St. Teresa of Calcutta Newsletter

School begins: 8:55 a.m.

First Recess: 11:00-11:15 a.m.

Lunch: 11:55-12:55 p.m.

Second Recess: 2:25-2:35 p.m.

Dismissal: 3:25 p.m.

YARD SUPERVISION

Staff supervision of students in the playground begins at 8:40 a.m. To ensure your child’s safety, we appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

*IMPORTANT*

Morning Arrival

Please make sure to have your child at school before 8:55am.

Late arrivals will sign in at the Main Office.

Dear STOC Family,

As we move through September, I would like to take a moment to thank our students, families, and staff for helping make the start of the school year such a positive and successful one at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School.

The first few weeks of school are always a busy and important time as routines are established, friendships are renewed, and students settle into their learning environments. I am pleased to share that our students have transitioned smoothly into the school year, and our classrooms have been filled with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a strong sense of community. It has been wonderful to see our hallways once again alive with learning, laughter, and faith.

At St. Teresa of Calcutta, we remain committed to fostering a faith-filled learning environment where every child is known, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential. Rooted in our Catholic faith and guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, we strive to nurture the academic, social, emotional, and spiritual growth of each student.

As is often the case in September, schools undergo a period of reorganization to ensure classes are balanced and student needs are appropriately supported. I would like to thank our families for their patience, understanding, and flexibility throughout this process. Our reorganization plans have now been implemented, and we are confident that our class placements provide the best possible learning environments for students. We appreciate the support shown by our community as we worked through these adjustments with care and consideration.

One of the greatest strengths of our school community is the partnership we share with our families, parish, and community members. Together, we create a welcoming and inclusive environment where students feel safe, supported, and connected. When children experience a strong sense of belonging, they are more confident in taking risks, embracing challenges, and discovering their unique gifts and talents.

As we look ahead, we are excited about the many opportunities that await our students throughout the year. From engaging classroom learning and faith development activities to athletics, the arts, leadership initiatives, community outreach, and extracurricular programs, there will be countless opportunities for students to learn, grow, and shine. We look forward to celebrating their successes and supporting them every step of the way.

Our school theme of creating a positive Ripple Effect continues to guide our work together. Through acts of kindness, compassion, inclusion, gratitude, and service, each member of our school community has the ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Small actions can have a lasting impact, strengthening our relationships and helping us reflect Christ's love in our daily interactions.

I continue to feel grateful and blessed to serve as Principal of St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School. Thank you for your ongoing support, partnership, and trust as we work together to provide the very best educational experience for our students.

May God continue to bless our students, families, staff, and parish community as we move forward into what promises to be a year filled with faith, learning, growth, and many blessings.

God bless,

Mrs. Maddison
Principal
St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School

We are grateful to all parents who continue to give of their time to support the school by participating as members of our Catholic School Council (CSC).

Elections for the 2026-2027 Catholic School Council will take place at our first meeting on Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Nomination forms must be completed by all who wish to have a voice on Catholic School Council and submitted to the office by Monday, September 28.

Please consider participating as a member of the 2026-2027 Catholic School Council. A letter regarding Catholic School Council with an accompanying nomination form will be sent home with youngest and only students and via email during the first week of school. FYI, positions rarely require elections as they are usually acclaimed.

Co- Chairs-

Chris Garofalo and Julia Van de Kraats

Secretary–

Nelly Xavier Cordner

Treasurer-

Claudia Filipe

OAPCE Representative –

Kelly Amaral

Parish Representative–

Janet Kus and Heather Dawson

Teacher Representative –

Stephanie Iassogna

Thank you to Catholic School Council for all their efforts! We are truly blessed to have such a dedicated group of parents!

Thank you to the STOC community for supporting our school through generous donations and participation in our Fundraising Events!

• Remind your child that school is their first and most important job!
• Communicate the importance of regular school attendance to your child so they are hearing the same thing we are saying at school.
• If your child has a doctor/dentist appointment, they can still attend at least some of the day. You can bring them before or after their appointment.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Open House Curriculum Night on Thursday September 17th and to everyone who supported our STOC Book Fair.

Parents/Guardians and students may visit classes to meet the teachers and learn about the expectations for students in their classes.

A reminder that students must come with their families and not unattended to all school community events. Students from other schools are not invited to attend. These are STOC events. We are very proud of our school but please remember that elementary school events are only for students that attend the school and students must attend with parent/guardian supervision.

Please do NOT PARK OR STOP, or GET OUT of YOUR CAR in the Kiss N Ride lane at anytime. To be as quick as possible, students need to leave the vehicles and enter the school. Please observe parking signs on the road and take care as we would like all to be safe at all times.

Teachers of students in JK-gr 3 will be with their students to ensure that they are picked up by an adult/older sibling/babysitter.

Ensure the names of those picking up your child are listed on the contact list (verification sheet) with the office. Teachers of students in grades 4-8 will walk their students to their dismissal doors and ensure that their students have left school property. Students are not permitted to hang around with friends outside after hours unsupervised.

The first day of school is often a day when parents enjoy taking photos of their children to keep their memories of these times. Please be reminded that you are not allowed to photograph or video any child other than your own on school property. We discourage photography on school property due to privacy and safety concerns. Except for the first day of school when parents want to see who their child's teacher is, parent/guardians are not allowed on school property to observe students before school, during recesses or at lunch time.

