February 2016
Lent
Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to
a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our
patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do,
and to be generous to those in need.
God of all compassion, Father of all goodness,
to heal the wounds our sins and selfishness bring upon us
You bid us turn to fasting, prayer, and sharing with our brothers.
We acknowledge our sinfulness, our guilt is ever before us:
When our weakness causes discouragement,
let your compassion fill us with hope and lead us
through a Lent of repentance to the beauty of Easter joy.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Virtue of the Month
Our virtue of the month is Respect. We all deserve to be treated respectfully by others. However, in
order to be respected it is important to RESPECT ourselves. Everyone has a right to go to a school
where they feel safe and included. We should expect to be treated with respect by everyone we
meet. Mutual respect is the way we live in harmony with one another.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Lent, a 40 day period, is a
special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of the celebration of Easter.
Please join us for our Ash Wednesday Liturgy.
Celebrating our Faith
On Thursday March 3rd, 2016, our students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to receive
Reconciliation.
On Monday March 21st 2016 @ 10:00 a.m., our school will be celebrating mass as a faith community
during the Lenten season. We cordially extend an invitation to parents/guardians to join us.
We are always most thankful to Father Grima for his constant support of our students’ faith formation journey.
Farewell to our Supervisory Officer
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Oude-Reimerink as she begins
her retirement this month. We wish to thank Mrs. Oude-Reimerink for her support and
extraordinary leadership and we express our gratitude for her deep dedication and devotion to
Catholic Education.
We would like to extend a warm welcome our new Superintendent of the Brampton North-East Family of Schools,
Mrs. Finegan-Downey, who comes to our Family of Schools with a wealth of experience and knowledge.
CSAC Meeting
Please be advised that our next Parent Council meeting will be held on Thursday February 18th @ 4:00 p.m.
St. John Fisher - Library Book Fair!
The Scholastic Book Fair is being held at St. John Fisher School from Monday February 1st–
Friday February 5th, 2016. Hours will be extended during parent-teacher interviews giving
parents opportunities to shop on Thursday evening until 7:30 p.m. and on Friday until 12:30
p.m. What better way to promote reading to our students than by supporting this important literary event.
We invite your entire family to participate by purchasing the latest and greatest in children’s books. Did you
know that for every $10 you spend at the Fair up to $6 comes directly back to our school? Your support of this
vital literary event is key in helping us obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms.
You’ll find hundreds of quality books at our Book Fair with a wide assortment for all reading levels. A Book Fair
flyer that provides a preview of only a FEW of the many books available to purchase at our Fair will be coming
home soon! The flyer also contains a special book fair ballot for your child to fill out. You could win $50 in
books – $25 for your family PLUS $25 for your child’s classroom!
Don’t forget to mark the Book Fair dates on your calendar! We look forward to seeing you during our Scholastic Book Fair and thank you, in advance, for supporting this great literary fundraiser. Mostly, thank you for
believing in books and the importance reading has on your child’s future.
Eco School: Electronic Communication
We are pleased to share that we currently have approximately 135 families signed up for electronic newsletters and
communication. However, we still have more than 235 families who still receive paper-based communication from
the school. Please help us to meet our eco-goal of reduced paper consumption by signing the form (Canada’s AntiSpam Legislation Consent Form) on the last page of this newsletter. We thank you for your support in making SJF a
eco-friendly school!!
Lost and Found Items
The items from our Lost and Found Bin will be on display in the front foyer during parent-teacher
interviews. There is an overflowing collection of items left behind in classrooms and in the yard
such as winter sweaters, boots, coats, hats, mittens, etc. We will continue to have the items on
display during the week of February 8th. Please encourage your children to look through these
items to claim their misplaced belongings. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
Tour of Humanity
We are thrilled to announce that the Tour for Humanity, a technologically advanced, state-of-the-art, mobile human rights education centre created by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center will be visiting our school on Monday
February 29th. Our students in grades 6, 7 and 8 will participate in the interactive workshops. Friends of Simon
Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) works to counter hate and intolerance through education and advocacy. Through integrity, co-operation, creativity, leadership, sustainability, stewardship and humility, FSWC
strives for a better tomorrow for all Canadians. We look forward to this exciting event!
Farewell
We are saddened to say good-bye to Mr. Musacchio, our custodian of 11 years. We want to take an
opportunity to thank him for his many years of dedication to our school. We are grateful for the care
and devotion he put into everything he did. Although he will be deeply missed, we wish him all the
best as he begins his new position.
