October 2011
Volume 1, Issue 2
Principal:
A. Alonzi-Peever
Vice-Principal:
M. Di Nunzio
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”
St. Joachim
435 Rutherford Rd North Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Fax: 905-453-8615
Thank You For Everything
Dear God,
Thank you for everything that you give me.
Thank you for my mom and my dad and
All the people that enter my life.
Thank you for my eyes which allow me to see
Your magnificent creation,
And for my heart which allows me to see
What is truly important,
Life without love is meaningless.
Thank you for the love that you give me,
And occasions to share this love that you give me,
And occasions to share this love with other.
Thank you for providing me with the basic necessities of life,
As well as luxuries.
There are many people who have nothing,
People who suffer from hunger and disease.
Find it in our hearts to help them,
And fill their lives with joy,
The joy that you give me.
Thank you for everything.
School Website
Provincial Election
Please visit our school website at
www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH. We have
listed upcoming events, school
information,
school
hours,
newsletters, and links to other
websites you may find helpful
Our school will be used as a
polling site on Thursday, October
6th, 2011 for the provincial
elections.
Special Assignment Teacher
Dufferin Peel will continue to have a Special Assignment Teacher (SAT) visiting
each school in the system to assist with the teaching of junior literacy across the
curriculum. The SAT will be working in partnership with classroom teachers to
implement the junior literacy plan. She will be working with groups of students,
as well as individual students, alongside the classroom teacher to target the
learning needs of all students. This teacher may be working in your child’s
classroom from time to time throughout the year. Welcome to M. Moncur our
SAT this year.
October 2011
Page 2 of 8
Catholic School Council
“Every child, every person
needs to know that they are
a source of joy; every child,
every person, needs to be
celebrated. Only when all
of our weaknesses are
accepted as part of our
humanity can our negative,
broken self-images be
transformed.”
― Jean Vanier
Becoming Human
Open House
The initial connection
you make with your
child’s teacher at the
beginning of the school
year establishes a line of
communication, which is
important throughout the
whole year. Thank you
to all the parents who
joined us for our Open
House
on
Monday
September 26th! Thank
you to School Council for
their support.
On Sept 28th, 2011, the first Council meeting of the school year was held. At
this meeting, the 2009/10 council formally concluded their term and our new
Council was selected. Sincere thanks are extended to all members of last
year’s council for their hard work and dedication towards the betterment of our
school community. Due to the hard work of our council, last year’s fundraising
funds were designated to the following in order to support student learning:
Technological equipment such as a proxima, ELMOs, a T.V., books for our
French and English literacy rooms, buses to take the students to our year end
mass, gym equipment, etc.
We welcome our new council for the 2011-2012 school year.
Chair : Mrs. Hartman
Thank you to everyone who
Vice Chair: Mr. Salazar
attended our meeting. Our
Treasurer: Mrs. Cutruzzola
next meeting will be on
Secretary: Mrs. Braga
October 12th, 2011 at 7:00
Community Representative: Mr. Pires
p.m. Everyone is welcome
Parish Representative: Mrs. DeMarca
to attend.
OAPCE Representative: Mrs. Walker
Teacher Representative: L. Pollard, M. Galea
Non-teaching Representative: D. Tavares
Administration– A. Alonzi-Peever & M. Di Nunzio
Parent Representative – Mrs. Brandolisio
Pediculosis
This early in the school year, we would
like to bring to your attention a problem
which occurs at some time in most
schools at least once a year. This
problem is head lice.
Head lice are parasites, which have been
common among human beings for
centuries. They are not connected in any
way with dirt of neglect. Anyone can be
infested with them. Unfortunately, in
recent years, they have become quite
common throughout North America. In
order to control these pests please
contact your drug store for information on
how to properly treat them. Students are
not allowed back at school until all
In This Issue:
School Website – page 1
Provincial Election – page 1
Special Assignment Teacher – page 1
Catholic School Council – page 2
Pediculosis – page 2
Open House – page 2
Virtues – page 3
Courtesy Seats – page 3
Bussing – page 3
nits are gone. Whenever a case is
found in the school, a generic note is
sent to the affected classrooms to
ask parents to check their own child.
Even if cases are not reported from
the school, it is a wise precaution to
check your children periodically.
Pediculosis is spread only by direct
contact with a ‘case’ often through
the sharing of combs and brushes
and exchanging of hats. It is hoped
that parents and teachers will be on
the alert for excessive scratching and
will instruct the children regarding
prevention.
