🔥The SFA Sizzler🔥

Welcome to the all new SFA Sizzler!. We are so excited to share this new platform with parents and guardians. This platform offers enhanced accessibility features for persons with disabilities and it also provides a translation function for our families.

Information will be updated frequently so be sure to check back often. Remember to Open in Browser if viewing this newsletter on your mobile device. If viewing on a computer, there will be a handy Table of Contents on the left to help you navigate.

Nov 14 Progress Reports sent home

Nov 15 Reverse Advent Calendar Food Drive Begins

Nov 15 Christmas Photos with Santa on the Stage

Nov 16 Interview evening

Nov 17 Christmas Photos with Santa on the Stage

Nov 19-25 Bullying Awareness Week (Provincial)

Nov 20 Virtues Assembly @9am

Nov 21 Photo Retake Day!

Nov 23-Dec 13 Angel
Tree Initiative

Nov 24 PA Day-- Provincial Priorities in Catholic Context

Dec 1 Bradley Museum Trip (JK/SK)

Dec 2 First Reconciliation

Dec 3 International Day of People with Disabilities

Dec 5 Advent Mass

Dec 15 Intermediate students @Iona for Frozen

Dec 18 Grade 7 Retreat @ the parish

🎄Dec 18-22 CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WEEK!🎄

Dec 20 Christmas Concert

Dec 22 Last Day before Christmas Holidays

Click for DPCDSB Events

Principal: A. Lang

Vice Principal: R. Commisso

Head Secretary: T. Van Stokkum

Superintendent of Education - Mississauga South: S. Gos - (905-890-1221)
Catholic School Trustee -- Wards 2 and 8: Herman Viloria -- (905-890-1221)

St Francis of Assisi School
2480 Thorn Lodge Drive, Mississauga, ON L5K 1K5
905-822-3183 www.dpcdsb.org/ASSIS

Twitter: @DpAssisi

St. Francis of Assisi Parish
2473 Thorn Lodge Drive
Mississauga, ON
Tel: (905) 822-8132
Fax: (905) 822-6620
https://stfrancisofassisimi.archtoronto.org

Pastor
Rev. Damian Ali

MASS TIMES
Saturday Vigil:

5:00 PM (English)

Sunday:

8:30 AM (English)

• God helps us to choose to be good people.

  A person of conscience…

  • chooses to do the right thing, even when it is hard

  • takes time to think and pray before making decisions

  • knows that their actions and decisions affect all those around them

  • thinks of others before themselves

  CONSCIENCE is the voice of God within us. As you develop your conscience, you will learn to make decisions that will make sure you will always have love in your life. Our conscience reminds us how to act towards other people and how to be a good friend. Sometimes it is hard for us to do the right thing, but we must always remember that the right thing to do is not always the easy thing to do.

Ontario has designated the week beginning on the third Sunday of November as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week to help promote safe schools and a positive learning environment.

Q. What is bullying?

A. Bullying is defined as typically a form of repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear and distress and/or harm to another person's body, feelings, self-esteem or reputation. Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance.

Students may attain or maintain power over others in the school through real or perceived differences. Some areas of difference may be size, strength, age, intelligence, economic status, social status, solidarity of peer group, religion, ethnicity, disability, need for special education, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender and race.

Q. What forms does bullying take?

A. Bullying can take many forms, such as:

• Physical – hitting, shoving, stealing or damaging property

• Verbal – name calling, mocking, or making sexist, racist or homophobic comments

• Social – excluding others from a group or spreading gossip or rumours about them

• Electronic (commonly known as cyberbullying) – spreading rumours and hurtful comments through the use of cellphones, e-mail, text messaging and social networking sites

At SFA during morning announcements, we will be addressing different topics on bullying each day throughout the week which will be reinforced by classroom activities. As always, we encourage you to speak to your child about bullying this week and throughout the school year.

As Christmas approaches with all its wonders and delights, we must remember that it also comes with the reality that many families struggle financially. Once again, we are hoping to join together as a school community to support these families just as we have done in the past. This year, however, we will be supporting families across the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. We hope we can all open our hearts and extend our schools’ spirit of giving to families through toys and gift cards this Advent season.

If it is possible, we would kindly ask that you consider contributing to School Cash Online to assist with our Angel Tree initiative. With every donation, an angel with each donor family’s name will be hung on our Christmas tree. These donations will be used to purchase a variety of gift cards that will be given to each family to ensure there will be joy and smiles during the Christmas season.

Families are asked to make all donations in increments of $2, $5, or $10 through School Cash Online.

