Year of the School January, 2018

Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School

Dear Parent(s)/Guardians(s),

Welcome back and Happy New Year to all of our staff, students, and

families. I hope that you all had a blessed Christmas and a very fun New

Year! May 2018 be prosperous to you and your family, filled with

health and happiness, love and laughter, and peace and wisdom. Many

of us start every New Year with renewed hopes and dreams, and look

forward to future aspirations. We also have the opportunity to reflect

on the many blessings that we have been given in the past year(s), and

need to remember to give thanks to God for all that we have. As we look

back on the year that has passed, let us remember both our successes

and frustrations, our joys and our tears, and look forward to 2018 with

renewed hope and expectation.

At this time, we would like to welcome Mrs. De Dominicis to the grade 2

class while Mrs. Ivanovsky is on leave. We would like to wish Mrs.

Ivanovsky and her family the very best during this time. A very happy and

healthy New Year to you all!

A.Iwasykiw

Principal

Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School

35 West Deane Park Dr. Etobicoke, ON, M9B 2R5

Phone:416 393 5413 Fax: 416 397 6044

Principal

A.Iwasykiw

Vice Principal

I.Mandarino Secretary

M. Maglietta

Clerk Typists

S. Shanahan M. Wells

Superintendent

Doug Yack

Trustee A.Andrachuk

Parish

St. Nicholas Catholic Church Pastor: Fr. Roman Lobay

Entrance and Dismissal:

Entry 8:30 am Recess 10:12am

Lunch Hour 11:15 am Afternoon Entry 12:15 pm

Recess 1:40 pm Dismissal: 3:30 pm

Звернення від директора

Дорогі батьки/опікуни,

Вітаємо всіх учнів, родичів і всіх працівників школи ім. Йосипа Кардинала Сліпого у новому році. Сподіваюсь, що всі мали благословенне Різдво і дуже веселий Новий рік.

Нехай 2018 рік для вас і ваших родин буде роком процвітання, сповненим здоров'я і щастя, любові та радості, миру і мудрості. Кожен новий рік ми починаємо з оновленими мріями та надіями, очікуючи майбутнього. Це гарна

нагода пороздумувати про ті щедрі Божі ласки, які ми отримали минулого року і подякувати Богові за все, що маємо. Оглядаючись на рік, що минув, пам'ятаймо всі наші успіхи і невдачі, наші радості і сльози і очікуймо 2018-го з новими надіями та сподіваннями.

Щасливого Нового і Здорового року всім вам!

А.Івасиків

St. Nicholas Visit to JCS

On Tuesday, December 19th, St. Nicholas came to all JCS students. He was accompanied by beautiful angels and many parent helpers. The students performed songs and poems as St. Nicholas looked on in amazement. Students had an opportunity to have pictures taken with St. Nicholas as he gave each student a bag of goodies filled with chocolates, a book on St. Nicholas, a beautiful Christmas ornament and mandarins. We would like to thank our Ukrainian Department, Pani McEvoy, Pani Zurokowska, Pani Lazirko, Pani Mykytyuk and our parent volunteers for their dedication and efforts into making St. Nicholas’ visit to Josyf Cardinal Slipyj School a memorable and happy visit for everyone.

Christmas Concert

On Tuesday, December 12th and Friday, December 15th, Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Students put on an exciting Christmas Concert. The students practiced very hard, memorized their lines, and sang and played harmoniously. It was evident that all of the students put in a great deal of time and effort into this Christmas production. A special thank you goes out to all of the JCS teachers and staff who worked tirelessly on this musical production, in particular Pani Kozak, our Vocal Music teacher, Mr. Rossi, our instrumental teacher, and Mrs. Leo and her elves. What a great success!!!

Sickness This is a reminder to all parent(s) and guardian(s) that students who are under the weather with a sickness or

recuperating from a sickness are asked to remain at home until they are 100% better.

