happy new year - january newsletter · back and wish everyone in the our lady of wisdom catholic...

CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS JANUARY 2016

JANUARY 2016 || OLW �1

HAPPY NEW YEAR - JANUARY NEWSLETTER OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 ☎ 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434

Acting Principal: William Kwon

Acting VP: Mrs. GomesSecretary: Kyra P.

Superintendent: John Shain416.222.8282 ext. 6582

Trustee: Michael Del Grande 416.512.3407

CSPC Co-Chair: June StonehouseCSPC Co-Chair: Elaine MurphyCatholic Parent Involvement

Committee (CPIC) :www.tcdsb.org/cpic

✝ Parish: Annunciation of the

Blessed Virgin Mary3 Combermere Drive

Toronto, ON M3A 2W4416.445.1760

Father Jude CoyleMass:

Mon. - Fri. : 8:00 am & 12:20 pmSaturday : 9:00 am

Sunday : 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm & 7:oo pm

Reconciliation : Sat. 9:30am & 4:00pm

Dear Families:

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back and wish everyone in the Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School community a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016! The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord reminds us that Jesus’s birth is not a solitary event, but that Jesus continues to shine His light on our lives and make Himself known to us. As a Catholic faith community, we are reminded of the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the miracle at Cana, as significant ways that Jesus made Himself known to the world. Let us not lose sight of our collective mission as well: to open our hearts and minds to the truth and the message of God’s will in the birth of His Son, Jesus. Upon reflection of students and staff ’s unwavering commitment to praying the Rosary, the Christmas Families initiative, as a joint effort with our area Social Worker and Annunciation Parish and the support of individual families by primary and junior staff through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, it is quite evident that all of these actions and more were motivated by the Light of Christ. This is a season of Renewal and Hope, but also one of continuing our acts of selflessness and were charity. Truly, I continue to be humbled by students and colleagues, as they continue to demonstrate “moral courage” through daily decision making and responses to conflict, as they continue to exact respect and justice from our diverse school community. Indeed, January is the beginning of the New Year, and it also marks the long and busy road ahead in terms of the winter season and its many undertakings, such as, preparation for the Concours D’Art Oratoire, Junior volleyball tournaments, skating excursions and Film workshops excursions, as well as, the completion of Term 1 assignments and assessments. Accordingly, the virtue of the month for January is “Courage.” St. Teresa of Avila once stated: “To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.” May God continue to bless our students as they are called by God to find courage in themselves to act justly and responsibly in the face of injustice as members of a “just, peaceful and compassionate society.” Sincerely,

W. Kwon Acting Principal

http://www.tcdsb.org/cpic

http://www.tcdsb.org/cpic



GRADE 7 & 8 VISIT TO THE

“SALON DU LIVRE DE TORONTO” 2015

To promote French language learning and to give students a chance to

be fully immersed in a French speaking contest, the intermediate

students went to visit the 23rd “Salon du livre de Toronto 2015”.

It’s a four day annual event that occurs each December at the Toronto

reference library. The Toronto French Book Fair Association was started

in 1993 to promote the French language and culture through literature.

The Book Fair, the only one of its kind in North America outside of

Quebec, features more than 550 publishers from francophone countries

around the world, plus educational workshops for students and

teachers. The fair includes a Festival of Writers that brings together

more than 60 writers from francophone communities in Canada and

around the world, giving readers the opportunity to get to know the

writers and their works.

Here are students from “Our lady of Wisdom” listening to Christian

Quesnel give a workshop on how to write a graphic novel on Friday,

December 4, at the French Book Fair. He’s the author of “Le crépuscule

des Bois-Brûlés” and “La quête des oubliés” The book fair was held at

the Toronto Reference Library from the 2nd to the 5th of December 2015,

with lots of activities for kids.