School Visitors – page 4
Lates– page 4
Safe Arrival Program – page 4
Kiss and Ride – page 4
Hep B/HPV Immunization Program – Page 4
Medications at School – page 4
Recess – page 5
Cell Phones– page 5
Attendance – page 5
School Picture Day – page 5
Visitors in the Playground – page 5
War Amps Presentation – page 5
Swim to Survive – page 6
Letter to Parents– Page 6
Thanksgiving Food Drive– page 6
MedicAlert-No Child Without– page 6
Think Recycle Program – Page 7
Lunch Moms– Page 7
Injury – page 7
Dates to Remember – Page 7
Letter from Archbishop Collins – page 8
Insert: Achievement- A Report to our
Catholic School Communities
October 2011
Page 2 of 8
Virtues
Each month we will focus on a specific virtue:
September:
October:
November:
December:
January:
Faith
Empathy
Conscience
Hope
Self-Control
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
Respect
Kindness
Love
Acceptance
Fairness
We’ll pray about these virtues, we’ll talk about them in the classroom and we’ll
practice them in the hallways. We will make the effort to treat other students
and the adults in our school according to the demands of these virtues. We
will celebrate the progress we make to be a more virtuous Catholic school - a
place of safety, caring and inclusively for all.
Virtue of the Month: Empathy
A virtue is a habit or established capability to perform good actions according
to a moral standard. In other words, a virtue is a habit that shows people and
God that we are good people. This month we celebrate the virtue of Empathy.
An Empathetic Person:
• Listens attentively
• Notices and responds when someone is upset
• Can see a situation for another person’s point of view
Bussing
Ensuring student safety on the bus is
our number one goal at St. Joachim
school. Even if your child does not
take a school bus daily, every child
needs to know bus safety rules for
whether they take the school bus on
a
regular
basis,
or
require
transportation on field trips and must
follow these rules:
-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.
Any questions or concerns in
regards to transportation should
be directed to the Student
Transportation of Peel Region
(STOPR) 905-890-6000.
Please
visit www.stopr.ca for policies and
procedures.
Please note that riding the bus is a
privilege and students who do not
abide by the rules of the bus and
bus driver will be removed from
the bus and parents notified.
Courtesy Seats
The
transportation
department
has
only
allocated one bus for the
JK/SK population at St.
Joachim. Many parents
have
requested
consideration
for
the
empty
seat
policy.
Unfortunately, we are
extremely restricted in
our ability to offer empty
seats this year and only
grade one and some
grade two students will be
able to be accommodated.
At this time, we are in the
process
of
allocating
empty seats to courtesy
riders. As always, safety
is our first priority when
allocating numbers on the
bus. Students are not
allowed on the bus until
STOPR gives permission
for them to start. You will
be notified by the school.
French
Immersion
students who are not in
the St. Joachim boundary
are not eligible for busing
or courtesy seats.
October 2011
Lates
In the past, the school has
experienced a high number
of students arriving late for
school each day. Our goal
is to significantly reduce the
number of students arriving
late.
Students who are
late, miss out on class
instruction. Being punctual
is a positive personal
attribute, which, if practiced
now, will remain important
to the individual in the
future. Habitual lates will
be tracked and reported to
parents through letters and
phone calls. Parents of
chronically late students
will be contacted by our
school social worker to
discuss appropriate followup.
Hep B/HPV
Immunization
Program
Grade 7 students in Ontario
will have the opportunity to
receive free Hepatitis B
Vaccine
through
school
based immunization clinics.
The Grade 8 girls will
receive the HPV vaccine at
this same time. The vaccine
will be given to adolescents
(11-15) as a series of two
injections. The clinic will be
held on Friday October 14th,
2011.
Page 4 of 8
School Visitors
We continue to make concerted efforts to have all visitors to the school identify
themselves by coming to the Main Office first before going anywhere else. All
messages to students or deliveries (such as lunches, keys, clothing items etc.)
are handled through the Main Office and not by going directly to the
classrooms. School staff has been directed to ask anyone in the school who is
not wearing a visitor or volunteer sticker to report to the office. In the interests of
overall safety for our students, it is essential that such procedures be strictly
followed.
Also please refrain from remaining in the school yard after dropping off your
children for school. Teachers are in the yard from 8:45 a.m.to 9:00 a.m. for
supervision.
Safe Arrival Program
We are requesting your assistance.
The answering machine will allow
parents
to
call
in
student
absenteeism 24 hours a day. The
office staff picks up the phone
messages on a regular basis and will
relay messages to staff members.
We thank all parents/guardians who
continue to call the school when their
children are absent. Your support
ensures that our Safe Arrival
Program works efficiently to ensure
the safety of our students.
When
we do not receive your call, we are
concerned about your child. We then
call home, your workplace or an
emergency contact number. Please
let us know if your telephone
numbers change.
