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

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

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

JUNE-end of year-2016

I would like to take this

opportunity to thank the

St. Gregory C. S.

community for your

ongoing support for the

education of your children

and for the numerous

activities we have

completed this school

year. Thank you to our CSPC (formerly CSAC) this

year that has funded additional resources for the

classroom to promote student achievement and 21st

Century fluencies.

As another school year draws to an end, we bid

farewell to a number of staff members for various

reasons. Mlle. Carniel, our Extended French teacher,

is retiring. She has worked for our school board for

33 years and has served our community with

diligence and integrity each and every day. She has

touched the lives of all members of our Catholic

community and she will be truly missed.

Mr. Vennare, Ms. Hetmanczuk, Ms. Salza, Mr.

Natalino and Mr. Pittelli are completing their Long

Term Assignments at our school. We thank them for

all their hard work and the contributions they have

made to our school and wish them well in their future

endeavours.

Thank you for making my second year as Principal of

St. Gregory Catholic School a rewarding one. I look

forward to working with you next year. On behalf of

Mrs. Pires and myself, we would like to wish

everyone a safe and restful summer and we look

forward to seeing you on Tuesday, September 6th,

2016.

J. Pannozzo

A Summer Blessing

May you walk with God this summer in whatever you do and wherever you go. Walking with God means... walking with honesty and with courage. Walking with love and respect and concern for the feelings of others. May you talk to God this summer on every day and in every situation. Talking with God means... praying words of praise for the beauty of creation. Saying prayers of thanks for friends and good times. Asking God's help in all your decisions. Expressing sorrow when you have failed. May you talk with God every day. Amen

Extraordinary Jubilee

Year of Mercy

Dec. 8, 2015 – Nov. 20, 2016

For Catholics, a Jubilee year is a special year to ask for forgiveness of sins, and receive pardon and

blessings from God. It is no surprise to see that in a world filled with the destructive horror of terrorism, alarming increase of refugees due to political and religious tensions, financial meltdown caused by the greed of a few, the neglect of our

common home – the environment, the waning influence of religion and the rise of secularism (at least in the West), cyber wars, family disputes, etc., Pope Francis, in line with his

vision of Mercy for the Church, deemed the need to make an

exception and declared this time as “an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy”. He calls every Christian (and of course, everybody) to remember that mercy, not fear (cf. 1 Jn.4:18), is the perfect response to these

horrific and challenging events of our time. To celebrate this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy we practice of merciful love. The Catholic Church, divides the works of mercy into two

kinds: Corporal works, which focus on the physical or bodily needs, and the Spiritual works, based on the spiritual and emotional needs. Throughout the year our school community has and will continue to

perform both works of mercy; from feeding the hungry to comforting the sorrowful. This is a gracious opportunity for us to speak words of mercy, show mercy, perform acts of mercy, and live mercifully.

It’s hard to believe that my first year at St. Gregory has come to an end. This year has been a bustling and rewarding one for myself, staff, parents and students. I’d like to extend a big ‘Thank you’ to all for graciously welcoming me to the St. Gregory community. Our students have shown remarkable growth in spirit and academics thanks to the guidance and support of their teachers, staff, and parents. Our students are encouraged to achieve to their best potential academically and to be socially responsible citizens. Many of our students have taken action, shown initiative and successfully demonstrated their leadership skills. We are very proud of the impact and contributions they have made to various events, causes and charities. We also celebrate the many sports, extra-curricular activities and special events we are blessed to have here at St. Gregory. Without the commitment of each member of the St. Gregory community, these diverse events would not be possible. My sincere thanks to all those who have provided these invaluable experiences and opportunities for our students this year. I look forward to another great year at St. Gregory! Have a safe and enjoyable summer! A.Pires

