34 Buick Boulevard, Brampton, ON L7A 3B9
PRINCIPAL ………………
SECRETARY …………….
SUPERINTENDENT …….
TRUSTEE ………………...
F. Bernard
C. Moore
S. Steer
D. B .D’Souza F. DiCosola
Tel: 905-840-3042
Fax: 905-840-0820
VICE PRINCIPAL ………..
PASTOR ………………….
PARISH …………………..
WEBSITE ………………...
M. Moncur
Fr. J. Gogolewski
Guardian Angels
www.dpcdsb.org/AIDAN
Enlightened by Knowledge. Enriched by Faith.
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2015
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Principal’s Message
Happy Thanksgiving to All St. Aidan Community Members
We hope you and your families will have a chance to stop and reflect
on the many blessings bestowed upon you by God in your lives.
September has been a very busy month. While every school year brings change, this year we have had some reorganization of
classes in order to meet the Ministry mandates. Thank you to all for your patience, understanding, and support during the first
month of school and helping to get the school year off to such a wonderful start. We appreciate all that you have done to make
your child’s transition to school after a great start to a smooth one. Our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive will be underway and
begin on October 5th and will end on October 9th. We would like to thank everyone who will participate and send in donations.
Your kindness and generosity will give many families a happier Thanksgiving. We welcome you to our first mass celebration – our
Thanksgiving Mass on October 9th at 9:00 a.m. with Father Jan in our school gym.
Let us give special thanks to . . .

All of our Parents/Guardians who were able to join us for our Open House/ Meet the Teacher evening.

All students and their parents/guardians/daycare providers who supported the school efforts.

All students, parents, and staff who proudly participated in the Terry Fox Walk/ Run Event to celebrate the legacy and
the dream that Terry Fox started many years ago.

Mrs. Evans who organized this special event in the school and helped us to continue to raise awareness to help find a cure and
fight against cancer.

All the parents who put forth their names and time to be members of the Catholic School Council.

