St. Stephen Catholic School
17 Colonel Bertram Rd., L6Z 4N8, Brampton
Telephone: (905) 840-3921 Fax: (905) 840-6454
School Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/STEPH
December 2015 – Volume 4
“With Love, Compassion,
Honesty, & Respect”
Principal
S. Rea
Highlights:
Head Secretary
G. O’Handley
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Superintendent
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D. Oude-Reimerink
Brampton North East
(905) 890-1221
Trustee
Darryl Brian D’Souza
(905) 890-1221
Ward 2, 5, & 6
ADVENT
Follow Us on
Twitter!
The circle of this wreath will remind us
of the coming of Christ,
whose love for us has no end.
The light of these candles will remind us
of the coming of Christ,
who is the light of the world.
The green colour of these branches will
remind us of the coming of Christ,
who brings us eternal life.
My friends, let us bless the Lord.
By day and by night,
and through every season,
you watch over us, Lord.
We praise you for this Advent wreath.
It is the evergreen crown of your people,
and it shines with the promise of victory.
By the light of this wreath
we shall wait in patience for your Son
our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will comfort our fears
and bring hope to our waiting world.
All glory be yours, now and forever.
@DPCDSBSchools
Amen
Parish
St. Leonard
187 Conestoga Dr.
Brampton, Ontario
(905) 846-5385
Pastor
Fr. John Nosan
School Council Chairs
D. Vieira De Santis
R. Linton
Christmas Holidays
December 21 – January 1
Enjoy this Blessed Holiday
Season
Key Message for December
is…“We All Want to Feel Included”
Our Catholic Heritage
Catholic School Council
Library News
Snow and Ice
Sharks Corner
Christmas Concert
Lego Club
Dates to Remember
Virtue of the Month: HOPE
OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL HERITAGE
What guarantee for separate schools does the Canadian
Constitution still contain?
FAITH ACTIVITIES
In 1867 the Fathers of Confederation made section 93(1) part of the
Constitution. It states:
ST. LEONARD PARISH MASS TIMES
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.
Saturday:
Sunday:
5:00 pm
9:00 am
10:30 am
12:00 NOON
Exactly what separate school rights does section 93(1)
guarantee?
Section 93(1) protects all the provisions of the last separate school
legislation passed before Confederation, the Separate School (Scott) Act
of 1863. Among others, the Act provided the following rights:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
To form a separate school board with five or more Catholic
heads of family resident in a public school jurisdiction;
To receive government grants equitable with those of the
public school system;
To receive equitable funding;
To have separate school boundaries enlarged;
To elect separate school trustees with all the powers of public
school trustees.
Sacramental Dates
Reconciliation – Wednesday January 20, 2016
First Communion Enrollment – Friday Sept 25th @ 7:00 pm
and Saturday October 3rd @ 9:30 pm at the Parish
Eucharistic Celebration – Saturday April 9, 2016 @ 10:00 am
Confirmation Enrolment – November 21/22 @ regular
weekend masses
Confirmation Practice – Wed. April 20, 2016 @ 10:00 am
Once section 93(1) was enacted, why did Ontario’s separate
school supporters continue to suffer financial hardship?
The Separate School (Scott) Act of 1863 did not anticipate the
creation and/or growth of corporations and public utilities in
Ontario, or the creation of public high schools. These two
omissions caused over 100 years of financial hardships and
inequity for separate school supporters.
Why did Catholic parents and students have to pay tuition to
attend a Catholic high school after grade ten?
In 1871, the Ontario government passed an Act to improve the
Common Schools and Grammar Schools of Ontario. This Act
abolished common and grammar schools and created public
schools for grades one to ten and high schools for grades nine to
thirteen. The highest official with the Department of Education,
Egerton Ryerson, commented that the 1871 Act did not affect
separate schools. The separate school boards operating
secondary school classes carried on, receiving funding from
grants and taxes. However, early in the twentieth century the
government passed legislation which forbade a separate school
board from offering education beyond grade ten if its boundaries
fell partially or fully within the boundaries of a high school
district. Thus, all but one separate school board (in Dublin) lost
their ability to receive tax or government grant financing beyond
grade ten. Furthermore, if a separate school board chose to
continue operating grades nine and ten, it received only
elementary school grants for them.
