Our Prayer For the New School Year

Almighty God,

As we begin this new school year, we ask for your blessing on our St. Pius X school community, for all those who teach, study, learn and contribute to our community: Open our minds as we learn about the glory of your creation, grant us courage as we accept new challenges, and help us to play our part in shaping a positive, safe and happy learning community.

We give thanks for opportunities that lie before us: for the people who help us learn and play, for friend-ships old and new, and for the support of our families.

Finally, we pray for all those around the world who do not have a school to go to or are caught up in conflicts. Comfort and support those who suffer and give them hope and strength to work for a better future.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Newsletter Date: September 8, 2015 Volume 1, Issue 1

St. Pius X Newsletter September 2015

St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street

Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237

Fax: 416-397-6084

Principal: L. Sposato

Vice-Principal: L. Goncalves

Secretary: S. Pereira

Clerk Typist: O. Bono

Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco, 416-222-8282

Trustee: Barbara Poplawski,

416-512-3410

Parish: St. Pius X Catholic Church

2305 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1859 Fr. B. Shea

Masses: Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am

11:00 am

Entrance and Dismissal: 9:00 am Entry

10:42 am Recess 11:45 pm Lunch Hour

12:45 pm Entry 2:10 pm Recess

3:30 pm Dismissal

REGISTRATION is underway. For more information, call 416-393-5237 or the TCDSB Admissions

Department at 416-222-8282, ext. 5320.

For general information about the Toronto Catholic District School

Board, please visit the website at www.tcdsb.org.

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

A warm welcome to parents, students, and staff, as we begin another exciting school year at St. Pius X. A special welcome to all new students and their families joining us this year. We hope your summer was a happy and enjoyable experience! As we begin a new school year at St. Pius X, we look forward to working with all of you, and with our students. We renew our expectations and strive to pro-vide our students with a year filled with interesting, and edu-cational experiences and activi-ties to challenge and stimulate them. Your encouragement and interest in your child’s learning is also essential to inspire and stimulate them to do their very best. Together, we can ensure that your child suc-cessfully continues on his/her learning journey. We strongly encourage you to keep in con-tact with your child’s teacher as we strive to serve his/her needs to the best of our ability. Feel free to contact the school

should you have any questions or concerns. Every new school year brings new excitement, often including change. We are happy to wel-come back Ms. Wright, Ms. LaRosa, and Ms. Sauro, as Mrs. Miaco, Ms. Karvonen, and Mrs. Shymonovych, continue their maternity leaves. We wish Mr. Barber, Mr. Catalano, Ms. Conception, Ms. Tesolin, and Ms. Medeiros, many blessings and continued success, as they take on new adventures in their careers. Welcome back to Ms. Agres, Mrs. Cairo, and Ms. Ruffolo, as they return from their leaves. We are thankful to Ms. Iwasykiw for serving our St. Pius community these past two years as our VP, and wish her much success as Principal at her new school. New perma-nent teachers to St. Pius this year are: Mr. Kiselyk (French Teacher), Ms. Kloda, grade 5/6 teacher, and Ms. A. Cymek, Library Technician (PM’s only). Ms. Daniella Sousa (LTO) will be replacing Ms. Ku as she continues her leave, and

Ms. Ferreira (LTO), will be re-placing Ms. David as she em-barks on her maternity leave. We wish Ms. David and her family many blessings with her baby soon to come. I know that you will join me in welcoming all our staff to our wonderful school community. To make back-to-school a posi-tive experience for all, we would ask that you review the school routines, practices, and require-ments noted in this newsletter. This is somewhat of a hefty package, but a lot of important information is included. Please do take the time to familiarize yourself with what is new and what has remained the same. Also, keep this information for your future reference. Please do return all signed documents to your child’s teacher at your earliest convenience. I look forward to the start of a great year ahead with hope,

excitement and expectation.