GRADE 2 and 3/4 FAMILY BASKET INITIATIVE

As part of our school’s Advent celebration, Mme. Gitto’s grade 3/4 and Mme. Rego’s grade 2 classes

helped support a father and his two young children by providing them with a Christmas basket with the

Society of Saint Vincent De Paul. St. Vincent De Paul is a 170 year-old organization that serves and assists those in need by visiting people in their homes and

supplying them with food, clothing, vouchers or furniture. In adopting the family, the students from both

classes helped by bringing in food, donating new or lightly used children’s clothing, purchasing new toys

and giving a money donation, which was used to purchase a grocery gift card to help the family with

Christmas dinner. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank these students and their families for their

support and making a family’s Christmas extra special this year!



Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School is extremely proud of its peer student mediators for their demonstrated commitment to mediating and solving various conflicts involving our younger students during the lunch recess. Most importantly, we applaud the mediators’ swift response and proactive decision making ability, enabling our younger students to resolve many of their own problems. So far, the “Problem Box” has been well-received and frequently used by students as an additional safe reporting mechanism to report conflict and instances of bullying behavior. Keep up the great work everyone! Thank you to M. Bruno and Mlle. Caroline for helping to get the program off the ground!

OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434

peer student mediators & the problem

SAFE SCHOOLS Code Re(a)d: learn the TCDSB’s Code of Conduct!

Excerpt: “Take appropriate measures to help those in need.” Who is in need? This question can be seen in everything from a global to an

individual context. In the classroom environment, everyone experiences moments of need. Maybe it's your teacher, who needs

volunteers for a learning demonstration. Maybe it's your desk neighbour, who needs someone to explain that tricky last question.

Maybe it's you yourself, who needs someone to listen to your problem before you can concentrate on your schoolwork.

Discussion Question: You are sitting at your desk and you notice your desk neighbour has her head down on her desk and might

be crying. What would you do?

OLW ATHLETICS:

Skating… As the new year begins, so does our skating program for grades 4-8. Each class will be skating three afternoons during the months of January, February and March. Permission forms will be handed out in the new year. Please be sure to purchase a CSA-approved helmet, if you don't already have one or are able to borrow from another student.

Volleyball… Our junior boys and girls volleyball tournaments will be held at the end of the month, location still to be determined. Good luck to both teams as they try to bump, set & spike their way to victory! Best of luck, as well, to all boys and girls in grade 7 and 8 trying out for the basketball teams. Try-outs will begin sometime during the first week of school.

Looking ahead... Ski trip for grades 6, 7 and 8 students will be March 1st @ Dagmar. Permission forms and details to follow.



SKILLS CANADA Thank you to Higgen from Skills Canada who shared valuable information regarding Post-Secondary, College and Apprenticeship programs and pathways with the Grade 7 and 8

students at Our Lady of Wisdom. Students learned about the requisite skills needed for apprenticeship programs, such as, a chef, baker and more in the culinary arts, timeframes and how the programs enable students to learn through work in very unique settings.

CHRISTMAS THEMED DRAMATIC WORKS

Grade 3 and 4 students in Mlle. Gitto’s class were excited to perform a variety of French Christmas themed dramatic

works, such as, “Le Mauvais Santa” and other original works for an audience consisting of

peers and teaching staff. Truly, it was impressive showcase of original ideas, scriptwriting

ability, dramatic performances without the use of props, explicit communication of fable-like moral teachings, but most importantly evidence of oral French fluency.

EQAO INFORMATION CORNER In the month of January, in addition to year round preparation that is already underway at the school level, EQAO student/parent practice booklets containing released questions from

previous years in Math at the Grade 3 (French Immersion and English versions) and Grade 6 (English Math), along with dual

language glossaries will be sent home. An additional letter, which will act as a guideline with suggested timelines for completion of multiple choice and Open response style

questions, is forthcoming. The school encourages direct parent involvement in building their children’s math stamina and

confidence in problem-solving and computation in recognition of the significant impact that parents also have on their children’s

learning of math.

