THE DIVINE INFANT

CATHOLIC SCHOOL

30 Ingleton Blvd., Toronto, ON M1V 3H7

TEL: (416) 393-5414

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER 2018

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

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.

John McCrae 1915

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Divine Infant Community,

At this time in our school year, we have the opportunity to reflect and remember

our Canadian soldiers and all who have given so much that we may enjoy our

freedom and liberty. I invite our community to join us on November 12th to

celebrate the lives of those we honour and remember. As we are Rooted in Christ,

I would like to encourage everyone to fulfill the Gospel message to love thy

neighbour and to live the gospel by doing unto others as you would have them do

unto you. I am looking forward to working with staff and parents in teaching our

students the importance of giving, helping and supporting those who are in need.

Congratulations to all our students who participated in Cross Country!! We created

a great sense of community and we will continue to foster this important and

essential relationship.

Sincerely,

Mr. Novis

Principal: Mr. Novis

Admin. Assistant:

M. Forrester

Head Custodian:

Mr. Zografos

Superintendent:

Kevin Malcolm

416-222-8282

Trustee:

Garry Tanuan

Parent Teacher Conferences

Letters were sent home regarding the Parent Teacher Conferences

which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday evening Nov.

14th

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm and on Thursday Evening Nov. 15th

from 6:00pm-

8:30pm. Please return your conference request with your child

(one per family) by the due date that will be specified in the letter. You

will be notified of your conference time at a later date.

APPROPRIATE

DRESS CODE

Parents, a reminder that

your child must be in

How to prepare for the

interview

Before the conference with the teacher:

Make a list of any general or specific questions that you want to ask your child’s teacher(s). Ask your child what he/she would like you to ask or tell his/her teacher. Think about any specific information you will need to let the teacher know—for example any home or family changes that the teacher needs to

Coming Home on Tuesday November 13

The Progress Reports will be sent home on

Tuesday, November 13th. A more detailed

report will follow at the end of Term1. Parent-

teacher interviews are a wonderful opportunity

for you to discuss your child’s progress during

this new school year. As a courtesy, we ask that

if for whatever reason someone cannot make

a scheduled Interview appointment, please call

the school to notify us. You can always make

a r r a n g e me n t s with your child’s teacher

to re-schedule another date and/or time. It is

vitally important that the school- home

communication is always open, clear, and that

your child is acutely aware that we talk and

we keep in touch.

uniform when inside the

school. Once all outer

wear is removed,

students are expected to

follow the dress code,

navy blue and white, no

logos, no letters, no

patterns, no pictures.

Thank you for your

cooperation.

Friday Nov. 16th is a

P.A. Day. There

will be no classes for

students

be sensitive to, any health issues that affect your child, any recent family deaths or dramatic changes that have had an impact on your child Consider what special things you would like the teacher to know about your child.

After the interview

When you get home from the conference:

Speak honestly with your child about the discussion you had with his/her teacher. Tell your child about the positive feedback and any problem areas that were discussed, as well as plans that you and the teacher made to help your child make improvements.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMEBER 21st, 2018 6:30. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23rd 2018.

First Communion & Confirmation PLEASE CONTACT PRINCE OF PEACE PARISH FOR INFORMATION

416 -291-9422

Drug Use Prevention (Children & Teens)

Recently in the Media, there has been an increase public awareness about the importance of taking

back unused and expired medications. AS parents, you are the first line of defense when it comes to

your child’s drug use or drinking. You DO make a difference!

Fentanyl is a highly potent drug that many recreational drug users take unknowingly, putting them at high risk of an overdose leading to death.

DID SOMEONE TAKE YOUR PAINKILLERS OR ANTI-DEPRESSANTS? WOULD YOU KNOW IF

THEY DID? Two things you can do right now to keep your prescription medications

out of the wrong hands:1. Secure your meds

THANK YOU PARENTS FOR YOUR SUPPORT Thank you to all the parents and families that came out to our Curriculum Night. It is always a

pleasure to meet and unwind with our community. And of course, sharing a delicious pizza slice just

added to the evening. The treat was our way of saying thank you to the families that helped with our

school fundraising last year. Your efforts and support are always appreciated. Again, thank you for

your support and keep up the good work.

Peace I leave to you, My peace I give to you"

-Joltn14:27

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROMOTE WORLD PEACE? GO HOME AND LOVE YOUR FAMILY

A Message from Trustee Garry Tanuan A Big Thank You and my heartfelt gratitude to the awesome families of Scarborough for your continued vote of confidence and support! I look forward to continue working with the students, parents, school staff, and parishes in our community. I’m indeed honored and blessed to serve as your Ward 8 TCDSB Trustee once again! The Education Curriculum consultation is well underway so please help spread the word to your respective school communities and stakeholders to ensure our voices and concerns are heard.

