Newsletter Date: April 1, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 8

St. Pius X Newsletter

April 2014

St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street

Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237

Fax: 416-397-6084

Principal: L. Sposato

Vice-Principal:

A. Iwasykiw

Secretary: S. Pereira

Clerk Typist: S. Ciprietti

(Supply Clerk Typist)

Superintendent: Dr. Jim Saraco, 416-222-8282

Trustee:

Barbara Poplawski, 416-512-3410

Parish:

St. Pius X Catholic Church 2305 Bloor St. W.

416-767-1859 Fr. MK Park

Masses:

Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am

11:00 am

Entrance and Dismissal: 9:00 am Entry

10:45 am Recess 12:05 pm Lunch Hour

1:05 pm Entry 2:10 pm Recess

3:30 pm Dismissal

He is Risen... Alleluia, Alleluia Dear Heavenly Father, As we celebrate the joyous resurrection of your only Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we praise you and thank you. We thank you for the awesome gift of your Son who gave so freely and lovingly to en-sure our hope of salvation. We praise you for this bright light in our oftentimes dark world. We thank you for the gift of forgiveness and for sending your beloved Son to be our pathway into life everlasting. We praise you for the unconditional love you give us every day – especially on those days when we fall and stumble. We thank you for always being there to pick us up, drag us or carry us along the path-way to you and toward eternal life. We thank you for the gift of your grace – the gift of our faith. Without it we know we would be lost. We praise you for the gift of our seven sacraments where we most deeply feel your grace and amazing love for us. Help us to always fully experience the depth of your love every time we celebrate each beautiful sacrament you‘ve given us. We thank you for each moment you give us here on earth and pray we use these pre-cious moments to draw closer to you; to do your will. With this bright new day as we celebrate Jesus‘ resurrection, let it be also a resurrec-tion for us - a new beginning to our own life in Christ. We pray in the name of your beloved Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

The joy of the Resurrec-tion and our baptismal promises, made or renewed during Easter, shape every moment of our future in this life and in our next. Let us keep the joy of Easter in our hearts and in our spirits throughout the Easter sea-son.

As we start the month of April, hard as it is to believe, we are working our way to

year‘s end, and look to your continued support in assist-ing us in helping your child achieve a strong finish to her/his school year.

To this end we ask that you please review the following with your children:

1) Being responsible, meaning always proper-ly prepared for class – homework completed to teacher expectations; pens, pencils, agendas,

etc., at school – nothing forgotten.

2) Being a true Christian – ―The Golden Rule‖ – Treat others the way you want to be treated; such a simple rule, but so difficult to follow at times.

3) Being polite and well-mannered.

Let us continue working together towards our com-mon goal – the spiritual, academic and social growth of your child.

Sincerely,

L. Sposato Principal

4) Being a good role mod-el for all.

5) Showing day in and day out why we have a sep-arate Catholic system; we are a system with a

difference ! Parents, you are doing a wonderful job raising your children and this certainly makes our job easier.

Safety Reminders

With the advent of more temperate weather, our students are reminded that skate-boards, ripstik, and/or scooters are to be picked up once having arrived at school. Also, only use of soft ―nerf‖ balls or equipment from our recess kits are al-

lowed during recess play.

From the Office

“Let justice

flow like a

stream, and

righteousness

like a river

that never

goes dry.”

Amos 5:24

Page 2 St. Pius X Newsletter

Catholic Education Week: May 5 - 9, 2014

Catholic schools are Catholic communities. Catholic schools are faith communities. We – parents, students, teachers, administrative and support staff – walk and grow together in the faith which we received at our Baptism. And it is the ‗together‘ that we grow. Our growth is primarily a relationship with God, who at our Baptism, called us by name. But the response of each of us to that growth is both personal and communal.

We grow in our faith in the nur-turing atmosphere of our Catho-lic community be that of our local parish, our home, or our

Catholic school community. Our school community will cele-brate Catholic Education Week 2014 in ways that are appropri-ate to our students‘ age. We invite you to participate in one or other of these activities as your personal time and work

schedule may permit. There are five sub-themes for each day of Catholic Education

Week:

Monday: Serve with faithfulness

Tuesday: Serve with humility Wednesday: Serve with com-

passion Thursday: Serve with justice Friday: Serve with joy Every year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees‘ Association (OCSTA) provides our Catholic schools with a resource kit to help schools prepare for Catho-lic Education Week. Using the-se resources as well as our own developed activities we have prepared a series of activ-ities which will highlight how our school is ‗Serving in the Love of

Christ‘.

Pancake Supper

Buon Appetito! Pancakes anyone? On Tuesday, March 4th, Shrove Tuesday, our CSAC parents once again hosted and served a deli-cious night of pancakes, sausages and great com-pany with family and

friends of our community. Father Park led us in a thanksgiving prayer, while a constant flow of families gathered to enjoy the deli-

cious pancakes and Rowe Farms sausages cooked by our very own hard working student and par-

ent volunteers! On behalf of the St. Pius staff and community, we would like to thank two of the parents who took the lead in organizing this well planned event, Ms. Mari-anne Vemtrone and Mr.

