Virtue of the month:

Gratitude

October, 2016

Our Lady of Victory School News

Dear parents and guardians;

The month of September has come and gone with

many challenges. Whether it be the Terry Fox walk

or the challenge of finally getting to a smooth bus

ride the staff, students and parent community

were stalwart. We are thankful to be moving into

October which is appropriate given that October’s monthly virtue is gratitude.

We’d like to thank parents/guardians and staff members for all your support

during the bussing confusion especially during the first day and, for some,

during the first weeks. We finally have a sufficient number of drivers all of

whom understand their routes and the TCDSB protocol.

Coming up on October 5th is World Teacher Day. Parents and guardians can

personally show their gratitude for the important work done by teachers

because the 5th is also the date for Curriculum Night at Our Lady of Victory.

The staff look forward to meeting with you and sharing their plans for the year

ahead. We also have some community visitors and a used clothing sale for you

to peruse between classroom visits. The large majority of our parents have

chosen to receive communications like this newsletter through their email. We

thank you for this as it solidifies a direct communication connection between

the school and home, it is much less expensive for the school and it is supports

our eco-friendly efforts.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to several new staff members to Our

Lady of Victory. Ms. Coscarelli will be teaching the new grade 6 class that was

opened at the end of September due to increased enrollment. Ms. Wlodarska

our nutrition coordinator and Ms. DaSilva are new additions as lunchtime

supervisors. October is also the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a time

to reflect on our many blessings and express gratitude for all that we have.

We are truly blessed and thankful to have such caring and nurturing

people in our lives. We are grateful for our wonderful school

community and we would like to wish our students and families a Happy

Thanksgiving on MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016.

Lorinda Mazza Fatima Formariz Principal Vice Principal

Our Lady of Victory Catholic School

70 Guestville Ave.

Toronto, Ontario M6N 4N3

Telephone: 416-393-5247 Fax: 416-397-6310

Principal: L. Mazza

Vice-Principal:

F. Formariz

Superintendent: Doug Yack

Trustee:

Frank D’Amico

Parish: Father John Papagno

Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church 117 Guestville Ave.

Toronto, Ontario Phone: 416-769-1171

School Hours

8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Lunch Hour: 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Year of Charity

Year of the Parish

Parents and students are reminded that Friday, October 7 is a Professional Activity Day and Monday, October 10, is Thanksgiving Day. There will not be school on both these days.

CSPC NEWS On Thursday, September 29th, we had our CSPC elections. We would like to thank all the new parents who came out. The CSPC will meet again on Monday, October 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. to plan the Halloween Dance a thon fundraiser. All parents are welcome to attend as many hands are needed.

STUDENT DATA INFORMATION It is important for our school to have up-dated records for your child. Please contact the office immediately, if any information changes regarding student data or health. We require up-to-date contact numbers so that parents can be reached quickly in the event of an emergency.

VISITORS TO OUR SCHOOL Parents and visitors to our school are welcome. In the interest of maintaining a secure, safe and orderly school environment we request the following: ALL VISITORS MUST REPORT TO THE MAIN OFFICE UPON ENTERING THE SCHOOL BUILDING. It is our ongoing effort to make classroom time one of our many priorities. Impromptu hallway meetings with teachers take away valuable instructional time from student learning. Teachers will be glad to provide an appropriate time to address any concerns. Please communicate with your child’s teacher your request for an appointment using your child’s agenda or by calling the school office at (416) 393-5247. Please do not go to the classroom directly.

SCHOOLBUS EXPECTATIONS Parents of students who take the bus to and from school, please review the school bus transportation expectations with your child. These expectations are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and the bus driver. Students are to:

Remain seated at all times

Keep hands and feet to themselves

Be courteous to each other and the bus driver

Refrain from shouting or using a loud voice

STUDENT AGENDAS We encourage you to take some time to read the first 18 pages of the student agendas as they contain some pertinent information about such things as our school appropriate dress code and our code of conduct as well as other important information about our school operations. Your child should have the school agenda with him/her every day as it is an important tool for teacher/parent communication and homework tracking. It is hoped that you find the time to check your child’s agenda daily.

OLV CHURCH NEWS Our Lady of Victory Church had a registration day on Sunday September 18, 2016 for children who will be receiving the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation this school year. If your child did not receive a registration package and would like to receive the Sacraments of Holy Communion and/or Confirmation, please contact the parish office at 416 769-1171.

SCHOOL MASS The first mass of the 2016-17 school year will be celebrated Monday Oct. 3rd for grades 3 to 8. Parents and community members are always welcome to pray and worship with us. Please consider attending OLV’s advent mass on December 12, 2016.

ME TO WE On Wednesday, October 19, the Me To We Team, led by Ms. Baran and Ms. Coggon, will take part in Me to We Day at the Air Canada Centre. The students will be treated to many performances by special guests. As well, they

will hear celebrity speakers talk about how we can be the positive change in the world by helping those in our own communities and beyond. This year, the Me To We Team led the Terry Fox walk initiative on September 30 and will be working on building environmental awareness in the month of October. We look forward to supporting the various initiatives of our Me to We Team this year!