L. Sposato

Principal

Entrance and Dismissal:

Please note that in an effort to create balanced AM and PM instructional hours, TCDSB has adjusted our instructional time to include the following entrance, re-cess, lunch and dismissal times:

9:00 am Entry 10:42 am Recess 11:45 am Start Lunch 12:45 pm Finish Lunch 2:10 pm Recess 3:30 pm Dismissal

Important Information

September enrolment often fluctuates, with no exception this year. As a result of new registrations, it has (and may still) become necessary to adjust staffing and/or class lists. We thank all families who may be impacted in advance for their under-

standing and consideration.

School Holidays

Attached to this newsletter is a list of Professional Ac-tivity Days and Holidays for 2015-2016. Please keep this posted in a promi-nent place at home.

Please be advised that school yard supervision will start at 8:45 a.m. Parents are invited to share “goodbye” hugs and kisses prior to entry in both the morning and afternoon. Please do not enter the school or school yard with your child. Our staff need to have unobstructed supervision of your children in ALL school yards and when they are collecting their classes from their en-try doors. We look to en-sure the safety and orderly entry for all our students.

From the Office

“ Only those

who have opened their

hearts to Christ

can offer a

hospitality that

is never

formal or

superficial but

identified by

gentleness and

reverence”

Pope John Paul II

Page 2 St. Pius X Newsletter

Inclement Weather

On days when the weather is inclement, students are asked to arrive at school just before the bell. Those students pre-sent at school will be permit-ted to enter the building at 8:45 am. On such days, the recess periods will be held indoors and those students who stay for lunch will be su-pervised in the building. Un-less the weather conditions are particularly bad, cold weather alone does not war-rant an early entry to the build-ing or indoor recess. Appro-priate dress is a requirement on such days.

Safety Reminders

Our students are reminded that skateboards, ripstik, and/or scooters

are to be picked up once having arrived at school. Also, only use of soft “sponge” balls or equipment from our recess kits are allowed dur-ing recess play. We ask your cooperation and sup-port in ensuring that “hard” balls (e.g., baseballs, soccer, footballs, etc.), are left home.

Curriculum Night

Our “Meet the Teacher/Curriculum Night” will be held in the gymnasium on Wednesday September 30th, 2015, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Following introductions and a general overview in the gym, you are invited to your child’s classroom, JK to Grade 3 (6:55-7:25 pm) and Grades 4-8 (7:30 - 8:00 pm) to hear about the curriculum from you child’s teacher. Our Parent Council will also address the community with regard to up-coming school events with Parent Council information.

Safety

The safety of our children is of the utmost importance. Every effort is made to keep our school safe, secure and free from violence, racism and har-assment. BUS, BICYCLE, CLASSROOM, FIRE, PER-SONAL, PLAY, ROAD and TRIP SAFETY are part of the curriculum in the school. Offi-cials from the community visit the school, present and rein-force this information to our students. We value and strong-ly encourage your support in

Safe Arrival Program

This safe arrival program al-lows our school to call the parent by telephone if a stu-dent is absent without previ-ous notification. If your child is going to be absent, please phone the school between 8:30-9:00 am and 12:45-1:15 pm. When stu-dents have to leave school early for doctor or dental appointments, an adult is asked to come to the office to sign the child “out/in”.

this area, and ask that you regularly review all aspects of

safety with your child.

Student Information

It is essential that we have up-to-date information on each child. Changes in address, telephone numbers (business, home and cell, etc.) should be given to the office as soon as possible. In the event of an accident or emergency involv-ing your child, it is vital that we have an updated parent and

emergency contact number,

Help in the school library by cataloguing material, book binding, word processing,

etc.

Assist on field excursions

Please be realistic in determin-ing how much time you can afford to give as the program will suffer if volunteers are unable to meet their commit-ments. If an emergency does arise, please call the school so that teachers and students can

be informed.

If any parent is interested in helping out, or being part of our Parent Council, please contact our school office at (416) 393-5237. As per Board policy, there are forms (including a police check) that need to be com-pleted.

Parent Volunteers

The contributions of parent volunteers enrich the life of our

school and its students.

Volunteers may:

Work with small groups of

children

Read stories to the children

Help prepare teaching mate-rials, e.g., selecting pictures, creating visual and auditory

aids, etc.

“The

contributions of

Parent

Volunteers

enrich the life

of our school

and students.”

