Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School Respect yourself Respect your school Respect others Walk with Jesus MARCH 2016 From the Principal s Desk:

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1 Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School 25 Alderson Drive, Hamilton, On, L9B 1G3 Phone: , Fax: Mr. M. Mielko, Principal Ms. C. Kocel, Principal Intern Mrs. M. Cipolla, Superintendent of Education Mrs. D. Woodfine, Secretary Mr. J. Valvasori, Trustee Rev. E. Mahony, Pastor, Corpus Christi Parish Proud Feeder School of Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, Mr. F. Ciancone, Principal Respect yourself Respect your school Respect others Walk with Jesus MARCH 2016 God, heavenly Father, look upon me and hear my prayer during this holy Season of Lent. By the good works You inspire, help me to discipline my body and to be renewed in spirit. Without You I can do nothing. By Your Spirit help me to know what is right and to be eager in doing Your will. Keep me from sin, and help me live by Your commandment of love. Send Your Spirit to make me strong in faith and active in good works. Open my heart to Your love, and prepare me for the coming feast of the Resurrection of Jesus. Lord, during this Lenten Season, nourish me with Your Word of life and make me one with You in love and prayer. Fill my heart with Your love and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ. Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness. Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass. Father, our source of life, I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand; let me walk more readily in Your ways. Guide me in Your gentle mercy, for left to myself I cannot do Your Will. Father of love, source of all blessings, help me to pass from my old life of sin to the new life of grace. Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen. From the Principal s Desk: This month we will continue to observe the Lenten season as a school. We began this season last month with our annual Pancake Tuesday. The children enjoyed a delicious meal together thanks to the wonderful efforts of our CSC and the many parent volunteers who helped out on this day. THANK YOU! The pancakes were scrumptious! During Lent we will be setting personal goals for our Lenten offering. We each take our own personal journey through Lent, as well as sharing this time with our family and friends. As a family you can help your child through prayer and by encouraging them to sacrifice for others or by performing acts of kindness. On Friday, March 11th, 2016, we will be celebrating St. Patrick s Day at Corpus Christi. Students are asked to wear green. If they do not wear green, then they are expected to be in uniform. A reminder again to the parents, that we will be starting our class lists for next year very shortly. If you have any specific requests for next year, be sure to send a note in writing to myself (Mr. Mielko). We will not be accepting requests for specific teachers. The deadline for receipt of these requests is May 20, May your Lenten preparations go well; may you have a restful March Break; and a safe, happy and Holy Lenten season!

2 CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: OPENING THE DOORS OF MERCY Pope Francis has declared 2016 a Holy Year of Mercy as a way for the Catholic church to make more evident, its mission to be a witness of mercy. The Holy Year began on December 8, 2015 and will be celebrated until November 20, Throughout the year, there will be a series of jubilee celebrations on the theme of mercy for teenagers, deacons, the sick and disabled, prisoners, catechists and clergy. As well, Pope Francis opened the Vatican s Holy Door on December 8 th. The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept of forgiveness which is the main focus of a Holy Year. The theme God s mercy is illustrated in fifteen of the sixteen bronze panels that make up the Vatican Door. There are seven such Holy Doors in the world, including one in Quebec City. Catholic Education Week 2016 combines both the theme of mercy and the act of opening doors of reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness to all around us. There are five sub-themes for each day of Catholic Education Week: Monday: Mercy that Welcomes Tuesday: Mercy that Loves Wednesday: Mercy that Forgives Thursday: Mercy that Lives the Gospel Friday: Mercy that Rejoices Every year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA) provides our Catholic schools with a resource kit to help schools prepare for Catholic Education Week. Using these resources as well as our own developed activities we have prepared a series of activities which will highlight how our school is Opening Doors of Mercy. We hope to see many of you during our school celebrations. FIRST HOLY COMMUNION First Holy Communion will take place on Sunday, May 1 st, 2016 at the parish at 1:00 p.m. MARCH BREAK Monday, March 14 th to Friday, March 18 th Students return to school on March 21 st, THE ONE CALLED JESUS Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School is proud to announce that it will be hosting the One Called Jesus Exhibitiion from April 9-13 th. The exhibition featuring many wonderful pieces of art will be open to the public over this weekend. Students and staff will be visiting Monday Wednesday and will be getting a special presentation from Sister Teresa. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Sister Teresa for bringing this wonderful exhibition to our school community. CSC NEWS February was a busy month for the Corpus Christi Catholic School Council. The students were treated to French toast to celebrate Carnival on February 5th and a pancake lunch on February 9th for Pancake Tuesday. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make these treat days memorable for our students. A friendly reminder that popcorn will now be sold at first recess every Tuesday for $2 per bag. House league Basketball begins on Saturday, March 26th with start times at 8am and going until 12 noon. If your child has signed up then a note will be sent home to notify you what time your child will play at and what team he/she will be on. This is a league that focuses on basketball skills development and having fun! Our next Catholic School Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 3 rd, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. in the Learning Commons room. All are welcome to attend. We hope that you have a safe and enjoyable March Break. ALLERGIES/SEVERE REACTIONS As you are aware, there are a number of young children who endure very severe allergic reactions to peanut butter, peanut oil products, milk and/or eggs. We do not permit the children to share snacks, treats, lunches, etc. with each other at any time. We also ask for your continued assistance in not sending your child with food items containing peanut butter or oil products. We are concerned for the health and well-being of all our students. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in this regard. CORPUS CHRISTI SCHOOL LENTEN MASS The Corpus Christi School Community is invited to attend mass on Saturday, March 5 th at 5:15 p.m. at the church as part of our Lenten journey. Our grade 7 students will be actively involved in the mass and we would like to have as many students and their families attend this mass as possible. Thank you for your continued support!!!

