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435 Rutherford Rd North
Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Principal:
A. Alonzi-Peever
Vice-Principal:
K. Barton
Superintendent:
March Prayer
A. Tucciarone
Head Secretary:
D. Brunetti
Secretary:
Y. McCutcheon
Trustee:
A. Da Silva
Pastor:
Fr. Damien
Associate Pastor:
Fr. Kim
“Through A
St. Patrick’s Day
Almighty God,
Who in your providence
chose your servant
Patrick to be the apostle
of the Irish people,
to bring those who were
wandering in darkness
and error
to the true light and
knowledge of you:
Grant us so to walk in
that light,
that we may come at last
to the light of everlasting
life;
Through Jesus Christ our
Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and
forever
(taken from Churchyear.net)
.
Celebration Of
Our Faith All Who
Enter Our School
May Grow
Together As A
Christian
Community”
Virtue of the Month: Kindness
This month we celebrate the Virtue of Kindness.
Let us pray for the Virtue of Kindness so that everyone we meet will
feel like we are looking out for their good.
A Kind Person:
 Says nice things about others so they feel good about themselves
 Sticks up for people who are picked on or need help
 Refuses to join others who are insulting, intimidating, mean or
hurtful
 Watches and looks for ways to help those in need.
 Refers children to parents, adults, and
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL
The next meeting of the School Advisory
teachers for further assistance and instrucCouncil will be April 6th in the school library
tion
at 7:00 p.m. All are invited to attend.
The set for the Power of One consists of a series of boxes that fit inside each other like a
Russian egg. Each box is a different colour:
ST. JOACHIM WEBSITE
Please visit our school website at green, purple, yellow, and white, representing
www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH We have listed up- the different roles in the bullying process.
coming events, school information, school Following the colour scheme of the boxes, the
hours, newsletters and links to other websites actors put on a green mask when they play the
Bully, a purple mask when they play the Taryou may find helpful.
get, and a yellow mask for the Bystander.
The highlight of the performance is when a
POWER OF ONE
volunteer from the audience looks into the
Our school recently participated in a powerful Power of One box (which contains a mirror)
and sees himself/herself!
anti-bullying presentation called “The Power
This leads to the audience taking the Power of
of One”. Ask your child about the bullying
lessons they learned. The whole school signed One anti-bullying oath and the conclusion of
the performance. Taken from Power of One Website
the oath and agreed to follow its principles. Thank you to our School Council for
COLD WEATHER GUIDELINES
contributing funds toward this presentation!
The board policy recommends that students go out
Soren Bennick's The Power of One™
for recess unless it is beA bullying-proofing performance for elelow –25 degrees Celsius
mentary school children
The Power of One is a series of skits presented with the wind factor inby actors who use boxes, colours, and masks to cluded. Please ensure your children are appropriately dressed for outdoor play with hats,
vividly portray what bullying is, what can be
scarves, mittens, boots and snow pants/
done about it, and how every child has the
snowsuit. On wet and slushy days, students
power of one, the power to report bullying
often get wet, therefore it is helpful if students
when they see it. The Power of One:
 Explains the roles in bullying: Bully, Tar- have a change of clothing (e.g. sweat pants and
shirt) that can be left at school or in their backget, and Bystander
pack as it is difficult for parents to leave work
 Shows vivid examples of different types of to bring an extra set of clothes.
bullying: Physical, Verbal, Exclusion, and Cy- Weather conditions are reviewed daily and decisions around outdoor play and length of reber bullying
cesses are determined. Students should be pre Alerts children that Targets need help and pared to go outside. It is also imperative that
all students have a proper pair of running shoes
intervention
for Physical Education classes. Running shoes
with platforms or wheels are not safe. Please
 Encourages students not to be bystanders
ensure your child(ren) have a proper pair of
 Emphasizes the need for individual action running shoes left at school or in their school
to make the community a safer, better place
bag on a daily basis.
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$26 or more also will receive smaller prizes.
BUS SAFETY
Ensuring student safety on the bus is our number one goal at St. Joachim Catholic School.