STAFF WELCOME : MS. GOMES Acting Vice Principal

The Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School community welcomes Ms. Gomes who has been appointed “Acting Vice-Principal.” She is well-respected

administrator with a great deal of experience and familiarity with the school community. We welcome her expertise as she fills in for Ms. Dahdah, who is

currently on leave. May we keep Ms. Dahdah in our prayers.


JANUARY 2016 || OLW �5OUR LADY OF WISDOM C.S. || 10 JAPONICA RD., TO., ON M1R 4R7 416.393.5273 F. 416.393.5434

Christmas Nativity Performance

What a wonderful way to end one of the best times of the year, the Advent season and the days leading up to Christmas. Thank you to

all of the staff members, Mlle. Belanger, Mme. Krzyszkowski, Mme. Mari-Berje, Mme. Suzan, Mlle. O, Mme. Makar, the

students and the parent community at Our Lady of Wisdom CES for coming together and immersing themselves in the spirit of

Advent. Students from JK- Grade 6 sang a collection of Nativity themed songs ranging from "There Was a Little Baby," "Le Divin

Enfant," to "D'ou Viens Tu, Bergere" and “Huron Carol.” The intermediate band also performed a crisp, collection of holiday

fare from “Canon of Peace” to “Sleigh Ride.” The musical pieces were further accented by the day’s focal point, a Nativity play that

was adapted and performed in French tracking the journey of Mary and Joseph to the inn and the reverence paid to the birth of Jesus

by the shepherds and the magi.



"Canadian Parents for French T.C. OLW chapter, We congratulate the newly graduated parents from OLW: Mrs. Myla Flores Cheron, Mr. Darryl Fernandez and Mr. Greg Michaud for completing the CPF French adult course, Level 1, in December with Mrs.Haggar as their teacher." We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We appreciate all your continued support for our chapter.

DOLLARS WITH SENSE On December 11, Grade 7 students learned about and simulated how to make sound financial decisions and practice fiscal responsibility thanks to the generosity of visiting Junior Achievement workshop facilitators, Marie Chow, Liz-Ann Lawton, from J.A. Central Ontario. As part of the “Dollars with Sense” program, intermediate students not only learned about financial topics and their connection to future financial stability, such as, Systems of exchange, SMART Consumer decisions and rights, Fraud and Investments, but they also had the opportunity to apply the concepts and skills learned in an interactive game which clarified how amortization rates work, how profits and losses are tracked and what types of investment products exist. Thanks to this experience, our hope is that students have gained additional knowledge and skills to aid in “setting goals”, planning effectively, and making prudent financial decisions to “be successful in life.”

FIELD/YARD UPDATE

There have been several inquiries about exactly when the newly sodded field will be accessible to students.

In consultation with the Capital Development, Renewal and Facilities departments at the TCDSB, senior management have clearly communicated that

the sod at Our Lady of Wisdom CES is weather dependent and requires significant rainfall, given that it is an expansive tract of land. Accordingly, the field will remain fenced off from use for one year. This is

consistent with new fields recently completed at other elementary schools, and it allows for the sod to

properly root and establish.

LATENESS AT OLW It is the policy of the TCDSB that parents are

contacted when their children are absent from school. Please telephone the school and leave a message on

the school’s answering machine any time before 9:00 am. It saves us time in the morning when we know

what students are absent. Students who are late must report to the office. Habitual lateness is a very serious concern. Students miss a great deal

when they are late. Please ensure that students are on time in the morning. It is a lifelong habit

that is crucial to success.



VISITORS TO THE

SCHOOL ————————————————The Toronto District School Board encourages visits to schools operated by the Board from those with statutory right to visit, and from those whose presence will be of benefit to the pupils. All visitors may enter the school by using the door entrance/video monitoring system located at the right of the front entrance. Entrance through the school yard doors or side entrance is strictly PROHIBITED.

