ST. BRIGID CATHOLIC SCHOOL
“Live
March
2016
Newsletter
L.Papaloni…........Superintendent
905-890-1221
A. DaSilva…. ………..…Trustee
416 -709 -5679
V. Pugliese ……………Principal
C. Rice ....……….........Secretary
C. Mexner - School Council Chair
PARISH
St. Jerome
8530 Chinguacousy Road
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 5G4
Tel: 905-455-4260
Fax: 905-450-6326
Pastor
Fr. J. Kolodynski
School Hours
Start:
Recess:
Lunch:
Recess :
Dismissal:
8:50
11:00 – 11:15
11:55 – 12:55
2:20 – 2:35
3:20
Love
Learn
Light”
A Prayer For Lent
Lord Jesus
You did not enter your holy city of Jerusalem
on the back of a war horse,
but humbly and on a donkey.
You knew that you were
surrounded by murderers,
yet you came in peace.
By your sacrifice
you would utterly conquer death
before the week had passed.
You, oh Lord,
are worthy of all praise.
You have saved your people.
I say, "You are my king!"
I will sing your praises
until your Kingdom comes
and is established forever.
Almighty and Eternal God,
You sent us your Son,
as an example of humility to be imitated.
Mercifully grant,
that we may share in His Resurrection.
Amen
March Break Reminder
The March Break this year falls on the week of March 14th to 18th. School resumes
again on Monday, March 21st. The last day of classes before the Break is Friday,
March 11th.
Message from the Principal
Once again we are into the Holy Season of Lent; a time
when we try to simplify our lives and focus on preparing
for the joyful feast of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus.
Lent is a time for us to be reminded of our mandate as
Catholics which, in the words of Jesus is “to love one
another as I have loved you”. The Church sets aside the
forty days of Lent in order that we might imitate Our Lord by our
fasting, prayer, self-denial and good works, and thereby prepare
our hearts for an Easter renewal.
After the March Break, we move into Holy Week, beginning
with Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday, also known as Passion
Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week which ends with Easter the
following Sunday, commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem preceding his passion. This episode precedes the
suffering and crucifixion, indicating Jesus as the King, the
Messiah.
Pope Benedict XVI said: “In the Palm Sunday procession we join
with the crowd of disciples who in festive joy accompany the
Lord during his entry into Jerusalem. Like them, we praise the
Lord with a loud voice for all the miracles we have seen, how he
gives men and women the courage to oppose violence and deceit,
to make room for truth in the world; to bring about reconciliation
where there had been hatred and to create peace where enmity
had reigned.
Let us use the remaining time in Lent to prepare
ourselves for the triumph of Jesus. Let us make our
hearts open to the truth and to bring heeling to our
world. And let us love each other as Jesus has shown us.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day - March 17th
An Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
On Thursday February 11th staff, students, and parents enjoyed a
day of hopping and bopping to music, in support of our ShareLife
Dance-a-Thon. We would like to offer a big thank you to
everyone in the St. Brigid School community for their support of
this event. Our Dance-a-Thon was a huge success. As a school
we raised at total of $1,937.85. This money will be presented to
Father Jan. Our ShareLife Dance-a-Thon again showed the true
spirit of St. Brigid School!
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 25th to June 8th. 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.
Sacraments
Congratulations to a number of our Grade 2 students who
celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday February
28th, for the first time. First Holy Communion will take place on
Saturday April 23rd at 5:00 p.m. at St. Jerome
Church.
Students in grades 7 and 8 will be receiving the Sacrament of
Confirmation on Thursday May 26th, at 7:00 p.m. If you have
any questions regarding your child’s sacraments, please contact
the church office at (905) 455-4260
Lenten Reconciliation
Please note that on Monday March 7th at 7:30 pm.
there will be a Lenten Reconciliation at St. Jerome
Church. All students, especially those students that will be
receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, are encouraged to
attend and prepare for Easter.
The World within St. Brigid School
In February we celebrated Black History Month. In March we
turn our attention to cultural diversity, as we celebrate
Multicultural Month. St. Brigid School is a culturally diverse
school with over 40 different nationalities represented. To
celebrate our rich culture, during announcements, students are
invited to share with the entire school population, prayers and
readings in their native languages. Students may recite the
Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary or other prayers in their native
language.
