ST. BONAVENTURE
MARCH 2013
NEWSLETTER
Principal: S. Wolfe
Vice-Principal: J. MacSween
Head Secretary: L. Pietrantuono
Assistant Secretary: K. Leonard
Trustee: L. Zanella
Superintendent of Brampton West Family of Schools: C. Pitoscia
Parish Priest: Father Jan Gogolewski
HOW TO FAST
Give up complaining——focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism——become an optimist.
Give up harsh judgments——think kindly thoughts.
Give up worry——trust Divine Providence.
Give up discouragement——be full of hope.
Give up bitterness——turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred——return good for evil.
Give up negativism——be positive.
Give up anger——be more patient.
Give up pettiness——become mature.
Give up gloom——enjoy the beauty that is all around you.
Give up jealousy——pray for trust.
Give up gossiping——control your tongue.
Give up sin——turn to virtue.
Give up giving up——hang in there!
(Source Unknown)
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
School Council meetings are held on
Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm in the
school library on the following dates.
All are welcome!
 March 20
 April 17
 May 15
LOST AND FOUND
Our Lost and Found boxes are overflowing with pants, shirts, coats, mittens and hats.
Between March 5 - March 8 the lost and found items will
be placed on tables in the atrium for students and parents
to go through.
MARCH‟S VIRTUE - KINDNESS
PARISH UPDATES
Dates for Reception of the
Sacraments:
First Holy Communion
Sunday, June 9, 2013 at Our Lady of Fatima Church on
Malta Avenue
First Reconciliation
Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 9:00 am at St. Bonaventure
School
Confirmation
Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the 5:00 pm Mass at
St. Edmund Campion School
MARCH BREAK
March 11 to March 15
SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED
simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—
a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating
Lent is the time of preparation for Easter, the greatest lobster misses the whole point!
feast of the Church. During Lent, we are asked to
focus on changing our lives through prayer, penance,
and love. In doing these, we try to become more like Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that
Christ in our love for God and others. The Lenten Sea- almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our
son begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Thursday baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of
of Holy Week (up to the beginning of the Mass of the our care for those in need and an expression of our
Lord's Supper). The term Lent comes from a Middle gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of
English word that means springtime. Like the season charity and the promotion of justice are integral
of spring, Lent is a time of renewal.
elements of the Christian way of life we began when
we were baptized. (from CyberFaith.com)
Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving
CELEBRATING LENT
The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are
prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is important to see
how each of these link to the renewal of our baptism.
Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should
draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially
for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more
fully.
Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices
linked to Lent. The early Church fasted intensely for
two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil.
This fast was later extended and became a 40-day
period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II
called us to renew the observance of the ancient
paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred.
Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and,
where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday,
so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may
be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy,
#110). Fasting is more than a means of developing self
-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of
hunger remind us of our hunger for God. Fasting
should be linked to our concern for those who are
forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from
the injustices of our economic and political structures,
those who are in need for any reason. Thus fasting,
too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By
our Baptism, we are charged with the responsibility of
showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those
in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that
so many people in our world experience every day,
and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that
suffering. Abstaining from meat traditionally also
linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat
for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a
spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and
EASTER
March 29 - Good Friday
March 31 - Easter
April 1 - Easter Monday
SAFE ARRIVAL - STUDENT SAFETY
VEHICLE TRAFFIC
The safety of our students is of paramount
importance. Please review the following
procedures to help keep your children safe.
Our school driveway is a matter of great concern in regards
to the safety of our students.
Therefore, we are reminding you again to use the Kiss ‘n’
Ride lane to drop off or pick up your child. You cannot
park your vehicle in the Kiss ‘n’ Ride lane before school or
REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES
at dismissal time during the day. When using the Kiss ‘N
Ride program to drop off or pick up students, please reIn the interest of student safety, a call or a note to the office member:
reporting student absences is required. Please let us know
when you know that your child is going to be late or absent.  We clear the Kiss ‘N Ride usually in 10 minutes.
Attendance calls can be made after school hours, seven
Please be patient we are all BUSY but SAFETY
days a week for your convenience. Our attendance
comes first.
number is (905) 970-9069 then press 2.
 The inside lane (closest to the school) is the only lane
where cars can stop to drop off their children in the
STUDENT SUPERVISION TIMES
morning and pick up their children in the afternoon.
Drivers should not be parking and leaving their
Please note that teachers are on supervision duty only 15
vehicle to walk to the school to pick up their child.
minutes before the start of the school day and 10 minutes at

The outside lane is a drive thru lane. This means that
the end of the day.
there should be no stopping and/or loading or unloadFor safety reasons we ask that you not drop your child
ing of students.
off at the school prior to 8:30 a.m., and to please pick

If your child is not at the Kiss ‘N Ride area at
them up ON TIME at 3:15 p.m.
dismissal time, please park in one of the spaces
available in the parking lot or circle around once more.
