Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School 25 Alderson Drive, Hamilton, On, L9B 1G3 Phone: 905-389-3940, Fax: 905-318-6095 Mr. M. Mielko, Principal Ms. C. Kocel, Principal Intern Mr. M. Hucal, Superintendent of Education Mrs. D. Woodfine, Secretary Mr. J. Valvasori, Trustee Rev. E. Mahony, Pastor, Corpus Christi Parish 905-389-2472 Proud Feeder School of Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, Mr. F. Ciancone, Principal 905-648-4989 Respect yourself Respect your school Respect others Walk with Jesus Come Lord Jesus! Bless us as we prepare to welcome You more fully into our lives. Be with us in the busyness and quiet of our preparation. Reveal Yourself to us as we seek to be Your people. The people in darkness have seen a great light. Illuminate us and draw us close, as we wait in joyful hope. For You are our hope and our salvation! Come Lord Jesus! From the Principal s Desk: This past month has been packed with events in our community such as the Kids Have Stress Too Presentation. Most prevalently, we celebrated an inspirational Remembrance Day Ceremony. We remembered those who had died and suffered in order that we could live in peace and harmony today. We have many heroes who fight for and/or speak up for peace. One such hero was Pope John Paul II. As a spiritual leader, Pope John Paul seized the moral high ground and never relinquished it. Pope John Paul vocally opposed war, the arms trade and the taking of human life. He was a man of peace, a man who was not afraid to stand by what he believed to be right and to oppose those he felt were morally wrong. Pope John Paul changed the face of our world in a positive, long lasting way. Here at Corpus Christi Catholic School, we have many of our own heroes. Our students, parents and staff all work towards a better way of life for those less fortunate. We have all learned that together we are a family. Through prayer and positive action, we have created a community with a sense of justice and a sense of peace. Thank you very much to our students, our staff, our parish, and our community for reminding us of this message. By working together, we can all help Corpus Christi Catholic School to continue to be a great place for everyone.
CSC NEWS The Catholic School Council hosted a successful workshop, "Kids Have Stress Too", featuring Child Life Specialist, Michelle McVittie from Hamilton Health Science on November 30th. This successful and very informative night was Part One of our Two Part Mental Health Awareness Sessions, "Is Your Child Alright?" Thank you to all those who attended and to all those who volunteered. Please join us on February 6, 2017 as we host our second Mental Health Awareness Session featuring Hamilton Health Science guest speakers, Paula D'Orazio, "Parenting with Love" and Michelle McVittie, topic to be determined. Details and RSVP letter will be sent home with students. In the spirit of Christmas, we are reaching out to the generosity of the Corpus Christi Catholic School community to assist us in spreading Christmas joy to deserving families within our school community and surrounding school communities in the city of Hamilton, who may be experiencing financial difficulty during this holiday season. Through your kind and charitable support, the Corpus Christi Catholic School Council Christmas Hampers Drive, has been a success year after year and has been very much appreciated by the families who benefit from your overwhelming kindness. Thank you for your continued support in helping us spread the gift of love through our Christmas Hampers Drive. Please send in your donations to your classroom no later than December 16th. Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a very safe and Happy New Year. FAMILY ADVENT CRAFT NIGHT The Family Advent Craft Night is taking place on Monday December 12 th at 6:30 p.m. in the gym. We have had an excellent response to the invitation and look forward to spending a wonderful evening together as a Catholic community. COLD WEATHER AND CLOTHING The cold weather is upon us and it is very important that the students dress appropriately. As much as possible, we like the students to be outside, no matter what the weather. We will only keep the students in for severely cold conditions and heavy rainfall. If it is just spitting out, we will be going outside in order to get some fresh air and exercise. Please make sure that your child dresses for the weather! We cannot supervise the students who are inappropriately dressed inside the school, if the majority of students are outside on the playground. We find that the older students, in particular, come without gloves, hats and boots and then do not want to go outside. However, we do live in Canada and we do have a climate which we should all be prepared to dress for and to enjoy. Please label all clothing and items to avoid loss. STUDENTS LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS AT LUNCH Please be reminded that NO student is allowed to leave school property unless they are signed out at the office by the parent or guardian. The lunch policy remains in effect. STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK UP 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. SNOW THROWING POLICY There is perhaps no other activity that has the potential to cause serious injury as throwing snow or snowballs. Particles of ice, grit or stones can be imbedded in the snow without the person s knowledge and could result in head or eye injuries. SNOW THROWING WILL NOT BE PERMITTED AT CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC SCHOOL. Students throwing snow will have very serious consequences. Safety is our primary concern. All students have been given verbal warnings about the dangers of throwing snow or snowballs. Please discuss the seriousness of throwing snow with your child. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS The last day of school before Christmas vacation is Friday, December 23rd, 2016. Students will be dismissed at the usual time 2:45 p.m. Students will return to school on Monday January 9 th, 2017. FIRST HOLY COMMUNION In preparation for the Sacraments there will be a parent meeting on Thursday, January 12 th at 7:00 p.m. in the church. All parents are asked to attend this meeting and form with a photocopy of your child s Baptismal certificate, stapled to the registration. Ist Holy Communion with take place on Sunday, April 30 th, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.