Upon arrival at the school, all visitors, including parents are required to report to the office, thus giving the Principal the opportunity to meet and welcome them. If the parent wants to drop something off for their child or pick them up for a medical appointment, they are asked to come to the office. We will contact the class.

DEVICES AT SCHOOL...CELL PHONES ETC.

With the proliferation of a variety of devices in our daily lives, we would ask that if your child brings a cell phone/ipod etc. to school, it is not to be used during the school day in the school or at recess. These are expensive and should remain concealed.

If a child wishes to contact a parent, in an urgent situation, during the day then this may be done through the office.

If these items are to be used for instructional purposes, then staff will instruct students accordingly.

Cold Weather Alerts:

In anticipation of colder winter weather approaches, please be advised of the City of Toronto’s new two tiered system for reporting cold weather alerts. The Medical Officer of Health will be declaring a Cold Weather Alert or an Extreme Cold Weather Alert. A Cold Weather Alert will be issued when temperatures are expected to be -15C or colder, or wind chill is expected to be -20C or below. Other environmental factors, such as heavy precipitation, are taken into consideration. A cold weather alert may not necessarily translate into the need for an indoor recess as there is a low to moderate risk of frostbite. To maximize student safety and readiness for colder weather ahead, we ask for parents’ continued assistance in ensuring that students dress appropriately for the weather conditions. At the school level, local weather conditions will be monitored, and the Board’s protocol will be referred to for guidance. https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Documents/GuidelinesforWeatherConditions.pdf An Extreme Cold Weather Alert will be issued by the Medical Officer of Health when temperatures or wind chill are expected to reach -30C or colder for at least two hours. This corresponds with the Extreme Cold Warning issued by Environment Canada. When there is an extreme cold weather alert, the risk of frostbite is greater; as a result, great consideration will be given to indoor recesses or shortened recesses to ensure the safety of students and staff. Cancellations/Closures:

The Parent community will be notified via email in the event of that the school needs to be closed due to extreme cold or hazardous road conditions related to accumulation of snow and ice. More information about notification procedures can be found on the website: https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Pages/Weather-Related-Safety-Concerns.aspx

Pizza lunch will resume on Tuesday, January 5th, 2016 and will

extend to March 29, 2016 (12 Tuesdays). Thank you to all parents for

supporting the program in its second portion of the school year.

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Documents/GuidelinesforWeatherConditions.pdf

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Pages/Weather-Related-Safety-Concerns.aspx

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Documents/GuidelinesforWeatherConditions.pdf

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/HealthandSafety/Pages/Weather-Related-Safety-Concerns.aspx



Toronto International Film Festival Workshops: In recognition of the rich learning potential of filmmaking as an artistic and expressive medium and application to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), intermediate students in Grades 7 and 8 will be participating in the Film in Day workshops offered at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on January 27th and February 11th, 2016. Students will be involved directly in the filmmaking making process from concept to original film product, all moderated in French, as they learn about Types de plans, les critiques de films, rôles dans les films, les exemples de photos, et les exemples de scénarimage. For those students who choose to submit, the TIFF experience will be a beneficial experience which will provide additional practice and development of skillsets required in the filmmaking process and act as a precursor for the development of student work and subsequent submission to the Toronto Catholic Family Film Festival on February 19th, 2016.

Swim to Survive Program:

The Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive® program provides training in three essential skills needed to survive an unexpected fall into deep

water: ROLL into deep water, TREAD water for 1 minute & SWIM 50 metres. The Swim to Survive program is for Grade 4 students. There are 3

parts to the program. 1 3 in-water swimming lessons, teaching the 3 skills (roll, tread &

swim) 2 3 in-classroom water safety lessons

3 Parent Information about the Swim to Survive program The Swim to Survive program has been developed in response to the

reduction of swim instruction for elementary school children during school hours. The Lifesaving Society is aware that many children are not provided with the opportunity for swimming lessons out of school hours.

