ST. BRIGID CATHOLIC SCHOOL
“Live
L.Kazimowicz…..Superintendent
905-890-1221
A. DaSilva…. ………..…Trustee
905-890-0708
ext. 20154
V. Pugliese ……………Principal
C. Bianchi ……….........Secretary
C. Dye…....School Council Chair
905-796-0037
PARISH
St. Jerome
8530 Chinguacousy Road
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 5G4
Tel: 905-455-4260
Fax: 905-450-6326
Pastor
Fr. J. Kolodynski
Love
Learn
Light”
Winter is a strange time,
as magical as summer
though not often given its due.
Winter is all about the quiet before manifestation.
It can be a brutal time,
a time of tearing away the old and the brittle.
It can be a hostile time,
showing no quarter to the unprepared or weak.
Yet it is beautiful,
and in its own way cleansing.
Winter can bring loneliness or solitude
and that is one of its mysteries.
What we find in those moments of quiet,
of isolation
depends on how well we’ve prepared.
Let us use this, the quiet of winter,
to reflect on the wonders of life,
the beauty of all that is around us,
the blessings that God has placed in our midst
and the peace in our heart
that comes from God’s love.
Winter can be a wonderful time.
Amen.
School Hours
Start:
Recess:
Lunch:
Recess :
Dismissal:
8:50
11:00 – 11:15
11:55 – 12:55
2:20 – 2:35
3:20
Family Day
Please note that Monday February 18th is Family Day. There will be no classes for
students that day as the school will be closed. Family Day is a provincially
mandated holiday. Also, please note that Friday February 8 th is a P.A. Day.
Teachers will be conducting Parent/Student/Teacher interviews on that day.
Message from the Principal
Over the past month we have experienced the reality that
winter is upon us. The days are short, the wind is strong
and the weather is cold. This is often seen as a time of
despair and darkness. The reality however is the exact
opposite. At St. Brigid winter is a time of great activity.
Snow brings with it a renewed sense of excitement. Yes, it
is cold outside, but our students are well dressed and
prepared for the weather. As such, recess is a time full of
positive activities and interactions. Students build their
snow forts, play foot hockey and many other winter
activities. And when they come in from recess, although
their cheeks are red, there are smiles on the faces of our
students.
Indoors, the positive activities continue for our students.
St. Brigid School is a busy place. There is so much going
on, both curricular and extra-curricular. Students are
engaged in their lessons and are participating in a wide
variety of activities, such as Catholic Student Leaders,
Chess Club, Science Olympics, Reading Club, Free Throw
Competition, Skiing, Hockey and Basketball teams and a
variety of others. I would like to thank the school
community for their support of these events. I would also
like to thank the teachers, who are often at school late into
the evening planning special events and lessons for our
students.
The weather is cold and the snow will continue to mount,
but that does not stop us from participating in all that the
season has to offer us. Let us be like our students, not
feeling the cold, but rather see the potential in what winter
brings us. Let us challenge ourselves to focus on the
positives of the season and enjoy the rest of the winter.
Please look at the back of this newsletter to see some
photographs of the many events that have been happening
here at St. Brigid.
V. Pugliese
Ash Wednesday
The season of Lent begins on February 13th, with Ash
Wednesday. On that day, a liturgy for the students and
staff will take place at the school. Ashes will be
distributed to students during the liturgy. Students will be
asked to make their own Lenten promises prior to our
liturgy. These promises should be their focus for the forty
days of Lent and will be a reminder that Lent is
a time to change the things in our lives which
separate us from Jesus. The liturgy will take
place at 9:30 a.m. in our gym. As always
parents, family and friends are invited to join us.
Virtue of the Month
Respect
In February we celebrate the virtue
of respect. God has given us the
virtues of friends and companions
to keep us company and to help us
out along the way. Every person in
our lives carries the Spirit of God –
and so every person is our brother
or sister through Jesus Christ. As
brothers and sisters who share one
Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to
God. We all deserve to be shown
courtesy, consideration, sensitivity
and thoughtfulness, which are
different ways of saying respect.
That respect should come first and
foremost from ourselves. We have
to respect ourselves and then we
will be able to respect others. We
should also expect to be treated
with respect by everyone we meet –
our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
Through prayer and concentration,
we can get better at respecting
ourselves, as well as respecting
those around us.
