8 Parkway Ave, Brampton, Ontario L6X 2G4
Telephone: (905) 451-8501
Fax: (905) 451-7535
Principal’s Message
NEWSLETTER
March 2016
Winter and spring are in a struggle at
this time. While we like to see snow
on our school yard where the children play in winter, we are now moving toward spring. We are looking
forward to the field drying up and
seeing the green grass and leaves
budding on the trees.
Principal
M. MacDonald
Secretary
A. Ashton
Superintendent
Miss. Brampton Central
L. Papaloni
Parish
St, Jerome Parish
Phone: 905-455-4260
Pastor
Fr. Jan Kolodynski
School Council Chair
S. Pio
Prayer for Lent
Dear God;
During this season of Lent,
May you help us to thank you for
the new life you gave
to our world and to our spirits.
To find your presence around us in the
sparkle of the sunshine,
School Council Vice Chair
L. Clayton
a word given in encouragement,
Trustees
D. D’Souza Ward 5
Phone: 905-579-0126
A. Da Silva Wards 1&3
Phone: 416-706-5679
To open our hearts to your call.
Attendance Verification
Phone: 905-451-8501
Web Site
www.dpcdsb.org/JOEBR
and a smile shared in passing.
To serve one another with
your loving compassion.
To have courage to ask for help
as we journey
and to know when we have gone
off the path.
To remember what Lent is all about
and to turn our
lives toward
Follow us on Twitter
@DPCDSBSchools
You.
Amen
Easter will soon be upon us and for
our faith community this is a time of
growth, penance and prayers. As we
journey through the season of Lent,
let us use what remains of the forty
days to pray for peace and harmony
in our world.
Our school continues to be active in
extracurricular activities. Our junior
boys basketball team recently completed the season. The Knights of
Columbus Free Throw Competition
took place for selected Grade 4-8
students. Our Science Olympics and
Math Mania Team recently completed their competitions. The Chess
Team is now preparing for their competition on March 31st. Our ECO
Club is actively undertaking activities
around the school.
Have a wonderful March break! We
look forward to seeing everyone
back and working hard during the
final part of this school year.
M. MacDonald
March Break
Monday, March 14th
to
Friday, March 18th, 2016
St. Jerome Parish
ECO School
Parish Lenten Reconciliation—Monday, March 7th
This month, the ECO-team consisting of several students
from grades 4 to 8, will be continuing to work on several
campaigns to help St. Joseph School to once again become
a certified ECO-School.
So often, our own sins and failings seem
to be an obstacle in encountering the
love of our Lord, preventing us from taking the steps towards authentic and renewed conversion. Yet Jesus came not
to call the righteous, but sinners. He is
the Good Shepherd who seeks out the
lost, the physician who comes to heal
the sick. And one of his first acts after
the Resurrection was to entrust the Church the power
to forgive sins in his name. Thus, in order for the Year
of Mercy to truly lead us to an authentic and renewed
conversion, and to encounter the Love of God, a focus
on the Sacrament of Reconciliation - this most powerful encounter with divine mercy - is essential.
On Monday, March 7, 2016, at St. Jerome Parish, we
will be having a Day of Confessions at 7:30 p.m.
The ECO-team is focusing on the following:
 Audit of Recycling and Garbage—they are looking at
educating and showing improvement over time so that
items that can be recycled are not put in the garbage and
that garbage is not being thrown into recycle bins.
 Energy Conservation in the school—they are monitoring
energy usage with the expectation that lights and computer monitors are turned off when rooms are empty.
Upcoming Events:
 Earth Hour—Friday, March 11th at 9:30 a.m.
 Earth Week—April 18th to 22th
Young Minds at Play
The Great Big Crunch
On Thursday, March 10th at 2:30 p.m., schools
across the province will be encouraging Healthy
Eating by having students take a bite
of a healthy snack at the same time.
Please send your child with a healthy
snack such as an apple or other type of
fruit or vegetable so that all students
can participate in this unique event.
