Newsletter 2015 May - Our Lady of the Annunciation CES

May 2015
Ms. L. D’Andrea, Principal
Ms. A. Stong
Mr. D. Mazzotta
School Trustees
Our lady of the
annunciation news
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
Ms. M. Battista
Area 4 School
Superintendent
“Integration of Our Catholic Faith”
May is for Mary
In our lives as
Catholics we can
reflect on Mary as
a model of several
aspects of our
Christian way of
Life: Hope, Courage, Prayer
and Faith.
We consider Mary’s relationship with her son Jesus and
with the early formation of
Christian Community. As a
believing woman, Mary shows
us what it means to struggle
with faith, yet place our trust
in God.
Mary is special because she
lived the very meaning of the
Gospel that we are all invited
to live. Mary’s example of
staying with Jesus through his
suffering and death encourages us to be filled with compassion and with hope realized within our own lives.
Thanks for Your Mother’s Care
Jesus, thank you for entrusting me to the spiritual
maternity of your mother, Mary.
Through faith I stand at the cross and hear you ask
Mary to look out for me.
I read the Scripture and see what kind of a woman
she was—a person of deep faith always in prayer.
Your mother prays that I have faith and a love of
prayer. I hunger for this gift and open my heart to it.
Amen
Students will be involved in many activities
throughout the month of May to learn about Mary’s
life. We will recite the Hail Mary throughout the
month of May as part of our Opening Prayers.
“Blessed are you among
women…"
Luke 1:40
VICTORIA DAY
MAY 18, 2015
SCHOOL CLOSED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Catholic Education Week
2
Celebrating our Catholicity
3
Planning for 2015/16
4
OLA in Action
5
Continuous Improvement of Achievement
6
Engaging our Communities
7
OLA Home Calendar
8
Our Lady of the Annunciation CES
30 Bayswater Avenue, Richmond Hill
905 773-5592
http://ola.ycdsb.ca
Follow us on Twitter:
@ OLAnnunciation
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK- “Exploring Paths of Joy”
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
May 4—May 8, 2015
Each year the Catholic Community of
Ontario engages in a week-long
celebration of the unique identity and
distinctive contributions of Catholic
Education during Catholic Education
Week. This is an opportunity to
celebrate the great work of Catholic
Schools in the dynamic and creative
integration of Catholic teachings and
gospel values across the curriculum.
Catholic schools are Catholic
communities. Catholic schools are faith
communities. We, parents, students,
teachers, administrative and support
staff – walk and grow together in the
faith which we received at our
Baptism. Our growth is primarily a
relationship with God, who at our
Baptism, called us by name. But the
response of each of us to that growth is
both personal and communal. We grow
in our faith in the nurturing
atmosphere of our Catholic community
be that of our local parish, our home, or
our Catholic school community.
This year’s celebration entitled,
‘Catholic Education: Exploring Paths of
Joy’ is scheduled for the week of May 4
– May 8. The overall scriptural theme is
taken from Jesus’ words in the Gospel
of Luke (Luke 24:32e),
.
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while He was talking to us on the road?”
Our school community will celebrate
Catholic Education Week 2015 in
ways that are appropriate to our
students’ age.
Our Catholic schools are places of
growth. Small kindergarten students
grow into being teenagers; grade
nine students grow into young adults.
We all grow both in age and, we
hope, wisdom. Growth is natural and
expected in the plant and animal
world. As Catholics we are expected
to grow in faith. What exactly that
means will differ from person to
person and ultimately, growth in
faith is a personal matter between us
and God. We can nurture our faith
through prayer and knowledge and
our living in a vibrant Catholic
community. That is how we grow
together.
There are five sub-themes, one for
each day of Catholic Education
Week:
For more information on Catholic
Monday: Walking Together and
Sharing our Story
Tuesday: Opening the Scriptures
Wednesday: Welcoming Others to the
Table
Thursday: Recognizing Jesus in the
Breaking of the Bread
Friday: Proclaiming the Good News
Asian Heritage Month
During the month of May, the York Catholic District
School Board will be recognizing Asian Heritage
Month in our school communities. Throughout the
month, special announcements will be made
honouring the legacy of saints and Canadians who
have made important contributions. We are looking
forward to sharing this information with our students.
