Introduction of Staff

Principal: Mr. T. CeelenSecretary: Mrs. Pirruccio

Vice Principal: Ms. L. MacLenannOffice Assistant: Ms. Dunn

December 2015

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

The Advent Season began on Sunday, November 29. Before we know it, it will be December 18 and the beginning of the Christmas Break. Advent is a special time in the Church calendar because it is filled with anticipation and excitement for the Birth of Jesus. Incredibly, more than 2000 years later, the impact of that First Christmas remains as powerful and relevant as ever!

Earlier than ever before, television and magazine advertisements and the malls are incessantly pumping up the advertising and marketing campaigns for Christmas. No wonder small children, and even adults, can lose the meaning of Christmas. We are making a special effort in December to make Advent, (the anticipation and preparation for the Birth of Jesus) the focal point, through daily scripture readings, music and various crafts. There will be a whole school Advent Mass on Thursday, December 3 at 10 am in our gymnasium, a concert from the Loyola School Band, as well as one FDK and two Grade 1 to 6 Christmas Concerts.

The Giving Tree was another phenomenal success this year. The generosity of spirit of our school community never ceases to amaze me. The joy on the faces of children and their parents knowing that they helped make Christmas better for those in need is wonderful to witness. Special thanks to the dedicated and hard working parent volunteers who made this initiative such a successful event.

The Rosary Apostolate made their second visit to our

school in November. Once again, the politeness, reverence and goodness of our staff and students impressed the prayer leaders! We look forward to their visit during Advent on

Tuesday, December 15.

Our Grade 2 students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation at St. Matthew Church on Saturday, November 28. Special thanks to Father Mark. Father Dave, Joanne Montague and our Grade 2 teachers for preparing the children so well. It was a very special day!

On behalf of the entire St. John Paul II Catholic School Staff, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mr. T. Ceelen

MESSAGE FROM THE LIBRARY

From the Learning Commons

We ask that all borrowedbooks be returned to the library byMonday, December 14th so that we may conduct a quick inventory and track down lost or misplaced items.

We are preparing our teams for the 2016 Battle of the Books at the Oakville Public Library. Both the junior and senior teams meet on Thursdays: juniors,students in Grades 3 to 5,meet at 11:45 in the library; seniors, students in Grades 6 to 8,meet at 12:15 in the computer lab. The Battle of the Books competitions will take place April 5 through 9 at the Central branch. While we await a list of authors and booksto study, contenders are encouraged to read, read, and read! Especially Canadian authors and award-nominated books!
Christine Julien-Sullivan
Library Technician

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

A huge congratulations goes out to the Senior Girls' Volleyball team this year. Through hard work, dedication and many hours of practicing, the girls beat the 1st place team in the quarter finals, advancing to the Semi-Finals for the first time in St. John Paul II history. Unfortunately the team narrowly lost in the semi-final match. The team came 4th in all of Oakville and their coaches, Miss Fiorillo and Mrs. Lourenco, couldn't be happier with the team development and growth this year. Congratulations girls.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

The intermediate boys' volleyball season has drawn to aclose after an exciting and successful run. The boys playedexceptionally well throughout the last few months; highlights include 2 tournament medals and a quarter-final finish in the regular season. Thank youto all those who made this year's team possible, including our dedicated coach Mr.D'Souza, schoolstaff, parent drivers, score keepers, referees, and of course, the players. Well done boys!

EARLY DISMISSAL

As a reminder, on Friday, December 18th, 2015School will be dismissed at 1:45 p.m.

For children who ride the bus, the bus company has been notified of this change in time and will be at the school for 1:45 pm.

GR. 7 HEPATITIS B/MENACTRA IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM

2015-2016

Halton Health provides a 2-dose Hepatitis B and a single dose Menactra vaccine for all Grade 7 students. As well as a 2- dose HPV vaccine for all grade 8 females only. The schedule for the school’s immunization clinics are:

Monday November 30thMenactra Gr. 7

HPV (girls only if received 1st

Dose at age 14)

Monday April 11thHep B Gr. 7

HPV Gr. 8

GRADE 2 STUDENTS

Congratulations to our Grade 2 students who celebrated their First Reconciliation on Saturday, November 28, 2015. We congratulate them, and may God bless them as they continue their faith journey.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

All parents/guardians are invited to attend a retreat at the church with their child who is a candidate for Confirmation. The Confirmation Enrollment Ceremony will take place at the Mass following the retreat.

Confirmation Retreat is Saturday January 9th 3-5pm

There will be a Gr. 7 Mass at the Cathedral in Hamilton Wednesday January 13th at 11:00am

Confirmation Friday January 29th 7:30pm at St. Matthews

CHRISTMAS MARKET AND BAZAAR

We had a tremendous time at the first SJPII Christmas Market & Bazaar held Nov. 20th and 21st in our school gym. 30 talented and generous vendors displayed their products and services, many for the first time ever! From delicious baked goods, handmade crafts and jewelry there was something for everyone.