St. Brigid’s Got Talent
We are in the home stretch in our preparations for
our St. Brigid’s Got Talent, Talent Show. The many students
and teachers have been working hard and are excited in
anticipation of the performances. The talent show will be
performed on Thursday April 14th at 7:00 p.m. in our school
gymnasium. These show is for the entire St. Brigid Community.
Come out and support our students and enjoy an evening of fun
and music. Tickets order forms will be sent home in early April.
Please note that tickets are not numbered and there are no
reserved seats. Tickets are only $5.00 each! Snacks will be sold
prior to the performance and during intermission.
Please note that Friday March 25th is
Good Friday and that Monday March
28th is Easter Monday. All schools will
be closed on those days.
Peel Public Health - Immunization
Peel Public Health has reviewing immunization records of all
students at our school. 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 905-7997700 or visit www.immunizePeel.ca. Translation services are
available.
NBA All Star Event
On Friday February 12th, our grade 8 students took part in the
NBA All Junior All Star Event. Our students went to the
Enercare Centre to participate in a variety of basketball drills
and skills and met several NBA all-star players. Our students
were provided with NBA t-shirts, shorts, socks and running
shoes, all sponsored by Under Armor.
Spirit Week
St. Brigid Spirit Week is a wonderful way for students to have
fun and show some great St. Brigid pride. Students are
encouraged to dress in the special theme of the day:
Monday March 7
Green & White/St. Brigid Wear Day
Tuesday March 8
P.J.’s & Teddy Bears Day
Wednesday March 9 Wacky Hair Day
Thursday March 10 Mismatch/Backward Day
Friday March 11
Team Jersey Day
6. A CARING FAMILY MEMBER WHO:
 Relates to family members in a
loving,
compassionate
and
respectful manner.
 Recognizes human intimacy and
sexuality as God given gifts, to be
used as the creator intended.
 Values and honours the important
role of the family in society.
 Values and nurtures opportunities
for family prayer.
 Ministers to the family, school,
parish, and wider community
through service.
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2015-16
We are now accepting registrations for Full-Day Kindergarten
and Grades 1 to 8, for the 2015-16 school year. The following
documents are required for registration:
Proof of age of the child (birth certificate or passport)
Original Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate of child or
Baptismal Certificate from an Eastern Church in full
communion with the Holy See of Rome. If the child has
not been Baptised, then the Baptismal Certificate of a
parent is required.
Updated immunization records
Proof of Canadian Citizenship (birth certificate, passport,
permanent resident status)
Proof of home address (property tax bill, current utility bill,
real estate document or Government of Canada issued
forms)
Please call the school at 905-454-0316 if you require any further
information.
Class List Formation for 2016 - 2017
We will soon begin the process of making up the class lists for
next fall. This is a complex procedure which takes into
consideration not only the needs of the individual child, but
frames those needs in the context of the larger classroom group.
In each class we strive for a balance of learning styles, a balance
of gender, a balance of learning needs and a cross-section of
abilities.
The current teachers of a grade, support staff and administration
all take part in the process. If you wish to provide input into the
process, please take into consideration the following guidelines:
Input must be made in writing to the Principal no later than April
29th, 2016. Requests should be made in terms of educational
contexts, e.g. your child’s learning needs/strengths/style,
information not already known to the school, best learning
environment. Please do not make requests for specific teachers
as staffing is always tentative and changes can take place
between now and September.
Flexible Boundary Policy
Many students attend St. Brigid School under the “Flexible
Boundary policy”. This offers convenience for many parents
who access daycare in the area. Parents who have requested
flexible boundary admittance for their children must be aware
that the policy will be considered on a student-by-student, yearto-year basis taking into account the class size of the students
who are enrolling and the resources available at the school.
While we offer support to all of our students, please understand
that the availability of the flexible boundary policy should never
negatively impact on the class size and school resources. Parents
requesting flex boundaries are asked to do so in writing. Please
feel free to call the school if you have any questions regarding
this policy.
Are You Moving?
As noted previously, we will soon begin the
process of planning classes and staffing for the
2016/2017 school year. If you are planning to
move anytime between now and September 2016, please inform
the school at your earliest possible convenience.
