TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD April 2016

Spring time is here!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Principals Message

Time Management: Never too late to teach and never too late to learn. The next few months are extremely busy for our students as many are involved in a number of school activities, in addition to extra-curriculuar activities and social events such as First Communion, graduations and Confirmation. We have discussed with the students the importance of managing their time and organizing it so that they are not overwhelmed. As parents, there is a struggle to determine how much to manage your childs time and how much to let them learn by doing. Here are a few tips for students that you can reinforce at home;

As students grow, they become more independent managers of their possessions and their time; yet time management and organizing skills are only lightly touched upon rather

than a core part of the curriculum. Here are 5 tips kids from Todays Parent Blogger Clare Kumar that children should use to better their chances of success in school, and later on in life.

1- Create a study zone that promotes focus: Multi-tasking is a myth: You get more done by focusing on one task at a time.

2-Use the right time-management tools

Its important to have the right tools at hand. These include clocks, watches, timers and of course, calendars.

For younger kids, planners or school-issued agendas can be effective. Encourage them to look at the month view which helps make time less abstract. For older kids, a calendar application on their

Virtue of the Month:

Christ the King

Catholic

School

Where we learn

together, pray

together and play

together!

3672 Lake Shore Blvd.

Etobicoke, ON M8W 1N6 Telephone No.: (416) 393-

5257

Justice Prayer

Grant us, Lord God, a vision of your world as

your love would have it: a world where the weak are

protected, and none go hungry or poor;

a world where the riches of creation are shared,

and everyone can enjoy them; a world where different races

and cultures live in harmony and mutual respect; a world where peace is built with

justice, and justice is guided by love.

Give us the inspiration and courage to build it,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

http://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/great-parenting-tools-the-egg-timer/http://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/5-calendar-crafts-for-kids/

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computer (with the necessary view-by-week and by-month), which syncs with their smartphone, is a convenient choice.

3-Schedule time for homework or study time in the calendar/agenda.

4-Coach self-discipline

Help kids improve self-discipline by giving them the responsibility of managing assignments or parts of a project on their own

5-Manage sleep and energy for top performance

If youre tired, cold or hungry, isnt it much harder to think clearly? The same applies to kids. Providing nutritious food and enforcing appropriate bedtimes will help avoid lack of sleep, which may sabotage the next school day and create a vicious cycle of poor attention and chronic lack of energy to complete school work.

EQAO/CAT4 Reminder to parents of children in Grades 3 & 6 that students will be writing the EQAO test between May 25th

and June 8th, 2016. All students in Grades 3 and 6 will write the test on these days and attendance is mandatory. Please make every effort to avoid booking appointments during this time period. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. The Canadian Achievement Test (4th version) will be also be administered for students in Grades 2, 5 & 7. Each classroom teacher will provide

those dates for you at the beginning of May. READING, WRITING & MATHEMATICS Parents of children in grades 3 and 6 are encouraged to peruse the EQAO website at www.eqao.com. Even if your child is not writing the provincial assessment in reading, writing and mathematics this year it is still beneficial to take a look at the past tests. It is during this assessment that students must independently demonstrate their best knowledge and thinking of the Ministry of Education expectations. As part of the literacy instruction in each classroom we continue to focus on teaching higher level thinking and reading comprehension skills. These include summarizing, identifying main idea, recognizing stated or explicit information, using text clues and previous knowledge to determine implicit or unstated information and using context to determine unfamiliar vocabulary.

Rest assured that your children will be well prepared for these assessments in that the necessary expectations are taught throughout the primary and junior divisions and beyond. However, it is important to emphasize to your children that these assessments should be taken seriously and are often used for future decisions on programs and

streams at the secondary level. Bike Safety Please see the attached the PDF on the Bike Safety by Toronto Public Health. We will be having a number of presentations and lessons regarding bike safety for the students, but it is strongly encouraged that you take time to review some important details. This is particularly true with proper fitting of helmets and rules of the road.

Earth Week at CTK We are excited to be doing our part for Earth Week and educating the students on how we can Lend a Hand to Save the Land.

From Monday thru to Friday we will be having a Plastic Bag Collection Challenge.

In partnership with Recycling Council of Ontario, Walmart

http://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-health/10-healthy-foods-and-how-to-serve-them/http://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-health/10-healthy-foods-and-how-to-serve-them/http://www.todaysparent.com/tag/sleephttp://www.eqao.com/http://www.eqao.com/

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and Waste Reduction Week in Canada, elementary schools across Canada are challenged to collect as many plastic bags for recycling as possible from their homes and in their communities. We will collect as many plastic bags for recycling and once gathered, they will be dropped off to Walmart to be recycled.

Tuesday we will be having a shut the lights off afternoon at school.

Wednesday will be our Walk or Roll to School Day during which we are encouraging students to walk or ride their bikes to school. We will also be installing a bicycle rack at the front of the school for students to secure their bikes.

On Thursday we are encourageing full participation in our daily litterless Lunch program.

Friday is clean up our school yard day and the Official Earth Day. Students will each receive a little seedling generously donated by our neighbours; Chrysler Canada.

Save the Date- CTK Invention Convention/ Wizard of OZ Our students have been working hard on projects that involve a variety of curriculum areas. Students from JK-Grade 8 will be showcasing their work at our annual dramatic performance at Father John Redmond. This year, the play is Wizard of Oz and although it will be a challenge to beat last years

production, we are sure going to try! Please mark your calendars with this wonderful community event for May 19th. Mad Science The students will be enjoying a half-day workshop put on by Mad Science on April 8th-9th. It is proudly sponsored by our Parent Council and through the funds that are generated with your help. Let your Back Bone Slide- Oh you remember it.likely playing on your yellow Walkman!! Master Fresh Wes is coming to school and all parents are invited! He is a highly energetic motivational speaker who has been asked to come speak to our students to support our theme of Student Success. He will be here on April 29th at 10a.m.- 11:15a.m. Robotics Club A robotics club has started to emerge at CTK. We are slowly putting several teams together and hope to offer a number of students this opportunity. The board has provided us with kits. If there are any parents who would be willing to assist, please contact J. Aube. EASTER We definitely had fun during our Easter Egg Hunt! Due to rain, the Grade 1 & 2s completed a scavenger hunt around the school. Our JK/SK students collected 1303 eggs! I know the students had a blast, and so did I. A big thank you to our

CPSC for their organization and the special cookies that were donated to the students.

Join us on Instagram at CTKinaction to get updates and pictures of all the learning and fun that goes on!

Board Approves Multi-Year Recovery Plan

At the February 18, 2016 meeting of the Board, the Board of Trustees approved option 3 which proposes budget reductions totaling $28.4 million first meeting would be the first week of April.

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Budget Consultation TCDSB thanks the many parents, students, staff and community members who participated in consultation regarding the Multi Year Recovery Plan. Please visit the boards website at www.tcdsb.org or follow us on Twitter @TCDSB to get the latest information about the consultation regarding the 2016-2017 budget.

School Year Calendar The school year calendar for 2016-2017 has been approved. This includes the system-wide professional activity days. Check here for information https://www.tcdsb.org/school/schoolyearcalendar/pages/default.aspx Please note that there is a system-wide PA day scheduled for April 15th.

Parent Engagement Resource Eve