299 Landsbridge Street
Bolton, Ontario
L7E 2K4
Phone (905) 951-8788
Fax (905) 951-8798
January 2016
Principal: K. Barton
Vice Principal: F. Troiani
Secretaries: K. Badger and
G. Odoardi
SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY
SUPERINTENDENT OF
SCHOOLS
L. Storey
905-890-1221
TRUSTEE
F. DiCosola
905-951-8898
God, thank you for a new year. May everyone in our school and family be
willing to begin anew with a clean slate. We know that you are always ready
to forgive us. Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves and to forgive one
another.
As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values and our deepest desires. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you want
us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that
we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time.
AMEN
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH
Rev. L. Leger and Fr. D.
Gikonyo
VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: Self-Control
905-857-1938
ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Chair: M. Cardinale
905-951-8788
Please visit our
website at:
www.dpcdsb.org/JBAPT
Follow us on TWITTER
@JBAPT_DPCDSB
In January we will celebrate the virtue of self-control. God has given us the ability
to choose. We are able to control how we react to what happens around us. We
may sometimes feel pressure from inside or from outside ourselves to react inappropriately to a situation. Through prayer and concentration, we can get better at
controlling our reactions. We can get better at showing self-control. Self-control
helps us to resist temptation to do something that we will regret. It helps us to resist the temptation to do something that will harm ourselves or others and is one of
the marks of a spiritually mature person. When we all use self-control, we can be
sure that our school will be a safe, caring and inclusive place to live and to learn.
A person with self-control:
 Is patient
 Knows how to wait his/her turn
 Can calm him/herself down and think before reacting to situations
 Knows how to avoid physical aggression (hitting, kicking, pushing, fighting etc.)
 Can think things through and do what is best for everyone
Our next Virtues assembly is scheduled for Jan. 20 at 1:35 p.m.
Page 2
Page 2
SOCKS, BOOTS AND EXTRA CLOTHES
We are asking that all students have an extra pair of socks and track pants at school at all times, just in case they get wet during
recess. Waterproof boots are also a necessity. Students need to have indoor shoes. Students must wear shoes at all times.
The halls get wet and it becomes a safety issue when children have their outdoor boots on inside. We do not have the capacity
to call home for students who gets wet below the knees, and we will not be calling home.
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found boxes continue to be full. Please ensure that you label your child’s clothing/shoes and that your child
checks the box periodically.
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration
Dates
Operation Christmas Child
The St. John the Baptist School community once
again gave generously so that children around the
world can know the joy of Christ! Our grade 8 students delivered almost 200 shoeboxes to the Processing centre in Waterloo. These boxes will be
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2016—2017
distributed in Uruguay, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Ivory
school year will take place as follows:
Coast, Guinea Bissau, Haiti and the Philippines. May
 Monday, January 25, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
God take your gifts and multiply them greatly!

Snow Date Only—Tuesday, January 26, 2016 from
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

