March 2018

TCDSB

www.tcdsb.org The Voice of Holy Angels 65 Jutland Road, Toronto, Ontario M8Z 2G6

Phone: 416 393-5329; Fax: 416 393-5437

Principal: Mr. Neil McGrath Vice Principal: Mr. Paolo Fietta Admin. Office Assistant: Mrs. Nadia Buttigieg; Clerk Typist: Carole Mills

Doug Yack Superintendent- Area 2, 416-222-8282; Mrs. Ann Andrachuk, Trustee WARD 2; Pastor of Holy Angels Church: Fr.Mariusz Wilk Tel: 416 255-1691

TCDSB SCHOOL

YEAR CALENDAR

2017-2018

Labour Day September 4, 2017

First Instructional Day September 5, 2017

Thanksgiving Day October 9, 2017

Christmas Break December 25,

2017–January 5, 2018

Family Day February 19, 2018

Mid-Winter Break March 12–16, 2018

Good Friday March 30, 2018

Easter Monday April 2, 2018

Victoria Day May 21, 2018

Last day of classes for elementary students

June 28, 2018

October 6, 2017 Provincial Education Priorities

November 17, 2017 Parent-Teacher

Conferences

December 1, 2017 Provincial Education

Priorities/ Faith Development

February 16, 2018 Parent-Teacher

Conferences

June 8, 2018 Assessment, Evalua-

tion and Reporting

June 29, 2018 Provincial Educa-

tion Priorities

Liturgical Dates - School Masses

Apr. 6 Easter Mass 1:00 pm

May 16 Rosary Celebration

June 20 Yr. End Mass 1:00pm

Graduation June 25 6:30 pm

First Communion May 6, 2018 1pm

Confirmation April 22, 2018 2pm

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Please note that morning yard

supervision begins at 8:45 a.m. even

in inclement weather.

School Uniform

Parents are reminded

that Holy Angels has a

navy & white uniform.

Students are expected

to come to school dressed in their

school uniform, which consists of

blue bottoms and white tops.

Students who are deemed to be out

of uniform will be sent to the office

and parents will be notified.

Principal’s Message:

How timely that the virtue for this

month is FORGIVENESS, not only be-

cause we are in the season of Lent but

also because it is an important corner-

stone 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 our Holy Angels community

will be exploring ways to demonstrate

the virtue of forgiveness.

Wanted—Lunch Time Supervisor We are still looking to fill some days for the additional lunch time supervisor position that was

approved for our school in December. If you are interested, please contact the school office at

416 393-5329 for further details.

Curriculum, Learning and Administration.

Page 2 The Voice of Holy Angels

Kindergarten Registration Kindergarten Registration in Toronto Catholic Schools ongoing for September 2018

The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites families with children

born in 2014 to register for Kindergarten.

Register Online: Parents will be able to complete their application online at:

https://soar.tcdsb.org/Login.aspx.

A follow up with visit to the school to present the required documents will

be scheduled by the school secretary following the online application.

Registration documents:

Child’s Birth Certificate or Passport/Immigration documents if child was not born in Canada

Child's Catholic baptismal certificate (or proof of Catholicity of parent)

Proof of residency in Toronto (some examples: a lease agreement, utility bill)

Immunization Record

Information is available by telephone at 416-222-8282 ext. 5314, or by visiting https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/EarlyYears/KindergartenRegistration/Pages/default.aspx

End of Day Please note that classrooms are locked at the end of each school day.

Unsupervised after hour access to classrooms is not permitted.

MATH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

On Thursday, March 1st the Holy Angels CSPC hosted an engaging Math Night in

cooperation with Holy Angels and Bishop Allen teachers. The evening consisted of

an introductory session led by keynote speaker Prof. George Gadanidis from the

University of Western Ontario, followed by breakout sessions on EQAO testing,

the importance of estimation in mathematics, and the transition to high school.

Many thanks to all involved, especially all the CSPC Academic Committee members and teachers involved!

Are you Planning to Move?

We are planning for the 2018-2019

school year and are wanting to

know if any families in our school

are expecting to move.

Forms have been sent home for families to complete should they

be expecting to move before the start of the new school year in

September.

Please return completed forms as soon as possible so that we may

better anticipate enrolment numbers for September.

REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES-SAFE ARRIVAL

Please be sure to report student absences by calling the school at (416) 393-5329 to inform the office by leaving a message on our answering machine if your child will be away or late.

The attendance process can be done more efficiently when fewer calls need to be made home to check student absences especially given that our student population has grown this year to over 500 students.

We are very grateful for your assistance in ensuring students’ safe arrival to the school.

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/EarlyYears/KindergartenRegistration/Pages/default.aspx

Page 3

Next CSPC (Catholic School Parent Council )meeting:

Tuesday, March 20th, 2018 at 7pm in the library. We encourage all

parents to attend.

SCHOOL HOURS

9:00 AM Morning Bell

10:42-10:57AM Recess

11:45-12:45PM Lunch

2:10-2:25PM Recess

3:30PM Dismissal

Mental Health Services provided by Psychology, Social Work, and Guidance personnel During Lent we are encouraged to engage in almsgiving, fasting and prayer. Our focus this month is on prayer and it’s many benefits.

God is a source of comfort, strength and love for us. Through prayer we enter into a deeper relationship with God and gain a sense of

attachment to Him. Many studies have shown that individuals who pray to a loving and protective God with whom they have a meaning-

ful relationship are less likely to experience anxiety and stress. Prayer offers emotional comfort and reduces stress by:

Offering a sense of comfort and hope. When you’re faced with life challenges, prayer offers a sense of comfort. Knowing that God listens to your prayers and that you don’t have to bear your burden alone offers a sense of hope. When you feel

hopeful you gain strength and are encouraged to carry on.

Creating a positive frame of mind. By giving thanks and expressing gratitude when praying it creates a positive frame of mind. When you purposefully engage in “thankful prayer” it reminds you of the

many blessings you have, and as a result helps to decrease feelings of sadness.

Stress Relief. Researchers have found that when focusing on other people through prayer it contributes to a “stress-buffering effect”. Reflecting on the wel-

fare of others can reduce your own stress - it is in giving to others that we receive.

Increases feelings of unity and trust. Praying together with a friend, your class, or as a community is an experience that brings people closer together. Prayer can

help build relationships and feelings of social connectedness.

Engaging in daily prayer with students gives them the opportunity to deepen their relation-

ship with God and their community. It also offers a sense of emotional comfort that

everyone can benefit from.

CSPC - CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL

BUCKET FILLING AT HOLY ANGELS

March Bucket Filler Challenge:

Congratulations to all the Holy Angels' Bucket Fill-

ers! The Bucket Filler Captains' March challenge is

for each class to make it their goal to do 100 Ran-

dom Acts of Kindness. Each class will be given a

tracking sheet to track their random acts of kind-

ness. At the end of March the Bucket Filler Captains

will collect the tracking sheets and post them in the hall to celebrate! Thank you everyone for making Holy Angels

the best school by spreading kindness everywhere you go!!!

Prayer is joy

Prayer is love

Prayer is peace.

You cannot explain it

you must experience it.

It is not impossible.

God gives it for the asking.

“Ask and you shall receive.”

The father knows what to give his children

---how much more our heavenly father knows -

Mother Teresa

Page 4 The Voice of Holy Angels

Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair during our parent/teacher interviews was a big success!

Thank you for believing in books and the impact of reading on your child’s future. Your support is greatly appreciated and has helped buy new books for our school library.

Holy Angels

Intermediate

Boys Basketball

Congratulations to the Senior Boys

Basketball team!

The boys worked very hard and placed

3rd in a very competitive tournament.

Thank you to the parent volunteers;

your support and assistance throughout

the season was greatly appreciated.

Coaches:

Ms. Cirillo, Mr. Ciardulli, Mr. Sarabia

Team Members:

Sebastian, Khaleel, Andreas, Ryan D,

Ryan G, Nicholas C, Matthew, Evan,

Lucas, Christian C, Christian M,

Nicholas, Antonio,

Page 5 The Voice of Holy Angels

March Message from Trustee Ann Andrachuk

“No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you

spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no

good to others, you do nothing great.” A quote from Saint John Chrysostom. Forty days of fasting remind us

of the sacrifices made by our Lord as we prepare ourselves for His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Please con-

tact your local Parish for Confession and Mass schedules.

