The Thunderbird Nest
February Edition 2024
Please remember that the student agendas continue to be the best way to get in touch with your child's teacher, as emails are not monitored throughout the day.
Email: St.TeresaofAvilaInfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: https://www.dpcdsb.org/avila
Location: 6675 Montevideo Road, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Phone: (905)858-3462
Twitter: @AvilaDPCDSB
During the month of February, we will focus on the virtue of Respect. God wants us to treat all people with the respect they deserve.
A respectful person……
- sees God’ s presence in themselves and others
- uses a positive tone of voice and body language
- avoids gossip, swearing, name -calling, put- downs, and inappropriate gestures
- says ‘Excuse me’, ‘ Please’, ‘ Thank You’
We all deserve to be treated respectfully by others. However, in order to be respected, it is important to RESPECT ourselves. Everyone has a right to go to a school where they feel safe and included – without gossip, name - calling, and put- downs. We should expect to be treated with respect by everyone we meet – our brothers and sisters in Jesus. Mutual respect is the way we live in harmony with one another. Respect for others, their property, and the environment is our responsibility.
Let us now pray ... for the virtue of respect so that everyone we meet will feel like we are their brother or sister in Christ. AMEN.
We would like to take this opportunity to review some of the expectations of riding the school bus. Lately, our bus drivers have reported to school staff that students have been demonstrating inappropriate behaviour while the school bus is in transit.
Please take some time this weekend and review the following expectations with your children:
Waiting at the Bus Stop:
- Get to the bus stop in plenty of time so you do not have to run
- Wait for your bus in a place that is away from traffic in the road
- Bus stops are not appropriate places to push or wrestle with your friends
- Let the school bus stop before you try to get on
- If you can touch the school bus, you are too close
- Remember if you cannot see the bus driver, then the bus driver cannot see you
- The driver will let you know when it is safe to approach the bus
Riding the School Bus:
- When getting onto the bus, take the steps one at a time, holding onto the handrail
- Go right to a seat, and sit quietly, without blocking the aisle
- Remain seated while the bus is moving. Do not leave your seat while the bus is in transit.
- Listen to your school bus driver, and follow his/her instructions.
Exiting the School Bus:
- Leave the bus in single file, holding the handrail
- Walk away from the bus without running, and never go behind it
- If you have to cross the street to leave or board your bus, you need to be 10 giant steps away from the front of the bus. Watch for overhead red lights to flash, and wait for the stop arm to activate and your driver’s signal before crossing
- If you ever drop something underneath the bus or in its path, leave it there! Never, never stop and reach under the school bus to pick it up
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board to Hold Public Information Sessions for 2024-2025 Extended French Program
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) will hold two online public information sessions on February 6 and 8 for parents and guardians interested in enrolling their children in the DPCDSB Extended French Program for the 2024-2025 school year. The information sessions will provide an overview of the Extended French Program and application process.
2024-2025 Extended French Virtual Information Sessions
Brampton, Caledon & Dufferin Region
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m.
Microsoft Teams Live Meeting #1 Link
Mississauga Region (St. Therese of the Child Jesus CES)
Thursday, February 8, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m.
Microsoft Teams Live Meeting #2 Link
The Extended French Program starts in Grade 5 and offers 50% of the total instruction in French. The program includes studies in French Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and one of either: Visual Arts, Music, Drama or Physical Education. The program leads into Extended French at the secondary school level, where French Language Arts, Geography, History and World Religions are offered.
Students in Extended French will receive a minimum of 2,670 hours of French instruction during their school career. When complete, students should also be able to participate in conversation and demonstrate their knowledge of French culture, society, and customs.
In cases where the number of applications exceeds the number of places available at a site, a random selection process will be held at a predetermined and advertised date, if required. In all other cases, students will be placed in the program, provided all required documentation is in order. The application package will be available online to all parents/guardians of Grade 4 students and can be found on the DPCDSB Extended French Webpage as of February 14. The site application links will be live from February 14 to February 28, 2024.
For more information, visit the Extended French webpage at dpcdsb.org. or the main office.