Thank you to all our vendors for coming and helping raise over $700 for The Giving Tree. Thank you to all the student and parent volunteers for welcoming guests and entertaining the children. And congratulations to all the prize winners.

Don't worry if you missed out, we will be sending out an email at a later date providing you with the vendor information.

Merry Christmas!

SJPII Catholic School Council

CHESS CLUB

CHESS CLUB STARTING UP!

In January, there will be the launch of the SJP II Junior Chess Club. Any students in grades 4 to 6 interested in playing chess, feel free to join. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a grand master!

It takes place every Tuesday starting January 5 on the stage from 11:45 to 12:45. Students will bring their lunches and play for the entire hour. Special thanks to Mrs. Hustler and Ms. Pellicciotta for leading this wonderful initiative.

Parents, if you have a chess set around the house no longer being used, please consider donating it to the school. Students who join the club are encouraged to bring a chess set to the school. The school will also purchase chess sets as required.

Look out Bobby Fischer!

SKATES AND HELMETS

In January and February, our Grade 4 to 8 classes are going skating twice at Glen Abbey Arena. It is a wonderful opportunity for those students who love skating and for those who are learning how to skate. It is amazing to see staff and students helping other students, giving them encouragement and support.

Some of our students do not have skates or helmets. If you are willing to donate used skates and/or helmets to the school, that would really help! Please feel free to drop them off at the front office and we will make them available to students who need them.

ECO CLUB

The students at St. JPII are working very hard to ensure that they are placing the correct items in our blue, green and black bins. Our Eco Teamcontinues todedicate their time every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays by helping out our younger grades with recycling. Beginning in December St. JPII will be implementing a new Eco-Initiative called "Light Out Lunches," or LOL. Students will be expected to save energy by reducing the amount of lights left on in the classroom during the lunch hour. The entire school is doing a great job at being Stewards of the Earth.

THE GIVING TREE

Thank you to those families that have generously donated gifts for the Giving Tree. Please ensure that unwrapped gifts are returned to the classroom by Tuesday, December 1st.

What a beautiful way to reach out to others in our community who are less fortunate and what a wonderful way of putting a smile on a child’s face this Christmas. Thank you again for your kind heart and goodwill during this Advent Season.

FOOD BANK

Did you know that 850,000 Canadians rely on the support of food banks each month? The Saint John Paul II School We Team will be conducting a food drive from Monday, December 7 to Friday, December 10. Our goal is to collect 500 items of food, be it a canned good or a boxed dry good, to donate to our local food banks and help alleviate food insecurity. Food insecurity affects 13percent of Canadians, which means they lack reliable access to adequate amounts of safe, good-quality and nutritious food. We can help them; we can be the change in our community.

ADVENT PRAYER

WAITING IN JOYFUL HOPE

Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

ESL NEWS

Merry Christmas from the ESL Department!

All of our English as a Second Language teachers would like to say ‘Thank You’ for the blessed opportunity of working with our wonderful ELLs (English Language Learners) and their families and teachers, at all our elementary schools throughout the Board.

I bring you good tidings of great JOY,

Which shall be to

ALL PEOPLE. For unto you

Is born this day

In the city of David a SAVIOUR,

Which is

CHRIST the LORD.

-Luke 2:11

------

EnglishMerry Christmas

French Joyeux Noel

Italian Buon Natale

PortugueseFeliz Natal

ArabicMilad Mubarak

KoreanSung Tan Chuk Ha

RussianSchastlivogo Rozhdestva

FilipinoMaligayang Pasko

SpanishFeliz Navidad

Japanese Merii Kurisumasu

PolishWesolych Swait

India HindiKrisamas Kee Badhaee

Nigeria YorubaIkini Odu Keresimesi

…..And A Very Happy New Year as well!

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Our Christmas Concerts this year will be held on:

Monday, December 14th- 1:00 pm – Gym

Gr. 1-6 Cast A

Tuesday December 15th- 1:00 pm-Gym

Gr. 1-6 Cast B

FDK

Wednesday, December9th – 2:00pm- Gym

All are welcome

ST. MATTHEW PARISH NEWS AND INFORMATION

Phone Number: 905-825-0219

Address: 1150 Monks Passage, Oakville

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MASS TIMES.

Christmas Eve Mass

Thursday December 24th5:00pm

7:00pm9:00pm

Midnight Vigil12:00am

Christmas Day Mass9:00am11:00am

New Year’s Eve Mass5:00pm

New Year’s Day Mass11:00am

ANNUAL WINTER COAT DRIVE

Panago Pizza (River Oaks) is looking for you to join in their second annual winter coat drive. Similar to their successful annual backpack drives, they are looking to trade a pizza for a winter coat you no longer need.

Here’s how it works.

Kids bring a nearly* new coat to school.