Confirmation Day – Thursday April 21, 2016 @ 7:00 pm
St. Stephen Advent Mass
Please join us at our Community Advent Mass at St.
Stephen on Dec 15, 2015 at 9:30 am.
Sharing Mass together is a wonderful way to
celebrate the meaning of Christmas.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Future Meeting Dates are:
Wed Jan 13th, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tues Feb 9th, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wed April 13th, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tues May 10th, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
All meetings will be in the Staff Room
All are warmly welcomed to attend
Our Potluck Luncheon will be held on Wednesday
June 1st, 2016 at 11:45 am in the Library
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
Please remember that to other children, you are a stranger. All
school doors are locked at all times and a monitored entry system is
active at the front door of our school. Please enter the school through
the front doors and report to the office, sign in, and pick up a visitor
pass. Prior to leaving, sign out and return your visitor’s pass. Any
individuals wandering the school without appropriate identification
will be asked to report to the office. Please help us to maintain a
safe and welcoming environment for your children.
LIBRARY NEWS
Parents/guardians are also kindly asked to bid your child(ren)
farewell from beyond the playground. Only students and staff are
to be in the schoolyard. Again, this is to ensure the safety of your
child(ren). Your attention to this is most appreciated.
The Book Fair is coming!
Please be reminded that dogs are not permitted in the schoolyard
area at any time. The excitement of the children or the bell ringing
can frighten dogs. Also, some students are afraid or allergic.
The Book Fair will take place in the Library from
December 14 through to December 17 inclusive,
opening each day at 9:30 am. Students will have an
opportunity to visit and create their wish lists on
December 14. They will then bring the wish lists home
and you may send the money to school the next day,
December 15 or December 16, if there are items that you
would like your child to have. Watch for the flyers
coming home soon!
KISS & RIDE SAFETY
St. Stephen is proud of its Kiss and Ride Program. In order for it to
continue to run smoothly and safely for all our students, everyone
needs to follow the same procedure. Please obey the following
procedures when driving into the school parking lot:
The entry, exit, cross walk and bus zone, on school property, must
never be blocked by cars. Ample space must be left for buses to
enter and exit the school property.
Please park in the parking spots at the school or on the street.
Do not park in any of the lanes in the front of the school and
please do not leave your car unattended.
BUS INFORMATION
Transportation eligibility is determined by a student’s home
address. The following website, www.businfo.stopr.ca is
available
to
students,
parents/guardians,
school
administrators, secretaries and school bus operators.
Parents/guardians who are eligible for transportation will be
able to login to the www.businfo.stopr.ca site and access
details of their child’s transportation arrangements.
It’s that time of year again and St. Stephen’s Annual
Scholastic Book Fair is just around the corner!
The Book Fair will also be open on December 16 from
6:00-7:00 p.m. just prior to the Christmas Concert, so
that parents will have the opportunity to visit and make
any last minute purchases for Christmas.
Library Club members have been busy preparing
posters, counting flyers and building the excitement by
decorating the halls with posters. This event is very
important to our school as a percentage of the cost of
purchases goes directly into purchasing new books for
the school. We are looking forward to seeing you at the
Book Fair for this celebration of reading. If you would
like to be a parent volunteer to assist with the Book Fair,
please contact Mrs. VandeCamp at the school.
The OLA Forest of Reading Program
St. Stephen will be implementing a new Reading
Program in our Special Education Department. RazKids is an online independent reading program with
interactive leveled e-books, downloadable books and
activities to help students improve their reading
comprehension.
The Library has once again purchased the Blue Spruce and
Silver Birch Reading program books. Silver Birch books (for
grades 3 to 6) are currently circulating with students and the
Blue Spruce books (for grades FDK to 3) are being read by
some classroom teachers this year. Once teachers have
finished presenting these books, they will be available for
student circulation.