Peter Paz. Many thanks also to all the many dedicated volun-teers who helped with set-

up, cooking, serving, and

clean-up! What a wonderful way to kick off the Lenten sea-

son! Full tummies and

good cheer shared by one and all!

S’Cool Life Fund Grant

On Friday March 28, 2014, our grade 8 Instrumental Band and St. Pius Choir were able to formally and musi-cally thank Mr. Mark Redmond, President and CEO of Sirius XM Canada and S’Cool Life Fund for the $3000 grant awarded to St. Pius for the purchase of mu-sical instruments. Our students performed a most enjoyable concert, and

Volunteer Appreciation Week - April 6-12, 2014

This is a wonderful time to acknowledge the contribu-tion that all our volunteers make to our St. Pius

school community. Our congratulations and thanks to all our volun-teers, and to all the stu-dents, staff and parents

who help out!

provided warm words of thanks to Mr. Redmond. Heartfelt thanks go to Mr.

Fedak and Ms. Shy-monovych for preparing our students for their perfor-mance. Spe-cial thanks to

Ms. Wasiuk and Mr. Fedak, who were instrumental in completing the grant applica-tion and leading St. Pius to a successful conclusion.

“The

contributions of

Parent

Volunteers

enrich the life

of our school

and students.”

Page 3 Volume 8, Issue 8

St. Pius Me to We Committee Initiative

The St. Pius Me to We Committee continue to be actively involved in a num-ber of events. During the month of February, a group of grade 6 students attend-ed the Circling our Angels of Hope conference at Bish-op Marrocco. The students learned how to put their faith into action through involvement in the Angel Foundation for Learning, ShareLife and Meagan‘s Walk. Inspired by the sto-

ries shared by Denise Be-benek (Meagan‘s mom) they decided to work with our grade 2 students to teach them to make origami cranes for their grade 2 classmate and friend. Our students are now working on making 1000 paper cranes in honour of Maya! The St. Pius Me to We Committee is also ready to start their next initiative in the month of April. In 1995, the story of slain child la-bourer Iqbal Masih inspired 12 year old Craig Kiel-

burger, and the Free the Children organization was born. This April 17th, we will honour Iqbal‘s legacy by taking a silent stand togeth-er vow, and celebrate the power of unified action. This year, MalalaYousafzai has joined the the, We are Si-lent campaign for the mil-lions of girls around the world silenced by poverty, exploitation and the denial of their right to an educa-tion. Join us in our vow of silence to stand up for those whose voices are not heard.

lected on this day and donated to OPAAC (Ontario Parents Advocat-ing for Children with Can-cer), an organization that educates, advocates, sup-ports and enables families of children living with can-cer. We sincerely thank you and appreciate you all for your commitment to this project, as witnessed

through your generosity. A BIG thank-you to all!

St. Pius X Cancer Fund - Civvies Day On Friday, March 28 our students participated in another fun Civvies Day. Once again, we truly ap-preciate the generosity of our St. Pius community for their ongoing support of the St Pius X Cancer Fund, and for all of our very worthy Social Justice

initiatives. A generous total was col-

St. Pius X Running Club We are pleased to announce the official Launch of the St. Pius X Running Club effective April 1, 2014. We will begin with a club meeting on April 4, 2014. Our planned sched-ule for running is as follows: Grades 2-4: Tuesday from 8:15am-8:45am and Friday from 12:10pm-12:40pm Grades 5-8: Tuesday from 12:10pm-12:40pm and Friday from 8:15am-8:45 am All permission forms must be returned to school ASAP.

and decorate it. Decide on the age and gender of the recipient, ages 4-14 years (e.g., boy 10-12 or girl 4-6). Then fill the box with items such as small toys, toiletries, school sup-plies, souvenirs, etc. Place an elastic band around the box to keep it

closed. Please tape a label to the top of the box indicating the age and gender of the recipient. Bring the shoe box back to our school anytime be-

fore April 24th. Our volunteers will deliver the boxes to Canadian Food for Children – a wonderful, grass-roots organization dedicated to helping the poor. Thank-ing you in advance for

Lenten Shoe Box Drive It‘s not too late to collect items for the 2014 Lenten Shoe Box Drive. Once again this year, our stu-dents and their families are asked to fill an empty shoe box with items for needy children in develop-ing countries. It‘s our chance to Give a Box –

Share a Smile! Simply find an empty standard-sized shoe box

Page 4 St. Pius X Newsletter

“Take action

against the

serious issues

of poverty in

our world.”

