St. Ambrose Catholic School Newsletter 20 Coules Court, Etobicoke, Ontario, M8W 2N9

Telephone: (416) 393-5259 Fax: (416) 393-5039 Visit us: http://stambrose.tcdsb.org

St. Ambrose Parish Superintendent: D. Yack 416-222-8282 ext. 2732 Principal: K. Van Dinter Fr. Donatello Iocco Trustee: A. Andrachuk 416-512-3402 Secretary: E. Silva (416) 251-8282 CSPC Chair: S. Francisco Clerk Typist: M. Jones

MARCH 2018 TCDSB

Principal’s Message

It is not easy to forgive others. When

someone you care about hurts you, you

can hold on to anger, resentment and

thoughts of revenge — or embrace

forgiveness and move forward.

Forgiveness is letting go of grudges and

bitterness. By embracing forgiveness,

you can also embrace peace, hope,

gratitude and joy.

How timely that the virtue for March is

FORGIVENESS. Not only because we

are in the season of Lent, but also

because it is an important cornerstone

of our faith. Jesus modeled the virtue

of forgiveness 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.

We would like to take the opportunity

to inform you about some staff

changes. We would like to extend a

warm welcome to Mrs. Vieira who has

returned from her maternity leave. We

thank Mrs. Balestri for her dedication

and wish her success in the future!

The TCDSB has declared Monday,

March 5th as Education Support Staff

Appreciation Day. St. Ambrose would

like to recognize and extend our

appreciation to our Educational

Assistants for their dedication to our

students!

May God continue to bless your family

during this season of Lent. On behalf of

our staff, we wish you a safe and

enjoyable March Break.

Katherine Van Dinter

St. Patrick

TO FAST AND TO FEAST

This is the season to turn around and let the SON shine in!

This is the season to Fast and to Feast!

Fast from judging others – Feast on Christ present in others

Fast from differences with others – Feast on the unity of all

life

Fast from darkness – Feast on light

Fast from thoughts of illness – Feast on the healing power of

God

Fast from hostility – Feast on peacemaking

Fast from words that pollute – Feast on phrases that build up

Fast from anger – Feast on understanding

Fast from worry – Feast on trust in God’s presence

Fast from bitterness – Feast on forgiveness

Fast from complaining – Feast on appreciation and thanksgiving

Fast from self-concern – Feast on compassion for others

Fast from suspicion – Feast on truth

Fast from discouragement – Feast on hope Fast from problems that overwhelm – Feast on prayer that brings

strength

Fast from chains that weaken – Feast on dreams that inspire Fast from doubt that scatters – Feast on faith in God that centers

our lives

When we empty ourselves of our fears –

Fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of criticism –

We become free to do what needs to be done in life.

Joan Chittister

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

On Saturday, March 17th, we

celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or the

Feast of St. Patrick.

Irish Blessing

May you always have

Walls for the winds.

A roof for the rain,

Tea beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH AWARDS

The Virtue Award for the month of February was awarded to

the student(s) in each class who have practiced our Virtue of

Love.

.

The Catholic Community Award for the Virtue of Love is given

to students who offer support to others, respect and recognize

the contributions of others, and give of themselves without the

expectation of receiving anything in return. Congratulations to

the following recipients:

Catholic Community Awards

Virtue of the Month

FEBRUARY - LOVE

CLASS TEACHER Name of Student ELP/1 Ms. Kwiatkowski Cosette B., Colton G., Alyssa P.

ELP/2 Ms. Bureau Gemma S., Daniela P., Jaikin P.

ELP/3 Ms. Van de Coevering Lennox G., Zoey A.R.

ELP/4 Mrs. Silva Kalani S., Veronica P.

1 Mrs. Balestri Victoria N., Luca B.

1/2 Mrs. Borges Dominica K., Jordan B.

2 Ms. Gacad Ana Clara F., Riley C.

2/3 Ms. Driscoll Kayla G., Maria Lorella P.

3 Mrs. Sztuka Abby D.S., Elizabet C.

3/4 Mrs. Pereira Dakota P., Mason M.

4 Mrs. Maudsley Ashley M., Jack Z., Karly P.

4/5 Mrs. Birt Alana K., Ian H.

6 Mrs. Bureau Maia C., Vanessa B., Kellymay L.

6/7 Ms. De Cillis Reanna G., Paulina K.

7/8 Mr. Roque Justin F., Justin W.