VOLUNTEERING YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED Even half an hour a week helps immensely! Please call Mr. Pickard, Special Education Teacher, to discuss possibilities. Let us know if you can help. Please remember that everyone working in the school requires a police check. Thank you. MEDICATION A reminder to parents/guardians that medication will not be given out at school without the required documentation. There are 2 forms that must be completed and placed in the student s OSR if medication is to be administered at school. One of the forms is to be completed by the doctor and the other one is to be completed by the parent/guardian. Students are not permitted to self-administer any kind of medication. All medication will be stored in the office (with the exception of the second epi-pen which may be kept in the classroom) and will be administered by the appropriate adult here at school. Please remember that there cannot be any exceptions to this Board Policy. INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHOOL CLOSURE All schools will remain open even though transportation may be cancelled. The decision to close schools will be made by the Director or his designate. In the event that schools are to be closed, any announcement from the Director to that effect will be specific and state that all schools are to be closed. All school closures and/or transportation cancellations will be announced on the following TV/ radio stations as well as the Board s website and Twitter/Facebook accounts. Hamilton Area: 900 CHML/Y108 FM/95.3 Fresh FM Oldies 1150 (CKOC)/K-Lite 102.9 FM CHCH TV Morning Live (Channel 11) Board Website www.hwcdsb.ca Twitter Account https://twitter.com/hwcdsb Facebook Account www.facebook.com The Hamilton Spectator www.thespec.com CBC Hamilton www.cbc.ca/hamiltonthe Hamilton Spectator www.thespec.com STAYING INDOORS WHEN ILL Frequently we receive requests from parents to allow a child to remain indoors at recess or lunch hour due to illness or cold. When a child is well enough to come to school, they should be prepared to participate in all activities during the school day. ANAPHYLAXIS MESSAGE Corpus Christi Catholic School is a place where all children feel safe and have a sense of belonging. To ensure the safety and well-being of all children, please note below important information from Anaphylaxis Canada: Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death; Signs and symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can occur within minutes of exposure to an allergen (a substance capable of causing an allergic reaction) Very small amounts of certain foods can cause severe reactions when eaten. This may happen if a person at risk touches an allergenic substance and then subsequently touches the mouth. Even a very small amount hidden in a food or transferred to a serving utensil has the potential to cause a severe allergic reaction. Direct ingestion of an allergy-causing food poses the greatest risk for people with food allergies. Cooperation from parent and guardians in adhering to the guidelines below is most appreciated: There are students at this school who are allergic to the following foods and items: nuts, dairy products, eggs and other items. Parents will be advised of allergens specific to a classroom; please avoid bringing these allergens into the designated classroom. Reinforce hand washing practices: wash hands before and after eating. Remind children not to share or trade food, food utensils, or food containers. Please do NOT bring any home-made food products into the school; with permission, non-food items are permitted for various celebrations and special events and activities. Thank you for your help in keeping all our children safe. CBC Hamilton www.cbc.ca/hamilton Please remember to inform the school if there are any changes in home and emergency numbers.
HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATION If you have an inquiry or concern regarding your child s education, something that took place at school, etc., please remember that there is a procedure in place to make the process most effective: 1) Get all the details from your child. 2) Contact the teacher/staff member directly involved. 3) If further information or action is required, then contact the principal. In this way, we can all ensure that issues are addressed in the best possible fashion for all involved. The next sports that Corpus Christi will participate in will be boys' basketball and girls' volleyball. The Junior girls' volleyball teams have already been picked and are being coached by Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Tonin and Mrs. Mayer. The Senior girls' volleyball team and both boys' basketball teams will start tryouts this week. These teams are being coached by Mrs. Branscombe, Mrs. Bukvic, Mrs. Carbone and Mr. Pickard. The season will start in January. Good luck to all athletes trying out! CHILDREN AND HEALTH Thank you. CYO NEWS During the month of November a number of our sports teams completed very successful seasons. Our 4 football teams finished their playoffs with tough losses. Thank you to all of the coaches and teacher advisors for dedicating their time to these teams: Mr. Butts, Mrs. Mayer, Mr. Cranstone, Ms. Peters, Mr. Picone and Mrs. Branscombe. Our girls' basketball teams also completed their regular seasons and playoffs. Congratulations to all the girls and to Ms. Vinerskis and Mrs. Aniballi for a successful season. On November 16th, a number of students from both the junior and intermediate division represented Corpus Christi at the bi-annual Darryl Mahler 3 on 3 hockey tournament at the Mohawk Quad Pad. The tournament is hosted by Cathedral Secondary school and this year Corpus Christi entered two junior teams and one senior team. The senior team was entered in the B division, where they represented Corpus Christi with pride. The team fought hard and played well, finishing with two wins and two losses after round robin play. Unfortunately, that was as far as they would advance, finishing just outside of the top 4 teams. In the junior divisions, both teams played exceptionally well, advancing to the championship games in their respective divisions with undefeated records. In the Junior B final, the young squad of mainly grade 4 and 5 students came up just short of victory, losing 8-5 to a much bigger and older team. In the Junior A final, Corpus Christi faced St. Therese of Lisieux for the second time in three games. After a close first period, the Cougars pulled away from their opponents, winning handily by 6 goals, to go undefeated for the entire tournament. Congratulations to all who participated and thank you to not only the coaching staff, but to the family members who came out to cheer the boys and girls on throughout the day. Prepare the way of the Lord! Isaiah 40:3 The season of Advent is upon us. It is the season filled with hope, peace, joy and love as we remember Christ s first coming into the world; as we invite Him to come into our lives today through the power of the Holy Spirit; and as we await His coming in glory at the end of time, bringing the fullness of His promised Kingdom. In celebration of the liturgical season, the Hamilton- Wentworth Catholic District School Board s online sacred space, Our Catholic Community, has been created to provide an opportunity for members of HWCDSB to come together as a community in prayer and reflection as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Catholic Community will be active from Thursday, November 23 rd, 2016, to Monday, January 9 th, 2017. Weekly postings will include: Gospel reflections, daily scripture quotes, wonders to ponder, Advent prayers and liturgies, invitations to prayer and reflection activities. Parents/Guardians wishing to participate in Our Catholic Community are asked to contact the school for access information. ECO NEWS Throughout November we have been cleaning up our gardens. We will be finishing the prep for next year. We continue to work with the students on the Green Bin Program as well as our recycling. Coming up in December we will be having a Funky Christmas Sweater day on December 16 th. At this point we will lower the temperature in the school by 2 degrees. We will use this as an opportunity to show the students that we can reduce our Carbon footprint by doing the little things like lowering the temperature and adding a layer as other things (turning off electronics, lights when not in use). With Christmas coming remember that we can recycle and reuse wrapping paper, gift bags and tissue paper. Merry Christmas and God Bless. Keep it clean and Go Green.
CHRISTMAS CHARITIES Our CSC in conjunction with Ms. Kocel s grade 8 class is organizing a Christmas Hamper campaign in which our students will be asked to send in items to help support some families in our community and in the city of Hamilton. Letters to follow. We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. - Winston Churchill CONFIRMATION Our grade seven students made their confirmations at Christ the King Basilica Cathedral on Nov. 5th. The students were well prepared and ready to receive this sacrament. Thank you to you - the parents - for your work in preparing the students for this important sacrament. Thank you also to Bishop Tonnos and Father Mahoney for their work in the preparation of the students and for their support throughout the last few months. Thank you to Mrs. Pimenta and Mrs. Bukvic, who spent a great deal of time ensuring that our children understood the step that they were taking into adulthood in the Church. Congratulations to all of you for working together to make Corpus Christi the wonderful community that it is. On behalf of the staff of Corpus Christi School, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe, healthy and Blessed Holiday Season! Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année