25 Mountainberry Rd, Brampton, ON L6R IJ3 Phone: (905) 789-1741 Fax: (905) 789-1958 “Achieving, Believing & Caring” Principal: K. Dolan Vice Principal: S. Chambers Secretary: P. Tomei (905) 789-1741 http://www.dpcdsb.org/FCTIP St. Marguerite D’Youville Parish (905) 792-7497 Pastor: Fr. R. Mignella Associates: Fr. B. Alphonsus/Fr. R. Tolentino http://dyouvilleparish.ca/contact/ Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (905) 890-1221 Trustee: S. Xaviour Superintendent: L. Storey http://www.dpcdsb.org/ PRAYER FOR GIVING THANKS PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE O, heavenly Father, You have once more brought the year full circle, through planting and growing and ripening to harvest time, and autumn. Help us to see, in the marvelous succession of seasons, and in the growth and ripening of our crops, the merciful, generous hand of Your divine providence. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the wonderful things we have in our lives. Let us take this time to be thankful for our children, our families, our local community and the peace and harmony we enjoy in our country. It is in these things that God’s graces are often revealed. On behalf of the staff of Father Clair Tipping Catholic School, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those parents who were able to take the time to come out to the school for our Barbeque/Open House in September. This sends an important message to all children about how important school and education means to you. Here at Father Clair Tipping Catholic School, we are always trying to find ways of further strengthening the important relationship between the home, parish and the school. Ongoing and open communication is essential to the success of your child. May God Bless you and your family this Thanksgiving weekend! We thank you for food and remember the hungry. We thank you for health and remember the sick. We thank you for friends and remember the friendless. We thank you for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, so that Your gifts to us may be used for others. Amen. K. Dolan - Principal Inside this Edition Virtue of the Month - Empathy FCT Catholic School Council Members School Safety and Security Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Please support our Thanksgiving Food Drive October 13 -23, 2015 Students and families are invited to bring non-perishable food items. Items will be donated to the Knight’s Table in Brampton to help those in need in our community. Achieving, Believing & Caring September/October – In review The months of September and (the start of) October were very busy and exciting times for our students and staff at Father Clair Tipping. Our students took part in our annual Terry Fox Run to support cancer research on September 25th. Our bus patrollers received their training at Peel Safety Village on October 8nd to ensure that our students stay safe as they travel to and from school each day. We also had our Open House/Barbeque which was very well attended and our Scholastic Book Fair in September! We also had our virtues assembly on September 29 th to recognize students in our school who demonstrated acts of Faith. These are just a few of the highlights of the many activities that took place during our opening months of school here at Father Clair Tipping! Adjusting to the daily routine of setting time aside to complete assigned work has nudged out the carefree days of summer. Students should be tracking their work daily in their agendas. Parents are reminded to please check the agenda daily for important information from their child’s classroom teacher. During our professional activity day, staff were involved in faith development and setting goals and expectations for this school year. At our first Catholic School Council meeting on October 7th the school council brought closure to last year, elected a new council for the 2015-16 school year and looked towards setting another active agenda for this upcoming school year. Thank you to Mrs. Britton and Mr. Rowe for all of your hard work in co-chairing our Catholic School Council last year and a warm welcome back to Mr. Rowe our new council chair for the 2015-2016 school year! school choir under the direction of Mrs. Grabowski, our altar servers, readers and technical support. Thanksgiving Food Drive Father Clair Tipping School is holding its annual food drive from October 13th-23rd. Thanksgiving is a very special time of the year when we as a school community collect non-perishable food items to help those who are in need in our own local community. We will be collecting these items over the next week. Please be generous with your donation of canned/dried goods and soaps/general hygiene products. All donations will be sent to the Knight’s Table in Brampton. Terry Fox Walk A big thank you to parents, students and staff for your active involvement in making our Terry Fox fundraising effort on, September 25th such a great success! We are thrilled with the response of our community to such a worthwhile event. It was truly an inspirational day for all as we joined together as a school community to support this very worthy cause in the fight against cancer. WORLD TEACHER DAY – OCTOBER 5, 2015 Virtue of the Month - Empathy The Virtue that we will be focusing on for the month of October is empathy. We understand empathy to mean the ability to identify with and feel other people’s concern. An empathetic person believes that we all share one Spirit; that we are many parts of one body because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. 