Students cannot learn and concentrate if they are weak and fighting the last effects of their

sickness. In addition, students who are well enough to be at school are well enough to go

out for recess. The school does not have extra personnel to supervise students who wish

to stay in for recess due to illness. If they are too ill to go out for recess, then they should

be home for the day. This will allow for quicker recovery. Please ensure that your child

comes back healthy and ready to learn.

Inclement Weather Students are reminded to dress appropriately for the cold weather as ALL students will be outdoors during these cold temperatures, especially before the morning school bell. Once the extreme weather conditions are upon us (approximately -17/-20C), recess and outdoor play will be shortened and/or held inside.

During heavy snow and blizzard conditions, parents are asked to listen to the local radio station, TV announcements (City TV), and the TCDSB Board Web site for up to date information on bussing and school closures. When possible, an electronic message will be sent to parents with up to date information.

Missing IPAD It has come to our attention that an ipad has gone missing from the school. We believe that is was inadvertantly taken home due to the smallness and skininess of the ipad. It may have mistakenly and not knowlingly been put inside a duotang or a notebook, especially towards the end of the day when students are rushing to gather up their homework and papers. We are asking that parents and students take a second look in their homes for a missing ipad with a light blue cover. It may very well be at the bottom of a pile of homework and other books.

MATH at JCS Math at JCS will continue to focus on Learning Goals, the posting of Success Criteria in student friendly language, incorporating effective descriptive feedback from teacher and peers. Descriptive feedback from the classroom teacher and peers helps students to learn by providing information about their current achievement (Where I am now?) with respect to a goal (Where am I going?) and identifying appropriate next steps (How can I close the gap?). This is all done within the growth mindset adopted last year by staff and students, the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore students put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement. Last year we incorporated Jo Boalers’ positive norms into the math lessons (listed below). We will continue with our efforts to make our lessons a positive experience for all students.

1. Everyone Can Learn Math to the Highest Levels. Encourage students to believe in themselves. There is no such thing as a

“math” person. Everyone can reach the highest levels they want to, with hard

work.

2. Mistakes are Valuable

Mistakes grow your brain! It is good to struggle

and make mistakes.

3. Questions are Really Important

Always ask questions, always answer questions.

Ask yourself: why does that make sense?

4. Math is about Creativity and Making Sense Math is a very creative subject that is, at its core, about visualizing patterns

and creating solution paths that others can see, discuss and critique.

5. Math is about Connections and Communicating Math is a connected subject, and a form of communication. Represent math in

different forms, e.g. words, a picture, a graph, an equation, and link them.

Color code!

6. Depth is much more Important than Speed Top mathematicians, such as Laurent Schwartz, think slowly and deeply.

7. Math Class is about Learning not Performing Math is a growth subject, it takes time to learn and it is all about effort.

Positive Norms to Encourage in in Math Class By Jo Boaler

January Virtue — Courage “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10) While January sees the beginning of the New Year, many of us also regard it as the true beginning of the long, hard winter. In this sense it is apt that the virtue for January is COURAGE. The quote for this month is Isaiah 41:10, “Do not be afraid, I am with You”. It takes a lot of courage to practice and be true to our Catholic faith. We think of the courage it takes for students to reach beyond their comfort zones to learn in ways they have never done before. We think of the courage students and adults need to do the right thing even though they might risk unpopularity. We think of the courage it takes from teachers, administrators, parents and all workers in education to carry the responsibility of passing on our faith and hope to the students entrusted to our care. How do we show Courage at Josyf Cardinal Slipyj School: Let our actions be guided by the idea that God is inside everyone. If God is in everyone, think how you will treat everyone you meet. Know that sometimes doing the right thing is very tough but with courage you CAN do the right thing. We often know the right thing to do, we just need the courage to do it. The easy way is not always the right way. Stand up respectfully when you see something wrong that is being done. If someone in your class is doing something wrong, try to have the courage to let them know this. When someone is treating someone poorly, try not to just watch what is going on—act. Live your life in a way that makes others know you are a follower

of Christ. We know what God expects of us. Have the courage to live up to this. We know that followers of Christ remember the Golden Rule and treat others the way they would like to be treated.