8 Ms. Berardi Anais M., Hageline S.

March: The Catholic Community Award:

Criteria for the Virtue of Forgiveness

students who demonstrate acceptance of others, their

ideas and differences

students who express sincere apology or remorse for

their actions

students who resist judging others

students who are open and seek remediation for

conflicts

students who are willing to repair damaged relationships

Please practice the virtue of forgiveness at home!

CATHOLICITY

YEAR OF THE SCHOOL

The academic year of 2017-2018

marks the "Year of School." It is

an opportunity to celebrate our

school communities. Catholic

education is built on the

partnership among our families,

parishes and schools.

During this Lenten season,

ShareLife Week will be

celebrated during the week of

March 19-23. We will be

participating in a Board-wide

Civvies Day on Friday, March

23, 2018 to raise funds for the

ShareLife campaign. ShareLife’s

mission is to “Live the Gospel by

providing for those in need”.Your

donation of a loonie or a toonie

will go a long way to supporting

youth, the elderly, the

marginalized and the vulnerable.

Let us take this opportunity to

help those less fortunate and put

faith into action!

CONFESSIONS

Confessions will take place on

Thursday, March 22nd and Friday,

March 23rd at St. Ambrose

Catholic Church.

MARCH VIRTUE ASSEMBLY

Our next virtue assembly will be

on Friday, March 23rd at 1:00 pm.

All parents are welcome to

attend!

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS’

BASKETBALL TEAM

Congratulations to the

Intermediate Girls’ Basketball

team who competed in the annual

West Region Intermediate Girls

Basketball tournament. The

Intermediate Girls Basketball team

showed great team work,

sportsmanship and dedication

throughout our season. The girls

never gave up and continued to work

hard during each game of the

tournament. We thank Ms. Driscoll

for dedicating her time to coaching

the team. Thank you to all of the

parents who supported the team by

driving the players to the

tournament!

Team members: Ana B., Anais M.,

Amy S., Annabella N., Eren M., Erika

E., Evelyn B., Hageline S., Maeve B.

and Wiktoria W.

INTERMEDIATE BOYS’

BASKETBALL TEAM

Congratulations to our Intermediate

Boys basketball team who

represented true Wildcat spirit in

the annual West Region

Intermediate Boys Basketball

tournament! The boys fought hard

and demonstrated much skill,

strength and effort in all of their

games. They also showed great

sportsmanship and leadership and

their coach would like

to congratulate them for their

dedication to the team and their

overall perseverance. Great work

boys! Thank you to Ms. De Cillis for

all her time and effort in coaching

the team. A big thank you to all the

parents who supported the team

and drove them to their

tournament!

Team members: Julian W., Michael

W., Justin W., Josh O., Thomas Z.,

Michael S., Justin F., Jeffrey

G., Owen B. and Christopher A.

ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL

AFTER HOURS

At times, students forget

items at school and return to

the school after school has

ended. Students who

participate in the after school

ARC program or YMCA after

school program often forget

their belongings in their

classroom as well. Parents and

students are asked not to

enter the building and/or go

to their classrooms after

school. We encourage all

students to continue to be

diligent about recording in

their agenda what materials

are required to go home and

ensuring the materials are put

in their backpacks before

they leave for the day.

ST. AMBROSE CO-ED

HOCKEY

On Tuesday, March 20th, our

Co-ed hockey team will be

participating in the 43rd

Annual TCDSB 2018 Hockey

Tournament at Canlan Ice

Sports at York University. We

wish them the best of luck!

STREET-PROOFING

STRATEGIES

With the March Break just

around the corner, we suggest

that you talk with your

children about the importance

of safety rules and street-

proofing tips. The goal is to

educate without instilling fear.

Remind children of these safety

tips in case of a problem involving

a stranger.

Teach your children to trust

their feelings and that they

have the right to say “NO”

even to an adult.

Teach them not to accept

rides, candy, presents or

money from strangers.

Ensure they know their last

name, address, phone number,

how to contact their parents

and dial 911

If they are followed by

anyone on foot or in a car, tell

them to YELL for help and to

run away.

If an adult asks them for help,

(for instance to help find a

lost puppy), advise them to say

“NO” and tell a trusted adult

immediately of the incident.

ENROLMENT AND STAFFING

FOR 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR

To best plan for next year, we

ask that you contact the school

if you expect your child will be

transferring to another school

before the next school year

commences in September 2018.

