ST. ANSELM CATHOLIC SCHOOL 182 Bessborough Drive, Toronto, Ontario,

M4G 4H5 TEL: (416) 393-5243 FAX: (416) 397-6320

Website: www.tcdsb.org/stanselm

@stanselm_cs

MARCH 2016

Principal Mr. R. Walo

Richard.Walo@tcdsb.org

Administrative Support Staff

Mrs. C. Bright Mrs. J. Fraser

Superintendent

Mr. J. Shanahan (416) 222-8282 ext.5371

Trustee

Angela Kennedy (416) 512-3411

Angela.Kennedy@tcdsb.org

CSPC Chair

Mrs. A. O’Leary annie.k.oleary@gmail.com

Parishes

St. Anselm Parish 1 MacNaughton Road

(416) 485-1792

Pastor: Msgr. M. Laurencic

St. Edith Stein Catholic Church

16 Thorncliffe Pk. Drive (416) 696-8427

School Hours

2015-2016 8:30 to 3:00 p.m.

AM Recess: 10:15 a.m.

Lunch Hour: 11:15 – 12:15 PM Recess: 1:40 p.m.

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE How timely it is that the virtue for this month is FORGIVENESS, not only because we are in the season of Lent, but also because it is an im-portant cornerstone of our faith. Forgiveness is ultimately a gift that we give to ourselves as we let go of the burden of resentment that we may feel toward others. Lent is also a time of preparation and self-sacrifice through fasting, giving up worldly desires and activities. It is an excellent time for us to reflect on our lives on how to be become closer to God and a time of renewal. This year, Easter falls earlier in the year, with Palm Sunday beginning on March 20th. In preparation for Easter, Ms. McMahon’s Grade 2 class will be leading mass on Tuesday, March 22nd at 12:30 p.m. at St. Anselm Parish.

As we continue into the second half of the school year, there is a renewed focus and emphasis on the curriculum. In March, teachers will begin spending greater time preparing students for upcoming standardized as-sessments (e.g. EQAO and CAT4) and will continue to measure individu-al progress across all subject areas. We encourage students to continue to put forth their best effort and challenge themselves as they delve deeper into their program. At this point in the year, routines should be fully de-veloped and students should be gaining greater independence in their learning. We encourage parents to continue to speak with their child about what he/she is learning in school and maintain daily communica-tion with the classroom teacher through the agenda. More information regarding upcoming standardized assessments will be sent home with your child in the coming weeks. Lastly, March also marks the time of year that the Irish and Irish-at-heart, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the Patron Saint of Ireland, has become a day of celebration around the world. During the month of March, the TCDSB acknowledges St. Patrick by designating March as Celtic Canadian Heritage month. At St. Anselm, our students will be involved in a variety of learning activities focusing on the history of St. Patrick’s Day. Ms. McMahon’s students will also be participating in the TCDSB Celtic Mass and Expose on Thursday, March 10th at St. Bonaventure Parish. The Student Council will be planning special events for St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 11th. Be sure to show your spirit by wearing Green and White! Have a safe and restful March Break! R. Walo

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH:

FORGIVENESS

A MESSAGE FROM THE CSPC CHAIR... Hello from St. Anselm CSPC! As a reminder, this month's CSPC meeting will be this Thursday, March 3rd. We welcome all parents and can offer babysitting if you are unable to find childcare. (Please contact me if you require childcare: annie.k.oleary@gmail.com) Key areas of focus for the committee continue to be the Boundary Review and the Playground Revitalization Committee. We are awaiting confirmation on the Boundary Review date, and will keep parents informed as we receive information. The official boundary will likely be revised and in effect for September 2016. With respect to the playground, the committee has com-piled the results from the recent playground survey that was sent home. Results will be presented at this week's CSPC meeting. As mentioned in the recent communica-tion from the Playground Revitalization Committee, we will also have individuals from Earthscape and Ever-green at Thursday's meeting to talk about conceptual design ideas. Lastly, with Spring on the way, we have started to talk about planning for the annual Spring Fundraiser / Music night. We will be asking for parent volunteers to help organize and run the event. Stay tuned! SPIRIT WEAR HAS ARRIVED!!!

