Follow us on Twitter @AngelaMericiDP or www.dpcdsb.org/MERIC

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Acting Principal D. Linardic Vice Principal M. Vitale Head Secretary S. DiBello Assist. Secretary M. Gallant Trustee D. D’Souza Superintendent: L. Storey (905) 890-0708 Parish Guardian Angels (905) 970-9175 www.guardianangelsparish.com Pastor: Fr. Jan Gogolewski guardianangels@bell.net School Hours: 8:15 Supervision 8:30 Entry Bell 11:31 Lunch 11:51 Lunch Recess 12:31 Bell 3:00 Dismissal

O sweet Child of Bethlehem,

grant that we may share with all our

hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas.

Put into the hearts of men and women this

peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately

and which you alone can give to them.

Help them to know one another better,

and to live as brothers and sisters,

children of the same Father.

Reveal to them also your beauty,

holiness and purity.

Awaken in their hearts

love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.

Join them all together in your love.

And give us your heavenly peace.

Amen.

Pope John Paul XXIII

St. Angela Merici School

83 Edenbrook Hill Dr., Brampton, ON L7A 2N7 PHONE: (905) 840-1505 FAX: (905) 840-7445

DECEMBER 2017

GUARDIAN ANGELS PARISH NEWS

Masses are celebrated at

Guardian Angels Parish Hall 10630 Creditview Road, Brampton.

Saturday: 5:00 p.m.

Sunday:

9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon

Weekdays: Monday to Friday @ 7:30 am

Pastor Father Jan Gogolewski

Phone: (905)-970-9175 Fax: (905)-970-1054

guardianangels@bell.net

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE_________________________

During the season of Advent, the lights of the Advent wreath

burn brighter each week as we anticipate and wait in hope and

joy for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Increased

brightness of the wreath stand in contrast to the increasing

darkness of the days. Pope Francis, in his first encyclical

letter “The Light of Faith,” refers to the gift of Jesus as the

light in the darkness and that “the light of faith is capable of

enhancing the richness of human relations, their ability to

endure, to be trustworthy, to enrich our life together.” (pg 64)

It is through relationships with God and others that we find

joy. Not only in the light of our faith, but also by witnessing

our faith we provide a glimmer of light, a beacon of hope for

others. A special thank you to all who are contributing to the

toy drive, hat and mitten tree and Advent food drive. As we

are called through our Catholic Social Teachings to give

preferential option for the poor, consider that “poor” refers to

all who suffer in any way. It is through relationship and

witnessing our faith that we demonstrate how Christ lives

within us all.

On behalf of the staff at St. Angela Merici School, we wish

you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas. May the light of

Christ grow brighter within, during the Advent season.

Merry Christmas!

D. Linardic M. Vitale

Acting Principal Vice Principal

MESSAGE FROM TRUSTEE D’SOUZA_____________

Thank you for choosing a Dufferin-Peel Catholic

Education

Dear Parents and Guardians:

During this Advent Season, as we prepare for the celebration

of the birth of Jesus Christ, we would like to take this

opportunity to thank parents and guardians for choosing a

Catholic education for your children. The first three months

of the 2017-18 school year have been very successful on many

fronts and we have much for which to be thankful.

Our schools enjoy strong relationships with our families, local

parishes and the community at large, and continue to build

more diverse, more welcoming, more humane and more

inclusive places to learn and to work. We continue to see

strong performances by our students across the board in most

areas of the most recent EQAO assessment and our graduation

rates are among the highest in the province. Your

Board of Trustees continues to work hard on your

behalf and on behalf of all students and their families.

In the words of our Holy Father, “As we contemplate

the Crib, let us gaze on the open arms of Jesus, which

show us the merciful embrace of God, as we hear the

cries of the Child who whispers to us: “for my brethren

and companions’ sake, I will say: Peace be within you”

(Ps 121[122]:8).

Thank you, again, for supporting Catholic education,

and we wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a happy

and prosperous New Year.

Darryl D’Souza

Trustee, Brampton Wards 2,

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COMPETITIVE CHOIR AT WINTERLIGHT

FESTIVAL______________________________

On Friday, December 2nd Merici’s Competition

Choir Cats performed at Cassie Campbell Winter

Lights Festival between 6:00 and 6:20 p.m. We

will be singing some classic Christmas Carols,

and will even invite the audience to sing along to

some of our favourites. Cassie Campbell

Recreation Centre will be hosting fun events for

the whole family. Come on out and cheer us on.

Hope to see you there!

TREE HOPE____________________________

St. Angela Merici School will be

starting a Tree of Hope this

Monday, December 4th, 2017. We

are collecting new mittens, gloves,

scarves, and hats to be given to children in need. In

the spirit of the upcoming Christmas and winter

season, please help us ensure children needing a little

extra warmth are cared for. The tree will be set up at

the school entrance. We encourage students to bring in

mittens, gloves, scarves, and hats to hang on the tree.

