PASTORAL PLAN School Name: School Mission Statement: St. Jean-Marie Vianney aims to set high expectations for student achievement for all learners. Catholic graduates are taught the virtues and values of the Catholic faith making them not just good students, but contributing citizens in our community. School Motto: To Dream, Explore and Discover Pastoral Plan Links to Strategic Plan/Catholic Board Learning Plan: Catholicity: We are called to affirm our Catholic Faith, in word and action and in all that we do. We are focusing on interpreting scripture and connecting it to modern contexts. We are explicitly making Scriptural connections in our Newsflyer, announcements and classrooms as we connect them to the Virtue of the Month. Catholic Learning Environment: We foster the continuous development of all through a caring, safe and inclusive environment. We are developing a new Creating Pathways for Success Advisory Committee that will support the implementation of the My Blueprint All About Me Portfolio for all students. Catholic Community Engagement: We value the involvement of community through partnerships and collaboration. We continue to develop relationships with community partners (City of Brampton, Peel Health, OISE, York University, etc.) and work collaboratively with St. Roch Secondary School on various projects. Parish-Home-School Relations: We believe that strong partnerships and collaboration among Parish, Home and School are based on mutual respect rooted in our lived Catholic faith. We regularly communicate school activities and events through Twitter, email blast and Smore Newsflyer. We encourage and invite opportunities to collaborate with St. Jerome s Parish. Sacredness of Our Environment: We encourage the respectful and sustainable environmental practices of reducing, re-using and recycling in our school. Our Ban the Bottle campaign and our water theme will guide our ECO efforts in our school. We are making a conscious effort to reduce the use of plastics in our school, and to promote the Sacredness of the Earth. Page 1 of 6
Our Parish: St. Jerome Pastor: Rev. Jan Kolodynski Parish website: www.stjeromeparish.ca Message from the Pastor: Dear Parents, Students and Friends of St. Jean-Marie Vianney Catholic School, I prayerfully invoke an abundance of Divine blessings upon the staff and especially our children that they may continue to grow in knowledge, character and faith during this new school year and throughout their lives! As always remember to pray for our parish family and ask God s blessings as we build His kingdom here on earth. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, our Patron and united in the Holy Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world. Yours sincerely in the Lord, Fr. Jan Kolodynski Message from the Catholic School Council: The St. Jean-Marie Vianney Catholic School Council is an integral part of our school community. Through the active participation and collaboration of parents/guardians, we strive to ensure that all students reach their full potential in a faith filled environment. All are welcome. Catholic Education Week Theme: Walking Forward Together 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. April 30 May 5 is Catholic Education Week. The St. Jean-Marie Vianney school community will welcome parents in for our Spring Concert highlighting the talents of our primary division. We will also be hosting a Girls and Boys Conference during this week. May 1 st has also been deemed All Staff Recognition Day in light of St. Joseph s Day Patron Saint of Workers. Page 2 of 6
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. St. Jean-Marie Vianney school has active Adult Faith Ambassadors who prepare and lead staff in prayer and liturgy during staff meetings and at special liturgical times throughout the year. This year we will continue to incorporate the work of our Vianney Vision students and their social justice initiatives. We have been fortunate enough to participate once again, in the Me to We Event in Toronto to kick off those social justice initiatives. As always, we pray every day as a school community and involve students in leading prayer via the announcements. In line with the CBLIC, a specific focus on scripture and connecting it to present day will be an intentional effort throughout the year. We have updated our letterhead, newsflyer and are providing monthly scripture connections to the Virtues for teachers to use in class. Three school masses have also been set for the year, with our final mass being celebrated at St. Jerome s Parish again this year. 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 Feb. 25, 2017 NA Sacrament of Communion TBD NA Sacrament of Confirmation NA TBD Liturgical Celebrations: The Liturgical calendar is marked by the gathering in community to celebrate the Eucharist and share in prayer. Celebration Date Opening Mass @ school September 30, 2016 @ 9:30 Advent Mass @ school November 30, 2016 @ 9:30 Year End Mass @ St. Jerome s Parish May 31, 2017 @ 10:00 Page 3 of 6
Social Justice / Outreach Activities / Charities: 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 ShareLife activities such as the Wilf Hartzenberg Run/Walk/Roll in September. We also organize a ShareLife spirit week, teacher vs. student games and casual dress days for staff on Friday where proceeds are donated to ShareLife. Our school participates in the annual Terry Fox run/walk. Our Vianney Vision students will begin their social justice and community outreach initiatives after attending the We Day Rally in October. We continue to support St. Louise Outreach through canned food drives and clothing drives, Toys for Tots, and Chalice. 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 acknowledge the efforts of all our students regularly. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate the OCSGE in their report card comments as well. Each classroom was provided with the elementary version of the OCSGE and were encouraged to refer to them often. During their long range planning, teachers also consider opportunities to highlight the expectations throughout the curriculum. This year we have also displayed reflective words in the computer lab that connect to the OCSGE and encourage students in their pathways planning. 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. The St. Jean-Marie Vianney school community regularly participates in Vianney Villages, a practice that we will continue this year. Groups are made up of a mix of students from kindergarten to grade 8 who participate in team and community building activities, faith based lessons and fellowship. We Page 4 of 6
also have a plan to bring in guest speakers to promote the virtues and celebrate the positive actions of our students in the greater community. 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. St. Jean-Marie Vianney displays a number of visible signs of our faith. Upon entry into the school, our altar and cross adorn the space. Each classroom has a prayer space and cross. Our school also has a beautification committee that has installed a number of inspirational quotes in hallways and stairwells and has had a mural painted in the entrance of the school of our saint, St. Jean-Marie Vianney, and our virtues. Additionally, visible signs of our Faith are evident in the daily actions and faces of our students and staff. This year we have also installed a mini art gallery to showcase the talents of our own students. Resource List for Parents/Guardians: Religious Education Curriculum - Ontario Religious Education Curriculum 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 Page 5 of 6
School-Based Adaptive Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation Kits Adaptive Program Finding God Kit (kindergarten) Religion Textbook and Teacher s Resource: Born in the Spirit (grade 1-8) Family Life Textbook and Teacher s Resource: Fully Alive (grade 1-8) NSRV Bibles Page 6 of 6