430 Van Kirk Drive Brampton, ON L7A 0J2
Phone: 905-846-0078 Fax: 905-846-9044
Board website : www.dpcdsb.org
School website: www.dpcdsb.org/bakhi
O God, Heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the
Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with
Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint
Joseph. In Nazareth, home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family.
Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Virtue of the Month- Respect
Our faith teaches that we were made in God’s image, and that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. It’s unreasonable to demand respect when we are not respectful ourselves. Remember the adage, ‘What goes around comes around’.
A person with Respect……
 See God’s presence in themselves and others
 Treat others as they would like to be treated
 Welcome others with smiles and friendly greetings

Always display good manners

Say ‘Excuse Me’, ‘Please’, and ‘Thank you’

Avoid the temptation to swear or gesture inappropriately

Look for ways to encourage and praise others

Talk kindly about others and avoid gossip
Principal
S. Boulanger
Acting Principal
G. Johnstone
Vice-Principal
B. Rivers
Head Secretary
M.Misasi
Assistant Secretaries
M. Jaques
C. Ruggiero
Superintendent
S.Steer
905 –890–1221
Trustee
D. D’Souza
905 –890-1221
Parish
St. Leonard’s Parish
187 Conestoga Drive
Brampton
Ontario, Canada
L6Z 3X8
(905) 846 – 5385
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In 1841 Common School Act provided better funding when it “doubled in size of government grants in aid of schools, and introduced compulsory taxes on property as a means of funding elementary schools. It established the common school system of Ontario, which had three sectors: a non-denominational sector, which would become known as public schools, a Roman Catholic separate school sector, and a Protestant school sector. This arrangement appealed to those who wanted schools to be free of religious influences. Both separate and Protestant factions demanded that Judeo-Christian scripture be taught in school.
Taken from: Our Story. Our Tradition. Our Journey
Lent consists of two parts: the first being the forty days between Ash
Wednesday and Passion Sunday (Palm
Sunday). The second part of Lent is the time of Passiontide or Holy week. This year the Liturgical Season of Lent begins on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - Ash
Wednesday.
We would like to welcome B. Rivers as our Vice-Principal during Mr.
Boulanger’s medical leave. Mr. Rivers is a retired Principal from Dufferin-Peel, with many years of experience. I know that the St. Josephine Bakhita community will welcome him with open arms.
The Ash Wednesday Liturgy will take place on February 10, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. for FDK- gr. 3/ 10:30 for Gr. 4-8 in the gym. All are welcome to attend.
What does the word “Lent” mean?
Why have we given this name to the time of preparation before Easter? Lent comes from an old word meaning
“springtime.” During the spring of the year, daylight increases, trees begin to bud and flowers start to appear. The new life that comes to the world each spring is like the renewal of life that comes when we pray and try harder to follow Jesus.
We would like to congratulate all of our Grade 2 students who celebrated their
Sacrament of Reconciliation on January 10, 2016. Thank you to Ms. Farjou, Ms.
Bartucci, Ms. Scaccia and Ms. Rabiega for preparing the children so well.
1.
The ashes on Ash Wednesday serve two purposes: They symbolize and remind us, that something must die in order to bring about new life.
The Youth Faith Ambassadors spent the day at the Good Shepherd Ministry for the homeless, in downtown Toronto on January 29, 2016. Students were
“Opening the Doors of Mercy” by helping to make beds, and organize the shelter.
2.
They are a symbol of sorrow and repentance for sins committed. Historically ashes were placed on peoples’ foreheads as a sign of repentance.
Family Day is observed in the Canadian province of Ontario on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. On Family Day, many people plan and take part
Let us embark on this faith journey together.
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in activities aimed at the whole family. These include visiting art exhibitions, watching movies, skating on outdoor ice rinks, playing board games and taking part in craft activities.
On behalf of the staff at St. Josephine Bakhita School, we wish all families a happy and blessed Family Day weekend.
S
There are a number of students at St. Josephine Bakhita School that have a severe life threatening allergy to nuts. It is therefore imperative that families refrain from sending to school any foods that contains nut products, eg. Peanut butter, Nutella, snacks with nuts or any product that has “may contain traces of nuts” on the label.
Due to the severity of allergies within our school, we ask that parents not send in any baked goods to share with classmates, not even during special occasions such as birthdays or
Valentine’s Day. Non-food items are encouraged, such as stickers, pencils, etc.
We will not be permitting any food items to be brought into a classroom to share.
During the winter season, many parents are concerned about school policy on outdoor recess. It is generally accepted that when the wind chill factor drops below –25 o C , students should not go outside for recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. policy uses a wind chill of –20 o C as the determining temperature for modified recesses. At St. Josephine Bakhita, students will remain inside when the wind chill is reported at –25 o C or lower and we will modify the duration of lunch recess when the temperature reaches –20 o C . As always, ensure that your child is prepared for the extremes of Canadian weather
.
We receive many requests for work when students are absent due to illness or commitments outside of school. You may call the school 24 hours a day to leave a message about absences.
If your child’s absence is only for a period of one day we recommend that he or she collects the missed work on the day of return. Please note, regular attendance is essential for success in school. Some school activities, such as working in groups, are rendered ineffective by the absence of one or more group members.
Your child’s learning can also be severely disrupted if they miss crucial learning points due to absences.
Teachers are not expected to provide detailed homework assignments to students who are away for extended periods of time as a result family initiated absences, although a general overview may be provided. For absences due to extended illness, parents should contact the school administration to discuss available options.
