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: L. Querin Clerk Typist: S. Shanahan

DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016

Dear Parents and

Guardians:

The Season of

Advent began

Sunday,

November 29th.

During Advent, we prepare our

homes and ourselves to welcome the

newborn King. It is a time to reflect

on Christ’s presence in our everyday

life. At St. Gregory Catholic

School, the month of December will

be devoted to creating an

atmosphere of preparation and

Charity. We want our students to

understand, experience and celebrate

this special time.

Our Primary Christmas Concert

will take place on Monday,

December 14th at 7:00 p.m., in the

school gym. Our kindergarten

students will also be having their

individual class performances in the

Music Room on Wednesday,

December 16th. Thank you to all

our teachers for preparing our

students for these performances. As

we break for Christmas, there will

be no January Newsletter – only

the January calendar will be

available on our school website.

On behalf of the entire staff, we

extend our best wishes and blessings

to your families during this

Christmas season and the New Year.

J. Pannozzo

Principal

ADVENT SEASON The lights of the candles on the Advent Wreath break through the darkness, reminding us of the Light of Christ that we anticipate during this Holy season.

First Week – Candle of HOPE - Purple

All-powerful God, increase our strength

of will for doing good that Christ may

find an eager welcome at his coming and

call us to his side in the kingdom of

heaven, where he lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit one God, forever

and ever. AMEN.

Second Week - Candle of PEACE - Purple

God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the

things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may

share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for

he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and

ever. AMEN.

Third Week - Candle of Love – Purple

Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of

Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with

love and thanksgiving. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Fourth Week - Candle of Joy - Pink

Father, all-powerful God, Your eternal Word took flesh on our earth

when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift

our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory

and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his

coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

As we enter the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the birth of

Jesus, it is rather suitable that this month’s virtue is CHARITY.

Many of us are already engaging in the mad rush to purchase gifts to

place under the tree on the 25th, but let us be mindful of the fact that

charity is not always about giving material things. Our quote for the

month is “Where charity and love are, God is there”. How can we

practice charity and generosity in our community without necessarily

giving material things? Giving thought to others with less than ourselves

is an extension of Charity. Let’s make this the challenge that we all

strive to achieve for the month of December!

The annual Sweet Read drive is

underway from December 1st to 11th.

Once again the Kindergarteners to

grade 3s will experience the true

meaning of Charity this Christmas

season. As each child offers their

wrapped gift, their happy smiles are

true displays of sincere Christian

giving and caring for others.

The Catholic Children’s Aid Society

see so many children from families

who are struggling to meet their basic

needs. One of the families wrote,

“Thanks for your kind generosity.

Our children were able to enjoy

Christmas with love and happiness in

their hearts.” Please have your child

bring a new children’s book and

chocolate treat wrapped in clear

cellophane for the Sweet Read

Christmas Table. The clear

cellophane allows CCAS to ensure the

book is delivered to an age-

appropriate child.

With much thanks and appreciation to

all St. Gregory families who value the

virtue of Charity in our Catholic

Schools.

CHRISTMAS BASKETS

For many years now, in the spirit of giving, the St. Gregory School community has participated in collecting food items and gifts in support of the St. Vincent de Paul Community Christmas Hamper Project. We are pleased to be involved this worthwhile endeavour once again this year as the number of families in need have increased. Junior and Intermediate teachers and students will be involved, starting this December 1st to December 11th. We will be providing for 14 needy families in our community. It is an excellent opportunity for our students to give witness to our Catholic social teaching, and to “turn concern into action”. Thank you in advance for your continued support.

St. Gregory is participating in CSPC’s Second Harvest FOODraiser from Dec. 1st to 10th . Information packages were sent home with students. There is a huge food insecurity in our city and every day 1 in 3 children go to school hungry, even within 10 km of our school. Second Harvest Food Rescue helps to feed undernourished and underprivileged people by providing soup kitchens, shelters and school programs with food that is nutritious and healthy. Second Harvest and U-Be-Livin-Smart, a

local food company, have partnered up for the “Help Us Feed 1 Million- Jingle FOODraiser” with a goal of feeding 1 million people in December and January. With every case of nutrient-dense food that is purchased, U-Be-Livin-Smart will be providing the Second Harvest with the same nutritious food….Buy One, Feed One. In addition to helping fight hunger the school will receive $15 for every case of residual funds that St Greg’s. Please see www.ubelivinsmart.com for more information.

