St. Gregory Weekly Gazette

SCHOOL INFORMATION

Principal: N. Foster

Vice Principal: O.Holyk

Office Manager: L. Carpeneto

Council Chair: J. Charles-Fedee

Superintendent: P. Cusumano

Trustee: L. del Rosario

SCHOOL HOURS

Start: 9:00

Recess: 11:06-11:21

Lunch: 12:01-1:01

Recess: 2:24-2:39

Dismissal: 3:30

Email us at: St.GregoryInfo@dpcdsb.org

Website: https://grego.dpcdsb.org/

PARISH

St. Joseph Catholic Church

5440 Durie Rd.

Mississauga, ON

L5M 2J5

Tel: 905-826-2766

Fax: 905-542-7052

Pastor: Fr. Paul Dobson

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of each person in our school community. Help us to be kind, caring, and understanding. Open our hearts to see when others are feeling sad, worried, or left out. Teach us to listen with compassion, offer help when it is needed, and treat everyone with dignity and respect.

May we follow the example of Jesus by showing love, kindness, and empathy in our words and actions each day. Help us build a welcoming school where everyone feels valued, included, and loved.

Amen.

Tuesday October 20 - Cross Country Board Meet

Wednesday Oct. 21 - Jr. Boys V-ball Family tournament

Thursday Oct. 22 - Jr. Girls V-ball Family tournament

Monday October 26 - PA Day (no school)

Wednesday October 28 - Rosary Apostolate Visit

Friday October 30 - Halloween Dance (costume or orange/black clothing)

We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of our Cross Country runners on an outstanding season! Your hard work, perseverance, and dedication were evident throughout every race. A special congratulations goes out to the athletes who qualified for and represented St. Gregory at the Board Family Meet. We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and the sportsmanship you demonstrated along the way.

We would also like to congratulate our Junior Boys and Junior Girls Volleyball Teams for their commitment, teamwork, and school spirit throughout the season. Thank you for representing St. Gregory with determination, respect, and pride both on and off the court.

A sincere thank you to our coaches for sharing their time, energy, and expertise with our student athletes. Your dedication helps create meaningful opportunities for our students to grow in confidence, skill, and teamwork.

Go Grizzlies!

Report cards will be available Nov. 17th, online through the parent portal. To view your child's report card, please log in using the secure link provided.

https://www.dpcdsb.org/parent-hub/parent-and-student-portal

If you experience any difficulties accessing the portal, please contact the school office for assistance. We encourage families to take time to review the report card together and celebrate your child's growth, accomplishments, and next steps in learning.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting student success.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our YFAs, students, and families who generously supported our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Your kindness and generosity will help provide food and comfort to families in our community who may be facing challenges this Thanksgiving season.

The incredible response from our school community is a true reflection of our Catholic values of compassion, service, and caring for one another. Through your donations, we have shown what it means to live our faith in action and make a difference in the lives of others.

Thank you for helping us share God's love and blessings with those in need. We are grateful for your continued support and commitment to serving our community.

Get ready for intramural volleyball at St. Gregory! Students who sign up will be divided into teams and compete in a series of fun and friendly volleyball matches during the last recess.

The games will begin the week of November 9 and will run for about four weeks. Once teams have been created, a schedule will be posted for all participants.

Students must wear appropriate gym clothing, including running shoes and athletic shorts or pants, in order to play. Permission forms will be sent home soon.

Go Grizzlies!

As a Catholic school community, we strive to foster an environment where all students demonstrate respect, responsibility, and care for the gifts God has provided us. Recently, we have observed several concerning behaviours in our student washrooms that require immediate attention.

These behaviours include:

• Urinating on the floor or outside of toilets and urinals;
• Bringing food, including pizza and other items, into the washrooms and leaving it on the floor;
• Tampering with urinals and plumbing fixtures, including adjusting water pressure and intentionally misusing equipment.

These actions create unsanitary conditions, increase maintenance costs, and impact the comfort and safety of all students who use these facilities.

We are asking for your support in speaking with your child about the importance of using school washrooms appropriately and respectfully. Students should understand that washrooms are shared spaces that must be kept clean and functional for everyone. Deliberate misuse of school property is inconsistent with our Catholic values of stewardship, respect for others, and personal responsibility.

Please remind your child that:

• Washrooms are to be used for their intended purpose only.
• Food and beverages should never be brought into washrooms.
• School property and fixtures must not be tampered with or damaged.

• Students are expected to leave washrooms clean and report any concerns to a staff member.

While we hope that parental support and student reflection will resolve these concerns, students who engage in vandalism, tamper with school property, create unsanitary conditions, or repeatedly disregard school expectations will be subject to progressive discipline. Parents may be contacted, students may be required to participate in restorative actions, and further consequences, including suspension, may be considered where warranted.

We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing these expectations at home. By working together, we can help maintain a safe, clean, and respectful environment for all members of our school community.

Thank you for your continued support.

