Holy Cross Newsletter

"Christian Living, Discipline and Knowledge"

Holy Cross Separate School

3615 Morning Star Drive

Mississauga ON

L4T 1Y4

(905) 677-5660

Fax: 905.677.1332

Principal

G. Graci

Vice Principal

G. Masse

School Council Chairs

S. Bent

N. Miller

Superintendent

T. Peel

905-890-1221

Trustee

T. Thomas

905-803-9317

Parish

Our Lady of the Airways

7411 Darcel Ave

Mississauga, Ontario

L4T 2X5

905-677-4615

Parish Team

Fr. Thomas -Pastor

Fr. Canisius -Associate Pastor

We would like to acknowledge that we are on sacred indigenous territory and thank the Mississaugas of the Credit Nation for being the stewards of this land.

During the month of March, we celebrate the virtue of "KINDNESS". God has given us the gifts of friends and companions to keep us company and to help us get along. Every person in our lives carries the Spirit of God and so every person is our brother and sister through Jesus Christ. As brothers and sisters who share one Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be shown concern for our welfare and our feelings. We have all been given the Spirit called kindness. Kindness can only be seen through actions. It’s not enough to say I will be kind or I am kind. We must show that we are kind by our words and our actions.

A Kind person:

Says nice things about others so they feel good about themselves

Sticks up for people who are picked on or need help

Refuses to join others who are insulting, intimidating, mean or harmful

Watches and looks for ways to help those in need

History tells us that Lent was not only to be a time of fasting and abstinence (meat was only to be eaten on Sundays) but all were directed to live the forty days in deep prayer, penitence and meditation.

No parties were to be celebrated. No social activities were to be scheduled. For 40 days and nights, all but the most essential activity was to be stopped. Even little children were expected to make an effort not to enjoy life too much during Lent.

Today Lent has still a strong spiritual meaning in that we are called to do penance, to repent for our sins, to change our hearts for the better, to think more to our spiritual life and to the eternal life.

No question there is room, even today, for giving up certain things; but the most important work during Lent is, surely, to give up sin and to spend more time in prayer, in reading the Holy Scriptures, in becoming more Christ-like people, we rise with Jesus to a new life – the life of grace.

Let’s make Lent a time of quiet togetherness for family (turn off the T.V. a day a week etc.), prayer, fasting, and good works. Lent is the season in which we prepare joyfully for the mystery of Easter with minds and hearts renewed.

During Lent, the community of faith is blessed with a spirit of loving reverence for God and of willing service to neighbour.

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 6) and concludes before the evening mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.

A Prayer for Lent

Almighty and Everlasting God,

You have given the human race

Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility.

He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man and giving His life on the Cross.

Help us to bear witness to You by following His example of suffering and make us worthy to share in His Resurrection.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.

Amen

History tells us that Lent was not only to be a time of fasting and abstinence (meat was only to be eaten on Sundays) but all were directed to live the forty days in deep prayer, penitence and meditation.

No parties were to be celebrated. No social activities were to be scheduled. For 40 days and nights, all but the most essential activity was to be stopped. Even little children were expected to make an effort not to enjoy life too much during Lent.

Today Lent has still a strong spiritual meaning in that we are called to do penance, to repent for our sins, to change our hearts for the better, to think more to our spiritual life and to the eternal life.

No question there is room, even today, for giving up certain things; but the most important work during Lent is, surely, to give up sin and to spend more time in prayer, in reading the Holy Scriptures, in becoming more Christ-like people, we rise with Jesus to a new life – the life of grace.

Let’s make Lent a time of quiet togetherness for family (turn off the T.V. a day a week etc.), prayer, fasting, and good works. Lent is the season in which we prepare joyfully for the mystery of Easter with minds and hearts renewed.

During Lent, the community of faith is blessed with a spirit of loving reverence for God and of willing service to neighbour.

The season of Lent began this year on Ash Wednesday February 26th and concludes before the evening mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.

Holy Cross is hosting one of Move Edgeucation’s Student Interactive Assemblies & Experiences on Monday, March 9th and Tuesday, March 10th. There are great benefits to applying the two key philosophies; Engaging the Body, Brain & Being while Learning and Celebrating Unity & Individuality as a Classroom Community! These connect to our school, board and ministry goals around Positive School Climate and Student Well-Being.