Even if your child does not take a school bus
daily, every child needs to know bus safety
rules for when they take the bus for school
field trips, or trips to the church. Please go
over the following safety rules with your
children:
 Listen to the bus driver at all times, they
are the adult on charge
 Go directly to your seat when you get on
the bus and remain seated until the bus
stops at your intersection
 Never eat, drink, fight, horseplay, or swear
on the bus
 Do not open or close windows
 Do not vandalize bus seats, or any property
on the bus
 Respect private property while you are
waiting for the bus
 If someone is misbehaving on the bus, tell
the bus driver
 If you get hurt on the bus or you see someone get hurt on the bus, let the bus driver
know right away and inform the school
right away
DANCE-A-THON FUNDRAISER
St. Joachim participated in another successful
Dance-A-Thon that took place on February
11th. Students had a great time and glow
bracelets lit up the dance floor! Congratulations and thank you to all the students who participated and helped raise money for St.
Joachim! Top Prize winners for each division
will be announced soon. Students who raised
SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND BUS CANCELLATIONS
The season when inclement weather may cause
delays or cancellations is upon us. Please
make the safest decision when deciding
whether to send your child to school on days
when severe weather warnings are issued. If
buses are cancelled in the morning, they are
also cancelled at the end of the day. You must
make other arrangements for your child to get
home if you chose to bring them to school.
Please send a note with your child informing
the office about your travel arrangements at the
end of the day.
SNOW AND ICE
As snow and ice are a reality in the winter
months we want to ask parents to review with
their children that throwing snowballs and sliding on ice are NOT allowed at school. As
much fun as snow and ice can be, it can also be
extremely dangerous when there are many
people in one area. Most student injuries happen during the winter months. In order for our
school to be as safe as possible, the school rule
must be that snow stays on the ground—no
snowballs, kicking snow or any other activity
with snow or ice that could be harmful. The
safety of all of our students is our number one
priority.
ANAPHYLAXIS POLICY REMINDER
The staff at St. Joachim has been inserviced
around the emergency procedures in dealing
with an anaphylactic reaction. There are a
number of students in our school who have
serious, and in some cases, life threatening allergies. Even the mere exposure to these products may cause severe allergic reactions, that
could potentially result in death.
While these students may not be in your
child’s class, or eat in the area your child eats,
we are most concerned with crosscontamination which may occur if a child
eats, for example, peanuts and then touches a their patience and understanding for the safety
book, chair, desk etc that may be touched by of all students.
the child with the allergy.
St. Joachim would appreciate the co-operation
of the entire school community in NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain peanut,
nuts, shellfish or any other life threatening allergens which could potentially harm a child.
Instead of bringing in food for birthdays or
special occasions, we encourage parents to
bring in non-edible treats such as stickers,
erasers, pencils, and dollar store items. Students with anaphylactic allergies are encouraged to bring in their own treats for special occasions. We look forward to your understanding and co-operation in making our school safe
for all students. Reminder letters were sent
home to classes in February.
CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult
situations in which non-custodial parents arrive
at our school asking to visit with their child or
take their child home after school. We are best
able to serve and protect the child when we are
made aware of legal custody arrangements,
visitation rights and any other special instructions. If legal custody matters affect your family, please ensure that our office and classroom
teachers are aware of custodial arrangements
between parents that may affect your child during school hours. We require custodial parents
to provide legal documentation for our files in
order to ensure appropriate procedures are followed.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
KISS AND RIDE LANES
Thank you to the many parents who have been
patient in the morning and evening in the Kiss
and Ride lanes. When everyone shows courtesy and patience, it provides a safe environment for all our students. We encourage parents to drop their children on Winterfold Street
and cross at the lights with the crossing guard,
to ease some of the congestion in the Kiss and
Ride lanes. While there is a large volume of
cars entering the Kiss and Ride Lanes, we have
noticed that between 8:45am to 8:50am the
volume is much less. We encourage parents
to drop off their children during this time to
help with some of the congestion that occurs
at 9:00am. Just a reminder to parents not to
PARK in the Kiss and Ride lanes as you could
get ticketed by the City of Brampton Parking
Control. You must stay in your car. Please
ensure your child exits ONLY on the right
hand side of the car nearest the sidewalk. Do not
Park in the bus lane.
Thank you to everyone for
In February, students from Mrs. Doria’s class
and students of Ms. Russo’s classes participated in Black History Month by educating us
about famous Black people over the morning
announcements. Feb 28th, students in grade 4
to 8 will be treated to a special Black History
Month presentation.
THE SEASON OF LENT
The Lenten season begins on March 9th with
Ash Wednesday. The word Lent comes from
the Latin word for springtime. During spring,
daylight hours increase, trees begin to bud and
flowers start to blossom. As nature literally
“renews” itself, we too are asked to renew our
hearts and repair our relationships with God
and with each other.
