8 Parkway Ave, Brampton, Ontario L6X 2G4
Telephone: (905) 451-8501
Fax: (905) 451-7535
Principal’s Message
NEWSLETTER
December 2015
Advent has begun. We are called to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. We
just celebrated our Advent Mass on December 1st and look forward to the Advent season. It is important that we also remember
to help out those less fortunate and spread
the message of hope.
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
School Council Vice Chair
L. Clayton
Trustee
Darryl D’Souza
Ward 5
Phone: 905-579-0126
Attendance Verification
Phone: 905-451-8501
Web Site
www.dpcdsb.org/JOEBR
Advent - A Time of Hope
God of Hope
You sent us Jesus,
the light of the world.
As we light our Advent candles,
One by one, a week at a time,
May we rekindle within ourselves,
the desire to make peace for him.
May the flame of His presence
grow brighter and brighter
in our hearts, in our school,
and in our world.
May the God of Hope
fill us with joy and
peace this Christmas
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
At St. Joseph Elementary, we have set up
our Christmas tree in the foyer, decorated
by our School Council parents. Our Food
and Toy Drive is being organized by our Student Council. Please help us to support the
Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel as well
as needy families in our community. Items
will be collected until Monday, December
14th and then delivered to them. Thank
you in advance for your generosity!
Our School Council is once again organizing
a Christmas Luncheon for all the students
and staff of St. Joseph School. This will
take place on Tuesday, December 15th at
12:00 p.m. There is no need to pack a
lunch for your children on this day as food
and beverages will be provided for them as
a courtesy of our School Council and our
School.
On behalf of the staff of St. Joseph, we wish
you a very Merry Christmas! Take time to
relax and enjoy moments with your family.
The Christmas Mass Schedule is on page 3.
Remember that Jesus is the reason for the
season and take time to pray and reflect
during this holy time of year.
- M. MacDonald
Amen.
Christmas Break
Monday, December 21st
to Friday, January 1st
School re-opens on
Monday, January 4, 2016
School Operations
Communication Updates
Junior & Senior Kindergarten
Registration for 2016-17
Inclement Weather and School Closure
Registration for the 2016-17 school year will be held at all
Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary schools on the following
dates:
Monday, January 25, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.*
*Snow Date: Tuesday, January 26 - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday,
January 27, 28 & 29, 2016
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Full Day Kindergarten - Children must be 4 years old by
Dec. 31, 2016
Parents/Guardians should bring the following documents
when registering their child:
 proof of age
 original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman,
Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one) and child (if the
child has not been baptized, a letter of counselling with
the parish priest, to complete the process will be accepted)
 updated immunization records
 proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed Immigrant
status
 proof of address ( 2 items—utility bill, bank or credit card
statement)
For more information, contact your local Catholic school
or call the Admissions Department at 905-890-0708 ext.
24500.
Dressing Warmly
Winter is Here!
Please ensure that your children are
dressed appropriately for the weather.
Warm clothes, snow pants, gloves,
mitts, hats and boots are needed for
outdoor play. Having an extra pair of mitts and socks is
always appreciated for children that play in the snow.
Place items in a bag with your child’s name on it. We recommend labeling all clothing items. This will prevent the
overflow of items in the “Lost & Found” box. All students must bring a pair of indoor shoes.
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their child
in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September, 2016
are invited to attend an information meeting at:
St. Monica Catholic School
60 Sterritt Drive, Brampton
Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
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 stations:
VIRGIN RADIO FM 99.9
CHUM AM 1050
CFTR AM 680
CFNY FM 102.1
CJCL AM 590
CHFI FM 98.1
CFRB AM 1010
EZ ROCK FM 97.3
CJBC (FR) AM 860
FM Z103.5
FM 93.1
AM 1540
AM 640
FM Q 107
CHIN FM 100.7
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CBC 99.1
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.
4. “THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE
DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD ARE CLOSED.” T his means that:
ALL Duffer in-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel
District School Board schools and offices are closed to all students and staff.
Virtue of the Month
School Council Update
December’s Virtue of the Month is:
Christmas Luncheon: The School Council is or ganizing a Christmas Luncheon for all students and staff of St.
Joseph Elementary on Tuesday, December 15th at 12:00
p.m. in the gym. This special Chr istmas Luncheon
will allow the entire school to sit down to a nice Christmas Lunch together. Chicken, veggies, salad and buns
will be served. Juice and nut free cookies will also be
given to students. There is no cost for the children. It
will be funded as a joint venture between the School
Council and School.
Affirmation:
I am hopeful.
I trust in God because He is merciful and faithful to His promises.
My Hope is my steadfast anchor.
I ask the Holy Spirit to help and guide me.
What is Hope?
Hope is a theological virtue. It informs our Christian moral life along
with the virtues of Faith and Charity. Hope is manifested in our desire
to attain the kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our happiness. We
place our trust in Christ’s promises and rely on the grace of the Holy
Spirit to guide us.
Why practice Hope?
You need Hope to trust in the promises of Jesus Christ. This hope is
always achieved with the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Hope answers our strong burning desires for happiness and it informs our actions, making them pure of heart. It gives us strength so that we do not
become discouraged and hold on steadily to our beliefs.
You are practicing the Virtue of HOPE when you…

