St. Gregory Catholic School Newsletter 126 Rathburn Road, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9B 2K6 Telephone: (416) 393-5262 Fax: (416) 393-5189

Visit us: http://stgregorytoronto.com and follow us on Twitter @StGregoryCS

St. Gregory Parish Superintendent: Mr. D. Yack 416-222-8282 ext. 2732 Principal: J. Pannozzo Fr. John Bertao Trustee: Mrs. A. Andrachuk 416-512-3402 Vice Principal: A. Pires (416) 239-4831 CSPC Co-Chairs: P. Vokins /A. Grnak Secretary: L. Querin Clerk Typist: S. Shanahan

NOVEMBER 2015

Dear Parents and Guardians: October was another busy month at St. Gregory Catholic School. Thank

you to the entire community for your generous donations of food items for our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thank you to the Dametto family for their generous donations of pumpkins which our students and staff decorated for Sick Kids Hospital. Progress reports Will be sent home on Tuesday, November 10th. On November 11th, the Kindergarteners will be celebrating a Children’s Liturgy at church at 9:05 a.m. and then a Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. for grades 1 to 8. As always, parents are invited to attend. As this is Remembrance Day, at 11:00 a.m. we will observe a minute of silence over the P.A. system. Parent/Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday, November 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, November 13th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. We look forward to seeing you. J. Pannozzo Principal

In Flanders Fields Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

1872-1918

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead, Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high, If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields.

November’s Virtue:

PEACE “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Peace is a goal of all spiritual people. It begins within ourselves and is an inner state of well-being and calm. People of peace promote non-violence, practice conflict resolution, and believe in cooperating to solve problems.

Fostering The Family:

The TCDSB Pastoral Plan 2015-18 “ Together With one

Voice: Harmonizing Our Faith Through Family , Parish,

and School” 2015 focuses on the FAMILY

As a family we can honour the memory of loved ones by:

Sharing special memories

Praying together

Continuing family traditions

As we reflect on those that have lost their lives and

engage in conversations about Remembrance Day, it

is important to understand how children and

teenagers grieve and how we can support them.

Adults can help children and teenagers by

acknowledging what they may be thinking, validating

their feelings and compassionately responding to

their behavior. This can be done by:

Talking to children and teenagers openly and

directly about death at the child’s

developmental level

Encourage children and teenagers to talk about

their feelings.

(Information obtained from Child Bereavement UK and Bereaved

Families of Toronto)

This year at St. Gregory we’re aiming to build our students’

Learning Skills & Work Habits, as they are essential to current and

future student success. In September and October skill-building

lessons and activities centered on Self-Regulation.

For November we will be focusing on Organization.

Ontario’s Growing Success document defines Organization as:

-devising and following a plan and process for completing work

and tasks

-establishing priorities and managing time to complete tasks and

achieve goals

-identifying, gathering, evaluating and using information,

technology and resources to complete tasks

AT HOME:

*Provide your child with a suitable environment for working at

home

*Work out a specific time for studying and homework completion

*Provide your child with the proper tools and supplies to complete

the homework (e.g., computer access, pen, pencil, eraser, pencil

sharpener, scissors, tape, paper clips, ruler and highlighters.)

*Establish a balance between homework and other activities

A CERTIFICATE OF ACHEIVEMENT is awarded to the students who

consistently demonstrated the ability to self-regulate throughout the months of

September and October. Congratulations to all!

Learning Skill: SELF-REGULATION

TEACHER September

October

Ms. Rosa Julia G. Alexander R.

Ms. Andreacchi Sara R., Braeden B., Kiara M. Sophie C., Victoria C., Lauren T.

Ms. Salmond Kristian M., Victoria G., Cole S. Mia C., Brenden W., Emma F.

Ms. Maxwell/

Ms. Santelli

Lea P., Artem K., Joseph B. Alyssa K., Erik L., Evelyn D.

Mrs. Roy Olivia C., Gab V. Mia V., Ava T.

Mrs. Ceddia Osajie A., Veronica S. Madeline O., Marcus B.

Ms. Mulvihill Riyan H., Vienna F. Madison K., Arav D.

Mrs. Barone Hailey M., Patty C. Jeremy C., Luke W.

Ms. Alberton Sofia G., Andrea S. Samantha C., Tristan D.

Mrs. Gentile Ava K., Lucas M. Sabrina P., Lucas S.

Mrs. Yetman Siobhan H., Ashton T. Ava G., Ernesto R.

Ms. Donatelli Christopher S., Emma H. Luca M., Brenda S.

Ms. Brajuka Chelsea T., Isabelle T. Mariel G., Manuela B.

Ms. Aguanno Sofia D., Sienna F. Sofia R., Mire P.

Mr. Zinko Maria V., Charlotte T. Matteo P., Rosanna S.

Ms. Hetmanczuk Stefanie G., Arturo P., Lucas R. Andrea H., Elias M., Roisin M.

Ms. Micallef Domenic B., Isabella D., Noah L. Lucas B., Stephen J., Rytas K.

Mrs. Hall Charlize B., Lesley C., Alyssa J. Madison V., Avree V., Paulina S.

Mrs. Quartarone Jace L., Chelsea W., Peter P. Gianfranco E., Daniel G., Maria M.

Ms. Cicirelli Luca S., Erica S. Bryan S., Lauren S.

Mr. Natalino Erin H., Steven P. Francesca M., Elizabeth B.

Mr. Vennare James S., Mikael A., Marisa C. Leticia R., Gabriel P., Constanca M.