Page 2
During this week, we will be
celebrating the gift of Catholic
Education with special prayers and
activities. Each morning we will
read the Catholic Education Week
prayer for the day over the
announcements.
Classes will be doing their own
activities following the theme of the
day in their classrooms.
As well, we will be hosting our
annual ‘Volunteer Appreciation
Lunch’ on Wednesday, May 6th to
acknowledge all of our valuable
volunteers throughout the year.
Then, on Friday, May 8th, our Grade
3 classes will lead us in a Liturgy at
9:30am –Exploring Paths of Joy.
Hope to see everyone there.
Thank You to the Staff of
Our Lady of the Annunciation!
As we enter education week it is
important to take the time to affirm
the staff for their outstanding work
on behalf of the students at Our
Lady of the Annunciation!
Education Week, visit:
www.goodnewsforall.ca
ShareLife Easter Flower Campaign
This year’s ShareLife campaign was met with
much enthusiasm and support. Thank you to
all the families in our community who
purchased Easter Flowers. We raised just
over $400.00 for ShareLife. This is a
generous donation that supports a very worthy cause.
Thanks to all of you for your support! A special thanks to
Ms. Savoy, Ms. Mastrogiacomo and Mrs. Romano, who
organized and helped distribute the flowers, and to our
parent volunteers, Mrs. Shiner and Mrs. Bouhs.
O U R L A D Y O F T H E A N N U N CI A T I O N
CELEBRATING OUR CATHOLICITY
GRADE 2 FIRST COMMUNION
Our Grade 2’s will receive their First
Holy Communion on May 2nd at Our
Lady of the Annunciation Church.
We ask that our school community
continue to pray for these students
and their families. Parents who have
inquiries about sacramental
preparation should contact Fr. Peter
at the Church The students have
made a small mosaic tile cross to
remember this special occasion.
Funding for this keepsake was made
possible through the Catholic School
Council funds and school funds.
Thank you to Father Peter and our
Grade 2 teachers, Ms. Savoy and Ms.
Bergougnou for their spiritual
guidance.
GRADE 8 CONFIRMATION
Our Grade 8 students will receive
the Sacrament of Confirmation on
May 12, 13, 14, or 26th, at Our Lady
of the Annunciation Church. Many
thanks to our Intermediate teachers
Ms. Carinci and Ms. Thompson, and to
Father Peter for their support in
preparing our Confirmandi for this
special Sacrament.
Each of the
Grade 8 students also made a
beautiful mosaic tile cross to
remember this special occasion.
Father Peter blessed the crosses on
April 24th. The crosses were funded
by the Catholic School Council and
school funds.
“The spirit of the Lord is upon us, because our God has anointed us to
make all things new!”
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
The staff of Our Lady of the Annunciation would like to take
the opportunity to thank all of the parents and volunteers
who have donated their time assisting on class trips, helping
out in the classroom, and organizing and running many
events in our school. We are grateful to the many people
who contribute to our school community in numerous ways.
Their time, organization and planning are greatly
appreciated by all.
To show our appreciation we are holding a Volunteer
Appreciation Luncheon on Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
between 12:00 p.m and 1:00 p.m in the Library.
An invitation was sent home in April to each family! Please
RSVP to the school office by May 1, 2015
Page 3
MAY
Catholic Virtue:
Responsibility
I will: honour my commitments
even when it becomes difficult; be
reliable so people can depend on
me; be accountable for the things
I say and do.
GRADE 8 GRADUATION
Don’t forget to mark
your calendars. The
OLA Gr. 8 Graduation Mass will be held on June 19th
in the school gym at 1:30pm. The
Awards Ceremony and Dinner/
Dance will be held on the evening
of Tuesday, June 23rd beginning
at 5:00 p.m. at Oakview Terrace.
