April 2016 Newsletter
Principal’s Message:
Bishop Francis
Allen School
325 McMurchy
Avenue South,
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 1Z4
Phone: 905-457-4677
Fax: 905-457-2891
dpcdsb.org/BFALN
A Spring Prayer
For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high,
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
Amen.
Principal:
M. Noce
Vice Principal:
J. Lise
Superintendent:
S. Steer
Trustee:
A. da Silva
Head Secretary:
L. Guerra
St. Mary Church
66A Main Street
Brampton, Ontario
L6W 2C6
905-451-2300
Pastor
Fr. Liborio Amaral
School Council
Chair
L. Fowler & J.
Langdon
Follow us on Twitter
@DPCDSB_BFA
#BFA
THE VIRTUE of Love
During the month of April, we
celebrate the virtue of “Love”. God has
given us guidelines and examples of
how to live our lives. He sent his Son
Jesus to make sure that we could see
what life could be like.
Jesus made one lesson clear above all
other lessons - the lesson to love. Love
is not about us – it is about forgetting
ourselves and looking out for the good
of others. Making little sacrifices on
purpose so that others will have a bit of
food, a bit of shelter, a bit of peace, a bit
of quiet, a bit of fun, a bit of friendship.
Through prayer and concentration, we
can get better at showing love to
everyone we meet.
A Loving person:
Wants the best for others
Is willing to make sacrifices for the
good of others
Learns from the heroic lives of saints
and holy people
Knows that we are all lovable
Prays for others.
Happy Easter to All. He is truly risen!
As we enter into Easter, let us remember
to keep Jesus alive in our hearts and
spread the Good News. With Easter
comes a new Spring season despite the
cooler temperatures, and it is a time to
celebrate new life and the rebirth. April
is a busy month for our parish and
school as the Grade 2 students begin
receiving the Sacrament of First
Communion. Please remember these
students in your prayers as they
experience the Holy Eucharist for the
first time. Also, Grade 8 students
continue to prepare for the sacrament of
Confirmation at St. Mary’s Church.
Please keep these young people in your
prayers as they embark on such
important steps in their spiritual life.
Let us celebrate the blessed sacraments
and strengthen our “communal”
relationship with God. I wish to join you
in gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice and the
joyful renewal it brings to all God’s
children this Easter season.
God bless,
M. Noce
Our Easter Mass will take place on Friday
April 15 at 1:15 pm with Fr. Liborio and
Fr. Roque, in our school gymnasium. Please
join us as we celebrate Easter, not only the
greatest feast, but the fulfillment of our faith
as Christians.
April 11th is a PA Day for all students.
Classes will resume on Tuesday, April
12. Enjoy the long weekend!
Respect, Cooperation, Excellence, Service
Safe School Initiatives
es
ARE YOU MOVING?
To help us with our
planning for next
September, it would be appreciated if you could
let us know now if you will be moving out of
our school area over the summer. If you know
of any families moving into the area with
children who plan to attend Bishop Francis
Allen, it would be helpful if you could alert us.
The more information we have, the better we are
able to organize staff and students for
September. In the absence of accurate
information, schools often have to reorganize
classes in September due to unexpected
fluctuations in population.
Our day begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. Students
who arrive late for class often miss vital
instructional time, interrupt classroom routines
and disrupt the learning of others. Attendance
and punctuality are essential components of the
elementary school program. The Education Act
dictates that “a pupil shall attend classes
punctually and regularly.”
INSTRUCTIONAL TIME
We continue to have parents who expect students
to be called from the classroom for a variety of
reasons. Please be advised that instructional
time will not be interrupted, unless there is a
clear emergency. Any arrangements that at
times precipitate these interruptions should be
made prior to the child coming to school in the
morning. Please inform your child’s teacher in
writing if you will need to pick up your child for
a medical appointment that could not be
arranged for after school hours.
