299 Landsbridge Street
Bolton, Ontario
L7E 2K4
Phone (905) 951-8788
Fax (905) 951-8798
December 2014
Principal: K. Barton
ADVENT
Vice Principal: F. Troiani
Secretaries: L. Grant and
G. Odoardi
SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY
SUPERINTENDENT OF
SCHOOLS
L. Storey
905-890-1221
TRUSTEE
The word, “Advent” means “coming”. During this season, we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus when He comes. Of course, He does not come just once a year. He comes when we
are in trouble, when we rejoice, when we pray, when we celebrate, when we love one
another in His name. We take this time every year to practice being ready—so that we can
receive Jesus every day of our lives.
Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to
complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent
experience. The world is not as just, not as loving, not as whole as we know it can and should
be. But the coming of Christ and His presence among us—as one of us—give us reason to live
in hope: that light will shatter the darkness, that we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices,
that we are never alone or abandoned.
May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment
into the Advent of our lives.
ADVENT PRAYER
F. DiCosola
God of mercy,
905-951-8898
John the Baptist called people
to prepare for the coming of the Messiah
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH
by turning away from sin
Rev. L. Leger and Rev. D.
Gikonyo
and toward God’s love.
905-857-1938
ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Help us to turn away from selfishness
and toward kindness, mercy and love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen!
Chair: M. Cardinale
905-951-8788
Please visit our
website at:
www.dpcdsb.org/JBAPT
FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER
@JBAPT_DPCDSB
VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: HOPE
This month we will celebrate the virtue of HOPE.
Hope gives us the strength to develop a peaceful optimism towards life. Hope gives us
courage to face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. When facing the darkness, fear, and
pain, hope teaches us that we can begin to understand and accept our imperfections and
make use of the tremendous potential we possess. By seeing the world through the lens
of hope, we can truly begin to honour our uniqueness. Through honouring our own
uniqueness, we can then come to appreciate and honour the precious uniqueness of others. Perhaps the deepest insight we can acquire from letting our hearts run to hope is that
we are truly never alone. With that realization, we can unlock a wellspring of love and
enthusiasm for life. By turning to hope, we discover that God has given us the ability to
turn our life around, and through that turning, we discover the light within us.
Our next Virtues assembly is scheduled for Thursday December 18, 2014 at 1:35 p.m.
December 2014
Page 2
Parents, do you know what to do if you feel your child is being bullied?
What is the first step?
All children attending St. John the Baptist deserve to feel physically and emotionally safe coming to school. If your child is being hit,
kicked, punched or made fun of using inappropriate language (e.g. sworn at or being called degrading names) the school needs to
know.
If you feel your child is being bullied, please do not wait to see if the situation gets better. The procedure is to call the classroom
teacher right away and advise them of the situation. Remember, you are only hearing one side of the story, and there may be
more to this situation. The teacher will thoroughly investigate the issue and get back to you. Consequences will be assigned to all
students involved in something inappropriate. If an incident occurs again, it is imperative that you call the teacher and let him/her
know that the issue has reoccurred. At this point consequences will increase.
Often parents get frustrated when an incident occurs again after they have spoken to the teacher. Remember, unless we have
heard from you or the student, we are not aware that the problem is continuing.
How do we deal with discipline issues?
The school uses Progressive Discipline to deal with each and every issue that comes to our attention. Consequences can vary
based on the severity of the issue, age, or the learning abilities of the child, but are always given when students have behaved
inappropriately and can include recess class detentions, “think” sheets, phone calls home, counseling, peer buddy assignment for
younger students, office discipline, child youth worker intervention, removal to office and/or suspension. Each case is considered
individually.
Role of the Principal/Vice
To thoroughly investigate situations of inappropriate behaviour that occur at the school, and assign consequences as appropriate.
Role of the Teacher
To act and react to each issue that is brought to their attention, from any student in the school.