World Autism Aware-

ness Day - April 2, 2014 The TCDSB is once again recognizing April 2nd, as World Autism Awareness Day. This day aims to in-crease people's awareness about individuals, especially children, with autism. In honour of this year‘s celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, the Autism Programs and Services Department is planning a number of events. Our school community has been invited to participate in the

following activities: A synchronized TCDSB dance titled ―We Are Stars‖ at 10:30 AM Raising a flag for Autism Awareness at each school. An evening event at the Catholic Education Centre (2nd floor, 80 Sheppard Ave. E, M2N 6E8), ―Building Success for Stu-dents with Autism‖ from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 2nd, 2014. Community is a key compo-

nent to being a member of the TCDSB. Our students with an Autism Spectrum Disorders benefit from this community in our schools daily. Special thanks to the Wright Family, especially Aidan and Siobhan, who have taken leadership roles in making daily announce-ments leading up to our “Light it Up Blue” event in honour of World Autism Awareness Day. The St. Pius X staff and students are asked to wear

Later in the month our interme-diate students learned a new sport. Cricket anyone? A fun and active workshop that intro-

duced and taught our students the rules and skills of the game

of Cricket. Let‘s not forget our visit from

St. Pius March Events The month of March did not disappoint in the amount of fun or in the number of events

happening at St. Pius. Our grade 7 and 8 students returned from March Break, ready to go skiing at Horse-shoe Valley on March 20th.

author Lorna Shultz-Nicholson,

and our Rocks and Rings Curl-ing Program for our Grades 2-8 students. The Canadian Curl-ing Gold Medals won at the Sochi 2014 Olympics suddenly

made sense.

orders, autism spectrum dis-orders, caused by a combina-tion of genes and environ-mental influences. These dis-orders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behav-iors. Current statistics esti-mate that 1 in 88 chil-dren have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with 1 out of 54 boys affected and 1 in 252 girls. The prevalence of au-tism has increased by approx-

imately 78% in the last seven years. By way of comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome, com-bined. For more information about autism and the LIGHT IT UP BLUE initiative, check out the links below:

http://www.autismspeaks.ca

http://www.liub.autismspeaks.org

a BRIGHT BLUE T-shirt or sweater to school to show their support for all people affected by autism, especially those in our school communi-ty. Volunteers will take pho-tos during the day to enter in the TCDSB contest to win free pizza for a year from Pizza Pizza. Photos may also be sent to Autism Speaks for their Light It Up Blue webpage. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of com-plex developmental brain dis-

“LIGHT IT UP

BLUE event in

honour of

World Autism

Day

on April 2nd ”.

Page 5 Volume 8, Issue 8

respect the dignity of every human per-son. This dignity comes from being created in God’s im-age. Failing to respect human dignity, in-cluding failing to do justice, is a failure to respect the image of God in others. As in this month’s quote,

“Let justice flow like a stream, and right-eousness like a river that never goes dry.” Amos 5:24

April, with its cele-bration of Easter, has been assigned the virtue of

JUSTICE. At this time we celebrate the Resur-rection of Jesus who is the Just One who died for the sake of the unjust, that He might lead peo-ple back to God. But justice is also an important part of Catholic teaching beyond Christ’s Death and Resurrec-tion. The need to do justice comes from the obligation to

Virtue of the Month - April is Justice

St. Pius X Newsletter Volume 8, Issue 8: April 1, 2014

We’re on the web!

www.tcdsb.org

St. Pius X Catholic School 71 Jane Street

Toronto, ON, M6S 3V3 Phone: 416-393-5237

Fax: 416-397-6084

Upcoming Events

April 1st & 3rd, 2014 Lenten Confessions @

9:30—12:00 pm Gr. 3-8

April 2, 2014 World Autism Awareness

Day Assembly (AM)

April 9 & 23, 2014

Lunch Lady

April 9, 2014 CSAC Meeting @ 7:00 pm

April 11, 2014 Spirit Day (Super Hero Day)

April 16, 2014 SK & Grade 8 Graduation Photographs

April 16 & 30, 2014

Pizza Day

April 18, 2014 Good Friday

(No School)

April 21, 2014 Easter Monday (No School)

April 22, 2014 Easter Mass @ 9:30 am

St. Pius X Church

April 25, 2014 Civvies Day

Stay in Touch Follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to E-News. Visit our website

www.tcdsb.org for more.

CSAC Website

Please visit the CSAC website www.spxcsac.com for CSAC news and events, committee updates, volunteer opportuni-ties and helpful resources for parents and students. Re-member to visit the CSAC eStore to order SPX logo‘d navy & white apparel! Follow

us on Twitter @ SPXCSAC!

Stay in Touch To receive regular updates on news and events from the Board, including urgent information about school bus cancellations and school closures, subscribe

to E-News: https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/TCDSB Visit our website frequently for news and information at www.tcdsb.org. Tune in for live webcasts

of monthly board and committee meetings at http://www.tcdsb.org/LiveAtTCDSB/Pages/

Default.aspx

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES 2013-2014

Wards 1.Peter Jakovcic 416-512-3401 2.Ann Andrachuk 416-512-3402 3.Sal Piccininn 416-512-3403 4.Patrizia Bottoni 416-512-3404 5.Maria Rizzo 416-512-3405 6.Frank D’Amico 416-512-3406 7.John Del Grande 416-512-3407 Garry Tanuan 416-512-3408 8. Jo-Ann Davis, Chair 416-512-3409

10.Barbara Poplawski 416-512-3410 11.Angela Kennedy 416-512-3411 12.Nancy Crawford,

Vice-Chair 416-512-3412 William Lawrence, Student Trustee 416-512-3413 Enrique Olivo,

Student Trustee 416-512-3417

Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E.,

Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org