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1

which will enable us to reach you or your relative immediate-ly. Under no circumstances will a sick child be sent home unat-tended. We ask that you make arrangements to have your child picked up in an emergen-

cy.

Student Illness

For children who become ill while at school, we can provide only short-term rest facilities until a parent is called. In cas-es where illness or injury ap-pears to be serious, every effort will be made to contact a par-ent. If we are unable to make contact, and it is determined

that medical assistance is re-quired, the Principal or desig-nate may take the student to the hospital. Where appropri-ate, an ambulance will be called. Up-to-date emergency information is essential if the school is to respond effectively in the event of an emergency. If your child has ongoing health concerns, and is under medical attention, please call the Princi-pal or teacher to discuss the situation. In these circumstanc-es, the school will provide medi-cal forms that need to be com-pleted by the doctor and

brought back to the school.

Emergency Situations

In the event that a disaster situation is declared by the Chief of Police which affects St. Pius X school, we would all relocate to St. Pius X Church Hall (416-767-1859). Your children will remain under the supervision of the school au-thorities until the disaster situa-tion has ended or until you, the parent/guardian, personally pick up your children from the evac-

uation center.

smallest quantities of these products can be life threaten-ing. The most common aller-gen triggers are food, insect stings, medications, exercise and latex. An anaphylaxis reaction involves symptoms from two or more body sys-tems. We at St. Pius would appreci-ate the co-operation of the entire school community in NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain peanuts or nuts, which could potential-ly harm a child. Other re-

Anaphylaxis

As we begin a new school year, we would like to inform you that St. Pius is an aller-gen aware school. There are children in attendance who suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to cer-tain foods, such as peanut and nut products (among other food and/or non-food products). Anaphylaxis is a severe and life threatening allergic reac-tion, and exposure to the

strictions may apply on a class by class basis. Please make sure that all of your children’s caregivers are aware of the food restrictions. Please avoid sending food for birthdays or special occasions. There are many alternatives such as stickers and pencils. If you have any questions, please talk to your child’s teacher or the school staff. We look forward to your co-operation in making this a safe year for all our students.

dispense any medication must be updated on a regular basis and are available from the school office/Principal. These forms, once completed, are kept on file at the school. Also, be advised that staff in TCDSB schools will not dispense non-prescription medications to stu-dents. Should you require addi-tional information or have any questions about this protocol, please contact the school Princi-pal or the Special Services De-partment at 416-222-8282 ext. 2486. Your co-operation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

In winter, parents should equip their children with a change of footwear to be worn in the class-room area. The wearing of boots in class is unhealthy and therefore, prohibited. Children should come to school properly dressed for the weather (hats, coats, gloves/mittens, boots in winter, hats, sunglasses, sun-screen in summer). Students are expected to be outdoors for recess. Generally speaking, a child who is too sick to be out at recess is too sick to attend

school and profit educationally.

Child Welfare

By Ontario law we are obliged to report any disclosure or sus-picion of alleged abuse. We have no discretion in this

matter.

Health Care

Principals, teachers and support staff of the TCDSB are not per-mitted to administer any type of prescription medication during the school day, unless we have written signed authorization from you, the parent, AND the pre-scribing physician. The forms to

“Let’s keep

St. Pius X an

Allergen Aware

School. Please

avoid sending

food for

birthdays or

special

occasions.”

Page 4 St. Pius X Newsletter

Excursions

Excursions which complement and enrich the classroom por-tion of your children’s educa-tional program are encouraged at St. Pius X school. They are carefully planned excursions that provide an opportunity to expand students’ programs beyond the classroom. Teach-ers must follow specific proce-dures and guidelines when planning field trips and excur-sions. Your child is expected to participate in all of these

ventures.

Homework

All homework expectations will be outlined for you on Curriculum Night and with your child’s teacher as need-

ed throughout the year.

Lunch at School

It is the policy of the school to allow students to stay for the lunch hour when:

NO one is at home to pro-

vide lunch;

Distance is considered too great to cover during the lunch hour;

Rehearsals or extracurricu-lar school activities shorten the lunch hour.