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 a different point of view Knows that different people may feel differently about the same thing. Opening Mass Our opening school mass was held on Tuesday, October 6th. Our celebrant was Fr. Robert Mignella. It was a very special celebration shared by our students, staff and parents who attended. A special thankyou to our school liturgical team (Mrs. Pelaia) who organized our mass with our Parish Pastoral Team, our Over 100 countries around the world celebrated United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Teacher’s Day. The Board of Trustees for Dufferin-Peel resolved the following: “Our board is proud to recognize the professionalism and dedication that our teachers show in their classrooms,” says Mario Pascucci, chair of the board of trustees. “We encourage all our students and school community to thank our teachers for the extraordinary contributions they make to the development and success of our students.” “Teachers have an incredibly important role in our communities,” said John Kostoff, director of education. “Most of us can point to a teacher who has influenced us in a very positive way. The contributions that our teachers and Catholic educational teams make in preparing our students to become successful in their future careers, as well as good citizens, should be recognized and celebrated.” Special thanks to the teaching and support staff at Father Clair Tipping for your on-going commitment to student learning and student achievement. You truly make a difference in the lives of our children. Achieving, Believing & Caring 2 Book Fair Update Peel Police Partnerships with FCT School Thank you to all parents and students who helped make our book fair a great success. The school raised $2,300.00 from the Book Fair. A percentage of this money is given back to the school to purchase additional books and supplies for the library. Your generosity and support will also help purchase many needed resources for our school. A special thank you to all those who donated their time to help organize and run this most worthwhile event. We are very pleased to once again partner with Peel police to support our safe school’s initiatives. Our educational officer will be coming in the New Year to our school to continue to present on various topics such as cyber-bullying, bullying, street-proofing, etc. Our Grade 6 students have started the RAID program offered through the Peel Police. J. Serrentino Teacher/Librarian FCT School Council Thank you to all the members of the 2015-2016 School Council. Your hard work and dedication to Father Clair Tipping Catholic School was truly appreciated by all the staff and students. Our first Catholic School Council meeting for this school year was held on Wednesday, October 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the school library. Congratulations go out to the following elected School Council Members for the 2015-2016 school year: Chair Treasurer Secretary Parish Representative OAPCE Representative Parent Representatives Staff Representatives Vice Principal Principal R. Rowe K. Lake M. Da Fonte J. Moreira M. Mandap L. Britton J. Gordon R. Rakovalis Z. Dosanjh R. Zambri M. McKnight, R. Munroe, S. Menezes, P. Bowles S. Chambers K. Dolan School Hours and Supervision Supervision in the school yard begins at 8:15 a.m. Please do not drop your children off at school prior to that time as they will not be supervised. The school day ends at 3:00 p.m. Parents are asked to ensure that arrangements are made for their children to leave school at 3:00 p.m. Students are not supervised after 3:00 p.m. unless they are involved in a planned supervised activity that has parental permission. Please do not rely on the school to supervise children after 3:00 p.m. The doors of Father Clair Tipping are open to parents who wish to visit or confer with staff, however, an appointment is necessary, as the classroom teacher’s first responsibility is teaching the class during regular school hours. Please report to the office upon entering the school. Thank you for your support in keeping classroom interruptions to a minimum and maintaining a safe environment for our students Tips to Prevent Cyberbullying Today, students have access to a variety of digital devices such as cell phones, computers and iPads where they can access instant messaging, chat rooms, video games, social networking places such as email, My Space, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Parents and educators have a responsibility to ensure that students use this form of communication in a safe and responsible manner. Cyberbullying is the practice of posting or sending harmful images or electronic text via the Internet or other digital communication tools. The following are some tips to help keep your kids safe. 1. Our Next Catholic School Council Meeting is Wednesday, November 11th, 2015 @ 7:00 pm in the school library. Future meeting dates and minutes from past school council meetings for this school year will be posted on our school website. All meetings begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. and end at approximately 8:30 p.m. Please come out to help make Father Clair Tipping School the very best it can be for all the children. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Tell your children to never pass along harmful or cruel messages or images. Never post or share your personal information online (this includes your full name, address, telephone number, school name, parents’ names, or Social Security number) or your friends’ personal information. Train your child to delete suspicious email messages without opening them. Teach your child how to use technology to block communication with cyberbullies. Speak to your child about the importance of telling a parent or trusted adult about any cyberbullying they’re witness to. At home, supervise and monitor your child’s time online. Putting the computer in a common area, such as the kitchen, is a good idea. Achieving, Believing & Caring 3 7. Communicate with your child’s school if any bullying issues are brought back to the school environment. For More information Contact: www.canadiansafeschools.com Safe Schools: School Security As many of you are already aware, a security camera and buzzer system have been installed at the front entrance to our school. Parents/visitors are expected to press the button on this system and identify themselves by name and also include their child’s name and reason for their visit prior to entry into our school. Please continue to be patient as staff in the office will attend to the door monitor as soon as possible. There may be a delay in answering the door as our first priority is students in our school office. We have asked our students if they see adults at the front door NOT to open it. Please do not knock on the door and call students to open the door for you as this defeats the purpose of our system. Also, once parents have entered the front door of the school they MUST report to the office immediately. Parents/visitors are NOT permitted to walk down the hall to their child’s classroom. If you wish to speak to your child please come to the office and office staff will arrange to accommodate your request. For parents who are dropping off lunches, there is a lunch table set up in the front hallway for lunches for grades 1-8 and also a separate table for lunches for our Kindergarten students. Kindergarten parents are not permitted to deliver lunches to their child’s classroom to ensure the safety and security of our students. HALLOWEEN SAFETY GUIDELINES School Halloween celebrations will be organized by classroom teachers and will take place at the school on Friday, October 30th. Students are encouraged to select costumes that are in good taste, bearing in mind our Catholic setting. In keeping with our School & Board Catholic Code of Conduct Guidelines, we ask that parent/students follow these guidelines for appropriate dress and safety: No masks No replicas of weapon or artifacts of a violent nature (e.g. toy guns, toy swords, toy knives, etc.) No costumes and/or attire that would be considered demeaning or offensive to others We ask that you follow our school guidelines for NOT sending any products with peanut/nut products and to follow any information from your child(s) classroom teacher regarding specific food allergies (no home baked items). We encourage parents to send in nonfood items such as pencils, stickers, etc. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or the school office. Indoor Shoes/Extra Clothing With the arrival of colder weather, and increased precipitation, we would like to ensure all students are dry and comfortable when indoors. We ask that you ensure your child has a pair of shoes that he/she wears only when indoors at school. We also suggest to have your child keep a change of clothing at school, including extra socks and mittens. Be sure such clothing is labeled and easily identified by your child. Attendance and Punctuality The Ministry of Education states that it is the responsibility of each parent to ensure that his/her child be in attendance and at scheduled activities on time and with the proper materials required for full participation. At Father Clair Tipping Catholic School, we teach children to be on time for their scheduled classes. Regular and punctual attendance on the part of the student is vital to the process of learning. Students who are habitually late or absent for class will miss essential parts of the program. Also, when a child is late, the entire class is disrupted and the program is affected for all. It is essential that your child be punctual in order to achieve maximum success. Please reinforce the importance of promptness with your child. Should your child have a legitimate reason to be late or absent at any time, please provide them with a written note to assist us in appropriate followup. Frequent late arrivals or absences without appropriate reason from parents/guidance will result in letters home, and if necessary an attendance conference. If your child will be late or absent from school, it is very important that you notify the school before 8:30 a.m. by leaving a voice mail message on the attendance line at 905-789-1741 and pressing 1.You should speak clearly and leave the students FIRST and LAST NAME, the teacher's Name, and the reason for the absence or lateness. Thank you. Leaving At Lunchtime Parents/Guardians please be advised that ALL students must have written permission from a parent/guardian to leave the school at lunch. Verbal permission (over the phone) will not be accepted. A signed and dated note with a parent/guardian signature is required for each occurrence. The note must come to the office and students are required to sign out and to sign back in when they return for afternoon classes. Epi-Pens/Medication Just a reminder that if your child requires an epi-pen due to various allergies, we must have his/her epi-pen at the school. We ask, that all student who require an epi-pen have two epi-pens available – one that can be kept in the office and the other that can be kept on the child either in a pouch or stored safely in the classroom. If your child is a bus student the school recommends that your child have an epi-pen (that can be self-administered) with them at all times when riding the school bus. Please check before Achieving, Believing & Caring 4 sending that the epi-pen has not expired or a replacement will be required. Also, students are not to have any form of medication on them at the school. If your child requires medication you must inform the principal and have it stored in the school office. Thank you. School Driveway/Kiss N’ Ride Safety We respectfully ask once again that drivers refrain from stopping or parking in the bus