3270 Tomken Road

Mississauga, ON., L4Y 2Y7

(905) 279-6472

Fax: (905) 279-3205

http://www.dpcdsb.org/TMORE

Principal

M. Noce

Vice-Principal

L. Raposo

Administrative Staff

M. Shahbaz

S. Camaioni

Superintendent

C. MacDonald

(905) 890-1221

Trustee

Mario Pascucci

Mississauga Wards 1 & 3

(905) 302-3096

(905) 890-0708 x20161

mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org

Catholic School Council Co-Chairs

Carol Zouein Abdo

Michelle Pueda Nucci

Pastor

Rev. John Facey

St. Patrick’s Church

(905) 270-2301

Email: St.ThomasMoreInfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/TMORE
Location: 3270 Tomken Road, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Phone: 9052796472
Twitter: @stthomasmore19

Mississauga Wards 1 & 3

(905) 302-3096

(905) 890-0708 x20161

mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org

Please feel free to click on the Translate button on the newsletter to choose your language of preference! (Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, Vietnamese, Hindi etc.)

Prayer for Self Control

Dear God,

It is time for me to look within my heart and soul.

I pray that You help me control myself when I feel angry or mean.

Help me to choose right,

and to think about the things that I am going to say and do.

With Your love,

I know I can make the right choices.

Amen

We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We would like to acknowledge and express gratitude to the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples who continue to share their ancestral lands with us.

January 9: School Open Today ~ Happy New Year!

January 9: Baptism of the Lord

January 9: Kindergarten Registration Begins

January 16th: Catholic School Council Meeting 6:30-7:30

January 16: French Immersion Online Registration Opens

January 16-19: Registration for St. James CGLC International Baccalaureate Program

January 18: Information Session 7:00-8:30pm New Students to DPCDSB with Differing Abilities Entry Planning and Transition Session REGISTER HERE

January 23: PA Day ~ School Closed

January 31: French Immersion Application Closed at 4:00pm

February 2: Term 2 Begins

February 9: Extended French Mississauga Info Session

February 14: Report Cards ~ Term 1 sent home

February 15: Extended French Applications Open

February 16: Parent Teacher Interview Evening

February 17: PD Day ~ Parent Teacher Interviews

February 20: Family Day- School Closed

March 1st: Extended French Applications Close

DPCDSB Upcoming Events

https://www3.dpcdsb.org/news/events

The birth of Jesus signifies a new beginning for all of us. A time for renewed hope, peace, love and new beginnings. On behalf of the staff of St. Thomas More Catholic Elementary School, we would like to wish you and your family a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a New year blessed with health and happiness. We would also like to thank our Trustee, Mario Pascucci (Mississauga Wards 1 & 3), Superintendent MacDonald, and Father John for their ongoing support of our school community and wish them a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Please see the attached document for all information pertaining to the 2023-2024 Extended French program.

DPCDSB and St. Thomas More use the Attendance Program: SafeArrival. If you have not registered for SafeArrival, please review the registration procedure at https://www.dpcdsb.org/parents/absence-reporting

and please report your child's absence by visiting the webpage (go.schoolmessenger.ca), using the SchoolMessenger App or calling 1-844-435-3440.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to navigate this new system together.

It’s cold and flu season!

Cold and flu season is here, and it is already a bad one. We want to remind parents/guardians that before heading to the emergency room, book an appointment with your family doctor or at your local COVID Cough and Cold Flu Clinic.

If you’re unsure if you need to take your child to the emergency room, you can:

o Call your primary care provider

o Call Health Connect Ontario (formerly TeleHealth) at 811 or chat online with a nurse 24/7: Health Connect Ontario | Health Connect Ontario (gov.on.ca)

o Use the online symptom checker at Sick Kids: Virtual Urgent Care | SickKids

Don’t forget to continue practicing other protective measures such as hand washing, avoiding touching your face, staying home when ill and masking for 10 days after being symptomatic to help protect your children, yourself and others from viruses that are circulating.

Key messages:

· With cold and flu season upon us, emergency room visits are increasing, especially with kids under 5. As a result, wait times are much longer than usual.

· Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit their primary care providers or local COVID Cough and Flu Care Clinic for non-emergency situations. With extremely long wait times in hospitals, these clinics can ensure your child gets the care they need without sitting in the hospital for hours waiting to be seen.

· If you’re unsure if you need to take your child to the emergency room, you can:

o Call your primary care provider

o Call Health Connect Ontario (formerly TeleHealth) at 811 or chat online with a nurse 24/7: Health Connect Ontario | Health Connect Ontario (gov.on.ca)

o Use the online symptom checker at Sick Kids: Virtual Urgent Care | SickKids

· It's cold and flu season. Free flu shots are now available across Peel. You can get a flu shot at:

o Family doctors’ offices and walk-in clinics for adults and children over 6 months of age

o Participating pharmacies for adults and children 2 years or older

o If you don’t have a health card you can get the flu shot from a community health centre or at a local pharmacy.

· With COVID-19 still circulating in the community, it’s important to protect yourself and your children as much as possible. Vaccinating your child is the best way to reduce their risk of serious illness. Help protect your children from COVID-19 and get them vaccinated today: https://bit.ly/3yOH65B

· It’s extremely important to continue practicing other protective measures such as hand washing, avoiding touching your face, staying home when ill and masking for 10 days after being symptomatic or after close contact with a person with COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms to help protect yourself and others from viruses that are circulating.

