REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS

8:30 Morning Entry 10:15-10:30 Morning Recess 11:35-12:35 Lunch 1:40- 1:55 Afternoon Recess 3:00 Dismissal

Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm

Lorinda Mazza, Principal Dr. Jim Saraco, Barbara Poplawski, Trustee, Ward 10 St. Cecilia Catholic Church CSAC Victoria Purri, Vice-Principal Superintendent 416-512-3410, 416 241-7130 Father Joseph Tap Tran, Pastor, Ersilia Serafini, Elsa Romao, Co-Chairs Paula Gougeon, Secretary 416-222-8282 ext. 2486 416-769-8163 Sandy Moutinho, Treasurer, Lisa Grise, Carole Mills and Grace Zampini, Clerk Typists Teresa Pavlin, Secretary

CSAC FUNFAIR St Cecilia Community Funfair on Friday May 23rd, 3:30-7:30.

The St. Cecilia CSAC invites all St Cecilia families and members of the

community to our annual Funfair, the biggest school fundraiser of the

year. There will be exciting games and prizes, jumping castles, BBQ,

drinks, snow cones, cotton candy, face painting, a beauty booth and much,

much more! Please watch for the flyer coming home with your child next

week for all the details. Do you want to get involved? We REALLY need

parent/older sibling volunteers to help with the different stations at the

Funfair – contact Olga via email :olga.geryluk@sympatico.ca if you can

help out or to find out more.

MOVIE NIGHT St Cecilia CSAC is hosting its first Family Movie Night on Thursday

June 5th! The feature presentation is “THE INCREDIBLES” (adventures

of a crime-fighting, superhero family). Doors open at 6:00, movie begins

at 6:30pm. Tickets are $3 per person or $10 per family. Included with

admission is a drink & popcorn. Limited spaces available so please buy

your tickets early! A detailed flyer and ticket order form will be going

home with students the week of May 5th. See you there!

Ersilia Serafini & Elsa Romao,CSAC Co-chairs

ersiliaserafini@gmail.com

elsaromao@gmail.com, or 416 303 6501 Don’t forget to ―like‖ our Facebook page to get

important school information/ updates:

https://www.facebook.com/stceciliaparents

St. Cecilia Motto: Learning with Hearts, Hands and Minds - Growing in Harmony

Principal’s Message I‟m astounded that May has arrived so soon, bringing

with it a speeding whirlwind of activities and events in

the school – Catholic Education Week, Spring Concert,

Book Fair, Welcome To Kindergarten Evening, Volun-

teer Appreciation Tea, Fun Fair, EQAO & CAT4 Test-

ing, Track and Field, and our Intermediate overnight

trip to name a few. I‟m always amazed at the energetic

and cooperative spirit that our St. Cecilia staff mem-

bers commit to organizing all the happenings around

the school. It‟s a privilege to witness the resulting stu-

dent excitement.

On the first day of May we‟ll have an ECO Assessment

Team in the school to examine our ECO practices. This

is an area in which we‟re always working to make im-

provements. With the recent reduction of lanes on the

highway, staff and families are reviewing alternate

forms of transportation. As always, we encourage our

local families to leave the car at home and either walk

or bike to school. You‟ll notice that next September we

will also be strongly encouraging our families to share

an email address with the school so we can turn this

newsletter into a link sent to the family email each

month. We‟ll save paper and avoid the backpack black

hole that some of our children have.

Lastly, I urge you all to enjoy this month‟s budding

trees, especially our High Park cherry blossoms. It‟s a

beautiful way to spend an outdoor afternoon with your

family surrounded by fleeting, but spectacular bril-

liance.

355 Annette Street, Toronto, Ontario M6P 1R3(416) 393-5218

May 2014

Centenary Committee Update

Go to www.saintcecilia100.ca to comment and contribute to the ongoing planning for the

upcoming year.

School Website: http://stcecilia.tcdsb.org.