All the Staff of St. Aidan School for all their dedication and professionalism in teaching the students.
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Virtue of Empathy for October
During October, we celebrate the virtue of empathy. God
has given us the ability to form connections with each other
– to live together. Empathy helps us to connect and live
together in safe, caring, inclusive communities.
An empathetic person . . .
 Listens attentively
 Watches people’s body language
 Notices and responds when someone is upset
 Can name her/his feelings
 Can see a situation from another person’s point of
view
 Knows that different people may feel differently
about the same thing
CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Catholic Education
Several years ago, the Board launched its new resource, Our
Story, Our Tradition, Our Journey. It is a 252 page photo
illustrated history of the role of the Catholic church in the
development of Catholic education in Peel Region and
Dufferin County. It also explores the development and
growth of many local communities and features each of the
board’s 146 schools. The book is a component of two
Community Studies Units for Grade 7 and 10. It was
designed to help students better understand and appreciate
the contribution and role of the Catholic Church from
historical and contemporary perspectives. The book has been
an ongoing project for many years and would not have been
possible if not for the contributions of numerous, dedicated
staff of Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. This
book is available in the school library.
Putting Our Faith Into Action
October is also designated in the church as
the month of the rosary.
The most
common and best loved Catholic devotion is
the recitation of the rosary because it
helps us to think about events in God’s plan
of salvation. If you can, please take some
time to say the rosary together as a family.
DATE
TIME
EVENT
LOCATION
October 9,
9:00 a.m.
Thanksgiving
Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
Thanksgiving
Day
Remembrance
Day
Parent
Information
Meeting for
First Holy
Communion
NO SCHOOL
October 12
Holiday
November 11
10:30 a.m.
November
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After the
12:00 noon
mass
December 2
9:00 a.m.
Advent
Confessions
St. Aidan
School gym
December 4
9:00 a.m.
Advent Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
December 6
After the
12:00 noon
mass
Parent
Information
Meeting for
Confirmation
Guardian
Angels Church
January 13
9:00 a.m.
New Year’s
Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
February 10
1:00 p.m.
Ash
Wednesday
Celebration
St. Aidan
School gym
February 19
9:00 a.m.
Lenten Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
March 24
12:45 p.m.
Stations of
the Cross
St. Aidan
School gym
April 4
9:30 a.m.
Reconciliation
St. Aidan
School gym
April 11
9:00 a.m.
Easter Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
April 17
3:00 p.m.
First Holy
Communion
Guardian
Angels Church
April 20
7:00 p.m.
Confirmation
Guardian
Angels Church
June 10
10:00 a.m.
Grade 8 Mass
Guardian
Angels Church
June 27
9:00 a.m.
End of the
Year Mass
St. Aidan
School gym
June 29
6:30 p.m.
Grade 8
Graduation
St. Aidan
School gym
Pastoral Plan Preparations
The school works together with the parish and parents to
prepare students for the sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy
Communion and Confirmation.
Please look for this
information in the future. Please take note of these
events . . .
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St. Aidan
School gym
Guardian
Angels Church
SPECIAL EVENTS
Terry Fox Run – A Huge Success
On Wednesday, September 30, after an inspiring kick-off
and liturgy, the students, staff and parents of St. Aidan’s
community, walked in the neighbourhood to continue Terry
Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Most students were dressed in red
and white in honour of our wonderful country of Canada.
Much gratitude to all for your generosity, all the funds
raised will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation.
World Teachers’ Day- October 5, 2015
October 5th was a day specifically designated to recognize
the contribution of teachers. World Teachers’ Day was
inaugurated in 1992 to commemorate the signing of the
UNESCO/ILO.
More than 100 countries currently
celebrated World Teachers’ Day. We are very fortunate at
St. Aidan to have dedicated individuals who work to provide
for the education of the students in our school. We offer
them our sincere gratitude for all the work they do.
Smile! Photo Day
Friday, October 23 is Picture Day for all
students at St. Aidan School. Further
reminders will be communicated prior to
this date.
All Saints Day, All Souls Day & Halloween
With the approach of All Saints Day, All Souls Day,
and Halloween, it is important to recognize our
faith heritage in a special way, while also recognizing
the fun aspect of Halloween and school spirit.
As a Catholic school our teachers will be reminding students
of the purpose of Halloween and the importance of
remembering in our prayers the saints and martyrs that the
feast of All Saints Day honours. As Catholic parents you may
find this a “teachable moment” to talk with your child(ren)
about the role of the saints in our faith life and why we
remember their sacrifices.
It is also a time for us to remember and to pray for all of
the Faithful Departed on All Souls’ Day that follows. We will
celebrate both feast days with special prayers during
opening exercises. We hope to enjoy a holy, meaningful and
fun season.
On October 30th, a day before Halloween Day, all students
and staff will be invited to wear their Halloween costumes
to celebrate the “fun” of the day. Costumes or accompanying
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equipment must be appropriate to a Catholic school setting
and must not exhibit any evil, violence, inappropriate
language, or actions. Any masks, play swords, daggers,
knives, etc. will not be permitted at school. All students will
be responsible for their costumes - the school will not be
held responsible for any costumes that are damaged, dirtied,
or stolen, causing students and parents to be unhappy.
Individual teachers will provide students with more
information to their particular grade levels if there are
other special activities planned.
If students prefer not to bring costumes, they are welcome
to wear black and orange.
Closer to Halloween, we will also take the
opportunity to remind students of the safety tips when going
out trick or treating.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Catholic School Council Update
Thank you to all the parents who put forth their nominations
to become members of our School Council. We look forward
to working together. Our first meeting will be held on
October 7th at 6:30 p.m. At this meeting, the Executive will
be determined from those who put forth their nominations.
Fundraising
Our school raises additional funds through a variety of
means. These include proceeds generated from Catholic
School Council drives (e,g, chocolate sales, dance-a-thon),
pizza lunch days, drink machines, school photographs,
charitable fund activities and events to raise funds for
special school purposes. The proceeds are used for purposes
such as student special events, activities and equipment,
classroom support, support of families and students in need,
and hospitality for school guests, volunteers and staff. Your
contributions for these initiatives are much appreciated, and
help to make our school a special place.
PROGRAM & CURRICULUM
Class Interruptions – Let’s Reduce Them!
Research shows that time on task increases the learning of
an individual. We are aiming to make reductions in the
interruptions to the daily instructional time. At the school
level, we are very conscious of interruptions during the day,
such as the timing and number of announcements, moving
from one location to another and so on. We also request that
families help us to greatly reduce interruptions in the
following ways:
 Students' prompt arrival at school. St. Aidan begins
promptly at 8:20 a.m. Students should arrive by 8:20
a.m. each day to line up and enter the school with the
rest of their class and avoid being late. Students who
are late must report to the office, sign in, and receive a
late slip and will need to make up the lost time. Arriving
late disturbs the other students, interferes with the
program and centres attention on the student who is
late. Please help us teach the value of being punctual-a
necessary life skill.

Not leaving school early. The entire day is full of
instruction which is essential to a child's learning, so it
is extremely important that children arrive on time and
stay for the entire day and not leave early. Try and
avoid making appointments during the school day.