With June only a couple of months away, the Board of Trustees are preparing to debate and make important

decisions on the budget for the 2018/2019 school year. As you may be aware, the Board has had to make some tough choices

over the last several years to move towards a balanced budget. As we begin these discussions again I look forward to your input.

You can find more information on the budget online at https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/BudgetandFinance

Finally, a quick reminder that March Break runs from March 12th to 16th. Take some time to rest and recuperate as we drive

towards the end of the school year.

Ann

Junior W5H

The Junior W5H team (quiz team) has wrapped up the 2018 sea-

son. The team started practicing in November. They willingly gave

up most of their lunch recesses until the competitions in February,

to practice as a team. They competed in the Divisional Round held

here at Holy Angels and won. During the Regional Round, also

held here at Holy Angels, they answered some very challenging

questions and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and played

well. Congratulations go out to Jelena, Martin, Camilla, Marcello, Brianna and Mikele for all their hard work.

Thanks go out to Simona, Alessia, Christian, Alison, Samuel, Simon and Charlotte for volunteering their time

to keep score during tension filled games.

Also special thanks to Mr. V for stepping up to coach the team during Regionals at the last minute.

It was very much appreciated.

Thank you Team Canada for all the great

Olympic moments … We all play for Canada !

BE VIRTUOUS BE VICTORIOUS BE OLYMPIC

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

Page 6 The Voice of Holy Angels

For this month we have 2 exciting initiatives.

Both initiatives encourage kids to increase their

fruit and vegetable intake.

Instructions on how to complete the challenge were sent home with your child the week of February 26th.

Never Miss Out on Important Information

Visit www.tcdsb.org for regular updates. Follow @TCDSB on Twitter.

Subscribe to E-news, and receive news and information sent right to your email. https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Seven (7) Professional Activity (PA) Days for ELEMENTARY schools: October 5, 2018 Provincial Education Priorities/Faith Development November 16, 2018 Parent-Teacher Conferences December 7, 2018 Provincial Education Priorities January 18, 2019 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting February 15, 2019 Parent-Teacher Conferences June 7, 2019 Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting June 28, 2019 Provincial Education Priorities

TCDSB SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR 2018-2019 APPROVED

Number of school days 194 Number of Professional Activity Days 7 Labour Day September 3, 2018 First Instructional Day September 4, 2018 Thanksgiving Day October 8, 2018 Christmas Break December 24, 2018–January 4, 2019 Start of second semester for secondary schools February 4, 2019 Family Day February 18, 2019 Mid-Winter Break March 11–15, 2019 Good Friday April 19, 2019 Easter Monday April 22, 2019 Victoria Day May 20, 2019 Last day of classes for elementary students June 27, 2019

March is nutrition month at Holy Angels!

For kids Grade 6 – 8

We challenge them to make or find recipes that that includes a

fruit or vegetable as one of the main ingredients. Recipes will

be compiled into a Holy Angels Cookbook.

The class that submits the most recipes will win a martial arts

demo by the Etobicoke Dojo!

For kids in Grade 1 – 5

We challenge them to eat 5 fruits and vegetables

a day.

Those kids that meet the challenge will be eligi-

ble for exciting prizes!

http://www.tcdsb.orghttps://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspxhttps://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspxhttps://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Page 7 The Voice of Holy Angels

TCDSB Monthly Update March 2018

Upcoming Board-wide Consultations

The Board is interested in your opinion and views. All TCDSB employees, Catholic Stakeholders, including parents, students and the general public are encouraged to participate in upcoming consultations the following issues. Further details and online surveys will be posted on the Board website at www.tcdsb.org

PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR 2018-2019 TCDSB BUDGET

The Board’s annual budget consultation process will begin at the end of March 2018. The public consultation is an important planning tool to ensure the development of an effective and balanced budget that supports the academic achievement of our students.

Under the Education Act (Section 232), the Board is required to prepare and submit a budget to the Ministry of Education outlining estimates of its revenues and expenses for the upcoming 2018-2019 academic year by end of June 2018. Stay tuned for more details and information on our school and Board web-site.