The Lifesaving Society believes that Swim to Survive is an important first step to being safe around water. If every child in Canada could pass the

Swim to Survive Standard, we believe that the number of drownings would be reduced by half. The Ontario Ministries of Education and

Health Promotion support this initiative and have provided funding to the Lifesaving Society to deliver this program free of charge to Grade 3 or 4

students. The students and their teachers will travel to a local pool for 3 one hour

in-water lessons on the following dates:

May.11 10:15am – 11:00amMay.18 10:15am – 11:00amMay.25 10:15am – 11:00amMay.31 10:15am – 11:00amJun.07 10:15am – 11:00amJun.14 10:15am – 11:00am


CSPC UPDATE


With the busy holiday season settling down we realize that many of our OLW students were unable to place their KERNELS popcorn preorder. Below you will find

a form that can be submitted, the cut of date for preorders is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6th, 2016.

First popcorn day is FRIDAY, JANUARY 15th, 2016

STAY CONNECTED, GET UPDATED with the latest from Our Lady of Wisdom by downloading the Twitter App and follow CSPC here: @OLW_CSPC & Our Lady of

Wisdom CS @ OLWCES

ON THE LOOK OUT

The FDK classes are looking for a few things to help better equip their classrooms. Perhaps this

Christmas season you’ve found items you are eager to get rid of! Should you have any of the following please be in touch

with June Stonehouse via [email protected]

- playground equipment/toys- yoga mats

-tumbling mats -interactive toys/learning puzzles

REASON FOR RAISING

Many of you are asking why we hold the fundraising that we do. The dollars raised contribute to our children’s educational experience. Here is a list of where our fundraising dollars will be put towards. For

the first time in years this CSPC team has had ZERO dollars to start with - we have started from scratch and because of your efforts and your

chid’s we are able to help fund the following:

SK Graduation, Grade 8 Graduation, Grade 8 Confirmation, Grade 2 First Communion, Shrove Tuesday, Carnaval, Summer Play Day BBQ, Safety Equipment, Yard Equipment, Library Resources, Class Trips, In

Class Specialty Programs, and French Resources.

Our Budget and CSPC Minutes can all be followed on the school portal. We encourage you to read up on our meetings.

BE ANOTHER VOICE OR A HELPING HAND

No two children are the same - Nor are their parents. We would like for you to join us at

our meetings to help us know where we should be focussing on in regards to our

academic focus. How can we help make our child’s learning experience a successful

one, what help can we offer?Volunteering at a CSPC event does not have to be a 9-5 role. We have various projects constantly on the go that only

require half an hour here and there. Want to get involved? Email us at

[email protected] and we will email with volunteer opportunities!

The Mental Health of our children is so important. Click on the following link to find help. You are not alone with facing

difficulties, http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/parents/resources_parents.php

“WHATS FOR LUNCH?”

Kids aren’t always big on soups so make a carrot soup puree jam packed with cauliflower, spinach, carrots, tomatoes and yellow lentils - strain it, then pour it over some boiled pasta

spirals - toss in a thermos and send it off! More fun to eat and deliciously nutritious! You can even send croutons for crunch!

http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/parents/resources_parents.php

http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/parents/resources_parents.php

mailto:[email protected]






September 2016 :Kindergarten-Grade 8 Registration Information

We are pleased to welcome you and your child to the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Applications for registration to schools in the Toronto Catholic District School Board can be made on-line or in person beginning Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 10:00 am Eastern Standard Time

Applications may be made electronically on the Student Online Application for Registration

(S.O.A.R.) at: http://soar.tcdsb.org

Please note that in some schools, space is limited. Parents are encouraged to apply early. Please check with your local school for more information.

Applying On-line Parents/Guardians may complete an application for registration from the convenience of their own home, the office, a public library, or anywhere there is internet access,

24 hours a day. The on-line application also offers access to translations in different languages with built-in help functions and features.Applying in Person Parents may also choose to apply in person at their local school, where they will complete either an electronic application or a paper application.