Dear Parents and Students, The time has come for me to say “Au revoir!” to the St. Gregory C. S. Community. I have had the pleasure of teaching French, the language of my ancestors, in both the Core and Extended French programs for the past thirty years at this school. They have been wonderful years that have given me a great deal of happiness. The school, staff, students and parents have become very dear to my heart and I thus will take with me many fond memories. Before I leave, I would like thank all students for their joy and enthusiasm for learning, parents for their continued support over the years and all staff members for their kindness, friendship and commitment to our vocation. A special “Merci” for your gifts, wishes, visits and the Bricks Award. I leave hoping that “la joie de vivre” will always be part of this school community and that our strong Catholic faith will always bring blessings upon you. “Merci beaucoup! Vous allez me manquer!” With all my love, Mlle Carniel

On Thursday, June 23rd our Grade

8s started off the day by being

acknowledged by the St. Gregory

staff and students in our

traditional “clap out”.

Our students then celebrated their

graduation with a luncheon and

dance at the Weston Golf Club that

afternoon. At 7:00 p.m. the

students reconvened at the church

for Mass, followed by their

graduation ceremony. Students,

family and friends then gathered

in the school gym for refreshments

and farewells. A most memorable

day was had by all.

Congratulations to the graduating

class of 2016!

Our SK students are ‘Off

to great places!’ On

Friday, June 24th our

Senior Kindergarten

students celebrated their

graduation from

Kindergarten to grade 1

along with their teachers,

ECEs and family and

friends. We thank parent

volunteers for helping to

make this day a special one

for all.

Parents, over the summer months, please continue to monitor your child’s online activities to ensure responsible posting and their cyber safety. Information was sent to parents in September regarding online rules and etiquette, which is available on the TCDSB website at:http://www.tcdsb.org/policyregister/AUP/default.htm (TCDSB’s

Electronic Communication System--Acceptable Use Policy)

A

reminder

to all that

the last

day of

School

will be

Wednesday, June 29th .

DISMISSAL will be at 3:00

p.m.

Please contact the school at

(416)393-5262 if your child will

not be returning to our school in

September, or if returning later in

September from vacation.

School resumes on Tuesday, September 6th. Students in grades one to eight will assemble in the school yard. Signs will be posted along with a class list indicating your child’s teacher for 2016-17 school year. Kindergarten students will gather in the Kindergarten Yard.

When placing students in next year’s classes, the various abilities, needs and strengths of the students are considered in their class placement. It is important to understand that due to a possible increase or decrease in enrolment, changes may need to be made in grade organization, teacher assignments and the placement of children, during the month of September or early October.

Summer activities give rise to many opportunities for

learning math. For example, estimating temperature

changes and probabilities, distances, recognizing

patterns, calculating grocery lists for camping trips, and

many more. Please see attached document with a list

various online math games and websites for you and

your children to explore together this summer!

Combined classes group children from two consecutive grades in one classroom. Schools combine grades for a variety of reasons. This includes organizing classes to meet student learning needs and combining grades to balance class size. All classrooms

include students with a range of skills and abilities. Combined classes are neither better nor worse than single-grade classes. They are simply one of the many ways schools meet students’ academic and social development needs. Various factors are considered when grouping children into classes: • Learning styles • Social skills • Academic needs At St. Gregory we strive to create a classroom environment that will support the needs of all students. Due to a ministry initiative that decreases the number of students from Grades 1 to 3 to no more than 20 students in each classroom, we will have combined classes next year. Teachers use many different strategies to teach students in combined grades identifying the range of needs in the classroom and planning and programming to meet the needs of all students.

It is always a good time to review the basic

safety rules with your children.

Children should:

Always tell you where they are.

Know their name, age, address, city

and province.

Go places with friends.

Never approach or enter a stranger’s

car.

Never open the door to a stranger or let

strangers in the house.

Never say they are alone if they

answer the phone or door.

Never accept gifts from strangers.

Never enter anyone’s home or car

without permission from parents.

Know it’s okay to say “no” to adults,

especially if the adult wants them to do

something which makes them

uncomfortable or they know is wrong.

