NEWSLETTER 140 Howden Blvd., Brampton, Ontario L6S 2G1 Tel: (905) 793-4861 Fax: (905) 793-4497 February 2016 Principal: S. Galvao Prayer During Black History Month Vice-Principal: C. Pickering Dear God, Secretary: C. Panetta SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS D. Finegan-Downey 905-890-1221 TRUSTEE S. Xaviour ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH Rev. Joseph Pham Rev. Massillamani (Mani) Zacharias 905-793-8030 ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL Chair—M. Wilson God of love and mercy, you call us to be your people. You give to us with your abundant grace. Make us holy people radiating the fullness of Your love. Help us to recognize our neighbours in everyone we meet, whatever the person’s colour, race, religion, culture or gender. Help us to share our love with all people even if they do not ask for it and even if they reject it. Form us into a community of people who care, expressing your compassion. Remind us day after day of our baptismal call to serve, with joy and courage. Give us a deeper appreciation of the contributions that our brothers and sisters of all cultures have made to society and to the building of Your reign. Teach us how to grow in wisdom, grace and joy in Your presence. Through Jesus and in Your spirit, we make this prayer. Amen Lent 2016 beings on Wednesday, February 10th and ends on Thursday March 24. Lent is a period of forty days during the church’s liturgical year, which begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) and ends during Holy Week. It is time for Christians to turn away from sinfulness – to have a change of heart – as they prepare for the joyous feast of Easter. It is a time for prayer, penance, sacrifice and works of charity for others. We will be distributing ashes to the students after our Ash Wednesday celebration at the school – 2 p.m. Parents are welcome to attend. 905-793-4861 VIRTUE FOR FEBRUARY RESPECT May your gift of respect help us to live each day with the confidence that we are in company of people who are not strangers but who are our spiritual brothers and sisters. What does the word “Lent” mean? Why have we given this name to the time of preparation before Easter? Lent comes from an old word meaning “springtime”. During the spring of the year, daylight increases, trees begin to bud and flowers start to appear. The new life that comes to the world each spring is like the renewal of life that comes when we pray and try harder to follow Jesus. Lord of heaven and earth, you lead us up the mountains to show us something new, You show us the beauty of life, the wonder of creation, the goodness of family, the fun of good friends. You ask us to let go: Of pride Of selfishness Of meanness You invite us to open ourselves: To gentleness, To love To You. Page 2 MARCH BREAK 2016 There will be no school for students during the week of March 14-18, 2016 School will resume on Monday, March 21st, 2016. Farewell to Superintendent Denise Oude-Reimerink We have been so honored to have had Superintendent Oude-Reimerink as part of Lester B. Pearson Catholic School community over the past year. She attended many events and has witnessed the wonderful activities our students are engaged in. Mrs. Oude-Reimerink has been a great supporter of Catholic education for many years with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board. We wish her all the best in her retirement. Welcome Deb FineganDowney, Superintendent of Brampton North East We would like to give a big Lester B. Pearson Catholic School welcome to our new Superintendent, Deb FineganDowney as of February 1, 2016. Ms. Finegan-Downey will be leaving her position as Assistant Superintendent of Program at the board and will be joining the Brampton North East Family of Schools as Superintendent. We look forward in working with Superintendent Finegan-Downey. Family Day MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2016 School is closed. Important notice for Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of students in SK/Year 2 Kindergarten The French Immersion Online Application System is now open for submissions. To apply, go to www.dpcdsb.org. Applications will be accepted until February 12th, 2016 Reminder: • All eligible submissions are accepted and, in the event that the number of applications is greater than the number of spaces available at a French Immersion school, a centralized, computer-generated lottery will be held at a date yet to be determined. • Some French Immersion schools offer Grades 1 to 8 and others offer Grades 1 to 4, with Grade 5 to 8 offered at a nearby school. Please refer to the Board website for more information. • Parents and guardians of students registered in the program are responsible for providing transportation for their child(ren) to and from their registered French Immersion school. *****Please note that for students living inside the regular school boundaries of a French Immersion school, eligibility for student transportation is based on the policies established by the school board.