CROSSING GUARD
 Students are not permitted to cross the parking lot
unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Kindly assist us in reminding children to cross with the
Crossing Guard at Leagate when coming to and going  Please do not walk your children through the two Kiss
home from school.
‘N Ride lanes. This is very unsafe and drivers may not
The Crossing Guard is on duty at 8:15-8:45 am and 3:15see you in time. Take the time to walk around the Kiss
3:45 pm. Thank you for your co-operation in looking out
‘N Ride lanes.
for the safety of all our students.
 There is no parking in the driveway. This is a
fire lane and blocks the flow of traffic.
FRONT DRIVEWAY
The front of the school is for BUSES ONLY.
CARS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO PARK, DROP
OFF or PICK UP students in the driveway or bus lane
located at the front of the school.
TRANSPORTATION CANCELLATIONS /
SCHOOL CLOSURES
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption of bus transportation and regular school operations.
Please use the Kiss „n Ride lanes that are designated for A decision to cancel school transportation and/or to
pick up/drop off at the side of the school on Leagate St. close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m. and will be
announced on the following radio and television
Please refrain from blocking the front driveway so that stations:
designated Board personnel can access it when needed. VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9
CHUM AM1050
CFTR, CTV, CBC 99.1
AM 640, AM 680
There is no parking in the driveway. This is a CFNY FM102.1
AM 860, AM 1540
fire lane and blocks the flow of traffic.
CJCL, AM590
CHFI FM98.1
CFRB, AM1010
EZ ROCK FM97.3
CJBC (FR)
FM 93.1
FM Z103.5
FM 100.7, FM Q107
GLOBAL NEWS
CHIN, CITYPULSE
Want to check bus cancellations and late routes
on-line? Visit http://www.stopr.ca
COLD WEATHER IS HERE!
In colder weather we often receive
requests for students to remain indoors when students
have a cold, flu, etc. If your child is not well enough to
participate in all activities, including outdoor recess, you
are asked to keep them home until they are well.
On extremely cold days, particularly when the wind chill
factor lowers, we follow Board Policy by limiting the
amount of time students spend outdoors. With the exception of these occasions, all children will participate in outdoor breaks.
We ask parents to ensure that children wear hats,
scarves, gloves, winter outerwear and boots. Where
possible, please put identification on your child‟s
belongings.
Students are encouraged to have a
“JUST IN CASE” bag containing an extra pair of
pants, shirt and socks, in the event their clothing gets
wet or soiled.
PEDICULOSIS
A problem which seems to occur at least once a
year in most schools is pediculosis or head lice.
Head lice are parasites which have been common among human beings for centuries. They
are not connected in any way with dirt, neglect, and so on.
Anyone can be infested with them. Unfortunately, in recent years, they have become quite common throughout
North America. In order to control these pests, we shall
do the following and request your full cooperation.
If even one case is found in the school, we shall inform
all parents of children in that class. We will be monitoring
friends and classmates, however, we ask that you also
check your own children and if you find them to be infested, please let us know so that we can help you get the
proper treatment and take the necessary precautionary
measures. Even if cases are not reported from the school,
it is a wise precaution to check your children periodically.
If your children are infested, we will be asking you to
keep them out of school until after they have been treated
with the correct shampoo and all nits have been removed.
If we all cooperate with these procedures, we may not
entirely escape outbreaks, but we will be able to bring
them under control quickly.
INTERMEDIATE BASKETBALL
Both the boys and the girls Intermediate Basketball teams
competed in mini-tournaments hoping to advance to the
Brampton North Family Tournament. The girls gave it a
great try but unfortunately were unable to advance. The
boys’ team was successful in the mini tournament advancing to the Family Tournament where they lost a
closely contested championship game.
Congratulations to all team members and thanks to
Mrs. Keeping and Mr. Mowat for coaching.
FOOD DAYS
Pizza
WEDNESDAYS
Kernals Popcorn
FRIDAYS ($2.00/bag)
Mr. Sub
1st Tuesday of each month
EFFECTIVE - SEPTEMBER 2013
If parents/guardians would like to volunteer for their
child(rens) field trip/excursions, please contact the office
as the rules have changed regarding Police Records
Check. Without a Volunteer Police Records Check
(Form A) you will be unable to volunteer on field trips.
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 4-8
March 11-15
March 17
March 20
March 20
March 20
Winter Carnival
March Break
St. Patrick Day
First Day of Spring
Magazine Kickoff
School Council Meeting
March 29
March 31
April 1
Good Friday
Easter
Easter Monday
April 4
April 29
Grade 8 Graduation Photo Day
Region of Peel - Round 3
April 27
Confirmation - 5 pm Mass at
St. Edmund Campion SS
First Reconciliation - 9 am at
St. Bonaventure
First Holy Communion - 3 pm
Our Lady of Fatima on
Malta Avenue
May 1
June 9