Our Angel Tree initiative will be in effect from Nov.23-Dec.13, 2023.

We also encourage you to use this opportunity to discuss with your own child(ren) about those less fortunate and how we can all come together as a community to help one another.

We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued generosity and support!

Ho, ho, ho! The holiday season is just around the corner, and we have some exciting news to share with you.

St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) and his merry team of Elves on SFA’s Catholic School Parent Council are coming to town, and they are thrilled to invite all of you to join in on the festive fun!

We will be setting up a wonderful photo session on the school stage where you and your families can take beautiful pictures with Santa Claus himself! This is a fantastic opportunity to capture precious memories and create heartwarming holiday moments. The best part of this festive event is that all the proceeds will be going to various extra-curricular activities, events, and items to support students at SFA.

So, be sure to mark your calendars and bring your loved ones along for a magical time with Santa Claus. Santa is looking forward to seeing each and every one of you and hearing your holiday wishes. Don’t forget to bring your letters for Santa!

Location: St. Francis of Assisi Gymnasium Stage

Dates: Wednesday , November 15th and Friday November 17th

Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Festive colouring activities and Santa letter-writing materials will be available.

All the above packages will be accommodated in 5-minute photo sessions. Retakes are not available. Please arrive at the SFA gymnasium 10 minutes before your booked time. All visitors will receive a delicious candy cane from Santa:

(Ingredients: sugar, glucose syrup, natural flavour, colour (contains tartrazine), glycerin, palm oil, canola oil, and sunflower lecithin.)

How to Book:

1. Visit https://www.theweddinghive.ca/book-online to reserve your timeslot.

2. Log in to School Cash Online to purchase your chosen package.

If you have multiple children attending SFA, note this only needs to be done per family; unless you wish to purchase multiple photo sessions. Note: you must complete both of the above steps in sequential order to ensure your photography session has been reserved. Deadline to book is Friday, November 3, 2023.

The advertisement photos shared are actual photos of the set where your magical photoshoot will happen;

Students can enjoy lunches from Tuesday to Friday as follows:

Monday - Popcorn

Tuesday -- Subway

Wednesday -- Gino's Pizza/Popcorn

Thursday -- Harvey's

Friday -- Fresh Burrito/Popcorn

Be sure to place your order on School Cash Online!

Are you interested in volunteering at St. Francis of Assisi? Our volunteers support programs and activities at the school. We appreciate and rely on parents who can devote a small portion of their time to help. People who volunteer in schools and attend trips are required to have completed Vulnerable Sector Check -Level 3 ($35).

Please note that if you have previously submitted a Criminal Reference Check, it may have expired due to the pandemic time lapse. Please connect with the main office if you are unsure.

Once the form is completed, your volunteer service can begin. We look forward to working with you for the betterment and support of all students.

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has implemented a student absence reporting system that will make it easier for you to report your child’s absence from school. This new system is called SafeArrival.

With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of the following three convenient options:

1. Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/home )

• The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account.
• Select Attendance then Report an Absence

2. Use the SafeArrival website, https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/home .

• The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account.
• Select Attendance then Report an Absence.

3. Call the toll-free number 1.844.435.3440 to report an absence using the automated phone system. For Student Being Late to School or Early Departure from School.

• The automated message will prompt you to enter ABSENCE for student, and will ask if the student be ABSENT today, tomorrow etc.
• To this question, please say ‘yes’ to absent as the next question will be to enter the type of absence and will give you options of full day, late, early departure leave and return.
• The above 3 options are available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week.
• Future absences can be reported at any time.

NOTE: For absences greater than five consecutive days, please call your child’s school directly.

Remember to: Please report absences in advance using SafeArrival instead of sending notes or calling/emailing the school.

STOPR oversees transportation for school-age children in all of Peel Region.

Bus route information for parents/students is now available on BusPlanner Web parent/student portal (BP Web). STOPR encourages all parents/students to create an account so that they can view personalized transportation information at any time. In order to receive up-to-date information about bus cancellations or delays, parents should register here. To register, please have your child's OEN which can be found on the latest report card. View our step-by-step instructions on how to set up an account.

Student transportation eligibility distances change each year by grade level. Transportation is provided to students who reside more than the following distances:

• Kindergarten to Grade 1: 1.0 kilometres
• Grades 2 to 4: 1.6 kilometres
• Grades 5 to 8: 2.0 kilometres
• Grades 9 to 12: 3.8 kilometres

Don't forget to click on the Translate button on the top of this page to choose your language of preference. (Arabic, Spanish, Hausa, Portuguese, Tagalog, Polish, Italian, Hindi, etc.)