Students come to school with their lunches in the
morning.
This helps to reduce disruption to the
classroom program, allows more time for children to eat
their lunches and less confusion for the children. If it is
necessary to bring a lunch, please have your child’s name
and teacher’s name written on the lunch and leave it on
the bench outside the office well before the start of
lunch time which is 11:24 a.m. Your child should be aware
that a lunch is being dropped off at the office.
Students will be given time to come to the office to pick
up their lunches. For safety reasons, students will not
be allowed to wait by the front doors or outside in the
driveway for their lunch to be delivered. The parent
must come into the school to drop off the lunch.

Our procedure is that either a student stays for lunch
every day or goes home for lunch every day. If there
are any changes to this routine, then a note must be
provided to the student's teacher and they will need to
be picked up by a supervising adult. We are not prepared
to deal with the fallout from groups of unsupervised
students roaming the community. We believe this will
provide a safe and supervised lunch arrangement for
your child. Students who stay for lunch are expected to
be well behaved and remain on the school grounds for
the entire lunch period.
SAFETY/SECURITY COMES FIRST
School Access System
As most of you have noticed from last year, St. Aidan has a
doorbell access system. The front doors will be locked
throughout the day. An intercom will be used to gain access
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to the building. Before entering, you will be asked your name
and the purpose for entering the school. Once you enter the
school, you must report to the office. If you arrive after
8:24 a.m., you may find yourself waiting while morning
announcements are completed.
Kiss N’ Ride Update
Thank you to all the parents/visitors who are following the
Kiss N’ Ride procedures. Soon the driveway procedures will
be changed in order to comply with fire safety regulations
and with traffic and student safety. Safety is our highest
priority, and we continue to ask for cooperation in ALWAYS
following the rules. Please be reminded of the following:
 All students must exit the car on the passenger side
only.
 Never PARK in the Kiss N’ Ride Lane at any time
during the day. Do NOT leave your car in the Kiss
N’ Ride.
 Pull up to the top of the lane and let your child out
there.
 If you park in the visitor’s space, you must wait till
Kiss N’ Ride is finished – do not back up into the
driveway lanes.
 If you are able to volunteer to help with the Kiss N’
Ride process in the mornings or at the end of the
day, please contact the office.
 Please show respect to the staff who are trying to
maintain safety for the students of our school.
Fire Drill & Lockdown Procedures
During the school year, Ministry regulations instruct schools
to hold fire drills to help prepare students in the event of a
real fire.
Our School Board has also established lockdown procedures
in the case of a high risk incident involving weapons that
could endanger the lives/safety of students and staff. The
main goal during a lockdown drill is to hide and remain quiet
during a time when a possible dangerous intruder is in or near
the school. We will be practicing this lockdown procedure
this month and continue to review the procedure during the
school year. Please review the reasons for conducting these
drills with your children, to help them understand that we
have a safe school, but that we should always be prepared
for emergencies.
For emergency purposes, safety, and other health reasons,
it is essential that students wear proper footwear at all
times while in school.
Should an evacuation to another building ever be required
because of an emergency situation, our main emergency
evacuation centre is Brisdale Public School with our
alternate site being St. Edmund Campion Secondary School.
School Property Safety Reminders. . .
Dogs are not allowed on school property. A dog’s
behaviour and response around strangers
can be unpredictable; for example, dogs may jump on visitors
or children. Although dogs can be good pets for some, they
can be scary to some other people, and pose an allergic
response to others. Therefore, dogs must not be exercised
on school property or brought to school when dropping off
or picking up students.
Scooters, Skateboards, and Rollerblades
are not permitted on school property.
No Smoking – No smoking anywhere in the school
or on school property by anyone, at any time.
Bicycles - need to be walked once on school property. They
should be placed in the bike racks and locked. Again, we
cannot accept responsibility for the security of these items.
Parents in the Playground - One of the greatest fears for
students and staff is witnessing unfamiliar adults on school
property, both within the building and in the playground. It
is not possible for our supervisors to recognize all parents
or relatives. We ask that you, your relatives or caregivers
drop off the students into the schoolyard and leave
promptly. Again we remind parents/guardians to escort
students only to the playground boundary.
NOTE: Morning Arrival and Supervision - Some students
are arriving before supervision begins in the morning – this
is not a safe procedure. While they are to be complimented
for not being late, students must arrive after 8:05 a.m.
which is when staff supervision begins. Please do not leave
your child (ren) before 8:05 a.m. and unattended.
ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION
CALL 950- 840-3042
Press # 1
You can leave a message
anytime 24-7
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
Personal Electronic Devices/Toys/Valuables
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Students are asked not to bring to school any valuables,
items of importance, toys, or other items valuable to them.
Examples of these items may include (but not limited to)
Game Boys, expensive sports equipment, cell phones, walk
man, laser pointers, CD players, MP3 players, trading cards,
cameras, or other items valuable to them. These items
present a temptation which causes theft to occur and can
also be a great distraction to the learning process. If
students choose to bring these items on school property, the
item will be given to the office and a parent will need to pick
the item up. The school will not assume responsibility for
the care and loss of these items and we will not spend
precious school time to conduct investigations.
Change in Weather/Extra Indoor Shoes
The weather is beginning to change and we
remind everyone of our school procedure, which encourages
an extra pair of running shoes to be kept at school or carried
by students for indoor use. Not only does this promote good
health and comfort, it helps keep the classroom floors dry
and clean, for everyone’s benefit.
KEEPING HEALTHY
School Food & Beverage Policy
St. Aidan School community continues to be committed to
making the school a healthy place for all of its Staff and
Students. A healthy school environment enhances student
learning and success, as well as student social, emotional and
spiritual well-being. Good health is celebrated as a gift from
God and is a vital component for learning, and the growth and
development of the student. When nutritionally adequate
food, beverages, and education towards the benefits of
healthy eating are available and promoted within a school
environment every day, it comes easier for students to
select and participate in healthy eating. Healthy eating and
the School Food and Beverage Policy/Program Memorandum
No. 150 have become a vital component to our Catholic
Community Culture and Care Pillar.
The commitment to a healthy school environment which will
improve education and health outcomes for all students align
with the new Ministry policy. The Board and school are
required to ensure that all food and beverages sold on school
premises for school purposes meet the requirements
outlined in the policy, including nutrition standards for food
and for beverages. For more information about Ontario’s
healthy schools initiatives, visit www.ontario.ca/healthy
schools.
Starting Simple on Healthy Eating -
3rd Annual Christmas Mingle,
Jingle & Marketplace Event
Progress Reports go home
Progress Reports interviews
Holy Name of Mary Catholic S.S.
(all girls’ school) Information
Session at 7:00 p.m.
November 14
Birthday Treats
Children enjoy having their birthdays announced on the day
of or close to it, and we enjoy acknowledging their birthday.
We also realize that parents mean well when sending treats
in to classes for celebrations and birthdays. However . . .
many of our students and staff suffer from various
allergies. We ask that treats provided to students for
birthdays and other celebrations be non-edible. We will be
holding the treats at the office and then returning them if
they do not adhere to these procedures.
. . . AND FINALLY
I Leave You With This Thought. . .
November 17
November 19
November 19
Please check your child’s agenda nightly
for important information.
Attachments