More details to follow closer to the
date from your child’s classroom
teacher.
Kindergarten “Spring Celebration”
Spring Has Sprung!
The Kindergarten students would like to invite their
adoring mothers to a Mother’s Day celebration on
Thursday, May 7th, 2015. Each class will have a
designated time to participate. In this celebration of
moms, the students will be showcasing their
learning and talents through language, song, drama
and dance. This performance is for mothers, grandmothers or special women in the lives of our students.
Our Kindergarten classes will celebrate fathers during the month of June.
OUR LADY OF THE
PLANNING FOR 2015/2016
2015-2016 CLASS PLACEMENTS
The process for the formation of class
lists for September, will begin in June,
2015. The first step in this process is to
determine class organization,
Kindergarten, and grades one through
eight, consistent with the Board,
Ministry and contract guidelines. Each
student will be individually discussed
and placed according to what staff
believes is best for the child. Our goal
is to establish balanced classes to
provide effective working groups
which will benefit all children in each
class. Teachers will meet to carefully
consider the following:
 learning styles
 academic abilities
 social groupings
 special education needs
 English as a Second Language
language needs
behavioural needs
balance of males and females
previous placement in
combined classes
I am sure that you can appreciate
that creating the best and most
functional class groupings possible is
a task which requires much thought
and careful planning.
Accepting parental requests for
specific teachers would not be in the
best interest of all the children in the
school, as it could restrict school staff
in forming what we consider the most
ideal classroom groupings.
The
teachers who have been working
with the students all year know them
well and will make determination of
placement in your child’s best
interest. However, if you feel there
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


are extenuating circumstances not
listed above, or that additional
clarification is needed, you are asked
to submit your request in writing,
including rationale, addressed to
Mrs. D’Andrea by Friday, May 29th ,
for consideration. Please DO NOT
email requests. Staffing can also
change, so please DO NOT request
specific teachers.
JK/SK REGISTRATIONS
If you have not yet registered your
child or if you know someone who
intends to register their children for
September 2015, please encourage
them to do so as soon as possible. This
will help us in knowing how many
students we will have and how to set
up the classes.
CATHOLIC COUNCIL MEETING WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION
Our next meeting for the Council will
Planning has started for students entering Junior
be on Mon. May 25th at 7:00 p.m. in
Kindergarten this coming September. On May 21st, special
the library. All parents are welcome
meetings have been planned for parents and their child so
to attend.
that they can familiarize themselves with our school and
Would you like to serve on the OLA
some of its procedures and receive a “Welcome to
Catholic School Council? A new
Kindergarten” bag of resources. Letters have been sent
Council for 2015-2016 will be elected
home to parents who have registered regarding their
Sept. 2015. Keep an eye out for dates appointment time. We thank Ms. Magni, Ms. Pianezza, Ms. Sansalone, Ms.
and details.
Giles, Ms.Clayton, Ms. Horgan, Ms. Cipriani, and Ms. McEvoy, for being part
of this year’s
OLA’s FAMILY NIGHT
SCHOOL BARBEQUE
Supervision- Bell Times
Get those picnic blankets
We remind parents that morning supervision begins at 8:45 a.m. For the
and lawn chairs out of
safety of the children we ask that you please ensure that caregivers are not
hibernation, OLA’s Annual
dropping children off at school earlier than when supervisors are in the yard,
Family BBQ will be celebrated on
students are not to enter the school before the entrance bells. The entrance
Monday June 9th, 5-8 PM. There
will be a wide variety of activities for bells ring at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at which times students line up at their
designated area to be escorted by a teacher into the building. Please ensure
the students and parents to enjoy,
that students are picked up by 3:30 p.m., there is no supervision after 3:30
spectacular music to listen to and
delicious food to eat. Come on out and p.m. In case of an emergency or you are delayed in traffic, please notify the
office.
share an evening of fun and laughter
with your OLA community!
