Trustees: L. del Rosario and T. Thomas

Superintendent: L. Odo

Principal: N. Laporte

Head Secretary: L. Magi

Email: VeronInfo@dpcdsb.org

Website: dpcdsb.org

Location: 680 Novo Star Dr., Mississauga, ON L5W 1C7
Phone: 905-696-6980

God of Hope,

You sent Jesus, the light of the world.

As we light our Advent candles,

one by one,

one week at a time,

May we rekindle within ourselves, the desire to make peace for Him.

May the flame of His presence grow brighter and brighter

in our hearts,

in our school,

and in our world.

May the God of Hope fill us with joy and peace this Christmas

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The season of Advent is a time of expectation, waiting, kindness, compassion and hope. We strive to prepare our hearts and our lives as we wait in great anticipation for the coming of Jesus. The birth of Jesus signifies a new beginning that heralds new hopes, dreams that light up our lives, and give it new meaning. Here at St. Veronica, we emphasize the implications of the birth of our Saviour through our Christian actions. We continue to foster a safe, caring, inclusive healthy environment where students can grow and learn.

We ensure that Advent is a time where we emphasize charity and social justice. It is a time to prepare the way, to make God real each and every day through prayer, charity and social justice. We will again answer the call to serve when we work with Canadian Food for Children Toiletry Drive and our school community Advent Giving Tree. We will travel through the Advent season in song, dance and prayer during our Advent Mass, primary Christmas concert, and our Family Christmas Night. Students and staff will also have the opportunity to share in a Christmas lunch together on December 3.

During the season of Advent, may God bless you and inspire you to prepare yourself and your children for the ongoing incarnation of the Divine in our midst.

We pray that you will be blessed with the spirit and gifts of the first Christmas—peace, love and goodwill toward all. May the promise of Christmas help to show God’s boundless love and may you be blessed with good health, joy and happiness throughout the New Year!

St. Veronica would like to congratulate Trustee Luz del Rosario on her re-election as chair of the Board and Trustee Thomas Thomas for his re-election to vice-chair of the board.

We look forward to the leadership and support they provide.

Please see below for their newsletter.

We want to give a huge shout out to our Catholic School Council for organizing and paying for the cookies and hot chocolate that will be served at the St. Veronica Family Christmas Night. A special thank you to the volunteers for their time and effort in serving the treats to families.

The next school council meeting will take place on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

December 1 - Advent begins

December 2 - St. Veronica Family Christmas Night

December 2 - 6 - Advent Giving Tree (gift cards)

December 2 - 20 - Toiletry Drive

December 3 - Christmas Lunch

December 4 - Lockdown Drill

December 5 - Intermediate Girls' Volleyball Family Tournament

December 10 - Advent Mass

December 13 - Primary Christmas Concert

December 16 - 20 - Spirit Week

December 17 - Rosary Apostolate visit

December 20 - Last day of classes before break

Mass Schedule

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 pm

Sunday Mass: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm

Daily Masses

Monday to Friday Mass 8:00 am, 7:00 pm

Saturday Mass 7:30 am

Email: stfrancisxaviermi@archtoronto.org
Website: https://stfrancisxaviermi.archtoronto.org/en/
Location: 5650 Mavis Road, Mississauga, ON L5V 2N6
Phone: 905-890-5290

If you are new to the community, you are encouraged to register with the Parish.

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year. The four weeks of Advent lead up to the celebration of Christmas. Advent’s familiar sights and sounds stir in us a readiness to receive our Saviour, while sharpening our sense of the world’s need for redemption and of the great mystery of God becoming human for us. Advent is a Latin word meaning the coming. The season of Advent is a time to prepare to celebrate the three comings of Christ: his lowly birth in the past, his mysterious coming to the world in the present, and his promised return in Glory at the end of time.

Advent is a special time of waiting. Since the latter half of the 6th century, Christians have set aside the four weeks before Christmas to remember and to celebrate that Jesus Christ is the one who comes. It is a time to celebrate light in the midst of darkness. Traditional symbols and customs help us to celebrate this special time of waiting.

St. Francis Xavier Parish invites you to the church on Sunday, December 1 at 5:00 pm for an outdoor tree lighting and caroling event. The evening will conclude with fellowship from the church.

All are welcome to attend.

Please see below for further events planned at the church.

We will be celebrating our Advent Mass on Tuesday, December 10 at 10:30 am in our school gym. All are welcome to attend.

Do you have a child who needs to receive the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion or Confirmation? Please visit the parish website or contact the parish office for more information.

God helps us to keep on working for a more peaceful world even when we feel discouraged.

A hopeful person is …

• inspired and inspires others
• always counts on God to help them through tough situations
• trusts that things will work out in God's way
• one who sees the good in the world

God has given us this Advent season to focus our minds and hearts on the good all around us. We believe that God created the world and all of us in it to be good. However, sometimes bad things happen to us that we cannot explain. During these times, we tend to get mad at God for putting us through so much pain. We may get discouraged and forget that God is always with us to help. When you feel sad and alone, remember to never lose HOPE, pray to Jesus and things will get better.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)

I have a voice!

