St. André Bessette Catholic
Elementary School
NEWSLETTER
25 Riverstone Drive, Brampton, Ontario L6P 2V7
Tel: (905) 913-2567 Fax: (905) 913-2188
March 2016
Principal: V. Zaffino
Vice-Principal: N. Smith
Secretary: R. Hendry
Secretary: F. Antenucci
SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY
SUPERINTENDENT OF
SCHOOLS
D. Finegan-Downey
905-890-1221
TRUSTEE
S. Xaviour
ST. PATRICK PARISH
Rev. Vito Marziliano
905-794-0486
Ou r Len ten j ourn ey
c onti nues… .
Lent is not an unhappy time but it is a serious time. With our
families, we take time to think how we are living up to God’s law of love. We
watch and pray with Christ. We all do our part. Together as parents and
educators, let us make good plans for Lent. We can choose actions that
everyone can participate in. These actions can help us to atone for our sins,
to become more prayerful, to make our lives more simple and to share what
we have with those in our community and throughout the world who are in
need. That is the purpose of our Lenten sacrifices.
Some suggested Lenten disciplines for you and your family to consider:

Daily prayer as a whole family

Almsgiving - setting aside some change each day as an offering to those in
need

Being committed to doing something positive and to also give something
up.
Together as a school community and within your own families, let us ask God
for His graces throughout this Lenten season.
ROMAN CATHOLIC
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Chair
J. Balthazaar
St. Patrick Church
English Masses
Kindness can only be seen through
actions. We must show that we are
kind by our words and our actions.
Saturday—5 p.m.
Sunday—8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Italian Mass
Sunday—11:30 a.m.
Page 2
March 2016
JK/SK
Registration for
September
M a rc h 1 4 t o M a rc h 1 8
Back to school on March 21
H ave a wo n d e r f u l b re a k !
GRADE 3 AND 6 PROVINCIAL ASSESSMENT
OF READING, WRITING AND MATHEMATICS
All grade 3 and 6 students in Ontario will again be
participating
in
the
Educational
Quality
and
Accountability Office (EQAO) Provincial Assessments
scheduled to take place from May 25th to June 8th.
We would ask that if possible, please try to avoid
booking appointments or vacations for your grade 3 and
6 children during this assessment period.
Please
discuss with your child the importance of these
assessments and encourage them to do their very best.
CLASS LISTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016
We will begin work on next year’s classes in April. If your child(ren)
will attend St. André Bessette School next year and there are any
learning needs that you think we need to consider in making up classes
(this does not include requests for specific teachers), please put this in
writing to the principal. Educational reasons will be factored into the
decisions which will be made by teachers, resource staff and the school
administration. Letters must be signed and submitted to the Principal
PRIOR to April 15th.
We cannot guarantee your request but we will consider your concerns
and reasons along with all other factors.
As always, class placements will be tentative until the end of the
second week of September when our staffing is confirmed. Please
make sure your children understand this process.
If you know of any family who has a child born
in 2011 or 2012, please encourage them come
to register their child for Kindergarten as soon
as possible. Although we have already had our
registration evening, we will continue to take
registrations. Please bring the child’s baptismal
certificate, birth certificate and immunization
card.
A “Welcome to Kindergarten” session will take
place May 12th at 6:30 p.m. Students must be
registered to be invited to the school to visit
and participate in educational activities.
ARE YOU MOVING?
If you are possibly moving out of
the St. André Bessette School area,
we would appreciate knowing ahead
of time. Please notify the office as
soon as you can.
Page 3
March 2016
Dear students, parents, staff, administrators, support staff
and friends of School Communities in St. Patrick’s Parish:
Blessings to all of you, your families and loved ones. Many
opportunities will be offered during the month of March to
help us further understand and celebrate the love of God for
us all. As per every year, the March Break will gift us the
opportunity to spend time together as family, friends, and neighbours. A time to relax
and enjoy the company of people we love. Be safe in your travels. Be aware of how
precious the gift of “togetherness” truly is, as you visit family and friends.
Holy days will mark our calendar this month: March 17 – Feast of St. Patrick; March 19
– Feast of St. Joseph; March 20 – Palm Sunday; March 24 – Holy Thursday; March 25
Good Friday; March 27 – Easter Sunday. In all these days, and beyond these days, we
celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy.