January 27, 28, & 29, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
To register your child, you will need:
1. Proof of age (birth certificate or passport)
2. Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman,
Greek, or Ukrainian Rite, for child (if the child has not
been baptized, a letter of counseling with the parish
priest, to complete the process will be accepted).
3. Updated immunization records.
4. Proof of Canadian citizenship or Landed Immigrant status.
APPROPRIATE DRESS - COLD
5. Proof of address (two of the following: property tax
bill, utility bill, real estate document or Gov. of Canada
WEATHER
issued forms).
6. For schools in Caledon and Dufferin County, emergen- As our cold winter weather continues, we ask that stucy rural address numbers for identifying your property. dents dress appropriately; i.e. coats, gloves, mitts,
boots etc.. If they are dressed warmly, they are better
prepared to participate in outdoor activities during recess and noon hour.
Please be advised that students are kept indoors at
recess during the winter only when the weather conditions are extremely cold. (When the wind chill equivalent temperature is minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower,
as per school Board policy.)
January 2016
Page 3
Safety Procedures at St. John the Baptist
Catholic School
1. Parents of Grade 1-8 students should ONLY enter the school through the front door. All other
doors in the school are locked during the school day other than at recess.
2. Parents of Kindergarten students drop off and pick up at the kindergarten doors only.
3. Parents are not allowed to go to their child’s classroom or be in the school during the school
day.
4. If you wish to speak with your child’s teacher, please call the school office to make an appointment.
5. If you are volunteering at our school you must first identify yourself to the secretary. Please sign in at
the office and obtain and wear a visitor’s badge so our students and staff can identify you as an authorized visitor.
6. Students are only to picked up from the school by an authorized adult. If we do not know who you
are you will be asked to produce identification and the custodial parent will need to be contacted to
verify the request.
7. If your regular routine of picking up your child has changed, you must indicate this in a note to your
son/daughter’s classroom teacher.
8. Staff have been reminded to be observant and aware of their surroundings at all times. If parents are
aware of any safety concern please bring them to the attention of the school principal.
Parents please be assured that we do have the proper Lockdown and Safety Procedures at our school.
Please note that all safety policy and procedures are reviewed annually. As always, the safety of your child
is our top priority. Creating a caring school environment in which staff and students respect and trust
each other and where all students feel connected, understand expectations, and receive behavioral and
mental health support is essential. The work we do through our Virtues Program to build empathy within our students is a proactive step we engage in daily to help them develop strong Catholic values. We
appreciate your compliance with our school rules.
Kiss ’N Ride—End of the School Day
Please note that the Town of Caledon can and will ticket your vehicle if you are parked in the Kiss ’N
Ride lane at the school. This lane is considered a fire route and you can be ticketed for being stationary
within it. When the students begin to exit the school you can drive up in this lane to pick up your child.
Also, please do not leave your car in the Kiss ‘N Ride lanes at the end of the day. This disrupts
the whole process of the traffic movement and causes an inconvenience for many parents. Thank you for
your consideration.
Page 4
REMEMBER…
THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL ON;
JANUARY 18, 2016
P.A. Day for Report Card Writing
ARE YOU MOVING???
A reminder that if you are moving during the
school year, please notify the office of your new
address and contact information.
Also, parents are reminded to check off their support of the Separate School Board on their taxation forms.
Thank you for your continued support towards
Catholic Education!
TERM ONE STUDENT REPORT
CARDS
Please be reminded that a Term 1 Report Card, will
be sent home on Tuesday, February 2nd and a
Term 2 Report Card will go home at the end of
June. Parent / student / teacher interviews will be
scheduled for the evening of Thursday, February 4th and the day of Friday, February 5th. Parents will receive interview scheduling forms. There
will not be report cards for junior and senior kindergarten students at this time of year, however
interviews will be available for the parents of our
kindergarten students.
LATE STUDENTS IN THE MORNING
Please be reminded that students should be
dropped off at 8:30 in the morning to avoid long
lines in the Kiss ‘N Ride lane. 500 cars cannot efficiently enter the school at 8:45. Many students are
late in the morning which causes a disruption to the
classes. Please ensure your child is dropped off
closer to 8:30 in the morning. Thank you in advance for supporting the school in teaching children
the importance of punctuality.
HELPING HANDS FOR SickKids Hospital
Thank you to the St. John the Baptist school community
for your generosity towards supporting SickKids through
our Helping Hands initiative. As a school we raised approximately $580!!!
SNOWBALLS/ SNOW FORTS
With the accumulation of snow, it is of importance to remind
students that St. John the Baptist has a strict rule of forbidding
the throwing of snowballs. Every student has been made
aware of the importance of this rule in the preventing of injury
to others. A snowball that hits another student and causes
injury can be seen as a weapon. Students have been informed
about the consequences for throwing snowballs and that ignoring this rule will result in serious consequences. We have
also had issues with students building snow forts in the past.
Many students have gotten into various arguments and fights
over who owns which snow fort and who is allowed into it
once recess is over. Students can NOT come back to “claim”
their fort during the next recess. Teachers cannot monitor
forts. Students are expected to share the field and work cooperatively with each other.
STUDENT ILLNESS-STAYING IN FOR
RECESS
Students who are ill should be kept home where they are
most comfortable and can get better, sooner. A child who is
too ill to go out for recess is too ill to be at school. Your co‐
operation to keep your child home when he/she is ill is appreciated as we do not have facilities at the school to keep sick
children. As we go through the flu season when everyone is
anxious about the spread of germs please note that Peel
Health repeatedly recommends that the best practice to prevent the spread of viruses is;