A CERTIFICATE OF ACHEIVEMENT is awarded to the students who

consistently demonstrated the ability to organize throughout the month of

November. Congratulations to all!

Learning Skill: ORGANIZATION

Ms. Rosa ELP Gavin W. Lillian R. Zachary H

Ms. Andreacchi ELP Genevieve C. Hunter D. Isabella C.

Ms. Salmond ELP Gina K. Kristopher L. Peter D.

Ms. Maxwell Ms. Santelli

ELP Domenic G. Matthew D. Sophie G.

Mrs. Roy SK / 1 Marquez S. Lauren C.

Mrs. Ceddia 1 Philip B. Keane B.

Ms. Mulvihill 1 Michael P. Cora S.

Mrs. Barone 1 Chiara L. Olivia G.

Mrs. Alberton 2 Jennifer H. Madeleine P.

Mrs. Gentile 2 Troy D. Leah S.

Mrs. Yetman 2 Sarah H. Samuel S.

Ms. Donatelli 3 Naysa M. Mary P.

Mrs. Brajuka 2 / 3 Jacob C. Juliana H.

Ms. Aguanno 3 Manuela A. Joaquin B.

Mr. Zinko 3 / 4 Skye F. Michael W.

Ms. Hetmanczuk 4 Paul B. Victoria K. Melinda M.

Ms. Micallef 4 Alexis C. Summer M. Milena B.

Mrs. Hall 5 Christian P. Kovas K. Micaela V.

Mrs. Quartarone 5 / 6 Stephanie P. Amanda D.

Mrs. Cicirelli 6 Natalie M. Julia F. Francesco V.

Mr. Natalino 7 Natasia S. John Cole P. Nicholas K.

Mr. Vennare 7 / 8 Meredith M. Julia P. Alexander D.

Mr. De Medeiros 8 Samantha D. William M. Jack Q.

Mme Abboud 5/6 Ext Fr Juliana M. Julian B.

Mrs. Botelho 5/6 Ext Fr Clara B. Antonia M. Christopher W.

Ms. Salza 7 Ext Fr Isabella C. Kyle S. Joelle S.

Mrs. Silvestre 8 Ext Fr Emily A. Daniel P.

Mme Carniel 8 Ext Fr Sarah C. Julia P. Tommy S.

Mrs. Pitoscia Spec Ed Connor C. Travis J.

Mrs. Pires Spec Ed Paulina S.

Brrr…

It is that time of

year when

students need to

be reminded to

dress properly

for the weather

(mittens, hats,

scarves, boots,

etc.). Labeling items would be

helpful, as many items make their

way to the Lost and Found and are

often not claimed. We ask that each

child have indoor footwear (e.g.

running shoes) to wear in the school

and boots to wear outside when the

weather becomes rainy or snowy.

Please listen to the weather reports

before deciding what they should

wear to school each day.

Except under inclement weather

conditions, students will be outside

during recesses. Research indicates

that time outdoors in the fresh air

allows students to refocus on their

studies.

We will monitor the weather

conditions daily and make decisions

based upon our local conditions.

Please bear in mind that children who

are too ill to go outside should stay at

home resting and should not be at

school.

In anticipation of the arrival of our first significant snowfall, we

ask that you reinforce with your

child that ‘snow stays on the ground’. Students are reminded that there is to be no snowball throwing, kicking of snow, taking hats, etc. Please take this opportunity to discuss these behaviours with your children in the interest of student safety.

TRANSPORTATION Cancellation of school bus

transportation or school closures

due to inclement weather will be

reported through the following:

News releases to all media outlets

in Toronto (note: although the

news

release is

provided to

the media

outlets,

there is no

guarantee

that all

television and radio stations will

broadcast the information in a

timely fashion).

