March Newsletter
St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic
Elementary School
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
It is with great excitement that I returned to work on
February 25, 2016. I would like to say a big thank you to
the community for your thoughts and prayers during my
medical leave. I would like to also thank Mrs. Johnstone
for her great leadership during my absence. Looking
forward to a great second term.
Mr. S. Boulanger - Principal
An Easter Prayer
God made you and God made me,
He made the world for us to see.
God loves you and long ago,
He sent his Son to tell us so.
Jesus showed us many things,
To love and share and dance and sing.
To learn and pray, to help and care,
He promised he'd always be there.
He died but then came back to life,
Let's celebrate for he's alive! Amen.
Principal
S. Boulanger
Vice- Principal
G. Johnstone
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
Virtue of the Month- Kindness
Scripture reminds us that, without love, nothing we do matters. The Golden Rule,
‘Treat others as you would like to be treated,’ is at the heart of Jesus’ teachings.
We may come from different cultural backgrounds and speak different
languages, but a smile sends a message that everyone understands. All that we
have is a gift from God, but it is in giving that we receive, because we experience
God each day in the people around us.
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People of Kindness…
 Are gentle and sensitive to others
 Always look for ways to be helpful
 Say nice things about others from the heart
 Stick up for people who are picked on
 Refuse to join in when others are being mean
 Are generous with their time and talents
 Cooperate and work well in a team
 Avoid being mean or bossy
Together in Faith
Even after Ontario Catholics won rights to establish schools, they had to
persevere to develop a school system. The experience of the Toronto Roman
Catholic Separate School Board provides a sense of the obstacles that Ontario
Catholics faced. With the leadership of John Elmsley, a member of a prominent
family and recent convert to Catholicism, the Catholics living in St. Paul’s parish
went through the legal steps to form the Toronto Roman Catholic Separate
School Board. The first separate school, St. Paul’s, opened in 1841.
Taken from: Our Story. Our Tradition. Our Journey
Welcome
We would like to welcome T. Sarwan-Sahadat who will be teaching Mr. Fullan’s
grade 8 classroom while he is away on medical leave. We wish Mr. Fullan all
the best and our prayers are with him during this time.
Lenten Mass
Our Lenten Mass (for grades 1-8) will take place on Thursday, March 10, 2016
at 10:30 am. This Mass will be celebrated at St. Leonard’s Parish and will be led
by our Junior students. All parents are invited to join us on this day, please see
the attached invitation.
Easter Flowers Fundraiser
Season of Lent
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.
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.
Let us embark on this faith journey
together.
With the season of Lent upon us, the St. Josephine Bakhita Youth Faith
Ambassadors are “Opening the Doors of Mercy” and are fundraising for St.
Leonard’s parish who have sponsored a Syrian family and are in need of our
community’s help. We are looking to raise $2000 for the church to provide
support for this family. We are selling calla lilies and mums for Easter. The
flowers will arrive at St. Josephine Bakhita during Holy week. The Calla lilies are
available in White, Yellow and Pink/Purple and the potted mums are available
in Yellow, White and Purple. We will be selling both types of flowers for $10 a
plant with all proceeds going towards St. Leonard’s Parish. The orders are due
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back to school on Monday March 7th so that you can ensure getting the colour
of flowers you prefer.
Missed Work
School Procedures
Allergy Awareness
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.
Winter Weather
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 oC, students should not go outside for recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B.
policy uses a wind chill of –20 oC as the determining temperature for modified
recesses. At St. Josephine Bakhita, students will remain inside when the wind
chill is reported at –25 oC or lower and we will modify the duration of lunch
recess when the temperature reaches –20 oC. 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
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
CHFI
98.1 FM
CHIN
100.7 FM
CKDX
88.5 FM
Cold and Flu Season
Q107 107.1 FM
SRC
90.3 FM
CBC
740 AM
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.
Communication
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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Lunch Policy
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.
Community Corner
DANCE-A-THON
Catholic School Council is sponsoring a Dance-a-thon on April 7, 2015. The Kickoff for this fundraiser will occur on March 7, 2015. Please stay tuned for more
details as the time approaches.
Goodbye and Well Wishes
At this time, we anxiously await the arrival of Baby Spadafora and wish her and
her family well. Mrs. Spadafora’s maternity leave begins on March 14th and
we welcome Ms. Ip to our staff.
Safe and Appropriate
Play in the Winter
Months
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.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Caputo on the birth of their baby girl Michaela
Valentina on February 14, 2016.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Prospero on the birth of their baby girl Ella
Rose on February 17, 2016.
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Gr. 7 and 8’s Immunization (Round 2)
Date: MARCH 10, 2016
 Meningococcal (Meningitis) for Gr. 7 students
 HPV catch up for Gr 8 females
 Hepatitis B & Meningococcal (Meningitis) catch up for Gr. 8 students
If your child did not receive a consent form for these vaccines, they can pick one up from the office.
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.