***** • A successful placement in the French Immersion School does not guarantee placement of younger siblings in future years. If more details are required, please review the board website for up-to-date information. You may also contact your child's present school, the principal of the French Immersion school in your area, or the board's French as a Second Language Consultant at (905) 890-0708 extension 24307. Students should come to school ready to participate in all activities, including outdoor recess. Please ensure that your children are dressed warmly; wearing insulated boots, winter weight coats, mittens, hats, scarves, etc.. Please label all articles of clothing for easy identification. Students will have recesses outdoors with the following exceptions only. Outdoor recess time will be reduced when the temperature is -20 degrees Celsius or colder, with or without wind chill and children will be kept indoors when the temperature is -25 degrees Celsius or colder, with or without wind chill. As well, all students should have indoor footwear at school. This is very important in case of an emergency evacuation. Students will not have time to put on their boots. Page 3 Page 3 TERM ONE STUDENT REPORT CARDS Term One grade one to grade eight report cards go home on Tuesday, February 2nd. Parent / teacher / student interviews for JK to grade 8 students will be held: A gentle reminder to REPORT ALL ABSENCES & LATES on the Attendance Line (905-793-4861 Option 1) before 9:00am. The message system is available 24 hours for your convenience. On days that buses are cancelled and your child is NOT a bus student but will remain at home an absence must be reported. Please arrive at school on time 9:00am or 1:00pm. Students who arrive even a few minutes late must receive an admit slip from the office. Arriving at school on time and being punctual is an important building block in every student’s learning foundation from Junior Kindergarten to grade 8. The routine of being prepared for the beginning of classes on a daily basis ensures that each day gets off to a good start. Thursday, February 4th 3:45-8:30pm Full Day Kindergarten Registration SEPTEMBER 2016 Friday, February 5th 9:00am-12:00pm SOS!!! Save Our Subscriptions! Please save your new magazine orders and renewals for our schools’ Magazine Program. This program allows us the opportunity to focus on literacy and support READING and helps raise funds at the same time. These funds go towards extra-curricular programs, activities, supplies and equipment that benefit our children and are essential to a meaningful, well-rounded education. On average our school earns $10.00 per subscription. Ignore those renewal notices from the publishers and order your magazines through our school. If you can’t wait, order anytime at www.dpcdsb.org/LBPEA under Events Tab! Any orders placed now will still count towards prizes given during our regular campaign! Monday—Friday 9:30-11:30am & 1:30-3:00pm Packages with missing Required Documents will not be considered. PACKAGES AVAILABLE TO PRINT ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE (About Tab/Admissions) OR FOR PICKUP IN OFFICE Registration requests from Flex Boundary (out of bounds) students will be considered at the end of August 2016. Out of boundary applicants must register at their home school. You can start right now……… Consider giving magazine subscriptions as gifts this year! Let friends and family know about our fundraiser and ask them to save their orders for our program! They can order online and support our school! Remember, if you have any questions regarding your magazine order; please call QSP Customer Service at 1-800-667-2536 March 25th, 2016 We will be launching our annual magazine fundraiser with all proceeds going to support Literacy at Lester B. Pearson Catholic School. We would like to thank you in advance for your support . Parents/Guardians should bring the following; proof of age (Stmt. Of Live Birth or Birth Cert.) 