Page 2

Virtue of the Month: Compassion Psaume 103 : 13

Comme un père a compassion de ses enfants, l‟Éternel a compassion de ceux qui le

craignent.

For the month of May we will be focussing on the virtue of COMPASSION. Our

quote is from John‟s Gospel, ”Jesus saw her weeping...his heart was touched, and he

was deeply moved.” John 11:33 True compassion is not always easy to practice as in

the words of Jean Vanier “Compassion asks

us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of

pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion,

and anguish.” Who wants to go there when

spring has finally arrived and the sun is shin-

ing down us. This is all the more reason to

show our compassion for those who cannot

share in the light.

Food Drive

The Grade 6 classes would like to thank the

St. Cecilia community for their generosity in

supporting their Lenten food drive for

St. Francis Table. Together, we collected over

771 items. We are truly a school that

learns with hearts, hands and minds - growing

in Harmony.

Mrs. Grossi

Good News!

Blessed Popes John

XXIII and John Paul II

were canonized on

April 27th, 2014,

Divine Mercy Sunday.

The canonization

mass took place in St.

Peter‟s Square. May we

find true inspiration

from their lives and

continue to follow the

wisdom of God.

Page 3

Masses/Sacraments

Date Time Theme

Sunday, May 4 11:00 a.m. Confirmation

Friday, May 30 1:00 p.m. Hope and Parents

Thursday, June 19 6:30 p.m. Graduation Mass

Friday, June 27 9:05 a.m. End of year mass

Making Bread On Thursday April 17th, Mme Faion-Kralik's class began its celebra-

tion of the Easter season with bread-making. The students made bread

from scratch, following a simple recipe written in French. The emphasis

was on the connection of Holy Thursday to our weekly celebration of

the Eucharist, as well as for the students preparing for the Sacrament of

Holy Communion. In the afternoon the children broke bread together

after participating in a class liturgy and a special “Washing of the Feet”

ceremony. Each child brought home some bread home to share with

their families while some bread was shared with the St. Cecilia staff.

Upcoming Church Events

May 2nd: Confirmation rehearsal and confessions

May 4th: Sacrament of Confirmation Mass 11:00 a.m.

Celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop McGrattan.

Please support the Knights of Columbus Annual Charities Raffle for

The Arthritis Society: The Joy of Winning.

Volunteers

Needed

Volunteers are required for the

Welcome to Kindergarten evening

held on Wednesday, May 14th from

6 - 8:00 p.m.

If you are interested in helping out,

please contact Olga at

olga.geryluk@sympatico.ca

Page 4

Save the Date

Fun Fair: Friday, May 23rd

3:30– 7:30 p.m.

Movie Night: Thursday, June 5th

6:00 p.m.

St. Cecilia T-Shirts Are you ready for the spring t-shirt season? Not to worry! Your

CSAC has durable cotton St. Cecilia T-shirts ( blue or white)

available for purchase.

Sizes range from children and youth XS - L Cost $ 10

Watch for an order form coming home in the coming weeks or

bring your cash to the St. Cecilia Fun Fair to purchase yours.

Ripley’s Aquarium

To complement the Biodiversity unit of study

in science, the grade 6 classes recently attended

an unforgettable excursion to Ripley's Aquarium.

At this first and only aquatic facility in Toronto, the

students participated in events such as a workshop

on invasive species in Ontario, touched sharks, saw

wave makers similar to conditions in British Colum-

bia shoreline, and walked through an underwater

tunnel and saw some of aquariums most "fearsome

animals". This experience helped the students gain a

deeper understanding of the importance of biodiver-

sity in the aquatic world and the importance of envi-

ronmental protection and conservation.

Kortright Centre

On April 2nd, the Grade 1 French Immersion and English classes went

to the Kortright Centre. We walked through the forest and learned how

maple trees are tapped. We learned that sap is collected in metal buck-

ets or in plastic tubes that run from tree to tree. In the sugar shack, the

sap is boiled to evaporate most of the water. Forty litres of sap are

boiled to make one litre of syrup! Maple syrup was first collected and

used by the natives of North America. At the end of the workshop, we

ate pancakes with delicious maple syrup.

