Administrators' Message

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SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM 905-257-2791 Please contact the school when your child will be absent. Please leave your child’s full name, teacher’s name, reason for absence and duration of absence on our 24-hour answering machine.

Our Lady of Peace Catholic School

APRIL

Administrators’ Message As April begins, we will find ourselves in a series of “celebrations”. We celebrate the Resurrection of our Saviour and the beginning of the Easter season, the arrival of spring and the continual contributions of our students and staff that make Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary School such an amazing place to learn and grow. Just as the apostles were told “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised.” (Matt. 28: 5-6), we enter and celebrate the season of Easter with joy, proclaiming “Alleluia” in the knowledge that through the suffering and death of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we can enter into eternal life with our God. Throughout the season of Lent, we have had a special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God, reflect on our actions, pray more deeply, and be generous to those in need. The community of Our Lady of Peace Catholic School has been involved in a number of activities that focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We are continually amazed at the generosity, caring and creativeness of the students and staff and are blessed to be a part of such an amazing place of learning. Thank you to our parent community for your continued support of your child’s academic, social and spiritual growth. As you read through this newsletter please make note of the number of special events and accomplishments of our students. As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus who died for our sake, Pope Francis also calls us to remember the need for justice. By remaining obligated to respect the dignity of every human person, we are more likely to contribute to a world that is rooted in peace, love and hope. We all play an important role in respecting the image of God in others. Your partner in Catholic Education, C. Daly

As we continue to foster our Catholic values and respect for self and others, students are recognized with an Attitude of Gratitude for being kind and helpful, playing cooperatively, demonstrating Christian leadership and generally going out of their way to help one another. Our focus for the last month was Sportsmanship - following the rules of the games; calling for fair play. Our Winners for April are: Wal-Mart - L. Borgh , Panago Pizza – L. Mitchell , Tim Horton’s – S. Irwin

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ANGELS FOR ANGEL HAIR III Mother Teresa School will once again host an “Angels for Angel Hair” event on June 28th. Do you know someone that would like to represent our school and donate hair to kids who have lost their hair? Together we can reach the goal of collecting enough hair and money to provide wigs for 5 financially disadvantaged children who have lost their hair from the A, B, C’s of hair loss (Alopecia, Burns, Cancer treatment). It takes ponytails, 12inches (30cm) long and approximately $1000 to create one wig for a child. If you’d like to be involved, know someone who would like to donate hair OR have any questions, you may contact Mr. Giuseppe Peritore (parent of 2 donors) at [email protected] / 905-599-1206 or Ms. Teresa Lorentz (St. Mother Teresa Child & Youth Counsellor) at [email protected]. Financial donations can be made at www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/angels-for-angel-hair-iii2017/. For more info on the Angel Hair for Kids program you may visit www.acvf.ca.

ME TO WE—PEACE TEAM On March 24th we had a WE Speaker share her unique stories to help our whole school unlock their passions and inspire positive change on global water issues. During the next couple of months our Peace Ambassadors will lead our students in different fundraising initiatives to raise money and awareness to make a difference for communities living without safe drinking water. Our coin drive was a huge success. Starting Monday we encouraged each student to bring in nickels, then Tuesday to bring in dimes, Wednesday quarter, Thursday loonies, and Friday toonies. During this time of lent, this time of giving, we asked students to reach into their piggy banks and ask their parents if they can donate coins to help others have access to clean, safe water. Classes in each division that raised the most money will enjoy a ‘civvies day’ on Monday, April 3rd. Primary: Ms. Zador Junior: Mrs. Connor Intermediate: Mr. Miljan Thank you to all for the overwhelming response, OLP raised a total of $2519.00

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School Hours FDK and Grade 1-8 yard supervision begins 8:25 am Entry Bell: 8:40 am Start of day: 8:45 am

MOVING OVER THE SUMMER?? Please take the time to notify the school office if you are planning to move over the summer. Moving letters were sent out in February. Please return to the office as soon as possible.

Morning Recess 10:10– 10:25 am Lunch 11:45 - 12:45 pm Afternoon Recess 2:10 - 2:25 pm Dismissal 3:15 pm

Office staff are available for phone contact between 8 am - 3:30 pm daily For the safety of all students, visitors are asked to sign in at the front entrance Thank you for your support in keeping our school safe and classroom interruptions to a minimum

Graduation 2017 Monday June 26th

For safety reasons, no student is permitted to leave the school grounds during lunch without a note signed and dated by a parent/guardian.

