Divine Mercy Messenger

Principal: S. Viola

Administrative Assistant: R. Panousis

Superintendent of Mississauga West: Peter Cusumano

Catholic School Council Co-chairs 2025-2026: Deanna Catania and Vivian Correa-Pinto

Parish- Merciful Redeemer Pastor: Rev. James (Seamus) Hogan, Associate Pastors: Rev. John Sutka and Rev. Adam Pantaleo

Parish Number 905.812.0030 Parish E-mail: https://mercifulredeemermi.archtoronto.org/

Email: divinemercyinfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: https://www.dpcdsb.org/DMRCY
Location: 2840 Duncairn Dr, Mississauga L5M 5C6
Phone: 905-812-5445
Twitter: @DivineMercyDP

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.)

Now that Term 1 is complete, we continue to witness growth in your child’s learning as the school year progresses. We eagerly anticipate Term 2, where students will be encouraged to continue striving to be their best. We sincerely thank you for your ongoing cooperation, commitment, and support in your child's education. A well-rounded education relies on a positive, trusting relationship between the school and family, and we are proud of the strong community we have here at Divine Mercy School.

In February, we will focus on Black History Month, taking time to learn about and honor the many contributions made by Black Canadians throughout our nation’s history. We recognize that Black history is an integral part of Canadian history, and we look forward to the enriching learning opportunities this month will bring as we celebrate the achievements of many Canadian trailblazers.

The week of February 9th to 13th will be a busy one, as we will be hosting our second Book Fair of the year, along with parent interviews. On Monday, February 16th, we will celebrate Family Day. We hope you enjoy a long weekend with your loved ones. Please note that there will be no school on this day. In addition, on February 17th, we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, and our Grade 8 students, along with parent volunteers, will be serving pancakes to the students. February 18th marks the beginning of Lent, which we will observe with Father John as each child receives ashes.

As always, we are grateful for the partnership we share with you and look forward to the continued growth, learning, and faith development of our students in the months ahead.

Peace and Many Blessings,

S. Viola

On February 18th, we begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. These Forty Days are a time of preparation for Easter and a time to open our hearts and allow the light of Christ to shine through. As we mark the beginning of this special part of the Church calendar, we are encouraged to make that extra effort to show others how much we care for them. Lent provides us with a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to make our own ‘sacrifices’ and to do for others in order to strengthen our bond with God through a deeper understanding of His love for us.

• I love God, myself and my family
• I care about and respect my ‘family’ at school, at Church, in the community, and the world
• I care about and respect God’s creation and everything in it

Because I care, I pray for all my families, and I will live my life like Jesus.

During the month of February, we will focus on the virtue of Respect. God wants us to treat 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’

Co-chair: Deanna Catania

Co-chair: Vivian Correa-Pinto

Secretary: Johnson Lai

Treasurer: Michelle Ferreira

Parish Representative: Jessica Clayton

OAPCE Representative: Elaine Dantas

Teacher Representative: Laura Harper

Non-classroom Member: Marisa Brasil

Principal: Sandra Viola

Voting members: Dorislyn Fernandes, Lisa Bitonti-Bengert, Angela Trewartha, Katrina Vieira Reis, Jonathan Walker, Quynh Walker, Rossana Asencios

Our next Catholic School Council Meeting will be on Monday, February 23rd @ 5:30 pm. Join us in person or virtually. A link will be sent closer to our meeting.

Mark your calendars! The fun and excitement of our second Divine Mercy Scholastic Book Fair is coming!

Preview days for classes, where students make their wish lists, will officially begin on Monday, February 9th. Students will have the opportunity to purchase books during their designated class time slot on Wednesday February 11th or Thursday February 12th. Flyers and further information will be coming soon.

Parents and Guardians please join us for our Book Fair Family Event on Thursday February 12th during parent-teacher interviews. The book fair will also be open on Friday February 13th during morning interviews until 11:00am.

This will be another excellent opportunity to read new books and support our school!

