ST. CLARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
NOVEMBER 2025 COURAGEOUS COUGARS FAMILY NEWSLETTER
Contact Information:
Principal: Sonia Correia
Head Secretary: Elena Iannicca
Superintendent: Drago Radic
Pastor: Rev. Edward Curtis, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Email: St.ClareInfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: https://www3.dpcdsb.org/CLARE
Twitter/X: @StClareDP
Instagram: @stclaredp
Supervision Begins Outside: 8:15-8:30 am
School Begins: 8:30am
Recess: 10:03-10:18am
Lunch: 11:41am - 12:41pm
Recess: 2:05-2:20pm
Dismissal: 3:00pm
Message from the Principal - October Highlights
Dear St. Clare Community,
October was a wonderful and eventful month for our school community, filled with learning, celebration, and togetherness.
We kicked off the month with our annual Terry Fox Run, where students and staff came together in support of cancer research. Thanks to everyone's generosity and spirit, we raised an incredible $2,195! A true testament to the power of our community's united efforts. Thanks to our Terry Fox committee, Ms. Traynor, Ms. Battiston, Ms. Mangaroff, Ms. Montanaro and Ms. Kolwich.
In recognition of Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, our school community wore purple to show support and raise awareness. It was a heartfelt display of compassion and unity. The school wide display of purple light bulbs outside the library served as a powerful symbol of unity and awareness, while the vibrant balloons added an uplifting final touch. Thank you to our Rett Syndrome committee, Mrs. Farris, Ms. Kennedy, Ms. Traynor and Ms. Gillis.
We celebrated our first Thanksgiving Mass. A meaningful occasion to reflect on gratitude and the many blessings we share as a community. At the end of the Mass celebration, one student from each classroom was recognized with the Virtue of the Month award: Faith for September and Empathy for October. Congratulations to all of our recipients! A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Mangaroff and her class for organizing the readings and preparing for the Mass. We are also deeply grateful to Father Curtis for leading us in such a thoughtful and uplifting Mass celebration.
Our students demonstrated incredible enthusiasm and determination at the Cross Country Meet, proudly representing our school with spirit and perseverance. Both our Boys and Girls Junior Volleyball teams showcased outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship throughout their games.
We also participated in our first co-ed flag football friendly meet, where our students rose to the occasion with energy, collaboration, and school pride. A sincere thank you to Mrs. Black, Mr. Benec, Mrs. Bartucci, Mr. Bugeja, and Mr. Cordeiro for their dedication and support in coaching and encouraging our athletes.
Safety was a key focus this month as well. We hosted an in person bus safety presentation, giving students valuable, hands on learning about how to stay safe on and around school buses. We also successfully completed our first lockdown drill, helping ensure our school remains a safe environment for all.
Pumpkin fever swept through our school! Thanks to our incredible Parent Council, every classroom received a pumpkin for our annual carving contest...and let’s just say, the competition was fierce! Students and staff alike brought their A game, turning ordinary pumpkins into extraordinary creations. After much excitement and student voting, we’re thrilled to announce this year’s Pumpkin Carving Champion is Ms. Bartucci's class, way to go! Thank you to everyone who participated. Your creativity lit up our school. Ms. Bartucci's class will receive a pizza party courtesy of our wonderful parent council!
Our Halloween Dance was a spooktacular success! DJ Mr. Z kept the beats bouncing and the energy high! Every class had a chance to join the fun, and some brave little ghosts and goblins even showed off their booooootiful dance moves on the floor!
With thanks,
Sonia Correia
Principal
Pumpkin Contest
Pumpkin Contest Winner - Ms. Bartucci's class
November Calendar
ST CLARE - REMEMBRANCE DAY
ST. CLARE CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR
Principal: Ms. Sonia Correia
Chair: 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. Chelsea Gillis
Non-Teacher Rep: Nancy 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
Catholic School Council Meeting Dates 2024-25
Catholic School Council Meetings are at 6:00-8:00 pm in the Library Learning Commons. All are welcome. There will be 4 meetings in total. CSC added an additional meeting in case of a cancellation.
Next meeting - Monday, November 3rd, 2025
Monday, January 25th, 2026
Monday, March 2nd, 2026
Monday, April 27th, 2026
Monday, June 1st, 2026
ZOOM LINK
ST CLARE SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
Time: Nov 3, 2025 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 910 7262 2000
One tap mobile
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Join instructions
Kiss and Ride Reminders
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 DRIVE THRU 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 Ms. Correia.
School Volunteers:
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.
Attendance Verification
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