PASTORAL PLAN School: School Mission Statement: The mission of the Father Daniel Zanon Catholic School is to ensure our children receive a Catholic education that is rich in both academic excellence and Christian values. As educators, we must seek and create a secure, warm, welcoming and safe environment, which is conducive to developing the maximum potential of each child. Father Daniel Zanon Catholic School established itself in this community as a centre of learning, where our faith is practiced daily and students are challenged to grow in the image of Christ. This is possible due to the collaborative effort of our staff, our students, our parents, our trustee, our parish community and our board. It continues to be a goal to encourage our children to acquire the values, beliefs and knowledge that will allow them to grow in Christ as they journey from the early years to vocation. School Motto: Let His Shine Our Parish: St. Catherine of Siena Pastor: Rev. Camillo Lando, C.S. Parish website: www.stcatherine.ca Message from the Pastor: Our school is under the pastoral care of St. Catherine of Siena Parish. We encourage families to register with the parish and join us for Mass: Saturday Page 1 of 6
Vigil at 6:00 pm; Sunday Mass at 8:30 am, 10:00 am (Italian), 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm (Spanish). Message from the Catholic School Council: Our Catholic School Council meetings always begin with a prayer. Our Parish representative keeps us informed of parish events. The decisions made by our CSC always support the spiritual growth of our students and in particular those celebrating a sacrament. Catholic Education Week Theme: Renewing the Promise Throughout Catholic Education Week, we ask you to reflect on the significance of Catholic education s presence and contribution in our Church, and in our society. May 6 May 12 is Catholic Education Week. The following occur during Catholic Education Week: Confirmation May 8, Crowning of Mary May 10, Welcome to Kindergarten Night, Classroom visits, Prayers on the PA. Faith Formation: Forming ourselves in our Catholic faith is a foundational element in helping each of us understand and live in the example of Christ. Every month we have a student led Virtues assembly, as well, throughout the year, Regular Masses and Liturgies. Our Youth Faith Ambassadors provide Social Justice opportunities for the community. Staff participate in Mississauga East Faith events and school staff led Advent and Lenten liturgies. Through these faith opportunities we hope that students deepen their faith by listening to scripture. Page 2 of 6
Sacramental Preparation: As Catholics, we understand sacraments to be "outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace." Together in partnership with our parish, we support the preparation of God s children in receiving the sacraments. Event Grade 2 Grade 7 Sacrament of Reconciliation March 7, 2018 Sacrament of First April 28, 2018 Communion Sacrament of Reconciliation May 8, 2018 Liturgical Celebrations: The Liturgical calendar is marked by the gathering in community to celebrate the Eucharist and share in prayer. Celebration Date Opening School Mass September 26, 2017 Thanksgiving Liturgy October 5, 2017 Remembrance Day Service November 10, 2017 Advent Mass December 11, 2017 Weekly Advent Liturgies December 2017 Patron Saint Mass January 8, 2018 Ash Wednesday Liturgy February 14, 2018 Stations of the Cross March 29, 2018 Crowning of Mary May 10, 2018 Year End Mass June 26, 2018 Grade 8 Graduation Liturgy and Awards June 27, 2018 Social Justice / Outreach Activities / Charities: Page 3 of 6
Catholic Social Teachings of the Church root our actions in supporting human dignity and the preferential option of the poor which calls us to serve the most vulnerable in the world. Our school participates in many events that help support ShareLife, Cancer Research and our local school community. We have our annual Terry Fox Walk (this year we exceeded our school goal for donations). We support Dr. Simone s charity by collecting hard candy after Halloween. We support our parish by collecting food at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. We support our school community at Christmas with our Christmas baskets and our Giving Tree. Our support to Sharelife is done through dress down days, cookie sales, Lenten pretzels, ice cream sales and other activities throughout the year. We support the Girl Guide coat drive and St. Vincent de Paul clothing drive. Recognizing Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations: Framed by the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations (OCSGE), our graduates will be effective communicators, reflective thinkers, lifelong learners, collaborative contributors, caring family members, responsible citizens and discerning believers formed in the Catholic faith community. To celebrate OCSGE, we as a school community, incorporate them in our cross curricular instruction. When working through discipline issues, reference is made to OCSGE, in teaching students to become responsible, global citizens. Celebrating Virtues: A virtue is a habit or established capacity to perform good actions according to a moral standard. When we practice these virtues we strengthen them and thereby make the presence of God more and more visible in the world around us. Our monthly assemblies are presented by a different class or grade, each month. The presentations include prayer, technology, and/or drama. Each Page 4 of 6
month our student led Virtues Band performs a song that is reflective of that virtue. Students receive a certificate and a Virtues pencil. They also have their picture taken, which is posted on our Virtues/Scripture board in the front hall. Visible Signs of our Faith: Through symbol and service, we are instruments of God s love whose work within our communities stands as a witness to our faith. We are very fortunate to have a prayer room. The room provides teachers the opportunity to bring their classes for prayer and reflection. Staff also use it during our Advent and Lenten liturgies. Each classroom has a sacred space with symbols of our faith which change throughout the liturgical year. Our front hall has our altar, a picture of our patron Saint, a statue of Our Lady. Symbols of our faith are changed as our Liturgical season changes. We have a stained glass window in the library. An action step that we began late last Spring was our Scripture Board. Each month a new piece of scripture is posted. It is reflective of the month s current virtue. Students, staff, parents and community members are provided the opportunity to write a reflection and post to the board. Through this action we hope that students will develop an understanding of scripture and its connection to sacrament, Catholic social teachings and daily life. Resource List for Parents/Guardians: Religious Education Curriculum - Ontario Religious Education Curriculum Page 5 of 6
Family Life Curriculum - Ontario Family Life Curriculum Fully Alive Program information - Ontario Bishops' information on Fully Alive Resource List for Schools: Board Vocations Units We have Vocations units as part of the Grades 2, 5, and 8 curriculum. The goal of these supplementary units is to deepen one s understanding of God s call the vocare to various forms of life within the Church. History of the Parish Through the resource book Our Story, Our Tradition, Our Journey, grade 7 students have the opportunity to learn about the history of our parish. Enduring Gift Video School-Based Page 6 of 6