Know that it is unwise to believe

stories such as a person wanting them

to help find a lost pet, etc.

Know that no one has the right to

touch any part of his or her body that a

bathing suit would cover.

Recognize suspicious behavior and

report it immediately.

Know to tell you if someone has asked

them to keep a secret from you.

Know what to do in case of

unwelcome attention (e.g., walk faster,

go to a store, head for a busy street,

walk toward a group of people and

wave as if they see someone they

know).

Scream and keep screaming if

something is wrong.

Kick and bite hard if someone grabs

them to get away.

Know that uniformed police officers

are there to protect.

Parents are encouraged to give their

children a “password” known only to

them. This can be used when a

stranger, a friend or family member

approaches them and asks them to

come with them.

Keep these in mind at all times!

The TCDSB remains committed to the environment and continues to look for innovative ways to promote conservation through energy and waste reduction initiatives. We are asking you to fully participate with your child as we continue to do our part. Let’s become leaders in this environmentally friendly waste-reduction program. It involves the following three steps:

1. Lunches and snacks should be packed in re-usable

containers, not in disposable bags.

2. In order to avoid spills, we ask you to use containers that are re-sealable.

3. To ensure the safety of students who suffer life

threatening, anaphylactic reactions, please place all foods in reusable containers in their original package or wrapper. This will allow the food ingredients to be clearly indicated and help all staff and students to be aware of possible allergens introduced in the school environment.

Left-over food, which can be disposed of in the green bin program available at your home, can easily be brought back home by your child in his/her containers. Thank you for your on-going support with our school’s environmental efforts.

Take your child to the public library to join the TD Summer

Reading Club. Your young teens can join Word Out: Teen

Summer Reading and go online with other book loving teens

to talk about favourite books. Check out the Toronto Public

Library site for more details Http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca.

Download stories to devices. This is a great idea for long car

rides or a relaxing hot summer afternoon. See Downloads and

eBooks at http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca.

Have your child keep a Word Book to print words they see in

the environment and on travels (e.g., names of places, things,

people, activities, etc.).

Before you leave on a trip, make a Bingo card of things you

might see. When your child gets bingo, reward him/her with a

comic, joke book or other fun reading materials.

When you travel, bring games, books, word searches,

crossword puzzles and writing materials that will entertain your

child.

Help your child learn a new and interesting word each

day/week. Challenge your child to use it as often as possible.

Pick something in nature to observe over the summer, talk and

write about its changes (e.g., a tree, a flower, an insect, an

animal, etc.).

Engage in oral word games to extend your child’s vocabulary

(e.g., categories, I Spy, I Pack My Suitcase, etc.)

St. Gregory's Milk Program will be changing to a PAPER ORDER FORM in September 2016! We are planning to run the daily milk delivery program at St. Gregory's for the 2016-2017 school year. Unfortunately, the current web ordering system operated by the Dairy Farmers of Canada will be shut down so we will be moving to a PAPER ORDER FORM (similar to the pizza order form). We will be sending out details about how to place your order when school starts in September and hope to start our milk delivery service by Sept. 19, 2016. *LOOKING FOR A FRIDGE DONATION* We are looking to replace one of our refrigerators! If you have a refrigerator that is in good condition, please e-mail us at milk.stgregs@yahoo.ca.

Our talented students put on quite

the performance this year at the

2016 St. Gregory's talent show.

This show was led by a determined

team of grade 8 leaders that

worked terrifically behind the

scenes to ensure everything ran

smoothly. It showcased exceptional

and memorable performances by a wonderful group of students.

Many thanks to the dedication of our great team of staff, Ms.

Cicirelli, Mr. Regner and Ms. Salza for providing their support and

guidance.

We are looking for volunteers from our parish to lead our students in praying the Rosary once a month from October to May. Training will be provided. Please

contact Mr. Gussoni at jmgussoni@rogers.com . Our goal is expand this mission to the entire school community.