Reminder to all JCS parents that the monthly calendar and newsletter are on the Josyf

Cardinal Slipyj School website. Please access the website for information at

https://www.tcdsb.org/SCHOOLS/JOSYFCARDINALSLIPYJ/EASTERNRITERELIGION/

Pages//Josyf-Cardinal-Slipyj.aspx

If you would like to have a hard copy sent home with your child, please call the school office

and let us know.

JCS electronic email distribution system is up and running. If you have not done so already, please provide the school office with your email address so

that you may be informed as well.

Some UPCOMING EVENTS in January (detailed calendar posted on JCS Website) Jan. 17 – Feast of Jordan at the school Jan. 17 – Kindergarten Registration begins at 10:00am on SOAR Jan. 19 – No School - PA Day, Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting Day Jan. 23 – CSPC Meeting at 7:00 pm in the school library Jan. 24 and 25th – SIS for Grade 2 students Jan. 26 – Dress Down Day for $2.00 Feb. 2 - Grades 3 to 8 are off skiing to Hockley Valley Feb. 23 - Grades 3 to 8 are off skiing to Hockley Valley ______________________________________________________________________________________

Please note: Registration for the 2018-2019 school year begins January 17, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. E.S.T.

Kindergarten Registration for September 2018

The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites families with children born in 2014 to

register for Kindergarten beginning Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 10 a.m. EST.

Registration options:

• Online: Parents will be able to complete their application online at:

https://soar.tcdsb.org/Login.aspx. A follow up with visit to the school to present the

required documents will be scheduled following the online application.

Information: 416-222-8282 ext. 5320 or 5314, www.tcdsb.org/kindergartenregistration

To Our New JK Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian, Welcome to the Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School community. Our school is dedicated to nurturing your child academically, physically and spiritually through our faith-based curriculum and a caring Catholic environment. We hope that your child is looking forward to his/her first day of class as much as we look forward to personally welcoming him/her to our school. Kindergarten registration will begin on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Parents/guardians with JK/SK children will have an opportunity to apply on-line using the “Student On-line Application for Registration” platform known as S.O.A.R. Parents will also be able to schedule their meeting with the school on the electronic application. The link for is S.O.A.R.: http://soar.tcdsb.org. In preparation for the scheduled meeting with the school, parents will be asked to refer to the information listed below. The following documents will be required at the time of your meeting with the school:

Child’s Birth Certificate or Passport/Immigration documents if child was not born in Canada

Child’s Catholic Baptismal Certificate (or proof of Catholicity of parent)

Proof of residency in Toronto (some examples: utility bills, lease agreements, proof of purchase)

Immunization Record

Application for Direction of School Support (ADSS) form

Our next Catholic School Parent Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23 at 7:00p.m. You are most welcome to attend. School will begin on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. Our regular school hours are 8:30am to 3:30 pm, and our school grounds are fully supervised from 8:10am to 3:45pm. Lunchtime is from 11:15am to 12:15pm, with both a morning and an afternoon recess. Children will be outdoors (weather permitting) for both morning and afternoon recesses, and for 30-40 minutes of the noon-hour break. Should you have any concerns or questions during the days and weeks ahead, please feel free to contact the school at any time at 426 393 5413. A.Iwasykiw Principal, Josyf Cardinal Slipyj School

Happy New Year from the CSPC (Catholic Schools Parent Council)! We trust everyone had a joyous and restful holiday season.

December seems so long ago, but we wanted to take a moment to thank the Mykolay committee - led my Natalja Oksa - and all parents that assisted in preparing for his magical visit to JCS. We would like to thank our sponsors: Ukrainian Credit Union, Buduchnist Credit Union and Cholkan Stepczuk Chartered Accountants for their kind support. See attached photos of some of the fun!