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Uniform Exchange & Sale Thursday, April 20th, 2017 9:30—11:00 a.m. Library Our Lady of Peace and Parent Council are proud to support a uniform exchange program and sale! Let’s support our school community during Earth Week & reuse our children’s outgrown uniforms. Exchange—Gently used, cleaned uniform items may be dropped off in the library and receive a donation coupon that may be redeemed that day or for future exchange events. Cash-Only Sale—Gently used uniform items for purchase with pricing as follows (subject to availability): $5 Shirts/Pants/Shorts/Skorts $10 Rompers $15 Sweaters If you are unable to attend in person, you may send in your uniform items(s) or sale requests with your child. PLEASE NOTE: be sure to include a note indicating your desired item and size and if it’s not available if you wish a coupon for future exchange or your original items returned. Your 2016-2017 OLP School & Council School Uniform Supplier is ISW [email protected]

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Attendance and Early/Late Arrivals The Safe Arrival Program is designed to ensure that your children arrive safely at school each day. We appreciate your cooperation in calling the school to let us know that your child will not be attending or will be arriving late (905-257-2791). When you call the school, you will get our automated answering machine. Please clearly state your child’s name, grade, teacher, and the reason and length (if known) of the absence. When we do not receive your call, we are concerned about your child. We call home, your workplace or an emergency contact number. Please let the office know if your telephone numbers change. If we cannot determine an unexplained absence, we must call the police department and report the absence.

Please help us to save valuable time and ensure the safety of your child by calling in all absences. Supervision begins at 8:25. We ask that you not drop students until the playground is properly supervised. All students arriving late to school must report to the office. A late slip will be issued for the classroom teacher, recording that the student has checked in and that our attendance files have been updated. Safety is a priority. Your help in keeping our daily records accurate is appreciated. Please help your child to arrive promptly so that instructional time is maximized.

Spring Photo Day FDK– Grade 7 Thursday April 20th, 2017 will be Spring Photo Day at OLP. Siblling photos will be available. Students can dress in casual attire on Thursday. Further information will follow

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Healthy Living School! As a Catholic School Community, we have been recognized by the Ontario Government and Ministry of Education as a member of the “Healthy Schools” initiative, a group of dedicated schools intent on promoting healthy eating and increased fitness opportunities within our school. We continue to ask parents to ensure only healthy lunches and snacks are sent to school with your children. Be active, eat healthy!!

Life Threatening Allergies at School Several children in our school live with a severe life threatening food allergy to peanuts and nuts (anaphylaxis). This is a medical condition that causes a severe reaction to specific foods and can result in death within minutes. Although this may or may not affect your child’s class directly, please remember to send your child with nut-free lunches and snacks.

Thank you for helping to keep students safe!

Medication at School We cannot dispense medication of any kind without authorization by the parent or guardian. The medication must be stored in a properly labeled container. The office has special forms that must be completed prior to the administration of any medication by school personnel. If your child has a medical condition or a life threatening allergy, please contact the office as soon as possible.

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Dressing For The Weather Whenever the weather permits, students will be outdoors for recess breaks. Please consider appropriate clothing to deal with the changing weather throughout Spring. We recommend that students dress in layers to allow for the changing temperature.

SAFETY IN OUR PARKING LOT Safety in our parking lot is a priority. Thank you for respecting school boundaries and ensuring that only “vested staff” are in the yard. We appreciate your effort to respect our procedures with regards to the flow of traffic. When stopping, please park in a parking spot. Please do not block the handicap spaces, the drop off lane or bus lanes.

For th e safe ty of all st udent s, pet ar e n s ot pe r mitt on sc ed hool groun ds. CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS Volunteer Criminal Offence Declaration Forms must be completed by all volunteers who have had police checks done up to and including March 31, 2017. Under the Halton Catholic District School Board policy, these forms must be signed each school year in place of getting another Criminal Reference Check (CRC) processed. Letters along with the declaration form will be sent home in April and are due back to the school office by Thursday April 20th, 2017. If you wish to volunteer at OLP and have not already submitted a Criminal Reference Check please be aware in order to obtain one from the Police Dept. Available online Halton Regional Police.

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NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK APRIL 23-29, 2017 This year, we thank Canadian volunteers, for 150 glorious years. In 2017, volunteering comes in many forms and is as diverse as Canada itself. Someone who shovels their neighbor’s laneway or who brings a lost pet to the animal shelter is helping to build a stronger community. Sometimes we miss recognizing these people as volunteers, because they do not occupy a formal role within an organization or group. However you recognize volunteering in 2017, one thing remains timeless...and that is volunteer efforts create positive impact in communities across Canada. In lieu of the Volunteer Tea, we will honour our volunteers at Our Lady of Peace by making a donation to Halton Catholic Children’s Education Foundation. _____________________________________________________.

NEW RUNNING CLUB...COME JOIN THE FUN!

Grade 5 to 8 students are invited to join OLPs Team Unbreakable run/walk club which began March 21. Skill building and training sessions take place on Tuesday and Thursdays during lunch. All participants are invited to run/ walk a 5km race in Burlington on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Team Unbreakable is engaging youth in a meaningful and challenging way to help building resiliency, personal strength and coping tools. For further information please contact Mrs. Patterson, Coach.