Please visit the Ontario Library
Association website or a list of all Forest of Reading books.
STUDENT INFORMATION
SNOW AND ICE
It is important that we have up-to-date records of your address,
phone numbers, and emergency contacts in the event that the
school must contact you regarding your child. If there have
been any changes and/or additions to this information, please
ensure that we have it on file by sending a note to school with
your child or by leaving a message on the school voice mail.
Snow has arrived and we are reminding all students
of snow and ice safety. For safety reasons, our
school rule must be that snow stays on the ground.
This means, there is to be no snowball throwing,
kicking snow or any other activity with snow or ice
that could be harmful, which includes sliding on
slopes. Thank you in advance for taking the time to
reinforce these safety rules with your children.
BUS CANCELLATIONS & SCHOOL CLOSURES
SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
There may be days in the upcoming winter months when
inclement weather presents a potential safety hazard to
our students. It is important that parents/guardians
discuss the procedures that they wish to follow for safe
arrival at home.
For students that do not take the bus, please
determine:
-the best way to walk home;
-with whom the child should walk;
-where the child should go if there is no one at home;
-how the child should seek help if wind and snow are
strong that they cannot see the way home;
-ensure school emergency contact information is
updated and accurate.
For students who take the bus:
Poor weather conditions may cause delays for student pick up
at bus stops. Please ensure that your child has a safe place to
go if the bus is late or does not arrive. If you notice that a
student is stranded at a bus stop, please attempt to contact the
child’s parent. It is not recommended that parents volunteer
to drive another child to school without the permission of the
child’s parent/guardian. If you decide to drive your child to
school because buses have been cancelled, please ensure that
you have made arrangements for their return home at the end
of the day.
During the winter months, inclement
weather may cause a disruption to bus
transportation and regular school operations. A
decision to cancel school transportation is usually
made by 6:00 a.m. and will be announced over local
radio and television networks. As the weather
worsens, please take into consideration that buses
may be delayed in reaching their stops. If buses are
cancelled in the morning, they do not run in the
afternoon. If buses are cancelled, the school
remains open. On inclement days, please:
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Listen to the radio and/or television for bus cancellations
and/or school closures (see below)
Check the GeoQuery website: www.stopr.ca, DufferinPeel website: www.dpcdsb.org or call (905) 890-1221
Parent inquiries call Student Transportation (905) 8906000 or 1-800-668-1140
Wait no more than 15 minutes for a late bus.
Contact the school or the listed numbers above if
your bus has not arrived and wait for information
regarding arrival.
Radio and Television Stations:
VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9
CHUM AM1050
CFNY FM102.1/AM640
CHFI FM98.1
EZ ROCK FM97.3
CJBC (FR) AM860
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540
CBC99.1
CITYPULSE
CFTR AM680
CJCL AM590
FM Z103.5
CFRB AM1010
FM93.1
FM Q107
CTV
GLOBAL NEW
VIRTUE ASSEMBLY
Thank you to Mrs. VandeCamp, Mrs. Muir, Mrs. Tipou
and our students for our Virtue Assembly this month.
Congratulations to all our Virtue of the Month
recipients. We want to thank them for being exemplary
role models and for living out the virtues in their daily
lives. A special thank you to all the families that joined
us. Recognizing the Virtue of Conscience…
GOOD NEWS TO SHARE…
The Bishop's Award for Service
In recognition of his performance as an Altar
Server in his Parish, Lucas K was nominated by
his Pastor to receive the Bishop’s Award for
Service. Candidates who are chosen exhibit a
good understanding of their responsibilities, are
faithful in their duties and are able to provide
helpful leadership to new Altar Servers. We
congratulate Lucas K on receiving this special
honour. On Saturday November 21st, 2015, Lucas
K received his special award during Mass at Our
Lady of the Airways Church in Mississauga.
