8 Parkway Ave, Brampton, Ontario L6X 2G4
Telephone: (905) 451-8501
Fax: (905) 451-7535
NEWSLETTER
September 2015
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
TBD
Trustee
D. D’Souza
Ward 5
Phone: 905-579-0126
Attendance Verification
Phone: 905-451-8501
Web Site
www.dpcdsb.org/JOEBR
Pizza
Days
will
begin
on Wednesday,
October 7th
Beginning of School Prayer
St. Joseph Staff 2015-2016
Welcome back! I would like to welcome the new
families who have joined our school community
and look forward to meeting all families at our
Open House on Wednesday, September 23rd. I
would like to extend a special greeting to our new
Kindergarten children who are starting school for
the first time and hope that they will develop many
happy memories of our school as they begin this
very important journey. Our current student population is 193 students, which is an increase of
about 30 students from last year. It may be necessary to reorganize the classes and move some children to accommodate the increase in enrolment. If
this happens, we will communicate this with those
families of children involved in such a move.
Please refer to attachments for more information.
Grade
Teacher’s Name
Kindergarten S. Leduc
(Room 11)
& S. Strazzeri
Kindergarten M. Dzoutzidis
(Room 12)
& D. Miller
Grade 1
E. Todd
Grade 1/2
M. Ciacico
Grade 3
M. Swaminathan
Grade 4/5
P. Turner
Grade 5/6
G. MacDonald
Grade 7/8
L. Taranto
SERC/SERT S. Cannon
FSL/Library P. Anthony
Planning
R. Huang
Custodian(day) R. Silva
ERW
R. Wells
ERW
C. Burtnik
ERW
B. Shortreed
CYW
D. Mowat
Secretary
A. Ashton
Principal
M. MacDonald
The PFLC Centre in Room 10 is still undergoing
renovations and we are hoping these will be completed soon. In the meantime, it is closed.
P.D. Day (Re-organization)
Friday, September 18th, 2015
Dear Lord
You give us this new school year.
We are excited to be back
With our friends and teachers.
Help us to make the best of a new beginning.
Guide us to make wise decisions and
To do the best that we can.
Help us to make this a happy year.
Let us share with our friends and
make new friends feel welcome.
Principal’s Message
St. Joseph is an active school that relies on cooperation and teamwork. We are blessed to have a very
dedicated School Council. Please consider coming
to our meetings. Best wishes for a great school
year!
M. MacDonald
Open House
(No School for Students)
School Council Meeting
Monday, Sept. 21st at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
6—7 p.m. School yard BBQ
7—8 p.m. Meet the Teacher in classrooms
Book Fair: 6—8 p.m. in the Library
School Operations
SCHOOL HOURS
8:35
Supervision in the yard
8:50
School Entry
10:50
Morning Recess (Grade 1-8)
11:50
Lunch
12:50
Afternoon Start
2:15
Afternoon Recess
3:20
Dismissal
IMPORTANT - Do NOT drop children off before 8:35
a.m. as there is no adult supervision for them until then.
Also, students are expected to line up outside with their
classes before school. They should not be using the
front doors. They should arrive between 8:35 and 8:50
a.m. in order to do so. Thank you.
POLICY AND PROCEDURES
All students are expected to attend school regularly and
punctually. In the event that your child will be late or absent, please telephone the school before 8:50 a.m. and
12:50 p.m. to inform us of the absence. All students who
arrive after 8:50 a.m. or 12:50 p.m. must obtain a late slip
from the office. This measure is to ensure the safety of your
child. We thank you for your continued support in following this procedure.
The number to call is: 905-451-8501
Provide the following information:
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Date of absence(s)
Name(s) of student(s)
Name of student’s Teacher(s)
Reason for absence
Date of Return
A Student Verification Form along with other forms for each
child were sent home on the first day of school. All sheets
(even those with correct information) should be returned to
the appropriate classroom teacher. If you have not returned
yours, please do so as soon as possible, as this will greatly
help us to update our records. In case of an emergency, we
need current phone numbers and up-to-date information to
contact you immediately. Please add cell phone numbers too.
In addition, any students leaving or returning to the school due
to appointments must be signed out and in at the office.
Visitors & Volunteers
To ensure school security for students and teachers, the Board
policy requires that visitors (including parents) and volunteers
must report to the office when entering the school. Please enter through the main doors only. Identification stickers should
be worn when visitors are in the school.
