ST. BRIGID CATHOLIC SCHOOL
“Live
Love
Learn
Light”
Pope Francis’ Prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy
January
2016
Newsletter
L.Papaloni…........Superintendent
905-890-1221
A. DaSilva…. ………..…Trustee
416 -709 -5679
V. Pugliese ……………Principal
C. Rice ....……….........Secretary
C. Mexner - School Council Chair
PARISH
St. Jerome
8530 Chinguacousy Road
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 5G4
Tel: 905-455-4260
Fax: 905-450-6326
Pastor
Fr. J. Kolodynski
School Hours
Start:
Recess:
Lunch:
Recess :
Dismissal:
8:50
11:00 – 11:15
11:55 – 12:55
2:20 – 2:35
3:20
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved
by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created
things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you
spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and
mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and
glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and
error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and
forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to
the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever
and ever.
Amen.
Professional Activity Day
Please note that Monday January 18th, 2016 is a Professional Activity Day. There
will be no school for the students on that day. The day is designated for report card
writing. Friday February 5th, 2016 is also a Professional Activity Day, with no
school for students. That day is designated for Parent/Student/Teacher conferences.
Principal’s Message
On behalf of the entire St. Brigid staff I bring
greetings to parents/guardians and students and a
sincere welcome back to all from what I hope was
a restful and enjoyable Christmas holiday with family and
friends. We wish you and your family a very happy and
prosperous New Year in 2016.
With the coming of another new year, we tend to forget that
Christmas does not end on December 25th. Once all the presents
have been opened and the dinner has been eaten, Christmas is
often quickly put behind us. The tree quickly taken down,
decorations are packed away and we begin to prepare for New
Year’s Eve celebrations. Christmas Day is just the beginning of
the Christmas season, that continues through to the Baptism of
our Lord, which will be celebrated on January 10th. Christmas is
a commemoration of God’s coming into the world. He came for
all of us – believers and non-believers alike. His birth should
bring us hope and triumph which will dispel the sadness from
our lives. As such, Christmas is a celebration that all Catholics
need to embrace for more than just a day, but rather for a whole
season.
Jesus is born but have we found Him yet? He has come into the
world and is very much in our midst but unfortunately we often
refuse to recognize Him, therefore fail to welcome Him. As we
make our New Year’s resolutions, let us promise to take the time
to look around us, to recognize that Jesus, who was born into the
world over two thousand years ago, is among us in every person
and in every trial and tribulation we encounter in our lives. Let
us take a moment to recognize Him in those who do not have joy
and peace in their lives. And let us continue to spread the spirit
that filled us during the Advent season throughout the entire
year. If we are unable to recognize Jesus, then His birth into this
world will be just another day to celebrate, eat, drink
and make merry. It will never become the day when
hope shall sing of triumph and sadness flees away.
V. Pugliese
A New Year’s Resolutions for 2016
Take time to think; it is the source of power.
Take time to study; it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to play; it is the secret of keeping young.
Take time to be quiet; it is the opportunity to seek God.
Take time to love and be loved; it is God’s greatest gift.
Take time to laugh; it is the singing of the soul.
Take time to dream; it is where the hope for the future
begins.
Take time to pray; it is the greatest power on earth.
Report Cards for Term 1
On Tuesday February 2nd Report Cards will be sent home for all
students from Grades 1 to 8.
Student/Parent/Teacher
Conferences will take place on the evening of February 4 th and
during the school day on Friday February 5 th. Specific time
request forms will be sent home later in the month. Parents will
be notified with the report card of their conference time.
Graduation Photos
Life Touch photographers will be at St. Brigid on Thursday
January 21st to take graduation photos for our Grade 8 students.
If you have a child in grade 8, please ensure that he/she is
at school on the 21st. A letter will be sent out prior
to this date with more information.
Feast of St. Brigid
The Feast of St. Brigid on Monday, February 1st. At St. Brigid
School we will be celebrating this feast on Monday February 1st,
at 10:00 a.m. in the school gym. Please be sure to mark this date
on your calendar, so you may join us for this celebration.
The Feast of St. Brigid
Brigid was born in approximately the year
453 in Faughart Ireland. Her father was an
Irish chieftain and her mother a slave at his
court. Shortly after her birth, Brigid was
put into fosterage. Brigid grew into beauty
and her love for all of God's creatures knew
no bounds. When she grew older and was
of an age to be useful, Brigid returned to
her father's house, taking her mother's
place as house slave - minding the
livestock, cleaning, serving at meals, etc.