Communications will also

endeavour to send out the

information electronically to E-

News subscribers (Note: If you

do not already subscribe to E-

News, but wish to do so, please

visit our website at www.tcdsb.org

and click on the E-News icon on

the top right hand side of the

homepage).

Updates will also be posted on the

Board’s 24-hour information line,

416-222-8282, ext. 2873.

The information will also be

posted on the Board’s website at

www.tcdsb.org or

www.tcdsb.org/weather.htm

The Transportation Department

will post this information on its

website at

www.transportation@torontoschoo

lbus.org

Kindergarten Registration for all TCDSB elementary schools begins on Wednesday,

January 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. online at soar.tcdsb.org .

Please refer to the enclosed attachment for specifics.

December’s CSPC meeting is on Wednesday, December 9th at 7 p.m. in the Music Room. All parents are invited to attend.

The St Gregory CSPC is happy to

have implemented the

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MILK

PROGAM providing our students

with white or chocolate milk on a

daily basis at lunchtime.

COST: We are offering one 250ml

chocolate or white milk carton for

$0.65. Go

to ON.MILKINSCHOOL.CA and

follow the instructions online to

register your family and the

child(ren) who will be having milk at

lunchtime.

Once you have registered, you will

receive a confirmation email and

can Place An Order* using the web

address in the email.

*IMPORTANT: You may

REGISTER and ORDER YOUR

MILK ANY TIME, however, there is

a 5 day cut-off period for any new

orders. If you have any questions,

please contact milk.stgregs@yahoo.ca .

Kidssentials is a full service catering company serves fresh lunches onsite. Lunches are mixed and prepared just before they are served to the children, using only the

highest quality ingredients and freshest produce. Sign up today. December is still available for ordering. Menus for the January - March term may be viewed and ordered online. To create your family account, place an order, view the menu and available dates visit: www.kidssentials.com , by phone at 905-855-1914 or by e-mail at mail@kidssentials.com .

CSPC invites all St. Gregory families to attend Family Movie Night on Tuesday, December 8th at 6:30 p.m.

St. Gregory School, through the generous support of its CSPC is once again having Junior and Intermediate Book Clubs. The Junior Club for Gr. 4 & 5 students, and the Intermediate Club for Gr. 6, 7 & 8 students. Members set personal reading goals and read independently during book club and personal time. Students share their opinions and feelings about selected literature during weekly, casual “book talks” with their peers. Book Club runs WEDNESDAYS during lunch recess.

Holiday Math: Take advantage of math in the world is a great time to learn how math relates to the real world. Math is everywhere! Take advantage of the many great opportunities to practice math naturally! Below are a few ideas to get you started: •Cooking can involve weighing, measuring, ordering, estimating, adding, multiplying … •Restaurants and shopping can involve money, number identification, estimating, adding, subtracting, division … •Parties can involve matching numbers of people to plates, cutlery, area of tables, estimation, multiplication … •Trips can involve time, distance, budgeting, speed, evaluating various routes, license plate games (e.g. adding or multiplying the numbers on the plate) … •Home projects can involve estimation, measuring, multiplication •Garden clean up can involve measuring, counting, area, division. These ideas all demonstrate how much math is involved in our daily lives and will support your child in his or her basic computation and problem-solving skills in natural, fun and real ways.

This month’s Civvies Day will be Christmas Sweater Day. Students wishing to participate on Friday, December 18th, please bring in a toonie to support Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario.

Thank you to all who donated a

toonie and wore PINK in

recognition of Bully Awareness

Week. St. Gregory raised

$846.60 for the Kids Help

Phone.

Scientists in School workshops are

a wonderful extension to the grade

specific curriculum for our

students.

Once again this year, St. Gregory

CSPC will generously be covering

the cost of two workshops per class.

This year at St. Gregory we’re

aiming to build our students’

Learning Skills & Work Habits, as

they are essential to current and

future student success. In

November, skill-building lessons

and activities centered on

Organization.