Some of the students in our school have severe life threatening allergic reactions to nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oils and any peanut by -products. For some children the smell of nuts can bring on a severe attack. We need your cooperation! We kindly ask that you DO NOT send snacks to school that contain nuts or any nut products.
Please note that to ensure the continued safety of all students, the Dufferin -Peel Catholic District School Board with the support of the Anaphylactic Society and the Peel Health Department has recommended that students not bring peanut butter alternatives (soy butter, sunflower butter) to school. We thank you for your cooperation in supporting student safety.
The Dufferin -Peel Catholic District School Board acknowledges the value of the use of technology for learning. Students are permitted to register and use personal electronic devices (PEDs) on board premises and/ or board sanctioned events for educational purposes, under the direction of staff and only with parent/ guardian permission. Students may register their PED for the purpose of connecting to the board wireless network. Students are required to adhere to the student “Personal Electronic Device Used with WI - FI Network Student Agreement” (GF 337) and the “Network User Application and Agreement” (GF066). Please be advised that the Dufferin -Peel Catholic District School Board will not be responsible for any cost incurred through the use of personal data plans.
PEDs are to be used responsibly and should not interfere with learning; their use must comply with the Catholic Code of Conduct, board policies and procedures. Any personal communications (i.e. phone calls, text messages, etc.) will continue to be directed through the main office. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in a loss of PED privileges and/ or any other consequences deemed necessary by school administration.
The school principal may authorize limited acceptable uses of personal electronic devices during school -sanctioned activities for a specific designated purpose outside of instructional spaces and/ or in common areas. Students are responsible for the safety and security of PEDs at all times and the Board assumes no responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen devices.
The safety of our students, staff and visitors remains our number one priority. The following policies will be implemented to ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors
Please review the following Kiss and Ride Safety Expectations:
- Keep traffic flowing. Proceed as far to the stop sign as possible before stopping your vehicle.
- Have your child exit from the right side (passenger doors) of your vehicle.
- NO PARKING in Kiss and Ride.
- If you wish to wait and see your child enter the school, park in the designated areas and wait in the designated pick-up/drop off locations.
- DO NOT stop or park in Bus Lane (side of the school).
- The same expectations apply during rain/snow. Do not stop or drop your children off at the side of the school. This is a Bus Lane only.
Whether it’s a medical appointment, an illness or other important event, there are times when students may need to be away from school. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District school board is introducing a new method for parents to report their child(ren)’s absences. Using the SafeArrival system, parents will be able to report daily or future absences in one of three ways:
Web:
- Go to the SafeArrival website at go.schoolmessenger.ca
- Select Sign Up to create your account. (Only needed for the initial setup, after that you will click on login).
- Select Attendance.
- Select Report an Absence.
App:
- Download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Please note that SafeArrival uses the SchoolMessenger app.
- Select Sign-Up. (Only needed for the initial setup, after that you will click on login).
- You will be prompted to enter your email (same email address your school has on file) and create a password.
- The system will send a link to the same email address the school has on file, please click on the link you have received in your email to activate your account.
Phone:
- Call the toll-free number 1-844-435-3440
- Listen to and follow the instructions to report an absence.
- If the system doesn’t recognize your caller ID, you will be asked to enter the student’s home phone number or any phone number for the guardian that is on file with the school.
Please ensure that your child arrives at school with all the items they need for the day. We realize that there will be occasions where students forget something at home There will be a table located outside the office for parents/guardians who are dropping off items.
Please label the item clearly with the CHILD’S NAME AND TEACHER.
If you plan on bringing your child’s lunch in the morning, let your children know that you will be leaving the lunch on the table at the main office.
All students who have been diagnosed by a doctor with asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, or seizures must have completed the necessary Plan of Care Forms. These forms only need to be completed once (unless the diagnosis or medication has changed) and they will be stored in your child's OSR.
If your child requires an epi pen or puffer and they must carry it on them at all times this must be clearly indicated on the Plan of Care, otherwise it will be stored in the main office. The Authorization for the storage and administration of medication must be completed annually.