The Grade 1 teachers would like to take this opportunity to thank the

parent volunteers who helped make this day a great success.

Concours D’Art Oratoire

Congratulations to all of our students who competed in this

year‟s competition. We wish Ariane S., from Mme.

Nicoyishakiye‟s Grade 4 class, much luck as she moves for-

ward to compete in the TCDSB finals at Glendon

College on May 10th.

ECO-TEAM: BATTERY DRIVE

This note is a reminder that the Eco-

Team is still collecting used batteries.

Please remember to send your used bat-

teries to room 315.

Lunchtime Supervisors We are currently looking for individuals who would like to

work at our school as lunchtime supervisors for the 2014-15

academic year. If you are interested, please come by the office

and pick up an application.

Page 5

AUSSIE X

Students from grades 1 - 5 participated in unique sports experiences,

taught by Aussie X instructors, and learned new fundamental game

play and skills. The children were given the opportunity to learn one

of two Australian sports: Netball and Footie. The engaging Aussie

cultural experience and novel sport levelled the playing field so that

all kids, no matter their level of skill or ability, actively participated

and enjoyed the feeling of getting active. All programs are built

around the three core values of Havin’ a Go (try new things),

Goodonya Mate (praise others) and You Little Rippa (celebrate Havin‟ a Go).

The students

were enthusias-

tic and had a

wonderful learn-

ing experience.

Grade 4 and 5 Students Visit Toronto Symphony Orchestra

On Wednesday May 2nd the grade four and five students attended a concert by the Toronto Symphony

Orchestra at the Roy Thompson Hall. The performance was called Case Closed. Students listened to the

"The Flight of the Bumblebee," the theme from Mission Impossible, and "In the Hall of the Mountain

King." Our students also had the opportunity to play the theme from The Pink Panther on their

recorders with the orchestra. It was a great experience for

all!

Students’ Impressions: " and when you step inside the building (it was my first time), you get some sort of feeling of the nature of music, indescribably feeling…” Mia “I like the saxophone so much in The Pink Panther, because it brings out the mysterious, in a funny way." Natalie About "In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg) " I liked how the faster he ran, the more instruments joined in and you could actually picture the chase in your head!" Abigail "I like "The Pink Panther" theme song and I liked how we got to play along with the orchestra! It was really fun!" Sam "My favourite instrument was the violin because its soothing sound floated through the building...I am very thankful!" Shantay "It was so amazing how I got to play along with my recorder to "The Pink Panther"! Leke (Flight of the Bumblebee) "I like how the music sounded like a bumblebee and it was amazing that the musicians could play the notes so fast!" Jacob (The Pink Panther) "The theme was mystery and murder, so they brought out the mystery instrument - the saxophone!" Claire

Page 6

The Musical Talents of St. Cecilia

The St. Cecilia All Star Band performed at the

TCDSB Music Festival on April 4th. The band

delivered a wonderful performance with the songs

"Star Wars" and "Louie Louie". All Star Band

members in attendance included Emily, Ana,

Adrienne, Andrew , Olivia R, Vanessa, Sanja, Julia,

Yosef, Natalie P, Marlo, Olivia O, Candus, Victor,

Emmeline, Patricia, Nerija, Nathan, Anja,

Christopher, Sophie, Nikola, Caroline, Nicholas,

Lavdimir, Alanna and Jeremy.

Congratulations All Star Band! Mr. Manoharan

Earth Day On Tuesday, April 22, St. Cecilia‟s celebrated Earth Day with a special presentation. The Eco Club presented a drama-

tization of the story “The Lorax” written by Dr. Seuss. The Lorax‟s character was determined to save the truffula trees

from the Onceler (a businessman) who wanted to chop down the trees to make „thneeds‟ which he claimed „everyone

needs‟. We all learned an important message about how greed and carelessness can have an enormous impact on our

environment.