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 counseling with the parish information) updated immunization records Proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed Immigrant Proof of address (documents that are received by mail to the home—utility bill, bank or credit card statement) For more information, please visit our school website or call the Admissions Department at 905890-0708 ext. 24500. Page 4 Page 4 Valentine Day Dance MINIMIZING CLASS DISRUPTIONS The instructional day begins promptly following morning announcements until 3:10 daily followed by recess from 3:10-3:25 and dismissal at 3:30. In order to not miss valuable instructional time, students should not be picked up from school early, if possible. By trying our best not to disturb classes, except in very important situations, we are reducing disruptions to quality teaching and learning time. We understand that there will be times when disruptions will be necessary and unavoidable. To this end, we ask the following; If you wish to discuss something with your child’s teacher, we ask that you set up an appointment with the teacher. Approaching the teacher before, during and/or after school makes it difficult for the teacher to focus on her/his students. This also becomes a safety issue. Please leave a message on their voicemail and the teacher will call you back within 24 hours. Send a note in advance, to your child’s teacher when your child needs to be picked up early, who will pick them up and then meet them in the office and sign them out. If delivering lunches to your child at school, write your child’s and the teacher’s names on the lunch bags and leave them on the lunch table in the front hall. Please ensure that the Lunch is there by 12:40pm. As we are now a secure building, this should not be a daily routine. We appreciate continued parental help and support in minimizing disruptions to classes, whenever possible. LOST & FOUND Please be sure to check the Lost & Found in the Foyer on Interview Evening Thursday February 3rd for any items that may belong to your child(ren). We will be donating all remaining items during the March break. We will be having a Valentine's Dance on Tuesday, February 16th in the Gym! This year’s DJ has been sponsored by School Council. SCHEDULE AND ADMISSION PRICES: GRADE TIME Grades 1-3 9:10-10:10 Grades 4-6 10:10-11:20 Kindergarten 11:20-12:00 Grades 7-8 1:00-3:10 See more at the school website: www.dpcdsb.org/lbpea/events Student Yard Supervision Please note that teachers are on duty in the school yard at the following times: 8:45-9:00am Bus Duty/Before School/Kindergarten 11:06-11:21am Morning Recess 12:01-1:01pm Lunch Recess & Lunch 12:45-1:00pm Kindergarten Yard 3:10-3:25 pm Afternoon Recess 3:30-3:45pm Bus Boarding and Departure Students should not arrive to school earlier then 8:45am. P.A.L.S. Playground Activity Leaders in Schools We continue to run the P.A.L.S. program in our school. The main goals of this program are to: encourage students to be physically active by playing games at recess, preventing bullying from happening at school and to give older students the opportunity to become leaders on the playground. Sincere thanks are extended to the Region of Peel Public Health network and to Mrs. Matias and Mrs. Carreno for organizing and promoting this valuable initiative. Thanks also to our student leaders for volunteering to help in this activity on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Page 5 Page 5 Page 6 Page 6 We are excited to announce that we have upgraded and renewed our subscription to the Tumble Book Library in our library resources. This is an on-line library of animated talking books, novels, graphic novels as well as interactive quizzes, games and puzzles. It is great for all students but particularly helpful for those who are just learning to read, are struggling with literacy skills or are English Language Learners. Check out Tumble Books on our website. Go to the Library tab, click on Resources and then on Tumble Book Library. A tour of the library is available on the website. A big thank you goes to our School Council for their generous funding of this subscription. Happy Reading! Ontario Elementary Progress Report Card The Ministry of Education Ontario Elementary Progress Report Card is a legal document and would be accepted as confirmation of Enrolment in an Ontario School, Student’s Legal Name, and Ontario Education Number. We ask that all copies are retained for your records so that you may provide this information if required. Parents are reminded to keep all original documents that would be required for registration to another school (Baptismal Certificates, Birth Certificates, etc.) and government requests in a safe location and available. COLD & FLU SEASON Cold and Flu season is back and so too are children’s illnesses. Please use discretion in keeping your child home to recover. A child who is coughing, wheezing, etc. is not in a state to learn and is in a position to infect other children. Remember, if your children are well enough to attend school, they are well enough to go outside at recess. Please continue