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness and patience. Bear with
one another and, if anyone has a complaint
against another, forgive each other...Above all,
clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14
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OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL
HERITAGE (SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
YOUR INFORMATION)
5. Why did Catholics find the nondenominational religious education of the common school unsatisfactory?
Catholics wanted separate schools where all the
beliefs of the Catholic Church would be taught,
where the pupils would live their faith in a sacramental and community manner in proximity to the
parish church and priest, and where religion would
permeate the reading, literature and history curriculum. Furthermore, as modern times arrived, the
multiculturalism of the public school’s student body
necessitated the eradication of the teaching of
Christianity.
6. What sacrifices did Catholics
have to make to send their children to separate schools?

tional separate school. Sometimes the permission was not forthcoming.
The legislation required twelve Catholic
heads of family resident within a city, town
or township common school section. The
townships’ common school sections were
so small that often there were not twelve
resident Catholic families.
7. Were these four obstacles removed?
Yes. The United Legislature of Canada East and
Canada West in 1853, 1855 and 1863 removed all
four hindrances. There was no more double taxation. It did not matter if there was a Catholic teaching in the common school. The separate school
board did not need the permission of the common
school board to open a new or additional separate
school. The number of Catholic heads of family
to establish a separate school was lowered from
twelve to five. As a result, the number of separate schools grew considerably.
Because the United Legislature of
Canada East and Canada West
EQAO
roughly had consisted of members
EQAO for all grade three and grade six stuadvocating
non-denominational
dents will take place for this year during the
common schools and half were in
period starting Monday May 30th to Frifavour of them, separate school legislation, for day June 10th. We kindly ask that parents
about fifteen years, contained three obstacles to refrain from booking appointments or holidays
their existence:
during this time. Parents may visit the EQAO



Catholics could establish and support a
separate school, but had to continue paying common school taxes. Thus, they paid
tuition for their children in the separate
school;
The separate school had no permanence
of existence. If the local common school
board hired a Catholic as one of its teachers, then the separate school ceased to
exist. Separate schools kept opening and
closing in the early years;
In the cities the separate school board required the permission of the common
school board to open a new or an addi-
website at www.eqao.com for many resources
and useful information regarding EQAO, including sample tests from last year. French Immersion grade 3 students will be writing the
test in English for reading and writing, and in
French for Math.
HEALTHY SCHOOLS
Your child’s school lunches and snacks are a
major source of the essential vitamins and minerals they need to grow and develop over the
years. Packing health school snacks and
lunches for your child is essential. The foods
you pack will give them the energy and nutrients they need to learn and play at school. If
healthy snacks are available when they are
hungry, chances are they will eat them. If
children help wash, cut and prepare their own
snacks with you, they are more likely to eat
them. Some health snack ideas are:






Whole grain cereal
Fruit cup with cottage cheese
Apple and cheese slices
Leftover chapatti with dal
Yogurt with berries
1/2 whole wheat pita stuffed with hummas
Recipe for Yummy Hummas
In a blender, puree a 19 oz (540 mL) can of
chickpeas. Then add the following, blending
after each addition:
1/4 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
Puree until smooth, serve in a pita or with raw
vegetables.
that respects and cherishes l i fe for all . As a Catholic
school board, Dufferin-Peel has applied its distinctive
Catholic lens to the Ministry of Education’s pil lar:
Community, Culture and Caring. A key part of this pillar , intended to meet provincial requirements, is the
development and implementation of the Catholic Community Culture and Caring School Climate Survey.
Beginning in March 2011, and in support of the board’s
Safe, Caring, Inclusive and Healthy School Communities’
init iative, Dufferin-Peel wil l be administering its
Catholic Community Culture and Caring School Climate
Survey to students, as appropriate, in Grades 4 to 12.
The data from this survey wil l allow our school to understand the school climate from the students’ perspect ives.
The survey is confidential and anonymous in nature. The
estimated time required to complete the survey is approximately 20 - 30 minutes; for students who may require additional t ime, i t will be provided accordingly.
The survey is computer-based and contains questions
about students’ general information (i .e. , school name,
grade, gender, years at the school), general safety and
inclusion (i .e. , feeling safe, concerns, feeling welcome and included, etc.) , general school climate (i .e. ,
friendly, accessible, inclusive, etc.) , and will provide opportunities to identify bullying concerns and/or
pro-active supports in bullying prevention.