If behavior becomes a con-sistent problem with any child, we will ask the parents to make other arrangements for lunch time. Please do not sign to have your child go home for lunch every day if you are not home. Also, do not sign for your child to go home for lunch just to fre-quent the fast food places in our community. This is not a healthy habit to adopt, not to

mention very unsafe!

that you advise the school Office of the problem to al-low for various classes to be checked and prevent further spreading. Outbreaks of pediculosis are common among school children and are not considered a health problem. Any person, how-ever clean, may become infested by exposure to oth-er infected persons or their belongings, particularly clothing (hats, coats, combs, hair brushes, etc.). Parents

Health Services

A public Health Nurse is available in the school spo-radically. All students are required by law to be im-munized. Failure to provide proof of immunization could result in suspension of a student by the Medical Of-

ficer of Health.

Pediculosis - Head Lice

If you should discover that your child has been infected with head lice, we would ask

are advised to look for pedic-ulosis when their children are observed scratching their heads excessively. Lice develop through a three week cycle and the eggs (nits) are attached near the base of the individual’s hair, usually along the hairline at the back of the head. Sug-gested Treatment: When infestations occur, effective treatments can be obtained without a doctor’s prescrip-

tion from most pharmacies.

are asking parents to fully par-ticipate with your child as we continue this program at our school throughout the year. Be part of helping us become lead-ers in this environmental friend-ly waste reduction program. It involves the following three

steps:

1. Lunches and snacks to be packed in re-usable contain-ers, not in disposable bags

(labeled with child’s name).

2. In order to avoid spills, we ask you to use containers that

are re-sealable.

3. Leftover food which can be disposed of in the green bin, will be encouraged to be brought back home in their containers by your child, for your knowledge of food not

consumed.

Our hope is that this practice at school and at home will teach all children to carry this aware-ness and behavior with them as they grow into young adults. Together, we can all make a difference and take care of our

environment !

Waste Free Lunches

TCDSB remains committed to the environment and continues to look for innovative ways to promote conservation through energy and waste reduction initiatives. The Board approved of a “Waste Free Lunch Pro-gram” at all elementary schools. This program is an integral part of the TCDSB’s commitment to promote and teach our students the importance of being stew-ards of the earth, and has re-sulted in a significant reduction in waste going to landfills. We

The “Waste Free

Lunch Program”

promotes and

teaches our

students the

importance of

being stewards

of the earth.

Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 1

Physical Education

Ministry of Education and TCDSB guidelines require that all students participate in Physi-cal Education, unless otherwise excused by a medical certifi-cate. Please notify us of any limitations or physical disabili-ties that would restrict your child from physical activity. This should be accompanied by a medical report from a physi-cian stating the limitation to be placed on the student. Please note that students must wear running shoes and other proper attire during physical education activities. “Daily Physical Activ-ity” (as mandated by the Minis-

try) across all divisions will

continue to be implemented.

Pupil Clothing

If possible, label your children’s clothing (boots, mittens and scarves). Each year, a consid-erable amount of unclaimed clothing gathers in the school. A “Lost and Found” box is pro-vided for this purpose. All un-claimed items will be sent to charitable organizations at the

end of each term.

Appropriate Dress Code

The TCDSB implemented an Appropriate Dress Code in all of its elementary schools in

September 2011. The Appro-priate Dress Code consists of any combination of white and navy blue garments (e.g., plain white or navy blue top (no stripes or patterns), and navy blue bottom; no denim). There is a great deal of choice and flexibility available to parents and students with this type of dress code. You will be able to purchase a variety of clothing styles at retailers of your choice. Please remember that white T-shirts with inappropriate comments or graphics and/or any type of tank or halter tops, spaghetti straps or “cut-outs”,

are not allowed. Dresses,

Bus Transportation and Conduct Attridge (AM - CAR0162)

(PM - CAR0154) Please call….... 416-255-5199

First Student (AM & PM -

CFE0464) ………905-629-8200

Little Busses: McCluskey (CMC1424) …..416-246-1422 Attridge (PM—PAR1634) ….... 416-255-5199 Bussing is a service provided by the School Board. As with any service, there are specific expec-tations which are conditional to