ECOKIDS BATTERY COLLECTION CHALLENGE STOP!! We want your used batteries for recycling. Our Lady of Victory has accepted a challenge to collect as many used batteries as possible. Prizes will be awarded to the school that collects the most batteries within a one week period in October. In the next two weeks, our Me To We representatives will be visiting classrooms to collect used batteries. Please help us to make our planet a better one by recycling. We will be accepting only single-use and rechargeable household batteries (weighing up to 5 kg each). Please stay tuned for more

information.

CROSS COUNTRY NEWS The cross country season has begun at Our Lady of Victory. The students have been practicing every day during the lunch hour. Our first competition will be October 11th at Centennial Park followed by the Regional Meet on October 20. Students who advance will compete at the City level on October 25. Good luck to all our students and their coaches as the season progresses.

ALLERGY ALERT There are a number of students with severe life threatening allergies to things such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, eggs and bee stings. Medical forms have been sent home for every child who has an allergy alert in the system. These must be completed by a medical doctor, signed and brought back to school. If your child has a severe allergy and you did not receive medical forms, please contact the school. Under Sabrina’s Law, students are required to have two epi-pens with them at school and during any school excursions. Please ensure that your epi-pens have not expired. Expired epi-pens will be returned to you for disposal. We ask that all students bring snacks and lunches that are peanut and nut-free.

CURRICULUM NIGHT Parents are invited to attend Curriculum Night on Wednesday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. We will gather in the gym for a short address and then move into the classrooms

for an overview of the curriculum your child will be learning this year. Teachers will be sharing classroom expectations and providing an outline of the learning that will occur. Please be sure to ask questions and introduce yourself to your child’s teacher.

TOONIE UNIFORM SALE The parent council will be selling gently used donated uniform items. Every item is made available for a very affordable price, $2:00. Please be sure to stop by the atrium and check out the offerings available.

TORONTO PUBLIC NURSE Our Toronto public nurse will be available on curriculum night to talk about healthy drinks and food choices. She will be located in the atrium across from the uniform sale. Parents and students are encouraged to stop by and hear about the sugar content in most popular drinks and learn about alternate choices for the lunch bag.

LATINX PARENTS FOR CHANGE PROJECT The LatinX Parents for Change project is a collaborative initiative of Working Women Community Centre (WWCC), the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TDCSB), and the Mennonite New Life Centre (MNLC). Over the next three years, we will identify and work with more than 20 elementary schools to strengthen the engagement of immigrant parents from Latin America to participate in the life of their schools, and in particular on their school councils. This initiative will target schools in Toronto that are located in neighbourhoods that have:

Highest Latin American recent immigrant populations

Lowest high school graduation rates

Highest rates of marginalization based on civic

engagement.

The short term goal of the project is to increase Latin American parent engagement in schools, specifically the representation of Latin American parents on School Councils. The long term goal of the project is to improve social and economic outcomes for Latin American children, youth and families in Toronto. El Centro comunitario Working Women y el Centro Menonita Nueva Vida están ofreciendo una serie de talleres de capacitación gratuita para padres y madres Latinoamericanxs con estudiantes en la escuela primaria para que se sean promotores activos de la educación de sus hijos e hijas. Latinx Padres y Madres por el Cambio es un proyecto diseñado para potenciar el liderazgo, profundizar la comprensión del sistema escolar de Ontario y promover la participación activa de los padres y madres en la vida escolar y comunitaria. Los participantes tendrán la oportunidad de aprender en detalle cómo funciona el sistema educativo provincial y conocer cómo ser parte de los consejos escolares y los comités de participación de padres y madres de las juntas de educación de Toronto. El entrenamiento consiste en ocho sesiones, los días miércoles de 5:30 pm a 8:00 pm y para recibir el certificado se esperan que los padres y madres asistan a la formación completa (27 horas). Para mayor información por favor contactar a Diana Grimaldos al dkgrimaldos@workingwomencc.org y/o Adriana Salazar al asalazar@mnlct.org.

Parents are invited to stop by the atrium during Curriculum Night to find out more about this community group.

STUDENT TELEPHONE USE Please review the school policy on cell phone use found on page 8 of the student agenda. Students are not to use their cell phones during school hours unless under the direct supervision of their teacher. The office telephone is available for student telephone use for EMERGENCY situations. Students will be required to make necessary “social” arrangements prior to coming to school.

NUTRITION/SNACK PROGRAM Our Nutrition/Snack Program has started. The program cannot run without donations so thank you to the many parents who have already sent in their contribution for the year. For those who haven’t a monthly $10 donation is suggested. A tax receipt will be issued by the Angel Foundation for donations over $20:00. These will be issued in the new year.

MANSFIELD OVERNIGHT TRIP From October 11 to October 14, our grade 8 students will be in Mansfield. They will be participating in team building activities to develop leadership

and co-operative skills as well as learning about the natural environment. We wish them a wonderful three days away from the routines and stressors of school and look forward to hearing about their adventures upon their return.