MAY 2015
Page 4
OLA IN ACTION…...GO ALL STARS GO!!
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
GIRLS: The junior girls will be participating in a
tournament on May 5th at Fr. Frederick McGinn. The girls
have shown perseverance, sportsmanship and commitment
during their practices. Way to go girls! Thank you to all the
intermediate students who have assisted with the practices,
parents for your on going support, and to our dedicated and
committed coaches Ms. Sansalone, and Mr. Ayoade
BOYS: On May 4th the junior boys will compete in a
tournament hosted by Holy Name. The boys have
displayed enthusiasm, determination, and sportsmanship
throughout their practices. Way to go boys!! Thank you to
all the intermediate students who have assisted with the
practices, parents for your on going support, and to all of
the organizers of the tournament.
Coaches: Ms. Sansalone, Mr. Ayoade.
Boys’ Junior Basketball
Renzo L.
Chiron H.
Reed T.
Matthew L.
Costas Z.
Nicholas B.
Julian R.
Christian F.
Lorenzo B.
Jake C.
Mario F.
Christian R.
Gianni L.
Aryana M.
Nicholas K.
Matteo E.
Girls’ Junior Basketball
Angelina V.
Amanda V.
Christina S.
Jessica C.
Ava P.
Emma L.
Emma P.
Jinessa D.
Sierra L.
Cassidy B.
Isabelle D.
Gabriella P.
Cristina V.
Sara M.
Sarah M.
Brienna D.
“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis
of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”
John F. Kennedy
Communication at Our Lady of the Annunciation
Communication is the first step in developing good working relationships,. As a school, we are committed to
keeping students and parents informed about events, special celebrations, and the day-to-day happenings in the
school. We invite parents to visit our school website often at ola.ycdsb.ca. The home page will be used as a blog to
keep you informed about weekly announcements and reminders. In addition, we are pleased to inform you that
OLA is now on Twitter. The link to our Twitter feed may be found on our school website or search for
@ OLAnnunciation. Please follow us and we are confident that you will be delighted to read about all of the
wonderful things happening at our school.
Our Lady of the Annunciation Website
http://ola.ycdsb.ca
Follow us at:
@OLAnnunciation
We are very proud of our Gold ECO School Certification. We continue to make every effort to build on our ECO
initiatives. To help foster awareness towards the Environmental Stewardship Strand, we want to minimize the photo
copied paper being used at the school. Therefore, as of June 2015, hard copies of the monthly newsletter will end.
Beginning in September, newsletters will continue to be posted on the OLA Website and all families will receive
the OLA monthly newsletter as an email attachment through Synervoice. This will allow all families to have access
to the newsletter at any time throughout the month. We thank you for your support in helping us reach our ECO
school goals.
MAY 2015
Page 5
Continuous Improvement of Student Achievement
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMPETITION
The Junior and Intermediate Divisions
have worked very hard over the last
month in preparing for OLA’s Oral
Communication competition. Each of the
classes had two representatives compete
in our school competition on April 15th.
The speakers presented to their fellow
students, staff members, parents, and a
panel of honorable judges. The winners
of our competition, Junior—Alex T.
(Random Acts of Kindness) and
Intermediate –Lauren B. (Heaven), went
on to compete in the Area finals at Our
Lady of Hope CES on April 29th. We
would like to congratulate all students
for their hard work and efforts.
Junior:
Chelsea L. : RINGETTE
Hailey C.: IF I WERE A GROWN UP FOR A
DAY
Andreas P.: LEFTIES
Christina S.: MY ITALIAN GRANDPARENTS
Brayden E.: THE HEART
Elizabeth M. BEING SHORT
Aryana M.: INTERNET CRIMES
Isabel L.: PAN AMERICAN GAMES
Alexander T.: ACTS OF KINDNESS
Daniel B.: COMMUNICATION AND HOW IT
HAS CHANGED
Intermediate:
Lauren B.: HEAVEN
Aaron A.: FICTION
Ryan H.: PUBERTY
Noah P.: VIKINGS
Gloria F. LYING
Adamo S.: THE HORRORS OF SPEECH
WRITING
Isabella V.: STRESS
Matthew S.: INFLUENCE OF SPORTS ON KIDS
Isabella S.: POPULARITY
Honourable mention to our 2nd place
winners Adamo S. and Isabel L.