As a young lady, Brigid and her
companions devoted their lives to the
service of a Druid goddess. With her
Christian mother as a guiding influence,
Brigid converted to Christianity and
formed Ireland's first Christian religious
community of women. Legend tells that
upon her acceptance of her vows, fire
appeared above her head.
Brigid's generosity and wisdom became
legendary. Little girls came to be taught,
the sick came to her and asked her to care
for them and she often sold everything she
had and gave the money to the poor.
Brigid travelled all over Ireland building
convents schools and hospitals. By the end
of her life she had brought about 13,000
women to a new life, living in monasteries
and dedicating their lives to Christ. Her
monastery at Kildare became one of the
greatest centers of learning in Europe. She
continued her holy and charitable work
until her death in 526 AD, when she was
laid to rest in a jewelled casket at Kil Dara.
St. Brigid is the patron saint for babies;
blacksmiths; boatmen; children whose
parents are not married; dairymaids;
fugitives; mariners; midwives; milk maids;
sailors; travellers; creativity, scholars,
poets and Ireland. The feast of St. Brigid
is celebrated on February 1st.
Family Day
Please note that Monday February 15th is Family Day.
There will be no classes for students that day as the
school will be closed. Family Day is a provincially
mandated holiday.
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2015-16
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2016-17 school
year, will take place at St. Brigid on the following days:
Monday, January 25, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.*
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday, January 29, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
* Snow Date: *
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
For more information about registration and the Full-Day
Kindergarten program, call St. Brigid School or visit
www.dpcdsb.org.
Parent Evening to Support the Transition of Children with
Differing Abilities into Kindergarten 2016
There will be an information session for parent(s)/guardian(s) of
children with differing abilities including vision, speech,
hearing, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays
who are transitioning to Kindergarten in September 2016. The
information session will be held at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board -- Catholic Education Centre (40
Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga), Room 301 on
Tuesday, January 12th, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Snow
date Wednesday, January 13th, 2016. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are
also reminded to register their child at our school office
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their child in a
Grade 5 Extended French class for September, 2016 are invited
to attend an information meeting at:
School: St. Monica
Address: 60 Sterritt Drive,
Brampton - L6Y 5B6
Date:
Thursday January 14, 2016
Time:
7:00 pm
At the present time, the above mentioned school is the designated
centre for our area. Applications will be accepted at that centre
until 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 16, 2016.
Catholic School Council News
Wishing you all a Blessed and Happy New Year, as we come
back to an exciting 2016!
We first reflect on our annual Christmas Event and thank each
one of you for making it out! There was a great deal of
excitement with our craft makings, Santa, decorating
gingerbread cookies and most of all our photo booth - having
those memories to reflect on! We also want to say thank you for
your generous donations!
 We donated all the New Toys to our local Brampton William Osler Hospital – Pediatric Department
 We raised $120 for our sponsored child, Daniel
 Lots of coats and mittens for our Annual Mitten and
Coat drive!
Coming up….
January we will be sending out our Pizza forms for these dates:
January 22nd – Pepperoni
February 12th – Cheese
March 4th – Cheese
During the Lenten season, we will only provide Cheese Pizza.
This goes with a chocolate chip cookie, and chocolate milk!
Buy your Sweetheart a Cookie: Council will be selling
Sweetheart Cookies for students to purchase for their friends, for
love ones at home or for themselves. The cost will be $1.00 per
cookie. Proceeds will go towards our ShareLife fundraiser.
Forms will send out Feb. 1st due by Feb. 5th. Cookies will be
delivered Feb. 10th to the students
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Check out our school web
site. Access the site
through the School
Board’s website at
http://www.dpcdsb.org/ce
c
4. A SELF-DIRECTED, RESPONSIBLE,
LIFE LONG LEARNER WHO:
 Demonstrates a confident and
positive sense of self and respect for
the dignity and welfare of others.
 Demonstrates flexibility and
adaptability.
 Takes initiative and demonstrates
Christian leadership.
 Responds to, manages and
constructively influences change in a
discerning manner.
 Sets appropriate goals and priorities
in school, work and personal life.
 Applies effective communication,
decision-making, problem-solving,
time and resource management skills.