Role of the Parent
To call the classroom teacher if a bullying or other inappropriate incident has come to your attention. Tell the classroom teacher
when an incident has reoccurred. Speak with the Principal or Vice Principal if you feel an incident has not been dealt with appropriately by a teacher.
Role of the Student
To bring to the attention of their teacher issues that occur. Students are responsible for speaking up when an inappropriate incident occurs so the school can deal with it. Bullying will not stop if students are silent. If a student is a bystander to an issue, they
have an obligation to tell a teacher.
We need Principals, teachers, parents and students to all work together to ensure our school community is a caring and safe one
for all.
What are we doing as a school to be proactive and prevent bullying from occurring?
We are doing many positive things at the school level to prevent bullying, and other inappropriate behaviour from occurring. We
also promote positive behaviour. Here are just some of the things we are doing this year:
Page 3
We have monthly virtues assemblies where we celebrate the students who have been displaying good citizenship qualities
such as empathy, self-control, kindness, respect etc. We have a peacemakers certificate for one student from each class
who exhibits positive strategies for dealing with both their own, and their peer’s conflict situations.
Continuing this year, each teacher devotes one period a week minimum during their religion and family life block to discuss
bullying issues and strategies with their class. These strategies and issues are then shared with Principal/Vice during monthly
staff meetings.
The I Can Make a Difference Initiative continues this year to be a great proactive strategy which focuses on building empathy in students and encouraging them to put their virtues into action by performing “acts of kindness” through volunteer
work both at school and in the community.
New this year is the Saint Teams initiative where the staff and students of our school are bringing the saints to life through
fellowship, collaboration and inquiry. By students participating in regularly scheduled school-wide activities throughout the
year on cross-grade Saint Teams, our goal is to build a stronger, caring and faithful school community.
Rosary Apostolate and visits from our Parish priest continue this year, where students reflect upon their faith, ask questions, and witness role models of faith in our community.
Preventing bullying only works, if we ALL do our part. Everyone has a role. We need your help to make the school safe.
Remember, we can’t deal with a bullying incident we don’t know about. Keeping your child’s teacher aware of problems that
are occurring is essential . Bullies don’t bully those who tell on them. Empowering your child to have a voice and speak up
when something inappropriate is happening is a life skill, and is essential to prevent bullying and inappropriate behaviour from
occurring.
Thank you for working together with your child’s school!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 4
Page 4
POSITIVE MINDSET
“The best thing parents can do is to teach kids to love challenges and
enjoy effort.” Dweck
MATH-HOME CONNECTIONS
Research has shown that “student learning and achievement improve when parents play an active role in
their children’s education and that good schools become even better when parents are involved” (Ontario
Ministry of Education). Based on this fact and on the specific needs at St. John the Baptist, our school has
collaboratively developed a Math-Home Connect piece, designed intentionally to get parents involved in
their child’s math learning. Each grade level has developed a take-home activity folder containing math activities, games, brain teasers, and even EQAO style questions that are to be completed by the student
with their parents. In addition, teachers have included a log sheet along with a section for parent and
student feedback to encourage math conversations at home. We will continue to monitor the successes of this initiative as the year progresses!! Thank you for your continued support.
MATH TUTORING!!!
Parents/students just a reminder that math tutoring will be available for grades 3-6 every Tuesday and
Thursday during lunch in the library by Mr. Vandervoort and intermediate students. Encourage your
child to come for extra help!! Grade 2’s are also being offered small group tutoring in math at lunch with
Miss Peragine. Every Monday and Wednesday during recess, students are welcomed to come out to
the library to use Prodigy, the web-based tool used to practice math in an engaging, game based format.
As part of St. John the Baptist’s math focus this year, each class
has been provided with The Eight Commandments of Math
poster. The poster provides students with positive mindset
statements about math. Parents are encouraged to review the eight statements with their children and have
discussions around the meaning and importance of
each. Changing and strengthening a child’s mindset with regards to math learning is the first step towards developing a
more confident student which will lead to academic success.