Our parish at St. Patrick’s, as you know, is one of the 9 churches in the Archdiocese of
Toronto, to hold the DOOR OF MERCY. Many individuals and groups are coming
through the Holy Door of our parish church, in thanksgiving to God for the gift of God’s
love and grace. Perhaps as a family you may wish to journey to our church specifically
for a time of personal prayer and thanksgiving. Invite your neighbour and your
relatives to join you and to celebrate how every day, moment by moment, God grants
us the grace to move forward. Every day is for us all an opportunity to begin anew; to
strengthen our relationship with God and with one another.
You are always in my prayers and remembered in the Eucharist. Happy March.
With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. Vito Marziliano,
Pastor
March 2016
Page 4
Distinctly Different….
ONTARIO’S CATHOLIC EDUCATION system is not a duplicate of other school systems. While it adheres
to Ministry of Education requirements, it does so from a Catholic perspective. The curriculum is enhanced
by Gospel values. Teachers are professionally trained and committed to serving in Catholic schools.
At the heart of Catholic education is the person of Jesus. Faith development is integral to every part
of Catholic education, as students are called to respect the dignity of all human persons in a caring
community.
In the Catholic education system, home, school and parish form a vital partnership. Through participation in
the community and involvement with the parish, students are guided by the Gospel values, principles and
standards that reach into every facet of school life.
The Sacraments: Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation
First Reconciliation
January 28th, 2016
Congratulations to the students who
received first reconciliation
Gr. 8 Confirmation
First Communion
December 12th, 2015
Saturday, April 30th
Congratulations to the students who received their confirmation
12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Confirmation for Gr. 7 Students
Gr. 2 Retreat
Monday, April 25th
Friday, April 8th
7:00 p.m. at St. Patrick Church
Boys and Gir ls Night In
St. André Bessette is thrilled to be offering a “Boys and
Girls Night In.” This will be offered to our Grade 6
students on March 31st from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at our
school. More details to follow.
Page 5
March 2016
We would like to thank you all for supporting our Valentine’s Day activities. We raised
$716.32 for Sharelife through the dance, cookie sales, and staff breakfast. A special
thank you to Sound X Entertainment and Mr. Edwin Quezada for providing the music
for our dance. The students had a fabulous time.
Stay tuned for more exciting events to
come!
Your Youth Faith Leaders
The instructional day begins promptly at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m. Lunch is between
10:53 and 11:53. So as not to miss instructional time, we ask that you do not pick up
students early unless absolutely necessary.
By trying our best not to disturb classes, except in very important situations, we are
reducing disruptions to quality teaching and learning time. We understand that there will be
times when disruptions will be necessary and unavoidable. To this end, we ask the following;

If you wish to discuss something with your child’s teacher, we ask that you set up an appointment. Approaching
the teacher before, during and/or after school makes it difficult for the teacher to focus on her/his students. This
also becomes a safety issue. Please write a note in the student’s agenda or leave a message on their voicemail
and the teacher will call you back.
 Send a note in advance, to your child’s teacher when your child needs to be picked up early, who will pick them
up and then meet them in the office and sign them out. We will do our best to have your child ready.
 If delivering lunches to your child at school, write your child’s and the teacher’s names on the lunch bags and
leave them on the counter in the office. Please ensure that the lunch is there by 11:30 a.m. As we are a secure
building, this should not be a daily routine.
We appreciate continued parental help and support in minimizing disruptions to classes, whenever possible.
March 2016
Page 6
ATTENTION STUDENTS AND PARENTS: OUR QSP FUNDRAISER IS BACK!!!
The St. André Bessette School QSP Magazine Fundraiser will begin on Wednesday March 9th
with a 9am kick-off assembly in the gym! Please help support our school by purchasing a
magazine!!! All proceeds will go directly to purchasing more books for our school Library!!!
Each student will receive a QSP Magazine package to bring home. Students are
encouraged to sell as many magazines possible! Your
support is Appreciated!!! Please note: All magazine
orders are due on or before: Tuesday March 29th.
Our school Book Fair was a huge success! We sold over $6000 in books! A very big thank
you to all students, staff and parents that generously supported our school book fair. Funds
will be used to purchase new books for the library. Congratulations to Laila M from Mrs.
Piekny’s class whose name was chosen for the Family Event Draw. Laila and her family won
$25 worth of free books and her teacher won $25 worth of free
books for the class!!!
Here at St. André Bessette we love books!!!