SECONDARY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES During the autumn, all TCDSB Secondary Schools welcome Gr. 7 and 8 students and their parents to Open Houses. This affords you the opportunity to meet staff, see the facilities and learn more about the programs, services and extra-curricular activities offered at the schools. For a complete list of dates and locations for TCDSB Open Houses, please visit: https://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx

A LAUGH A DAY… Laughter makes you feel good! The good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides….and that’s another reason to be thankful!

Upcoming Events October is…

Autism Awareness Month https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/october-is-autism-

awareness-month.aspx

Hispanic Canadian Heritage Month www.tcdsb.org

October 5th: Walk to School Day http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/international-walk-

school-daymonth

October 5th: World Teacher’s Day

October 6: Rosary Day https://www.tcdsb.org/board/nurturingourcatholiccomm

unity/pages/rosary-day.aspx

October 7: System-wide Professional Activity Day. No

classes for students

October 10: World Mental Health Day https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducat

ion/mhs/Pages/Default.aspx

October 11th: International Day of the Girl

https://www.tcdsb.org/Pages/International-Day-of-the-

Girl.aspx

October 11-25th: Elementary Cross Country https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/schoolprogram

sk12/healthoutdoorphysed/tdcaa/pages/tcdsb-

athletics.aspx

October 17th and 18th: Ontario College Information Fair http://www.ocif.ca/

October 21st: Welcome Reception for Newcomers to

Canada

https://www.tcdsb.org/forcommunity/newcomers/pages

/welcome-reception-for-newcomers-2016.aspx

October 22nd: Empowering Mothers in Education--

Spanish Speaking Advisory Committee Conference https://www.tcdsb.org/forparents/news/pages/2016-

october-22-spanish-speaking-advisory-committee-

conference.aspx

October 26th: Early Childhood Educator and Childcare

Worker Appreciation Day

October 28th: An Evening to Feed the Soul Gala in

support of the Angel Foundation for Learning

https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2017/pages/An-

Evening-to-Feed-the-Soul-Gala.aspx

October 29th: Father Patrick Fogarty Awards Dinner—

celebrating excellence in Catholic education across

Ontario

https://www.tcdsb.org/pages/33rd-annual-fr-fogarty-

awards-dinner-saturday-october-29.aspx

October 31st: Halloween. Learn about the Christian origins

of All Hallow’s Eve

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCo

mmunity/News/2012-2013/Pages/Halloween--

Christian-Tradition.aspx

Monthly Update from the Board, October, 2016

October 19: Go Purple Day October is Child Abuse Awareness Month. October 19th has been set aside as a day to raise awareness among students about

the signs of abuse and neglect, and what to do if they, or someone they know, is being/or suspected of being abused or

neglected https://www.tcdsb.org/Pages/October-is-Child-Abuse-Prevention-Month.aspx #iBreaktheSilence

High School Open Houses Grade 8 students and their families are invited to learn more about their secondary school options at open houses this fall. For

a complete schedule, see: https://www.tcdsb.org/school/OpenHouses/Pages/default.aspx

Interested in Parent Engagement? Catholic Parent Involvement Committee Elections Coming October 3rd for Wards 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 https://www.tcdsb.org/forparents/parentinvolvement/cpicelections/pages/scheduled-

cpic-election-for-even-numbered-wards.aspx

October 5th for vacancies in Wards 1, 7, 11 https://www.tcdsb.org/forparents/parentinvolvement/cpicelections/pages/election-to-fill-cpic-vacancies.aspx

And October 17th for Parents at Large

Learn more about CPIC here: https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/Pages/default.aspx

You Can Work Wonders with ShareLife During this Year of the Parish, schools are invited to partner with their local parishes to see how they can support the

annual campaign, and help ShareLife agencies work wonders. http://www.sharelife.org/Public/Home.aspx

Secondary Night School, Saturday Language Classes & eClass Registration Continues until October 7th Get detailed information online: https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/ContinuingEducation/Documents/flyer.pdf

Celebrating the Year of the Parish 2016-2017 The second year in our three pastoral plan focusing on "Together With One Voice: Harmonizing our Faith Through Family,

Parish and School".

It is an opportunity to celebrate the important role that our parishes play in our school communities and in the lives of the

students, staff and families that we serve.

Let's celebrate the Family-Parish-School partnership!

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/YearoftheParish/Pages/Parish-Project.aspx

October’s Virtue is Gratitude Find all the monthly resources associated with our virtues of the month online

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/VirtueoftheMonth/Pages/Default.aspx

Follow @TCDSB on Twitter to get the news as it happens.

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Or visit the board’s website regularly at www.tcdsb.org

TRUSTEES 2016 – 2017

Wards

1. Joseph Martino 5. Maria Rizzo 9. Jo-Ann Davis 2. Ann Andrachuk 6. Frank D’Amico, Vice-Chair 10. Barbara Poplawski 3. Sal Piccininni 7. Michael Del Grande 11. Angela Kennedy, Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni 8. Garry Tanuan 12. Nancy Crawford Rhea Carlisle, Student Trustee Karina Dubrovskaya, Student Trustee Follow @TCDSB on Twitter