If your child(ren) is/are going to be away for an extended period of time, a note to the Main Office to the attention of the
Principal would be appreciated.
Student Supervision begins at 9:00 a.m., that is including rain days/or inclement weather. Please do not drop off students or have students arrive at school before
9:00 am.
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Inclement Weather and Transportation
With the winter season fast approaching, we would like to remind you of bus cancellation procedures. Occasionally, because of inclement weather or other emergency situations, buses may have to be cancelled. Information regarding bus cancellation and other emergency information announcements can be obtained by listening to the following radio stations or by visiting www.STOPR or the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board website: www.dpcdsb.org
AM 640AM
NEWS 680 AM
CHUM 104.5 FM Q107 107.1 FM
CHFI 98.1 FM SRC 90.3 FM
CHIN 100.7 FM CBC 740 AM
CKDX 88.5 FM CISS 92.5 FM
Make sure the announcement is for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board, paying special attention to cancellations in the region of Peel. If transportation is cancelled, the schools will remain open. If buses are cancelled and parents or guardians choose to bring their child to school, it is also their responsibility to pick them up at the end of the day. Under extraordinary circumstances an announcement may be made which indicates that all
Dufferin-Peel Catholic schools are closed.
Cold and Flu Season
Please use discretion in keeping your child home to recover if they are ill. A child who is coughing, wheezing, vomiting or with fever is not in a state to learn and risks infecting others. As well, if your child is well enough to attend school, they should be well enough to go outside at recess in supervised areas. Please be sure to continue to encourage your children to wash their hands frequently. Good hygiene is the best preventative measure. Also use a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or your sleeve if without a tissue. Refrain from sharing pencils, erasers, scissors and snacks. If your child is absent, please let the school know by calling 905-846-0078, and press 1 for the 24 hour access in calling in your child’s absence.
Open communication between home and school is very important. Although we will be reporting to you formally during the year, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions or concerns. A phone call at the onset of a concern usually resolves itself before it becomes a problem. On our part, if we have any concerns about your child, we will also contact you at the earliest opportunity. Please use your child’s agenda to maintain communication with their teacher. If you wish to meet with a teacher please phone the school for an appointment. Thank you!
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Please be reminded that the lunch hour is from 12:16 p.m. – 1:16 p.m. When children stay for lunch, they will eat with their classmates and Students eat lunch daily from 12:16 p.m. until 1:16 p.m.
Students in Grades 1 through 4 will eat lunch from 12:16 pm until 12:36 pm.
Students in Grades 5 to
8 will eat lunch from 12:56 pm until 1:16 pm.
If you are delivering your child’s lunch to school, please do so between 12:00 p.m. and 12:15 p.m. When lunches are delivered late, it reduces the amount of time that students have to eat. Please also write your child’s name on his/her lunch bag and place it on the table by front entrance.
Thank you for your support.
Black History Month
February is ‘Black History Month.’ This is a time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black
Canadians, who throughout history have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation we know today. It is also an opportunity for the majority of Canadians to learn about the experiences of Black Canadians in our society and the vital role they have played throughout our shared history.
Students in all grade levels will be reading and discussing novels, stories or poems about Black History and ethnic diversity. All classes will be involved in a presentation by Loretta Penny that will be taking place on February 10 th and 11 th .
First Term Reports
First Term Report Cards will be going home on Tuesday, February 2, 2016. Parent-Teacher Interviews will be conducted on Thursday, February 4 th from 4:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. and on Friday, February 5 th during the day, if needed.
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Please make sure to return your preference sheets to the classroom teachers
ASAP so as to confirm your interview time. This is an opportunity to discuss your child’s achievements and success, as well as look at next steps for Term 2.
Goodbye and Well Wishes
At this time, we anxiously await the arrival of Baby Caputo and wish her and her family well. Mrs. Caputo’s maternity leave has begun and we welcome Ms.
Anselmo to our staff.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bartucci on the birth of their baby girl Gabriella
Emilia born on January 17!
2015-16 School Year Calendar
Additional Professional Activity Day: Monday, April 11, 2016
Terms of the recent contract settlement between the teacher federations and the Ministry of Education included the provision of an additional Professional Activity Day for the 2015-2016 school year for both elementary and secondary schools. Recently, boards were directed to schedule this additional Professional
Development Day on or before April 15, 2016.
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the designated additional Professional Activity Day has been scheduled for
Monday, April 11, 2016.
Therefore, there will be no classes for either elementary or secondary students on Monday, April 11, 2016.
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When the snow falls it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of winter, but it is often hard to remember safe activity over the temptation of snow throwing or unsafe or unfair play. Some of our safe and considerate play expectations include not throwing snow balls, showing respect for other people’s snow forts, and staying off of the snow hills. If everyone follows these simple rules than everyone can play safe during our winter months.
Terry Fox Run
We would like to thank all of our families for their overwhelming spirit of generosity in this years’ Terry Fox
Run. St. Josephine Bakhita raised over
$2500.00 for cancer research!
Together we can make a difference!