Pizza Lunch Dates

Toonie Tuesday - Tuesday February 2nd, 2016

Parent Council Pizza Day - Tuesday February 23rd, 2016 (Pre-Orders Only)
Parking Lot Concerns
Due to our limited parking facilities at our school, please be advised that all parking directly in front of
the school is for staff members only. Parents and guardians are asked to park at the side of the school
by the St. John Fisher Parish if they need to visit the office. As well, please be advised that Brampton
Parking Control has been very active in the area and ticketing vehicles that are parked in the Kiss’N’Ride areas.
The school is not responsible for any tickets received by parents for parking in any of the Kiss’N’Ride or designated
fire route areas.
We continue to be concerned by the number of students who are walking through the parking lot in the mornings.
We regularly remind and redirect the students to use the walkway and to enter the school property at the designated crosswalk. We kindly ask for your support in keeping your children safe by taking a moment to review these
safety procedures.
Family Day Holiday
The annual Family Day Holiday is on Monday, February 15, 2016. The school is closed on this date.
Enjoy some well-deserved time with your family!
Report Cards & Parent Teacher Interviews (Grades 1-8)
Term 1 Report Cards for students in grades 1-8 will be sent home on Tuesday February 2, 2016. ParentTeacher interviews will be held on the evening of Thursday February 4th, 2016 and during the day on
Friday February 5th.
School/Transportation Cancellation Due to Inclement Weather
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 RADIOFM99.9
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
CANADA AM
Or check the DPCDSB Community Relations Website at: http://www.dpcdsb.org/pr
National Sweater Day
National Sweater Day will be observed at St. John Fisher and across the Board on February 4th
providing an opportunity for employees and students to learn about the importance of saving
energy and inspire us to use less heat throughout the winter.
Participation in the observance of National Sweater day is invitational.
Since 2010, over a million Canadians have participated in National Sweater Day at their schools,
workplaces and homes. If all Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2 degrees Celsius this winter, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 4 megatons – that’s equivalent to shutting down a 600 mega-watt coalfired power station or taking nearly 700,000 cars off the road! Further interesting facts about energy conservation
and National Sweater Day are available on the World Wildlife Federation website at:
http://www.wwf.ca/events/sweater_day/. Let’s join together in protecting the gift of creation by wearing a sweater
on February 4 to show we respect and care for this precious gift
Family Movie Night-Rescheduled
We are happy to announce that our Family Movie Night will take place on: Friday February 19th, 2016.
The movie, brought to you by the St. John Fisher School Catholic School Advisory Council & ACF film licensing, will
be Hotel Transylvania 2 . Grab your blankets, pillows & lawn chairs! Load up the family and come out
and join us in the St John Fisher School gym for an evening of fun & entertainment. Popcorn, other
snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.
Prices and more details will follow shortly.
Dressing Appropriately for the Weather
Now that the colder weather is upon us we respectfully remind you to ensure that your children
come to school dressed warmly to participate in recess activities. When weather conditions are
severe we may reduce the outdoor play time, or have indoor recess entirely, but fresh air and
exercise are vital components for successful learning, so we will endeavour to have children play
outside whenever possible. Help your children by having them come to school appropriately
dressed with scarves, hats and mittens. For health and safety reasons and to help keep the school
clean, we would ask that students have shoes to be worn indoors that are different from those worn outdoors.
Winter Play - Snow and Ice
Although we have not yet seen much of the wintery weather, snow and ice are a reality in the winter
months. We review our rules about NOT throwing snow or ice at school regularly however we ask for
your support by reviewing with your child the dangers of this and that it is NOT allowed at school.
The school rule is that snow stays on the ground – no snowballs, kicking snow or other any other
activity with snow or ice that could be harmful. The safety of all of our students is our number one
priority. Using snow to make forts or snow people is a wonderful way to enjoy winter. Students are encouraged to
be respectful of what others have created. It should be noted that these structures are temporary and staff on
supervision duty are not expected to help safeguard these as their primary responsibility is to ensure student safety.
Changes to the 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.
Thank you for your attention to this addition to the 2015-16 School Year Calendar.
PD Day - Friday February 5, 2016
Our next PD Day is on Friday February 5, 2016. There will be no school for students on this day as
teachers will be conducting interviews with parents.
Waste-Free Lunch Challenge
Did you know that school lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario? In fact, the average student’s lunch generates a total of 30 kilograms of waste per school year, or an average of 8,500 kilograms of waste per school per
year.
