Courageous Cougars Family Monthly

St. Clare Catholic Elementary School

Principal: Sonia Correia

Head Secretary: Elena Iannicca

Superintendent: Drago Radic

4140 Glen Erin Drive

Mississauga, ON L5L 2Z3

Phone: 905.820.2227 Email: St.ClareInfo@dpcdsb.org

Website: https://www3.dpcdsb.org/CLARE

Twitter/X: @StClareDP

Instagram: @stclaredp

Soft Entry: 8:15-8:30 am

School Begins: 8:30am

Recess: 10:35am - 10:50am

Lunch: 11:30am - 12:30pm

Recess: 1:55pm - 2:10pm

Dismissal: 3:00pm

Happy New Year!

Dear St. Clare School Community,

I hope this letter finds you well as we kick off the new year at St. Clare Catholic Elementary School!

Before we look ahead, let’s take a moment to celebrate the incredible things that happened in December!

Our intermediate boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams worked incredibly hard and made us proud with their dedication and sportsmanship. A special congratulations to our intermediate girls’ team for finishing first in the tournament. What an achievement!

We also enjoyed an unforgettable “Christmas to Remember” celebration. The performances by our students was nothing short of spectacular, showcasing their incredible talent. Thanks to all our staff members for their hard work and dedication, especially Ms. Farris, Ms. Gillis, and Ms. Bianchi who were the creative team behind the production.

Our Advent Mass was a beautiful and meaningful way to prepare our hearts for the season. We thank Father Ed for leading the mass and for joining us at the school.

Spirit Week brought joy and excitement to our halls with enthusiastic participation.

As we move forward into 2026, I want to emphasize the importance of fostering a positive school culture.

St. Clare Catholic School prides itself on its welcoming and inclusive community, and it is my goal to continue nurturing this environment with a lens on our Gospel values this coming year. Proactive and preventative measures are essential to promote appropriate behaviours that align with our Catholic School Graduate Expectations and sustain a safe, caring and inclusive Catholic School community.

Let us embrace the new year with optimism, faith, and a commitment to fostering a nurturing environment where each child can thrive.

Please note: Our CSC meeting scheduled for Monday, January 26th, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Once a new date is confirmed, I’ll will share it with the school community. Thank you for your understanding.

Blessings,
Sonia Correia
Principal
St. Clare Catholic Elementary School

It’s cold and flu season!

Keep sick kids at home before and after the break. Children may return to school and childcare after they have no fever and symptoms have improved for 24 hours (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea). If experiencing severe symptoms like chest pain or difficulty breathing, visit the nearest emergency department.

If you have general questions, or are unsure where to access care, call Health Connect Ontario (formerly Telehealth) at 811, available 24/7 in multiple languages, speak to your family doctor, or access these resources available to everyone, including individuals without an Ontario health card.

• Regional Virtual Urgent Care Program: regional-virtual-urgentcare.ca/
• Pediatric Care Clinic: summervillefht.com/displayPage.php?page=Pediatric
• Chat online with a nurse, 24/7: health811.ontario.ca/static/guest/home
• Practice good hygiene. Remind children to cover coughs and sneezes and wash hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Screen with the self-assessment tool at Ontario.ca/self-assessment and consider testing for COVID-19 as needed. Rapid antigen test kits are available now. Visit peelregion.ca/health/diseases/covid19/ for pickup locations.
• Consider wearing a mask indoors, especially in crowded spaces where you can’t keep a safe and comfortable distance from others, and follow additional protective actions at these links.

How to protect your family from respiratory illness, and where to seek care if sick:

• peelregion.ca/health/diseases/respiratory-illnessseason/
• Fever & Cough Resources for Parents: thp.ca/emergency/A/fever.html#ermenutop /2
• Get vaccinated and stay up to date with vaccinations. Everyone 6 months and older can get the flu or COVID-19 vaccine for free.
• Where to get the flu vaccine: peelregion.ca/health/diseases/flu/
• Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine: peelregion.ca/health/vaccinations/covid-19/ These actions can keep you and your loved ones from getting severely sick.

Peel Public Health wishes you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season.

Parents/Guardians can register students online at dpcdsb.org

Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 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.

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.​

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.

We are excited to have students engage in SNOW-much fun this winter season at St. Clare school!

Just a reminder that if you are interested in volunteering within the school in any capacity, including field trips, student support, Catholic School Council member, etc., a Valid Criminal Reference Check (CRC), with Vulnerable Sector and Local Records Check is required. Due to COVID closures and not having volunteers in the schools for multiple years, many of our filed CRC and CRC Annual Declarations have lapsed. Therefore, we would like to begin now for any possible volunteer opportunities that may arise this year. Please note that there may be some time required to process a CRC, thus waiting for an announced volunteer opportunity to obtain your CRC may not provide sufficient time for processing. Therefore, we are asking all parents that if you feel that you may be interested in volunteering in any capacity in the school this year, it may be best to start the process now.