On February 25th & 26th, St. André Bessette School hosted its second annual Poetry
Slam Competition in our library. Poetry is a powerful art form that can be used in
classrooms to improve literacy. It celebrates the individual word, the sound of
language, and the rhythm of language in a way that narrative does not. It is
important to expose students to poetry because children build the foundation for
learning to read through being exposed to the sounds and rhythms of
language. Mrs. Domanico and Mr. Condotta would like to send out a special thank you to all the
junior and intermediate students that shared their original poems with us.
We would also like to congratulate the winners of our
school competition who will be representing the
school at the Brampton North East Poetry Slam
Competition in March: Themar Oseki (Intermediate)
for her poem "Beauty" and Lily Nguyen (junior) for her
poem "The Mask".
March 2016
Page 7
As long as you have a Brampton Public Library Card, you will have access to TumbleBooks!
TumbleBooks is an online collection of read-along picture books for preschool and elementary school children and their families. Features adjustable online text and complete
audio narration. Sentences are highlighted as they are being read and the pages can
turn automatically.
Follow these 4 easy steps to start Tumbling!!!
1. Click the link: http://www.bramlib.on.ca/
2. Top bar click Children
3. Click Reading Resources
4. Click Online Books
5. Scroll down to TumbleBooks and click
6. Enter your Library Card #
7. Start Tumbling!!!
Respecting Our Neighbours
Parents are asked to review with their children that the yards that surround the
playground are “Off Limits”.
Students must remember that this is private property. Should a situation develop where
a ball or personal item ends up in one of our neighbour’s yards, students should
approach a supervisor for assistance. Students are asked to continue their excellent
record at maintaining a “good neighbour” rapport with our surrounding homes and
properties. Student will not be permitted to leave school property to retrieve lost soccer
balls, etc.
VOLUNTEERS
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
policy, is that volunteers working in the school
and supervising any school trips MUST have a
valid Criminal Reference Check. Application forms
can be obtained through the school office.
Volunteers must complete the application and
take to the police station for processing.
The original must be brought to the main office for verification and photocopying by office
staff. A copy will be kept on file at the school and the original returned to you.
March 2016
Page 8
The Junior Boys and Girls basketball teams participated in the BNE Family mini-tournament at our school on
February 17th. The coaches are proud of the work and determination shown by all of the students involved.
Team members are:
Junior Girls: Tea, Marianna, Cierra, Vanessa, Keira, Kimberley, Ashley, Destiny, Serenity, Sierra
Junior Boys: Dwayne, Joziah, Emmanuel, Andrew, Ifeanyi, Sefunni, Christian, Kaidan, Kevin, Steven,
Quincy
Thank you to our coaches:
Ms. Piekny and Ms. Somma coached the girls and
Mr. Andreacola, Mr. Condotta and Ms. Somma coached the boys.
St. André Bessette Congratulates all Junior and Intermediate
Speech Participants
“The
limits of my language means the limits of my world.” (Ludwig Wittgenstein)
On February 8th and the 17th budding orators from grades 4 to 8 graced the stage and
presented their speeches in front of the St. André Bessette school community during the
Intermediate and Junior Annual Speech events. Congratulations to our Intermediate Division winners:
Kanyinsola , Bianca and Themar and to our Junior Division winners: Cierra, Katlynn, Jenni and Giulia. The
winners represented the school in the Royal Canadian Legion Regional Speech Competition that was held
on February 21st where Kaninsola and Cierra both won the third place awards in their categories. We are
so proud of you. Best of luck to all the students in the upcoming Catholic Women’s League Competitions.
And remember: “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
During February, we had several activities to celebrate Black History Month. Thank you to Harriet, from
Beyond Beauty, who came to speak to our Intermediate girls on the topic of “A simple act of courage.” She
led the girls through an inspiring talk about her personal experiences growing up as an immigrant to Canada.
The hope is to encourage our young girls to learn from each other, work hard and to challenge themselves
to dream big.
March 2016
Page 9
Check out all the fun programs happening at the Brampton
Library…. Gore Meadows is the closest to our school!
L o t s of FU N p r o g ra ms d u r i n g M AR CH B R E A K !
Want to see their new SPRING PROGRAM….
5 REASONS TO VISIT THE LOCAL LIBRARY…
 Kids that visit the library read more and learn more
 It saves money… kids have access to thousands of books
and magazines for FREE!
 There’s lots to do: programs (puppets, costumes and animated storytellers, big pillows and bean bags
chairs)
 Having a library card teaches kids RESPONSIBILITY!