We are very excited to announce the arrival of St. Anselm Spirit Wear available to order online. Spirit Wear includes FREE ship-ping directly to your home! Easy to follow online sizing guide will makes shopping simple for the whole family.

With a wide range of products in both youth and adult sizes you are sure to find something for everyone from hoodies to hats, to track pants and toques. Visit http://stanselm.entripyshops.com/ to begin ordering your items today and show your St. Anselm Warrior pride! Please note: Only Navy and White items can be worn for daily school wear. CELTIC CANADIAN HERITAGE MONTH Celtic Canadian Heritage Month was in-troduced throughout the Toronto Catholic District School Board in 2008. The month of March was chosen as it is most recog-nizable in connection with St. Patrick, Pa-tron of Ireland, the “Emerald Isle,” whose feast is March 17th and also St. David, Patron of Wales, whose feast is March 1st. On Thurs-day, March 10th, Ms. McMahon’s class will be partici-pating in the TCDSB Irish Expose Mass at St. Bona-venture's.

NOT RETURNING IN SEPTEMBER 2016 Planning for September 2016 is already underway! We kindly ask parents to no-tify the office, if their child is not return-ing to school in September. This infor-mation is essential as we plan class com-

positions for the upcoming year.

LOVE VIRTUE LEADERS The following students were acknowl-edged for their incredible leadership in demonstrating LOVE around the school community in February: Laeticia D, Thierry N, Chris S, Kim B, Darian M, Ana M, Laura R, Benedict C, Claire M, Kyla S, Emma Z, Sydney M, Jimnah C, Amy U, An-thony S, Katie S, Grace N, Owen F, Eva L, Grayson S, Gigi G, Owen H, Cara F, Theo K, Isabella G, Tristan H, Aliyana A, Emmett B, Laurie C, Rhys S, Anthony D-C, Isabel P and J.P. Blum SUPPORT STAFF APPRECIATION DAY

On Monday, March 7th, we acknowledge EAs and CYWs for the amazing work. Thank you to Mrs. Bianchi, Mrs. Nalbandian, Mrs. Kopanygin, Mrs. Themelis Mrs.

Galac and Mrs. Portelli for all of the love and support you demonstrate in the work you do for our students! You are the ‘glue’ that holds the school together! A MESSAGE FROM THE TCDSB Approval of Multi-Year Recovery Plan At the February 18, 2016 meeting of the Board, the Board of Trustees approved option 3 which proposes budget reduc-tions totaling $28.4 million spread out over the next three years with the objec-tive of not increasing the accumulated deficit in each year, and eliminating the accumulated deficit in the 3rd and final year of the Multi-Year Re-covery Plan. The Board also approved a recommenda-tion for the Director of Education to quantify addition-al cost pressures identified in the report, and address the $3.7 million additional bussing transportation costs for a total required expenditure reduction of $32.1 mil-lion in the annual budget planning and consultation process. Option 3 was selected by 47% of those who responded to the online survey. The MYRP is being submitted to the Ministry of Education at the end of February. A detailed budget consultation plan is in development and will be presented to the board for approval in March. Please stay tuned for details on how you can be involved in providing input into the budget setting process and visit www.tcdsb.org

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CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS

Mrs. Paiano/Mrs. Lavalle’s Full Day Kindergarten Class During the month of March we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and the coming of spring. The Kinders will be involved in various art activities for these upcoming celebra-tions, and they will be working on a special booklet about Easter. In Language Arts, we will focus on the following sounds L, F, B, AI. We will focus on the following word families _og and _all. The children will also learn the following sight words: see, said, and here. In regards to literacy, we will be focusing on stories by Robert

Munsch, and we will be concentrating on parts of a story. The students will be asked to illustrate and write about their favourite part of the book. We will also be learning all about early signs of spring, and the children will be asked to paint a picture about what they like about the season of spring and write about it. In Mathematics, we will concentrate on 3D geometry. The students will be looking for 3D shapes in the classroom, and we will also be building 3D shapes with marshmallows and toothpicks. The children will also continue learning about patterns. We will create and extend colour patterns and create and extend pat-terns using linear materials. We look forward to signs of spring and warmer weather!