Also, if you are planning an

extended summer vacation,

whereby your children will not be

returning until after the first

week of September 2018, please

let us know as soon as possible.

Staffing and classroom

organization are directly related

to student enrolment and therefore

it is crucial that we have the most

accurate information possible as we

begin to plan for next year.

2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR

CALENDAR

The TCDSB has recently approved

the school calendar for the coming

school year. Please see below:

Number of school days: 194

SCHOOL DRESS CODE

We are reminding all students and

parents that our appropriate dress

code as per Board Policy is as

follows: solid navy or solid white

top with navy bottoms.

Many students are wearing colored

hoodies in class and continue to

wear black bottoms which is not per

Board Policy. We are asking parents

to ensure that your son or daughter

comes to school in uniform.

Students not in uniform will be

taking home a reminder from the

school office indicating that your

son or daughter are out of

uniform. We ask that you sign

this letter and return the

letter back to school. Your

cooperation and your child’s

cooperation in this matter is

greatly appreciated.

PARENT PARKING,

DROP-OFF & PICK UP

In an ongoing effort to reduce

congestion and increase the

safety of our students, we

respectfully request your

assistance with parking, pick-

up and drop-off procedures.

Parent Parking

The area in front of the

school must be kept clear at

all times. Do not stop, drop

off or park along Coules

Court in front of the school.

This is a designated Bus Drop

Off zone for special buses

that transport students to

and from school and school

activities. It is important that

these vehicles move freely in

and out of this zone. Illegally

stopped or parked cars are a

safety risk as they make it

hard for other drivers to see

pedestrians, particularly

children, crossing the street.

Morning Drop Off

For school drop off, please

ensure that students are

sitting on the passenger-side

of the car for a quick and safe

exit of your vehicle. Just

drive into the rear "loop" area

of the school yard and have

your child ready to exit from

the passenger side of the

vehicle. A staff member/

parent volunteer will be there

Labour Day: September 3, 2018 First Instructional Day: September 4, 2018

Professional Activity

Days: October 5, 2018

November 16, 2018

December 7, 2018.

January 18 2019

February 15, 2019

June 7, 2019

June 28, 2019 Thanksgiving Day: October 8, 2018

Christmas Break: December 24, 2018–

January 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: June 27, 2019

to greet your child. Kindergarten

students are escorted into the

yard to the north doors of the

school (in the school yard)

where they are brought in

directly to their classes by

staff members.

All students (including JK and

SK students) are encouraged to

use the Kiss n’ Ride before and

after school.

School Pick Up

At the end of the school day,

students are brought to the

“loop” area and supervised by

school staff. Students are

escorted to the vehicles one at

a time.

Staff Parking

With the number of staff,

daycare, and parent volunteers,

there are not enough parking

spaces in the school lot. The

staff parking lot is meant for

STAFF ONLY.

We ask our caregivers and

parents to park away from the

front of the school or leave the

car at home and walk if you are

within walking distance.

We would like to work together

to keep our children safe at all

times! As the weather warms,

please consider leaving the car at

home and walking to school.

Thank you for helping us all to

keep our staff, students and

parents safe!

SAFE & CARING CATHOLIC

SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY

A positive school climate exists

when all members of the school

community feel safe,

comfortable, and accepted. In an

ongoing effort to keep our Catholic

schools safe and caring places in

which to learn, Grade 6 and Grade

8 students in all elementary

schools across the TCDSB will be

participating in a Safe and Caring

Catholic School Climate Online

Survey. The results of the

anonymous and confidential group

survey will allow our Safe Schools

Team to assess students’

perceptions about the safety and

climate of our Catholic school, and

will focus our efforts to address

any identified needs. Please

contact the school for more

information.

GR.5 AND GR.6 SKI TRIP

On Tuesday, February 27th, the

Grade 5 and Grade 6 students went

to Mount St. Louis Moonstone. Many

of our students learned to ski for

the first time! Many thanks to the

parents who volunteered to

supervise for this event!

FRENCH CAFÉ/ FRENCH A

L’ECOLE

Croissants, anyone?? During the

week of February 19th, our students

participated in our annual French

Week! During the French Café,

students were served croissants

and hot chocolate! Students in

grades 1- 8 participated in French

cooking sessions with Chef Suzanne

from Chef a L’école. We want to

thank our CSPC who generously

subsidized this winter event! Thank

you to all the parent volunteers who

assisted during the French Café!