RECESS REMINDERS
We continue to reinforce the need for students to
play games safely at our school. At Bishop
Francis Allen, we have a hands off policy. This
means playing contact sports, tackling, play
fighting, tripping, pushing and any rough play
are NOT permitted. Students are consistently
reminded of the rules by all staff members. We
ask that parents reinforce these rules at home.
KISS ‘N RIDE
PLEASE NOTE THAT CARS ARE NOT TO USE
THE BUS LANE AT ANY TIME. Parents are
asked to use our proper Kiss ‘N Ride lane and
not to pull into the school lane. Also, please do
not leave your car unattended in the Kiss ‘N
Ride lane at any point in the school day, most
especially at lunch time. If you are dropping off
a lunch for your child, please park your car in a
designated parking spot or on the street. Please
note that if you are using the Kiss ‘N Ride you
should not be getting out of your car to help a
child exit, you should not pop open your truck
to retrieve knapsacks, and all students must exit
from the right passenger side of the car for their
safety. Please drive safely and take your time.
Our focus is always to keep all of our students
safe.
CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECKS/
DECLARATION FORMS
In keeping with the Safe Schools Act, all
volunteers including those going on one day
school trips MUST have a current Criminal
Reference Check on file at the office. If you have
the time or inclination to be a volunteer, assist
with school trips, drive for sports events, assist
with our fundraiser(s), be an active member of
school council-dealing with children in any
capacity, please contact the office for a criminal
reference check form, for the 2016-2017 school
year. The Criminal Reference Check is free for
volunteers, and it will assure the safety of all
students at Bishop Francis Allen Catholic School.
If you already have a Criminal Reference Check
on file at the school, please complete the
Annual Offence Declaration form. Please have
your check or declaration completed so you can
continue to be an important and valued member
at our school. Once you have completed your
criminal reference check you will need to have a
school form completed by the principal and then
you will need to deliver these forms to Peel
Regional Police Headquarters, 7750 Hurontario
Street, Brampton Ontario. It is our hope that you
can complete these forms and return them to the
police prior to the end of August so that you can
participate in school activities beginning in
September 2016. Thank you in advance for your
cooperation in this matter.
Around the Halls
Catholic Education Week May 1-6. 2016
Pope Francis has
declared 2016 a
“Holy Year of
Mercy” as a way
for the Catholic
church to “make
more evident, its
mission to be a
witness of mercy”.
The Holy Year
began
on
December 8, 2015
and
will
be
celebrated
until
November
20,
2016. Throughout the year, there will be a series
of jubilee celebrations on the theme of mercy for
teenagers, deacons, the sick and disabled,
prisoners, catechists and clergy.
As well, Pope Francis opened the Vatican’s Holy
Door on December 8th. The Holy Door is opened
to evoke the concept of forgiveness which is the
main focus of a Holy Year. The theme God’s
mercy is illustrated in fifteen of the sixteen
bronze panels that make up the Vatican Door.
There are seven such Holy Doors in the world,
including one in Quebec City.
Catholic Education Week 2016 combines both the
theme of mercy and the act of opening doors of
reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness to all
around us.
DRUMMING CLINIC
The week before
March break all
students at
Bishop Francis
Allen
participated in a
drumming clinic led by Ray Kingsmore. It was
great to hear all the drumming beats and sounds
throughout the school.
THE GREAT GULP
The Great Gulp is an annual event
held every March to help create
awareness about the importance of
Peel drinking water in our lives.
Bishop Francis Allen participated
in The Great Gulp on Wednesday, March 23 with
a synchronized drink of tap water. Thanks to our
Green Team for educating us on the benefits of
tap water.
Talent Show
The school is looking for
talent! We will be holding
our annual Talent show on
Wednesday May 4th . Please
encourage your child to show off their talents to
the school community.
CHESS TOURNAMENT
Mrs. Ginn, the chess team
coach was extremely proud
of our students as they
competed in the Brampton West Chess
Tournament at Guardian Angels. Team
members were: Tony, Yousif, Thomas, Agna
and Matthew. Way to go Bulldogs!
