St. James Catholic School 230 Humbercrest Blvd. • TORONTO, ON • M6S 4L3 • 416 393-5275

St. James CS website: https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stjames/Pages/default.aspx

Parish: St. James’ Church • 728 Annette Street • Toronto, ON • 416-767-6451 • Father Ignacio

Principal: K. Schneider Trustee: Barbara Poplawski Superintendent: John Wujek

416-222-8282 Ext 2732

MARCH’s viRtue is foRgiveness

How timely that the virtue for this month is FORGIVENESS,

not only because we are in the season of Lent but also because

it is an important cornerstone of our faith and one that Jesus

modeled for us in his life and death. We are reminded that

forgiveness is a gift to ourselves as we let go of the burden of

resentment when we forgive another person and it’s a gift to

our children when we teach and model it to them. This month

St. James students explored the virtue of forgiveness by taking

responsibility for their actions and by saying I’m sorry to one

another when it is needed. Saying sorry can be very tough but

it is the right thing to do and it erases a lot of pain.

Have a blessed Lenten Season.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly

Father will also forgive you; Matthew - 6:14-15

March 30, 2017 Dear Parents/Guardians, FAST FOOD POLICY Reminder: TCDSB Anaphylaxis Policy & Protocol

In accordance with the TCDSB Anaphylaxis policy (S.M. 15) and the Anaphylaxis Protocol and

Guidelines, it is the policy of the TCDSB to create allergen-aware environments in our schools and

workplaces. The implementation of the policy includes strategies that reduce the risk of exposure

to anaphylactic causative agents in classrooms and common school areas.

We are aware that there is the potential that fast food products make their way into schools. We

ask that you be aware that some of these products are not peanut/nut free and remain mindful that

they could result in a potentially life-threatening form of allergic reaction. Given this, the TCDSB

strongly advises that parents take this into consideration when dropping off these lunches.

We appreciate your cooperation in the TCDSB’s commitment to keeping our schools a safe

environment for all students and staff.

Sincerely,

Krystyna Schneider

ConCouRs/festivAL D’ARt oRAtoiRe We would like to congratulate Verchiel O in Grade 8 who participated in the CONCOURS/FESTIVAL d’art oratoire 2017 which is sponsored jointly by the Canadian Parents for French and the ONTARIO MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION. His speech highlighted the horrors of the use of child soldiers in Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone. His first place win in his category at the semi-finals allowed him to continue on to the Board-wide final which was held in the Catholic Education Centre on Tuesday, March 8. Although he didn’t place in the top 3 in his category, his topic made a strong impression, not only on the judges but also on his fellow competitors, teachers and parents. Félicitation, Verchiel. Nous sommes fières de toi!

guiDAnCe CoRneR Anxiety and Stress

Some psychologists believe that today’s children are faced with more stress than the children of previous generations, and have fewer social supports available. Stress is a normal part of life and essential to a young student’s learning and development. But too much stress for too long can be harmful or “toxic.” A child who is suffering from anxiety may display the following signs: complaining about a sore stomach; being aggressive or lashing out at other children; seeming confused or easily distracted; performing poorly or progressively worse in their school work; other behaviours that do not necessarily reflect the student’s true nature or abilities, such as withdrawing and not participating in classroom activities. Ask your child if they have ever experienced any of the following: headaches; felt like there’s a brick in their stomach, as if they’ve done something wrong or something bad is going to happen; butterfly feelings in their stomach if they’re excited; felt tense, fidgety and like they need to use the toilet a lot; felt nervous and worried for a long time; felt pressured, hassled, and hurried; felt irritable and moody; had allergic reactions, such as a rash or asthma; had

trouble sleeping; felt sad or depressed; felt like they’re turning red or feel flushed often. One of the critical ingredients that makes stress tolerable rather than toxic is the presence of supportive adults that help children learn to cope with and recover from difficult experiences. A guidance counsellor is just one support that your child has access to. Excerpts from the Stress Lessons Toolkit from the Psychology Foundation of Canada: http://www.psychologyfoundation.org/

tHe gReAt CAnADiAn MAiL RACe Mrs. Costanzo's Grade 6 class participated in The Great Canadian Mail Race. They wrote a letter to randomly selected schools across Canada and joined in the race. The students hope to receive their letters soon from students all across Canada.

fun WitH MAtH in tHe sK/gR 1 CLAss

The students in the SK/Grade 1 class had fun playing bowling while learning subtraction facts! Mrs. Schneider joined in the fun too! It is a fun activity which can be played at home to reinforce the skills the students are learning at school.