Cooper’s Corner The intermediate boys and girls soccer seasons came to end in June. The boys’

team fought hard in their divisional but lost on a penalty kick tiebreaker. The

girls’ team won their divisional which game them a birth in the regional

tournament. They won their first two games at regionals and then lost on

penalty kicks, 1 – 0 to All Saints, in the regional semi- finals. The Fitness Club

also went on a year-end trip to a Blue Jays game and a great time was had by all. It was another

successful year in athletics at St. Gregory. Go Gregs Go!!!

STUDENT HALL OF FAME RECORD

Monthly Recognition: INITIATIVE

TEACHER MAY

Hall of Famers JUNE

Hall of Famers

Ms. J. Rosa Julia M., Lucas S., Sebastien G. Kamsiriyochi O, Olivia R., Dillon M.

Ms. Andreacchi Alessandro T., Lucas L., Cristian D. Lucas R., Gabriel M., Kallia T.

Ms. Salmond Christian D., Gabriel L. Jacob M. Bronwyn S., Valentine V., Brynn W.

Ms. Maxwell/

Ms Santelli

Rylan, Lorencia, Leonardo, Isabella Frida, John Aiden, Stefan, Ameldo

Mrs. Roy Sebastian B., Emmanuel G. Noah R.

Mrs. Ceddia Sophia A., Jasmine M. Lola N., Tobias J.

Ms. Mulvihill Ella C., Eloise A. Patrick D., Victoria I.

Mrs. Barone Brandon F. Dani P., Julian M.

Ms Alberton Vanessa R. Emilio M.

Mrs. Gentile Lina K., Robert F. Ava K., Sabrina P., Oliver P

Mrs. Yetman Sarah H. Daniele M.

Ms. Loughlin Sofia D., Kayla R. Manuela A.

Ms. Brajuka Laura G., Blaise O. Julian F, Jack L., Gabriel R.

Ms. Steponaitis Connor C., Aidan C. Alyssa D., Michael B.

Mr. Zinko Ante M., Joshua S., Isabella F. Sarah B., Nate R., Adrian L.

Ms. Hetmanczuk Krystian G., Nahom A., Arturo P. Adrian Mario R., Myles S., Paul B.

Ms. Micallef Jaden M., Laila N., Andrew P. Sarah.S., Jacob D., Pierce B.

Mrs. Hall Samantha C., Anthony G., Domenico S. Joseph D., Noah S.

Mrs. Quartarone Diana L., Carolin T., Carson D. Kathrin C., Amelia L.

Ms. Cicirelli Ricardo A. Katherine S., Kate A. Mathias J., Chris M., Christine S., Cooper S.

Mr. Natalino Michal T., Nicole R. Dante D., Carescia J.

Mr. Vennare Maria Consuelo P., Meredith M. Joseph S., James S.

Mme. Abboud Patrick V. Mya T.

Mrs. Botelho Natalia C., Jaidan T. Veronica R., Cristian S.

Ms. Salza Adam F., Enian V., Johnathan C. Daniel V., Elijah C.

Ms. Silvestre Shirley V. David D.

Mme. Carniel Sofia D., Anastasia G. Joseph M., Stephanie D.

Mrs. Pitoscia Travis J., Martina C. Max C., James R.

Mrs. Pires Austen J., Emilio M. Paulina S., Natalie M.

Classroom pets head home for the holidays Students and teachers pitch in to give small pets that inhabit classrooms around the GTA a place to go for the summer.

Jake Kivanc Staff Reporter On one of the last days of school, inside a cube-shaped aquarium,

floats Mr. Big — a betta fish who has kept company with Daniela

Santin and Sandra La Selva’s Grade 2 class at St. Wilfrid Catholic

School for the past nine months.