Parking Restrictions

Parking in the school bus loading zone during school hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) is prohibited by law. Please realize that parking on Weatherell Rd., in the Bus Loading Zone at entry and dis-missal times causes a potential danger for students. Visibility to oncoming cars is limited. For safety reasons, children should not be in the parking lot at any time. We would ask that you please take the extra mi-nute or two to follow the side-walk around to our front play area and kindergarten doors.

use. In the event that the follow-ing guidelines are not adhered to, bus riding privileges may be withdrawn. Please review the following guidelines regularly with your children to ensure that they are aware of the expectations:

Students who take the bus

must take the bus at all times. It is not a student’s decision to walk some days and take the bus on other days.

Students should enter and leave the bus in an orderly fashion.

Students must be seated,

distress is caused when these are lost or misplaced. If these items are brought to school, however, students are remind-ed that they must be powered off and stored in backpacks upon arrival for the duration of the school day. Cell phone use/texting is not allowed during the school day. Our students are also reminded to dismount from bikes, skate-boards, scooters upon arriving onto school grounds, and se-cure in respective school yard and/or classroom until the end

of the school day.

School Insurance

Student Accident Insurance forms will be sent home to you. The cost of the various plans is minimal and you may be saved a great deal of money in the long term. If you decide to take out one of these policy plans, simply complete the application form, and send it, along with your cheque for the appropriate amount in the pre-addressed envelope directly to the insur-ance company. Please do not

send them back to school.

skirts and shorts need to be “Bermuda” or arm’s length. Make-up is not allowed for ANY student, and for safety reasons, hoop earrings are not to be worn. For more information, please contact the Principal or the Chair of CSPC or visit our

school and CSPC websites.

Appropriate use of Electronics

We recommend that MP3 play-ers, iPods, cell phones, and other such electronic devices are to be left home. Significant

Remember,

the School

Bus Loading

Zone during

school hours...

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Page 6 St. Pius X Newsletter

facing the front, before the bus driver can start the bus and during the operation of the vehi-

cle.

Students must maintain a reasonable noise level while the bus is operating to allow the bus driver to drive the bus

safely.

Students are responsible to the bus driver while they are

on the bus.

Students are expected to be polite and courteous to the bus driver while they are on

the bus.

Food or drink is NOT to be

consumed on the bus at any time.

Children are expected to board and depart from the bus at their

assigned stop.

Students who wish to continue using the bus service must co-operate with these guidelines or risk having their bus privileges sus-pended. In such an event, you will be required to provide alternate transportation. Three written warn-ings by the driver and/or the Princi-pal will be given before privileges are suspended. Please call bus transportation directly for any delays.

A Memo to all Parents

As parents and guardians, you are important members of our school family. Consistency between home and school is a significant part of successful development of positive behav-

ioural attitudes and compliance.

Your support of the school and its’ policies is imperative. In the home, parents should reinforce the expectations of school pre-viously discussed, and project a positive personal role model to their children. It is important that each parent reads and understands the beliefs and

practices discussed under the

3. Walk your child to school - park a block away and walk

to avoid congestion.

4. Cross at controlled locations

when possible.

5. Avoid crossing mid-block.

6. Use pedestrian crossovers

properly.

Motorists

1. Slow down and be patient in

school zones.

2. Be prepared to stop.

3. Look for pedestrians before

Traffic Safety

It is vitally important that par-ents/caregivers lead by exam-ple when it comes to road safe-ty. Here are some traffic tips to help promote the safe arrival and departure of children at our

schools.

Pedestrians

1. Plan your route and take your

time.

2. Remain alert to your sur-roundings - predictable and

visible.

making a turn.

4. Do not obstruct school bus

loading zones.

5. Obey all traffic and parking

regulations.

6. Parking in no-parking/no-stopping zones and near corners and crosswalks ob-

structs everyone’s visibility.

build effective mutual under-standings and constructive relationships.

Please be aware that a re-vised PARENT HANDBOOK clearly outlining our CODE OF CONDUCT will be available to all families of the St. Pius X Community at our Curriculum Night.