Mrs. L’Abadie/Ms. Khala’s Full Day Kindergarten Class As we march into the new month, our students will continue to be involved in a variety of learning activities. In Mathematics, we will continue to explore 3-dimensional shapes in hands-on ways. Students will also be creating and translating patterns. They will identi-fy, create, reproduce and extend repeating patterns through investigation, using a variety of materials. In Language, students will continue with the letter sounds ie, or, ee, z, news writing and reading, weekly journal writing, stories and rhymes. They will also have the opportunity to study and create poetry. Happy March Break to all families! Mrs. Lontos’ Music Classes

During the month of March listening components will continue to be a focus for all grade levels. Grades 4 and 5 will learn the basics of musical form. Discussions of lyrics as well as lyrical writing will also be incorporated in this month’s unit. Students will be learning about timbre and how everyone’s voice has a different sound. They will also try to identify the instruments by its timbre. Group participation will be achieved

through easy patterned dances, creative movement, and singing games. The virtue for the month of March is Forgiveness and we will put an emphasis on that virtue in our Music classes. All grades will continue to work on age appropriate new songs.

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Mrs. Cooke’s Senior Kindergarten and Grade One class March has arrived with a roar and we are very excited to see what it has in store for us! This month we will be celebrating the virtue of Forgiveness. In Religion we will continue to discuss the relationships we have and the importance of keeping promises and making good choices. As we continue our journey through the Lenten season we will be learning about the meaning of sacrifice and almsgiving.

In Language, we will continue to work on our Daily Language activities including word wall words, letter sounds (SKs) and word families to support us in reading and writing. In Reading, we will be focusing on the characters, setting and plot of a story. In Writing, we will also be practising procedural writing to help us understand story sequence in our journals and writing activities. In Math we will continue to explore greater numbers using 100 charts, number lines and base ten blocks through various games and activities. After the break we will be learning how to measure capacity and mass using different types of containers and substances. In Social Studies, we are continuing to discuss the dif-

ferent rules, relationships and responsibilities we have. In Science, we will unleash our inner engineer as we investigate and create different types of structures! March is also Celtic Canadian Heritage Month where we will be celebrating through story, songs, poems and art.

Miss McLoughlin’s Grade 1 Class After a very busy month of February we can’t wait to March into spring! Forgiveness is the virtue for the month of March. Throughout Lent the Church reminds us of our responsibility to the common good. As we continue on our Lenten journey we will reflect on the lessons learned from the parables and Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. The students will make posters and participate in role plays about forgiveness and other ways we can follow Jesus with both our actions and our words. The students will help choose our next read-aloud chapter book. We will explore the author’s use of de-scriptive language and strive to develop vocabulary lists to help enrich their own writing. Descriptive para-graphs using a 4-square graphic organizer will be our focus. In Mathematics, we will examine 2-D and 3-D shapes during the first two weeks of March. After the March Break we will be exploring greater numbers (up to 100), problem solve using a 100 chart, and use pennies, nickels and dimes to show purchases. Review of skip-counting by 1, 2, 5 and 10 would be helpful for this unit of study. I hope that the March Break offers a welcome respite to my students and their fami-lies.

Ms. Messner’s Grade 1/2 Class

In March the virtue of the month we will be celebrating is forgiveness. In Religion we will continue to learn about relationships, families and expecting a new baby in your family. Grade 2s will continue learning and preparing for their first reconciliation. First reconcilia-tion will be held on Tuesday, March 8th at 7:00 pm at St. Anselm Church. In Language Arts the students will continue to participate in the daily 5 activities, shared and interactive reading and writing and our weekly word study. In Math we will continue to ex-

plore 2D and 3D geometric shapes and measuring capacity and mass (different types of containers, objects, liquids and balance pans) through games and various activities. In Social Studies we will continues to learn about Canada and the World and different relationships, celebrations, heritage, traditions, rules and respon-sibilities.

