June 1, 2017 Virtue of the Month: Faithfulness

Administration

V. Tanzini - Principal

A. Tamburino - Secretary

P. Aguiar - Superintendent

M. Rizzo - Trustee

C. Piotrowski - CSPC Chairperson

T. Mehari - Head Caretaker

Fr. Damian Young-Sam-You

pastor St. Monica Church

(416) 483—1513

St. Monica

Catholic school

June 2017 Newsletter

& Calendar

School Population = 297 To see this publication, the TCDSB Monthly Update and all previous newsletters, please visit our school

website at: http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stmonica/

Since 1916 Phone: 416–393-5224

14 Broadway ave.

Toronto, Ontario M4P 1T4

Principal’s Message

Gavin Chua—-Mr. Clarke—gr. 2

Alison Seo-Ms. Joyce-FDK 1 Bruna Ventura—Mr. Della Pia –gr.6

Diego Estrada-Ms. Whalley-gr.7

As we enter our final month of the 2016 / 2017 academic year we also end St. Monica’s Centenary year. It is fitting then, that we celebrate the virtue of Faithfulness, as our stu-dents and parents remain true and loyal to their school not just at present, but for the years past and for the years to follow. We have proven, over time, that this is a great school community—one that we can all be proud of and

allows for the successful education and formation of our chil-dren. That success does not come without sacrifice and hard work which our parents continually demonstrate through their contributions and support. Also our parent council is to be congratulated on a fantastic year at coordinating events and in their dedication working towards school improvements. Just as an example, our 5th Annual Bazaar profited over $2400. Thanks to all of our contributors and donators that made the Bazaar a success. The year has been marked with many great student events: broomball for all at Carnaval, Teen Ranch for

our intermediates (see caption on p.2), JK and SK students selling chocolate chip cookies for ShareLife, and sup-porting the Rwanda Rainwater project by purchasing freez-ies during lunch. In addition, we have had an extraordi-nary year in earning 2 academic and 5 athletic pennants. Thanks to all play-ers, coaches and parent helpers for their dedication.

Words synonymous with faithfulness are: loyal, true and constant. These adjec-tives mean adhering firmly and devotedly to someone or something, such as a person, cause, or duty that elicits or demands one’s fidelity.

Students of the Month (May)

Missing St. Monica sports jerseys. Help us locate #

14 21 40 45 57 Thank you!

School Camera.

If seen please call.

Page 2 St. Monica C. S.

May Events

St. Monica is pleased to announce that The Angel Foundation for Learning, the charitable organiza-tion devoted to assisting students within TCDSB schools, has approved our school’s funding request in support of our excursion to Teen Ranch.

Serving TCDSB students and making a positive differ-ence, we congratulate The Angel Foundation for Learning for helping students since its inception in 1987.

Donations to the Foundation are welcome and can be sent to: The Angel Foundation for Learning, 80 Shep-pard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2N 6E8. Tax re-ceipts for donations of $20.00 or more will be issued. For more information about the Foundation visit www.angelfoundationforlearning.org.

Katie McGovern finished fourth in gr. 4 girls 100 m City Final race. Marco Trevisanato finished fifth in gr. 6 boys 100 m.

Below, Ms. McCrea’s gr. 3 class during Pioneer Day.

Above: Gr. 2s pur-chasing freezies for Rwanda. Below: Gr. 3s at Track & Field.

Above: Ms. Semina-ra’s students are busy counting mon-ey for ShareLife.

Below: Fr. D a m i a n presenting a First Com-m u n i o n Cert i f icate to Landen Piotrowski. Right: Sarah Springall.

Below: Gr. 6 girls at Track and Field.

M s . Taddeo w i t h J o n a -t h a n a n d P h i l i p Taddeo at First C o m -munion

Fr. Damian with Gloria Harton.

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Student Mental Health and Well-Being

Newsletter –June, 2017

TCDSB Mental Health Services provided by Psychology, Social Work, and Guidance personnel

As summer approaches, chances are your children are relatively happy about having a break! Of course that may not be true for every-one….. When children are very young, their parent or guardian often ensure that there is a “fun” quotient for the summer. As children mature, they are often tasked with learning how to infuse their own time with fun. This is true for adults as well!

Below are some helpful tips for fun infusion. Hopefully one or two may resonate for your child and maybe even yourself!

1) Ration your Time: We often allocate our time to maximize our accomplishments. Although there is nothing wrong with this, we need to begin to consider the importance of rationing our time so as to maximize enjoyment / joy. For example, consider taking a social media “holiday”. Some emerging research is demonstrating that people who overuse social media have less life satisfaction. The media “holiday” could be a specific time during the day, or a break while doing an enjoyable activity.

2) Think Happy Thoughts: A study from Michigan State University found that par ticipants who smiled while thinking of au-thentic happy / joyful experiences (e.g. like your child’s recital, or a favorite vacation spot) evidenced a positive change in brain chem-istry in comparison to those who smiled but were not thinking of a happy thought. Happy Thought + Smile = Positive brain changes.

3) Have a Backup Plan: Tough times will happen, so have a “back up “plan for when they do. Relationships can be very positive protective factor for youth and for parents. Establish a circle of friends that you know you can turn to in case trouble strikes. Encourage your child to create a list of people they can count on.

4) Less “Me” time More “We” time: People with a positive disposition tend to have more social r elationships. Research out of the University of British Columbia indicates that the type of interaction does not need to be extensive. What is termed as “social snack-ing” can have positive effects. Social Snacking is when we engage in interactions with others, even briefly. This was found to be true of both introverts and extroverts.

5) Find Purpose in Pleasure: Happiness is often linked to something pleasurable, but that is only half of the story. Linking hap-piness to things that have purpose deepens our joy factor. Dr. Rick Hanson writes about the importance of re-wiring ourselves to notice the positive in an effort to build up resilience that we can call to action in tough times. ( Hardwiring Happiness)Be nicer: Acts of kind-ness not only makes the recipient feel good, but it boosts the mood of the person giving the kindness. Even small gestures like smiling, saying hello, or a small compliment can yield huge mood dividends.

6) Be nicer: Acts of kindness not only makes the recipient feel good, but it boosts the mood of the person giving the kindness. Even small gestures like smiling, saying hello, or a small compliment can yield huge mood dividends.

7) Try the PEP formula: Julie Morgenstern author of “Time Management from the Inside Out” suggests using the precious time of the weekend to gear up for the week to come. Employing the PEP formula: Physical (do something energizing), Escape (steal away for some down time), and People (spend time with those who inspire you). Helps to build a rejuvenating weekend experience to help us re-charge for the week ahead.

Source: The Science of Happiness, TIME Magazine September 2016. Excerpts from “Fourteen Ways to Jump for Joy” by E. Seidman

How to Infuse More Days with More FUN!

Suggested Websites: Websites: Children’s Mental Health Ontario www.kidsmentalhealth.ca

Today’s Parent Magazine https://www.todaysparent.com/

Kids Help Phone 1 800 668-6868 www.kidshelpphone.ca

Mind Your Mind www.mindyourmind.ca

TCDSB Mental Health ( Resources for Parents) https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/mhs/Resources/Pages/Parents-

and-Guardians.aspx

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