All donations will be accepted up until December 15th.

Thanks in advance for your support – St. Angela

Merici’s Youth Faith Leaders.

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SPIRIT WEEK__________________________________

On the last week before our Christmas break, our school

community will be celebrating SPIRIT WEEK !! We have

decided to make each day of the week a festive one !! You

will find the themes for the day in the list below :

Monday ~ Christmas Colours – wear red or green

Tuesday ~ ELF Day – dress like an elf!

Wednesday ~ UGLY Christmas Sweater Day

Thursday ~ Christmas Hat or Christmas Themed

Crazy Hair Day Friday ~ Pajama Day

A donation of a toonie will be accepted for ShareLife.

ANGELA MERICI CATHOLIC

SCHOOLCOUNCIL_______________________________

Next Meeting:

Thursday, December 7, 2017

@ 6:30 pm in the Library

and January 24, 2018

All meetings are open to community members.

Please join us if you can.

FROM THE LIBRARY__________________________

Thank you to the students, teachers,

parents and all the members of the St.

Angela Merici community for

another successful Book Fair. As well, a

very special thank you to our Volunteers:

Mrs. Dal Dosso, Mrs. Baltazar, Mrs. Milando, and Mrs. Birnie

for their time and hard work. Your support is essential in

helping us obtain new books and resources for our library and

classrooms. Total Sales were over $6,000! Thanks

again Wildcats and Merry Christmas! - Mr. Di Giovanni

St. Angela Merici’s Eco School Team is up and running. We

will continue to have waste-less lunch Wednesdays and LOL

Wednesdays (Lights Out Lunch). We will be collecting

Lunchable containers, including the cardboard, plastic

film and any other wrappers that come with the

Lunchables. Thank you for your continued support.

SCHOOL YARD SUPERVISION__________

A reminder to both parents and

students that yard supervision

does not begin until 8:15 a.m.

STUDENT ARRIVAL AND

PUNCTUALITY____________________________

School begins promptly at 8:30 A.M. Students and

parents are reminded that each student has the

responsibility to be on time. Arriving late interferes

with the program of instruction, and centers attention

on the latecomer. Please help us teach the value of

being on time.

INCLEMENT WEATHER AND

TRANSPORTATION____________________

During the winter months, inclement weather may

cause disruption of regular school operations. A

decision to close schools or cancel busses is usually

made by 6:00 a.m. You can obtain information by

listening to the following radio stations:

CKFM 99.9 CFTR 680 CFTO

CJCL 590 CHFI 98.1 FM CBC

CFNY 102.1 CHIN 100.7 EZ Rock

CFRB 1010 CJMR/CHWO 1250

CKFM 99.9 CITYPULSE

CHUM 104.5 FM CHUM 1050

FOXY 88.5 FM CJBC (Fr.) 860

WEATHER NETWORK

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Please ensure the announcement is for the Dufferin-Peel

Catholic District School Board. If transportation is

cancelled, the schools will remain open. If buses are cancelled

and parents or guardians choose to bring their child to school,

it is also their responsibility to pick them up at the end of the

day. Under extraordinary circumstances an announcement

may be made which indicates that all Dufferin-Peel schools

are closed.

WEB ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION

INFORMATION__________________________________

The STOPR website address is www.stopr.ca.

This website provides access to up-to-date

information regarding delayed buses and bus

cancellations. Parents must have their child’s

OEN in order to obtain transportation information.

https://businfo.stopr.ca

CHANGE IN WEATHER__________________________

As the weather turns colder parents are

reminded that children need to dress

appropriately. We recognize that

temperatures can change throughout the day

and suggest that children come dressed in

layers.

During the winter season, many parents are concerned about

school policy on outdoor recess. It is generally accepted that

when the wind chill factor drops below –25◦C, students

should not go outside for recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B.

policy uses a wind chill of –20◦C as the determining

temperature for modified recesses. At St.Angela Merici

School, students will remain inside when the wind chill is

reported at –25◦C or lower and we will modify the duration

of lunch recess when the temperature reaches –20◦C. As

always, ensure your child is prepared for the extremes of

Canadian weather.

RULES FOR RECESS PLAY______________

We encourage all students to experience

their outdoor recess breaks in an enjoyable

and safe manner. To ensure that students

play safely and never endanger the safety of other children

during recess times, we remind students to avoid all rough

play. We consistently remind our students that they should

keep their hands and feet to themselves.

ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION_____________

As mentioned in our newsletters, our

attendance line is our connection with the

safe arrival of your child. Please continue to

call in your child’s absence. All children

that have not been reported as absent are confirmed

absent by our safe entry protocol.