“Why don’t they teach math the way we were taught?”
This is a common question many parents have when it comes
to the “new math” their children are learning. Watch the video below to gain some insight into this misconception.
http://vimeo.com/m/110807219
Page 5
APPROPRIATE DRESS
- COLD WEATHER
The days are getting colder as the winter season arrives. We ask that students
dress appropriately; i.e. coats, gloves, mitts,
boots etc.. If they are dressed warmly, they
are better prepared to participate in outdoor
activities during recess and noon hour.
Please be advised that students are kept
indoors at recess during the winter only
when the weather conditions are extremely cold. (When the wind chill equivalent
temperature is minus 25 degrees Celsius
or lower, as per school Board policy.)
RECESS RULES FOR STUDENTS
We encourage all students to experience their outdoor recess breaks in
an enjoyable and safe manner. To ensure that students play safely and
never endanger the safety of other children during recess times, we
have two very important rules for all children to follow in our school
yard.
In addition to plain common sense, we continue to have a “NO CONTACT” rule in the school yard. This rule states that students are not to
play any games or be involved in any activities in the school yard that
involve physical contact. Games such as tackle football, soccer and
British Bulldog are not allowed. Students are reminded that if a game
develops during a recess break where contact becomes part of the
game or activity, that the students are to remove themselves from that
activity and report the contact to the nearest staff member on yard duty.
In an effort to make our yard duty staff more visible for the students,
they wear bright orange safety vests.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…
St. John the Baptist school would like to
thank all those members of our community
who continue to support us through their generosity. In particular this month, we would
like to thank Mrs. Ramos for donating Hockey
Hall of Fame tickets to help support our reading initiative and Humber Nurseries for donating two trees towards our Eco-initiative.
CHESS CLUB
Students from grades 3-6 are welcomed
to come learn the game of chess with the
help from our grade 8 students every
Monday and Wednesday at lunch in the
downstairs forum. SEE YOU THERE!!
Our other main recess rule is for the winter season. Every year,
throughout the winter season, students are reminded about a very strict,
yet simple, rule that forbids the throwing of snowballs at school. Students are continually reminded during announcements that our school
rule states:
DO NOT THROW SNOW OR SNOWBALLS AT SCHOOL.
We also remind students that the reason for this important rule is to
ensure that all children can go out in the school yard, play safely and
enjoy the outdoor recesses. Throwing snowballs in the schoolyard not
only breaks our school rule, but also endangers the safety of other students.
Students who disobey the snowball rules are endangering fellow students by their poor behaviour and disciplinary consequences, which may include school suspension, will be instituted.
.
After Hours Use of School Property
School property should not be used after school hours without a permit. Sports groups and other
groups often are given permission by permit for use of the premises, but a fee is charged and proper
permitting must occur. School property is private property, and we have difficulties with vandalism, broken bottles and other inappropriate activity taking place which makes the school unsafe and unclean in
the morning for students. Neighbours are encouraged to call the police if you see any inappropriate activity taking place on school property after school hours. Thank you for your help in keeping our school
and community safe.
FROM THE STAFF AND STUDENTS OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
SCHOOL WE WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A
VERY BLESSED AND MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Page 6
Kindergarten Registration Dates
2015-2016
Intermediate Christmas Litugy:
Intermediate classes will be having their annual
Christmas Liturgy in the Library on
Friday, December 19 at 10:30-11:30 in the
Library.
Please join the students in scripture and song as we
prepare for Christmas.
The theme is Keeping Christ in Christmas.
Registration for Junior and Senior Kindergarten for the 2015—
2016 school year will take place at all Catholic elementary
schools on the following dates:

Monday, January 26, 2015 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Snow Date Only— Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 7:00
p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

January 28, 29 & 30, 2015 from 9:00—3:00 p.m.