​Benefits for Well being:

Our holistic approach increases Physical Activity & Physical Literacy, Creative Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Social Emotional Learning Skills like Confidence, Self Awareness, Healthy Peer Interaction, Positive Community and more! Check out our Full Interactive Framework to learn all about it!

​Benefits for Learning:

Leaning by doing increases engagement and supports different learners while offering another outlet for a deeper understanding of concepts.

​

Neuroscientists have discovered that movement and cognition are powerfully connected! That means when we move, we learn!

Take a look at the teacher resources and TEDx Talk on this company’s website:

www.movingedgeucation.com.

If you have a child who will be at least 4 years of age by December 31 of the school year be sure to register your child.Visit the school office Monday – Friday from 8:00 to 3:00 to register your child for Kindergarten. Please bring the appropriate documentation (originals): Birth Certificate, Baptismal Certificate, Immunization Record from Peel Health, and 2 proofs of address. You can also register online at https://www3.dpcdsb.org/schools/register-for-school/kindergarten-registration. If you have any questions please call or come into the office.

On Thursday February 13th the Holy Cross scoreboard received a much needed update. The score board was fitted with our new logo and our school team name the Arrows. The updated sign is pictured in the two images below. Once again we are thankful to Ward 5 City of Mississauga Council Carolyn Parrish who office generously donated the sign.

Pretzels have been a symbol of lent for a very long time. In the early 600s in Italy, a monk was preparing a special Lenten bread of water, flour and salt. He took several strips of the dough and shaped each strip in the form of crossed arms – a popular prayer position that many people would do back then to pray. The pretzel became a symbol to help remind us that Lent was a time of prayer.

Once again this year, the Youth Faith Ambassadors will be selling pretzels for a cost of $2.50 PER PRETZEL.

ALL PRETZELS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED BY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020.

Students who order a pretzel will receive their orders on

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020.

All money raised will be donated to ShareLife.

Order forms are due to the office WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020.

No orders will be accepted after this date.

Thank –you!!!

The Youth Faith Ambassadors

**INGREDIENTS: Ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, natural spring water, non gmo canola oil, yeast, malt syrup, sea salt, sugar CONTAINS WHEAT, BARLEY, MAY CONTAIN SESAME **

This month we look at safe strategies students can use when faced with a bullying situation. Students learn how to deal with bullying using the ‘3 Rs’ – Recognize bullying behaviour; Refuse to be bullied; Report bullying behaviour. There is no set formula that works for dealing with every bullying situation. Students need to learn a variety of strategies and the skill to determine when and how to apply them safely. Key strategies that will be addressed include: avoiding, playing with others, staying calm, ignoring, walking away, saying ‘stop’, being assertive and telling an adult.

Tips for Parents:

- review strategies with your child

- help your child practice speaking assertively (role play)

- take time with your child to make a plan for how you want them to deal with situations

With regular practice, polite words and actions will come naturally to your child. Here are ways to help parents in working towards encouraging positive behaviour in their children in any situation:

• Point out examples. Your youngster can learn by watching what others do (“It was polite of that man to hold the door for us”). If you get a thank-you note in the mail, read it to your child so he can see what thank-you notes are for and how they’re written.

• Be consistent. A youngster who uses good table manners at home, for instance, is more likely to use them in restaurants and in other people’s homes. If you expect your child to ask before being excused or to try foods he’s offered when he is a dinner guest, have him use those manners at your table.

Staff will meet in May to organize class lists for September 2020. If there are any special learning needs your child has that you feel we should know when making up classes, please do so in writing to the principal by April 26th. Letters that list a request for a specific teacher will not be considered. Please limit comments to specific learning styles. Requests for your child to be placed with a “friend” will not be considered. If you feel your child has an ongoing conflict with another child, please write us a letter and we will do our best to separate them. All staff work hard to balance class lists by abilities, gender and learning style. Please bear in mind that small primary classes (max 20) often result in combined classes throughout the school. These are a fact of life that children will have to experience from time to time. Requests for students not to be placed in a combined grade will not be considered.

PLASP’s award winning, licensed BEFORE and AFTER school program is are available at Holy Cross. The BEFORE school program begins at 7:30 a.m.- 8:15 a.m. and includes a nutritious breakfast daily. Visit www.plasp.com to register your child today.