St. André Bessette School Eco
News!
Here are some initiatives that the Eco Team has
been working on this month:
In order to allow for proper traffic
flow, we ask that parents allow their
children to independently get out of
the vehicle on the passenger’s side.
Litterless Lunchbag Mondays —A Huge
Success
CAUTION
If
you
need
to
get
out
of your car to assist your
A great big thank-you to all of the students, staff and families
children— then Kiss and Ride is not for you. If
who have been participating in our Litterless Lunchbag
you wish, you may park on the road and walk your
Mondays Campaign. It has significantly reduced the amount
child to the school.
of garbage and recycled waste! Please remember to send
litterless snacks, drinks and lunches every Monday (or every
day, if possible). Let’s continue to work together to reduce
the amount of waste produced within our community! In
addition, this important campaign complements our many
Healthy Eating initiatives! Fruit and vegetable snacks that
are packaged in reusable containers, produce little and very
harmless waste, in comparison to packaged snacks.
The Great Gulp
We will have the Great GULP on Tuesday, March 22nd;
everyone will drink tap water at the same time. Please
consider buying a reusable water bottle, as we would like to
reduce the amount of plastic bottles and juice boxes. In
addition, we will be discussing the numerous benefits of
drinking fresh tap water.
Mark your calendars – Saturday March
19th is Earth hour!!!
Check out http://www.earthhour.org/
for some ideas!
Our whole driveway at the front of the school is
considered a FIRE ROUTE in which parking and
stopping is NOT ALLOWED. Please do not drop
students off at the front of the school.
Please remember that student
safety supersedes parents’
convenience. Staff members
are on duty to ensure that our
students are safe. If you have
concerns or suggestions about
our Kiss and Ride
procedures, please put them
in writing and hand them in
at the office. Please do not
openly address staff with
inappropriate comments or gestures.
Let’s work together to keep our students safe!
March 2016
Page 10
We’ve had to make a serious commitment to cutting down on the
number of students arriving late for school. Did you know that on any
given date we have up to 50-60 students arriving after the start of the
school day. If your child does not arrive early enough to get to their line
up in time to come in with the rest of their class, they are considered
late. So, if a student comes after their entry door is shut and they need to come in the front door… they are
LATE. Most of the students arriving late are only 3 to 5 minutes late. We’re simply asking that you set your
alarm clocks 5 minutes earlier to be at school on time. Those few extra minutes will make a huge difference
for everyone!
Being on time is a good thing!






Gets the day off to a great start in a positive frame of mind
Helps your child make the most of their learning
Sets a positive pattern for the future
Helps children develop a sense of responsibility
Helps your child make and keep friends
Improves self-confidence
W h y b e i n g l a t e fo r s c h o o l i s b a d ?



Gets the day off to a bad start
Students miss out on important instruction
Students miss out on announcements and prayer, both important
elements of feeling part of a class
 Other students suffer when a child is late. They have to wait while the
teacher tries to catch up the late child causing wasted instructional
time. As well, the interruption can cause students to lose their
concentration.
 Can create a bad habit that can be hard to break in the future
 Can lead to poor attendance
Way s t o P r e v e n t B e i n g L a t e





Have your child set out clothing the night before
Make sure their backpack is ready with all their supplies and homework the night before
Make lunches the night before
Establish a good bedtime routine
Make sure the child gets enough rest and is not distracted by too much time on the computer or
watching TV
 Setting an alarm clock!
March 2016
Page 11
Healthy Schools Corner
March is Nutrition Month. Your Healthy Schools’ Committee has been busy preparing activities to help
promote a healthy lifestyle. Our classroom “Healthy Snack” challenge is done and we would like to
congratulate Ms. Priolo’s class for having the healthiest snacks. This class will be awarded an extra gym class
as their prize.
Thanks also for participating in Fruit Fridays in
February! It was great to see so many colourful fruits
in our lunches!
Water Wednesday coming soon….
Stay tuned for the Big Crunch! Each student will be receiving an apple on
March 10th and together with thousands of other students across Ontario,
will bite down on an apple to promote healthy eating.
Please continue sending healthy snacks and lunches!
Thanks to the Metro Green Apple Grant our Healthy Schools' Committee applied for and
received, each class has a basket of fresh fruit weekly for the students to enjoy. This will
continue until all funds have been depleted.