St. John Fisher School successfully participated in the Waste-Free Lunch Challenge during the week of January 1822. Our students were able to reduce the amount of lunch waste. Due to the success of this initiative, we encourage our families to continue to make efforts to reduce lunch waste on a regular basis.
To help minimize the amount of waste produced at our school, please make an effort to pack a waste-free lunch for
your child. To be “Waste Free”, consider using the following:
-Reusable lunch bag
-Reusable containers
-Thermoses
-Reusable cutlery
-Reusable napkins
Thank you for continued support of promoting environmental awareness and accountability at St. John Fisher!
P.A.L.S.
P.A.L.S. (Playground Activity Leaders in Schools) is a playground leadership program adapted from Peel Health that encourages all children to participate in activities regardless of their gender, size, or ability. P.A.L.S. was developed after a review of existing playground leadership programs and consultation with other
health departments. The objectives of the P.A.L.S. program are to:
Increase physical activity
Decrease conflict and reduce the incidence of playground bullying
Provide leadership opportunity for students
St. John Fisher is excited to announce the return of P.A.L.S. to our school yard.
Many of our grade 6 students have been trained as leaders and will facilitate organized play opportunities for our students in Grades 1-3. The P.A.L.S. program has begun and information has been
shared with our Primary students to encourage their participation. We are grateful to Mrs. D’Agostino and Ms.
Brassard for organizing and overseeing this wonderful program for our students.
EQAO
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will conduct its annual province-wide
testing of knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics of grade 3 and 6 students
throughout the publicly funded school systems. The tests for Grade 3 students and for Grade 6
students will take place between May 25th and June 8th, 2016.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to avoid scheduling any doctor’s appointments or any other appointments
that would take your child out of school during the testing dates. Details regarding more specific dates will be
forthcoming from classroom teachers as we get closer to the assessment.
February 2016
Sun
Mon
1
Tue
2
Wed
3
-Toonie
Tuesday Pizza
-Reports sent
home
Thu
4
Fri
5
Sat
6
-Parent-Teacher PA DayInterviews
No school for
-National
students
Sweater Day
Book Fair
7
8
9
10
Shrove
Tuesday
Ash
Wednesday
16
17
14
15
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
Family Day
Holiday
21
22
23
Groove
Education
Workshops
Parent Council
Pizza Day
28
29
Tour for
Humanity
(Grade 6, 7 & 8)
11
12
13
18
19
20
Family Movie
Night
24
25
26
27
CANADA’S ANTI-SPAM LEGISLATION (CASL)
CONSENT FORM
Parent(s)/Guardian(s)/Adult Student
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) prohibits the sending of commercial electronic messages, including e-mails
and other forms of digital messaging if the electronic message encourages participation in a commercial activity,
unless the sender has received the recipient’s consent prior to sending the message.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and St. John Fisher School require your consent to send any electronic messages which promote, advertise or offer for sale goods and services. While partaking in commercial
activities is not a core activity of the board or its schools, information about some of the following example activities, included in an e-mail or in an electronic newsletter, may be construed as commercial in nature, or may fall
under an exception:
·
·
·
Promoting the sale of school products, services or other activities, e.g., offering the sale of tickets to a
school play or other event.
Promoting the sale of products or services of third parties, e.g., offering the sale of discounted tickets to a
sporting event, inviting parents/guardians to a seminar where the speaker may promote his/her products/
services.
Providing information about school photos, field trips, sale of yearbooks, team uniforms, fundraising
events, lunch programs, pizza days, prom or dance tickets, athletic events or similar events and offers.
If you consent to receiving electronic communications, which may contain commercial electronic messages,
such as the examples described above, please sign and date this form, and return it to your school. You may
withdraw your consent at any time by notifying the school Principal, or by unsubscribing to any further commercial electronic messages you receive from the board/school.
Student’s Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian’s Name: ________________________________________________________________
E-Mail Address: ________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________________________
MUNICIPAL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT:
Personal information on this form is collected under the legal authority of the Education Act, as amended, and will
only be used to administer the Board/School’s electronic newsletter, e-mail communication process, in order to
comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, and for no other purpose. Questions may be directed to the School
Principal or to the General Manager, Communications & Community Relations, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board, 40 Matheson Blvd. West, Mississauga, Ontario L5R 1C5 (905) 890 – 1221/1-800-387-9501.