BRAMPTON BEAST
GAME
The Brampton Beast was
an exciting night for our
school. Our choir did an
awesome job in singing
both National Anthems at the game on March
10th . It was great to see so many families enjoy
the game and the fun atmosphere at the hockey
rink.
PASSION PLAY
Students in Mrs.
Bedford and Ms.
Maiato’s classes
performed the Stations
of the Cross. It was a
somber presentation
and a reflection of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for
us. The dramatization was an inspirational and
thought-provoking performance.
Parent’s Corner
ST. MARY CHURCH
Administration
of the Primary
(Grade 3) and
Junior (Grade 6) Assessment of Reading,
Writing and Mathematics, 2016 will be held:
May 25 to June 8, 2016.
We ask that parents/guardians do not book any
doctor or dentist appointments during this
time to ensure that your child is present during
test taking times.
EARTH DAY
April 22nd is when
the world celebrates
Earth Day and
people get involved
in helping the environment. Earth Day began
when people realized that it was time to start
taking better care of the planet. It is a special day
when everyone can help to make the planet a
cleaner and better place to live. The first Earth
Day was celebrated on April 22nd in 1970. In
1990 Canada joined the rest of the world to
celebrate our special Earth that God has given to
us to take care of. What will you do for the
planet this Earth Day?
MATH NIGHT
On Thursday, March
31 we held our Parental
Engagement night. It
was a tremendous
success and it was led by Trevor Brown. Parents
were given hands on activities that showed how
kids are learning about math in the classroom.
Some of the math questions were challenging for
ALL participants, including some staff!
66A Main Street.
Brampton, Ontario.
L6W 2C6
Tel: (905) 451-2300
Fax: (905) 858-8486
Website: www.stmarysbrampton.com
PASTOR:
Fr. Liborio Amaral
BFA SCHOOL MASSES
Easter Mass-April 15th- 1:15 pm at school
Year End Mass-June 27th 10:00 at St. Mary’s
DPCDSB SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAMS
2016
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is
pleased to offer summer programs for
elementary students. Literacy Camp for students
in Year 2 Kindergarten to Grade 6 and Summer
School for Grade 7 and 8 students will be offered
once again in 2016. Also, a transition program
“Get Ready” will be offered for all students
entering Grade 9. Information about these
programs will be shared by the school to
families of students whom the school is
recommending attendance. In the interim,
please refer to the DPCDSB Adult and
Continuing Education website at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Programs/Summer
+Learning
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN
INFORMATION EVENING
All parents who have registered their child for
JK for September 2016 are invited to attend
(with their JK child only) our Welcome to
CLASS PLACEMENTS
Parents are invited to have input with regards to
the placement of their child for the 2016-2017
academic school year. Educational reasons will
be considered when making up the class lists.
All input must be received, in the form of a
letter, to the Principal by May 2.
Kindergarten information evening on Monday
May 2rd @ 6:30 p.m. This will be an orientation
evening for the parents, wherein they will meet
the FDK teachers and be provided with valuable
information. The children will receive a bag
filled with JK goodies. We look forward to
meeting you!
Parent’s Corner
IMPORTANT
UPCOMING DATES
April 1- Chess Tournament
April 5- Peel Police
Presentations/
FDK Concert
April 6- Gr. 2 Church Tour
April 7 – Dance session K-6
April 11- PA DAY
April 13 –PINK Day
April 14- Peel Health
April 15- Spring Photos/ Easter
Mass@1:15
April 18- Camp Brebeuf- Gr.7-8
April 19- Little Red Theatre (K-3)
April 20- French Concert(4-8)
April 21- Gr. 4/5-Scientist in the
school
April 22- Earth Day/Dance
session K-6
April 28- Dance session K-6
April 29- Diversity Conference
April 29- Diversity Conference