A respectful person…
 Treats himself/herself and
everyone else with equal
consideration and courtesy
 Uses a positive tone of voice
and body language
 Avoids swearing, namecalling, put-downs, and
inappropriate gestures
 Says “Excuse me”, “Please”,
“Pardon me”
 Avoids gossip
Changes in Mississauga Brampton Central Family of
Schools
On February 8th, our family Superintendent Liz
Kazimowicz will be retiring.
We would like to
congratulate Ms. Kazimowicz and thank her for her great
support of our school. For the past thirty-two years Ms.
Kazimowicz has served Dufferin-Peel as a teacher,
consultant, Vice Principal, Principal and Superintendent.
Throughout her career she has been a staunch supporter of
Catholic Education. We can truly say that both St. Brigid
and Dufferin-Peel have been well served by Ms.
Kazimowicz.
At the January 29th School Board meeting, it was
announced that Mississauga Brampton Central’s new
Superintendent would be Lucy Papaloni. We would like to
congratulate Ms. Papaloni and welcome her to our family.
We look forward to having our new Superintendent visit
St. Brigid.
Report Cards for Term 1
On February 5th Report Cards will be sent home for all
students from Grades 1 to 8. Student/Parent/Teacher
Conferences will take place on the evening of February 7 th
and during the day on February 8th. Parents will be
notified with the report card of your conference time.
Black History Month
“The ultimate measure of people is not where
they stand in the moments of comfort and
convenience, but where they stand in times of
challenge and controversy."
Dr. Martin Luther King, "An Unbroken Chain" Lerner
Publications, 2000.
In facing the challenges and tribulations of today’s society,
Dr. Martin Luther King’s words call us to a strength of
character, morality and conviction. Let us use Dr. King as
an inspiration to live with conviction to our faith and to
strive for a just society, where all are equal.
February is Black History month............St. Brigid School
is continuing its tradition of recognizing Black History
month. Every day in February, students from Mrs.
Turner's class will be sharing Black history moments over
the announcements, as well as decorating our hallways
with posters designed to educate and inform.
On Friday March 1st, St. Brigid School will be hosting a
ShareLife Dance-a-Thon. Each class will be in the gym
for approximately half an hour, dancing and moving to
music. Students are asked to show their St. Brigid spirit by
wearing St. Brigid athletic wear or green on that day.
Please encourage your children to participate in this
worthy event. As always, parents are more than welcome
to join with their children and participate in the Dance-aThon.
Peel Public Health - Immunization
Peel Public Health will be reviewing immunization records
of all students at our school from January 2013. Peel
Public Health must have proof that your child has been
fully vaccinated (immunized) according to the Ontario
immunization schedule. If you receive a letter, please
ensure that your child has received the required vaccine(s),
then give the date(s) your child received these vaccine
dose(s) to Peel Public Health immediately to update your
child’s record.
For more information, please call Peel Public Health at
905-799-7700 or visit www.ImmunizePeel.ca. Translation
services are available.
IMMUNIZE ON TIME.
REPORT EVERY
TIME.
Report All Immunizations Your
Child Receives to Peel Public
Health.



ATTENDANCE
VERIFICATION
905-454-0316 PRESS 1
Online at
www.immunizepeel.ca
Call Peel Public Health at
905-799-7700
Fax at 905-565-0426
Sacraments
Please remember in your prayers our Grade 2
students who will be receiving the sacrament of
Reconciliation on Saturday, March 2nd at 12:00. First
Holy Communion will take place on Sunday, April 28 th at
12:00 noon at St. Jerome Church.
French Immersion
Senior Kindergarten parents/guardians, who wish
to enrol their child in a Grade 1 French Immersion
class for September, 2013 are reminded that the deadline
for submission of Applications is 2:00 p.m. Wednesday,
February 6th, 2013.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Extended French
Grade 4 parents/guardians, who wish to enrol their child in
a Grade 5 Extended French class for September, 2013 are
reminded that the deadline for submission of Applications
is 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013.
Family Skate Night
St. Brigid’s first Family Skate Night will take place on
Monday February 25th, between 6:20 and 7:30. Students
and parents are all welcome to join St. Brigid staff
members at South Fletcher Arena. The Family Skate
Night is sponsored by our St. Brigid Catholic School
Council. For safety reasons, students should wear helmets
and gloves while one the ice. Please note that students
should be accompanied by an adult.