Shrove Tuesday
On Tuesday, February 9th the students of St. Joseph School were
treated to a traditional pancake
breakfast. The pancakes were
made that morning by an enthusiastic group of parents from the School
Council. The pancakes were free for the children to
enjoy and funded through School Council Fundraising
Activities put on this year. Thank you to all parents that
organized the event and made the delicious pancakes!
Late Arrival
Recently, we have been having many issues with
late arrival of students. Children should arrive early
enough to line up with their classes. If your child
arrives late, he/she must come to the office, even if
it is a Kindergarten child. Do not bring him/her directly to the classroom. Thank you!
We are very fortunate here at St. Joseph School to
work with a team of dedicated support staff. Cristine
Pergotski, our Psychological Services Staff work with
students, their parents and school staff to determine
student’s learning strengths and needs as well as
addressing behavioural and emotional needs. Denise
Mowat, our Child and Youth Worker, provides students with strategies to adapt to various situations.
Arlene Donovan is the School Speech and Language
Pathologist and works with students to develop their
oral language and Maria Botelho is the School Social
Worker who supports students and families in the
school community. As part of the school’s team process, we regularly meet to discuss student’s behavioural and academic needs. Recommendations from
these meetings will be communicated to parents, and
various interventions may ensue.
One such intervention may be a referral to the Young
Minds at Play Program. Young Minds at Play is the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s version
of the Primary Project. The Primary Project was developed over 50 years ago in Rochester, New York, and
provides support for students in Kindergarten to
Grade 2 to enhance school related competencies and
reduce social, emotional and school adjustment difficulties by providing individual attention from a caring
adult. We are very fortunate to be able to offer this
program to students. Should your child be a candidate for this program, you would have received communication from the school already.
Virtue of the Month
Communication Updates
First Reconciliation
Affirmation:
I am kind.
I look for ways to help others and show I care.
I show kindness to any person or animal I see.
I do all I can to take care of the earth.
I remember that all things have been created by God.
What is Kindness?
Kindness is caring about what happens to others. It is doing
things to make others happy. Being kind is showing that you
care about anyone or anything because everything is a part of
what God has made.
Why practice Kindness?
Kindness should be practiced because it brings us together and
celebrates diversity. It is a virtue of inclusion because kindness
is a universal language that everyone understands. When we
are kind to each other, we no longer use hurtful language or
ridicule anyone; this produces a safe environment where everyone can increase in self-esteem and feel comfortable to participate. Through the kindness we give and receive, we begin to
understand how we are connected to those around us. Giving
and receiving kindness are vital to our health, harmony and
hope.
How do you practice Kindness?
When we sense someone’s need, we either choose to help them
in some way or not to. If we choose to help, we are offering
kindness, and at that moment we experience a surprising and
overwhelming feeling because we have made a connection and
difference in someone’s life. Kindness is a positive power that
we all possess and when we use it by performing acts of kindness we feel a great sense of worth. Let kindness flow!
On Saturday, February 27th at 10
a.m. at St. Jerome Parish, the Grade
2’s from our school joined with St.
Monica and St. Brigid Schools to
celebrate their First Reconciliation.
Father Jan was on hand to hear the
Confessions of the children, then
each in turn went to their seats.
Congratulations to the Grade 2 students on achieving this pillar along
their spiritual journey.
Math Mania
On February 25th, five Intermediate students participated in the Mississauga Brampton Central Family Math
Mania competition at Our Lady of Peace School. The
Math competition was very challenging this year but our
team scored well on all of the tasks. The students
worked well together as a team. Many thanks to Kasia,
Celestino, Gabriel, Winnifred and Skye for representing
St. Joseph this year. Thank you to Mrs. Cannon for
coaching the team and preparing them for the day. We
are very proud of their efforts!
E.Q.A.O.
This year, Grades 3 and 6 students will once
again participate in Provincial Education Quality
and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing to take
place between May 25 and June 8. Since attendance will be extremely important during the
EQAO testing period, parents are asked, if at all
possible, to refrain from arranging doctor or other
appointments during this time.