Registration for St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre will take place January 16-19, 2023

Registration for St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre for the 2023-24 school year (Kindergarten to Grade 8) will take place Monday, January 16 to Thursday, January 19, 2023.

St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre is an authorized International Baccalaureate (I.B.) World School which offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) and provides learning opportunities with a global focus for students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. IB programmes aim to develop resilient, self-motivated young people who have the knowledge, skills, and sense of purpose they need to thrive throughout their lives and contribute to making the world a better place.

St. James C.G.L.C. is a regional elementary school open to all DPCDSB Catholic students and is located in southeast Mississauga. Please note that student transportation is not provided for this regional school.

St. James C.G.L.C. does not offer online registration. The registration process is outlined on the registration section of the school website. The completed registration form(s) and supporting documentation can be sent by email to St.JamesInfo@dpcdsb.org. In the event the number of applications exceeds the number of allotted spaces, complete applications received by the due date will be subject to the random selection process. To be included in the random selection process, registrations must be received by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

Admissions are open to Catholic children and children of Catholic parents. Kindergarten students must be at least four (4) years of age by December 31, 2023. If applying to the DPCDSB for the first time, it is recommended that the child first be register at their home school.

For more information, parents/guardians are encouraged to access the school website or contact the school office at 905-891-7619 or St.JamesInfo@dpcdsb.org.

Kindergarten Registration for the 2023-24 school year begins January 9
Parents/Guardians can register students online at dpcdsb.org

Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year at Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) schools will take place Monday, January 9 to Friday, January 13, 2023. 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, 2023.

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.

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.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 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 2023. 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 the Catholic Education Centre in Mississauga from

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Parents/guardians are asked to register online for this event by Monday, January 16, 2023.

WHAT: Information Session to Support Entry Planning and Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into the DPCDSB for September 2023

WHERE: Catholic Education Centre (CEC), Room 301

40 Matheson Blvd. W. Mississauga

WHEN: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

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.

Declutter your home of old and unwanted electronics and #DontTrashTech! Millions of pounds of electronic waste go to landfills each year when they could be recycled. Electronics often contain toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, and mercury. When you throw your electronics away, these dangerous chemicals end up in landfills and poison our environment.

EcoSchools Canada, Staples Canada and eCycle Solutions are running a campaign to give you a free, convenient and secure way to recycle your unwanted electronics.

Our community is invited to bring unwanted electronics to the nearest Staples store between January 9-20, 2023 for FREE secure recycling. Visit the contest page for full details, including contest rules and regulations, prizes, and an FAQ. https://ecoschools.ca/donttrashtech/ontario/

How does this work?

1.Collect your unwanted electronics from your friends, family and school community.

2. Bring all items to your nearest Staples Store in Ontario between January 9-20, 2023 and take a picture of your e-waste haul!

3.Register your entries for the #DontTrashTech School Challenge to win some great prizes. Submit your entries via the form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSct69ccjYV6XSav_EaBp1jIifRJltJyB5v2n3jA4C8BxtUMlw/viewform

Win some great prizes for yourself or the school!

Build your math skills and confidence with a personalized math coach. Tutors are available online Mondays-Fridays from 9am to 9pm ET and Sundays from 3:00pm to 9pm ET.

https://www.tvomathify.com/students

Wet, Windy, Wintery Weather is upon us! Students are asked to have a pair of indoor shoes that can be kept at school, along with an extra pair of gloves, mitts, or other winter apparel. An extra set of clothing goes a long way, especially in the primary division. Please also consider labeling your child(s) clothing so that we can return any lost items to them.

At school, we will continue to encourage students to bundle up and we also will continue to provide reminders of snow etiquette in play. Please support our efforts, reminding your children at home that snowball throwing is not permitted. We also ask students to stay off icy areas and to report them, in order to prevent unnecessary injuries. Our messaging to students and in the name of kindness is that any snow structures (snow figures or fort) made by their peers are to be respected and students should refrain from intentionally breaking them. As such, we appreciate your support in reinforcing this message.

1. It is important when you are dropping off your child in the morning that you enter the Kiss & Ride lane and proceed to the end of the lane before allowing your child to get out of the car.

2. Students must exit from the right hand side of the car (closest to the school) and parents should remain in the car. Parents may then proceed to exit.

3. If you need to walk your child, you must park in a parking spot at the front of the school or in the church parking lot. Please do NOT park in the drive through lane, the kiss & ride lane or the kindergarten pick up and drop off parking spots as moving traffic is dangerous to children in these locations.

4. If walking your child to school in the morning or picking them up at the end of the day, parents are asked to remain either behind the fence by the church parking lot, on the path closest to the school, or on the perimeter of the school pavement. This is for your child’s safety, as teachers on duty cannot distinguish parents from “strangers” in the yard.

5. Kindergarten students are released hand to hand. Those parents may park in the kindergarten pick up and drop off parking spots.

6. Only bus/daycare students exit at the end of the day through the front doors.

Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR) has established a new “weather zone” procedure for the purposes of monitoring and communicating school bus cancellations on inclement weather days.

School Bus cancellation options now include Zone 1, Zone 2, and/or Zone 3.

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 www.stopr.ca and the STOPR twitter account @STOPRinfo by 06:00 am each morning.

We also encourage all parents to log into the STOPR website www.stopr.ca and click on the “Inclement Weather” tab to review the STOPR weather zone map and all inclement weather procedures.