October 5 to 9th, 2026
Dear St. Patrick’s Families,
As we begin another busy week at St. Patrick’s, I would like to thank everyone for your continued support and partnership. There are several important events and activities taking place over the coming days.
This coming week, we will be participating in our Safety Week drills, helping our students and staff review important safety procedures and ensuring everyone understands what to do in an emergency. We will also come together as a school community for our School Mass on Wednesday.
Our Grade 4 students will also begin their CCAT (Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test) PACE testing, which will take place from October 5–16. We ask that students arrive at school well-rested and ready to participate.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to support the safety, faith and learning of all our students.
Kiss and Ride – Drop-Off and Pick-Up Reminder: As we continue to work together to improve traffic flow and safety during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, we would like to remind families of the expectations for using our Kiss and Ride.
The Kiss and Ride is intended for quick student drop-off and pick-up only. Please do not park or leave your vehicle unattended in the Kiss and Ride area. This allows traffic to continue moving safely and efficiently and ensures that all families have an opportunity to use the area.
If you need to park and enter the school, please use the available parking spaces rather than the Kiss and Ride.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in following these expectations and helping us keep our parking lot safe and moving smoothly for all members of our school community.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Virtue of Compassion: This month, we celebrate the virtue of compassion: “Be compassionate as God is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36) Compassion means not only recognizing and understanding the needs of others, but acting with kindness and care. As a Catholic community, we are called to see Christ in others and respond with compassion through our words and actions.
Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations: This month, we especially reflect on the expectation that our students become discerning believers formed in the Catholic faith community, growing through prayer, reflection, forgiveness, moral living and an awareness of God’s presence in their lives.
International Walk to School Month IWALK Day – Wednesday, October 7, 2026
October is International Walk to School Month! We encourage students and families to walk or use active transportation to school or to their bus stops whenever possible. It is a great way to promote healthy habits, build community and enjoy the journey to school.
K–12 Cyber Awareness Month: October is also Cyber Awareness Month. Throughout the month, we will encourage students and families to develop healthy digital habits and make safe, responsible choices online. Families can access age-appropriate resources to support privacy, security and online safety at home.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in supporting the faith, safety, well-being and learning of our students.
👕 YCDSB Civvies Day Fundraiser – Thursday, October 15 :On Thursday, October 15, St. Patrick’s will join schools across the YCDSB in marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty through our third annual Civvies Day Fundraiser. Last year, YCDSB communities raised $46,273.55, with 100% of the funds supporting students and families experiencing financial barriers. Please note: This is a YCDSB-wide fundraiser and is separate from our regular St. Patrick’s Civvies Days. We invite our St. Patrick’s community to come together in compassion and service, helping ensure every student has the opportunity to participate fully in school life. Thank you for your generosity and for helping us live out our Catholic call to love and serve others
Fall Food Drive in support of Vaughan Food bank: We are proud to support the Vaughan Food Bank in their important work of helping families in our community. We invite students to bring in non-perishable food items to school starting October 1st. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference in the lives of others. Please See the flyer for further details: Thank you for your generosity and for helping us live out our call to care for those in need. Thanksgiving Food Drive.pdf
Catholic School Council Update: We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our 2025–2026 Catholic School Council and its dedicated members for their incredible commitment, time and hard work throughout the past school year. Through their efforts, the Council strengthened our home-school partnership and supported numerous initiatives, including the Hot Lunch Program, fundraising, technology and STEM enhancements, literacy resources, student activities, community events, and our End-of-Year Celebration. Their generosity and leadership helped create meaningful experiences for our students, families and staff, and we are truly grateful for all they contributed to the St. Patrick’s community. We are now excited to welcome our 2026–2027 Catholic School Council and look forward to another year of collaboration, service and community building. Please see below for the results of the 2026–2027 CSC Executive Members:
Chair: Sandra Vizintin
Co Chair: Josie Figliomeni
Treasurer: Reet Cortese
Secretary: Antonella Campese
Parish Representative: Christina Simone
Please consult our school website for the entire Catholic School Council and dates of the upcoming meetings.
🍕 Hot Lunch Program Is Up and Running!: We are excited to continue our Hot Lunch Program this year! Orders are placed through Lunchbox, with a weekly ordering deadline of Sunday at noon. Families can order weekly or in advance.
Weekly Lunch Schedule:
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Monday: Booster Juice (AM snack) & Subway
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Tuesday: Domino’s Pizza
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Wednesday: Zucca’s Catering
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Thursday: Pizza Pizza
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Friday: A&W (all buns are seed-free)
Important Reminder: All unclaimed hot lunches will be held in the school office until 1:30 p.m. If your child is absent or unable to receive their lunch, please contact the office as soon as possible to make arrangements. If we have not heard from a family by 1:30 p.m., the lunch will be handled according to proper food-safety procedures and may need to be discarded. Thank you for helping us ensure that lunches are handled safely and responsibly. To order, please create a new Lunchbox account for the 2026–27 school year and follow the How to Place an Order Guide or visit lunchboxorders.net.
Elementary Dress Code: Preliminary Survey: Every school in the YCDSB as per board policy 219, will be engaging their communities in a review of the schools current dress code. For further information and to participate in the survey – families are asked to see the link above for further details. SPS Dress Code Survey
Attention Gr. 7 and 8 Families: Special Education Transition to High School Flyer
Cross Country Update: We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming meet on October 19 at Bruce’s Mill! We have been informed that the $10 vehicle parking fee will be waived for all Regional Meets at Bruce’s Mill. Please keep the following important parking information in mind:
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Board Finals – October 22: The $10 parking fee will apply.
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Carpooling: Parking space is limited, so carpooling is strongly encouraged for all meets.
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Designated Parking Only: Bruce’s Mill will enforce local bylaws for vehicles parked outside designated parking areas. Parking is not permitted on park interior roads or along Stouffville Road.
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Free Parent EQAO Webinar – Fall 2026 |
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Join EQAO for a free live webinar presenting the results of the 2025–2026 primary (Grade 3) and junior-division (Grade 6) Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). The session is approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live Q & A with EQAO staff. Webinar date:
Click here for registration. |
Cookie Sales:Get ready for a delicious autumn treat! Starting this October, our school is selling Terra Cotta Pumpkin Spice Cookies to help fund student athletics, clubs, and extracurricular activities. Every single purchase directly supports our teams and school programs!
October:
1 to 8 SPS Food Drive
5 to 9 Safety Week @ SPS
5 to 16 CCAT Pace Testing
7 Mass @ 10:45 – Gym
12 Thanksgiving Holiday
15 Eradication of Poverty Civvies Day
19 Cross Country @ Bruces Mill
23 Sharelife Civvies Day
30 Halloween Fundraising Dance
Yours in Catholic Education,
Mr. M. Caruso, Principal
St. Patrick’s CES