🔥The SFA Sizzler🔥

Jan 22 PA Day -- No school for students

Jan 24 DPCDSB Entry Planning and Transition Information Session for students with Differing Abilities

Feb 8 OCSGE/Virtue Assembly (Dec./Jan./Feb) @9am

Feb 13 Shrove Tuesday – Pancakes!

Feb 13 Report Cards sent home

Feb 14 Ash Wednesday

Feb 15 Interview Evening

Feb 16 PA Day – Reporting to Parents

Feb 19 Family Day – No school

Feb 22 Parents Reaching Out Event: See Me For Me - A Message of Inclusion

Feb 23 Lenten Confessions at the parish

Mar 8 Last day before March Break

Mar 11-15 MARCH BREAK

Mar 18 First day back after March Break

Mar 29 Good Friday - No school

Mar 31 Easter Sunday

Apr 1 Easter Monday - No school

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)

In January –we celebrate the virtue of self-control.

God wants us to do what we know and feel is right.

A person with self-control…

• is patient

• knows how to wait his/her turn

• can calm him/herself down and think before reacting to situations

• knows how to avoid physical aggression (hitting, kicking, pushing, etc.)

• can think things through

Self-control helps us to resist the temptation to do something that we will regret. It also helps us to resist the temptation to do something that will harm ourselves or others. Each time you exercise self-control you grow stronger in the Lord and invite peace to settle over your life as you avoid any guilt you may feel from having made a poor decision.

The Intermediate Girls Volleyball Team completed their season going undefeated. Along the way the won their Pod Tournament, won the Mississauga South Family Tournament and finished the season winning the Board Championship -- meaning they were the top team out of more than 120 schools in our Board. The girls grew as a team and their positive energy was infectious! The coaches Mr. Naughton. Mrs. Ohinski and Mr. Da Silva were blessed to have had such a wonderful group of girls to work with.

Congratulations team and a big thank you to the coaches! SFA All The Way!

Winter is here and with it comes chilly temperatures and often, gusting winds. Although parents/caregives ensure that students are bundled up warmly to face the blistery Canadian winter weather, some students leave the classroom for outdoor time without coats or, often, without gloves, mitts, hats, and snowpants. To ensure safety of students and appropriate supervision, students are not permitted to return to the classroom to get their coats or other clothing/belongings once they are outside.

Annoucements to remind students to dress appropriately for the cold weather have been made and we will continue to do so every so often. Your support in keeping our kids warm by reinforcing this important message at home is greatly appreciated.

A big SFA thank you goes out to all parents, grandparents, caregivers, and friends who came to our Jingles and Joy Christmas Concert on December 20th. The enthusiam demonstrated by the audience filled the packed gymnasium in both he morning and the afternoon. THANK YOU!

Thank you to Mrs. Savoia, Ms. Ohinski, and Ms. Zapasek for directing the show and to all the teachers and staff who worked tirelessly to make the show a success.

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year at Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) schools is now open. The DPCDSB offers the Kindergarten program in 125 Catholic elementary schools in Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Bolton and Orangeville.

Parents/guardians can register online at dpcdsb.org.

Registration is open to Catholic children and children of Catholic parents. Kindergarten students must be at least four (4) years of age by December 31, 2024.

The following documents are required to complete the registration process:

• Proof of age of the child
• Original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (for child and/or parent/guardian) or original baptismal certificate from a church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome or an Eastern Catholic Church.
• Immunization Reference #’s from the local Public Health Unit
• Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
• Proof of home address
• Proof of English Separate School Support

Please refer to the Register for School webpage for accepted forms of documentation.

Inquiries about home school locations/boundary areas should be directed to the DPCDSB Planning Department at 905-890-0708 ext. 24440. To find out whether your child is eligible for transportation, click here.

For more information, parents/guardians should contact their local Catholic school, visit the DPCDSB website at dpcdsb.org, or call DPCDSB’s Admissions Department at 905-890-1221.

Do you have a child with differing abilities who will start school in September 2024? On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s (DPCDSB) Special Education and Learning Services Department will host an information session to support the entry planning and transition of students with differing abilities who will be new to the DPCDSB for September 2024. During this session, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to meet with board staff and learn about the entry planning process for students with differing abilities. Differing abilities may include, but are not limited to the following areas: blind low vision, hearing, speech, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays in the cognitive and/or motor areas.

The information session will be held at St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga from

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Parents/guardians can register online for this event.

WHAT: Information Session to Support Entry Planning and Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into the DPCDSB for September 2024

WHERE: St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School

730 Courtneypark Dr. West, Mississauga

WHEN: Wednesday, January 24, 2024

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Registration Link

Inquires regarding registration for the information session, may be directed to Fara Miranda Fernandes, Resource Secretary, Special Education & Learning Services at 905-890-0708 Ext. 24011 or Fara.MirandaFernandes@dpcdsb.org.

To learn more about registering for school, visit dpcdsb.org.

SEAC Parents Reaching Out Event “See Me For Me, A Message of Inclusion” Information

The following Parents Reaching Out Event (PROGrant) is hosted by DPCDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). All families of students within DPCDSB are invited to participate in this online session hosted by Author, Dana Geall and the Special Education and Learning Services Department. The focus of the session will highlight Dana’s picture book entitled, “See Me For Me,” which is based on her personal and lived experience as a mother of triplets born with Cerebral Palsy. Dana will discuss the importance of equity, inclusion, and acceptance of all students as important members within our communities.

Parents/guardians are invited to pre-register to attend the evening event. Registered participants will receive a free copy of the picture book, “See Me for Me,” by Dana Geall. Capacity for the session will be reached at one hundred participants. Registration will be honoured on a first-come, first-serve basis. Staff are asked to forward the enclosed event flyer to families through their communication platforms.

Location: Microsoft Teams Online Meeting Platform

Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024.

Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Registration: Participants are asked to self-register using the link or QR code by Thursday, February 8, 2024.

A virtual meeting invitation will be forwarded to registered participants.

The Central Committee for Catholic School Councils (CCCSC) will be hosting a Parent Engagement Presentation on Anti-Human Trafficking with Matt Richardson, Director of Intelligence and Investigations with the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) on January 18 at 7:00 p.m. This event is being held over the Zoom platform. Zoom Presentation Link: https://zoom.us/j/94889309628?pwd=Zml4VmFDNFBlS21UL0QxQ1pQRThEdz09 / Password: Gdf7TW / More Information

Students can enjoy lunches from Tuesday to Friday as follows:

Tuesday -- Subway Tuesday will start again on January 23, 2024

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.

Please note that our School has been assigned to Weather Zone 1. Therefore, all our parents/students should be checking the STOPR website and twitter account for Zone 1 cancellations this winter. School Bus Cancellations will be communicated by “Weather Zone” through the STOPR website and the STOPR twitter account @STOPRinfo by 6:00 am each morning. We encourage parents to visit the STOPR website at stopr.ca and click on the “Inclement Weather” tab to review the STOPR weather zone map and all inclement weather procedures.

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