lane at the front of the school. This area is a Fire Route and fines for a violation are high. Also, parents are asked NOT to park in our Kiss N’ Ride lane next to our Kindergarten yard as this stops traffic from moving and is a danger to the safety of our students. Please note that students are to exit their parent’s vehicle on the passenger’s side (right side) of the car NOT the driver’s side. The driver’s side is directly next to our drive thru lane and it is extremely unsafe for children to exit on this side of your vehicle. Lastly, parents are asked to take caution when picking up and dropping off their child in the Kiss N’ Ride lane. Please Do NOT speed through this area and please obey the Stop Sign at the Crosswalk as students use this area to walk to school. School staff will continue to monitor this area and remind parents to follow these very important rules. *Also, please be cautious and DO NOT speed in school zones.* Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) prohibits the sending of commercial messages, including e-mails and other forms of digital messaging if the electronic message encourages participation in a commercial activity, unless the sender has received the recipient’s consent prior to sending the message. We at Father Clair Tipping require your consent to send any electronic messages which promote, advertise or offer for sale goods and services. We have sent home a consent form for you to sign to give your consent to receive electronic communications, which may contain commercial electronic messages, as described above. If you did not receive this form and would like to fill one in please notify the school office. Thank you. HOT LUNCH WEDNESDAYS AND PIZZA DAY FRIDAYS COMING SOON! MORE INFO. TO FOLLOW. Progress Report Cards Progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday, November 17th. The progress report card provides initial information, early in the school year about a student’s progress. It is designed to show a student’s development of the learning skills and work habits, as well as a student’s general progress in working towards the achievement of the curriculum expectations. For these reasons, the November progress report does not include marks. The evening of November 19th, 2015 will be designated for parent/teacher interviews if requested. *Please note that students in FDK do not receive a Progress Report in November. Bussing Information Please be advised that we are continuing to implement the transportation computer system. You can track your child(rens) bus stop, pick up and drop off time, delayed buses, cancellations, etc. at the following website: www.stopr.ca There are instances where the bus may arrive late. Please stay at your child’s stop to wait for their arrival or they will be returned to the school. Courtesy seat applications will be reviewed this month. If courtesy seats are available on your child’s bus they will be assigned during the last week of October. Parents who have applied for a courtesy seat will be notified by the school. CCAT Testing From Monday, October 19th to Wednesday, October 21st, our grade 4 students will be administered the CCAT (Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test). The results of this test help students who may be eligible for gifted programming in the future. FCT Sports Centre Congratulations to our Junior Boys Volleyball team who placed first at the Mini Tournament and will be representing our school at the Family Tournament at St. Michaels S.S. on October 15th! Also, congratulations to our Junior Girls Volleyball team who placed second at the Mini Tournament! Way to go FCT Titans! Achieving, Believing & Caring 5 DATES TO REMEMBER: OCTOBER Catholic School Council Meeting – 7:00 p.m. Junior Boys and Girls Volleyball Tournament Oct 8 Bus Patroller Training at Peel Safety Village Region of Peel Immunization Clinic – Grade 7’s & Grade 8 girls Oct 9 RAID Program – Grade 6 with Peel Police Oct 12 Thanksgiving Day – No school Oct 13 Skills Ontario to meet with Intermediate students Oct 19-21 CCAT Testing – Grade 4 students Oct 23 Commissioning Ceremony for student Youth Faith Ambassadors at Holy Family Parish RAID Program – Grade 6 with Peel Police Oct 30 RAID Program – Grade 6 with Peel Police Halloween Dance-A-Thon – collect donations from family and friends to support our school initiatives and families in need at Christmas. Oct.7 NOVEMBER Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 11 Nov 17 Nov 18 Nov 19 Nov 23 Nov 26 All Saints Day All Souls Day RAP Visit – St. Thomas Aquinas with Gr. 8 Grade 8 students @ d’Youville Secondary for “A Day in the Life” Grade 8 students @ Ambrozic Secondary for visit Confirmation Retreat at the Parish in a.m. Catholic School Council Meeting – 7:00 p.m. Progress Report Cards go home Grade 8 Parent Registration and Information night at d’Youville S.S. Interview Evening for parents (optional) Grade 8 students completing “My Blueprint” for Secondary School Intermediate Boys and Girls Volleyball – all day @ FCT HALLOWEEN DANCE-A-THON!! Friday, October 30, 2015 Our Catholic School Council is once again hosting a “Halloween Dance-A-Thon!” Students are invited to wear their costumes and have fun dancing to great tunes! Students will be asked to collect pledges from family members and friends to support our Catholic School Council fundraising objectives for this school year and also to help support the needy families at Christmas Time for the Helping Hands Program with St. Marguerite d’Youville Parish! Pledge sheets, envelopes and a letter to parents will be sent home during the week of October 12th- 16th. PRIZES: There will be 2 iPad’s and 2 Movie Gift Baskets given out as student prizes! The students and staff at Father Clair Tipping cheer: “GO JAYS GO!” Achieving, Believing & Caring 6