Welcome to St. Monica Catholic School!
On behalf of the staff, I extend a warm welcome to everyone attending St. Monica Catholic School. We are looking forward to working together with you as we begin to build our community of faith. At St. Monica Catholic School, we will make every effort to provide an atmosphere of respect and co-operation which is built on our belief that Jesus and His teachings are central to the life in our school. Parents, our community partners and our school parish are welcome partners as we work towards this goal. We will share liturgies, community prayer, and rededicate ourselves to the service of others. We encourage each member of our community to accept, nurture and celebrate individual uniqueness and collective diversity. Please take time to become familiar with the information contained in this handbook. A mutual understanding of our school routines and a clear definition of our expectations will form the basis of a positive relationship between home and school. We hope that you find this a useful tool. Best wishes for a successful school year.
Sincerely,
Chris Szent-Ivany.
Principal
| School's Contact Information |
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St. Monica Catholic School
Principal: Mr. Chris Szent-Ivany |
| Prayer to St. Monica |
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St. Monica, Help our school to become a more loving community, To show friendship as Jesus did. Help us to live the way of the Lord. To understand the power of God, and to be kind to others in a peaceful way. Pray that those who are challenged receive courage and strength, And others the insight to recognize that challenge. St. Monica, we ask for your prayers for our families, Our friends, our homes, our school and our staff and our school. Amen
Prière à Sainte Monica Chère Sainte Monica, Aidez notre école à devenir une communauté Remplie d'amour et à montrer L'amitié comme notre Seigneur Jésus l'a fait. Aidez-nous à vivre l'enseignement de Jésus, À comprendre la puissance de Dieu Et à être gentils vers les autres Dans une façon paisible. Priez que ceux qui sont défiés de faire Comme les autres qu'ils reçoivent le courage Et la force, et que les autres reçoivent L'aperçu de reconnaitre ce défi. Sainte Monica, nous vous demandons Vos prières pour nos familles, nos amis, Nos foyers, notre école et pour nos professeurs. Sainte Monica, priez pour nous. Amen. |
| School Hours |
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8:00 a.m. Office opens
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| Safe Arrival - Report a Student Absence/Late Arrival Reporting |
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For Student Absence/Late Arrival Reporting, please call 1-844-288-7628 before the bell time for the current day. |
| DCDSB's Mission Statement |
| To be an inclusive Catholic learning community that inspires every student to achieve their full potential through faith and education. |
| 2023-2024 School Year Calendar |
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| St. Monica Allergy Awareness |
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In order to help protect our students at risk for anaphylaxis, St. Monica has implemented steps to ensure the safety of all of our students. No food is permitted to be brought into the school, to be shared with other students or any personal food items that compromises the health of other students (eg. Nut products). This applies to snacks, lunches or any food items brought from into the school. This also applies to products which have a “May contain peanuts/nut” warning on the label. There are other students in our school who are at risk for anaphylaxis who are allergic to other food items or allergens. We strive to help minimize the risk for all students in our school. As per the DCDSB policy, all anaphylactic students have an Individual Student Plan which must be completed by parents and sent to school by the end of the first week of the new school year. |
| Lunch Hour |
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From 11:10-11:50 students in Grades 1-8 are outside. At 11:50-12:10 all students eat lunch in their classroom. Students in kindergarten eat lunch from 11:10-11:30. They are supervised indoors until 12:10. All students are expected to remain at school during the lunch hour to ensure the safety of all students and staff. |
| Catholic School Council |
| The purpose of the Council is to advise the Principal on matters set out by the Ministry of Education and the Durham Catholic District School Board. The St. Monica Catholic School Council is comprised of parent representatives, the principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, parish representative and community representative. Elections are held in September and meetings are held throughout the school year. Meeting are advertised on our website. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend any Catholic School Council. |
| Dress Code (Currently under review) - 2023/2024 |
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We encourage all parents to monitor how their children dress for school each day. Often, our youngest students have not had enough experience to determine how weather conditions may change during the day, or how various school activities may require comfortable clothing, and as a result, they may come to school ill prepared for these conditions. Only with constant guidance can our students learn to dress properly for the weather and for the learning environment. Our dress code is in effect at our school, on the school bus and on school excursions. • Clothing should be suitable for all types of student activities (e.g., comfortable for Physical Education class, Drama, etc.) • Undergarments must remain covered at all times. • Tank top straps should be 5cm wide (at least 2 fingers), with decent coverage at the armpit. • Midriff should not be exposed. • Shorts and skirts should be of conservative length. • Hats must be removed upon entering the school or Church. • Pajama pants must not be worn at school. • Clothing must represent the ideals of our Catholic Education values (e.g., clothing that endorses alcohol or illegal activities, uses profane language, violence or contradicts the teaching of the Church must not be worn). • Clothing and jewelry must maintain the safety of the students (e.g., heavy belt or neck chains, studded bracelets, or other sharp objects, must not be worn). • All students are required to wear indoor shoes with non-marking soles. • Clothing and jewelry worn during Physical Education class must maintain the safety of the students (e.g., hoop earrings, watches, necklaces, etc. must be removed during gym class). • Footwear must be appropriate for the activities in which the students are involved.
All Dress Code infractions will be addressed with discretion and respect. This Dress Code was reviewed by the St. Monica Catholic School Council, May 2019. |
| Bus Transportation |
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Many St. Monica Catholic School students take the bus to and from school. Only those students whose names appear on the Passenger Manifest Lists will be eligible for transportation. Students are not permitted to travel on a bus other than the one to which they have been assigned. Students must load and disembark the bus from only the assigned stop. Parents/caregivers are advised to have their children at the designated stop no more than 5 minutes prior to the estimated scheduled pickup time. Parents/caregivers are responsible for their children’s behaviour at the bus stop. Some bus stops may be located on private property. In the event that the property or the residents are not respected, it may become necessary to relocate to a stop which may be further away from homes. Parents are encouraged to sign up for DSTS updates. All students must wear a mask while travelling on the bus. Students will all be assigned a seat on their bus and must sit in their assigned seat. |
| School Code of Conduct |
| Click here to read the school code of conduct |