Trust in God that there is some good in everything that happens

Always do your best

Do not let doubts blow you off course

Stand by your friends and loved ones

Ask God to help you keep steadfast
You need more practice when you…

Give into your doubts

Just do what is easiest at the moment

Avoid prayer

Don’t feel joy in life and hope for the future
Parent Evening to Support the Transition of Students
with Differing Abilities into Kindergarten
There will be an information session for parent(s)/guardian(s)
of children with differing abilities including vision, speech,
hearing, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays who are transitioning to Kindergarten in September,
2016. The information session will be held at the DufferinPeel Catholic District School Board—Catholic Education Centre, Room 301 on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, from 7:00 p.m.
to 8:30 p.m. Snow date is Wednesday, January 13, 2016 from
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. For more information about this session,
call 905-890-0708 ext. 24011. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are also
reminded to register their child at our school office.
Halloween Dance-a-thon: Thank you for your support of our Halloween Dance-a-thon fundraiser. We
raised $2500 and the children had a wonderful time.
MacMillan’s Items and Christmas Wreaths: Thank
you for supporting these successful fundraisers. We
made a profit of $1116 from MacMillans and $236 from
the Christmas Wreaths. The items that were ordered
were picked up last week.
Our next School Council Meeting will take place on
Monday, February 1st at 7 p.m. in the library.
St. Jerome Parish
Christmas Schedule
CHRISTMAS EVE - Thursday, December 24
5:00, 7:30, 9:30 & Midnight
CHRISTMAS DAY - Friday, December 25
10:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
New Year’s Schedule
NEW YEAR’S EVE - Thursday, December 31
5:00 p.m.
NEW YEAR’S DAY - Friday, January 1
10:30 a.m. & 12:00 (noon)
First Communion Enrolment will take place
on the weekend of January 16-17, 2016
Confirmation Enrolment will take place on
the weekend of January 9-10, 2016.
St. Jerome Parish
Advent Parish Reconciliation
Everyone is invited to attend Advent Parish Reconciliation on Tuesday, December
15th at 7:30 p.m. at St. Jerome Parish.
School Driveway/Parking
Beginning and Dismissal of School
Parking/Safety
Safety is our priority. All parents/guardians
are asked to respect the NO PARKING zones
at the front of the school – this area is reserved
as a fire route and for buses only. Please follow the directional signs and various painted
lines/wording in the parking area.
The Driveway and Parking Lot are closed at
the times indicated below:
8:35 am to 8:50 am
11:50 am to 12:50 pm
3:15 pm to 3:30 pm
Do not drive into the school
parking lot at peak times
when students are coming and
going from the schoolyard (15 minutes before
school start and end times, including lunchtime).
Instead, park on the road and escort your child to
and from the sidewalk during the times indicated
above.
The school is not responsible for
any parking infractions given by
the City of Brampton. Likewise,
we do not have the authority to
overturn these tickets.
Thank you for abiding by the rules above to ensure
the safety of all children at St. Joseph School.
Dates to Remember
December
4
Grade 1-2/3 Trip to Lester B
Pearson Theatre
8
Rosary Apostolate visits classrooms—a.m.
11
“Hope” Virtue Assembly—2:30 p.m.
14
Food & Toy Drive Delivery to Ste. Louise
Outreach Centre of Peel
15
Christmas Luncheon (whole school) -12:00 p.m.
18
Last day before Christmas break
January
4
School re-opens
5
Rosary Apostolate visits classes
18
P.A. Day—Report Card Preparation
25
Kindergarten Registration - 7—9 p.m.
27—29 Kindergarten Registration - daytime
February
1
School Council Meeting—7:00 p.m.
2
Term 1 Report Cards sent home
5
P.A. Day—Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
Our Catholic School Heritage
3. Why did the United Legislature of Canada East and Canada West keep improving separate school legislation?
Children and their Home Phone Numbers
Often we have children that
come to the office that need
to call home for one reason
or another. They are asked
if they know their home
phone number or the main
contact number. Sometimes they don’t know it.
We believe that this is an important for them to learn for
their own benefit and safety and should begin to memorize it by Grade 1. If at all possible, please practice and
rehearse this with them until they have the phone number memorized. Thank you.
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.
4. 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 nondenominational 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 churches & homes.