3 ECO NEWS They have arrived!!! Our Corpus Christi water bottles have finally arrived. We will be sending home order forms home before March Break. They will be $2 each or 3 for $5. Our Bag to School Fundraiser that Mrs. Pimenta s grade 7 s will be spear heading will be beginning very soon. They have been advertising this campaign for all of February. Pick up of your items will be March 31 st. Drop off will start on March 28 th and continue to March 31 st. Remember: Environmental Facts: The average North American discards over 65 pounds of clothing and textiles each year (some 2 million tons of textiles are discarded in Canadian landfills each year). The vast majority (89%) of discarded textiles still have 75% wear left. Extending the average life of clothes by just three months of active use would lead to a 5-10% reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints. Textile Recycling: Textile recycling is very efficient - approximately 93% of all waste is successfully reclaimed (items re-sold as used clothing, reprocessed as fibres (stuffing for vehicle seats, upholstery, insulation, etc.), and converted to cloth wipes). Benefits associated with recycling clothing are excellent; (i) reduces the amount of pesticides/chemicals and water to make/dye new items and cuts down the pollutants and gases released in the manufacturing process. What Happens to the Clothes? All clothing collected is sold to importers and wholesalers in many countries of North America, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Asia. Approximately 80% of collected clothing is reused as clothes and the other 20% enters the recycling industry for bed manufacture, socks, blankets and the industrial wiper trade. Interesting Fact: The textiles thrown away in one year in Canada could fill Toronto s Rogers Centre (formerly Sky Dome) three times over. Remember Go Green and Keep it Clean!! JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION We have started completing our JK registrations for the school year , if you know of anyone who has not registered, please ask them to call the school and speak to Mrs. Woodfine or myself. A reminder to all that we have Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten at Corpus Christi! Also, if you know of any other families who will be registering their children, please ask them to call Mrs. Woodfine this month for registration. INCLEMENT WEATHER - SCHOOL CLOSURE Though we have had quite a mild winter weather this year you never know, we may get more snow!! So, unless announced on the radio, all schools will remain open even though the weather may be severe. As always, parents have the right and the responsibility to decide to keep children home if there is any question as to their safety. We do ask that you call us if your child will be absent. Any school closures or cancellations of transportation will be announced on the following radio stations by 7:00 a.m.: 900 CHML, Y108 FM, 1150 CKOC, K-LITE FM, 820 CHAM and WAVE-FM 94.7 and will posted on the Board s website. Please remember to inform the school if there are any changes in home and emergency numbers. CYO NEWS Congratulations to the Junior Girls Volleyball team for winning their divisional championship! The girls worked hard all season resulting in an amazing finish. Congratulations also to Mr. Kelly and Mrs. Tonin for coaching the girls! In other news, the junior and seniors boys' volleyball teams will start their seasons after the March break. The boys have been practicing to prepare for their first games. Thanks to Mrs. Mayer, Mrs. Neufeld, Mrs. Branscombe and Mr. Startek for coaching these teams. Corpus Christi will be sending 2 teams to participate in the Daryl Mahler Memorial 3 on 3 Hockey Tournament at the Mohawk 4 Pad Ice Centre on Wednesday March 9 th, We wish them good luck as they will be trying to bring home a championship!! FIRST RECONCILIATION Congratulations to our Grade 2 students who received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation on Saturday, February 20 th at Corpus Christi Church. We would like to thank the teachers Mrs. Codispodi, Mrs. Danesi and Mrs. Neufeld for preparing our students for this very special day. Thank you to Father Mahoney for performing this sacrament and Carol Junker for her wonderful gift of music. COMMUNICATION IS KEY We like to keep the doors of communication open at Corpus Christi. If at any time, you would like to share your concern, issue, comment, ideas or suggestion, no matter how small, we welcome your input! If you wish to discuss any matter, please do not hesitate simply call the school to make an appointment with your child s teacher or Mr. Mielko, we would be happy to meet with you!