sHRove tuesDAy St. James School celebrated Shrove Tuesday on Feb. 28, 2017 in the school gym. The students from JK to Gr. 8 (and staff) ate a total of 425 pancakes with syrup, strawberries, bananas and juice. If this is approximately 200 people that means each person had an average of 2+ pancakes each. What a busy morning it was feeding all our ravenous students and staff. Everyone really enjoyed this great treat! A great big thank you to everyone who helped set up the gym with tables and chairs, prepared the food, served the food and cleaned up. We couldn’t have done it without our fantastic volunteers : Ms. P. Aurelio, Zoe Aurelio, Ms. D. Hammond, Ms. L. Cellucci, Ms. J. Tucci, Ms. T. Darling, our secretary Ms. Krol and our head custodian Mr. Santangelo. Merci beaucoup!

Lenten CRosses By gR 6

uPCoMing iMPoRtAnt DAtes Monday, April 3 – W5H St. James School hosting Wednesday, April 5, St. Francis of Assissi Volleyball Exhibition 11:45-3:30 Thursday, April 6 - Scientists in the School Thursday, April 6 – CSPC Meeting 6:00-7:30 pm Grad Pictures for SK and Gr 8 students Monday – Friday, April 10-13 – Holy Week Friday, April 14 - Good Friday Monday, April 17- Easter Monday Thursday, April 20 - Rosary Apostolate FDK- Gr. 8 Thursday, April 20 - Safe School Meeting @ 3:30-4:30 Monday, April 24 – Toronto Symphony Orchestra 4/5 class Wednesday, April 26 – School Mass @ 9:45 am Friday, April 28 – Civvies Day

The following South Track and Field dates will be held at Varsity Stadium on: Divisionals: May 15, 2017 Regionals: May 19, 2017 Cities : May 24, 2017

gReAt Big APPLe CRunCH On Thursday, March 9 our whole school participated in the Great Big Apple Crunch for Food Literacy sponsored by Food Share. Thank you Ms. Bugeja for helping St. James CS celebrate healthy snacking with our school.

gR 7 stuDent’s PLAying in tHe snoW

Monthly Update from

the Board

April 2017

TCDSB Budget Consultation All parents, students, staff and Catholic school

supporters are invited and encouraged to participate

in the budget consultation process. Your input can be

provided during a virtual town hall to be held in

April, through an online survey which will be posted

on the board’s website in April, or through a

delegation at an upcoming board or committee

meeting. Details will be available here:

www.tcdsb.org

TCDSB Anonymous Alerts

Toronto Catholic District School Board is pleased

to introduce a new communications tool called

Anonymous Alerts. The Anonymous Alerts

reporting system helps to promote safe, positive

and accepting School climates by empowering

students to anonymously report inappropriate

behaviours to school staff.

The system allows for 1-way or 2-way anonymous

encrypted communications between submitters

(students, parents or community members) and

Administrators and/or school staff. Users of the

system have the option to remain anonymous or to

reveal their identity when submitting a report.

Reminder for CSPCs: PRO Grant

Application Deadline is May 25th https://www.tcdsb.org/forparents/pages/pro-grant-

application%20information.aspx

Student Trustee Elections The candidates’ election meeting will be held

Tuesday, April 25th 2017 between 4:30 and 6:00

pm in the Board Room of the Toronto Catholic

District School Board (80 Sheppard Ave E). Details:

https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/NewsAndE

vents/2016-2017/Pages/Student-Trustee-

Elections.aspx

Lenten Projects:

ShareLife Week April 2-8, 2017

Learn more about how ShareLife works wonders in

our community, and how you can help through the

annual fundraising campaign.

ShareLife Civvies Day April 7, 2017—All students

and staff are encouraged to donate a toonie to support

ShareLife

https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/2017/pages/s

harelife-civvies-day-2017.aspx

Catholic Education Week April 30-

May 5, 2017

“Walking Forward Together” May 1—Awards Night

May 2—Student Mass and Peace Walk

May 3—Parent Mass and Information Evening

May 5—Parish Family Day

Staff Arts Canada 150 Concert

www.tcdsb.org for details

Canada150 TCDSB is celebrating the 150th anniversary of

Canada and Ontario, and our own place in the history

of our nation with a variety of special events. Check

out our website for all the details:

https://www.tcdsb.org/affiliates/Canada150/Pages/de

fault.aspx

Holy Week Begins April 9th with

Palm Sunday Good Friday April 14th

Easter Monday April 17th

Other Events to Note: National Volunteer Appreciation

Week April 23-29, 2017

Toronto Community Clean Up

Days April 21-23, 2017

Earth Day April 22, 2017