Let’s Help Catholic Charities by Supporting ShareLife

Last year, as our pastoral plan called us to celebrate the “Year of the Parish”, our students, staff and their families across the Board were able to increase TCDSB’s participation from 20% of our schools supporting ShareLife to 85% participation. Thank you! This short video here highlights the impact our board has had in our local community.

2017-18 marks the "Year of School." It is an opportunity to celebrate our school communities and to celebrate in the lives of our students. Catholic educa-tion is built on the partnership among our families, parishes and schools, and during the Year of the School we will truly celebrate that foundation. During this Lenten season, and throughout the coming months, we invite our staff and our school communities to once again consider supporting the important work of ShareLife as it continues to “work wonders” in our own community and around the world.

ShareLife’s mission is to “Live the Gospel by providing for those in need” This is done through their support of many diverse Catholic social service agen-cies here in the GTA and beyond.

This year, ShareLife Week will be celebrated the week of March 18-23. As we did last year , we invite everyone to participate in a Board-wide Civvies Day on Friday, March 23, 2018 to r aise funds for the ShareLife campaign. Your donation of a loonie or a toonie will go a long way to suppor ting youth, the elderly, the marginalized and the vulnerable.

We thank everyone in the TCDSB community for all that they do throughout the year to help others—giving of their time and their resources to make a difference. We applaud those efforts, and take great pride in the commitment to living our Catholic values and putting faith into action.

Important Information for Parents:

Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grant Applications Now Open Opportunity for Catholic School Parent Councils to receive funds to support parent engagement projects. Details online: https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/CSPC/Pages/pro-grant.aspx

CPIC/OAPCE Parent Summit—Mark Your Calendars Helping Parents Get to Know Saturday, May 5th, 2018 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. At the Catholic Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Avenue East More details to come: https://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/News-and-Events/Pages/cpic-parent-conference.aspx

Ministry of Education Consultation: A New Vision for Student Transportation Consultation for families relying on school bus transportation is open until March 29, 2018 https://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/boardservices/studenttransportation/pages/bus-transportation-consultation.aspx

Angel Brigade Week Introduces New Event! The Angel Foundation is busily preparing for Angel Brigade Week from April 16-20. This is a week set aside to educate, celebrate and instate the important work this foundation does. This year we are introducing a new event, The Angel Foundation for Learning Bowl-A-Thon on April 21st. The entire TCDSB community - students, staff, families and friends are invited to come out to celebrate and support our students. Lots of surprises to be announced but space is limited so get your teams together and register! More information can be found at: www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/bowlathon/.

Important Information for Students:

Focus on Youth--Summer Employment Opportunity Application Deadline: March 8, 2018 https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/FocusOnYouth/pages/employmentapplication.aspx

Student Job Fair May 2, 2018 Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road, North

York

Work Connections . . . Be the One . . . Get Hired Looking for work? Taking a gap year? Finishing school? https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/OpportunitiesForStudents/Pages/Job-Fair.aspx

Autism Awareness Evening April 8, 2018 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Catholic Education Centre

Featuring Aspie Comedian Michael McCreary

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/Autism/autismawareness/Pages/2018-events.aspx

http://www.tcdsb.orghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFiQ2bkHceA&list=PLxldf1stpfu7-c8lS0Ex37wnaFRmtKeS0&index=4http://www.sharelife.org/Public/Page/Files/1_SL%20Report%20to%20Donors%202017-final-web.pdfhttp://www.sharelife.org/Public/Page/Files/1_SL%20Report%20to%20Donors%202017-final-web.pdfhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/CSPC/Pages/pro-grant.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/News-and-Events/Pages/cpic-parent-conference.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/ParentInvolvement/News-and-Events/Pages/cpic-parent-conference.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/programsservices/boardservices/studenttransportation/pages/bus-transportation-consultation.aspxhttp://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/bowlathon/http://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/bowlathon/http://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/bowlathon/https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/FocusOnYouth/pages/employmentapplication.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/FocusOnYouth/pages/employmentapplication.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/OpportunitiesForStudents/Pages/Job-Fair.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/OpportunitiesForStudents/Pages/Job-Fair.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/Autism/autismawareness/Pages/2018-events.aspxhttps://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/Autism/autismawareness/Pages/2018-events.aspx

Page 8 The Voice of Holy Angels

TCDSB Psychology Newsletter

As parents and educators we support our children in learning their ABC’s and numbers when they are young, but we also know

that it is equally important to support them in their social and emotional growth. Social-emotional learning is the development of

life skills that support children in their ability to understand and manage their feelings, solve problems, form and maintain posi-

tive relationships, and manage their behaviour. When children and youth learn these skills and use them in everyday situa-

tions, they build resiliency and overall well-being. A child’s social and emotional skills are constantly developing from the early

years into adolescence and may develop at different points in time. Both the home and school environments can support a

child in learning these essential skills.