You are practicing the Virtue of KINDNESS when you…
 Share with others
 Use your manners
 Listen to others
 Are inclusive and never leave anyone out
 Think of others first
 Use kind words
You need more practice when you…





Walk away from others
Exclude others from activities
Are rude and insulting
Don’t share with others
Always think of yourself first
Playground Safety
We continue to reinforce the need for students to play
games and activities safely. At St. Joseph, we have a
hands-off policy. This means that activities such as
contact sports, tackling, play-fighting, tripping, pushing,
piling on and any rough play are not permitted. Students are consistently reminded of these rules by staff,
supervisors and administration.
We recommend that parents have conversations with their children about the
types of games they play at school. We
need your help to reinforce with them
the dangers and consequences of
rough play and the importance of notifying staff on duty during recess time.
The health and safety of our students is
always our priority at St. Joseph School!
St. Joseph School Updates
Grade 4—8 Skate & Family Skate Night
On Friday, March 4th the Grade 4 to
8 students are taking part in a one
hour fun skate at Chris Gibson Recreation Centre, that was rescheduled
from February. There is no cost to
students. Thank you to any parent
volunteers that are able to join us.
Thank you to our School Council for
paying for the rental of the ice.
We will be having a Family Skate Night on Wednesday, March 23rd fr om 6:00—7:50 p.m. at Chris Gibson Rec. Centre. All children and families of St. Joseph School are welcome to attend. Direct supervision
will not be provided by the school. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their own children at Chris
Gibson. Unfortunately, they no longer have the Concession Stand open. We hope you can join us for this
school community building event.
Our Catholic School Heritage
7. What effect did the Canadian Constitution, create in the
British North America Act (1867) (now entitled either the
Constitution Act or the Canada Act), have on separate
schools?
When the Fathers of Confederation came from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Canada East, and Canada West to meet in
Charlottetown and Quebec, they quickly concluded, in the
words of one of the Fathers, Sir Charles Tupper, that “Without
this guarantee for the rights of minorities being embodied in
that new constitution, we should have been unable to obtain
any Confederation whatever.”
8. What guarantee for separate schools does the Canadian
Constitution still contain?
In 1867 the Fathers of Confederation made section 93(1) part
of the Constitution. It states:
Nothing in any such [provincial legislative] Law shall prejudicially affect any Right or Privilege with respect to Denominational Schools which any Class of Persons [i.e. separate
school supporters] have by Law in the Province at the Union.
Dates to Remember
March
1
Rosary Apostolate visits
2
Hep. B and HPV Clinics—Round 2
4
Grade 4-8 Skate—1:30—2:30 p.m.
7
Lenten Reconciliation—7:30 St. Jerome Parish
10
The Big Crunch—2:30 p.m.
11
Earth Hour—9:30—10:30 a.m. (lights out)
14-18 March break
21
Silvercreek Trip—Grade 4/5 and 5/6 classes
23
Family Skate Night—6:00—7:50 p.m.
25
Good Friday
28
Easter Monday—School Closed
31
MBC Chess Tournament
April
1
Graduation Pictures—SK and Grade 8 students
1
Virtue of Kindness Assembly—2:30 p.m.
9
First Communion—St. Jerome Parish—5 p.m.
11
P.A. Day (New)—No School for students
15
Spring Dance-a-thon—whole school
18
School Council Meeting—7 p.m.
20
Greg LeRock Concert
21
Hep. B and HPV Clinics—Round 3
Sacramental Dates for St. Jerome Parish
First Communion: Saturday April 9, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.
Confirmation: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Winter is Still Here!
Earth Hour
This year Earth Hour is Saturday, March 19th
from 8:30 pm—9:30 pm. As stewards of the
Earth it is our responsibility to protect, nourish and preserve what God has created for
us. At St. Joseph School, we will honour Earth
Hour on Friday, March 11th by turning off the screens, lights
etc. for one hour beginning at 9:30 a.m. We invite you to
come up with your own family plan to mark Earth Day 2016.
Lately, we have had many students
requesting to call home for a change of
clothing, as theirs has become wet due
to playing outside. Please ensure that
your children are dressed appropriately for the weather
and snow. An extra pair of mitts, socks and pants is
always appreciated for children as items become wet
during the day. We recommend labeling all clothing
items. This will prevent the overflow of items being
placed in the “Lost & Found” box.