On February 4 th , St. Josephine Bakhita School will be participating in the National
Sweater Day Challenge. On this day, the thermostat in the school will be turned down 2 degrees in an attempt to save energy, and minimize our global footprint.
This is an Eco School initiative and students at the school will be making announcements and passing out flyers to remind everyone of the date.
On Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016 St. Josephine Bakhita will be participating in the Winter Walk Day with other schools across Canada.
Chess Team
St. Josephine Bakhita will be sending 3 teams (all divisions) to the Brampton Family chess tournament at Guardian
Angles, on April 1st. Thank you to Mr. Mintz, Mr. Basciano and Mr. Poropat for all of their dedication and hard work.
There will be a school chess tournament to determine the students who will be competing in the Family Tournament.
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Game and book drive : Thanks everyone for your generous donations! The response has been tremendous! Thanks to your generosity our students have many more books and games in their classrooms to make inclement recesses more enjoyable. We are still accepting donations. Please leave your book, game and playing card donations in the foyer.
LunchBox Orders : The response to our new lunch program has also been great! Due to the positive response we have extended the Swiss
Chalet and Boston Pizza schedule into February and March. We are happy to be able to provide this lunch option.
Our next meeting is March 2nd at 6:30pm in the library. All are welcome to attend!
Co-Chairs: Crystal Gonzales
Lori Toon
Treasurer Anna Rosa Risi
Secretary David Corbett
OAPCE Samantha Francis
Parish Rep Nancy Papandrea
Parents at Large:
Joyce DeSousa, Janet Amiel,
Erica Belloumini,
Staff Representative Ms. Hanna
Non-Teaching Rep. Ms. Bonifero
Next Catholic School Council meeting is on March 2, 2016 @
6:30pm.
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February 2
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 8
February 9
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 15
February 24
March 10
March 13-20
March 24
March 25
March 27
March 28
March 31
First Term Report Cards Sent home
Winter Walk Day
National Sweater Day
Parent/ Teacher Interview Night
PA Day- Parent/Teacher Interviews- No School
Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita (Liturgies in the pm)
Shrove Tuesday
Mardi Gras (Junior Presentation for Gr. 4-6)
Ash Wednesday (Liturgy in the am)
Black History Presentation in pm (Gr. 7 & 8)
Black History Presentation (Gr. 1-6)
Sub Day
Family Day- No School
Pink Shirt Day
Lenten Mass @ St. Leonard Parish @ 10:30am
March Break
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Grade 8 Confirmation
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