Disclaimer

From time to time, the school will send home information from non-profit and for-profit organi-

zations. We remind parents and guardians to exercise cau-tion any time they participate in or enroll their child in an outside organization’s event after school hours. The school and the TCDSB are not liable for the quality of service these organi-zations provide or for the safety of the participants. We forward this information to keep our parent community informed of the wide variety of opportunities available within our local com-

munity.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND EXPECTATIONS section of this newsletter to ensure that parents and the school are in harmony when responding to

various issues.

Good communication is criti-cal to this process. Parents and the school must work closely together if short term and long term success is to be achieved. We hope this outline provides a base of shared support upon which teachers and parents may

“Consistency

between home

and school is a

significant part

of successful

development of

positive

behavioural

attitudes and

compliance.”

Page 7 Volume 1, Issue 1

of a free space where the stranger can enter and be-come a friend instead of an

enemy.”

In our school community and in our homes, we can dis-cuss the concept of the least of our people or the stranger who needs our hospitality, be it the newly arrived to Canada or the new student at our school. Today hospi-tality is more important than ever and it is only through a deep moral obligation to hospitality that we can trans-

form our communities.

Welcome Back to all our St. Pius X

school community !

As we welcome our students back to school in Septem-ber, it seems fitting that this month’s virtue is HOSPITAL-ITY. Our teachers have been busy preparing their classrooms, gathering to-gether resources, supplies and putting up bulletin boards that will invite the students back into a wel-coming environment. Our quote for the month is from Matthew 25: 40, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me”. Accord-ing to Henri Nouwen, “the German word for hospitality is Gastfreundschaft which means friendship for the guest...It means the creation

Virtue of the Month - Hospitality

St. Pius X Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1: September 8, 2015

We’re on the web! www.tcdsb.org

Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E.,

Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

TRUSTEES 2015-2016

Wards 1. Joseph Martino, 416-512-3401 2. Ann Andrachuk, 416-512-3402

Chair 3. Sal Piccininni, 416-512-3403

Vice-Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni, 416-512-3404 5. Maria Rizzo, 416-512-3405 6. Frank D’Amico, 416-512-3406 7. Micheal Del Grande,416-512-3407

8. Garry Tanuan, 416-512-3408 9. Jo-Ann Davis, 416-512-3409 10.Barbara Poplawski, 416-512-3410 11. Angela Kennedy, 416-512-3411 12. Nancy Crawford, 416-512-3412 Karina Dubrovskaya,

Student Trustee, 416-512-3417

Allison Gacad, Student Trustee,

416-512-3413

St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street

Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237

Fax: 416-397-6084

Upcoming Events Sept. 16 & 30, 2015

Pizza Lunch

Sept. 17 & 19, 2015 Registration First Holy Communion @ St. Pius X

Church; 7:30 pm and 11:00 am

Sept. 15 & 20, 2015 Registration for Confirmation @ St. Pius X

Church; 7:30 pm and 12:00 pm

Sept. 23, 2015

Lunch Lady

Sept. 23, 2015 CSPC/AGM Elections Meet-

ing @ 7:00 pm in Gym

Sept. 20, 2015 CSPC Welcome Back BBQ @ 11:00 am Mass at St. Pius Church followed by BBQ at

12:00 pm school yard.

Looking Forward

Sept. 25, 2015 Terry Fox National School Run/POGO Event (Red &

White Day!)

Sept. 30, 2015 Curriculum Night

@ 6:30 pm in gym

CSPC Website

Please visit the CSPC web-site www.spxcspc.com for CSPC news and events, committee updates, volun-teer opportunities and help-ful resources for parents and students. Remember to visit the CSPC eStore to order SPX logo’d navy & white apparel! Follow us on Twitter @ SPXCSPC!

Stay in Touch To receive regular updates on news and events from the Board, including urgent infor-mation about school bus cancellations and school closures, subscribe to E-

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

subscription.aspx or follow us on Twitter

https://twitter.com/#!/TCDSB Visit our website frequently for news and information at

www.tcdsb.org. Tune in for live webcasts of monthly board and committee meetings at http://www.tcdsb.org/LiveAtTCDSB/Pages/Default.aspx