St. Joachim
435 Rutherford Rd North Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Fax: 905-453-8615
Principal:
A. Alonzi-Peever
November 2011
Vice-Principal:
M. Di Nunzio
Prayer for Our Veterans
Volume 1, Issue 3
Inside this issue:
Head Secretary:
D. Brunetti
Secretary:
Y. McCutcheon
Superintendent:
A. Tucciarone
Trustee:
A. Da Silva
Pastor:
Fr. Damian Ali
Associate Pastor:
Fr. Kim D’Souza
“Through A
Celebration Of Our
Faith All Who
Enter Our School
May Grow Together As A
Christian
Community”
Lord Jesus,
With gratitude, we honour all veterans
who have served their fellow Canadians.
We pray for all the victims of war, all children of God:
We pray for mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, daughters,
and sons in Canada and across the world who mourn the
deaths of loved ones.
Comfort them, O Lord.
We pray for soldiers who are still overseas
Protect them, keep them safe, and bring them home soon.
Comfort them, O Lord.
We pray for civilians who live with daily terror and
destruction.
Comfort them, O Lord.
We pray for our leaders: give them wisdom and
discernment
to bring life and peace where there is death and conflict.
Guide them, O Lord.
May we honor all those who have served in the military by
creating a just and peaceful world for the generations to
come.
Guide us, O Lord.
-School Council
-Extreme Weather
-Remembrance Day
-Social Justice
-Medications
2
-Bus Cancellations/
School Closures
-World Teachers Day
-Cold and Flu Season
-Lockdown
3
-Homework Help
-Kiss & Ride
-Cross Country
4
-All Saints, All Souls
-Int. Volleyball
-Custody of Children
5
-EQAO
-Lunch Moms/Pizza
Days
-A Christian Christmas
-One World, One Life
6
-Emergency Incident
Policy
-Homework Policy and
Procedures
-Student Vacations
-Dates to Remember
7
-Letter from Board of
Trustees
8
Virtue of the Month: Conscience
God has given us the ability to know
the right and decent way to act and
then to act that way. We trust that
the common Spirit we share inspires
us and guides us to make good decisions if we allow our conscience to
be well-informed.
Our Conscience assembly will be on
November 29th @ 1:30 p.m.
A Person of Conscience:
Chooses to do the right thing and
feels good about it
Can see how his/her actions may
hurt others
Says “sorry” and tries to make up
for mistake
Page 2
EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS PROCEDURES
Social Justice
at
St. Joachim
School ”Mats 4
Haiti”
Great News- St.
Joachim School
will be supporting
a new initiative
called Canadian
Mats 4 Haiti
To inspire us we
are going to be
having an
assembly on
Wednesday
November 9th.
More information
to follow soon.
In order to protect the
health and safety of
school aged children in
Peel, the Peel Health Department has developed
guidelines for periods of
extreme weather conditions.
At rest, an unprotected
person is able to maintain
their core body temperature until the temperature
falls to or below minus 28
degrees Celsius.
The
main risk of exposure to
extremely cold weather
for relatively short periods
(recess or lunch periods)
is that of frostbite. Someone who is protected by
clothing or is physically
active may be able to
withstand exposure to
colder temperatures.
Students should come
dressed appropriately for
winter weather (hats,
mitts, etc.)
For health
reasons and to help keep
the school clean, we
would request that the
students have a pair of
indoor shoes.
Please
ensure that they are prop-
erly labeled and have non
-skid marking soles. Students will be asked to
leave their outdoor boots/
shoes outside their classrooms. Please note that
in the event of an emergency evacuation, students will not have the
opportunity to put boots
on. This is another reason for students to have
indoor shoes. Thank you
for your help and cooperation.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Our next School Advisory Council Meetings will take place on the following
dates: November 23, January 25, February 22, April 25 and May 30.
The meetings will be held in the library from 7:00pm to 8:00 pm. All parents
are encouraged to attend.
REMEMBRANCE DAY
On Friday November 11th at 10:30 a.m., our students will be led in a wonderful
liturgy of thanks and prayer in memory of all those who have died for the peace
and freedom we enjoy today. We are asking students to wear red and white to
honour our Veterans. Please join us at the school to share in a prayer of
remembrance.
MEDICATIONS
Just a reminder to parents, that in
order for students to have access
to medicine on a daily basis or for
us to store
medication in the
school there MUST be a
consent form filled out by a doctor.
This includes students who need
to temporarily take medication
for an illness (e.g. antibiotics).
You may obtain the appropriate
board required forms from the school
office as you will need to take them
with you to the doctor to be signed.
All medication is stored and
distributed through the office. If
your child has a medical condition
requiring specialized supervision,
please notify the school office.
