JOSYF CARDINAL SLIPYJ CATHOLIC SCHOOL

1 JOSYF CARDINAL SLIPYJ Code of Conduct Aspera ad Astra 1 JOSYF CARDINAL SLIPYJ CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 35 West Deane Park Dr. Etobicoke, Ontario M9B 2R5 416-393-5413 Principal: B. Zyla Superintendent D. Yack St. Nicholas CATHOLIC Church Vice Principal: E. Wajda Chair I. Tavares, M. Bakoum Pastor: Fr. Roman Lobay Secretary: I. Sztefan Trustee: A. Andrachuk Clerk Typist: I. Slawson, S. Shanahan September 2013 Newsletter JCS Mission Statement: It is our goal to educate our students to their full potential spiritually, academically and physically within the realm of Eastern-rite traditions and the Ukrainian language and culture.

2 To provide a safe and welcoming learning environment that is an example of Christian Community. To provide a role model of Gospel values, CATHOLIC doctrines, teachings and beliefs. Go in peace; the wisdom of the Wonderful Counselor guide you, the strength of the Mighty God defend you, the peace of the Prince of Peace be upon you. And the blessing of the God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you all this day and forever more. Welcome Back! On behalf of the SCHOOL community of JOSYF CARDINAL SLIPYJ I welcome our students to a new year. It is my hope that everyone has had a restful summer and is prepared for a successful year. I especially look forward to personally meeting and welcoming our new students who have come from different schools or countries and our Junior Kindergarten students who begin a new part of their lives.

3 We welcome Ms. Resendes and Mr. De Vuono as our new physical education teachers, replacing Mrs. Martinez, who has accepted a position at St. Leo. We also welcome Ms. Palermo as our new instrumental music teacher. Mr. Hrab will continue to help maintain our Eastern Rite traditions along with Mrs. Palermo. All of our staff members know the tradition of our SCHOOL , the purposeful pursuit of excellence, the connection with the parish and the support of our parent community. With optimism we all look forward to a successful year. Local Excursion, Media Release and Insurance Forms Attached you will find these forms. Please sign and return the local excursion, and media release form to the SCHOOL ; this allows teachers to take students outside of SCHOOL property for events that are walking distance from the SCHOOL .

4 Similarly, please consider purchasing the health insurance that is offered. Students are insured for accidents that occur during SCHOOL activities; dental insurance is included. If your child plans to take part in any SCHOOL athletic events, this insurance is very worthwhile to purchase. Please note that the money for the insurance is sent directly to the carrier. Class Placements Every year presents challenges in structuring classes. At our SCHOOL we are fortunate to have very limited combined grades. Each SCHOOL is obligated to adhere to current collective agreements between SCHOOL boards and teachers. One aspect of the agreement is class limits which cannot be beyond specific numbers. As a result, some students will be in combined grades.

5 Please be assured that every student was individually discussed by last year s teachers and was placed in a specific class on the basis of learning styles, academic abilities, social groupings, special needs, social and emotional issues and previous placements in combined grades. Please understand that though a child is in a combined grade, the curriculum appropriate to each grade will be delivered by the teachers who plan common materials and assessments to maintain consistency in every grade. Student Pick-up at the End of the Day If you are picking-up your child at the end of the day, please wait for him/her at the office. The reason for this is a matter of safety and courtesy; we can see children being picked-up and we become familiar with each parent and this allows the teachers to conclude the day with quiet prayers with the children.

6 Similarly, we would like to ensure that only parents and SCHOOL staff are in the SCHOOL . To this end, we ask that all visitors please come to the office, sign in and take a visitors pass, identifying them as such. This will enable all students and staff to feel secure in the knowledge that only people connected to the SCHOOL are within the building. Please understand and support us in this matter. JOSYF CARDINAL SLIPYJ Code of Conduct Aspera ad Astra 2 Leaving SCHOOL Grounds and Safe Arrival Students will not be allowed to leave SCHOOL grounds unsupervised at any time. This again is a safety issue. Please remember that if you need to take your child out of SCHOOL during the day, sign him/her in and out at the office.

7 Similarly, if your child is unable to attend SCHOOL on any day, please contact the SCHOOL to inform us of the absence prior to the beginning of the SCHOOL day or the prior evening. You can leave a message on the answering machine in either Ukrainian or English. Similarly, if there are any changes to your child s routine for going home, please send a note to the teacher. Liturgies, Clergy Visits, and Visit of Bishop Hlib We are fortunate to have Fr. Kachur and Fr. Lobay visit our students on a weekly basis to maintain the connection between the parish and SCHOOL and to help develop our children s spiritual awareness. Both pastors strive to bring a deeper awareness of the Ukrainain CATHOLIC tradition to our students.

8 We will begin the SCHOOL year with a Moleben on Friday, September 13 at 10 am. This year we are very fortunate to welcome Bishop Stephen who will bestow his pastoral blessing upon our students. All parents are welcome to join us in this celebration. Similarly, we look forward to welcoming Patriarch Sviatoslav in May when he visits Canada. CSAC Annual General Meeting and Elections The JCS CATHOLIC SCHOOL Advisory Council (CSAC) is gearing up for another year of fundraising and other initiatives to help benefit the SCHOOL community. All parents are invited to take part in the monthly discussion, decision-making and socializing as we get to know each other in the JCS family. Please join us for the CSAC Annual General Meeting, Tuesday, September 24th at 7:00 pm in the SCHOOL library, where we will elect a new team and begin to set the Council's priorities for the 2013-2014 SCHOOL year.

9 Every parent or guardian can participate regardless of experience. If you cannot attend on this date you can still indicate your interest by submitting your name, phone number and email address at the SCHOOL office or to by 5:00 pm on Sept. 24th. Looking forward to seeing you there! Curriculum Night Our curriculum night for parents to meet our teachers and to listen to an outline of the curriculum and SCHOOL events will take place on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 7:00 pm. The plan for the evening is to have classroom visits between 7:00 8:00 pm and then to assemble in the gym for a brief introduction to all of our teachers and discussion. At this time you will be able to pay your Ukrainian fees and student activity fees.

10 The Ukrainian fees are $250 for students in grades 1-8. The activity fee is $25 which covers the cost of transportation to St. Nicholas Church, the visit from St. Nicholas, our Easter celebrations, gifts for our communicants and grade 8 graduates. Please be supportive of the efforts of our CSAC by paying these fees and enabling the activities to continue. Peanut Allergies A number of students have severe peanut and nut allergies; in some cases these allergies are life-threatening. As a result we ask that you please refrain from sending peanuts and other nut products to SCHOOL . Similarly, it is important that children do not have any nut products on the bus. When sending in snacks, please make sure that they are nut-free.