ShareLife Teachers vs Students Hockey Game
The Annual ShareLife hockey game between staff and students will take place on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at the
Powerade Centre. The puck will drop at 11 am, the students from grade 6-8 will be able to attend for a donation of
$2.00 per student.
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Clubs, Teams and Sports News
National Sweater Day
Mrs. Jones’ Grade Three class helped to get our school ready for National Sweater Day February 4th by making posters,
writing and reading announcements, and of course, wearing warm sweaters to
school! Did you know that if all Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2
degrees Celsius this winter, it would reduce greenhouse emissions by about 4
megatons? We’re hoping to see even more sweaters next year!
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.
Indoor Soccer Junior Boys
Congratulations to our Junior Boys for making the Quarter Finals in Indoor Soccer. The team was made up of
the following students: Nathan M, Devon, Deon, Justin, Bowie, Danny, Joshua S, Giacinto, Kyle, David D, Sahill, Owen D, Jake
and Brandon R. Thank you to Mr. Abbas & Mr. Poropat for their time and effort in coaching these boys.
Indoor Soccer Junior Girls
Congratulations to our Junior Girls for making the Board Tournament on March 1st. The team was made up of the
following: Mikaela, Kelly, Alex, Dominique, Andrea, Allessia, Hailie-Jane, Milana, Ashley, Dayanara, Alessia, Taijah,
Kiara, and Geri. Thank you to Mr. Mintz and Mr. Basciano for coaching.
Junior Boys Basketball Team
Congratulations goes out to our Junior Boys Basketball team for getting second place in the family mini games.
The team was made up of the following students: William A., Devon B., Malik B., Giacinto G., Jacob M., Danny M.,
Elijah M., Thomas M., Brandon W., Dylan W., and Jaden Y. A special thank you to Mr. Poropat and Mr. Fullan for their
hard work and time in coaching this great team!
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Junior Girls Basketball Team
Congratulations goes out to our Junior Girls Basketball team who won the family mini tournament and have advanced
to the Family Tournament to be held on Tuesday February 23, 2016. The team consists of : Andrea A., Geri, Natavia,
Shantavia, Ehinomen, Dominique, Taijah, Ashley, Dayanara and Janae. Thank you to their coaches Ms. Rodrigues and
Ms. Ramirez, for their time and effort coaching.
The Great Big Crunch
On Thursday, March 10th, 2016 we are hosting THE GREAT BIG CRUNCH promoted by FoodShare. It is a special day of
good food education promoting healthy eating habits. Classes will compete for a healthy crunch food platter by
completing a ‘health questionnaire’. The day will conclude with a synchronized bite into a crunchy fruit or vegetable to
celebrate. So don’t forget your apple, pear, cucumber, carrot, celery, pepper or other crunchy fruit or vegetable. Thank
you from your Healthy School Committee.
The Great Gulp Challenge
On Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016 we are participating in The Great Gulp, it is an annual event promoted by the Region
of Peel to help create awareness about the importance of drinking tap water in our lives. The event, along with
additional tap water activities, will create a memorable learning experience where students have the
opportunity to learn about tap water in Peel. Students are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle that
day (as always) and will be provided with healthy fruit and vegetable options such as oranges, pineapple, mint,
watermelon, lemons and limes to flavour their water. We will have an organized school-wide synchronized
drink of tap water and are hoping to be one of the schools selected to win a water refill station.
Eco Team
The Eco Team is hard at work reminding everyone to turn out the lights on Tuesday’s and to recycle and decrease our
ecological footprint. Just a reminder to have students bring in litterless lunches as much as possible to be able to
achieve our goal this year of Silver Status.
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Parent Corner
Video Dance-a-thon Fundraiser!
In the fall, School Council voted to hold a Dance-a-thon as our main fundraiser.
We wanted the fundraiser to be something fun for the kids so we are excited to
have booked a video dance-a-thon with Professor Jamz for April 7th! More
information will be sent home soon. We are currently working toward ensuring
that all classrooms have the supplemental tools requested to give our students
all possible resources to support their learning. We rely on your help to raise
the funds for these tools which include components such as classroom libraries
and math manipulatives. Thank you for your continued support!
Catholic School
Council
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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March 7
March 9
March 10
March 10
March 13-20
March 19
March 21
March 23
March 24
March 25
March 27
March 28
March 31
April 1
April 7
April 8
April 11
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 16
April 19
April 20
April 22
April 27
Dance-a-thon Kick-off
Virtue Assembly @ 1:30/ 2:00 pm
Lenten Mass @ St. Leonard Parish @ 10:30am
The Big Crunch @ 2:30 pm
March Break
Earth Hour
Swim to Survive (Porpopat)
The Great Gulp
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Grade 8 Confirmation
Sub Day
Swim to Survive (Poropat)
Dance-a-thon
Swim to Survive (Poropat)
PA Day
International Day of Pink
Grade 8 Graduation Pictures
Sub Day
First Communion
Spring concert
Kindergarten Pictures/ Grade 8 make-up pictures
Earth Day
Grade 7 Confirmation
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