 Examines and reflects on one's
personal values, abilities and
aspirations influencing life's choices
and opportunities.
 Participates in leisure and fitness
activities for a balanced and healthy
lifestyle.
Tuesday February 1st is our first Mr. Sub Day of the second
semester. Individually packaged 6” sub, drink and snack will be
delivered for students that ordered Mr. Sub sandwiches. All subs
are compliant with the new Ministry of Education Food
Guidelines and will be prepared and delivered fresh to the
schools. The following will also be Sub days:
 Tuesday February 2nd & 16th
 Tuesday March 1st & 22nd
 Tuesday April 5th & 19th
Twitter
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest board news and
information, follow us @DPCDSBSchools.
Winter Clothing
With winter now upon us, parents and students are
reminded that students need to be dressed appropriately
for the winter weather. We want our students to feel
comfortable outdoors and not get chilled because of
inappropriate winter dress. Students should be wearing
winter coats, boots, hats, gloves and scarves. Younger
students are also encouraged to wear snow pants. Please
listen to weather reports and ensure that children are
dressed appropriately for the weather.
Please ensure that your child has an extra change of
clothing (socks and pants) stored in their back pack. This
will help prevent phone calls home when your child
comes to the office with wet clothing. Also, please label
your child’s winter garments, so that each student can
more easily locate his/her own clothing from the class coat rack
area. Labelled items can be returned more easily and mixed up
items sorted out more readily. If your child brings home any
clothing item by mistake, please return it to the school so that
this mix up may be corrected.
Except under unusual conditions, students will go outside during
recess and lunch hour. The outdoor break allows for fresh air
and exercise. Health officials indicate that the fresh air is good
for children...not harmful, as long as students are dressed
properly.
Indoor Footwear
Students are expected to wear shoes in the school building at all
times. Please note that in the event of an emergency evacuation,
students will not have the opportunity to put on shoes, boots,
clothing articles, etc. Please ensure that your child has an extra
pair of shoes at school, to keep their feet dry and
warm during wet and/or snowy weather.
Snow and Ice
Please remind your children that their safety is of the utmost
importance to us. Snow is always to stay on the ground.
Snowball throwing or kicking snow or ice at anyone is not
permitted here at St. Brigid School.
Also, students are
encouraged to work together to build with the snow. Students
are reminded that at St. Brigid we build together, we
don’t destroy. This especially applies to snow forts
that are built during the recess periods. We encourage
all students to play together and not to exclude anyone.
ATTENDANCE
VERIFICATION
905-454-0316 & PRESS 1
ATTENTION DOWNHILL SKIERS!!
St. Brigid is pleased to provide grade 5 to 8 students with an
opportunity to participate in learn to ski program at Blue
Mountain Resort in Collingwood. This program aims to provide
students with the opportunity to increase their physical fitness
through the exciting and fun sport of skiing. This is an excellent
opportunity for students to learn a new skill and work at their
own levels to achieve success. Skiing is set for the following
dates:
 Friday January 29th
 Friday February 26th
 Wednesday March 9th
Please note that if school busses are cancelled on a ski date, then
we will not be going to Blue Mountain and a new ski date will
be scheduled.
Weather Cancellations
There may be days during the upcoming winter months when
inclement weather presents a potential safety hazard. It is
essential that parents discuss with their children the procedures
they wish them to take to get home safely. This discussion
should include: where should the child go, if parents are not
home.
Please be advised that during the winter months, inclement
weather may cause disruption of bus transportation and regular
school operations. A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by 6:00 am. If buses are
cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon.
Therefore students transported to school by parents require the
same transportation home. Parents/guardians are asked to
monitor the following radio/television to receive bus
cancellation/school closure information:
CHUM AM1050
CFRB AM1010
CFTR AM680
CBC FM99.1
VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540
CFNY FM102.1/AM640
CTV
FM93.1
FM Z103.5
FM97.3
EZ ROCK
AM860
CJBC (FR)
CJCL AM590
CHFI FM98.1
CANADA AM
GLOBAL NEWS
CITYPULSE
If school buses are cancelled in the morning, due to severe
weather conditions, they will not operate for the take home
run, even if weather conditions permit. In the past, children
have been dropped off at the school in the morning by wellmeaning parents and friends on a day when the buses have been
cancelled, without regard as to how the children would be
transported home. In the event of bus cancellations, please
refrain from picking up students at bus stops and delivering them
to school. There are no buses to return them home from school
and often no one is available to pick them up at school.