Volunteers are welcome and appreciated in the school. If you
wish to volunteer, you must complete a criminal reference
check. If you completed a criminal reference check last year,
and submitted a copy to the school, you are requested to complete an Offence Declaration Form this year. Please contact
the school office for more information.
Communication Updates
Extra-curricular Activities & Excursions
Students will have the opportunity to take field trips and
participate in a number of extra-curricular activities. Permission forms will be sent home to be filled out, signed and
promptly returned to school.
NO STUDENT WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE
ON A TRIP OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY
WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THEIR
PARENT /GUARDIAN.
VERBAL CONSENT OVER THE TELEPHONE WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED. No exceptions will be allowed.
Teachers give ample notice for trip consent forms.
We encourage parents to support these educational opportunities by volunteering to assist and supervise these excursions. For the safety of your child, excursions lacking appropriate adult supervision will be cancelled.
Pick-Up and Drop-Off Policy
Parents or designated individuals are required to sign children in at the office when bringing them to school late and
must also sign them out at the office when withdrawing
them from school before regular dismissal time.
Parents are requested to provide the classroom teacher with
a note if it is necessary for a child to leave for an appointment. Please meet the child(ren) at the main office and sign
them out. Upon their return, they must report to the office
for an admittance slip.
Bus Transportation
Transportation for St. Joseph School will be provided in accordance with the policy set out by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board. The following distances are used to
determine eligibility for bus transportation:
JK-Grade 1
1.0 km
Grades 2-4
1.6 km.
Grades 5-6
2.0 km.
Grades 7-8
2.0 km.
This means that almost no Grade 5-8 students of St. Joseph
School are eligible for bussing. Students who do not meet the
eligibility requirements may apply for a seat in accordance with
the Courtesy Seat Policy.
Students who are not eligible can pick up a COURTESY SEAT
form to take home to their Parents/Guardians who may request
access to a Courtesy Seat. This form must indicate their reasons for requesting the empty seat on the bus and the existing
bus stop that their son/daughter would use. Final decisions
around the availability of courtesy seats will be made once all
students who are eligible to ride the bus have been confirmed.
Courtesy seat riders must use an existing bus stop. No new
stops will be added. Letters of permission will be issued based
upon distance, age of students, and special circumstances.
Courtesy Seats will not be allocated by the Board’s Transportation department until early October.
Parents are reminded to access information on the Transportation website www.stopr.ca. You will find information on this
site on school transportation eligibility, delays and cancellations.
Virtue of the Month
Safety Procedures
Beginning and Dismissal of School
Parking/Safety
Affirmation:
I am faithful to what I believe
I am a faithful friend. I do not backbite.
I clear up problems face to face.
I keep my promises. I walk my talk.
What is Faith?
It is holding to what you believe is important no matter what happens. Faithfulness is being like a rock in the midst of rushing waters. When you are faithful you can be counted on and trusted.
Faith is needed when you have beliefs and principals that cannot
be proven to others. If you are faithful to your belief, such as belief
in God, honesty and friendship, others see your values in the way
you act.
Why practice being Faithful?
When people do not show faithfulness, they say one thing and do
another. One day they believe something, and the next day they
believe something else. You can never count on them for anything.
When people are faithful, you know what they stand for and you
can trust them. You can count on them to do what they say they
will do. They are faithful friends.
How do you practice Faithfulness?
Being faithful means you keep your promises. You walk your talk.
To do a job faithfully means you do it with as much excellence
and precision as you can. And you do it on time. Listen to your
heart when things come up to test your faith. Faith is not really
Faith until it is tested. Your faith gets stronger when your beliefs
are tested and you still find that they are true.
You are practicing the Virtue of FAITH when you…
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Listen to your heart when your beliefs are tested
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Only make promises you can keep
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Make your words and deeds match
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Are loyal to your friends and family

Clear up problems face to face
You need more practice when you…
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Do not believe that anything is important
Accept a belief without thinking for yourself
Say one thing and do another
Talk about people behind their backs
Don’t keep your commitments
Supervision in School Yard
Staff are on duty for 15 minutes before the start of the
school day and throughout the 40 minutes lunch recess.
Therefore, you may safely leave your Grade 1 to 8 child
in the school yard upon arrival in the morning or returning to the school after lunch. Do not drop off children
before 8:35 a.m. as there is no supervision for them.
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 busses only. Please follow the directional
signs and various painted lines/wording in the parking
area.
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
following times:
8:35 am to 8:50 am
11:50 am to 12:50 pm
3:15 pm to 3:30 pm
2. Signing out Students early:
Please do not drop in to have children signed out before
the end of the day. It is disruptive to the classes involved. If they have an appointment, please send a note
to the teacher to have them ready to leave early.