This summer, Mr. Big will be going home with a student whose pet

recently died. Santin says that, in many ways, it was a tragic but

timely fit, and that Mr. Big will be back next year regardless.

“You can’t not have Mr. Big in this class,” she said. “He’s become

so important to the kids here. It’d be like taking a student out

suddenly.”

Classroom pets have become commonplace in most schools. They

help students bond with one another, add some personality to an

otherwise dull environment, and, according to La Selva, make

memories that last a lifetime.

But what happens when summer comes?

It’s something that’s not usually talked about, but the fact of the matter is the pets have to go somewhere, and to Santin, that means

giving them an appropriate home.

“Sending Mr. Big off to someone who needs that kind of love is a good gesture, I think, but it also had to be done. Best to get two

done with one stone.”

The effect that pets like Mr. Big have on students, especially younger ones, is hard to ignore. Eight-year-old Shamma Omomia, for

example, has been responsible for helping to feed and take care of Mr. Big for all of Grade 2. From that experience, Shamma says she

learned a lot about caring for others.

“[Mr. Big] taught me to take my time and to be respectful to him and to take responsibility for my actions. Also, we shouldn’t stomp

in the classroom when he’s around.”

Likewise, over at St. Gregory Catholic School in Etobicoke, Jennifer Pyz recently adopted Tango the Gecko — the longtime

pet in her son Owen’s second-grade classroom.

Tango’s new home came about in an unconventional way. Pyz says that, originally, Owen’s teacher was to take the gecko

home, but when the teacher got a new dog, there wasn’t room for Tango any more. Thus, the class drew names from a hat,

and Owen was the lucky winner.

In the end, Pyz says it’s a natural fit because of how much Owen raved about Tango over the past year. Yet, as eager as Owen

was to take the gecko home, the class made sure to hold a “goodbye ceremony” for Tango before everybody parted ways.

“It was really sweet. All of the kids sat in a circle and took him out of his tank to pass him around and give him one last pet. It

was their own way of saying thank-you for the memories.”

And the love for some class pets goes beyond just sentiment. Take Flopsy the bunny rabbit, a long-time member of PAST, a program

for students with autism at St. Florence Catholic School in Scarborough. Flopsy has comforted students for almost six years since he

arrived at the school in November 2010.

According to Erica Robbins — both head of the program and Flopsy's owner — bringing an animal into the class was originally just

an experiment, but things changed when she saw the effect it had on students.

Aside from an overall mood booster, most notably, Robbins said that having the rabbit around during the school year helped with

students’ ability to empathize and worked to bolster their self-confidence — two components that students with autism often struggle

with.

“Most often these students just need someone to listen to them and not talk or judge them when they are upset,” Robbins said.

“Flopsy does just that; he just sits and listens to them and never judges their behaviour. He loves them unconditionally.”

Similarly, there’s Mr. Nibble Nuts and Oreo — two guinea pigs who found a home at Balmoral Public School.

For the last year and a half, Mr. Nibble Nuts and Oreo have been the main attraction at the school’s Body Break room — a program

set up by special education teacher Wendy Sheehan to help students with conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder or ADHD

de-stress.

“At first, I thought it would mainly work for kids who had anxiety, and it really did help with that. But I also found that kids who had

issues with behaviour, or kids who have hyperactivity, were able to really calm down,” Sheehan said.

“As soon as they get out the guinea pigs, they’re so relaxed, so loving and so gentle. I think it lets them take some regulation of their

emotions and slow everything down.”

Now, with summertime here, the furry duo will be staying with Sheehan for the break, which means there’s no shortage of requests

from students who want to visit the animals over the next few months at her home.

Sheehan's student Katie Parsons may just be one of them. The 14-year-old says the biggest thing she’ll miss is the simple joy Mr.

Nibble Nuts and Oreo brought to her day — the simple charm of company.

“They’re really friendly. I’m going to miss them a lot,” Parsons said. “Especially cuddling with them. They’re really, really cuddly.’”