Thank you to Mrs. DeFina and
Mrs. Bergougnou for organizing this
event for our students and for
accompanying the winners to Our Lady
of Hope CES.
Page 6
ASSESSMENTS OF READING, WRITING AND MATHEMATICS,
PRIMARY AND JUNIOR
DIVISIONS: EQAO
EQAO Assessment will be
administered for several days to be
scheduled between May 25and
June 4, 2015. The rationale for the
later time frame is that students will
be better able to apply concepts
and skills of the curriculum. All
Grade 3 and Grade 6 students will
participate in testing. The tests are
developed through the Educational
Quality and Accountability Office
and all students in the province will
participate. All test results will be
communicated to you during the
fall of 2015.
Please note that students can’t
study in preparation for these tests;
however, they can get a good
night’s sleep and have a healthy
breakfast prior to coming to school.
Please avoid booking out of school
appointments during this time
frame. Keep in mind that this is
only one assessment of what your
child has learned, and that the
teacher’s regular classroom
assessments remain central to the
learning process. If you would like
more information about the EQAO
assessment, please visit the website:
www.eqao.com We thank the
parents/guardians in advance for
their co-operation, assistance and
encouragement given to their
child(ren).
A Message from the ECO Club:
Hello O.L.A. Community! Last week was Earth Week at O.L.A. Each
day we participated in a different theme to honour our Earth. There was
Yard clean up day, Walk/Ride to school day, Ban the plastic bottle day
and a Lights off day. Members of the Eco Club also participated in a
special Eco art project. Using recycled textiles, students in the Eco Club
created a large textile weaving depicting the colourful wings of a
butterfly. Members of the Eco Club also made and planted seed bombs
in the Butterfly Garden to help attract pollinators to the garden.
Energy Conservation
Everyone get ready because May 4th is the first day of
Screen-Free week! For one week, unplug from
entertainment screen media and spend your free time
playing outside, riding your bike, visiting a friend, or reading. Are you
up for the challenge?
New Physical Education Equipment
The students are enjoying playing with the new gym items
purchased thanks to the generosity of the OLA Catholic School Council
from support of the Spook-a-thon funds. The equipment includes
yoga mats, a mini golf set, a T-ball set, potato sacks, Bocce sets and
countless other items. The children love being active and having so much
fun! Keep in mind that if you are looking to get rid of extra balls, rackets
etc. when cleaning this spring, we will definitely find use for them. Thank
you!
O U R L A D Y O F T H E A N N U N CI A T I O N N E W S
Engaging Our Communities
.FIRE DRILLS/CODE DRILLS
As a school we are committed to
providing a safe learning environment
for all students and staff. It is important
that we conduct emergency
preparedness exercises. We conducted
3 practice fire drills in the fall and we
are required to conduct 3 more in the
spring. As well, this spring we will also
conduct another “Code “ drill. The
Code drills differ from a fire drill in that
students will remain inside the building
as a safety precaution in the event of
severe weather or a possible intruder in
the building. All staff and students will
review this procedure prior to
practicing it.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
A reminder to all parents and all
visitors to our school to register at the
office as soon as you enter the building
by signing the Visitor’s Book on the
front counter, and to wear a Visitor’s
Badge during your stay as per our
Board’s “Safe Schools” policy. Please
remember to sign-out and return your
visitor’s badge when you leave.
Early dismissal—as a safety precaution
for our students please always send in a
note with your child if he or she is being
picked up early by yourself or someone
other than yourself. This will help
minimize interruptions to the class, and
perhaps an unnecessary call home.
WHEELS AT OLA
Over the last few weeks there has been
an increase in the use of scooters/
skateboards by our students. If students
choose to use these items to get to
school, they are responsible for them.