First Holy Communion and Confirmation Information from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

Information & Parent Registration Night Sept. 15, 2026 (Tuesday 7:00pm)

FHC In-Person Program: Sessions 1, 2 & 3

St. Gregory & St. Raymond - Thursday (5:30pm-7:30pm)

November 05, 2026

November 12, 2026

November 19, 2026

First Holy Communion Mass #2: St. Gregory & St. Herbert April 24, 2027

(Saturday 11:00am-12:00pm)

Confirmation Information & Parent Registration Night

Sept. 22, 2026 (Tuesday 7:00pm)

Confirmation Take-Home Program - Sessions 1, 2 & 3:

St. Gregory & St. Herbert Tuesday (5:30pm-7:30pm)

November 10, 2026

November 17, 2026

November 24, 2026

Confirmation Retreat 2:

St. Gregory & St. Herbert March 31, 2027 (Wednesday 9:30am-1:00pm)

Confirmation Rite 2:

St. Gregory May 04, 2027 (Tuesday 7:30pm-8:30pm)

As part of our commitment to fostering safe, inclusive, and Catholic learning environments, we are reminding all students and parent(s)/caregiver(s) that the use of discriminatory language or any language rooted in hate or racism is not permitted at school. Any use of such language will be addressed promptly and appropriately to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and community members.

We ask parent(s)/caregiver(s) to support this expectation by having age-appropriate conversations with their children about the importance of using respectful language and understanding the harm caused by discriminatory words. Together, we can continue to build a community grounded in human dignity, compassion, and the values of our Catholic Social Teachings.

At St. Gregory Catholic School, we are committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all students. As part of this commitment, a new DPCDSB Criminal Reference Check and Volunteer Policy has been implemented for all community members wishing to volunteer within the school.

A copy of the digital Criminal Reference Check Renewal Form has been emailed to all St. Gregory families. Please note that any parent, guardian, or community member wishing to volunteer for school trips, participate in school events, or support students in any volunteer capacity must have a current Criminal Reference Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening completed and on file with the school.

We encourage families interested in volunteering to complete this process as soon as possible. We greatly appreciate the support of our volunteers and look forward to working together to continue enriching the educational experiences of our students.

We are excited to announce our St. Gregory Cookie Fundraiser! Proceeds from this campaign will help support enriching student experiences and activities throughout the school year.

Students who participate will receive a delicious Terra Cotta Cookie manufactured in an all nut and peanut-free environment delivered directly to their classroom for only $10.00. SchoolCash opens on October 13th.

• Friday, November 6 – Funfetti Delite

• Friday, November 13 – Chocolate Chip Delite

• Friday, November 20 – Vanilla Snowman

• Thursday, November 26 – Fudge Chip Delite

• Friday, December 4 – Chocolate Chip Delite

This is a two-step process.

Please go to the following website to register the parent/guardian:

https://www.dpcdsb.org/parents/school-cash-online

You will then receive an email to continue the process to register your child(ren).

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON “enable emails” so that you will be notified when class trips, events or food items become available to purchase.

Entry:

• Supervision begins at 8:45 AM.
• Please do not drop off students before this time.
• Staff will be supervising in the yard and at Kiss and Ride starting at 8:45 AM.

Dismissal:

• Students are dismissed at 3:30 PM at the gate.

Kiss and Ride Pickup:

• Your child will wait at the front of the school.
• Staff will guide your child to your vehicle.
• Stay in your vehicle at all times and follow staff directions as you drive up.

Walking Home:

• Do not cross through the Kiss and Ride area.
• Do not enter the school yard.
• Parents must wait at the gate or on the path.

Kiss and Ride Guidelines

To ensure the safety of all students, please follow these important procedures when using the Kiss and Ride area:

• Drive slowly and cautiously at all times while on school property.
• The curbside lane is reserved for buses only. Please use the middle lane for Kiss and Ride.
• Pull forward to the furthest point near the front doors before allowing your child to exit.
• Children must exit the vehicle from the right-hand side only.
• Once your child has safely exited, continue driving to the end of the Kiss and Ride lane and merge carefully into the Drive-Thru lane.
• Do not park in the Kiss and Ride lane. If you need to enter the school, please park in the school lot or on the street.
• For safety reasons, do not walk through the Kiss and Ride lane.

Attendance and Safe Arrival Procedures

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential for student success. When students arrive late, they miss valuable learning time and daily routines.

We understand that there may be times when your child needs to be absent. To help us ensure student safety and streamline attendance reporting, please use the SafeArrival system to report all absences.

You can report your child’s absence in any of the following ways:

• SchoolMessenger App
• SchoolMessenger Website: go.schoolmessenger.ca
• Toll-Free Number: 1-844-435-3440

SafeArrival is part of the SchoolMessenger platform and helps school staff follow up on unexplained absences. It also allows parents and guardians to notify the school in advance of any planned absences.

Thank you for helping us keep our students safe and accounted for each day.