There are some upcoming parent involvement opportunities at JCS:

Pizza lunches: How much do parents and kids love pizza Wednesdays? Our amazing Sandra Pinchak has been leading this initiative for several years and we are all very grateful for all her hard work! In order for this operation to run smoothly, we do need parents to help with the logistics of pizza distribution! If you are available on a Wednesday (or multiple Wednesday’s) to assist, please reach out to Marta Gadacz our pizza volunteer coordinator for more information. mboszko@hotmail.com

Sviatchene Day: This is a CSPC sponsored event which will occur on Ukrainian Easter Monday which is April 9th 2018. On this day children will come together with their classmates in the gym for a feast of some paska, eggs and kobassa. Each year, our Sviatchene committee solicits sponsors and asks parents to volunteer to help to prepare for and manage this event. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Larysa Harapyn larysaharapyn@gmail.com

Next, we wanted to share an update on the most recent fundraising and charitable activities:

Planter Fundraiser: Thank you to all students and parents who participated in the Planter fundraiser! We doubled our sales this year, resulting in $1975.80 profit that will go towards purchasing technology for the school.

LegoDrive4Ukraine: thank you to all who donated! The Lego will be sent to summer camp organized by HUHTC and later to the orphanage.

One last reminder:

School Mass: All of the JCS community is encouraged to attend the Monthly Children’s Mass at our St. Nicholas Parish. It is a great way to meet other families! This year, we have been assigning a different class (classes) to host

the lunch social following the mass downstairs at the church. It has been a great way to bring our community together and we will continue this new tradition into 2018. For more information or if you would like to help please contact Oresta Kovbel our Parish Liaison. gprdds@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you at 9:30am on Sunday January 28th 2018 at the next Children’s Mass!

Our next CSPC meeting is Tuesday January 23rd at 7pm. If you cannot attend, please consider volunteering in other ways – some things can even be done from home. For more information please contact our volunteer coordinator Olenka Shklar. Olena.shklar@gmail.com

Happy New Year! Stephanie Soltys and Liijanna Shklar Co-chairs JCS CSPC

Monthly Update from the Board

January 2018 Kindergarten Registration Begins January 17th at 10 a.m. Visit www.tcdsb.org for details.

New French Immersion Programs Coming September 2018 We are pleased to share that following the successful community consultation, the Toronto Catholic District School

Board is moving forward with the implementation of French Immersion Programming for September 2018 at the

following schools:

St. Mary Catholic School

St. Alphonsus Catholic School St. Brigid Catholic School

St. Louis Catholic School

St. Rita Catholic School

Registration for elementary school programs will begin in January 2018.

Visit www.tcdsb.org for information about further expansions of the French Immersion program.

Registration for Second Semester of Night School and eClass Toronto Catholic District School Board invites students to register for night school and eClass beginning January

11th. Students may register for a maximum of two courses, which may consist of eClass Online or in-class evening

courses. Classes begin February 20th and 21st.

School Evenings Start Date End Date Times

Bishop Marrocco/ Thomas

Merton

Monday and Wednesday Feb 21 June 13 6 pm - 9:15 pm

Francis Libermann Monday and Wednesday Feb 21 June 13 6 pm - 9:15 pm

Jean Vanier Tuesday and Thursday Feb 20 June 7 6 pm - 9:15 pm

Msgr. Percy Johnson Tuesday and Thursday Feb 20 June 7 6 pm - 9:15 pm

eClass - Online Learning Feb 21 June 13

Visit the continuing education website for further information: www.tcdsb.org/continuinged or www.tcdsb.org/eclass

January’s Virtue is Courage Find all the resources related to the monthly virtue, as well as other resources to support faith development and

Religion and Family Life on our website here:

https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Pages/Default.aspx

Opportunities for Students Check here https://www.tcdsb.org/FORSTUDENTS/OpportunitiesForStudents/Pages/default.aspx for the latest

updates about scholarships, community service opportunities, student employment and more.