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Ms. McMahon’s Grade 2 Class As we march into the next month, Ms. McMahon's class considers spring coming in like a lion, not a lamb. Was Ontario's own groundhog, Wiarton Willie, right after all?! Even with a sudden cold snap or deluge of snow, the excitement of a new month will warm our hearts. This is especially fitting as we embrace this month's Virtue of Forgiveness, when we also will be making our First Reconciliation on March 8th. This important sacrament brings us closer to Jesus, preparing our hearts and minds before receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist. In Language Arts, we will be concentrating on writing longer pieces and compiling sentences into paragraphs. This will serve us well as we embark on our country projects in Social Studies. Each of us will choose a country and complete a research project for presentation to the class in April. Moving right along into Science, we will look at how things work with Simple Machines. We will learn how people "Move it!" with pulleys, wheels, axels, ramps, levers, and more. On March 11th, we look forward to wearing green in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day which falls during the March Break. Perhaps we can construct a special machine to catch ourselves a leprechaun!

Miss Napoli’s Grade 3 Class

Over the past month, our class has been focusing on taking a cross-curricular, hands-on approach to many of our units of study. We've been researching, creating, collaborating & building our 21st century learning skills in the process! We have also been very lucky to have Miss Horsnell in our classroom to lend her ideas and skills to the following accomplishments we've made over the last few weeks. On behalf of our class, I'd like to thank Miss Horsnell for her contributions to the St. Anselm community and to wish her a wonderful future ahead in her teaching career!

In Math, we wrapped up our units on Adding & Subtracting with Greater Numbers as well as Ar-ea & Grids. In order to connect Area & Grids to our class' favourite hobby, students completed a wonderful "Minecraft Selfie" project. Using a large grid, they were able to sketch images of themselves and tally the square units of each colour used in their drawings. We are currently learning about 3D Geometry & Measurement and will be deconstructing our 3D art project com-pleted for Valentine’s Day (“Lovebots”) into the various 3D shapes used in its construction. We will also be wrapping up our unit on Strong & Stable Structures by testing our cardboard robots and discussing the design choices made in order to build a truly stable structure. In Language Arts, the Grade 3s have been focusing on Procedural Writing and Friendly Letter Writing. We took our learning one step further by combining these skills with our current unit in French about food by planning a Pizza Party! Our class surveyed teachers and staff around the school in order to determine the Top 5 favourite ingredients at St. Anselm. We tallied and graphed the results, drawing on previous knowledge from our Data Management unit and were able to determine what ingredients to use. Students were also able to draw up a pro-cedure for this task, as well as draft friendly letters to the staff who were interviewed. The Grade 3s are working on successfully peer-editing their writing and knowing what to look for in order to continue publishing their best written work. One major area of focus last month was to remind students to continue to be loving, caring and compassionate to one another and to others in the community. We have put these valuable lessons into action during Language Arts over the past couple of weeks. We are currently completing an inquiry into the story "Seven Blind Mice"

which is an Indian fable about learning to see the whole person. Students have been putting their developed understandings of empathy into practice by completing interviews with their peers and publishing writing based on the moral of the story - "Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole". Thanks to the Grade 3s for continuing to exemplify the Gospel values and the qualities that make St. Anselm a great place!

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Mrs. Connally’s Grade 3/4 Class The grade three and four students in our class are making great headway on their Lenten promises as we journey to Easter. We are observing Lent by holding assem-blies with our floor mates that focus on compassion, forgiveness, faith and prayer. Soon our class will participate in a service project called The Scholastic Classroom Care Reading Program where we will read 100 books by May 31st and enable the donation of books to needy children. The grade three students are reading Freezing Moon this month and building background knowledge about pioneer times in anticipation of a trip to Pioneer Village. The grade four students are doing a novel study on Owls in the Family and learning about life in Saskatchewan as we wrap up our unit on Canada. Then the grade fours will begin a new unit on ancient civilizations. In writing, we are focusing on descriptive writing using awesome adjectives and powerful verbs. In science this month we will focus on structures and mechanisms. The grade threes will learn about stabil-ity while the grade fours investigate the intricacies of pulleys and gears. A trip to Evergreen Brickworks is planned for March 29th to learn about structures and geology. We will focus on procedural writing in both science and math. The themes we will be studying in math are motion geometry and area. We look forward to wearing green on Friday, March 11th in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day which falls

during the March Break. In honour of St. Patrick, “May your troubles be less and your blessings be more.

And nothing but happiness comes through your door.”