We welcome parents to attend.
To register your child, you will need:
1.
2.
Proof of age.
Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman,
Greek, or Ukrainian Rite, for one parent and child (if the
child has not been baptized, a letter of counseling with the
parish priest, to complete the process will be accepted).
3.
Updated immunization records.
4.
Proof of Canadian citizenship or Landed Immigrant status.
5.
Proof of address (any two of the following).

Property tax bill

Real estate document, e.g., Purchase Agreement/*Rental
Agreement

Current utility bill

Government of Canada-issued forms, e.g., passport, Service
Canada documents
SANTA FUND!!!
Christmas is an important and special time of the year
that many people look forward to. Families spend time
together, exchange gifts, and enjoy holiday feasts. However, Christmas and the holiday season can be a difficult
time for those struggling to make ends meet. Please help
out less fortunate families in our local community by donating to the Caledon Community Services' Santa Fund.
All you have to do is send in a new, unwrapped toy
and put it under the school's Christmas tree located in the main entrance. We will be accepting the toys
until December 11, 2014. Thanking you in advance for
your generosity. GOD BLESS!!
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
To help you plan your holidays, the Christmas vacation continues from December 22, 2014 to January
2nd, 2015. The last day of school in December will
be Friday, December 19th, 2014 and the first day of
school in the New Year will be Monday, January 5,
2015.
The Hour Of Code is Coming!
On Thursday, December 11, Grade 7 students at St. John the
Baptist are in for some exciting learning as they participate
Code.org’s ‘Hour of Code.’ In its second year, this nonprofit
initiative is designed to introduce students to the world of
computer sciences. For more information, please go to
www.code.org.
Kindergarten Entry Planning for September
2015 for Students with Differing Abilities
Information Night for Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of Students
with Special Needs in the areas of Vision, Hearing, Autism, Physical/Medical and/or Developmental Delays in
the cognitive and/or motor areas.
On Thursday, January 8, 2015, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board will present an Information Night for Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of students with Special Needs in the
areas of Vision, Hearing, Autism, Physical/Medical and/or
Developmental Delays in the cognitive and/or motor areas. The session will run from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and
will be held in Room 301 at the Catholic Education Centre
at 40 Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga.
Information will be provided regarding School Entry Planning for students entering JK, SK and Full Day Kindergarten. At the session parent(s)/guardian(s) will be reminded
to ensure they register at their local school.
Page 7
NOTICE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF TRANSPORTED STUDENTS
TOWN OF CALEDON
To help parents/guardians better understand the nuances of school bus cancellation notices as they relate to the Town of Caledon, the
following clarification is provided with reference to a typical media statement:
“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES IN THE
TOWN OF CALEDON ARE CANCELLED”
This means that all school buses in the jurisdictional area of the Town of Caledon, including Bolton, Caledon East, as well as all
villages and rural areas, are cancelled. This affects all elementary students who are bussed to St. Cornelius, Holy Family, St. John Paul II,
St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas, as well as all secondary students who are bussed to Robert F. Hall and St. Michael Catholic secondary schools.
Please note that a notice that “the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel District School Board buses are cancelled” indicates that all buses are cancelled including all bus runs in the Town of Caledon. Similarly, a notice indicating that “the DufferinPeel schools are closed” would include the closure of all schools in the Town of Caledon.
While cancellation notices are indicated on various news channels, including TV and radio stations, typically by 6:00 am, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board also posts the information by numerous means, typically by 6:10 am.
Here are ways parents/guardians and students can check on cancellation/closure notices:
Visit the Board website at www.dpcdsb.org or any Dufferin-Peel Catholic school website, where a yellow ALERT banner at the top of the
page will advise of any cancellations or other relevant alert messages.

Phone (905) 890-1221 to hear opening recorded message (eg. “Thank you for calling the DPCDSB on Wednesday, January 29.
Please be advised that buses in Dufferin County and Caledon are cancelled today….”