4 SYSTEM SCIENCE FAIR Congratulations to our Science Fair participants, James, Lily, Bridget, Claire, Rhylin, Matteo, Emily, Jadyn and Amelia who worked extremely hard over the last several months to complete their science fair project. They represented our school at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School and won a Gold Award!! We are so proud of the way you represented our school, Congratulations on a job well done!! CSC HOUSE LEAGUE BASKETBALL COMING SOON! The Corpus Christi Catholic School Council is once again proud to bring to you this fun and exciting 6-week basketball program which will take place every Saturday beginning March 26th until April 30 th. If your child would like to participate, the cost will be $40. Details and permission forms were sent home in February and are also available on our website. SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAMME A reminder to all parents - please phone the school if your child is going to be absent from or late for school. Our answering machine is available 24 hours a day and messages are cleared regularly between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The school s phone number is Also, please remember to include the reason for your child s absence. It is a very great help to us to know when students will be away from school! We thank the parents who are consistently keeping us informed! HEALTH RELATED REMINDERS Please be advised that parents/guardians are obligated to notify the school of any potential risk of injury to their child(ren). Please help us care for your child(ren) by keeping us informed of any of the following conditions: severe allergic reactions, previous concussions, other conditions which might affect safe participation in school programmes, recess activity and/or extra-curricular activity, any other conditions which might affect the provision of first aid. School staff cannot administer medication, including Aspirin and Tylenol without a Request and Consent for the Administration of Medication, completed and signed by a parent/guardian and a doctor. A properly labeled container is required, including the instructions and conditions that are to be followed for the administration of the medication for the safety of the child. All medication is stored in the Principal s office and administered by the Principal or designate. DIVERSITY CONFERENCE On Friday, February 19 th, our grade 7 students participated in the H.W.C.D.S.B Diversity Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to interactively learn about the similarities and differences we have with one another here at Corpus Christi and around the world. Throughout the year the students will earn Diversity Beads by living in the vision of Christ by displaying acts of integrity, environmental stewardship, teamwork, youth empowerment, responsible leadership and social justice. We look forward to the challenge of earning these beads throughout the school year. FUTURE STM PARENTS Please save the dates for our In School Uniform Discount Sales Evenings, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm in the School Library: Monday, May 9th, 2016 Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 Wednesday, May 11th, 2016 Both our uniform supplier Bombardieri Uniforms and our Phys Ed/ Co-Instructional Department (selling gym wear) will be set up these evenings with their inventory. A more formal pamphlet will be sent out soon to distribute to parents/guardians regarding uniform expectations and prices. STATIONS OF THE CROSS On Thursday, March 24 th the grade 8 students will be presenting Jesus journey through the Stations of the Cross. Families are invited to join us for this spiritual journey. We will begin at 12:15 p.m. HOMEWORK We ask parents to assist child(ren) in establishing regular homework routines, free of distraction. We remind parents to sign the agenda nightly once the work is completed. Children who do homework regularly are more likely to be successful at school. We are insisting that students submit their best work at all times. CORPUS CHRISTI CHESS CLUB The Corpus Christi Chess club is up and running. The students meet weekly during lunch recess and enjoy a game or two of chess. They are preparing for The Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District Chess Tournament, which will be held on Thursday, April 26, Thank you to Mrs. Goldsmith for organizing the club! PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH Lent is a time for us to focus on important practices of our faith: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. During Lent help your children see that prayer is both formal and informal and that God wants to hear from us in many ways; teach them that we can fast from a favourite food or drink, but also from a bad habit or mean spirited action; remind them that almsgiving provides support for those in need and can take the form of money, goods, or time and talent. Lent is about focussing in on how we can be better people and so it is a great teaching tool to help your children grow. (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office, ext. 2250)

5 MARRIAGE TIP OF THE MONTH In marriage we can sometimes focus on the habits of our spouse that annoy us, rather than looking inward at ourselves and asking how we might be a better partner to the one we love. Ask yourself what one thing you can do today to be a better spouse and then do it; choose a new item to focus on each week. As we change how we connect with our spouse, their response to us will also change and suddenly, life is better. Adopt a new way of acting toward your spouse and watch your marriage thrive! (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office, ext. 2250) CORPUS CHRISTI CWL Upcoming Events Tuesday, March 1 is a CWL Meeting at 7 p.m., after 6:30 mass. Cremation versus Burial with Lanette Rush of Marlatt Funeral Home. Friday, March 4 is World Day of Prayer at Regina Mundi Church. Saturday, March 5 is the CWL Hamilton Spring Regional Meeting with Mass at 9 a.m at St. Luke's Parish, 200 Mount Albion Road. Tuesday, April 5 is a CWL Meeting at 7 p.m., after 6:30 mass. Baby Shower with a representative from Birthright. NO PARKING IN THE BUS LOADING ZONE When you are dropping and picking up your child (ren), please park at the church parking lot and cross your children over to the school. This reminder is for the safety of all children at the school. Please do not park in the bus loading zone out front of the school or the fire zone. These areas must remain clear for buses that drop off and pick up our students or emergency vehicles when required. Thank you for your co-operation with this matter.

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