Holiday Homework
Homework is generally work not completed in class or
reinforcement of concepts taught in class. Often when parents
take holidays other than during regularly scheduled holiday
times, we are requested to provide homework which would cover
the same material as the students may miss. It is better to take
full advantage of what can be learned on the trip and have
students read material related to what they will see
and write a journal about their activities. In
general, if a concept is not taught to a student,
then homework will not be assigned.
Science Olympics
Congratulations to our junior students who participated in the
Mississauga Brampton Central Family of Schools Science
Olympics on February 27th. Our students displayed true team
spirt, working with pride and determination in the various events.
Out of the 15 teams that participated in the competition, only St.
Brigid placed in 2 of the 3 challenges. A special thank you to
their coaches, Mrs. Albi and Mrs. Murray.
Chess Tournament
This year’s Mississauga Brampton Central Family of Schools
Chess Tournament will be held on Thursday March 31 st, at St.
Gertrude School in Mississauga. St. Brigid is proudly sending 5
students from each division to this tournament. Good luck to all!
Math Mania
Congratulations to our intermediate Math Mania team who
participated in the Mississauga Brampton Central Family of
Math competition on Thursday February 25th. The students
displayed their skill and determination in the various strands of
math. Thank you to their coach, Mr. Fitzpatrick.
.
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Check out our school web
site. Access the site
through the School
Board’s website at
http://www.dpcdsb.org/ce
c
Catholic School Council News
In March we reflect on our Lenten virtues, we think of the
kindness we can do for others. Our Catholic School Council has
put a care package together for our sponsored child Daniel, filled
with crayons, paper, a few books, a toy car and a teddy bear.
Daniel has written a Christmas card to us, which brought smiles
to our faces with the beautiful drawing, reminding us of spring.
Time to bloom and grow together. What is your random act of
kindness?
Our Pancake Day was a huge success! A big thank you to the
parent volunteers who helped out with the pancakes. We also
want to thank our friends at McDonalds (on Ray Lawson Blvd).
This was followed by our Sharelife Valentine's Day cookie
fundraiser that raised $413.00!
#sharelifefundraiser
#thankyouforyoursupport. What a nice way to start off our
Lenten season.
Our Skate night was re-scheduled, as when Queen Elsa and
Princes Anna decided to us, their magical powers to make it ice
cold! Thank you for everyone that came out! What a nice way
to see our beautiful downtown Brampton, and great exercise for
all of us! #greatexercise #funfitfamilynight.
Coming up…
 March 10th – Great Big Crunch, together
with the Region of Peel and our school community, we are
bringing an awareness to healthy snacks! So bite into that
apple, or pear… carrots, celery or bell peppers … yumm …
Refreshing, crunchy and healthy! #eathealthy
 Join us on the evening of March 10th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
for our Family Boot Camp evening. Our Boot Camp
evening is sponsored by our Brampton Community – Cassie
Campbell Recreation Centre. Don't forget to bring your
water bottles! We'll provide an energy tasty fruit for the
evening, and some crunchy munchies.
 Do you like to bake? Cookies? … Would you not love to
have the dough ready to go so that when the kids say “mom,
we want to bake,” it’s easy and simple! Our spring
fundraiser - English Bay Cookie Dough – is the perfect
answer. A 3 lbs tub of cookie dough is
only $14.00. Forms will be going out
the end of March, with a one week
turnaround time, to get it back for the
week of April 25th.
 Social Networking Safety with guest
speaker, Mr. Paul Davis on April 20th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
 We need your help: We are in the process of creating our
first Multicultural School Recipe Book, to be created by you
and your family. We need: your grandma’s secret recipes
- traditional cultural recipes, typed out with a limit of 1 or 2
pictures for the recipe. We would like at least 1 recipe per
family. If you would like your child’s picture in the book,
please ensure that you sign the media release forms. We
will be publishing our recipe book as a take home for $5.00
at the end of the school year. More information to follow.
 Please join us for our next meeting on April 4th. We would
love to hear your ideas!
Kiss ‘N Ride
Please note that it is extremely important that parents drive
slowly and cautiously while on school grounds. The lane closest
to the curb is for BUSSES ONLY. The Kiss ‘N Ride lane is the
middle lane. Please follow the procedures outlined below when
using the Kiss ‘N Ride lane:
Drive your vehicle in this lane and proceed to the furthest
point closest to the front doors of the school.