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April is Oral Health Month Oral Health is a key part of your child’s overall health and well-being. Here are some tips to help you ensure your child has healthy, strong teeth to last a lifetime:    

Brush your teeth at least twice a day Floss your teeth daily Eat healthy foods Have regular dental checkups

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In addition, a healthy diet is very important for good oral health. Eating healthy foods will help reduce tooth decay and gum disease. To ensure a healthy mouth:

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Follow Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide Limit eating snacks high in sugar or starch Limit drinks that contain sugar Drink water

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Eat sugary foods only when you are able to brush your teeth

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Did you know that Halton Region Health Department provides financial assistance for dental treatment for families that qualify? If your family has trouble paying for dental treatment, we have financial assistance programs to help your children (under 18 years of age) get dental check-ups, X-rays and solve an urgent dental need. Please call the Halton Region Health Department to find out if you qualify. Dial 311 or 905-825-6000 For more information or to speak with a public health nurse, Dial 311 or 905-825-6000 or email: [email protected]. Visit us on: HaltonParents Twitter HaltonParents Facebook HaltonParents Blog

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Tips for Encouraging Early Literacy 

Encourage your child's literacy skills — well before he learns to read!

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Reading together, playing together, and just enjoying each other's company will all go a long way toward building pre-reading skills.

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Form a close bond. This one is easy! Your relationship with your child is very important to his ability to learn. If you are interactive, close and loving, your child will reap the rewards.

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Get in on the fun. Being a participant at playtime can bring you closer and help you learn useful information about your child's habits and emotions.

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Tell tales. Build narrative skills by gathering family members at meal times and having them tell the story of their day.

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Play rhyming games to build phonemic awareness ... and just for fun.

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Bring reading and writing into everyday life. Encourage literacy in your child's daily routines by writing thank-you notes or making shopping lists together.

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Be attentive and engaged when you communicate with your child.

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Read together. Make story time a daily ritual that your child can count on and look forward to. This article is provided courtesy of Scholastic Inc.

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Grade 3 and 6 EQAO Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics Primary Division and Junior Division Similar to previous years, our Grade 3 and 6 students will participate in the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) Primary and Junior Division assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics will be between May 23rd to June 2nd, 2017. These EQAO assessments will continue to be administered to all students in Grades 3 and 6. Students will complete three test booklets: one mathematics booklet, one reading booklet and one writing booklet. The types of questions in the booklets will be familiar to your child as they are based on the work your child has been doing throughout the year. The total amount of time that the students will spend on the testing will be six hours that is generally spread over the course of two or three days. Sample questions can be viewed on the EQAO website at www.eqao.com. We ask that you make every effort to avoid holidays during these days and to try to make sure your children are in attendance each day during the assessment. In advance, we appreciate your efforts in scheduling appointments around this block of time. The EQAO assessment results help us to continue to improve upon the quality Catholic education offered to your children. Additional specific information regarding the assessments will be sent home to our Grade 3 and 6 parents in the month of May.

EQAO PARENT BULLETIN EQAO has prepared a bulletin to help parents understand what their children can expect during the administration of the Grade 3 and Grade 6 assessments. You can access the bulletin on “Parent Resources” section of EQAO Web site, www.eqao.com. The bulletin is also available in 18 other languages on the Web site: French, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Ukranian, Urdu and Vietnamese.

HEPATITIS B VACCINE IN SCHOOLS On Thursday April 20th Health Department nurses will be immunizing at Our Lady of Peace. Gr. 7 students will be offered the 2nd dose Hepatitis B vaccine and Gr. 8 Girls HPV

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Student Class Placement – September 2017 Although only April, preparations are now being made to ensure that our school is organized for the 20172018 school year. As such, in the coming months, teachers will be working hard on student class placements. As you can appreciate, many hours of meetings and consultations go into the class building process to ensure the appropriate placement of all students. When building a class, teachers look at the following criteria to develop heterogeneous groupings:

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Balance of ability - academic skills Balance according to gender Learning style – how the learner learns Teaching style – how the teacher teaches Social blending – who gets along with whom Parental input – Re: learning style of the student

Please note that parental input is important to us and is weighed with other criteria. Specific teacher requests cannot be considered. Rather, if necessary, parental input, in the form of a letter to the Principal should focus on the learning style of the student and the type of environment the student best learns in. Letters should be submitted to

Mrs. C. Daly by April 21st .

Please remember once again that as a staff many discussions and reflections are put into the class building process. We will have approximately 370 students in September. We do our very best to develop classes that will be formed in order to maximize opportunities for each child to learn and be successful! Your trust

Superintendent and Trustee Information Mrs. T. Pinelli is the Superintendent of Education for the Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School and its associate schools, which includes Our Lady of Peace Catholic School. She can be reached at the Halton Catholic District School Board 905- 632- 6300. There are four Oakville trustees who can be reached at the Board office: 905-632-6300 Anthony Danko ([email protected]) Paul Marai ([email protected]) Helen Karabela ([email protected]) Anthony Quinn ([email protected])