Any parents or guardians with an up-to-date Criminal Reference Check available to assist with the book fair please contact Mrs. Piekny.

Thank you in advance for your support!

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. 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 Black Canadians who have made a significant contribution to our country. Also, stay tuned for more information about our Black History Museum.

“We must open the doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through."

- Rosemary Brown

On February 10th, our grades 4-8 students will have a very interactive drum presentation titled "Black Canadian Heroes" which chronicles the lives and times of Canadians of African descent. Our FDK-grade 3 classes will be involved in developmental drumming lessons.

We will be celebrating National Sweater Day this Thursday, February 5th! Students are encouraged to wear their coziest sweater to school as we turn the heat down a little and learn how saving energy helps protect our planet.

Wearing a sweater is a simple way to stay warm while making a positive choice for the environment. Let’s stay cozy, think green, and do our part to care for the Earth!

Thank you for your support of this initiative!

Children will go outside for recess and lunch hour, weather and conditions of schoolyard permitting. On extremely cold days we limit the amount of time students spend outdoors. Children will be kept in at recess if the wind chill equivalent temperature is minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower. This is in accordance with the policy of the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board. Children should come to school with boots, winter coats, scarves, hats, and mittens/gloves. Also, the safety of students supercedes everything. If the conditions of the field and pavement are extremely icy, limiting safe play areas and increasing possibility of student slips and falls, they will remain inside.

In addition, to keep their classrooms clean and safe, please ensure that your child has a pair of hard-soled, indoor shoes at school. This will assist our custodial staff in keeping our school clean. Slippers are not recommended due to the possibility of immediate evacuation.

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.

STOPR has established a procedure specific to inclement weather circumstances, to assess weather forecasts, current road, and weather conditions and, where appropriate, recommend school bus service cancellation and/or school closure to senior administration at each school board. Click on the following buttons to read more about STOPR's weather policies.

We kindly ask parents to continue supporting their children in their morning routines to ensure they arrive at school on time. We’ve noticed a significant number of lates, and we encourage families to explore strategies that may help, such as setting alarm clocks, creating checklists, or aiming to leave 10 minutes earlier. While we understand that occasional hiccups happen, it’s important to remember that frequent lateness means students are missing valuable instructional time and are not able to settle in before lessons begin. Your efforts in helping your child develop a consistent routine are greatly appreciated!

Thank you to all the staff that continue to dedicate their time and commitment to allow for many additional learning opportunities outside the classroom. Activities that are already underway or soon to be underway include:

• Intermediate girls soccer
• Grades 1-4 Intramural soccer club
• Well-being and health leaders/ representatives-Intermediates
• Primary/ Junior Games/lego club
• Grade 3 and 4 French club
• Grades 1-8 Beyblade club
• Intermediate Homework club
• Grade 4-8 Dance Team
• Grade 3 drawing club
• Choir
• Office helpers and washroom/hall monitors- grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 leaders
• Library helpers

Many parents were sent information in November to gain access to the Parent Portal in order to receive your child's Progress Report. Going forward, this will be the method of Report Card delivery and other important documents that need to be accessed, including Term 1 and Term 2 Report Cards. It's important that parents sign up for this. A list of parents not yet signed up was sent to our ICT department. You should have been re-sent the instructions to set up your account.

On Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th teachers will be available for term 1 interviews. Forms will be sent home today with students with a link and QR code to book interviews.

Monday, February 2nd- Groundhog Day/ Term 2 has begun

Tuesday, February 10th-Reports are uploaded to Parent Portal/ Grades K-8 Drumming/ PM only- SK and Grade 8 graduation Photo retakes

Thursday February 12th- Interview Evening

Friday, February 13th- PA day for interviews

Monday, February 16th- Family Day/ NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, February 17th- Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday, February 18th- Lent begins/ Lenten Mass

Monday, February 23rd- Catholic School Council Meeting

Wednesday, February 25th- Wear PINK