School property is private property. Please continue to help us to keep students safe.

As part of our annual student verification process, many families have provided permission for their child to leave school property during the lunch period to go home or to a local eating establishment for lunch.

To support student safety, we ask families to consider the following:

• We have observed a growing number of students (almost 1/3 of students in the intermediate division) spending their lunch hour in nearby neighbourhoods, parks/ravines, commercial areas, and other public spaces.
• Students who leave school property during lunch do so with parent/guardian permission and are under family supervision during that time.
• Over the past year, the school has become aware of concerns involving students in the broader community during the lunch period.
• We encourage families to speak with their children about making safe choices, respecting community spaces, and representing our school positively.
• Where possible, we respectfully ask families to consider limiting off-campus lunches to one day per week to enhance peer connections at school at lunch during the week.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting the safety and well-being of all students.

STAY TUNED for more information on Knowledgehook Mathalon and Half Mathalon Winners!

Mathalon Medal Winners recognized on Morning Announcements !

Connect learning between school and home with our Math@Home newsletters.

Each Math@Home newsletter:

• Highlights a mathematical concept/skill;
• Includes related Family Math Activities that can be done at home;
• Spotlights a resource that can be used to further support doing math at home.

DP Math At Home Site

September's Focus - Math Mindset

*Click link above for activities to try at home

As we begin a new school year, we invite our community to embrace our theme, The Ripple Effect: Small Actions, Lasting Impact.

Guided by the example of St. Teresa of Calcutta, we will focus on being:

• Kind in our words and actions.
• Supportive of one another's growth and success.
• Intentional in the choices we make each day.
• Collaborative as we work together to build a caring school community.
• The Ripple by recognizing that every positive action matters.

As St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

Structured literacy is an approach to teaching oral and written language. It’s based on the science of how kids learn to read. With structured literacy, teachers introduce new concepts and skills in a logical order. They teach in an explicit way that fully explains concepts and skills. Teachers also continually check in on students’ understanding.

Structured literacy covers the following concepts:

Phonology: the study of sounds in spoken words Sound-symbol (orthography): how to map sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes)

Syllables: knowing the types of syllables and how to divide words into syllables

Morphology: the study of base words and affixes (prefixes and suffixes)

Syntax: understanding the grammatical order of words (like sentence structure)

Semantics: understanding the meaning of words and sentences.

The entire school will begin their day with Structured Literacy. Please ensure that your child starts the day on time and prepared to learn!

Our Mathematics instruction will be centred around following the school board’s Long-Range Plan for teaching Mathematics. The core resources that teachers will use are: Knowledgehook, My Math Path, MathUp, and Mathology.

There will be a monthly newletter sent home via School Messenger.

Dates to Remember will be included on these newsletter. The Monthly Dates to Remember will have the most important dates, and events for your information.

It is important that students attend school regularly and punctually. If your child will be late or absent, please use SafeArrival Absence Reporting. With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of these 3 convenient methods: 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 ). The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account. Once you are signed up and logged in, select Attendance then Report an Absence. 2. Use the SafeArrival website, https://go.schoolmessenger.ca . 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. These options are available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. Future absences can be reported at any time. If further assistance required on how to report an absence using SafeArrival can be found on the following link: https://www.dpcdsb.org/parents/absence-reporting This measure is to ensure the safety of your child. We thank you for your continued support in following this procedure.

• Healthy Return to School
• E-scooter Safety
• Managing Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

R. Scarpelli FDK

L. Medeiros FDK

A. Pereira DECE

S. Iassogna Grade 1/2

M. Bailey Grade 2/3

C. Hassell Grade 1/2

M. Casciaro Grade 2/3

T. Armstrong Grade 3/4

C. Pereira Grade 4/5

M. Neiva Grade 5/6

D. Salinas Grade 6/7

M. Felice Grade 7/8

A. Guzik Grade 8

A. Galle French

V. Corapi Library/Planning Time

C. Beach SERC/SERT/ESL

M. Tully SERT/ ESL

A. Salerno Planning Time

TBD Planning Time

L. Mykhalyuk Planning Time/ESL

M. Knibbe ERW

L. Piper ERW

K.Crhak

A. Passarelli Child and Youth Worker

C. Ancimer Speech and Language Pathologist

R. Jardine Psychologist

M. Russ Social Worker

L. Gordon Head Secretary

J. Xamin Head Custodian

E. Garcia Night Custodian

A. D’Ettore Night Custodian

Internet: https://www.stopr.ca/ - this website provides up to date delay and inclement weather cancellation information in addition to policy, procedures, and frequently asked questions.

Businfo.stopr.ca - this website allows parents to access specific to “what school do I attend” and “am I eligible for transportation.” This site also provides parents access to specific bus stop locations and pick up and drop off times for their children if eligible for transportation.

Telephone: Transportation EAST 905-890-6000

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has developed a Concussion Policy and Guidelines for students who have been diagnosed with a concussion by either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. School staff cannot diagnose a concussion. Anytime a student reports to the office with a head injury, the parent/guardian will be contacted and the incident will be entered into the school’s “Documentation of Head Injuries” log. This is precautionary only, and we ask that you check your child when he/she gets home for any signs of a concussion or illness. A brochure containing information about Concussions is provided upon pick up of the student or when they go home for the day. This is a precautionary measure and for information purposes.