Twitter – all cancellations/closures are tweeted. Follow the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board @ DPCDSBSchools.
eCommunity email blast – subscribe through the Board website www.dpcdsb.org to receive board information on a regular basis. Cancellation notices are emailed to subscribers.
KISS N’ RIDE “SAFETY CONCERNS”
Please keep in mind that St. John the Baptist was positioned in the subdivision so that it is a “walker school” for the vast majority of students. We only
have one bus, as most students are expected to be walking to school. There are crossing guards located at Queensgate and Landsbridge and at Dovaston and Landsbridge for this purpose. We encourage everyone to make the healthy walk to school instead of using the Kiss and Ride. Remember, with almost 700 students, the Kiss and Ride is going to be congested and patience is needed by everyone.
Please note, when you need to use the Kiss and Ride, that you must follow the procedures for safety. Use the middle lane ONLY (marked Kiss
and Ride). When you have driven up as far as you can go in the Kiss and Ride lane, your children may disembark the vehicle from the right hand side
of the car only. Please remain in the car. Your child should be able to get out of the car on their own and shut the door. If they are not able to
do this, we request that you either park on the side streets, or at the splash park so you can accompany your child. It is very dangerous for students,
or adults to get out of the car from the left hand side, as cars are moving quickly through. Once your child has exited the car on the right hand side,
you may pull your car into the left hand land marked “Drive Thru” and proceed out of the parking lot.
Your child should NEVER exit the car in the “Drive Thru” lane. This holds up traffic and is extremely dangerous. After 8:30, the drive through
lane will be blocked for safety, so if you would like to park in our school lot, please arrive at 8:30.
At no time should you leave your car in the Kiss and Ride lane (even at the end of the day). The City of Caledon monitor all schools and will
ticket your car.
We need to work together to make the school safe for everyone’s children! Thank you for your support!
december 2014
Sun
7
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3 Pizza Day
4
5 Operation
Christmas Child
Delivery - Gr. 8
6
8
9
10 Rose Theatre Trip
- Gr. 7
11 Advent Mass at
9:00am and
10:20am
12 MacMillans
13
Hot Lunch
14
15
16 Christmas
17 Christmas Concert 18 Virtues AssemConcert for K-3 for K-3 at 1:00pm
bly at 1:35
19 Intermediate
Liturgy in the
Library
20
25
26
27
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Christmas Break
1:00pm
21
28
Sun
4
22
23
Christmas Break
Christmas Break CHRISTMAS EVE
29
30
Christmas Break
Christmas Break
Mon
24
Fundraiser
pickup from
3pm-7pm (lower
forum)
31 New Years’s Eve
January 2015
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
8
9
10
5 First Day Back 6
to School
7 Hot Lunch
11
12
13
14 Pizza Day
15
16
17
18
19 NO
SCHOOL for
students
20
21 Hot Lunch
22
23
24
29 Kindergarten
Registration 93pm
30 Kinder Regis- 31
tration 9-3pm
School Council
7:00pm
Immunizations Gr.
7-8
P.A. Day
25
26 New to Kindergarten Registration Night
7pm-9pm
27 Kinder Registration Snowday
28 Kindergarten
Registration 9-3pm
Pizza Day
NET retreat for
Gr. 7
Virtues Assembly at 1:35
ROSARY BEADED BRACELETS WATER FOR BRAZIL FUND
This year St. John the Baptist with the help of our Youth Faith Ambassadors will be selling Beaded Rosary Bracelets. All
proceeds after expenses will be donated to the "Water for Brazil" Fund. This organization is led by a missionary priest
named Fr. Marco. He is devoted to building water wells in the Northern regions of Brazil where fresh water is scarce and
in much need. Please consider donating to this cause by purchasing a beautiful rosary bracelet for only $5.00 each or 2
bracelets for $7.00. These will surely make a great Christmas gift or Stocking stuffer!