Kiss and Ride
The children’s safety is always first
and foremost in all that we do as a
community! In order to ensure safety
during arrival and dismissal times, we
ask that you please follow all Kiss ‘n
Ride procedures and rules. Thank
you to all our parents who are
respectful of our Kiss and Ride and
of the parking signage. Brampton By
Law
Enforcement
officers
do
regularly enforce the signage both at
school and on the roads near the
school. Please continue to refrain
from parking in the Kiss ‘n Ride lanes
in the morning. These lanes are for
drop off only. If you must park,
please do so in the designated
parking areas. Please do not park or
pick up your children from the staff
parking lot. Please do not drop off
students in the bus lane or park your
car in the bus line. This is a fire lane
and you may be ticketed by police
who regularly patrol the area. We
appreciate your cooperation in
following these procedures. Your
children’s safety is our main concern.
as it is the least busy period of time.
We appreciate everyone’s patience
and cooperation for the safety of all
students.
Medications at School
In order for the school to store and/or administer medications to students, your
doctor must complete a form provided by the school. Students are not
allowed to have medication of any kind at school, unless it is stored in the office.
Page 5 of 8
October 2011
Recess
Cell Phones
Recess breaks serve a special
purpose in the daily life of the school.
Students are expected to go outside
for fresh air and exercise. If your
child is sick, please keep him/her at
home until they are well, as we do not
have supervision available to keep
them in for recesses.
This also
prevents the risk of your child
spreading their illness throughout the
classroom.
It has been noted that several students are bringing cell phones to
school. Students are advised to leave their cell phones
at home to
.
eliminate distractions in the classroom and reduce the opportunity
for it to be misplaced and/or stolen. If cell phones ring at school
during the school day, they will be confiscated by the teacher. If cell
phones go missing, the school cannot be responsible for them.
Also, there are to be no personal electronic devices (cell phones, IPods, MP3s, PSPs etc) used in public areas in the school.
Parents/guardians please do not use your cell phones in the school
or in the school yard especially when students are present.
Attendance
What can I do to help my child attend school every day, on time?
Make a solid commitment to do whatever it takes to
sure that your child has plenty of sleep with a
ensure that your child attends school every day, on
bedtime appropriate for your child’s age. Experts
suggest that 4-6 year olds require 11 hours of
time.
Children who are organized and can follow rules are
sleep in every 24 hour period. Older children
more successful in school. Establish regular and
require 9 to 10 hours per night.
consistent routines for getting ready for school in Establish routines while your children are young. If
the morning, for mealtimes, homework, chores and
at all possible, place the phone, television and
bedtime.
computer in a room other than your child’s
Memory and concentration are known to deteriorate
bedroom.
when children (and even adults!) are tired. Make
School Picture Day
Thursday October 6th is picture day
for all students at St. Joachim
School. “Edge Imaging Photography”
will be provided with class lists
containing
personal
information
(students’ ID, names, grades and
homeroom). These lists will be
returned when the photography
sessions are completed. If you do not
wish your child’s personal information
to be shared with “Edge Imaging”,
please contact the Principal of the
school immediately. As well, if you do
not wish your child to participate in
the actual taking of the photographs,
please contact the principal of the
school immediately.
Thursday
November 3rd, 2011 will be picture
retake day.
War Amps Presentation
On Wednesday September 14th the students in grades 1 and 2 attended an
awareness presentation on prosthetic limbs given by the War Amps. The
students listened attentively to a presentation and watched a PLAYSAFE
video followed by a question and answer session.
Visitors in the
Playground
In order to keep our school
safe we ask that all visitors
sign in at the office. We also
ask that when dropping off
students at the beginning of
the
day,
parents/guardians/caregivers
not remain close to the school
building. There is a staff
member on duty to supervise
the students as well as
supervisors at the Kiss and
Ride and at the bus. The yard
becomes quite congested and
to other students, you could be
a stranger.
Swim to Survive
This year our students in
grade
three
will
be
participating in the “The
Swim to Survive Program”.
It was developed by the
Lifesaving Society, teaches
children how to survive an
unexpected fall into deep
water. It also teaches them
how to roll into deep water,
tread water for one minute
and swim 50 metres.
Thanksgiving
Food Drive
Once again this year, we
will having a school wide
Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Please help us support
our local community by
sending in nonperishable
food items.
Thanksgiving is a time to
give thanks to God for his
many gifts to us and when
we are called upon to help
the less fortunate in our
community. As we reflect
and give thanks to God for
all our gifts, by showing
our love for God by
helping those in need.
Thank you in advance for
your
generosity
and
caring.
Please
make
your
donations by Friday
October 7th in the am as
the food will be picked
up on this day.