For December we will be focusing

on Collaboration.

Ontario’s Growing Success

document defines Organization

as:

*accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group *responds positively to the ideas, opinions, values, and traditions of others *builds healthy peer-to-peer relationships through personal and media-assisted interactions *works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals *shares information, resources, and expertise and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions

AT HOME: *provide your child with extra-curricular activities *provide opportunities for your child to practice his/her French listening and speaking skills with others *help your child to build healthy peer-to-peer relationships by visiting the public library or play groups *encourage your child to work with others in group settings such as clubs, organizations and teams

Suggestions from TCDSB Student Mental Health and Well-Being Newsletter:

Christmas is a wonderful time of year when we celebrate the birth of Christ and enjoy time with family and friends. The holidays bring fun and excitement, as well as heightened stress. Many children are surrounded by adults who are busy with shopping for gifts, baking, decorating and concerned about their holiday budget. For other children who come from a family in which there is divorce, separation or remarriage, it may be a time when they are reminded of what’s changed and what’s different in their life. As a result, it can be difficult for some children to relax and enjoy the holidays. It is important for teachers and parents to recognize when a child is feeling the holiday stress. Signs may include: tears for what appear to be minor reasons, nervous behaviours, physical complaints, withdrawal, and regression to younger behaviours.

Parents and teachers can help all children to feel less overwhelmed during the holidays by: maintaining regular routines and activities, talk with children about expectations for gifts and holiday activities, maintain family traditions, schedule rest and relaxation.

Alleviating some of the holiday stress with allow everyone to enjoy a Christmas filled with love, laughter and special memories.

Cooper’s Corner November

proved to

be a busy

month for

athletics at

St. Gregory.

The intermediate boys and girls

volleyball teams wrapped up their

seasons. The intermediate boys

and girls participated in two

invitational tournaments at St.

Barnabas and Archbishop Romero.

These tournaments were

highlighted by a first place finish by

the boys at Archbishop Romero.

This was the boys’ third consecutive

tournament win at Archbishop

Romero. Both teams also had a

series of exhibition games to

prepare them for their divisional

tournaments. The boys and girls

teams had dominating

performances at the divisional

tournaments. This earned them

spots at the Regional tournament.

The boys lost in the semi-finals (just 2

points short of qualifying for the

Cities) at the Regional tournament

to end a great year. The girls lost in

a tie-breaker in the Regional final to

earn a spot at the City Wide

tournament in which they finished

5th. Fifth place in the city, what an

accomplishment!

Primary House League Soccer

also started up in early November.

Every grade 1 – 3 student was

placed on one of the 16 teams.

Each team plays about 2 games a

week during the morning or

afternoon recesses with the season

finishing in early February.

The junior boys and girls

volleyball teams started tryouts in

late November as well as the

intermediate girls’ basketball and

junior boys’ soccer teams. The

intermediate boys’ basketball and

junior girls’ soccer will start up in

early December. Never a dull

moment at St. Gregory.

Go Gregs Go!

Mr. Cooper

Phys. Education Teacher

January Upcoming Events January 7 - Pizza Day January 13 – Scientist in School JK/SK Rosa pm January 18 – Chef a L’Ecole Grade 5-8 EF (Silvestre, Carniel, Salza, Botelho, Abboud) January 20 – CSPC meeting January 21 – Pizza Day January 22 – P.A. Day January 26 – Jr. Boys Soccer

Need a last minute holiday gift idea? GIVE THE GIFT OF READING!

Order a magazine subscription for someone special

this holiday season!

Simply go to www.QSP.ca and start shopping.

Use the Account Finder to find our Group Online ID to support our school and

children.

Remember, you can order a magazine for anyone who lives in Canada. It’s cheaper

than wrapping and mailing a gift and it lasts all year long!

Many magazines will begin to arrive in the next several weeks, but some subscriptions due to

publishing schedules may take longer to start. If you have questions, please contact QSP Customer

Service at

1-800-667-2536. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR MAGAZINE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN!