St. Ursula Newsletter

Email: St.UrsulaInfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: dpcdsb.org/URSUL
Location: 11 Dwellers Road, Brampton, ON, Canada
Phone: 905-454-5213
Twitter: @StUrsulaDPCDSB

The mission of St. Ursula school community is to ensure that

home, Church, and school are collaborative partners in the

building of an environment that reflects the Catholic faith and

values by celebrating each person as a member of the Body of

Christ, and by challenging all to achieve excellence spiritually,

socially and academically.

Principal: R. Davenport

Head Secretary: A. Vitorino

Superintendent of Education, Brampton West: T.L. Peel

Trustee: Darry D'Souza, Brampton Ward 5

St. Anne Parish Pastor: Rev. Joel Pabilona Jr.

Associate Pastor Rev. Jobby Muppathiyil Joseph

The month of February provides us with the opportunity to reflect on our various relationships and to consider how we are living out Gospel values and the virtue of respect.

February is recognized as Black History Month -a time to highlight and celebrate the many contributions of Black Canadians. The St. Ursula community is committed to making curriculum connections that teach and celebrate black history throughout the year and to sharing stories, and uplifting voices as we work to create and maintain an inclusive learning environment.

As we come to the end of term one, parents/students and teachers will have the opportunity to meet to discuss and share their achievements so far and to set goals for term 2. Thank you for your active involvement in the education of your children and for working with St. Ursula staff in partnership over the past several months and years.

On February 21st we will celebrate Shrove Tuesday and prepare to enter the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. As we enter into this Lenten season let us ask God to grant us a change of heart and strengthen us a we renew our commitment to daily prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we journey each day to deepen our relationship with God.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

God wants us to treat all people with the respect they deserve.

A respectful person…

• uses a positive tone of voice and body language

• avoids swearing, name-calling, put-downs, and inappropriate gestures

• says ‘Excuse me’, ‘Please’, ‘Pardon me’

• avoids gossip

Respect is an attitude of honouring people and caring about their rights. Being respectful is reflected in the courtesy with which we treat one another, the way we speak, and the way we treat other people’s belongings. Speaking and acting respectfully gives people the dignity they deserve. Respect means that we don’t try to take advantage of other people but rather honour their rights. This attitude toward life was perfectly modelled by Jesus in his life on earth. Jesus always honoured the dignity of everyone. With Jesus as our guide, we strive to treat all peoples out of a feeling love. When we keep this in mind, live as Jesus would have us live, building up rather than tearing down.

Let us pray.

Sweet Jesus, we kneel before you,

Respecting your will, plan and judgement.

You overcame all earthly temptations,

Maintaining self-respect to the end.

Jesus, you are our ultimate code of conduct;

We strive to live by the Beatitudes you gave us,

Teach us all we need to know about respect,

Help us to live our lives through your example.

May we listen to others allowing them to share

Their opinions.

May our respect towards other human beings

Truly reflect Your love towards all!

Amen.

(source: Lilia D’Ovidio, January 2008)

A Collaborative Contributor:

- Works effectively as an interdependent team member

- Thinks critically about the meaning and purpose of work

- Develops one's God-given potential and makes meaningful contribution to society

- Finds meaning, dignity, fulfillment and vocation in work which contributes to the common good

- Respects the rights, responsibilities and contributions of self and others

- Exercises Christian leadership in the achievement of individual and group goals

- Achieves excellence, originality, and integrity in one's own work and supports these qualities in the work of others

- Applies skills for employability, self-employment and entrepreneurship relative to Christian vocation

"...Amidst the social turmoil, young people are eager to find solid and enduring values which can give meaning and purpose to their lives. They are searching for a firm place - a high ground - on which to stand. They seek a sense of direction, a goal which will give meaning and purpose to their lives" ~ Pope Saint John Paul II

Feb. 8 - Catholic School Council Meeting- All are welcome to attend

Feb 14 - Term 1 Report Cards go home

Feb. 16 - Parent/Student/Teacher Interview Evening

Feb. 17- PA Day, Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews

Feb. 20 - Family Day Holiday

Feb. 21 - Shrove Tuesday

Feb. 22 - Ash Wednesday, LENT begins

Mar. 3 - School Immunization Clinic 9:00am-3:30pm

Mar.13-17 - MARCH BREAK

Junior basketball teams will be participating in mini tournaments. The boys tournament will be taking place at Guardian Angels on Friday, February 10th. The girls tournament will be held at St. Ursula on Monday, February 13th. We wish both teams the best of luck! Go Royals!

Mr. Merino and Mr. Briganti are running a chess club during lunch recess. The Brampton West Chess Tournament will take place on March 24th at Guardian Angels Elementary school.

All students are invited to join Mr. Saliba and Mrs. Sirizzotti to pray the Rosary on Thursdays during lunch recess.

Mr. Tshiama's Gr. 7/8 French Immersion class led the school in Virtue assembly highlighting the importance of developing self regulation skills and habits so we can live out the virtue of Self Control in our daily lives.

Congratulations to all students who were recognized for demonstrating this virtue.