Of paramount importance at Holy Cross Catholic School is your child’s safety. It is important that all traffic follow a few simple rules, which will help alleviate any difficulties in the school driveway.

• All parents should use the Kiss ‘N Ride lane if they are dropping off their child

• No parents should leave their cars parked in front of the school unless it is in a designated parking spot

• No vehicle should be left parked in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride lane

• No vehicle should be parked in the Kindergarten Drop off Area or in front of the school

• No double parking in the driveway is acceptable

• If you wish to park and walk your child to school, please make use of the two parking lots located next to our driveways

• Under NO circumstances should vehicles be backing up or going the wrong way.

NO parking in the BUS ROUTE

Please be advised that cars parked in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride lanes are liable for ticketing by the parking authority of Mississauga. Please understand that Holy Cross Catholic School will not be responsible for fines issued to drivers for any infractions of the above directives. Cars have recently been ticketed for parking in these areas.

The Holy Cross Breakfast Program continues to be well received by many students. Thank you to the many Knights of Columbus members and Our Lady of the Airways parishioners for volunteering their time to make the Breakfast Program a huge success.

Please be reminded that the breakfast program runs 5 days a week commencing at 8:00 AM. Please make sure students are dropped off for the breakfast program no later than 8:15 AM to ensure that they have enough time to eat and make their way to class. Please do not drop off students prior to 8:00AM. Please continue to use back doors to access Breakfast Club.

In order to respect the classroom learning environment, we try to minimize interruptions during class time. If you are picking up your children early, please write a note in your child’s agenda to their teacher and your child can wait in the office. Of course, there are times when last minute situations may arise, however, we appreciate your cooperation. If you are dropping off something, we have a table with labels set up outside the office to ensure your child receives it. Thank you for your ongoing support.

The Region of Peel and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board have invited all students to celebrate Peel tap water during Canada Water Week by taking part in a school wide synchronized drink of tap water.

Our school’s Great Gulp event will take place on Friday, March 27 @ 1:40 pm.

Help support this initiative by sending your child to school with a reusable water bottle or cup so that they can make a toast to tap water.

Peel tap water is a safe, clean, convenient choice that is good for your health and the environment. To learn more about Peel tap water visit www.peeltapwater.ca.

March 4, 2020

CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING

All are welcome to attend our next Catholic School Council meeting scheduled for March 4, 2020 @ 6:00 pm in the library. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend!

Please join us for two very important Parent Engagement events coming up on Human Trafficking and Bullying. All are invited to register and attend to discuss matters that effect us all.

MARCH BREAK 2020

March Break officially begins the week of March 16-20th. School will resume on Monday, March 23rd. The school and school offices will be closed.

Peel Public Health has begun reviewing immunization records of all students at our school beginning in January 2020. Peel Public Health must have proof that your child has been fully vaccinated (immunized) according to the Ontario Immunization Schedule.

If you receive a letter, please ensure that your child has received the required vaccine(s), then give the date(s) your child received these vaccine dose(s) to Peel Public Health immediately to update your child’s record. Parents whose children's record are not up to date will receive a letter following March break indicating that Immunizations are required. Please don't call the school are Peel Health keeps all records related to student Immunizations.

For inquiries, please use ONE of the following methods to update or discuss your immunization records:

Online: www.ImmunizePeel.ca

Fax: 905-670-5630 or 905-565-0793

Call: 905-799-7700

March 2-3 Holy Cross Dental Screening

March 4- Catholic School Council 6:00pm in Library (All are welcome to attend)

March 6- Gr. 3 Field Trip to Young Peoples Theatre

March 9-10 School Wide Well Being Interactive Presentations Moveducation (all day)

March 11- Rosary Apostolate

March 12- Peel Police Presentations Gr. 4, 6, 8

March 16 –20 - March Break SCHOOL CLOSED

March 23- Graduation Photos, FDK Year 2 & Gr 8

March 24- Lenten Reconciliation 9:00-10:30am at Our Lady of the Airways Parish

March 25- Gr 1 Virtue Liturgy 9:00am @ Holy Cross (All are welcome to attend)

March 27- Peel Healthy Great Gulp Thirst Quench

March 31- Lenten Mass 9:00am @ Our Lady of the Airways (All are welcome to attend)