St. Cecilia‟s was very fortunate to have as a guest speaker, Ersilia Serafini, from Summerhill Group, to share with us

different ways WE can make changes in our day to day habits that can help our environment. We discovered how

simple things, like unplugging electronics we are not using and walking/biking to school, are energy efficient practices

that are less wasteful and less harmful to our planet.

Ta Dah! We can start maintaining a much cleaner school yard with our new outdoor garbage and recycling bins.

Let‟s do our part, big or small, to create a healthier world for us all!

Mrs. Fox

Request from the Neighbourhood Parents are asked NOT to block or park in the driveways on Evelyn Street when they are picking up or

dropping off students. The office gets many complaints regarding this matter from homeowners try-

ing to leave or get into their driveways.

Student Council News!

Student Council would like to thank all students and parents for their generous April Civvies Day

donations for Autism Canada. With your generosity and support, we were able to raise a total of

$446.75. We would also like to remind all students and parents about St. Cecilia School‟s participation

in the Autism Canada walk that will take place on June 8th. All students are welcome to participate with

their parents. St. Cecilia will be creating a school banner for this event and will have it displayed in the meeting area of

Nathan Philips Square.

Also, Civvies Day for the month of May will be held on Friday, May 2nd, this is also School Spirit Day - PAJAMA

DAY! We will be using the funds collected to make a donation to the organization, Earth Rangers for the protection of

animals, and to purchase new game equipment for this year‟s Play Day in June. We greatly appreciate the generosity of

all students and their families throughout the school year. We have made very generous donations to various organiza-

tions on behalf of the St. Cecilia School community. We would also like to announce that for the last Civvies Day in

June, students will not be asked to make any monetary donation.

Autism Walk Details: When: Sunday, June 8, 2014

Where: Nathan Philips Square

Walk Distance: 3 km

Library Update During Catholic Education Week, May 5th-9th, a Scholastic Book Fair will be held in

the library. All commissions earned from the sale of books will be used to continue

purchasing new books for the school library, for the 2014-2015 school year. The book

fair will be open on the evening of Wednesday, May 7th from 5:00-6:30pm. We look

forward to seeing you there. Thank you once again for supporting our school library and

for encouraging the love of reading!

Page 7

Fundraiser for St. Elias Church in Brampton

REBUILDING SAINT ELIAS – "It was with sadness and shock that we witnessed our church building burn to the

ground on the morning of Saturday, April 5, 2014. We are greatly relieved that no-one was injured, and grateful for the

support that started to pour in before the flames were even extinguished. Those of us who were blessed to experience

the beauty and tranquility of our dear church know how much it will be missed. Those of you who were around to build

it know how much work lies ahead. But for now, we thank God for those things that fire can not destroy, and remind

ourselves that God’s people are the Church. We will build a new home for them." (www.saintelias.com)

On Thursday April 17th 2014, the Perseverance Club

made jewellery and sold it to raise money for St-Elias

Church, a Ukrainian Catholic Church that burnt to the

ground on April 5th, 2014. The grand total raised was

$382.80!!! Thank you very much to all those who

supported and contributed to this great cause!

Ms. Wallace, Mme Balgavy & Mme Excellent

Guidance Corner

Compassion “Have a great compassion for people. To be able to have a heart full of compassion, we need to pray. Especially be kind,

be loving to the poor. We think we do so much for the poor, but it is they who make us rich. We are in debt to them. Do

you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.” Blessed

Mother Theresa

The virtue of the month for May is Compassion. In our schools, we demonstrate compassion by using word choices that are spoken

with kindness, care, empathy and patience towards our family and friends. As a collaborative contributor, we continue to practice

working as a team.

