A Prayer for the Virtue of Kindness
God wants us to give generously to others around us.
God wants us to be kind to everyone we meet.
Being kind is about more than just pretending to be nice.
It is about helping and playing with others because we want to and not because we feel we
have to.
God helps us to be kind to our family and friends because by being kind we are able to see God in every one we meet.
Lenten Prayer
Good and Gracious God,
You call your people back to You this Lent.
May this sacred season renew our desire to live fully the promises of our Baptism and to love You with a whole heart through more frequent prayer, Acts of charity and fasting,
May we remember that loving You and one another is the most important thing we can do.
In confidence, we ask these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Lent begins on March 2nd with the celebration of Ash Wednesday
We will Celebrate a livestream mass on March 2nd at 10:00am on the Merciful Redeemer Youtube Channel.
This year, schools have permission to distribute ashes as part of their ‘virtual’ liturgies: Liturgies of the Word or Eucharistic Celebrations.
The distribution of ashes will take place immediately after the ‘virtual’ liturgy. The Archdiocese of Toronto Office of the Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs has proposed two options for the distribution of ashes based on sound pastoral judgment: on the forehead or by sprinkling the ashes on top of the head of each person.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has chosen to use the second option: sprinkling on top of the head.
STOPR Bus Cancellation Info
For student transportation purposes, Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon (Peel Region), which are served by Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR), are divided into three zones, ZONE 1, ZONE 2 and ZONE 3. We are ZONE 1
In pre-pandemic times, a bus cancellation would generally only affect students who took the bus to school. The school remained open, and classes/cohorts would be combined.
In our current COVID environment, we try our best to not mix classes/cohorts. Therefore, if school buses are cancelled in a specific zone or in multiple zones, ALL schools in that zone will switch to remote learning for the day and the school will be closed.
The STOPR website is www.stopr.ca This website provides access to up-to-date information regarding delayed buses and bus cancellations. Parents must have their child's OEN in order to obtain transportation information.
Please see the attached pdf for information about Bus cancellations due to Covid-19 public health Isolation requirements.
Inclement Weather Information
As the weather continues to remain cold parents are reminded that children need to dress appropriately. We recognize that temperatures can change throughout the day and suggest that children come dressed in layers.
Parents are encouraged to send an extra change of clothing for younger students. Students are always encouraged to wear appropriate clothing for outdoor play, such as hats, mitts, snow pants and boots.
During the winter season, many parents are concerned about school policy for outdoor recess. It is generally accepted that when the wind chill factor drops below –25◦C, students should not go outside for recess.
Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. policy uses a wind chill of –21◦C as the determining temperature for modified recesses. At Divine Mercy, students will remain inside when the wind chill is reported at –25◦C or lower and we will modify the duration of lunch recess when the temperature reaches –21◦C. As always, ensure your child is prepared for the extremes of Canadian weather.
World Down Syndrome Day
Please see website below for more information.
Where to Start Community Based Parenting Programs/Groups
School Mental Health of Ontario Resources/Activties
Building good Attendance Habits
Please see attendance hadnout below and visit Attendance Works at https://www.attendanceworks.org/for free downloadable resources and tools!
Ms. Symonds’s class to celebrate black excellence.
Mr. Demelo's Gee Bend Quilts
“The Gee's Bend quilts are created by the Gee's Bend quilters, African American women
from a small town in Alabama of the
same name. The people that live in Gee's Bend are mostly descended
from enslaved ancestors, and their
quilts represent an important part of
art history.”
Viola Desmond. Grade 2FI
Celebrating the 20 day Journey of Black Excellence
Divine Mercy is proud to be part of the Saidat 20 day Journey of Black Excellence.
March 4 – World Day of Prayer
March 8 - International Women’s Day
Earth Hour March 26 2022
This Friday Divine Mercy will be participating in Earth Hour. This means turning off the lights and any non-essential electronics in the afternoon.
Equity Updates
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/12/16/bell-hooks-feminism-242071
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-black-history-is-about-more-than-oppression/2021/01
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ekow-nimako-lego-artist-ghana-spc-intl/index.html
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/trading-baby-steps-for-big-equity-leaps
Great Ted talk on talking to kids about taboo topics
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-teach-kids-to-talk-about-taboo-topics-liz-kleinrock
Social Media Accounts to follow:
@DPEquity
@BlkExcDPCDSB
@EquityLiteracy
@GholdyM
March Break Arcade Game From our Special Education and Learning Services Department
https://www3.dpcdsb.org/news/news-archives/online-learning-resources
CCCSC Parent Engagement March 30th 2022
CCCSC is pleased to announce an informative parent engagement session being held on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 @ 7:00 pm for all to attend.
Lung Health Foundation and school staff will present Springtime, Covid and Asthma-Practical Strategies for Self-Management Success.
Please see attached flyer for more information.
Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)
The Catholic Social Teachings on human dignity, community, participation and the common good are all aligned with the Education Act's requirement of school boards to support not just the achievement but also the well-being of students. The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) will ask all students in Grades 6, 8 and 10 what they think and feel about their lives, both inside and outside of school. Survey results will help inform and improve DPCDSB policies and practices linked to student well-being, health and academic achievement.
The survey will be available from April 1, 2022, through April 29, 2022.
Please see letter below for more detailed information.