Tuesday February 26th is our first Mr. Sub Day of the
second semester. Individually packaged 6” subs, drink and
snack will be delivered for students that ordered Mr. Sub
sandwiches. All subs are compliant with the new Ministry
of Education Food Guidelines and will be prepared and
delivered fresh to the schools. The following will also be
Sub days:
 Tuesday February 26th
 Tuesday March 19th
 Tuesday April 30th
 Tuesday May 28th
 Tuesday June 25th
Customer Rebate Program
Don’t forget to keep bringing in your Swiss Chalet receipts
from the Swiss Chalet on Financial Drive. Swiss Chalet
(Financial Drive location) will give us a cheque for 10% of
our school’s total purchases before tax. All you have to do
is remember to send in your receipt!
Late Arrivals
We continue to have a number of students
arriving at school after the bell has rung.
School begins promptly at 8:50 am. Parents
are encouraged to have their children at school at least five
minutes before the bell. Children who are late must report
to the office and sign in. Students who arrive late for
school are missing valuable learning time.
Your
cooperation is appreciated.
Nut Allergies
We would like to remind parents and students
that St. Brigid Catholic Elementary School is an
allergen aware school.
We have a number of children in our school who
have severe life threatening allergic reactions to nuts,
peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oils and any peanut byproducts. For some children, even the smell of nuts can
bring on a severe attack. We need your cooperation! We
do not want to put any child at risk, therefore ask that
NUTS, NUT BUTTER, NUT OILS AND ANY NUT BYPRODUCT NOT BE BROUGHT INTO THE SCHOOL.
Please do not send any lunches or snacks that contain
nuts/peanuts or nut by-products.
Snow and Ice
Please remind your children that their safety is of
the utmost importance to us. Snow is always to stay
on the ground. Snowball throwing or kicking snow
or ice at anyone is not permitted here at St. Brigid School.
Also, students are encouraged to work together to build
with the snow. Students are reminded that at St. Brigid
we build together, we don’t destroy. This especially
applies to snow forts that are built during the recess
periods.
PLAYGROUND SAFETY RULES
The safety of all students at St. Brigid is our
number one priority. We remind students daily of
playground expectations. Please review the
following rules with your child:
 Keep your hands and feet to yourselves
 No verbal insults or inappropriate
language
 Treat all people with respect
 Respect school property
 Play only no contact games
 Stay on school property at all times
 Rocks, gravel and snow stay on the
ground.
Winter Clothing
With winter now upon us, parents and students
are reminded that students need to be dressed
appropriately for the winter weather. We want
our students to feel comfortable outdoors and
not get chilled because of inappropriate winter
dress. Students should be wearing winter coats,
boots, hats, gloves and scarves.
Younger
students are also encouraged to wear snow pants.
Please listen to weather reports and ensure
that children are dressed appropriately for the
weather.
Please ensure that your child has an extra change
of clothing (socks and pants) stored in their back
pack. This will help prevent phone calls home
when your child comes to the office with wet
clothing. Also, please label your child’s winter garments,
so that each student can more easily locate his/her own
clothing from the class coat rack area. Labelled items can
be returned more easily and mixed up items sorted out
more readily. If your child brings home any clothing item
by mistake, please return it to the school so that this mix
up may be corrected.
Except under unusual conditions, students will go outside
during recess and lunch hour. The outdoor break allows
for fresh air and exercise. Health officials indicate that the
fresh air is good for children...not harmful, as long as
students are dressed properly.
Indoor Footwear
Students are expected to wear shoes in the school building
at all times. Please note that in the event of an emergency
evacuation, students will not have the opportunity to put
on shoes, boots, clothing articles, etc. Please ensure that
your child has an extra pair of shoes at school, to keep
their feet dry and warm during wet and/or
snowy weather.
Transportation
If school buses are cancelled in the morning, due to
severe weather conditions, they will not operate for the
take home run, even if weather conditions permit. In
the past, children have been dropped off at the school in
the morning by well-meaning parents and friends on a day
when the buses have been cancelled, without regard as to
how the children would be transported home. In the event
of bus cancellations, please refrain from picking up
students at bus stops and delivering them to school. There
are no buses to return them home from school and often no
one is available to pick them up at school.
You
may
go
to
www.stopr.ca for daily
bus cancellations or delays.