Barbara Poplawski Named Chair of Toronto Catholic District School Board Barbara Poplawski, Trustee for Ward 10, was elected as Chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board at the

annual Caucus/Inaugural meeting held this evening.

The longest serving TCDSB Trustee, Ms. Poplawski was first elected to the Board in 1978, and has served on almost

every committee during her political career, including terms as both chair and vice-chair on Board standing

committees.

Committed to the goals of the Board’s multi-year strategic plan, she says the Board’s responsibilities are to serve

students first and foremost, but also to be transparent and accountable to those stakeholders who do not have children

in the system

Maria Rizzo, Trustee for Ward 5, was elected as Vice-Chair of the Board. Ms. Rizzo has been trustee since 2003.

Appointments to Statutory and Standing Committees included:

Supervised Alternative Learning: Nancy Crawford, Jo-Ann Davis (alternate)

Student Achievement and Well Being, Catholic Education and Human Resources Committee: Chair-Nancy

Crawford; Vice-Chair-Angela Kennedy

Corporate Services, Strategic Planning and Property Committee: Chair-Jo-Ann Davis; Vice-Chair-Garry

Tanuan

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee: Garry Tanuan, Angela Kennedy (alternate)

Governance and Policy: Chair-Angela Kennedy; Vice-Chair-Jo-Ann Davis

Calendar of Board and Committees The new calendar of meetings for 2018 has been added to our website. Visit

https://www.tcdsb.org/Calendar/Pages/annual-calendar-and-committee-meetings.aspx

for details.

Audited Financial Statements—2017 Click here to view approved financial statements for 2016-2017 www.tcdsb.org/financialstatement

Other Important Reminders: Parents Urged to Check Their Liability Insurance Coverage

At the October 19, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Board resolved that all parents of the Board

should be advised to consider contacting their home insurance providers to determine the adequacy of their home

insurance coverage to cover claims arising out of injuries caused by their child at school.

The reason for the Board of Trustee direction is that there have been a few instances recently where legal action has

been initiated for personal injury or other harm to a student allegedly caused by another child.

A brief consultation by parents with their insurance provider is advised so parents can assess the adequacy of their

insurance coverage if they are sued for personal injury or other harm allegedly caused by their child at school.

Inclement Weather Protocol

With the approach of winter and the associated ice and snow, there is always a possibility of school bus

cancellations or delays, as well as cancellation of programs and services such as evening classes or permits.

Your best source of information is via Twitter @TCDSB. For those who are not on Twitter, please tune in to

local television and radio networks for updates. Other good sources of information are:

TCDSB’s website www.tcdsb.org

Toronto Student Transportation Group website https://www.torontoschoolbus.org

TCDSB 24-hour Telephone Information Line: 416-222-8282 ext. 2873

Or if you wish to receive updates right to your email, subscribe to enews:

https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

TCDSB 2017-2018 Awards Season has begun!

Nominations are welcome for the annual TCDSB Alumni Award, Award of Merit and Friends of Catholic Education

Award which will be presented at Awards Night on May 7, 2018.

Deadline: third Friday in January (January 20).

TCDSB Alumni Award: Open to TCDSB alumni who are still active in the Catholic community and who

have distinguished themselves in their career or accomplishments.

TCDSB Award of Merit: Open to former staff, parents and trustees who have made outstanding contributions

to the TCDSB and to Catholic education (can only be considered for award after a three-year period has passed

since departure from the TCDSB)

Friends of Catholic Education Award: Open to members of the general public (individuals or organizations)

who have accomplished extraordinary service to Catholic Education but who may not be Catholic.

For nomination forms and information, visit: www.tcdsb.org/awardsnight

One Month until Deadline for Submissions: Spotlight On Your School

Submissions of short videos and original songs to celebrate your local school are due February 23rd. Details for this

Year of the School activity can be found online https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/Year-

of-the-School/Spotlight-on-your-school/Pages/default.aspx