During the Mass and Award Presentation, Bishop
John Boissonneau presented medals to all the
nominees from all the Parishes in the Western
Region of the Archdiocese.
We are all so proud of Lucas!
What an outstanding Role Model for all!
During the month of December, we will focus on the
virtue of HOPE and we look forward to our next Virtue
Assembly on December 17th, 2015 @ 1:30 pm. Mrs.
Pritchard and Ms. Fazzari classes will be organizing.
PALS
Thank you to Mrs. Howarth (CYW) and our PALS for
their leadership in our school.
SAFE, CARING, HEALTHY &
INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS
The key message for December is…
“We All Want to Feel Included”
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s
initiative to create safe, caring, healthy and inclusive school
communities is rooted in our Catholic identity, in particular,
our shared belief in the dignity of all persons created in God’s
image. Safe Schools Policies include Bullying Prevention and
a school wide Progressive Discipline approach.
In December the focus is on including and accepting
others. The message “we all want to feel included”
underscores the idea that all of us desire the same
thing and we all have some responsibility in creating
an atmosphere that is inclusive. Students will learn
the meaning of empathy and explore feelings
associated with being excluded. Research shows
that bullying behaviors demonstrate a lack of
empathy toward others. Students will also look at
how to help someone feel included and examine
ways of strengthening their friendship building skills.
Tips for Parents/Guardians:
BULLYING PREVENTION
INITIATIVES
At St. Stephen we have a variety of Bullying Prevention
Initiatives, including our Virtues Program, Positive Climate
Initiative, PALS, Circle of Friends and other meaningful
school wide and classroom programs and activities.
VIRTUES INITIATIVE
A Catholic Faith Community is rooted in a set of common
beliefs which are inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus.
As a Catholic Community we are called to learn, to grow and
to become more like Jesus in the way we see and treat others.
Our Catholic faith plays an important role in helping us shape
schools that are safe, caring, healthy and inclusive.
Catholic School Education provides us the opportunity to
integrate virtue formation into all areas of our life within the
context of our faith. St. Stephen Catholic School will again
focus our attention on the Catholic Virtues. This program is
designed to help us nurture virtue and character development
in the lives of our students. Each month the whole school will
focus on a different virtue. Classroom activities, school wide
activities and assemblies will all focus on a specific virtue each
month.
September – Faith
October – Empathy
November – Conscience
December – Hope
January – Self Control
February - Respect
March - Kindness
April - Love
May - Acceptance
June - Fairness
- talk with your children about ways to build
friendships with others
- reinforce the message that even if we aren’t good
friends with someone, we can still be friendly,
considerate and welcoming
- use ‘teachable moments’ (family situations, media,
and movies) to explore empathy with your children
and help them relate to and understand how others
are feeling
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS…
Thank to you Mrs. Howarth and our ERWs who
are organizing Circle of Friends for many of our
students. Along with physical activity games, she
will be teaching social skills and turn taking skills
through the use of board games. We are asking for
your support to add to our game collection. If you
have any games that your children have outgrown
and are willing to donate to St. Stephen that would
be great. I know we would definitely make good
use of them and I know our kids will benefit as
well.
OUTDOOR RECESS
SHARKS CORNER
DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Daily Physical Activity, also known as DPA is alive and
well at St. Stephen. Our students are involved in a
variety of physical activities that include yoga stretches,
dance and movement, active games and movement,
open gym time, walking, and much more.
YOUTH FAITH AMBASSADORS
Our Christmas tree is now set up in the front foyer and
it will need decorating. We are hoping that our St.
Stephen families continue the tradition of donating new
mittens and gloves for the needy in our community. Our
collection has already started. Thank you in advance for
your generosity and for sharing the joy of the season
with others. Thank you to Mrs. Muir, Mrs. Tipou and
our YFAs for promoting this social justice outreach
initiative.