• I speak, write and listen as Jesus would want me to
• I care about others and speak up for them
• I am honest
• I think carefully before I react or speak
• I respect all people and their languages
• I listen to the Word of God

Because I have a voice, I will use it lovingly, and I will live my life like Jesus.

Our annual Christmas drive to support Canadian Food for Children begins December 2. Help us spread the joy of Christmas and fill our boxes with toiletry items. Our toiletry drive will run from December 2 to December 20. All items go to support Canadian Food for Children.

Please find below a list of the most commonly needed items.

• toothpaste
• toothbrushes
• bath soap
• shaving kits and cream
• body lotions
• deodorant
• shampoo and conditioners

As we enter the Lenten season, let us reflect on how we can provide for others and treat each person with love and dignity. Please know that every item you bring will make a significant difference in the lives served by the Canadian Food for Children. The donations not only provide material support but also instill hope and dignity in those facing adversity.

We are celebrating the Christmas season with the St. Veronica community on Monday, December 2 with our Family Christmas Night. Families will be decorating gingerbread houses and taking photos with Santa.

There are still some spots left. Please contact the office should you wish to join us that evening.

A huge thank you to our Catholic School Council for providing the cookies and hot chocolate.

See you there!

We are delighted to be hosting a primary Christmas concert for families to attend. Students from kindergarten to grade 3 have been busy practicing and are excited for families to see their performances.

The concert will happen for families on Friday, December 13 at 1:00 pm. Due to the large number of families, we will be having two full concerts on that day - one for students in the morning and one for families in the afternoon. Please note all students will be watching the morning performance, and to ensure that we have enough seating, students will not be able to watch the afternoon performance.

Our Catholic School Council will be selling fresh popped popcorn for $2 prior to both performances.

Each school in Ontario is required to conduct two lockdown drills per school year.

During a lockdown, all students and staff take refuge in a secure location. Lockdowns are initiated when it is unsafe to evacuate the building. We will be conducting our first lockdown drill on Wednesday, December 4 at 1:00 pm.

Teachers will be assuring their children that this is strictly a practice. Please be assured that we always have the safety of our children as our first concern.

We are so grateful to have intramural sports up and running at St. Veronica. Junior teams are currently playing and learning about volleyball during lunch recess. At the same time, they are learning about being true team players as well as demonstrating the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations of being a collaborative contributor and a caring family member.

Thank you to Mr. Romen for organizing all of the students and teams. A special thank you to the intermediate students who have given up their time to help support the junior students.

The last two months our intermediate volleyball teams have been practicing hard to prepare for their POD tournaments and after a ton of hard work and perseverance, both teams were successful!

Our girls team faced off four strong teams and were undefeated in every game. They are moving onto the family finals on December 5. We are so proud of them!

The boys are also moving on to the family finals on December 2 after participating in the POD tournament. They faced many challenges but came out on top!

As Catholic School Graduates, we encourage our athletes to embrace the excitement, challenges, setbacks and successes of competing against peers within our school communities. Both our teams represented St. Veronica beautifully by showing commitment, respect and sportsmanship while visiting neighboring schools and competing against peers. We are so incredibly proud of you all!

Thank you to coaches Jones and Savva-Nunes for preparing the teams for play.

This club is for students who want to learn to crochet and socialize with other yarn lovers. Students will learn the basics of crochet and hopefully be able to make some items including hats, mittens, scarves etc.

A special thank you to Mrs. Rodrigues, Mrs. Occhiuto and Mrs. Adebajo for organizing this artistic team.

Students participated in Waste Reduction Workshops presented by EcoSource from the Peel Region. Students learned about the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Our ECO team will begin taking class surveys to determine if students are sorting their garbage and recycling items into the correct bins.

Stay tuned for more details on our Christmas Spirit Week (December 16-20)!

Our last day of classes before the Christmas Break is Friday, December 20, 2024.

Classes resume Monday, January 6, 2025.

We wish everyone a safe and restful Christmas!

Are you looking for ways to engage your family in math activities at home? Connect learning between school and home with the Board's Math@Home newsletters.

This month the focus is on coding. Have fun trying out the suggested coding activities at home.

Kindergarten registration for the 2025-26 school year at Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) schools is now open. 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, 2025.

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.

Please see the link below for the Thrive Newsletter for December.

Please the following message from Peel Public Health.

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 local COVID Cough and Cold Flu Clinic.

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

• Call your primary care provider
• 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)

• Use the online symptom checker at o 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.

Free flu shots are now available across Peel. You can get a flu shot at:

• Family doctors' offices and walk-in clinics for adults and children over 6 months of age
• Participating pharmacies for adults and children 2 years or older
• If you don't have a health card you can get the flu shot from a community health centre or local pharmacy.