3. Picking Up Students at Dismissal
At the end of the school day, parents, babysitters, older siblings are to meet students outside (Grades 1-8) at the side or
back doors. The front area and doors of the school are only
for Kindergarten parents, staff and bus students. Parents
picking up their children by car at the end of the school day,
can park on the road and walk to the school yard or have
their child meet them at their vehicle.
No Child Without
Our school is involved in the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation’s No Child Without program. There is no cost for
students who attend our school and are between the ages
of 4 up to their 14th birthday to join MedicAlert through
this program. If your child has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medication on a regular basis,
then you should consider this program. A child’s Medic
Alert identification can alert school staff, friends, coaches
and others about your child’s medical condition should
an emergency occur.
For further information come to the office for a brochure
or go to www.nochildwithout.ca. To register your child
you will need a No Child Without brochure from the office. If your child is already registered and there have
been changes to their medications or emergency contact
information, call Medic Alert at 1-866-679-3220 Ext.1.
Health
Medication
Dates to Remember
On occasion, the school is asked to store
and/or give medication to students. A
completed form must accompany each
request for medication to be stored and
given out by the school personnel. Ask
the Office to supply you with the appropriate forms.
Medical Alerts and Anaphylaxis forms were sent home at
the end of June to facilitate doctor’s appointments and
time to complete documentation. This is necessary to
update files and inform staff of concerns.
September
18
P.A. Day - Re-organization and Division Meetings
21
School Council Nomination Forms Due
21
School Council Meeting and Elections—7 p.m.
23
Open House & Book Fair—6:00—8:00 p.m.
BBQ—6:00—7:00 p.m.
Meet the Teacher—7:00—8:00 p.m.
Peanut Awareness & Other Allergens
29
Opening School Mass—1:00 p.m.
We have a number of children in our school who have
severe life threatening allergic reaction to peanuts, peanut
butter, peanut oils and any peanut by-products, as well as
dairy, egg, shrimp and nuts.
30
Hep. B and HPV Clinics—Gr. 7/8
Other life threatening allergens may include allergies to
flour products, sesame seeds and types of seafood if ingested by the student.
12
Thanksgiving
19
Photo Day
October
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of
Education, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board annually provides parents with information about
cost-effective student accident insurance coverage via
student courier. Although enrolment is voluntary, the
board encourages parents to take advantage of the inexpensive insurance coverage, especially if their child/
children participate in sports, excursions/field trips, or, if
parents do not have dental insurance coverage.
Enrolment is required in writing -- there are two options
for enrolment:
1) Complete the traditional form and mail it in
2) Photocopy the form and fax it to Reliable Life at 1-905
-522-7211 or 1-800-463-KIDS (5437).
Parents alone have the right to insure their children.
Lunch Students & Leaving School Grounds
The school lunch hour is 11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. When
children stay for lunch, they will eat with their classmates
and remain on school property throughout the lunch period. Supervision is provided by staff and a lunch supervisor. For safety reasons, students either stay for lunch or
leave for lunch every day. Changes to this routine are
done only with written permission by a parent/guardian.
Students are not allowed to call home to go out for lunch.
Attachments in this month’s newsletter:
~ School Year Calendar 2015-2016; Elem. Organization Plans
~ An Introduction to Combined Grades
We Welcome the following new staff:
Mrs. Shortreed who is joining us as Educational Resource Worker (ERW) for half days.
Personal Electronic Devices on Board Premises and/or
Board Sanctioned Events for Educational Purposes:
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board acknowledges the value of the use of technology for learning.
Starting in October, students will be permitted to register
and use personal electronic devices (PEDs) on board
premises and/or board sanctioned events for educational purposes, under the direction of staff and only with
parent/guardian permission. Students may then register
their PED for the purpose of connecting to the board wireless network. Any personal communications (i.e., phone
calls, text messages, etc.) will continue to be directed
through the main office. Failure to comply with these
guidelines may result in a loss of PED privileges and/or
any other consequences deemed necessary by school
administration. More information will come in October.
School Council Elections and Nomination Forms
If you are interested in an elected position on School
Council, please pick up a self-nomination form at the
office or send a note in with your child for them to pick
up one to take home. Please ensure that you fill out your
self-nomination form and return it to the office by
Monday, September 21st. Elections will take place at
the next School Council Meeting on:
Monday, September 21st at 7:00 p.m. in Library.