An Extended Registration evening has been set aside for Monday, January 18th, 2016 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Our Lady of Wisdom CES. Computers are available for parent use on a first-come first-serve basis.Maintaining a Priority Sequence Upon entering the electronic application, S.O.A.R. will issue a file number and a date/time for reference. Please keep this information for future reference if required to access your application information.If applying in person at the school on January 13th, parents will also receive a date/time label which will be affixed to the application. Both processes will enable the creation of a processing list for each school.DocumentationOnce the application is complete, the parent/guardian must meet with the school in order to validate documentation.

The following documents are required when completing the applications Baptismal Certificate Birth certificate and/or Passport if not born in Canada Immunization Record Proof of Residency Application for Catholic School Support (completed at the school)All documents must be submitted by February 5th to the school for consideration in placement, especially for schools with enrolment pressures. These students will be pre-registered during the week of February 8th and parents should receive notification of placement at this time.

http://soar.tcdsb.org/

http://soar.tcdsb.org/



Completed Registrations

Registration is complete when: 1. A complete application has been submitted to the school (online or in person)

2. A Meeting with school personnel has taken place3. All documentation has been submitted and validated by the school4. The family has been informed by the school that the registration is complete and the child is pre-registered for September 2016To which school may I apply? Within the S.O.A.R program, applicants will be directed to their community school which is based on the applicant’s residential address found within the school boundary.If an applicant wishes to apply to a school outside the boundary of their community school, they will have the opportunity to make an out of boundary request on their application.Please note that an application to any school, whether inside or outside the boundary does not guarantee acceptance at the school selected. TCDSB will however, make every attempt to identify a school where there is space and where the child may attend. Please note that in line with our transportation policy, Transportation/bussing is not guaranteed.

Priority Waitlists Applications are processed according to the priority sequence. Once all available spaces have been filled at a school, any remaining applicants will be placed on one of 6 potential wait lists as per the Elementary School Admissions Policy:

Priority I – Applicant living inside or outside the boundary of the school with a sibling attending the school (in junior kindergarten to grade 7) and not registered in Extended French, French Immersion or Special Education/Intensive Support Program Class

• **Priority 2 - Applicant living in the school boundary

· Priority 3 – Applicant living outside the school boundary but attends a licensed child care within the school boundary for September 2016 • Priority 4 – Applicant living outside the school boundary with unlicensed child care within the school boundary • Priority 5 – Applicant living outside the school boundary and is not attending child care • Priority 6 – Applicant living outside the City of Toronto **For French Immersions schools, all students who live within the larger regional family of schools may apply

for admission, but placement in the French Immersion Program will only occur if space permits, and based on a date-time stamp process.

Within each priority, all applications maintain the date/time stamp sequence as set in the initial application. In schools with limited space, students who are on the Waitlist as per the Priorities listed above will be offered an alternate catholic elementary school. Transportation is not guaranteed to the alternate school site.How long does the application stay on the waitlist? Applications will remain on the Waitlist until September 30, 2016. Applicants will be contacted by the school if they are being considered for admission. Should parents wish for their child to be considered for the following year they must re-apply in January 2017.Getting Help: Families experiencing difficulty with the S.O.A.R. application process may report the problem online in S.O.A.R. or may contact board staff at the following numbers:Admissions Department 416-222-8282 x5320Communications 416-222-8282 x5314



STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING

NEWSLETTER can be found on the school portal under the

Parent Link

NEXT CSPC MEETING IS JANUARY 13th @ 6:30pm in the LIBRARY

CSPC BULLETIN BOARDS ARE NOW LOCATED AT THE

SIDE ENTRANCE AND FRONT ENTRANCE OF THE SCHOOL FOR UP TO DATE INFO & FORMS