Mr. Wilson’s Grade 4 Class March is upon us and visions of March Break are dancing in our heads! Despite that though, we’ve got a few things on the agenda before we think about soaring off to warmer climes or snowy slopes. In Science, we will be finishing up our unit on Rocks and Minerals and beginning our final topic of Light and Sound. In Social Studies, we are continu-ing our study of the Middles Ages. In Mathematics, we will be completing our unit on Multi-

plication and Division then moving on to 2-D Geometry. In Language Arts, we are paragraph-writing and working our way through the maze that is punctuation. Here’s hoping all have a safe, relaxing and restful March Break! See you in the Spring!

Mrs. Whyte’s Grade 4/5 Class March plans for Room 305 include a drama workshop, scientist visits, field trips, and a Skype with a classmate in the Phillipines! Grade 4s and 5s will continue to observe Lent, through prayer, song, and service, and everyone is looking forward to celebrating Easter. Students will visit seniors at 921 Millwood, and will personally donate books to the Children’s Book Bank. Scientists in Schools will lead workshops on March 3rd

(Gears-Grade 4) and on March 9th (Forces - Grade 5).

In Math, students will continue to explore multiplication, and division, of whole numbers and decimals, and measure mass and capacity. In Language, online journal entries, word study, monthly speeches, novel stud-ies, reading, and writing a variety of texts, will continue again this month. Grade 5s have their drama work-shop by Dance and Play this month as well.

On March 31st, there is a field trip to the ROM for guided visits of Early Societies (Grade 4s) and First Na-tions and Europeans in Early Canada (Grade 5). Everyone is excited about the Skype with a classmate visit-ing the Phillipines! March will be a marvelous month!

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Mrs. Angelone’s Grade 5 Class March is here! We are looking forward to a well deserved March break and we continue to “march” through this year! In Math, students have begun chapter 9 and 10; Multiplication and Division of Decimals. Students will learn to multiply decimals by 10 and 100. As well divide whole numbers and decimals by whole numbers up to 10. In Language, we have completed reading “The Breadwinner” by Deborah Ellis. Students have used various reading strategies; in particular inferring to answer questions using information from the text and using their ideas to support their answers. Next, students will begin a Poetry unit. This Poetry unit will focus on various forms of poetry. As well, students will have an opportunity to write their own poems. In Science, students will have a Scientist in the School presentation on March 1st, which focuses on the Human Body. Students will participate in various activities which provide a review of this unit. In addition, students continue to work hard on gathering information, making jot notes and writing for their “Common Disease” assignment. Have a wonderful and restful March Break!!!

Ms. Napao’s Grade 5/6 Class

In Mathematics, we have just completed Chapter 8: Area & Grids. The Grade 6s will finish up Chapter 9: Multiplying Decimals, and both grades will continue with Chapter 11: 3D Geometry and 3D Measurement in March. At home, students can look over the chapter vocabulary so that they will be well prepared at school. In Language Arts, the students are busy working on a Reading and Writing activities for the novel The City of Ember by Jean DuPrau we are reading in class. A culminating activity will be intro-

duced in March once we have finished the novel. This activity will challenge both the student’s creative side and oral presentation skills. In Science, the Grade 5s will be joining Mrs. Angelone’s class on March 1st to participate in the Scientist in the School program on the Human Body. The students are going to uncover the amazing way our bodies digest food in the Digestive System. As well, they will learn how the heart works along with the arteries and veins in the Cardio-vascular System. Once again, we have a wonderful opportunity to watch a The Passion Play this month. On March 21th, along with the Gr. 6/7 to Gr. 8 classes, we will watch the play at Don Bosco High School.