You
may
go
to
www.stopr.ca for daily
bus
cancellations or
delays.
On Thursday February 11th, St. Brigid School will be hosting our
annual Valentine’s Day, ShareLife Dance-a-Thon. Each class
will be in the gym for approximately half an hour, dancing and
moving to music. Students are asked to wear red, white or pink
on that day. Please encourage your children to participate in this
worthy event. As always, parents are more than welcome to join
with their children and participate in the Dance-a-Thon.
Missed School Work due to Absences
When children are absent from school they miss important
lessons and work that extends from these teachings. If a child is
absent due to illness we kindly request that children get the
needed rest they require so they can come back to school healthy.
The teachers will not be sending daily work home for your
son/daughter to “catch up.” They will spend time assisting
students on their return to school. If your child is absent due to
extended illness, please contact the school.
Dates to Remember
Sharing the Warmth!
The Diversity Team would like to thank all the families who,
once again this year, donated so generously to our Coat Drive.
Your kindness will help many people stay warm throughout the
winter season!
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will
repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 19:17
St. Jerome Parish News:
Confirmation
Please be aware that Grade 8 Confirmation enrolment will take
place on the weekend of January 9th and January 10th at St.
Jerome Church during all regular masses (January 9 th at 5 pm,
and January 10th at 9 am, 10:30 am and 12 noon).
First Reconciliation
Please remember in your prayers our Grade 2 students who will
be receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday,
February 27th at 10:00 am at St. Jerome Church. Please ensure
that your child has been registered and that you are
attending mass on a regular basis.
Parking Enforcement
City of Brampton Parking Enforcement officers have been
vigilant in enforcing city parking by-laws in the area around the
school. Please be aware of where you park your vehicle. There
are fire hydrants and other No Parking / No Stopping areas that
need to be observed.
Please note that vehicles in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride lane should not be
left unattended, as they could be ticketed. Please do not park in
the Kiss ‘N’ Ride Lanes and walk your child to their entry point.
If you wish to walk your child, we request that you park on the
street and escort your child. Cars parked in the Kiss ‘N’ Ride
create a very dangerous situation and also impede the flow of
traffic.
Also, please be aware that only vehicles that have a handicap
sign displayed in their vehicle are allowed to park in the handicap
parking spots in the school parking lot. Under no conditions
should vehicles without a handicap sign park in these designated
areas.
Jan. 1
Jan. 4
Jan. 5
Jan. 6
Jan. 7
Jan. 9-10
Jan. 11
Jan. 13
New Year’s Day
First Day of Classes
Mr. Sub Lunch
Lunch Moms
Rosary Apostolates
Confirmation Enrolment @ St. Jerome Church
Talent Show Auditions Begin
HPV and Hep. B Vaccines
Lunch Moms
Jan. 18
P.A. Day
Jan. 19
Mr. Sub Lunch
ACC Showcase
Jan. 20
Family Fit Night
Lunch Moms
Jan. 21
Grad Photos
Jan. 25
Kindergarten Registration – 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
Jan. 26
Catholic School Council Meeting – 7:00 pm.
Kindergarten Registration Snow Date – 7:00 to
9:00 pm.
Jan. 27-29 Kindergarten Registration – 9:00 am to 3:00
pm.
Jan. 27
Lunch Moms
Jan. 29
Skiing
Feb. 1
Feast of St. Brigid
Silvercreek – Mrs. Hill
Feb. 2
Report Cards Sent Home
Mr. Sub Lunch
Feb. 3
Lunch Moms
Feb. 4
Rosary Apostolates
Interview Evening
Feb. 5
P.A. Day – Interviews
Feb. 10
Ash Wednesday
Lunch Moms
Feb. 11
ShareLife Dance-a-Thon
Science Olympics @ Pauline Vanier
Skate Night @ Gage Park – 6 to 8 pm.
Feb. 12
Pizza Day
Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day
Feb. 15
Family Day - School Closed
Feb. 16
Mr. Sub Lunch
Feb. 17
Lunch Moms
Feb. 22
Catholic School Council Meeting – 7:00 pm.
Feb. 24
Lunch Moms
Feb. 25
Math Mania @ Our Lady of Peace
Feb. 26 Skiing
Feb. 27
Reconciliation – 10:00 am @ St. Jerome
Church