November 2011
Volume 1, Issue
Page 3
BUS CANCELLATIONS AND/OR SCHOOL CLOSURES
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 a.m. and will be announced on
the following radio stations:
VIRGIN RADIO 99.9
CHUM 1050
CFTR 680
CFNY 102.1
CJCL 590
CHFI 98.1
CFRB 1010
EZ ROCK 97.3
CJBC (FR) 860 AM
Z103.5
93.1 FM
CFTO
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CBC
CHIN100.7 FM/1540
AM
DPCDSB has four announcements in regards to cancellations. Please listen for the
following two announcements (out of four) which will affect our school community.
(Please note that the highlighted text only will be communicated by the radio stations).
“THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD BUSES ARE CANCELLED.” This means that:
ALL Transportation services provided by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board and The Peel District School Board, including buses, vans and taxis have been
cancelled for the entire day.
“THE SCHOOLS AND OFFICES OF BOTH THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ARE
CLOSED.” This means that:
ALL Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board ad Peel District School Board
schools and offices are closed to all students and staff.
Information is also available on the board website.
WORLD TEACHERS DAY
On Wednesday Oct 5th we celebrated
World Teacher’s Day at St. Joachim.
We want to recognize and celebrate
our great teachers for their commitment
and dedication to Catholic Education.
They help our students to prepare for
life and teach them the many skills
needed to be better people. Thank you
to our outstanding team of teachers here
at St. Joachim, who are the reason we
have such a great school. You make a
difference in the lives of our students
every day!
LOCKDOWN
All students
participated in a
lockdown drill in
the month of
October.
Schools are
required to
practice proper
procedures two
times during the
year. Students
will participate
in another
practice in the
Spring.
COLD AND FLU SEASON
Please use discretion in keeping
your child at home if they are ill.
A child who is coughing, wheezing, etc, is not in a state to learn
and will only infect others.
At times we receive requests to
allow students to stay indoors for
recess when they have a cold,
flu, etc. Please note that we are
unable to comply since we do
not have the staff or facilities to
supervise these students. As long
as students are dressed warmly,
Health officials indicate that fresh
air is not harmful for children. If
your child is too ill to go outside
for recess we kindly request that
they remain home until they are
healthy enough to join in the
regular activities of the school.
On extremely cold days, as
indicated by the high wind chill
factor, we will be limiting the time
spent outside by students. Except
for these rare occasions, we
expect all students to go outside
for recess and lunch break.
Page 4
HOMEWORK HELP INITIATIVE
The Homework Help Initiative has been once again been launched for grade 7 to 10 students in our board. This Ministry initiative is a great help for our grade 7 and 8 students. If
you are unsure how your child can access this on line help, please contact your child’s
teacher.
Homework is an important part of the learning process for it: reinforces skills/concepts
learned in class, allows time for research skills to be developed, builds good study habits,
promotes self-discipline and gives parents an informal report on how well their child is coping,
More information about this initiative can be found on the board website at
www.dpcdsb.org/cec under “Homework Help Initiative.”
Parents can assist their child with homework by: providing a consistent quiet place to work,
offer to be the audience for oral reading editing their child’s written work, and assisting their
children in finding appropriate research material for a project. Homework done well provides the link to the next day’s lessons. It is like building a tower; each block has to fit to the
one previous in order to gain a solid structure.
PARKING and KISS & RIDE
Thank you to all our parents
who have been obeying all
the parking signage on and
around our school property.
Your patience is appreciated.
Please remember not to park
in our staff parking lot. There
is a lot of student traffic in this
lot and the addition of cars
going in and out of the lot as
well as students going under
the fence to walk to cars is
dangerous. Some people
have been parking in the fire
routes and in front of our
school bus. This is
extremely dangerous. Our
number one concern is our
students. Please be patient
and follow the parking signs.
A reminder to all parents
that parking is NOT permitted in the Kiss and Ride
Lane. Please do not leave
your car as it backs up traffic in the lane. Teachers are
on duty in the morning and
at the end of the day to direct the students. Your cooperation for the good of all
our student population is
appreciated.
CROSS COUNTRY
On Thursday October 20th
the Cross Country participated in the Brampton North
East Cross Country Meet at
Heart Lake Conservation
area. All did members did
very well and represented
our school with pride. Congratulations goes out to:
Yessenia A., Tania C.,
Raeon G., Chelsea N., Jaidah P., Rosalinda E., Kennedie I., Mary T., Talia F.,
Ana-Maria O., Jewel P.,
Fiona S., Jasmine A., Madison F., Damian L., Boben
B., Gabriel A., Alexander C.,
John K., Leo R. An extra
congratulations goes out to:
Jewel P. for finishing 12th,
John K. for finishing 15th, Leo
R. for finishing 4th. On October 25th the students represented St. Joachim well at
the Board Meet at Heart
Lake. Special mention to Leo
for finishing 9th in his race.