Mr. Nespolo’s Grade 6/7 Class Emily Dickinson said, "March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know." Howev-er, there some things that we do know - that it has been a relatively mild February and hopefully will continue to be for March. As well, we are certainly expecting the relaxation that the March break will bring. In Writing, we will be starting a unit on figures of speech, focusing on the theme of 'Love' and culminate with art work. In Reading, we will begin our novel study and utilize our reading strategies as we progress. The grade 6s and 7s will start to read the novel 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'. In WW2 Germany, sometimes, a child's innocence leads to the most unlikeliest of friendships formed between the son of a Nazi officer and a Jewish concentration camp inmate. In Math, the grade 6s have just completed Patterns and Motion in Geometry and are 'springing forward' to chapter 11, as we explore 3-D Geometry and Measurement. Students will be focusing on creating models and solving for volumes of different prisms. The grade 7s have just completed Fraction Operations and will be ‘literally leaping’, as they start on February 29, into chapter 10 and exploring 3-D Geometry. We have an exciting March ahead! We will be going to see two drama performances. On March 10th, the grade 6s will be going to view ‘The Addams Family’, at the Berkley Theatre, as we support a fellow classmate in the produc-tion. The Lenten Season is upon us and we will commence Holy Week by viewing a play on March 21, about the Pas-sion of our Lord, titled, “No More Turning Away”. The play, presented by students in the St. Fidelis youth group, takes a close look at a troubled teenager who is turning away from drugs and finding faith and hope in Jesus Christ's message. In addition, the grade 7s will be departing on their trip to Lake St. George from March 9 - 11 ...'March' on into new beginnings, spring and Easter.

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Mrs. Gundy’s Grade 7/8 Class It’s amazing to think that March Break is upon us in two weeks. Time sure does fly when you are having fun in Mrs. Gundy’s class. I think I have used that line a few times before, but as the expression goes, if the shoe fits, wear it. And my students know how much I love my shoes. Now on to a more a serious note, let’s get down to the matter of curriculum. In math, the grade 7s have wrapped up their unit on algebra and will begin chapter 9 which deals with the addition and subtraction of fractions. Following the break, we will begin debates in language based on top-ics chosen by the students. History is in the past and we have turned our attention to geography. As a class, we will be studying the physical environment and the ways in which humans have responded to the chal-lenges and difficulties of a changing environment. In science, the students ended their unit on heat by pre-paring a thermos which we tested in class. Well done 7s. Now onto mixtures and substances. While I know the in-class work always has the students on the edge of their seats, it will be their trip to Lake St. George from March 9-11th that will have the students bursting with excitement. Most people are looking forward to the warmer weather, but I have to admit I am praying for an end of season snowstorm for those winter activities that are planned.

Miss Korczynski’s Grade 8 Class

Welcome to March! Here are some highlights for what to expect in our classroom this upcoming month. In Language, we are going to continue our creative writing unit; students will be working with various prompts to create short stories based on topics of their choice. This month, there will also be a heavier focus on language conventions; in order to "enhance" those creative writing skills, students will be completing a series of activities that focus on the use of descriptive language, me-chanics, sentence expansion, and sentence variety. For Math, we are going to contin-ue our Algebra unit, which focuses on developing equations and evaluating relationships. We are then going to transition into Frac-tions. In Geography, students will continue their studies of global and lo-

cal settlement through the evaluation of patterns and sustainability. Specifically, the focus will be on factors influencing population growth, and the effects of climate change on settlement. For Science, we will contin-ue our study of fluid systems by examining the relationships between pressure, volume, and temperature; students will also be investigating different types of hydraulic and pneumatic fluid systems, along with the impacts of oil spills on the environment. As part of our Drama curriculum, which includes a study of musical theatre, we will be attending the Mir-vish production of Beauty and the Beast at the Princess of Wales Theatre downtown, Toronto, on Wednes-day March 2. As many of us know, Mirvish Productions is known for administering and producing shows, plays, and musicals, of the highest quality, so we are very excited for this! Finally, our grade 8 class is also going to participate in a full day workshop led by members from Junior Achievement, on Friday, March 4. Students will have an opportunity to talk about real-life economics and learn about strategies for financial success.

Mmle Marrelli’s French Class For this month Mme. Marrelli’s grade 1 class will be singing and dancing to Sara Jor-dan’s Mon ami Louis. Since we are in the Lenten season, this unit will introduce the students to family vocabulary, numbers and, of course, Easter. The final project will include the students drawing a portrait of their family and presenting it to the class…en français! And, let’s not forget to include a little Easter egg hunt for fun!