Mr. De Medeiros Amanda M., Vanesa M., Sean C. Dylan B., Dylan L., Matthew C.

Mme. Abboud Sofia T. Javier P.

Mrs. Botelho Olivia G., Matthew G., Serena T. Daniel P., Mairead H., Matteo R.

Ms. Salza Julia B., Daniel D., Leora A., Tiffany C.,

Thomas S.

Paul B., Sarah M., Isabelle P., Filip S.,

Anya S.

Ms. Silvestre/

Mlle Carniel

Lauren P., David D. Matthew P., Bridget M.

Mrs. Pitoscia Michael B., Ava G., Alyssa D., Max C.

Mrs. Pires Austen J. Natalie M.

The Book Fair will be arriving soon! Book Fair Dates: Monday, November 9th to Thursday, November 12th , during school hours (closed during recess and lunch) Family Evening Thursday, November, November 12th 5:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Friday, November 13th- - 8:30-11:00 a.m. Location: School Library, 2nd floor, Room 202 Take advantage of this opportunity to pick up some great books for Christmas gifts! Your support of this event is key to obtaining new resources to maintain and enhance our school library. A Scholastic flyer with book previews have been sent home. Any parent interested in volunteering, please return the form included with the flyer.

We continue to work toward 100% compliance with our “navy and white” dress code. Your support as parents is critical. I would remind

you that jeans (in any form, including jeggings) are not allowed and tops must be plain (no pictures, logos, etc.). Please note that our

dress code is in full effect on excursions (unless it coincides with “Civvies Day”-the last Friday of

every month).

PICTURE RE-TAKE DAY

The school photographer will be back at St. Gregory’s on Tuesday,

November 3rd. Please refer to the note sent home as retakes and sibling pictures will be only for those children who returned request forms.

Our school buses are operated by First Student. They have asked that students be reminded to follow the rules listed below: Sit properly in seat;

No eating or drinking;

Keep aisle clear;

Keep noise level down;

Wait for driver to signal before crossing in front of bus – just to ensure all traffic has come to a stop.

Please also note that any concerns with a particular route are to be directed to First Student (905-629-8200). At the school, we can only forward your concerns to First Student and/or the Board’s Transportation Department.

We are pleased to announce

that St. Gregory’s raised a

total of $1638.10 for the Terry

Fox Foundation. We reached

our goal of exceeding last

year’s amount by over $100.

We thank all participants and

Mrs. Ceddia, Mrs. Hall, Mrs.

Barone, Mrs. Alberton, Mrs.

Aguanno, Ms. Andreacchi

and Mrs. J. Pires for organizing

this worthy event.

BULLY AWARENESS WEEK - November 16th-20th Ontario has designated the week beginning on the third Sunday of November as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week to help promote safe schools and a positive learning environment. Our school will be using this opportunity to continue working towards encouraging positive relationships and explain the different forms bullying can take. These include: Physical – hitting, shoving, stealing or damaging property Verbal – name calling, mocking, or making sexist, racist or homophobic comments Social – excluding others from a group or spreading gossip or rumours about them Electronic (commonly known as cyberbullying) – spreading rumours and hurtful comments through the use of cellphones, e-mail, text messaging and social networking sites At home, continue these conversations and be attentive to your child’s on-line activities and social media posts.

It’s not too late to order! Kidssentials is very different from other companies. With an emphasis on nutrition and kid-pleasing options, this full service catering company serves

the lunches fresh onsite to avoid soggy or mushy meals. Lunches are mixed and prepared just minutes before they are served to the children, using only the highest quality ingredients and freshest produce.

Take a break from packing lunch and sign up today. Meals offered in November and December are still available for ordering. Menus for the January - March term may be viewed and ordered online towards the end of November.

To place an order, view the menu and available dates visit: www.kidssentials.com/parents and create your family account. For more information about Kidssentials meals and any allergy related inquiries, visit the website at www.kidssentials.com. Kidssentials can also be reached by phone at 905-855-1914 or by e-mail at mail@kidssentials.com .

A reminder to students interested in joining Swim Team members that forms are due Monday, November 2nd, 2015. There will be swimmer assessment practices on Nov. 21st and Nov. 28th at Alderwood Pool located at 2 Orianna Drive. Grades 3-5 4:30 – 5:45 pm Grades 6-8 5:30 – 6:45 pm

Go GREG’s GO!

It has been a busy start to the year in

athletics at St. Gregory. In late

September, the boys and girls softball

teams competed in their West Region

Divisional tournaments. Both teams

played hard with the boys falling just

short in the semi-finals and the girls winning 9 – 0 in the finals to

capture the divisional pennant.

In October the Cross Country Team competed in their divisional, regional,

and city wide meets. St. Gregory was a force to be reckoned with once

again, finishing first in the Divisional Meet with over 100 runners

competing. The team finished second in the regional meet with 70

runners competing. Congratulations goes out to the grade 4 boys and

grade 8 girls who finished first at the regionals. St. Gregory qualified

30 runners for the city meet at Earl Bales Park. The school finished in

5th place in the city. Congratulations goes out to the grade 3 boys who

finished second and the grade 8 girls who finished 3rd in the city.

The intermediate boys and girls’ volleyball teams have been practicing

since early September in preparation of their West Region tournaments

beginning in mid- November. Both teams will be competing in the St.

Barnabas and Archbishop Romero Invitational Volleyball tournaments

in early November. Go Greg’s Go!

Mr. Cooper

Phys. Education Teacher

See attached flyer for Dates and

Locations for Public Health Flu

Clinics.