ST. FRANCIS OFASSISI

2019 – 2020 – ROOTED IN CHRIST: we BELONG, we BELIEVE, we BECOME

VIRTUE FOR MARCH: FORGIVENESS

Principal’s Message The virtue for the month of March is Forgiveness. During this season of Lent, we need to all strive to learn to forgive each other. Forgiveness should be part of our daily routine. It is always better to forgive and move forward. In doing so, it makes for a better, healthier, and happier life. Let us try to forgive our fellow brothers and sisters for any wrongdoings and do as Jesus did. A. Cianchetti Principal

STUDENT SAFETY AND REMINDERS

To ensure the safety of everyone concerned, please be reminded that adults may not be in the school building without reporting to and signing in at the office. This includes, but is not limited to parents/caregivers, guests, board employees, contractors. We know that you share our concern for student safety and well-being at all times.

During inclement weather, students are brought into the building by school staff. They will wait in the music room, where they will be supervised until pick up from their respective classroom teachers. Parents are asked to leave children in the atrium with the teacher on duty. Congestion outside of the music room and in the main foyer pose safety concerns.

There are still a number of students who are consistently late for school. The expectation is that students will be in the schoolyard between 8:15 and 8:30 am to reconnect with their friends and enter the building as a class with their teacher. Students who are consistently late miss out on morning routines, instructional time and disrupt programming. It can also cause some students difficulty in keeping up with their schoolwork.

Cold Weather: please ensure that students come to school prepared for the weather. All students should be dressed appropriately, so that they may participate in all aspects of the school program. Warm jackets, snow pants, hats, gloves, scarves and warm boots are absolutely necessary in the winter months. In addition, please keep an extra pair of socks in the backpacks. We recommend that you label all items. Please keep a labeled pair of indoor shoes in your child’s classroom, so that we can keep our classrooms dry.

Students who are well enough to attend school will go out for recess. In cases of extreme cold or weather conditions, recess will be held indoors.

ST. FRANCIS OFASSISI CATHOLIC SCHOOL

80 Clinton Street Toronto, ON M6G 2Y3

Telephone: 416 393-5206 Fax: 416 393-5782

A. Cianchetti

PRINCIPAL

John Shanahan 416 222-8282 X5371

SUPERINTENDENT

Norm Di Pasquale 416 512-3409

TRUSTEE

St. Francis of Assisi Parish

72 Mansfield Ave. 416-536-8195

PARISH

Rosemary Pacheco

CSPC CHAIR

www.tcdsb.org/cpic

CPIC (PARENT ENGAGEMENT - TCDSB)

www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto

OAPCE TORONTO (PROVINCIAL VOICE FOR PARENTS)

150 8:30 – 3:00 11:15 - 12:15

ENROLLMENTHOURS OF OPERATION LUNCH HOUR

NEW REGISTRANTS WELCOME

Apply online: soar.tcdsb.org

Call 416-393-5206 or the TCDSB Admissions Department at 416-222-8282, ext. 5320.

For general information about the Toronto Catholic District School Board, visit www.tcdsb.org

Stay in touch with the latest news throughout the school year: Follow @TCDSB on Twitter or Toronto Catholic DSB on Instagram

March 2020

http://www.tcdsb.org/cpic

http://www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto

http://www.tcdsb.org/


Clocks Spring Forward Remember that the clocks go forward one hour on March 8th.

Let’s Help Catholic Charities by Supporting ShareLife ShareLife’s mission is to “Live the Gospel by providing for those in need” This is done through their support of many diverse Catholic social service agencies here in the GTA and beyond. This year, ShareLife Week for Schools will be celebrated the week of March 30th-April 3rd. All students and staff are invited to celebrate our Board-wide Civvies Day on Friday, April 3, 2020 to raise funds for the ShareLife campaign. Your donation of a toonie will go a long way to supporting youth, the elderly, the marginalized and the vulnerable. We thank everyone in the TCDSB community for all that they do throughout the year to help others—giving of their time and their resources to make a difference. We applaud those efforts and take great pride in the commitment to living our Catholic values and putting faith into action.

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF PRAYER During Lent we are encouraged to engage in almsgiving, fasting and prayer. Our focus this month is on prayer and its many benefits. God is a source of comfort, strength and love for us. Through prayer we enter into a deeper relationship with God and gain a sense of attachment to Him. Many studies have shown that individuals who pray to a loving and protective God with whom they have a meaningful relationship are less likely to experience anxiety and stress. Prayer offers emotional comfort and reduces stress by:

Offering a sense of comfort and hope. When you’re faced with life challenges, prayer offers a sense of comfort. Knowing that God listens to your prayers and that you don’t have to bear your burden alone offers a sense of hope. When you feel hopeful you gain strength and are encouraged to carry on.

Creating a positive frame of mind. By giving thanks and expressing gratitude when praying it creates a positive frame of mind. When you purposefully engage in “thankful prayer” it reminds you of the many blessings you have, and as a result helps to decrease feelings of sadness.

Stress Relief. Researchers have found that when focusing on other people through prayer it contributes to a “stress-buffering effect”. Reflecting on the welfare of others can reduce your own stress - it is in giving to others that we receive.

Increases feelings of unity and trust. Praying together with a friend, your class, or as a community is an experience that brings people closer together. Prayer can help build relationships and feelings of social connectedness.