Did you know? In Canada, over 2 million school days are lost every year due to visits to the dentist or dental sick days.

Untreated cavities may lead to pain, infection, difficulty eating and difficulty concentrating.

Regular dental visits starting by one year of age can prevent cavities, gum disease, and help keep teeth healthy.

The Ontario Government offers FREE programs for regular and emergency dental care for children 0-17 years of age who qualify.

For more information, visit peelregion.ca/dental.

As we approach the winter months and the potential of weather-related bus cancellations and school closures, we provide the following information.

Bus Cancellations

During the winter months, inclement weather and/or poor road conditions may cause the disruption of bus transportation.

If buses are cancelled in zone 1, St. Veronica CES will remain open to students and staff.

There is no distribution of learning devices in anticipation of inclement weather-related bus cancellations.

While students unable to attend in person due to transportation cancellations are not required to access learning materials in the Learning Management System (LMS), they can if they choose to. Learning activities posted in the LMS specifically for inclement weather days provide opportunities for consolidation, curriculum enrichment or practice of skills already taught.

It is acknowledged that teachers will be supporting in-person students and therefore may have limited availability to support students not in attendance.

For students unable to attend in person, no remote access to the classroom will take place. Learning for students will be self-directed. Please be assured that teachers have been advised not to introduce new concepts on days in which buses have been cancelled. As always, parents/guardians can contact their child's teacher if they have any questions or require support.

Full System Closure

If there is a full system closure, where all DPCDSB schools and facilities are closed to students and staff, there is no switch to synchronous learning for the day.

Similar to bus cancellation days, students can access learning activities posted in the Google Classroom specifically for inclement weather days that provide opportunities for consolidation, curriculum enrichment or practice of skills already taught.

As always, parents/guardians can contact their child's teacher if they have any questions or require support.

Daily attendance and punctuality are very important and all students should be prepared to start their day of learning on time and with their classmates.

Thank you to all parents who have been calling the school and using the Safe Arrival website or app when your child has been absent due to an illness or an appointment.

To use the Safe Arrival School Messenger program, use the link provided below or you can down load and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Please note that SafeArrival uses the SchoolMessenger app.

Alternatively, you can call the toll-free number 1-844-435-3440. Listen to and follow the instructions to report an absence.

St. Veronica is an allergen aware school. We have a number of students in our school who have severe allergic life-threatening reactions to peanut butter, peanut oils, any peanut/nut by-products, dairy products and several others. As in the past, we are asking you to not put any child at risk, therefore, requesting that peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oils, any peanut/nut by-products not be brought into the school. We ask that you read the labels of all food items sent to school. A letter was sent home in September which addressed the allergens for each particular class.

We are asking parents not to send food items to school when celebrating your child's birthday and consider an alternative such as pencils, stickers, etc. We thank you for your continued understanding.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that all medication and forms are updated annually. If your child requires medication, please have all pertinent forms completed and returned to the office as soon as possible. Please see the office or link below for the necessary form to be filled out, especially if meds changed.

JK/SK medications are stored in the classroom.

Students in grades 1 - 8 are required to carry their own medication in a fanny pack. If you wish to submit additional medication to the office, please send it as soon as possible.

Please ensure your child is sent to school with his/her medication.

The days are getting colder and it appears that winter has arrived. We ask that students dress appropriately with coats, hats, gloves, mitts, boots, snow pants etc. If they are dressed warmly, they are better prepared to participate in outdoor activities during recess and the lunch hour.

For health reasons and to help 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 their boots on. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Often during the winter season we have students, for various of reasons, coming to the office with wet clothes from playing outside during recess. We recommend, for the younger students, that you place an extra pair of pants, a shirt and socks in their backpacks. This would help to avoid bothering parents at work when these situations occur.

It is also recommended that students bring appropriate snow gear to school during these winter months (snowsuits, boots, gloves, mitts). Students are also encouraged to have waterproof mitts/gloves or else an extra pair should they become wet. Please ensure all items are labelled with your child's name. Thank you for your support!

When the cold months arrive and snow and ice on the ground is plentiful, we all like to play in it and with it. Throwing snowballs and sliding on the ice is fun. However, as much fun as it is, snow and ice, can be very dangerous when lots of people are in a small area. In order for our school to be as safe as possible, the school rule must be that snow and ice stays on the ground.

There will be no snowballs, kicking snow or any other activity with snow or ice that could be harmful.

During the winter season, the school receives calls from concerned parents as to how we determine when children will or will not be allowed outside for recess. On extremely cold days, we limit the amount of time that students spend out of doors. We obtain our weather information from the Environment Canada Weather Information Line and follow School Board guidelines.

Board Guidelines indicate that students will generally be outside for lunch and recess when temperatures do not fall below –25 degrees Celsius, with the wind chill. With the exception of these occasions, all children will go out for recess and the lunch break. We remind all students to dress appropriately for the weather.