Come by the office for a Volunteer Letter from the school before you apply!

Thank you for all your ongoing support and we look forward to having many volunteer opportunities in the school this year.

It is important for students to be at school on time and ready to work. When students are late they miss important information and routines. We realize that throughout the year there will be times that your child will be away from school.

SafeArrival is an application within SchoolMessenger that will allow parents/guardians to report their children’s absences in one of the following three ways:

• SchoolMessenger App
• SchoolMessenger website https://go.schoolmessenger.ca
• Toll Free number 1-844-435-3440

What is SafeArrival:

• SafeArrival is an absence management system that improves student safety.
• It supports school staff to follow up on unexcused absences.
• It allows parents and/or guardians to notify the school in advance about an upcoming absence.

Benefits:

• Better Attendance Management for Enhanced Student Safety
• Faster and Easier Attendance Management
• Simplified Parent Reporting Tools
• Accessible, Convenient and Secure
• Automated Key Tasks With SafeArrival Administrative Tools

In the event that your child is late or absent, please use one of the three ways to access Safe Arrival.

Students who arrive late to school must proceed to the office to get a late slip.

The School Advisory Council is comprised of parents, a school faculty member, a non-teaching representative, as well as an appointed parish community representative. The aim of the council is to support school activities and students through involvement and fundraising. We are always looking for new parents to join our School Council! If your child is participating in online learning you are still part of our St. Clare community and therefore you are welcome to attend council meetings and participate in council elections.

Please note: Our CSC meeting scheduled for January 26th has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Once a new date is confirmed, I’ll will share it with the school community. Thank you for your understanding.

ST. CLARE CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL FOR 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR

Principal: Ms. Sonia Correia

Chairs: Mrs. Laura Zampino-Mendonca

Secretary: Mrs. Joanna Agueci

Treasurer: Mrs. Katherine DaSilva

Parish Rep: Mr. Gerald Menezes

OAPCE Rep : Mrs. Sophia Krol

Teacher Rep: Ms. Gillis

Non-Teacher Rep: Ms. Traynor

Voting Members:

1. Ms. Sophia Krol

2. Mrs. Eva Chatfield

3. Mrs. Melisia Catling

4. Ms. Joanna Agueci

5. Ms. Michelle Divers

6. Mrs. Lisa Whitelaw

7. Ms. Alexandria McCann

8. Mr. Gerald Menezes

9. Ms. Laura Zampino Mendonca

10. Mr. Leonard Mendonca

11. Ms. Tiffany Mammoliti

12. Ms. Claudia Loustel

13. Ms. Aksana Savitskaya

14. Ms. Katherine Da Silva

15. Mrs. Danielle Campion

Monday, January 26th, 2026 CANCELLED (New date to come)

Monday, March 2nd, 2026

Monday, April 27th, 2026

Monday, June 1st, 2026

The Kiss n’ Ride program is available to provide the convenience and safety for our students and parents driving to our school. Please take a moment to review the following procedures to ensure safety for all students and parents using Kiss N’ Ride.

1. NEVER LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE.

Kiss and Ride lanes are to be “moving lane ways”, not parking spots. This ensures that emergency vehicles or buses may enter the school. Please do not leave your vehicle at anytime. If you need to directly drop off your child, please park your car. For safety reasons, have the children exit the car from the passenger side of the vehicle only. If they are unable to do this without your help, you must park your car and walk your child in.

2. DO NOT drop your child(ren) off in the bus loading zone or in the bus lane, only in the DRIVETHRU lane

3.Teach your child to watch for buses in the bus lane, before they cross into the lane and on to the sidewalk. Once on the sidewalk, they can walk along the sidewalk to the back of the schoolyard.

4. Students walking and using the crosswalk, need to respect the crossing guard on duty. Running across Glen Erin Drive is never allowed and is dangerous. Please use the tunnel.

5. PLEASE CONTROL YOUR SPEED.

Kiss and Ride is the type of environment where students behave unpredictably and could quickly ‘pop out’ in front of you. Please give yourself the greatest chance of avoiding an accident. We are all working together to minimize risks to our children. Please remember that the driveway is a one way only. Please follow the signs to ensure that safety for all students and family.

We want to ensure the safety of all students at all times. Please drive slowly. Thank you for your continued cooperation. Please feel free to direct any questions or safety concerns to Mrs. Rodrigues-Coelho.

St. Ignatius Loyola Parish

2300 Burnhamthorpe Rd. West
Mississauga, ON
L5L 3T6

Rev. Edward Curtis

Rev. Alexander D'Silva, Associate Pastor

Deacon John Brown

Deacon Robert Sansone

PARISH STAFF

Olga Calderon Parish Secretary StIgnatiusLoyolaMI@archtoronto.org

t: 905.820.1444

e:stignatiusloyolami@archtoronto.org

Sunday Mass Times for St. Ignatius Loyola Parish are 7:45am, 9:00am, 10:30am and 12:00pm (Noon) Website