A special thank you to Ms. Berardi,

Mr. Tchaptchet and to Ms. Pereira

for all their efforts in helping to

organize the event! We would also

like to thank the Leadership

team for helping out!

EARTH HOUR

The International Earth Hour

takes place on Saturday,

March 24th 2018, from

8:30-9:30 pm. Earth Hour

stems from a grassroots

movement that began in

Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

Its goal is to create greater

awareness regarding energy

consumption and to encourage

communities to consider

turning off their non-

essential lights for one hour.

In order to promote

awareness of the planned

Global EARTH HOUR event,

we will be recognizing Earth

Hour on Friday, March 23rd

from 10:00 – 11:00 am.

SCHOOL NUTRITION

PROGRAM UPDATE

Spoons and Forks!

In order to reduce costs, we

are asking all students to

bring their own spoon and fork

to school to use for our daily

snack!

Civvies Day Collection

On Friday, February 23rd, all

money collected for civvies

day was put towards our

school nutrition program. We

collected $413.00. We thank

our St. Ambrose community

for this generous donation!

Local Business Donations

We have received a number of

donations from local

businesses that have helped to

support our SNP (School

Nutrition Program).

We would like to thank the

following businesses for their

generous donations:

Local Business Donation

Canadian Tire -meat slicer

-veggie slicer

-storage bins for

each class

Ikea -Plates, spoons,

forks, knives and

bowls

Weston -Bread and

dinner rolls

Gay Lea -yogurt and

creamed cottage

cheese

Metro -Gift cards and

produce (fruits

and vegetables)

Parent/School Donations

Parental contributions and school

fundraising are an important part

of sustaining the program and is

a necessary criteria to receiving

these grants. We thank the CSPC

for generously donating

$1000.00 towards our School

Nutrition Program!

Volunteers Needed!

Calling all volunteers! We are

looking for more help! If you are

able to spare a few hours per

week to help out with our

nutrition program, please contact

Yolanda Guitar, our Site

Nutrition Coordinator at: Yolanda.Guitar@tcdsb.org

UKULELE LESSONS

Interested in learning

a new instrument?

Back by popular

demand! After the

March Break, St. Ambrose will

continue to offer Ukulele lessons

at lunchtime for students in Gr.1

– Gr. 8. This parent-paid lunch

program will be provided by Ukulele

Kids, a non-for-profit organization.

A flyer will be sent home with more

information after the March Break!

St. Ambrose YMCA

Kindergarten/School Age Before and After School

•Located in St. Ambrose Catholic School

•Open at 7:30a.m. Until school bell and after school until 6:00p.m. • P.A. Days, winter and March Break included in your fee

*Subsidy is available with the City of Toronto, call 311 for more information. Current child care fee subsidies are transferable. For program details call; (416)622-6331 or filomena.zita@ymcagta.org

MATH CORNER:

PRODIGY MATH GAME

Prodigy is a Pokémon-style math

game for kids in Gr.1- Gr.8. It is

fully aligned to Ontario’s curriculum

and differentiates for each child.

Prodigy actively adapts to each

player’s own pace and scaffolds

math concepts. Players learn math

concepts while playing the

game. This is a free math

game children can play at

home.

Find out more and sign up for

free at: www.ProdigyGame.com

Easter Eggstravaganza

Mark your calendars! On

Friday, March 23rd, St.

Ambrose CSPC is hosting our

annual Easter Eggstravaganza!

Enjoy some Easter crafts, an

egg hunt and cupcake

decorating! More information

will be sent home shortly!

Digital Civility & Internet

Safety Presentation

On Thursday, April 19th, the

CSPC will be hosting a Digital

Civility and Internet Safety

presentation for parents!

More information will be sent

home shortly.

Next CSPC Meeting

Our next CSPC meeting will

take place on Tuesday, March

20th at 6:30 pm. All are

invited to attend!

MARCH MESSAGE FROM

TRUSTEE ANN ANDRACHUK

“No act of

virtue can be

great if it is

not followed

by advantage

Program Fees

Kindergarten (4 or 5 years old)

A.M. Only -$18.36 /day P. M. Only – $26.32 /day

A.M. /P.M. – $29.58 /day

School Age (6 – 11.5 years old)

A. M. Only -$13.53 /day P. M. Only – $19.14 /day A.M. /P.M. – $22.10 /day

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 contact 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/Bu

dgetandFinance. 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

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