During the week of January 30- Feb. 2nd students will be involved in lessons/activities focusing on practical skills that will help them build and maintain positive connections with others

The movements, challenges and interactive activities are based on the core competencies of problem solving, collaboration and thinking creatively and critically.

This experience is suitable for all age groups, as the concepts and movements are delivered in an age appropriate way for each grade level.

X’ers will learn the concepts of connection vs. disconnection, the power of conscious conversation, and conflict resolution.

LEARN: X’ers learn about different kinds of connections and identify the actions that lead to moments of connection and disconnection.

PRACTICE: X’ers will have practical tools to help them build and sustain healthy connections through the power of conscious conversations.

PLAY: A series of challenges and a practical conflict situation that X’ers will have to resolve by practicing and applying the concepts they have learned.

Winter is here! To keep students warm and comfortable, and our workplace clean,

please ensure your child has a pair of "indoor shoes" .

Please ensure you send your child to school dressed for the cold weather - boots, winter coat, mitts & hats! Students are outside for two 15 minute recess breaks and a 40 minute lunch recess. It is also a great idea to send your child to school with an extra pair of socks and a change of clothes in case they get wet.

All students who have been formally diagnosed with asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, or epilepsy must have a plan of care completed. This only needs to be completed once and it will be kept in your child's OSR file.

· If your child has a new diagnosis or is new to St. Ursula, please email the school and we will send you the forms that need to be completed.

· Each year a GF35-Storage and Administration of Medication must be completed and returned to school. You would have received a GF 35 form recently, if not, please contact the office if one is needed.

· Epipens and puffers should be carried by your child and a second one can be stored in the main office.

· Nut free/ Scent Free School : We have a number of children in our school who have severe life threatening allergic reactions to nuts therefore please do not send any food items to school that may contain nuts or nut products. If there are other allergies specific to your child's class you will be notified. We need your cooperation in ensuring that no snacks or lunches be brought into the school that can put children at risk.

We are happy to bring back our Snack Fridays with Terra Cotta cookies for sale. These will be given to students every Friday at last recess. Orders will be processed every Thursday for that week. Any orders after that will be included in the following week.

Please see the attached from STOPR regarding the Inclement Weather and Weather Zones.

St. Ursula is in Zone 2.

Daily attendance and punctuality are important. If your child will

be absent, please use either the School Messenger application

(SchoolMessenger) or visit the School Messenger website at

go.schoolmessenger.ca or call the attendance line at 1-844-435-3440 to report your child's

absence.

Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year at Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) schools will take place Monday, January 9 to Friday, January 13, 2023.

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, 2023.

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.

PLASP Child Care Services is now accepting registrations for their before and after school programs, including programs at this school. We encourage you to register as soon as possible. Available space is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

PLASP programs are licensed by the Ministry of Education and are adhering to strict public health guidelines. Highly trained staff facilitate fun, age-appropriate activities both indoors and outdoors.

Before School programs operate from 7:30 a.m. until school starts and include breakfast daily. After School programs begin at school dismissal, include a substantial daily snack, and run until 6:00 p.m.

PLASP Child Care Services is a charitable organization, operating on a not-for-profit basis, providing award winning programs for children, for more than 40 years.

Visit plasp.com to register, or contact the PLASP Support Services Centre at 647-484-4372.

Council Meeting Dates

St. Ursula Catholic School Council meets on Wednesdays via Google Meet at 6:30pm.

The dates for this school year are:

February 8th

April 12th

June 14th

The link will be shared with families through School Messenger. All are welcome to join.

Fundraising Updates

Domino's Pizza Monthly Fundraiser

Please consider ordering a Domino's Pizza for dinner or a late night snack on the following dates:

Jan 12th

Feb 2nd

Mar 2nd

April 13th

May 4th

REMEMBER, $5 from every Pizza ordered goes to St. Ursula CSC. See Flyer for PROMO CODE

Mr. Sub Lunches

We will be continuing with Mr. Sub lunches so please check your inbox for the School CashOnline link to order. We have both 6" and 12" combos available to purchase.

St. Ursula families, we are happy to announce that we have St. Ursula reusable water bottles for sale. Please see the below link for School CashOnline to purchase yours today before they sell out!

All proceeds will go towards purchasing items & school presentations to enhance and support the classroom learning experience at St. Ursula.

Dufferin- Peel Catholic District School Board policies and procedures support the use of personal electronic devices for educational purposes. This agreement will be signed when your child registers to attend St Ursula. In compliance with the Catholic Code of Conduct and other board policies and procedures, any student opting to use a PED while on school premises for educational purposes must adhere to the policies in the agreement. Please check your inbox for a copy of the document.

Three highlighted policies are:

· Follow board and school policies and procedures regarding appropriate use of technology.

· Be a responsible digital citizen by adhering to guidelines regarding content, security, safety and ethical use through appropriate use of technology.

· Use PED during instructional time and instructional space only with the permission of the classroom teacher and/or staff and only in a manner that supports the teaching learning process.

Compliance with the agreement is mandatory.