A few of our schools were involved in a Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) process last year. We were successful in halting the school closing process. Now the school closure moratorium is one of the major items up for consultation. This is an opportunity to provide school groups and/or individual feedback to the Ministry of Education to ensure our voices and concerns are at the forefront. Many parents have also expressed their strong opinions regarding the repealed HPE Sex-Ed component, EQAO, STEM, Parent’s Bill of Rights and Math issues. I plan to hold a couple of Education consultation meetings with MPP Vijay Thanigasalam and MPP Raymond Cho for our family of schools in November. I will also be closely working with our newly elected City of Toronto Councillors Cynthia Lai (Ward 23) and Jennifer McKelvie (Ward 25) for the betterment of our Catholic schools and local community. Thanks and God Bless, Garry Tanuan Trustee – Ward 8 Below is the latest memo from our MPP’s office.

The Curriculum consultation includes the online survey, professionally moderated telephone town halls, and open submissions. For Toronto, the telephone town hall schedule is:

October 27: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

November 1: 8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. If you wish to participate in the telephone town hall please pre-register at https://www.ontario.ca/page/for-the-parents. The consultation process will close on December 15 so please ensure that if you want to submit your thoughts or participate in the online survey, you do so before that date. All information regarding the consultation process can be found at https://www.ontario.ca/page/for-the-parents.

EVENTS AT THE DIVINE INFANT

CROSS COUNTRY Our students and coaches participated in the Divisional, Regional and City Cross Country Meet. We

have a number of students that qualified, however at the Regional tournament we are very proud to

have had 30 students move on. For a small community, we performed exceptionally well at all our

Meets. I would also like to say thank you to all the coaches who took the time and effort to train our

athletes.

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER AWARDS GRATITUDE

RYERSON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

HALLOWEEN AT THE DIVINE INFANT We celebrated Halloween as a community with our school Halloween play day. Students came

dressed in their costumes as did staff to celebrate and learn in a creative way. Under the guidance of

our Teachers and the Grade 7/8 students, they transformed our school into circuit of Halloween fun.

Students enjoyed a healthy snack of apples and participated in physical activities and Halloween

activities. Thank you to all the staff that worked very hard to make this day so special.

TERRY FOX RUN 2018

Guidance Corner As the time for Progress Reports gets closer, help your child focus on their Learning Skills and Work Habits. Responsibility, Collaboration, Initiative, Self-Regulation. Organization and Independent Work are key skills that help students take ownership for their learning, and allow them to be more successful in all areas of the curriculum. More information on the Learning Skills and Work Habits and how to help your child develop them, can be found at the following links: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf (pgs. 10-14) http://www.fslhomeworktoolbox.ca/homework_tips/learning_skills_and_work_habits.php November is also Bullying Prevention month across Canada. You can help your child recognize the signs of bullying and what to do if they or someone they know is being targeted. In our age of technology, bullying can happen electronically, as well as face-to-face. Be aware of your child's activities online by asking them to show you what they are doing, and by ensuring that they are using their devices in a prominent area of the home. Building empathy and compassion for other people's feelings, is key to stopping bullying before it starts. Here are some helpful websites you may wish to visit: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/safeschools.html, http://edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/bullying.html https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SafeSchools/BullyingAwarenessAndPrevention/Pages/default.aspx It's a busy time for Grade 8 students and the transition to High School! Open house nights took place last month, and you may be aware that we have a Regional Arts Program at Saint Mother Teresa, a Math, Science, Technology program at Francis Libermann, an International Baccalaureate program at St. John Paul II and Advanced Placement programs at a number of different high schools. You would have received an application form for Grade 9 in October, and completed forms will be sent by your child's teacher to the Admissions Office, by November 5th. As indicated on the application form, the closer the high school is to your child's elementary school, the greater the chance of acceptance. If your child is redirected, there are no guarantees of placement at the alternate choice school. The redirection will be to the closest high school that has space. Also, the TCDSB does not have access to information for high schools outside of our own board. You have or will be receiving a Transition Guide for Parents, which contains important information regarding the transition to high school. There are translated guides in a number of languages, available upon request. With the recent legalization of cannabis, this information on the Board website and at Teen Mental Health may be of interest: http://teenmentalhealth.org/cannabis //https://intranet.tcdsb.org/Departments/CandA/HealthOutdoorPhysEd/Pages/Information-About-Cannabis.aspx;

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesd

ay

Thursday Friday Saturday

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DAYLIGHT

SAVINGS

5

SCHOOL

PHOTO

RETAKE

DAY

6

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BOY’S

VOLLEYBALL

TOURNEY

8

SSLN DAY

9

GIRL’S

VOLLEYBALL

TOURNEY

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WE

REMEMBER

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VIRTUE

ASSEMBLY

PARENT

TEACHER

INTERVIEW

6:00pm

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PARENT

TEACHER

INTERVIEW

6:00pm

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P.A DAY

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PAN AM

CENTRE

TRIP

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CSAC

MEETING

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SCHOOL

MASS

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PAN AM

CENTRE

TRIP

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