The school will not take
responsibility for lost or stolen items.
Due to safety reasons, these items
cannot be ridden on school property.
Students must walk onto, and off the
property. Thank you for your
cooperation.
Page 8
SCHOOL CLIMATE
STUDENT SURVEY 2015
Schools need to be safe and
welcoming places so that all
students feel comfortable to learn.
Between April 23rd and May
22nd, all students in Grades 4, 6 &
7 will be given an opportunity to
complete the school climate student
survey. This information will help us
learn how we can continue to make
our Catholic school a safe place in
which everyone feels respected and
that they belong. The results
collected will be used to build upon
the strengths previously identified
in the 2014 survey of parents and
school staffs, as well as address areas
of concern as we continue our efforts
to promote peace, justice and the
sacredness of human life of all of our
students here at Our Lady of the
Annunciation and create a culture
of continuous improvement of
student achievement in everything
that we do.
SOCIAL WEBSITES
Our school is obliged to protect
our students and families personal
information. Images of students are
considered personal information.
Parents sign the Freedom of Information consent form upon registering their child with our Board.
This consent allows pictures to be
posted on the School Board’s or
school’s websites. It does NOT include permission for posting pictures on social networking sites (i.e.
Facebook, MySpace, YouTube).
We caution parents and staff that
when taking pictures/videos of
students in school or on field trips
that those pictures are not to be
posted on any social networking
sites.
Questions about the collection
and the use of this personal information should be directed to the
Privacy Manager, York Catholic
District School Board, 320
Bloomington Rd. W., Aurora, Ontario L3G 3G8 or (905) 713-2711.
SEE OUR GARDEN GROW…….
As part of our initiative to becoming ECO Certified, Our Lady of the
Annunciation will be improving and adding to the green space at the
front of the school the end of May. This initiative was a huge success last
year. In order to accomplish this goal, we need help from all the students
in the school. Each student is invited to bring in a hearty, native species
flower to plant the week of May 19th. Planting will begin with the Junior grades on May 19th, followed by the Primary grades on May 20th,
Kindergarten classes on May 21st and the Intermediate grades on May
22nd. This is a hand-on learning experience that will assist in teaching
our students the value of respecting and caring for our earth. Please
remember your flower on May 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, so all
students can say they played a part in helping our garden grow.
Additional information with specific times/classes will be sent home in
early May. Parents are welcome to join us in the planting experience
with their child’s class. Once again thank you for all of your support with
our green initiatives!
O U R L A D Y O F T H E A N N U N CI A T I O N N E W S
The York Catholic District School Board approves
Long Term Accommodation Plan for 2015-2020
The Government of Ontario, the Ministry of Education, and local School Boards are responsible to students
and to their parents to ensure that as much funding as possible is directed to the education needs of students.
Recent provincial announcements have highlighted the need for school boards across the province to reduce
surplus capacity through the implementation of a Long Term Accommodation Plan.
At its Regular Meeting of the Board held on March 24th, 2015, the Board of Trustees approved the York Catholic District School Board’s Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP) for 2015-2020. The LTAP is a planning report which highlights the current and future student accommodation needs of the York Catholic District
School Board. Implementation of the LTAP will begin in the Fall 2015.
The LTAP focuses on the four (4) Rs:
"Right Program" (elementary school and/or secondary school initiatives);
"Right Facility" (physical space in the building, school yard and parking lot);
"Right-Size" (student placements, school organization); and,
"Right Location" (geography).
The LTAP includes a number of accommodation initiatives, which range from new schools to accommodation
reviews and boundary reviews, program considerations, temporary accommodations, as well as, facility partnerships.
Each accommodation initiative will be guided by a process that includes opportunities for community participation and consultation.
The York Catholic District School Board is committed to keeping all stakeholders informed throughout the
process.
To view the Long Term Accommodation Plan in full, and for more detailed information, visit: http://
www.ycdsb.ca/departments/Planning/ltap.htm