The survey may provide opportunities for conversation
Try to be eco-friendly with your child’s lunch with your son(s)/daughter(s) regarding his/her/their
of inclusivity and well-being. We invite you
and snacks by packaging them in reusable feelings
to communicate any questions, concerns and/or supporcontainers!
t ive comments to us at the school in order that our
community may continue to work together to address any
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s issues. If you have any additional questions, concerns,
or general comments, please feel free to discuss these
Catholic School Climate Survey
with your son/daughter’s teacher(s) and/or the school
“Love one another as I have loved you”
administrative team.
John 15:12
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
Thank you for your continued collaboration in helping
The Ontario Ministry of Education focus on Safe to ensure that our students feel a sense of safety and
Schools, Positive School Climate and its Equity and belonging, in support of improved student achievement
Inclusive Education Strategy require that all schools and well-being.
across the province implement a School Climate Survey
for students every two years. Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board finds i ts direction and educat ional mission in the teachings of Christ as revealed
through Scripture, Church Tradition, and Church Teaching. The board and its school communities are comprised
of a faith-centred Eucharist ic people who strive to
form communities of learning that are
Christ-centred, inclusive and reflective of a culture
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PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
According to the School Board’s General Administrative Procedures, the use of personal
electronic devices is not permitted on school
premises. Students should not be using these
devices (i.e. cell phones, I Pods, MP3 players,
electronic games etc.) at school. We also ask
that parents serve as good role models by refraining from using these devices, especially
cell phones, on school grounds.
STUDENT SAFETY
If a child is being picked up from school by
someone other than a parent or guardian, there
must be written permission from the parent or
guardian. Also all parents/visitors to the school
must report to the office. No one should be going directly to their child’s class or wondering
through the school. Remember you are a
stranger to other students in the school.
REPORT CARDS
year and there is information that you think we
need to consider in making up classes, please
put this in writing to the principal. Educational
reasons will be factored into the decisions
which will be made by teachers, resource staff
and the school administration. Letters must be
signed and submitted to the Principal PRIOR
to May 6th 2011. Junior Kindergarten students
in the morning or afternoon session this year
will not necessarily be in the same section
(a.m./p.m.) next year. As always, class placements will be tentative until the end of the second week of September when our staffing is
confirmed. Please make sure your children understand this process.
PLAN AHEAD . . .
We are in the process of planning staffing and
organizing classes for the 2011-2012 school
year. If you are planning on moving out of the
St. Joachim area, or simply changing addresses
within our boundaries, please let the office
know as soon as possible. Families with students who live outside of the school area are
reminded that they must apply through the
Flex Boundary policy to the Principal for permission to attend the school in September
2011. The deadline for Flex Boundary applications is March 30, 2011.
Report cards were sent home on Feb 1st for
students from Grade 1 thru Grade 8. Please
remember to call to set up an appointment with
your child’s teacher if you are concerned about
their academic or social development throughout the year. Early intervention and discussion
about your concerns is essential to your child’s LOST AND FOUND
Please encourage your child to look through
success.
the lost and found boxes at the school to locate
lost mittens, hats, boots, shoes etc. Many
MARCH BREAK REMINDER
items are misplaced throughout the year. LaMarch Break holidays will begin for students beling your child’s belongings helps with this
on Monday March 14, 2011 to Friday March process.
18, 2011. Classes will resume Monday March
21, 2011.
CLASS LISTS FOR SEPTEMBER
2011
We will begin to work on next year’s classes
after the March Break. If your children will be
attending St. Joachim Catholic School next
MARCH 2011
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3 Feast of St. Anne
4
5
10
11
12
Mass 7:00 pm at
Church
6
7
8
9 Ash Wednesday
Liturgy in am
13
14
March
Break Begins
15
16
17
18 March
Break Ends
19
20
21
22
23 Lent Mass
10:30
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31 Virtues Assembly 1:15
April 2011
Sun
3
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
7
8
9
14
15
16
4 Hip Hop Lessons begin for gr
1-8 this week
5
10
11
12
17
18 Holy Week 19 Virtues Assem- 20
bly 9:15
Begins
21 Holy Week
Liturgy 1:30 pm
22 Good Friday 23
25 Easter
28
29
24
Monday-no
school for students
6 Parent Council
7:00pm in library
26
13
27
(no school for
students)
30