They trade it for a coupon for a free pizza at Panago.

Simple, isn’t it?

The winter coats will be distributed to needy families and homeless not only in Canada, but also around the world.

Can we count on your support? Your donation can be dropped off at the school office only until December 14th. One coupon per child please!

*- clean, all buttons and zippers functioning properly, all sizes welcomed.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP

The Youth Leadership Program Is BackFor a second year in a row, the Toastmasters International Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is returning to Saint John Paul II .Beginning in January, Grade 7 and 8 students have the opportunity to participate in the YLP. The program develops the speaking and leadership skills of young people.

The program is a workshop delivered over 10 weeks. Students meet once a week over lunch. Students learn how to prepare and present a speech, conduct meetings, move a motion and vote on business items, listen effectively and evaluate what they’ve heard, and develop their impromptu speaking skills. The YLP is led by Mr. Molder and a volunteer, Mrs. West. The program is sponsored by First Oakville Toastmasters. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. There are eight Toastmaster clubs in Oakville.

MP PAM DAMOFF

MP Pam Damoff Visiting Grade 5
On December 16th, MP Pam Damoff, elected to represent the riding of Oakville North-Burlington in October, 2015, is visiting Grade 5. Students are learning about the levels of government and have followed the recent elections. They are excited to meet their MP and learn more about the Federal Government and responsibilities of their elected representatives.

MAYORS HOLIDAY CARD

Junior Grade Student Art Work Featured on Mayor’s Holiday CardThe artwork of a Grade 5 student at Saint John Paul II will be featured on Mayor Burton’s holiday card this season. The student’s teacher saw the contest as an opportunity to create an artistic representation of the holidays in Oakville. In addition, since the students were learning about citizenship and participation with government, he saw it as an opportunity to let students engage with their elected officials.

“This contest is a great way to capture the vibrancy of how Oakville celebrates the holiday season through the eyes of youth,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “The winners will have their artwork featured on a holiday card that is distributed to over 1,500 people in and around the Oakville area.”​

KIDSSENTIALS

Tired of Making Lunches? It’s not too late to order!

Kidssentials is very different from other companies. With an emphasis on nutrition and kid-pleasing options, this full service catering company serves their lunch’s fresh onsite to avoid soggy or mushy meals. Lunches are mixed and prepared just minutes before they are served to the children, using only the highest quality ingredients and freshest produce.

Take a break from packing lunch and sign up today. Meals offered in December are still available for ordering. Menus for the January - March term may be viewed and ordered online.

To place an order, view the menu and available dates visit: and create your family account.

For more information about Kidssentials meals and any allergy related inquiries, visit the website at Kidssentials can also be reached by phone at 905-855-1914 or by e-mail at

IT’S HEARING AND VISION SCREENING TIME

The School Screening Association will be visiting our school this year on December 16th, 2015 to conduct their clinic.

Your child’s hearing and vision should be screened every year

• Growing children are very susceptible to middle ear problems and one of the best ways to prevent hearing loss is early detection of middle ear function issues.
• A visit to an audiologist costs upwards of $50.00 and is not covered by O.H.I.P. However, if your child is referred to a hospital clinic by your doctor, the cost is covered by O.H.I.P.

• Your child’s hearing is not being monitored unless they are being seen by an Audiologist or and E.N.T.

• A Free vision screening is included with the Hearing Clinic. Eye Examinations are covered by OHIP.

A fee of $15.00 is collected to help offset the cost of bringing this clinic to our school.

FOOD AND PEANUT ALLERGIES

Food and Peanut Allergies

We ask that you join the staff in taking care to ensure the safety of all students in the school. As you are aware a number of our students have a potentially life-threatening allergy. We ask your cooperation by not sending to school with your child any snacks or lunches containing peanuts or nuts. The following guidelines must be strictly adhered to by all the students in the school:

• All foods must be eaten in the classroom – absolutely not outside or on the bus.

• Snacks are not to be shared with other students.

• Utensils are not to be shared with other students.

• Parents are asked to read labels carefully for the following products that may contain nut products: granola bars, crackers, chocolate bars and cookies, some cereals, store baked goods or snacks.

While we realize that this request may pose somewhat of a challenge for you when packing your child’s snack and lunch, we wish to express sincere appreciation for your support and understanding.

Look-a-Like Products to Peanut Butter (Peabutter, Sunbutter Spreads, etc.)

Once again, recent inquiries have been received with respect to look-a-like products to peanut butter with the brand name of “Peabutter”, “Sunbutter”, or “Wowbutter”. These products are made from soy and sunflower seeds and do not contain the peanut protein which causes the anaphylaxis to occur in a person with a life threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.

In fact, these products are almost identical in colour, consistency, smell and taste to peanut butter. Schools cannot be expected to monitor for student safety when it is impossible to differentiate between these products and peanut butter. Again we wish to thank you for your support and understanding.