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Mrs, Desloges’ Special Education Class March is going to be a wonderful month as we will (hopefully) be looking for signs of spring! The change of temperature brings with it the perfect opportunity to review the sea-sons and dressing appropriately for various types of weather. Our ‘whole word approach’ to theme vocabulary will focus on words related to weather, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and the virtue of the month. Students will continue to work on writing and typing complete sentenc-es and short paragraphs. In our functional math program, students are working towards add-ing coins, matching coins to price tags, reading prices and demonstrating their knowledge

by purchasing items from local stores. Community visits this month will include the local bakery, Leaside library, Valu-Mart, and the Bagel Shop. Our life skills class will focus on kitchen safety and healthy eating as students learn to prepare balanced meals and maintain a safe and clean food environment. Our social skills program will include social clubs and fun activities with friends throughout the school during last recess– everyone is welcome to drop in and join in the fun! Have an exciting and safe March Break!

Mrs. Dalla Giustina’s Physical Education Classes We are welcoming the month of March with Invasion/Territory games. All grades will continue to work on offensive and defensive strategies in games like basketball, soccer and hockey and look at the common skills in all Territory style games. We will explore ideas such as moving to open space away from a defender to successfully receive a pass or how to maintain possession of an object like dribbling a soccer ball.

M. Era's French Classes _

In March, Mme. Marrelli and Mr. Era's Intermediate Students will be looking forward to a visit from Monsieur Bruno Guillaume, a representative from Air Canada. Mr. Guil-laume will be talking to the students about the advantages of being bilingual in the Cana-dian job market and the various career paths available to French and English speakers in the travel industry.

Mrs. Blanchet’s Learning Centre Welcome to March! As we continue on our journey of LENT we are reminded of our highlighted Virtue Forgiveness. Jesus asked God “ Forgive them Father, they know not what they do”. Even while suffering and in pain, he forgave his captors. In the TLC we will be exploring forgiveness and what it looks like in everyday situations. In grades 5 and 6 we are continuing with multiplication and division of whole numbers and decimal number and then will begin with 3D geometry. In grade 8 we will be starting algebra then mov-ing on to fraction operations. In grade 3/4 language we will continue to fine tune our paragraph structure and editing strategies. We are always reading and exploring spelling patterns. In grade 2 we will be working hard and strengthening our reading skills by constructing and deconstructing words and strengthening their sound symbol correlation and phonemic awareness. MARCH 21st is World Down Syndrome Day. For more information Day please feel free to visit https://worlddownsyndromeday.org/

DRESS DOWN FOR CHARITY During the month of February, students raised $600 through their dress-down for charity donations. A cheque will be made payable to the Angel Foundation for Learning on behalf of St. Anselm. We thank our families for your generosity! In March, our dress down monies raised will go to Share Life. Share Life helps more than 40,000 children and young people around Ontario.

PASSION PLAY The Passion Play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. It is a traditional part of Lent and the foundation in which our faith is based upon. Each year, the play is performed by St. Fidelis parishioners and held at St. Don Bosco H.S. Students in Ms. Napao and Mr. Nespolo’s class will be viewing this year’s perfor-mance. NAVY BLUE AND WHITE DONATIONS Our gently used clothing drive has been a tremendous success this year and we thank everyone for their ongo-ing support. As we continue into the winter months, there is a huge need for navy blue sweaters and hoodies. If you do have any that you have outgrown, we would gladly accept them and forward them to other schools in the city that are less fortunate. The donation bin is located in the front entrance of the school. LITTLE RED THEATRE The final Little Red Theatre performance will take

place on Wednesday, March 23rd at 12:30. The play entitled, ‘The Goose Girl’ is loosely based on a Norweigan Tale. The puppets and actors tell us a story about a goose girl named Astrid

who falls in love with a sweet boy named Erik. It is also a story about a servant who is constantly mistaken for a variety of princesses. And how great selfless acts radiate through all the untruths around us. The perfor-mance is geared toward students in Kindergarten to Grade 4.

GAMES CLUB Games Club will continue during the month of March in Room 222 on Tues-days during the lunch hour. Students from all grades are welcome to join! Thank you to Mrs. Blanchet for leading this great club for our stu-dents during the winter months!