Special Thanks to coaches
Ms. Selley and Mrs. Hogan
for coaching the team.
November 2011
Volume 1, Issue
CELEBRATING ALL SAINTS DAY AND ALL SOULS DAY
While the secular world
moves
towards
the
celebration of the Christmas season at this time of
year, we are reminded as
Catholics of the importance of the feast days of
All Saints Day and All
Souls Day celebrated in
the Roman Rite.
All Saints Day, celebrated
on November 1, reminds
our community of those
men and women who
have lived faithful lives in
the Church. This day is a
part of the liturgical calen-
dar of events, and we
remember our saints in
our prayers. The historical roots of this celebration have to do with those
martyrs who died in the
early Church.
Later,
Pope Gregory VII declared this day to be the
date we remember all that
lived and died for their
faith.
On All Souls Day, November 2, our faith remembers all who died and we
remember those with liturgies,
celebrations or
prayers. Both dates remind students of the
depth of our faith and our
participation in the Catholic Church.
These pivotal events help
remind us as a Catholic
school system of the
Importance of the celebration of our faith, and
helps prepare us for the
end of the liturgical year
and the
celebration of
Advent, the beginning of
our new
liturgical
Page 5
God of our ancestors,
today we gather to
our hearts all those
who have influenced
our lives with their
love and goodness.
Although they have
passed on to the
other side of this life,
their lives continue to
affect who we are and
what we do. Like the
sound of a bell
resounding in the
welcoming air, so has
the goodness of these
holy ones resonated
in our lives. Thank
you for these
ancestors and the
bond we have with
them.
Amen
INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL
On Friday, October 21st, the
Intermediate Boys Volleyball
Team participated in the
Brampton North East mini
tournament.
Scores were
very close, but not enough to
advance to the finals. The
boys showed great determination, sportsmanship and
positive attitude. They represented St. Joachim with
pride. Way to go boys! The
players are: Damian .S., Michael .S., David .A., Michael .P., Timi .S., Jose .M.,
Jonathan .A., Vincent .N.,
and Patrick .A. A special
thank you goes to their
coaches Ms. Procaccini and
Mrs. Napoli who put their
time and effort in coaching
the team.
The intermediate girls’ volleyball team did an amazing
job playing at the mini tournament at St. Marguerite
Bourgeoys School on
October 21st. They played
as a cohesive team, support-
ing and communicating
effectively on and off the
court. Their
excellent
sportsmanship and positive
attitude got them a second
place finish. Team members
are: Arianna, Christele, Leah,
Cassie,
Victoria, Renee,
Fatima, Kayleigh, Alyssa,
Marly and team captain,
Christine. Special thanks to
their coaches Mrs. Napoli and
Ms. Lugtu.
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.
Page 6
EQAO
The individual Grade 3 and 6 EQAO results have been sent home.
% of students at Level 3 & 4
Grade 3
Reading
Writing
Math
School
47
50
55
Board
68
76
69
Province
63
73
69
Grade 6
Reading
Writing
Math
School
70
72
47
Board
77
78
62
Province
74
73
58
LUNCH MOMS
& PIZZA DAYS
Just a reminder
– Lunch Moms
is on
Wednesdays.
Upcoming Pizza
Days are
November 22nd
and December
20th.
Information about the overall school results are also
available at www.eqao.com. This year’s grade 3 and 6
EQAO testing will take place M a y 2 3 t o J u n e 6 ,
2 0 1 1 . Parents are asked to keep this time period in
mind when scheduling family trips or making appointments.
It is very important that all grade 3 and grade 6
students are in attendance for these assessments.
When students are absent, it negatively affects our
school achievement results.
The French Immersion grade 3 students will be
completing the EQAO test in English for reading and
writing, and Math will be completed in French.
We are looking to improve student achievement by
continuing to focus on Junior Numeracy, three-part
Math lesson, Guided/Shared Reading, and positive
school climate.
A CHRISTIAN CHRISTMAS—A TIME FOR GIVING
This year, as always we would appreciate your help in supporting the less
fortunate in our school and church community. We are asking your support
in purchasing gift certificates/cards only for our Christmas Drive. No gifts
will be collected. Parents and students are asked to buy a gift certificate/
card in any denomination and bring it to school by December 9th, so that we
have time to distribute them to those in need.
“ONE WORLD, ONE LIFE”
“One World, One Life,” St.
Joachim’s Environmental
Club was already busy this
past October planting bulbs
in the gardens at the front
and side of the school. This
is in addition to the flowers
that the club planted last
spring. We have a large
club this year, with members
from grades 4 – 7. We hope
to do many more projects
over the course of the school
year.
Please continue to
bring your used printer
cartridges, old cell phones,
and cameras. We have almost collected enough to
plant a tree.