to be vigilant in reinforcing good hand washing practices. For more information please visit Peel Health at http://www.peelregion.ca/health/index.htm or www.dpcdsb.org/LBPEA under General Information—Peel Health. Page 7 School Safety Reminder Regarding Student Pick Up and Drop Off 1. The EQAO Assessment will be occurring between May 25 - June 8, 2016. Grade 3 and 6 students are preparing diligently for this assessment. It is very important that all students are present at school during this time. More information to follow. A reminder to parents to be familiar with student drop off procedures as well as Kiss and Ride safety. This continues to be a challenge. Frequent reminders have been put in previous newsletters. Please check out past newsletters on our website if you would like to review our Kiss and Ride Rules. Thank you to parents who follow the rules and understand that the rules are to ensure student safety. 2. A reminder that a vehicle should never block the entrance to the school. If you find yourself in this position, especially at the end of the day during student pick up, please go through the driveway and out the exit and re-enter the loop. Please do the same if you see that the bus is trying to Respecting Our Neighbours get into the driveway but is blocked by cars. Parents are asked to review with their children that the yards that sur3. When trying to turn into the school, if round the playground are you are in the line up to get in, please “Off Limits”. Students must remember that this is private property. Should a situastop further back from the school tion develop where a ball or personal item ends up in one of our neighcrossing so as to not block the sight bour’s yards, students should approach a supervisor for assistance. lines of the Crossing Guards. Students are asked to continue their excellent record at maintaining a 4. Move up in the drive through lane. Do not “good neighbour” rapport with our surrounding homes and properties. Student will not be permitted to leave school property to retrieve lost let children out of the vehicle unless you soccer balls, etc. have moved right up. Opening the Doors of Mercy May 1st-6th Our Archdiocese is home to five English and one French Catholic school board, made up of more than 500 schools and close to 300,000 students. We celebrate the tremendous gifts of each one of our students along with all those who support them on the journey. Each one of us has a role to play. Our parishes provide a solid foundation, the rock on which we build our faith with priests who guide and shepherd us on the journey. The home is another critical component of our faith formation, where parents ensure that the thread of faith is woven through the family, allowing children to live a faith that acts in all that they do. Our Catholic teachers provide leadership in our parish schools by following the example of Jesus Christ, teacher and friend, as we form our young people to be citizens who are inspired by their faith. In addition to offering prayers for all those involved in Catholic Education, we offer some practical suggestions to help engage our community: 1. Ensure that your property taxes indicate you are a separate school supporter. This demonstrates to the government your support of our publicly funded Catholic schools. 2. Consider being more directly engaged in our publicly funded Catholic schools. Join our School Council or volunteer in our school. Reading practice is important! The development of strong reading and literacy skills early on help to support students in their success as they progress into higher grades. Our school is very fortunate to have free access for grades 1 and 2 students to Raz kids. This is an excellent reading program that allows each child to work at their individual reading levels. They have opportunities to check their understanding of what they have read through quizzes and the classroom teachers can also monitor how the students in their classrooms are progressing. We hope that each student in grades 1 and 2 will use their Raz Kids subscription on a regular basis (at least 2-3 evenings per week) at home. If there is a problem with accessing your child’s account, please contact your child’s teacher and the information will be sent out to you again. Thank you for your support and Happy Reading!! Page 8 Page 8 ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION – DPCDSB INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES ELEMENTARY PROGRAM: Elementary International Saturday morning classes are available to students in grades JK to 8. No prior language experience is necessary. International Language programs comply with the Ministry of Education curriculum. Please contact the Adult & Continuing Education Office at 905-8919263 for information regarding language offerings at specific IL Sites and registration information as well. ESL Programs for Adults We offer a variety of ESL, Citizenship and Coop Programs for Adults throughout Mississauga and Brampton. Registration is on-going for many of our programs. Please see our Winter Flyer posted on the board website at www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/ Programs/Adult+Education/ or call us at 905-891-9263. General Interest Courses for Adults Discover a new talent, explore a new interest, put a hop in your dance step….come join us …Various General Interest courses available….Look for our General Interest information in our Adult and Continuing Education Flyer. The Green Corner!! The Green Team members were proud to participate in the Dufferin Peel Waste Free Challenge from January 18-22. We encouraged all members of our school community to reduce the waste we create by using re-usable containers and water bottles for our snacks and lunches. Members of our Eco-Eagles went to each class and counted the number of containers each person had each day. We are so proud to announce that there were a total of 1,815 containers used during the week. That’s 1,815 packages and water bottles that did not end up in the landfill!! As an added bonus, Mrs. Mauro’s class was our clear winner with the most containers used throughout the week, and will be rewarded with a FREE pizza party on the next Toonie Tuesday- Tuesday February 11. Congratulations JK/SK!!! We hope that everyone learned a lesson from this challenge, and continues to minimize their waste production and contribution to our ecological footprint. Stay tuned for our February challenge: The GREAT GULP! Environmentally yours, Mrs. Archdekin, Mrs. Fall, Mrs. DeBuono, Mrs. Panetta, Mrs. Galvao, Mrs. Francisco, and the LBP Eco-Eagles SNOWBALLS AND ICE THROWING Playing in the snow can be a lot of fun, however the school has a rule forbidding the throwing of snowballs and the kicking of snow onto others. Students are constantly reminded of the dangers of throwing/kicking snow and ice chunks. Students are reminded that this rule is in place to prevent the injuries of others. We encourage students to constructively use the snow to build snowmen or sculptures. Students getting caught throwing snowballs or ice chunks will receive consequences. Please review these rules with your children. Thank you for helping us make the playground a safe place. Page 9 Page 9 CHESS CHESS CHESS!!!!! It's that time of year again! Student registration for the Lester B. Pearson Catholic School Chess Club has taken place and we are ready to take flight! It has been an incredible year for registration in the chess club with over 50% of the student population joining the chess club (grades 1 through 8)! The practice schedule has been on Tuesdays during the lunch recess for the past two months. This culminated in an in-school tournament January the 21st. All chess club members were invited to play chess within their division to determine which students will participate on the Lester B Pearson Catholic School Chess Teams and assist as officials at the Brampton North-East family of schools Chess tournament. Students that have made it through to the next level will continue chess lessons and practice till the family level tournament. The Brampton North East Chess Finals will be held at Lester B Pearson Catholic School on Friday April 1st, 2016. We would encourage the Chess Club members to hone their skills at home by playing a game with a parent or sibling, by using one of the many chess applications available, by checking out one of the chess books in our library or by participating in the Chess Lessons which take place at Lester B Pearson Catholic School on Friday nights between 6-8pm. These lessons are provided by the Chess and Math Association of Ontario and there is a fee. I want to take this opportunity to thank our Chess Co-Ordination Team here at Lester B Person Catholic School. Many people have no idea how many teachers dedicate their time and energy to putting this amazing program together for our students. The Chess Co-Ordination Team here at Lester B. Pearson Catholic School is extremely proud of the growth and success of our students during this season! We especially want to encourage our JK/SK and Gr.1 parents to explore chess with their child. Chess is a fun game which encourages and develops analytical thinking and problem solving skills. Mr. Bellizzi Page 10 Page 10 Book Fair February 1st to 8th Schedule: Monday February 1 – 1:00-3:30 Tuesday February 2 - 9:30 - 3:00pm Wednesday February 3 - 9:30-3:00pm Thursday February 4 - 9:30-3:30pm & 4:00-7:30pm