Creating Pathways to Success Earlier this school year, the Ministry of Education released the document Creating Pathways to Success: An Education and

Career/Life Planning Program for Ontario Schools. This is not exclusively a guidance document. “This is a whole-school

program delivered through classroom instruction linked to the curriculum and through broader school programs and activities.” p. 3

The Framework outlined in the document includes a four-step inquiry process that will encourage students to explore Who am I?;

What are my opportunities?; Who do I want to become?; What is my plan for achieving my goals? It is expected that students from

Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be working on a „All About Me” portfolio that will be carried forward from year to year while the

intermediate grades and the senior students will be working towards completing an Individual Pathways Plan.

The program is still in its initial stages, but if you are interested in learning more about what Creating Pathways to Success is all

about, you can follow the link to access the document. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/cps/

CreatingPathwaysSuccess.pdf Mr. F. Amato

W5H Competition

This year our Intermediate W5H

Team competed in three tournaments

and placed third in the Regional Fi-

nals. The team put up a hard battle

and never gave up. We would like to

thank our amazing coaches, Mrs. Sly-

wynska and Mme Macri for helping

the team practice during lunchtime.

The team members are: Marlo H., An-

nie. R., Julia L., Emmeline B., Olivia

R., Christopher C.A., Nicole M,

Nicolas M., and Nerija G.

By: Nerija G.

Page 8

Volleyball The Junior Boys‟ and Girls‟ volleyball teams had a most “springy” season. With agility and grace

our students served, slid, defended, volleyed, ducked, etc. many a ball. Both teams competed at

James Culnan and demonstrated teamwork and perseverance throughout the tournament. Team

members were: GIRLS - Mikal T., Julia M., Astrid V., Aldona K., Doria M., Aleksandra C.,

Emily K., Vivienne K., Natalie H., Claire B., Brooke A., Daria F., Haley M., Pamela D., Nathalie A; BOYS - Evan G.,

Matthew V., Tervor N., Connor P., Okomi M., Max C., Evren H., Zahith S., Callum G., Jonah H., Alex C., Leke M.,

Liam F., Dylan L. Abiy E., and Sam G.

Keep bending those knees, Tigers! Mme Pamula, Mme Verelst

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found bins have been

moved to the lower level. The students

are asked to check for lost items regularly.

Please note that undeclared items are do-

nated at the end of the term to a pro-

gramme which supports the Sick Kids

Foundation .

Page 9

Dismissal Dismissal is at 3:00 p.m. Please avoid picking up your child just before the end of day. This is a time when transitions

happen and children are organizing themselves and their homework and, therefore, we ask that you wait outside until

dismissal. We understand that, at times, children are required to leave early for appointments, however, asking a child

to be ready to leave just before the bell is very disruptive.

************************************************************************************************

For safety concerns, students are not permitted to leave the school to buy their lunch. Your children must be su-

pervised at all times during school hours, therefore, if your child eats lunch at school, please provide a lunch each day.

Bus Loading Zones

Please do not park in the bus loading

areas in front of the school, or block

the buses dropping off and picking up

children. The safety of our students is

our utmost concern and, therefore, to

keep our students safe, we must all

comply with the signage posted in the

bus loading zones.

Children’s Mental Health Ontario Announces:

Children's Mental Health Week 2014 May 4-10, 2014 1 in 5 Ontario children and youth has a mental health problem - That's about 500,000 kids. Disorders range from anxiety,

depression and conduct disorder to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and bi-polar disorder.

Left untreated, mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. The good news is that help is available and treatment works!

Each year, Ontarians mark the first full week of May as Children's Mental Health Week. This important week is about:

increasing awareness of the signs of child and youth mental health problems

decreasing stigma, and

Understanding that help is available and it works!

For more information on Children‟s‟ Mental Health Week please see www.kidsmentalhealth.ca

Literacy and Basic Skills Need to upgrade you

Reading, Writing, Math, Computer Skills, and Financial Literacy?

This program will help you improve your skills for work, study or every day life.