If your child requires any other type of medicine to be taken during school hours (Advil, Tylenol etc. ) you must complete the Authorization for the storage and administration of medication form and it will be stored in the main office.
Please send the required forms and medicine to the main office in a clearly labelled bag.
The days are getting colder and pretty soon winter will arrive. It is important for students to come prepared to participate in all activities, including outdoor recess. We ask that students dress appropriately for colder weather by having coats, hats, scarves, boots and mittens or gloves. For health reasons, and to keep the school clean, we ask all students to have indoor shoes. Please note that in the event of an emergency evacuation, students will not have the opportunity to put boots on. Thank you for your support in this matter.
SNOW Safety Expectations
Now that the snow is here it is important to remind students that St. Therese of the Child Jesus has a strict rule of forbidding the throwing of snowballs and kicking of snow. Every student has been made aware of the importance of this rule in the preventing of injury to others.
S Snow stays on the ground
N No standing, sitting, sliding down hills
W Winter wonder: building snow angels, snowpeople, snow forts!
Please review our Snow Safety Expectations with your children. Thank you for your support.
If your child rides the bus daily, it is important that they are aware of the safety rules on the bus. Students are required to:
- Listen to the Bus Driver at all times and report any problems or injuries to him/her
- Go directly to their seat and remain seated during the entire bus ride
- Do not eat, drink, swear, fight or chew gum on the bus
- Do not put arms out the window, or throw items or garbage out the window
- Ensure that all sports equipment (especially sports balls) are packed away in a backpack or bag while on the bus.
- If any damage to the seat of bus is caused, students will be held responsible
- Be at least 5 minutes early at your bus stop to ensure that you don't miss the bus
Please review these rules with your child.
*All parents are encouraged to register with STOPR to receieve updates and infomation about route changes, delays, and cancellations. You will require your child's OEN in order to register
St. Teresa of Avila has partnered with Region of Peel Health in order to bring many healthy programs to our students. Our first program is called Playground Activity Leaders in Schools or PALs for short. Many students (grades 4-8) volunteered and wrote applications to be part of the program. They received several hours of instruction from a registered nurse with Peel Health on how to play healthy games and to help problem solve conflicts on the playground with younger primary students (grades 1-3). Our junior students are already developing leadership skills as they design games, actively promote the program and have been starting to play games with primary students at recess time. A special thank you to Ms. Speare and Ms. Braithwaite for their help with implementing the program and to Ms. Titanic, Public Health Nurse from the Region of Peel for helping to bring amazing initiatives and programs to our school.
The school dental screening is complete and a form with the results will be sent home with every child screened. If a child is identified with a dental condition requiring immediate dental treatment, an additional form will be attached for parents to fill in and return to Peel Public Health.
If a re-screen is required for specific students, a staff member will contact you at a later date to make arrangements.
We appreciate your support of dental screening for children in your school. Oral health is a key component of a child’s overall health.
On Wednesday, January 24th, 2024, St. Teresa of Avila recognized Bell Let's Talk Day. Dedicated to moving mental health forward in Canada, Bell Let’s Talk promotes awareness, acceptance and action with a strategy built on 4 key pillars: Anti-Stigma, Care & Access, Research, and Workplace Leadership. We showed our support, by asking all students wearing something blue.
We are privileged to live in a city as diverse as the Greater Toronto Area. As Canadians, we welcome all opportunities to celebrate our differences and to learn more about each other. Black History Month, which is celebrated during the month of February, is one such opportunity. During this month, we will take time to develop greater awareness and understanding about people from other cultures. Through daily morning announcements students will present information on a Black Canadian who has made a significant contribution to our country.
“We must open the doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through."
- Rosemary Brown
From Feb 5 - Feb 13th, St Teresa of Avila will be selling Valentine’s Day cookies. Proceeds from the sales of these cookies will go towards supporting grade 8 graduation events and activities such as; DJ, hall, decorations, food etc..
The cookies are nut-free, please see below for a detailed list of ingredients. Students will be able to purchase the cookies at lunch outside of Mme. Ballard’s room at a cost of $2.