October 2011
Page 6 of 8
October 2011
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Re: allergies to peanuts, peanut butter, nuts, kiwi, strawberries, shellfish
There are several pupils at St. Joachim School with severe food allergies that
are life-threatening and their families would like to join me in thanking you for
your continued understanding and co-operation as a result of the request to
avoid sending the above named products to the school. There has been a
reduction in the number of these products brought to school in snacks and
lunches, and we would like to thank you for continuing to avoid sending these
products to school with your child.
Since even a small amount of the allergic substance can cause a life-threatening
reaction, keeping it out of the classroom is our best method of preventing a
serious reaction at school. Remember, even if your child is not in the same class
with a student who has the allergy, cross-contamination can happen from
common areas that all students use such as the gym, library, hallways, or
visiting other classrooms.
If you child does bring a food to school containing any of the above mentioned
products, please ask your child to let the teacher know.
Thank you again for your cooperation in this important issue.
Sincerely,
A. Alonzi-Peever
Principal
Medic Alert – No Child Without
The No Child Without program offers
a free MedicAlert membership to
students who attend our school and
are or is required to take medication on
a regular basis then you should
consider a MedicAlert membership
through this program. A MedicAlert
membership:
•
•
•
Gives
emergency
first
responders immediate access
to
your
child’s
medical
information on their MedicAlert
bracelet or necklet
Enables first responders to
quickly obtain up to date
medical information by means
of the child’s Electronic Health
Record through the 24 Hour
Emergency Hotline.
Communicates with the parent
or emergency contact upon
activation of the Hotline.
•
Allows free updates of
child’s medical record
needed.
the
as
MedicAlert identification can alert
school staff, friends, coaches and
others about your child’s medical
condition should an emergency occur.
For further information come to the
office for a brochure or visit
www.nochildwithout.ca.
To register
your child you will need a No Child
Without brochure from the office.
If your child is already part of the No
Child Without program and there have
been changes to their medical
condition, medications or emergency
contact information, call MedicAlert at
1-866-679-3220 Ext 1 to update your
child’s file.
October 2011
Page 7 of 8
Think Recycle Program
Did you know that printer cartridges take 1000 years to decompose? Or that
cell phone batteries, if not disposed of properly, can be toxic to the air, water
and soil?
St. Joachim’s Environment Club is reminding everyone of our participation in
the Think Recycle Program, an environmental program which helps to
educate communities about recycling while raising some funds for the school.
The program is simple! Simply collect unwanted cell phones, printer and
toner cartridges, digital cameras and MP3 players and return them to the
school. As a result, St. Joachim will earn funds for every qualifying item
returned. Think Recycle will ensure that each item received will be
refurbished, recycled or reused and they will also donate funds to have one
tree planted for every 24 qualifying products we collect!
old cell phones
cameras
printer cartridges
Your support of the program does not need to end at home. Your place of
employment can also support the Think Recycle program by donating printer
cartridges and cell phones.
MP3 players
Thank you to those families who donated items last June: after only the first
4 weeks, St. Joachim had already collected 39 printer cartridges, 33 cell
phones and 1 MP3 player!
Spread the word! It’s a program that’s good for the school and most
importantly, good for the environment!
Injury
Lunch Moms & Milk Program
We are continuing the hot lunch and
milk programs at St. Joachim.
Students can order either chocolate
or white milk in a 250ml carton.
Orders are placed on a monthly
basis.
This year we will be continuing our
lunch program called Lunch Moms
– on Wednesdays this year.
Order forms will be sent out.
Students will have lots of choices
and can pick either a hot or cold
lunch. If parents have any concerns
about the lunches or their order they
should contact lunch moms directly
at (905) 461-KIDS (5437). If your
child is absent on one of these
days please call the above
number before 8:00am that day.
Thank you for your continued
support.
When a student receives an
injury to the head, it is the
Board’s policy to have school
staff contact the parent. We will
make every effort to notify you.
If you can not be reached, we
will try to leave a note in your
child’s agenda to notify you. It
is imperative that we have
current and up-to-date phone
numbers and that parents
check their child’s agenda every
night.
Dates to Remember……
October 6 – Picture Day
October 7 – Thanksgiving Liturgy 10:40 a.m.
October 10 – Thanksgiving (No School)
October 13-14 – SEE/HEAR Screening
October 14 – Peel Health Gr. 7 Meningitis & Grade 8
HPV shots
October 20 – BNE Cross Country Meet @ Heart Lake
October 21 – Cross Country Raindate
October 25 – Progress Reports Sent Home
Board Cross Country Meet @ Heart Lake
October 27 – Interview Evening (as needed)
November 3 – Picture Retake Day
November 18 - P.D. Day