International Student Program Information Night
3rd Annual Christmas Mingle, Jingle & Marketplace
Information – Save the Date
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School International
Baccalaureate Grade 8 Information Meeting flyer
Pupil Accommodation Review Information (previously
sent home with students)
DPCDSB is on Twitter!
For the latest Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board news and information on schools, programs,
in-services, follow:
@DPCDSBSchools
PRAY THE ROSARY
AS A FAMILY
Mark Your Calendars
October 5
October 7
October 12
October 15
October 19
October 24
October 23
October 28
October 29
October 29
October 30
November 1
November 2
November 4
November 11
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World’s Teachers’ Day
First Catholic School Council
Meeting in conference room
Thanksgiving Holiday – no school
CCCSC Family of Schools Chairs’
Meeting
Election Day
United Nations Day
Photo Day
St. Edmund Campion Secondary
School Information Session at
5:30 p.m.
Virtue of Empathy Assembly
Notre Dame S. S. International
Baccalaureate Information
Session at 6:30 p.m.
Halloween Dance for FDK-8
All Saints Day
All Souls Day
Take Your Child to Work Day
Remembrance Day Tribute
There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary,
and these are divided into the five JOYFUL
MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES,
the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES, and the five
GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
THE ROSARY
1. Make the Sign of the Cross & say the "Apostles'
Creed"
2. Say the "Our Father."
3. Say three "Hail Mary."
4. Say the "Glory be to the Father."
5. Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our
Father."
6. Say ten "Hail Mary," while meditating on the
Mystery.
7. Say the "Glory be to the Father." Say the pray of the
Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima.
8. Announce the Second Mystery; say the "Our Father."
Repeat 6 & 7, continue with 3rd, 4th and 5th Mysteries.
9. Say the “Hail Holy Queen”
prayer.
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