Classes are small and tailored to each learner‟s needs. You study at your own pace.

Transportation support for eligible clients.

TCDSB Adult Education Programme

Literacy and Basic Skills LBS Tues - Thurs 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

For more information and to check for eligibility please call: 416 397-6072

For all TCDSB Adult Education Programme locations, visit: www.tcdsb.org/adulted

Who can attend LBS class:

Adults who:

Are 19 Years and older

Have not completed high school

Native speakers of English or able to speak Eng-

L.E.F. Learning Enrichment Foundation

116 Industry St., Suite 601, Toronto, ON

M6M 4L8

416-769-0830 (ext. 2095)

Monthly Update from the Board

Angela Gautier Director

Parent/Student Charter or Bill of Rights

Committee—Seeking Applicants

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is pleased to invite

parents to consider serving on the Parent/Student Charter or Bill

of Rights Committee. The Committee includes representatives

from among Trustees, staff, parents and students, with the man-

date to develop a parent/student charter or bill of rights. This

charter or bill of rights will provide parents with being able to

expect their children‟s educational needs to be met by the schools

and the right to access school and district administration and in-

formation. The expectation is that the charter will align with the

goals as outlined in the Multi Year Strategic Plan. Deadline for

applications is May 16th. For more details and application

form, see: http://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/Pages/Parent-

Student-Charter-of-Rights-Committee.aspx

2014 Municipal Election Student Connect

Program

Election Services is excited to once again offer students across the

City of Toronto the opportunity to take part in the upcoming 2014

Municipal Election.

The Student Connect program provides students the opportunity

to participate in the democratic process by working in one of the

over 1600 voting places. This is an excellent opportunity for

students to enhance their learning experience and participate as

an active member of their school and community.

http://www.tcdsb.org/News/othernews/2014/Pages/2014-

Municipal-Election-Student-Connect-Program-.aspx

Volunteers Needed for PanAm Games 2015

in Toronto

Are you looking for an exciting, fulfilling, once-in-a-lifetime

volunteer opportunity? Then don‟t miss out on the opportunity to

be involved in the next big home Games when the Toronto 2014

PanAm and Parapan Am games takes place next summer across

the Greater Toronto Area. Student and adult volunteers are being

sought. Get more information here: http://www.tcdsb.org/Pages/

Volunteer-Opportunities-for-the-Games.aspx

CPIC Hosts An Evening with Stuart

Shanker

Fostering Resiliency through Self-Regulation

May 14, 7-9 p.m. at the Catholic Education Centre

http://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/News/Documents/

Fostering%20Resiliency%20through%20Self-Regulation.pdf

Special Events to Note in May

May is Asian Heritage Month May 4-9 Catholic Education Week May 5-10 Woodbine Centre Festival of the Arts May 5-11 Mental Health Awareness Week May 9-27 Elementary Track and Field Meets May 11-17 Respect for Life Week May 14 CPIC hosts an evening with STUART

SHANKER, Author of calm, Alert, and

Learning. Topic: Fostering Resiliency

through Self- Regulation, 7-9 p.m. at the

Catholic Education Centre May 23-24 Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic

Education Conference May 27 TCDSB Mini Special Olympics May 28 CSAC Appreciation Liturgy

For all these events, and more, visit the Board‟s website at

www.tcdsb.org

Special Websites for Parents and Students Parents are encouraged to check out http://www.tcdsb.org/

FORPARENTS/Pages/default.aspx. Find about CSAC, TAPCE

and CPIC, as well as local or regional events planned specifically

for parents. Students are invited to take advantage of the resources posted on

our website at http://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/Pages/

default.aspx. Find out about scholarships, employment, volunteer

opportunities and more.

Follow TCDSB on Twitter Get all the latest news and information from the Board as it

happens by following @TCDSB on Twitter.

If you prefer receiving regular news update via Email, subscribe

to our digital ENews service https://web1.tcdsb.org/

InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

Page 10