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL________________

All visitors, including parents, must

check in at the main office rather than

proceeding through the school for any

purpose. If you are signing in as a

volunteer or visitor you will receive a Visitor Sticker

or tag.

If you are picking up your child during regular school

hours, we ask that you report to the office and we will

arrange for your child to meet you there. This

procedure will reduce interruptions to classroom

instruction and also helps us to maintain a safe

environment for the children.

We thank you for your co-operation in supporting

a safe environment at St. Angela Merici School.

CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS___________

Anyone working with children as an employee or as a

volunteer must have a Criminal Reference Check. If

you would like to volunteer at St. Angela Merici

School or participate as a supervisor on one of our field

trips we require that you have an updated Criminal

Reference Check. CRCs are free of charge for

volunteers. Forms may be picked up from the school

office.

PEEL POLICE VULNERABLE SECTOR

CHECKS__________________________________

The Peel Regional Police Services recently advised effective January 1, 2018 that they are eliminating the Volunteer Agency Registry. This means that, as of this date, record searches completed for volunteer purposes will no longer be completed free of charge.

After January 1, 2018, all documents previously provided by Peel Regional Police will be void and will not be accepted. The correct application forms, known

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as Consent Forms will be required and are available at both Peel Regional Police Headquarters and Peel Regional Police Square One Community Station locations or online at www.peelpolice.on.ca.

Peel Regional Police will continue to waive the fingerprinting fees for volunteers, however they will require a letter from the Board advising of the applicant’s intent to volunteer. The letter must accompany the application form (Consent Form) otherwise the applicable fingerprinting fees will apply. They fees have not been published yet but will be available on the Peel Regional Police website when finalized.

FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR

2018-2019_______________________________________

This year, parents/guardians have the option to register online

or in-person at their designated Catholic school. Online

registration will begin on January 8, 2018 at www.dpcdsb.org.

The Online Registration Form should be completed prior to

in-person school meetings where documentation will be

received on January 15* from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. and

January 17-19 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

*A snow date has been designated on January 16 from 7:00

p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

If parents/guardians wish to register in-person, they may do

so during these specified dates and times.

For more information about registration and the Kindergarten

program, call St. Angela Merici School at 905-840-1505 or

visit www.dpcdsb.org.

INFORMATION SESSION TO SUPPORT THE

TRANSITION OF CHILDREN WITH DIFFERING

ABILITIES INTO

KINDERGARTEN 2018____________________

On Thursday, January 25, 2018 the Dufferin-Peel Catholic

District School Board’s Special Education and Learning

Services Department will host a Kindergarten entry planning

and information session. This meeting is for families of

children with differing abilities, such as vision, hearing,

speech, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental

delays in the cognitive and/or motor areas, who are entering

Kindergarten in September 2018. The meeting will be held at

the Catholic Education Centre from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. For

more information about this session, please call 905-890-0708

ext. 24021.

WHAT: Information Session to Support the

Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into

Kindergarten 2018

WHEN: Thursday, January 25, 2018 7:00 p.m.

– 8:30 p.m. (*Snow Date: January 29, 2018)

WHERE: Catholic Education Centre – Room

301 (Third Floor) 40 Matheson Boulevard West,

Mississauga (Hurontario & Matheson)

DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT

SCHOOL BOARD PUBLIC WEBCASTS : Learn

about the Board’s Catholic Board Improvement

Learning Cycle (CBILC) and Multi-year Strategic

Plan_______________________________________

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is

holding two public webcasts on December 7 to share

information with parents/guardians and other

community stakeholders about the board’s Catholic

Board Improvement Learning Cycle (CBILC) and

Multi-year Strategic Plan.

The two webcasts will be broadcast on December 7 at

1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

Parents/guardians and other community stakeholders

are invited to register and log in to watch:

1:00 p.m. Webcast

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1557577/BB5B60F3D5

8EC304F1DCA452086F7641

7:00 p.m. Webcast

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1557578/269337E9CC2

457F52BE341EE78892A19

Viewers can submit questions/comments online while

the broadcast is underway. If the question can be

addressed immediately, we will do so. However, it will

be our intent to post questions and responses on the

Board website following the webcasts.

The Board’s CBILC document is available on the

Board website at www.dpcdsb.org. Follow the links in

the Public Webcasts Button on the main Board

webpage.

We look forward to having you join us on December

7.

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UPCOMING EVENTS_____________________________

December 8 Cookie Decorating and Carolling

December 11 Advent Mass – 1:00 pm

December 13 FDK Christmas concert @ 6:30 pm

December 22 Virtue Assembly – 1:00 pm

December 25 –

January 5 Christmas Holidays

January 8 Classes resume – Welcome back to

a New Year

January 22 P.D. Day for students – No School

January 29 St. Angela Merici Feast Day mass

@ 9:30 am