STOP
Child(ren) must exit your vehicle by the right hand side
door(s) only
Drive to the end of the Kiss ‘N Ride lane and cautiously
proceed into the Drive-Thru lane once all children have left
your vehicle.
At no time should parents park in the Kiss ‘N Ride lane. If you
need to enter the school, please park your vehicle in the school
parking lot or on the street.
End of the Day Parking
Dismissal time is a very busy time of day and the safety of our
students must be our number one priority. As such, please be
aware that at the end of the school day pylons are placed at the
entrance of the school driveway. This is done to prevent vehicles
from driving on school grounds while students are exiting the
school grounds. The gates at the parking lot are also closed at
this time, and will not be opened until our students and busses
have left school grounds. If you are parked in the parking lot,
we ask that you respect our policy and wait until our gates are
opened by a staff supervisor. Also, please be aware that our drive
way is one way, with the entrance at the east end of the school.
Please do not enter the school grounds through the exit drive at
the west end. We thank you for your cooperation.
Parking Enforcement
City of Brampton Parking Enforcement officers
have been vigilant in enforcing city parking bylaws in the area around the school. Please be aware of where
you park your vehicle. There are fire hydrants and other No
Parking / No Stopping areas that need to be observed.
Please note that vehicles in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride lane should not be
left unattended, as they could be ticketed. Please do not park in
the Kiss ‘N’ Ride Lanes and walk your child to their entry point.
If you wish to walk your child, we request that you park on the
street and escort your child. Cars parked in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride
create a very dangerous situation and also impede the flow of
traffic.
Also, please be aware that only vehicles that have a handicap
sign displayed in their vehicle are allowed to park in the handicap
parking spots in the school parking lot. Under no conditions
should vehicles without a handicap sign park in these designated
areas.
ATTENDANCE
VERIFICATION
905-454-0316 & PRESS 1
Dogs on School Property
Dogs are not allowed on school property. A dog’s behaviour
and response around strangers can be unpredictable; for
example, dogs may jump on visitors or children. Although
dogs can be good pets for some, they can be scary to others,
and pose an allergic response to others. Therefore, dogs must
not be exercised on school property or brought to
school when dropping off or picking up students.
You
may
go
to
www.stopr.ca for daily
bus
cancellations or
delays.
Dates to Remember
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. We encourage all
students to play together and not to exclude anyone.
Twitter
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest board news and
information, follow us @DPCDSBSchools.
School Day and School Yard Supervision
Yard Supervision begins at 8:35 a.m. For safety reasons, please
do not send your child to school until then. Our supervisors wear
orange vests so that they can be easily visible to a child in need.
For reasons of safety, students are expected to go home at the
end of the school day, unless supervised by a parent or staff
member for a scheduled school activity. If there are any changes
to dismissal arrangements, please contact the office or with a
note to the teacher.
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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.
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Mr. Sub Lunch
Lunch Moms
Rosary Apostolates
Pizza Day
Lenten Reconciliation – 7:30 pm. @ St. Jerome
Church
Lunch Moms
Skiing
Peel Water Story Presentation - Primary
Big Crunch – Peel Health
Family Fit Night – 6:30 pm. Boot Camp
March Break Begins
Palm Sunday
Holy Week Begins
School Resumes
Mr. Sub Lunch
Lunch Moms
Stations of the Cross
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Virtue Assembly – 1:15 pm.
Lunch Moms
Great Gulp Assembly – 1:15 pm.
Mississauga Brampton Central Family of
Schools Chess Tournament
Family Fit Night – 6:30 pm. – Cooking
Pizza Day
Peel Water Story Presentation –
Junior/Intermediate
Catholic School Council Mtg. – 7:00 pm.
Mr. Sub Lunch
St. Brigid @ Raptors game
Lunch Moms
Rosary Apostolates
P.A. Day
Lunch Moms
Talent Show – dress rehearsal
Talent Show – 7:00 pm.
Mr. Sub Lunch
Lunch Moms
Paul Davis – Cyber Safety presentation
First Communion Retreat @ St. Jerome Church
First Communion – 5:00 pm.
Autism Awareness Lunch
Lunch Moms
Confirmation Retreat
Family Photo Day
Pizza Day