Friday February 5 - 9:00am-12:00pm Monday February 8 – 9:30 – 3:30 Our Book Fairs connect students to books they want to read. To help your child find the newest and best books, he or she will visit the Fair during class time. Students will be allowed to purchase books during that visit, but we will also invite you to come to our Family Event night. During our Family Event, your family can shop together, participate in activities and enter our Family Event Draw. You could win $50 worth of books for your family and your child’s teacher ($25 to student and $25 to Teacher). During the event, we also invite you to help build our classroom libraries by purchasing books and donating them to your child’s teacher through the Classroom Wish List program. 2015-16 School Year Calendar Additional Professional Activity Day: Monday, April 11, 2016 Terms of the recent contract settlement between the teacher federations and the Ministry of Education included the provision of an additional Professional Activity Day for the 2015-2016 school year for both elementary and secondary schools. Recently, boards were directed to schedule this additional Professional Development Day on or before April 15, 2016. In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the designated additional Professional Activity Day has been scheduled for Monday, April 11, 2016. Therefore, there will be no classes for either elementary or secondary students on Monday, April 11, 2016. Thank you for your attention to this addition to the 2015-16 School Year Calendar. Page 11 Page 11 Page 12 Page 12 The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship On Saturday January 23rd, 20 Lester B. Pearson Students participated in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition which was held at Lester. B. Pearson Catholic School. Lester B. Pearson Catholic School students are champions in the following divisions and will proceed to the District Level of competition in February: 10 year old girls 11 year old boys 12 year old boys Thank you to Mr. DiCarlo and Mr. Resendes who were present to support the students. WE wish these students good luck as they represent Lester B. Pearson C.E.S. at the district level on Saturday February 20th. Mr. Resendes & Mr. Bellizzi Page 13 Page 13 St. James Kindergarten Registration Process Process for parents applying to register for Kindergarten at St. James. Parents interested in applying for Kindergarten at St. James must register at their home school during the board-wide registration . Parents are then required to go to St. James during the St. James registration dates February 1*, from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm February 2, 3, 4 and 5 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. *Snow Day if necessary on February 2, from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm We will be starting up Lego Club again this year. Once a week, during lunch recess, interested students will be engaged in creating masterpieces with Lego. This opportunity will occur for 5 weeks. Grade 5 students: Feb. 9, 16, 23 March 1, 8. Grade 4 students: Feb. 11, 18, 25 March 3, 10. A big thank you to Mrs. Fall, Mrs. Salameh and Mrs. McCulloch for organizing. February 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 6 Black History Month Book Fair 9:303:30 Book Fair 9:303:30 & 4-7:30 Lunch Pails Interview Evening Reporting to Parents Njacko Backo AM Boston Pizza Book Fair 9:303:30 Reports go home Term 1 Computer Club 12:01-12:41 5 PA Day Computer Club 12:01-12:41 Book Fair 9:0012:00 8 9 10 11 12 Toonie Tuesday Ash Wednesday Celebration 2pm— parents are welcome to attend Lunch Pails Junior Basketball @ LBPCES Rosary Apostolates Book Fair 13:30pm 7 Book Fair 9:303:30 Tour for Humanity Bus @ LBPCES Computer Club 12:01-12:41 Lego Club Gr. 5 12pm 14 15 Family Day School is closed. Mr. Sub 17 18 19 Boston Pizza 10am Lenten Mass Lunch Pails 3pm Ext. French Deadline In the gym— parents are welcome to attend Computer Club 12:01-12:41 Valentine’s Day Dance—all grades Lunch Pails Mr. Sub 10am Confirmation Rehearsal @ St. Anthony of Padua 23 24 25 26 Computer Club 12:01-12:41 Toonie Tuesday Lego Club Gr. 5 12pm Virtue Assembly Kindergarten 10am for students, 2:30pm for parents Lunch Pails Girls Family Championship Junior Basketball @ St. Anthony Speech Competition pm Grades 4-8 Computer Club 12:01-12:41 Mr. Sub Lego Club Gr. 4 12pm 29 2:30pm Confirmation @ St. Anthony Mad Science Gr. 6 & 5/6 20 Lego Club Gr. 4 12pm Lego Club Gr. 5 12pm 28 Lunch Pails 16 Computer Club 12:01-12:41 22 Earth Rangers Assembly Gr. 1-6— pm Lego Club Gr. 4 12pm Valentine Cookies go home 21 Computer Club 12:01-12:41 13 Boys Family Championship Junior Basketball @ St. Anthony Lunch Pails 27