceptionality in the board. The TCDSB offers a range of programs, services and resources to support

students, staff and families.

Autism Ontario: www.autismontario.ca Autism Canada: www.autismcanada.org

News from the Board

TCDSB Digital Store

As our students continue to learn and adapt to the rapid

advances in technology, the Toronto Catholic District

School Board is committed to providing to all of our

students and their families, equal access to the latest

technology. We recognize the importance of

promoting the 21st Century Competencies by

supporting digital literacy, creativity, innovation,

collaboration, and the overall needs and aspirations of

all students. To that end, the TCDSB continues to be

on the leading edge of providing technical upgrades

and assistance by providing you with a very special

opportunity: the TCDSB Digital Store. Visit our

website for more information:

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/DigitalStore/

Pages/default.aspx

TCDSB Celebrates Canada150 and Our

Own History 150 Heritage Moments being shared via Twitter.

https://www.tcdsb.org/affiliates/canada150/heritagemo

ments/pages/default.aspx

Improving Access to School Bus Information for

Toronto Parents

Toronto Student Transportation Group and Boards Launch

Transportation Portal

Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic

District School Board parents are now able to access

their children’s transportation information online and

receive email notifications if there are any school bus

cancellations or delays, thanks to the launch of a new

online transportation portal.

www.torontoschoolbus.org.

Never Miss Out on the Latest News and

Information: Follow @TCDSB on Twitter, Toronto Catholic

DSB on Instagram, subscribe to ENews, visit our

website www.tcdsb.org to receive a weekly update

via email:

https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscri

ption.aspx

EQAO

Last spring, students in Grades 3 and 6 at our school participated in provincial assessments of their reading, writing and math skills. These assessments were conducted by Ontario’s Education quality and Accountability Office. EQAO assessments are an important source of information about student learning. Our school uses the results, along with other important information to guide improvement programs and teaching practices so that all students benefit. Our school board and the Ministry of Education also use the results to direct attention and support where they are needed. Attached you will find a summary of our results over time. There has been definite progress in certain areas and specific areas where we will focus our improvement efforts. The EQAO results become the basis for the development of our School Learning Improvement Plan.

TRUSTEES 2016 – 2017

Wards

1. Joseph Martino

2. Ann Andrachuk

3. Sal Piccininni

4. Patrizia Bottoni

5. Maria Rizzo

6. Frank D’Amico, Vice-Chair

7. Michael Del Grande

8. Garry Tanuan

9. Jo-annn Davis

10. Barbara Poplawski

11. Angel Kennedy, Chair

12. Nancy Crawford

Rhea Carlisle,, Student Trustee Joel Ndongmi Student Trustee