The leading organization for social-emotional learning or SEL is the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learn-

ing (CASEL) which was created in 1994. There are five SEL competencies identified based on research, which can be taught:

Self-awareness Social Awareness

Self-management Relationship skills Responsible decision making

Research demonstrates that social-emotional learning impacts on children’s and youth’s well-being as well as how well they do at school. Those who are able to understand themselves and others, and who can regulate their behaviour are more likely to find the classroom easier to manage, have more friends, and are better able to focus on learning, and therefore, benefit more fully from instruction (Toplak, West and Stanovich, 2013). Studies show that students who are more self-aware and confident about their learning abilities try harder and tend to persist when they are facing challenges (Aronson, 2002). Furthermore, students who display effective problem solving skills and ability to make responsible decisions with their homework and studying, perform better academically (Zins & Elias, 2007). When SEL skills are taught and fostered, students

show both immediate and long term gains in academic achievement, and overall well-being.

Home and school are the most important places for the child’s social and emotional learning. As children get older, this learning continues at home and at school, well into

adolescence. Here are some strategies to teach the five core competencies of social and emotional learning:

Self-awareness: Involves understanding of one’s own feelings, goals, and values. It also includes a positive mindset and confidence in your own capabilities to do

well. Some useful strategies:

use different words to describe emotions, use books, role play, and discussions to point out emotions to your child and expand your child’s social

and emotional vocabulary

talk about your own emotions and expressing them in a respectful manner

teach your child or teen to develop a positive mindset and optimism.

Social awareness: Involves the ability to understand other people’s feelings, empathize and feel compassion for others. It includes awareness of social norms and

recognizing that the family and community are the source for support. Some useful strategies:

model empathy for your child/student by expressing understanding their emotions or point of view

model being grateful in your relationships with people and teach your child/student to express kindness and gratitude

share and promote values such as honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness, and respect for others

teach the importance of being polite to others by listening while others speak and not interrupting.

Self-management: Includes skills which enable a child or youth to regulate their own emotions and behaviour. A young person with well-developed self-management

skills is able to delay gratification, control impulses, and switch from a strategy that doesn’t work to a better strategy. Some useful strategies:

teach your child/student strategies to manage stress, such as deep breathing, counting to 10, asking for assistance

share your own experiences when faced with stressful situations and how you coped with them

model positive coping strategies

talk to your child or teen about the step by step process to reach their goals and the importance of patience and perseverance

compliment your child/student when they delay a pleasant activity and choose to complete a required task first.

Relationship skills: Skills that help a child or youth establish and maintain positive relationships. These skills involve communicating clearly, listening actively, coop-

erating, resisting social pressure, managing conflicts confidently, and asking for help when needed. Some useful strategies:

engage in conversations with the child/youth about friendships discuss importance of trust in his/her relationships

practice active listening with your child/student; emphasize eye contact and show interest while listening.

Responsible decision making: Involves learning how to make choices about your behaviour and social interactions. The skills involve considering ethical stand-

ards, safety concerns, behavioural norms for risky behaviours, the health and wellbeing of self and others, and making a realistic evaluation of various consequences

of your actions. Some useful strategies:

show your child or teen that you support their decisions talk through problems, logical consequences, and resolutions

teach steps in decision making: identifying a decision, thinking of options, evaluating options, choosing a strategy and checking how it works.

Spirituality is an important component of the social and emotional growth for the young person. It provides a moral compass for a young person when using any of the five

core social and emotional competencies and assist them in their life.

Supporting Your Child’s Growth Through Social-Emotional Learning

What is The Connection Between Social-Emotional Learning and School Success?

How Can Help Promote Social and Emotional Learning At Home At School?