Wash hands with soap and water thoroughly and often

To cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue

Stay home if you are sick
Thank you for your cooperation.
Page 5
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION OF PEEL REGION (STOPR)
BUS CANCELLATIONS/SCHOOL CLOSING DUE TO BAD WEATHER
2015-2016
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 and television stations:
VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9
CHUM AM1050
CFTR AM680
CFNY FM102.1/AM640
CJCL AM590
CHFI FM98.1
CFRB AM1010
EZ ROCK FM97.3
CJBC (FR) AM860
FM Z103.5
FM93.1
FM Q107
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540
CBC99.1
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CTV
We will be communicating one of four standard messages to the radio stations. The four announcements and their effect on the transportation system are as follows: (Please note that the highlighted
text only will be communicated by the radio stations).
1.
“DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES SERVING
ST. ANDREW, ST. BENEDICT AND ST. PETER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND
R.F. HALL SECONDARY SCHOOL ARE CANCELLED FOR TODAY.”
2. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES AND THE
PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE TOWN OF CALEDON AND THE
COUNTY OF DUFFERIN ARE CANCELLED”. This means that all runs listed under announcement #l PLUS the following are cancelled.
All schools in the Town of Caledon and all school runs that begin in the Town of Caledon.
Individual schools will be notified if this cancellation affects their school.
3. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED.” This means that:
ALL Tr anspor tation ser vices pr ovided by the Duffer in -Peel Catholic District School Board and The
Peel District School Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been cancelled for the entire day.
WELCOME TO ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST!!
St. John the Baptist Catholic School would like to welcome our new Head Secretary, Mrs. Badger. We all look forward to working with her and having her
join our school community. Please welcome her to our school on your next
visit! May God continue to bless her as she begins her next journey here at
our school! We would also like to say goodbye to Ms. Farace and welcome
Mrs. Loconte to our school. A warm welcome from all staff, students, and the
community!
January 2016
Page 6
OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL HERITAGE
An Historical Understanding of Key Issues Related to Catholic Education: Our Catholic School Heritage
How long has the Catholic separate schools been educating Catholic children and contributing
to the public good in Ontario?
For about 170 years in the early 1800s there were separate schools in many cities, towns and townships. In
Peel, three separate schools opened before Confederation (1867): St. James in Malton in the 1830s, St. John’s
Agriculture College (1861) and St. Patrick’s (1861), both in Wildfield.
Has the Ontario government always supported separate schools?
Yes, as did its predecessor, the United Legislature of Canada East (now Quebec) and Canada West (now
Ontario) during its total life from 1841 to 1867. One of the first pieces of legislation it passed in 1841 was
the Common School Act, with a separate school clause.
Why did the United Legislature of Canada East and Canada West keep improving separate
school legislation?
It responded to Catholic parents, trustees, bishops and priests, editors of the four Catholic newspapers,
members of the business and professional world, all of whom argued for legal and financial rights for separate
schools.
Was there opposition to separate schools before Confederation?
Yes, as now, there were advocates of one school system. Protestant spokespersons believed in the adequacy
of the common (now public) school’s basic non-denominational Christianity, which constituted an important
element of the common school’s religion lessons and their readers. They held that beliefs specific to certain
religions should be taught in the churches and homes.
Why did Catholics find the non-denominational religious education of the common school unsatisfactory?
Catholics wanted separate schools where all the beliefs of the Catholic Church would be taught, where the
pupils would live their faith in a sacramental and community manner in proximity to the parish church and
priest, and where religion would permeate the reading, literature and history curriculum. Furthermore, as
modern times arrived, the multiculturalism of the public school’s student body necessitated the eradication of
the teaching Christianity.
January 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6 Pizza Day-new
session
7
8
9
10
11
12 Rosary Apostolate
13 Pizza Day
14
15 Free throw
competition at
lunch
16
17
18 P.A Day
19
20 Pizza Day
21
22
23
NO SCHOOL
24
25 Kindergarten
Registration 79p.m.
Virtue Assembly
at 1:35
26 Kindergarten Reg- 27 Pizza Day
istration Snow Date
Kinder Registration 9-3
28 Kinder Registra- 29 Kinder Regtion 9-3
istration 9-3
30
February 2016 - Black History Month
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 BOOK FAIR—
afternoon only
2 Report Cards
come home
3 Pizza Day
4 Interview
Night
5 Interview Day
6
BOOK FAIR—all
day
7
8
9 Rosary Apostolate
BOOK FAIR—all
day
BOOK FAIR
P.A. Day for
Students
3:30-5 & 6-8pm
10 Pizza Day
11
12
13
ASH WEDNESDAY liturgy 1:00
14
15 Family Day
17 Pizza Day
18
19
20
NO SCHOOL
16 Junior Basketball
Tournament
21
22
23
24 Pizza Day
25
26
27
28
29