We would like to remind all students to dress
appropriately for the winter season. Warm clothes,
snow pants, boots, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and
coats are needed for outdoor play. Having an extra pair
of clean/dry socks and mittens is always a good idea
for children that play in the snow. Please note that
recess is part of our school day and all students are
expected to go outside for recess. If your child is too ill
to participate in all components of the school day,
including recess, please do not send them to school. If
there are specific medical reasons which should
exclude your child from going outside, please submit a
doctor’s note to the office.
At times, the weather conditions will not allow
students to go outside for recess. This decision is made
in accordance with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board Policy and Peel Public health Cold
Weather Guidelines, which directs schools to modify
recesses when temperatures reach -20˚ C or colder
(with or without wind chill) and to keep children
indoors when the temperature reach -25˚C or colder
(with or without wind chill).
NOTE:
At -20˚C, students will be outside for both AM and PM
recesses and for not longer than 20 minutes during the
lunch recess.
INDOOR SHOES
All students are asked to bring a pair of indoor shoes to
school. Students are kindly asked to change into their
indoor shoes when in the building. This will assist in
keeping our classrooms clean and dry. Wet floors can
cause slips and falls. Also, in the event of a fire alarm,
students will not be able to stop to put their boots on,
so it is important for students to wear shoes at all times.
It’s Christmas Time…
It’s that time of year again when St. Stephen is having our annual Christmas Concert, “A
Blue Jay Christmas!” The concert will be held on December 16th at 7:00 pm in our school
gym. All students from grades 1 to 3/4 will be performing. Our Glee Club will also be
featured. Since our gym has a limited capacity, we are asking that families limit the
number of attendees to no more than 3. This number does not include your children who
are performing. We will not be selling tickets this year, instead we will be accepting
donations to the Food Bank, Share Life and the Mitten Tree on the evening of the concert.
Also, our Kindergarten Christmas Concert will be held on December 11th @ 1:30 pm. We
look forward to seeing you all.
Christmas Spirit…
Thank you to all who participated in the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox program. We have
delivered over 150 shoeboxes to Dr. Simone’s warehouse in Mississauga. The shoeboxes will be sent to
a needy child somewhere in South America just in time for Christmas! Thank you to Mrs. Muir, Mrs.
Tipou and the Safe School Committee for collecting, checking and loading the shoeboxes.
Cram a Cruiser…
On Friday December 4th @ 9:30 am, our staff and students will be playing a friendly Volleyball game with our
Neighborhood Police Unit. In the spirit of giving, we are asking all families to donate to Cram-a-Cruiser which is
in support of Toys for Tots or you can donate to the Region of Peel Food bank. Our Peel Regional Police will be
collecting new and unwrapped toy donations as well as non-perishable food items to support our local food bank.
ENJOYING LEGO CLUB…
Y
DATES TO REMEMBER
Dec 11
Dec 14 - 17
Dec 15
Dec 16
Dec 17
Jan 21
Jan 26
Kindergarten Christmas Concert @ 1:30 pm
Scholastic Book Fair
Advent Mass
Christmas Concert (grade 1 – 3/4) @ 7:00 pm
Virtue Assembly
Graduation Photos
Jan 27-29
Full Day Kindergarten Registration 9am - 3pm
Virtue Assembly
Round 2 – Grade 8 HPV, Dose 2, Hep B catchup & Meningococcal vaccinations
Report cards sent home
Interview Evening
P.A. Day, Reporting to Parents
Virtue Assembly
Lenten Mass
Virtue Assembly
Jan 27
Jan 27
Feb 2
Feb 4
Feb 5
Feb 26
March 2
March 30
Snow Date for Full Day Kindergarten Registration
Thank you to Mrs. Pritchard, Mr. Jesus and
our wonderful students for our Remembrance
Day Memorial
On November 11th, our school community gathered to
pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by our fellow
Canadian heroes and the freedom we share in Canada.
Our students and teachers provided us with a meaningful
celebration that reminded us of the message of PEACE in
our lives. A special thank you to all our families who
joined us.
Thank you to Quantum Kidz and Mrs.
McCallum for organizing.