Engaging in daily prayer with students gives them the opportunity to deepen their relationship with God and their community. It also offers a sense of emotional comfort that everyone can benefit from. Prayer is joy Prayer is love Prayer is peace. You cannot explain it you must experience it. It is not impossible. God gives it for the asking. “Ask and you shall receive.” The father knows what to give his children---how much more our heavenly father knows. Mother Teresa

Information obtained from the following sources: www.spiritualityhealth.com; www.psychcentral.com www.psychologytoday.com; Catholic Book of Prayer – compiled by Ruth M. Hannon

http://www.sharelife.org/Public/Page/Files/1_SL%20Report%20to%20Donors%202017-final-web.pdf

http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/

http://www.psychcentral.com/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/


SFA – PARISH NEWS Lent: The penitential character of Lent is maintained; on these days, penance is an important requirement of Christian life. Fulfillment of this duty involves prayer, works of piety and charity, and self-denial by fulfilling one’s obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the prescribed fast and abstinence. In the Roman Rite, including in Canada, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and of abstinence from meat. Pastors should invite and encourage their people to do special penance on these two days. The law of “abstinence from meat” binds those who are 14 and older; the law of “fasting” binds those from 18 to 59 years of age. Parents and educators are reminded of their duty to introduce children gradually to the understanding and practice of penance. Adult example will be the greatest influence in this matter.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH Congratulations to the following students who are the March ambassadors of the virtue of Forgiveness:

Miss Mazzuca/Ms. Raposo Arianna S. Ms. Jennings Vitoria P. Mr. Sorrentino Eva K. Ms. Nina Daniela F. Mr. Pietramala Jiale C. Miss Silva Sofia A. Ms. Rodrigues Ruben D.C. Ms. Calautti Tatiana P. Ms. Prsa Jun Isaac D. Ms. Keane Valter P.

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS AND BOYS BASKETBALL The Intermediate Boys and Girls Basketball teams practiced extremely hard for their divisional tournaments that happened on February 3rd and February 5th. They each played four intense games with many fast breaks, rebounds and some high shooting games. The boys began the tournament with a loss but won the next two games, 36-8 and 32-28. When it came to the final game, the boys were just unable to defeat St. Anthony. They showed great sportsmanship and placed second overall in the tournament. Congratulations to Shane B, Justin C, Matthew DS, Brian C, Ardian A, Ruben DC, Cristiano DF, Luca F, Vincenzo L, Darin P, Liam DS, Joshua D, Kevin V and Eman Z.


The girls started off their tournament against a tough team. Despite outshooting and outplaying their opponents, they lost by only one basket (12-10). However, with grit and determination, they came back to win the next two games with scores of 32-10 and 22-12, advancing to the finals where they faced their original opponent. In a very close game, they pressed on offensively, managing a few unanswered baskets in the last few minutes and taking the championship game by a score of 20-12. Congratulations to the first-place winners Sofia A, Emma B, Sofia G, Keira H, Sofia I, Emily K, Isabel P, Nicole P, Lila P and Nina Z. A big thank you to all of the parents who cheered on the teams, and most importantly the conveners, Ms. Pol-Bodetto & Mr. Pietramala, and coaches, Ms. Prsa & Miss. Silva, who helped make the tournaments a success.

GIFTED DEBATE On January 31st, 4 gifted debaters showed spirit and courage at the 2020 Annual Gifted Debate competition. These 4 debaters were chosen after multiple weeks of practice and many mock debates. The topic was “Be It Resolved That Surveillance is More Important Than Privacy”. Thank you to Ms. Prsa for organizing the event and Kevin, Eman, Isaac and Lila for doing a wonderful job at the debate.


VALENTINE ACTIVITIES



CELEBRATING 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL We celebrated the 100 Days of School in the ELP class with some fun crafts and activities.


CARNAVAL Senhora Chaves celebrated Carnaval with her ELP students by making masks and a banner.

SNOW VALLEY – SKIING, SNOWSHOEING & SNOWTUBING


SHROVE TUESDAY

ASH WEDNESDAY We began our Lenten season at St. Francis of Assisi Church with a beautiful mass held by Fr. Giacomo on Ash Wednesday. Let us remember the sacrifice Jesus made during this season and try our best to forgive others as Jesus forgave us.


PINK SHIRT DAY

CITY HALL SKATING On Thursday, February 27th, the students from grades 3-8 braved the cold and headed to City Hall for an exciting, outdoor skating day. Thank you to the teachers who organized and supervised our students so that they could have an awesome morning at the ice rink.


Monthly Update from the Board

March 2020

Important Information

Labour Update Stay up to date with all the latest news here: https://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2020/Pages/LabourUpdate.aspx

Coronavirus News and resources are on our website here: https://www.tcdsb.org/forstudents/healthandsafety/pages/coronavirusinformation.aspx

TCDSB Budget Process Starts This Spring Watch for detailed information on how you can provide your feedback on the draft budget, and identify your priorities. Visit www.tcdsb.org for more information coming soon.

Never Miss Out on Important Information All parents/caregivers are reminded to ensure that your school has up to date telephone and email information on file for your child. This will enable the school to communicate with you about critical matters including student absences, and will also enable the Board to share important information with you including updates on the status of labour negotiations via School Messenger.

Toronto Public Library: March Break Programs Looking for something to do during March Break? The library offers more than 100 free activities for kids, teens, and the whole family. Browse the programs or use our search tool to find out what's happening at your local branch.

https://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2020/Pages/LabourUpdate.aspx

https://www.tcdsb.org/forstudents/healthandsafety/pages/coronavirusinformation.aspx

http://www.tcdsb.org/

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