SWIM MEET AT ETOBICOKE OLYMPIAN On Saturday, April 2nd and 3rd, the Swim Team will be competing at the An-nual TCDSB Swim Meet. We wish the boys and girls the very best as they repre-sent St. Anselm at the competition! Thank you to CSPC for covering the pool rental and coaching costs this year. AGNES MC PHAIL SPEECH COMPETITION

On Wednesday, February 17th, Olivia W and Emma L represented St. Anselm at the Agnes McPhail Speech Competition. Stu-dents from St. Anselm along with 3 other elementary schools in East York competed against one another. The competition was

held at East York Community Center. Olivia and Em-ma presented beautifully and their families and teachers were so proud of both of them. Congratulations to Olivia, the winner of the 2016 Agnes McPhail Speech Competition! ST. ANSELM HOCKEY On Monday, March 7th, the St. Anselm co-ed hockey team will be representing St. Anselm at the TCDSB Hockey Tourna-ment. The team will be competing in the “A” pool and will be seeded based on their performance at the tournament. Thank you to parents for volunteer-ing to drive the students and to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Nespolo for coaching the team. The date for the 2nd Tournament is TBD.

FOREST OF READING CLUB UPDATE

The Forest of Reading Club has had a busy month. Students have read between 1 and 6 books each! The club has used Twitter (@Juniorinquirers), to reach out to authors nominated for this year's Silverbirch Fiction award. On February 25th, club members Skyped with Daphne

Greer, author of Jacob's Landing, from her home in No-va Scotia. Students asked Ms. Greer a variety of ques-tions that they had prepared, and learned about her nominated book, her inspiration, and her writing. It was an informative and entertaining Skype. Students also Tweeted during the Skype (#jacobslanding). In March, the club will continue to meet on Thursdays at lunch to discuss and exchange books, and communi-cate with Silverbirch authors using social media. Club members look forward to meeting the authors in person at The Festival of Trees at Harbourfront on May 18th!

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Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org

DENTAL SCREENING Toronto Public Health provides annual dental screenings in local public and sepa-rate schools for children from Junior Kin-dergarten to Grade 8. Letters have been sent out and parents are able to opt out if they do not want their child to be screened. The school screening programs do not replace a dental examination that is done at a dentist's office. The screening can provide an early sign of possible problems that should be looked at more closely. Please be advised that screening will take place from March 29-April 1st. ECHOAGE BIRTHDAY PARTY FUNDRAISER

Our sincere gratitude is extended to all families who have used Echoage for their child’s birthday party. All funds raised through Echoage go di-rectly into benefiting St. Anselm

Catholic School! This year, funds will go toward our school revitalization project. For more information, please contact Amy Demelo at: amyemdemelo@gmail.com. SAFE AND CARING SCHOOL SURVEY In an ongoing effort to keep our Catho-lic schools safe and caring places in which to learn, the TCDSB is collecting information from students about their feelings of safety and the general school climate. The Safe and Caring Catholic School Climate Survey for elementary students is ad-ministered on-line to all Grade 6 and Grade 8 students. The results of the survey will allow our Safe Schools Team to assess students’ perceptions about the safety and climate of our school, and will focus our efforts to address any identified needs. All of the information gathered will be anonymous and confidential, and only group-level results will be used to inform planning.

KNITTING CLUB Back by popular demand!! An additional Knitting Club session will run for 6 weeks, beginning on Thursday, March 24th. Please return your Registration form and payment to the office if your child is interested in participating. For more information, please contact Leila Harwood at learntoknit@rogers.com. PLAYGROUND REVITILIZATION UPDATE

The St. Anselm Yard Revitalization committee has been working closely with a Landscape Architect to develop a plan for the schoolyard. The next planning meeting will be held prior to the March 3rd CSPC meeting. An

update will be provided at the CSPC meeting. If you are interested in joining/supporting the committee, please contact Mr. Burkett at chrisburkett16@hotmail.com. SEPTEMBER 2016 ENROLMENT UPDATE As of February 29th, there are currently 69 students en-rolled for the FDK program in September 2016. This means that we will have two FDK classes and one SK/1 class. Families who are currently on the FDK waitlist #3, 4 and 5 will be informed of their child’s placement decision on April 29th. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY On March 8th, we celebrate the social, eco-nomic, cultural and political achievement of women. This year’s theme is Pledge for Parity. UPCOMING EVENTS IN APRIL April 5th - CSPC Meeting April 14th - Welcome to St. Anselm New Parent Night April 15th - SK and Grade 8 Graduation Photo Day April 15th - PA Day (NEW) April 21st - St. Anselm Feast Day Mass