School Closures
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption of bus transportation and regular school
operations. A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m.
and will be announced on the following radio stations:
FM Q 107
FM Z103.5
CHFI FM 98.1 CHIN FM 100.7
VIRGIN RADIO FM 99.9
CBC 99.1
CFTR AM 680
CJCL AM 590 AM 1540
CFRB AM 1010 CTV
GLOBAL
CFTO
EZ ROCK FM 97.3
CFNY FM 102.1
FM 93.1
CJBC (FR) AM 860
CHUM AM 1050
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
Science Olympics
Five junior students from St. Brigid will be participating in
the Mississauga Brampton Central Family of Schools
Science Olympics on February 22nd. Students have been
practicing their skill in the various branches of science and
have been preparing for their special day when they will
compete against other students of our family. The
competition will take place at San Lorenzo Ruiz in
Mississauga.
March Break Reminder
The March Break this year falls on the week of
March 11th to 15th. School resumes again on
Monday, March 18th. The last day of classes before the
Break is Friday March 8th
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Check out our school web
site. Access the site through
the School Board’s website
at
http://www.dpcdsb.org/cec
E.Q.A.O. Testing -- Grades Three and Six
A reminder that this year the EQAO assessment for Grade
3 and Grade 6 students will run from May 27 th to June 6th.
We ask that parents of students in these grades ensure that
their children are in attendance during these weeks. Visit
DPCDSB on the web for Board and School
profiles http://www.dpcdsb.org/EQAO
Lunch Time Monitors
We are in need of Lunch Time Student Monitors. If you
are interested in becoming a Lunch Time Student Monitor
(either on a full time or part time basis) at St. Brigid
School and are available during the lunch hour,
please come into the school office and fill out
an application form.
Dates to Remember:
Feb. 5
Feb. 6
Feb. 6
Feb. 7
Feb. 8
Feb. 11
Feb. 12
Feb. 13
Feb. 14
Feb. 15
Basketball at the Air Canada Centre
On Tuesday February 12th, staff, students, parents and
friends of St. Brigid will be travelling to the Air Canada
Centre to watch the Toronto Raptors play
against the Denver Nuggets. A school bus
will be leaving the school at 5:30 pm.
Feb. 18
Feb. 19
Feb. 20
Feb. 21
Feb. 22
Bullying Prevention Corner
Feb. 25
As we know we must tell others when
bullying is happening. Do not avoid
telling an adult about bullying even
though the bully thinks you’re tattling.
The bullying message for this month is
“Telling an adult about bullying is
not tattling”. Bullying situations must
be reported. When bullying occurs, we
have to act fast by telling an adult or a
teacher.
Feb. 26
Feb. 27
Mar. 1
Mar. 2
Mar. 5
Tattling is defined by trying to get
someone in trouble, or telling when
there is no one being hurt and no rule
being broken that could result in a
dangerous situation.
Telling or
reporting is defined as reporting
unsafe behaviours to an adult in order
to get help for someone – to get
someone out of trouble.
Mar. 6
Mar. 7
Mar. 8
Mar. 11
Mar. 17
Mar. 18
Mar. 19
Mar. 20
Mar. 21
Mar. 22
Mar. 24
Mar. 27
Mar. 28
Mar. 29
Mar. 31
Report Cards are sent home
Intermediate Girls Basketball Tournament @
St. Monica
Lunch Moms
Parent/Student/Teacher Interview evening
P.A. Day
Parent/Student/Teacher Interview evening
Catholic School Council Mtg. – 7:00 pm.
St. Brigid School at Raptors game
FDK Lottery
Ash Wednesday
Lunch Moms
BNW Hockey Tournament
BNW Hockey Tournament
Pizza Day
Intermediate Boys Basketball Tournament @
Our Lady of Peace
Family Day
Rocks and Rings – Gr. 1 to 6
City of Brampton Eco Presentations
Lunch Moms
Glazed Expression – Gr. 8
MBC Basketball Finals @ St. Marcellinus
Skiing
Science Olympics @ San Lorenzo
St. Brigid Skate night @ South Fletcher
Arena - 6:20 to 7:30
Mr. Sub Day
Lunch Moms
ShareLife Dance-a-Thon
Reconciliation @ St. Jerome Church – 12:00
Cinderella Frog Prince Presentation
MBC Diversity Conference @ Blessed
Trinity
Lunch Moms
Peel Police Presentations
Math Mania @ Our Lady of Peace
Silvercreek – Mrs. Hill
March Break begins
St. Patrick’s Day
Classes resume
Gr. 8 retreat @ Mount Alverno
Catholic School Council Mtg. – 7:00 pm.
Mr. Sub Day
Lunch Moms
Brass Rubbings – Gr. 4 and 5
Pizza Day
Palm Sunday
Lunch Moms
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Sunday