March Health Tip
Remember that snacking isn’t just for kids!
As a parent, if you make healthy snack choices, your children
are more likely to make healthy snack choices now and in the
future.
The Grade 6 student's are excited to announce that they will be involved in St.
Andre Bessette's 1st Annual Shoe Drive, Sole 4 Souls, to begin March 1st, 2016
and run until March 24th, 2016. This initiative started with their willingness to
give back to people in need. As part of the Grade 6 Lenten
promises, they will be almsgiving to people in need. Gently used
runners, dress shoes, sandals (no flip flops unless new) will be collected every
morning. These shoes will be going to Dr. Simone's Warehouse, where he will
distribute them to people in need. The goal of the of the Grade 6 students is to
collect 500 pairs of gently used shoes. Please start sending shoes with your child at
school next week.
Page 12
March 2016
March 2016
Page 13
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
OF CATHOLIC
SCHOOL COUNCILS
PRESENTS
Opening Doors of Mercy
“Blessed are the merciful, for
they will receive mercy.” –
Matthew 5:7
Conference & Marketplace
for Dufferin-Peel CDSB
Catholic School Council
Chairs, Members &Volunteers
and School Administrators
Saturday, April 9, 2016
5555 Creditview Road, Mississauga, ON
St. Joseph Secondary School
5555 Creditview Road,
Mississauga
8:30 a.m. Registration, Refreshments,
Vendor Market Place
9:00 a.m. Liturgy and Opening Remarks
Located on Creditview Road,
north of Bristol Road south of Britannia
Registration information I
s available in the school office
or through the CCCSC website:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CCCSC/
9:30 a.m.Keynote Address:
Dr. Susan Williams, Psychologist.
Parent’s Guide to Reducing Stress
and
Increasing Resilience in Children
Alternatively, you may complete the
Survey Monkey™ to register
using this URL:
10:30 a.m.Refreshment Break
Vendor Marketplace
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M9BFL
TY
MOVE TO WORKSHOP SESSIONS . . .
11:00 a.m.Workshop Sessions [Attend one of eight sessions]
12:00 p.m.Closing Remarks and Door Prizes
12:15 p.m.Vendors open to Conference
participants until 12:45 p.m.
For more information on the Central Committee of Catholic School Councils
in Dufferin-Peel CDSB,
visit http://www.dpcdsb.org/CCCSC/
St. André Bessette Catholic
Elementary School
March 2016
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
1
2
Toonie Tuesday
Lunch Moms
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Turkey Sub Day
Poetry Slam
Competition
6
7
Litterless/
Boomerang Lunch
8
9
Toonie Tuesday
Lunch Moms
DPCDSB French
Competition
13
14
15
27
21
Litterless/
Boomerang Lunch
11
12
Turkey Sub Day
QSP Magazine
Fundraiser Kick-Off
The Big Crunch at
2:30 p.m.
CWL Speech
Competition
16
17
M A R C H
20
10
18
19
26
B R E A K
22
23
24
25
Toonie Tuesday
Lunch Moms
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Turkey Sub Day
School-wide Lenten
Retreat—all grades
involved
The Great Gulp
Bring a reusable
water bottle
Stations of the
Cross—12:30 p.m.
28
29
30
31
April 1
Easter Monday
Toonie Tuesday
Lunch Moms
Please join us!
Hot Dog Day
Boys & Girls Night
In (gr. 6)
ST. ANDRÉ BESSETTE CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
Dear Parents & Guardians,
In our continued effort to be more environmentally responsible, St. André Bessette Elementary School
provides information electronically to parents / guardians through our school website and through direct
email to students’ homes.
By providing us with an email address, you will be able to support our efforts to protect our environment by
reducing the amount of paper and electricity we use in preparing paper newsletters. We will be able to send
you our school newsletter, as well as any important updates, efficiently and effectively if we have your email
address. Of course, should you prefer to receive a paper copy at any time, please let us know and we will
provide one.
Timely, ongoing communication is essential to maintaining healthy school—home relationships. We hope
this initiative will support and improve the level of communication between school and home.
If you have already submitted a request to receive communication electronically AND you are receiving
emails from us AND there are no changes to your email address, you do NOT need to re-submit this form.
PLEASE COMPLETE ONE FORM PER FAMILY
Family Name:
Youngest Child’s Name:
Teacher:
Email Addresses
YES! I would like to receive electronic updates from St. André Bessette Elementary School