SAVE THE DATE! December 7th— St. Joachim Carols Evening
The St. Joachim School Community is invited to come and
celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus in song.
More information to follow in our December Newsletter.
November 2011
Volume 1, Issue
Page 7
EMERGENCY INCIDENT POLICY
We have a detailed fire/
emergency evacuation
and lock-down policy.
We will be practicing
many times over the
course of the school
year. You need to
know that in case we
have to evacuate the
school, our evacua-
tion site is Arnott
Charlton
Public
School.
A
REMINDER:
Students must wear
shoes in the school
building at all times. If
the fire alarm goes off,
students will not be permitted to stop to put on
shoes, coats, hats etc.
Their safety is our first
priority. Please ensure
that your child has an
extra pair of shoes at
school during the
winter months.
No one has ever
seen God; but if
we love one
another, God
lives in us and
his love is made
complete in us
~ John 1 4:12
Homework Policy and Procedures
The board-wide policy and procedures approach homework from a Catholic
perspective that recognizes the importance of family time and honours the
bonds between school, family and parish. As a community, we recognize
that the stronger these bonds, the more effectively our students are able to
learn and to develop the unique talents and gifts with which they are
blessed.
STUDENT VACATIONS
At times throughout the year, students go on vacation. Please advise your
child’s teacher of the absence. It is difficult to assign homework; while away
your child can write a journal and review Math concepts already learned.
DATES TO REMEMBER
NOVEMBER
1–
Swim to Survive Cox
2–
Swim to Survive Selley
3–
Picture Retake day
4–
Swim to Survive Rado
7–
Swim to Survive Langley
8–
Swim to Survive Cox
9–
Swim to Survive Selley
9:20 Mats for Haiti
Presentation
10Fr. Damian New Missal
practice
11–
Remembrance Day
Liturgy
18 22–
23–
25 –
27 –
29 –
P.D. Day (No School)
Pizza Day
Junior Volleyball Mini
Tournament @
Joachim
School Council 7 p.m.
Learn to Dribble
Program (more info to
follow)
Advent Begins
Conscience Assembly
1:30 p.m.
DECEMBER
2Officer Lyon Visit
7–
Advent Mass 1:30 p.m.
Joachim Carols
Evening
8–
Officer Lyons visit
20–
Pizza Day
2210:30 a.m. Hope
Assembly
23– Last day of School
before Christmas
JANUARY
9–
Back to School!
From the Board of Trustees
October 2011
Dufferin-Peel students continue to shine on latest EQAO tests
Recently released EQAO test results for primary (Grades 1-3) and junior (Grades 4-6) assessments of
reading, writing and mathematics, and the Grade 9 mathematics indicate that Dufferin-Peel students
continue to meet or exceed provincial averages.
Some of the improvements this year over last year are as high as 6% and 10%. This is great news for our
students and shines a light on the hard work of faculty, staff, administrators and trustees in aligning
system resources to support all learners.
Assessment
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Reading
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Writing
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Mathematics
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Reading
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Writing
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Mathematics
Grade 9 Academic Mathematics
Grade 9 Applied Mathematics
2009-2010
62%
71%
71%
73%
76%
63%
85%
42%
2010-2011
68%
76%
69%
77%
78%
62%
87%
52%
1-Year Comparison
+6%
+5%
-2%
+4%
+2%
-1%
+2%
+10%
* Results indicate percentage of students who achieved at or above the provincial standard (Levels 3 and 4)
While this year’s results are impressive, results over the past several years provide further evidence that
Dufferin-Peel students continue to improve over time. This is great news, but it doesn’t mean we cannot
do even better. Board staff will further analyze the EQAO results to provide support to schools, students
and parents/guardians to ensure that more students continue to improve in all assessment areas. Each
school has its own plan, which will be reviewed in the context of its students’ test results, to improve
students’ skills in all subject areas. School plans include strategies to assist all students, including
intervention and reinforcement for students who did not achieve the provincial standard.
Check your school website, or contact the principal for your school’s EQAO results. Additional information
can be obtained through the EQAO website at www.eqao.com.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board - Board of Trustees
Anna da Silva - Brampton Wards 1,3,4
Frank Di Cosola - Caledon/Dufferin
Anna Abbruscato - Mississauga Ward 4 (Chair)
Bruno Iannicca - Mississauga Ward 7
Linda Zanella - Brampton Wards 2, 5, 6
Mario Pascucci - Mississauga Wards 1&3
Thomas Thomas - Misissauga Ward 5
Esther O’Toole - Mississauga Wards 9&10
Scott McLauchlan - Brampton Wards 7-10
Sharon Hobin - Mississauga Wards 2&8 (Vice Chair)
Peter Ferreira - Mississauga Wards 6&11
John B. Kostoff - Director of Education
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board