Principal:
A. Alonzi-Peever
Vice-Principal:
M. Di Nunzio
Head Secretary:
J. Sequeira
Secretary:
Y. McCutcheon
Superintendent:
M. Vecchiarino
Trustee:
A. Da Silva
Pastor:
Fr. James Cherickal
Associate Pastor:
Fr. Paul Magyar
Follow us on
Twitter
@DPCDSBSchools - for the latest news and information about the board, schools, programs and services. www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH
“Through A
Celebration Of Our
Faith All Who
Enter Our School
May Grow Together As A
Christian
Community”
April 2013
435 Rutherford Rd North Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Fax: 905-453-8615
New Saint Joseph People’s Prayer Book
This month we celebrate the Virtue of Love
A Loving Person:

Wants the best for others

Is willing to make sacrifices for the good of others

Learns from the heroic lives of saints and holy people

Knows that we are all lovable

Prays for others
Inside this issue:
-Catholic Education Week
-Dr. Handelman Presentation
-School Council
-School Website
-Library News
2
-Parent & Child Session
-Brampton Safety
3
-Attendance and Lates
-EQAO
4
-Summer Programs 2013
-QSP Fundraiser
-Crossing Guard
-Chess Team
-St. Joachim Jaguars in
Action
-Anaphylaxis Policy Reminder
-Marcia Tate Presentation
-Medications at School
5
6
7 -Environment Club
-Joachim’s Got Talent
-Zumba
-New JK Parent Orientation
-Moving
-ShareLife
8
Staff will soon be meeting to organize class lists for September 2013. If there are any special learning needs your child has that you feel we should know when making up classes, please do so in writing to Mrs.Alonzi-Peever PRIOR to May 3 rd
, 2013. Letters that list a request for a specific teacher will not be considered. Please limit
comments to specific learning styles and environment preferred. All staff work hard to balance class lists by abilities, gender and learning style. Please bear in mind that small primary classes (max 20) often result in combined classes throughout the school. These are a fact of life that children will have to experience from time to time.
Requests for students not to be placed in a combined grade will not be considered.

Page 2 Volume 2, Issue 9
www.goodnewsforall.ca
Each year, the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education during Catholic Education Week.
This year’s celebration entitled, “Catholic Education:
Growing Together in Faith” is scheduled for the week of May 5 – May 12, 2013. We are celebrating the
Year of Faith along with the rest of the church. We remember that we are called to ‘grow in faith’, to bloom where we are planted and that we are rooted in Christ. The scriptural passage that guides our theme is: ‘That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.’ Ephesians 3:17
This year’s five sub-themes, one for each of the five days of Catholic Education Week, help students to understand the rich meaning of this year’s theme:
Faith that is … Rooted
Faith that is … Nurtured
Faith that is … Discerned
Faith that is … Witnessed
Faith that is … Celebrated
Catholic Education Week begins on a Sunday to highlight the partnership that remains the foundation of Catholic education between our Catholic schools and local Catholic parishes. Throughout
Catholic Education Week, we ask you to reflect on the significance of Catholic education’s presence and contribution in our Church, and in our society.
We invite all members of our community, to participate in the celebrations and activities that will mark the celebration of Catholic Education Week
2013 in our schools.
ST. JOACHIM WEBSITE
Please visit our school website
at www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH
The next meetings of We have listed upcoming the School Advisory events, school information,
Council will be on April school hours, newsletters and
11, May 9 and June 13 links to other websites you at 7:00 p.m. All are may find helpful. invited to attend.
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School
Parent Council (Sponsored by Pro Grant) Presents
Dr. Kenneth Handelman
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Is Your Child:
Living with ADD/ADHD
-Restless
-Has difficulty following directions
-Easily distracted
-Unable to complete tasks
-Disorganized
-Poor work habits
-Has trouble listening
Please Join Us for a FREE seminar on
Tuesday April 16 th , 2013
6:30 pm for refreshments, 7 pm start
Notre Dame Secondary School
2 Notre Dame Avenue,
Brampton Ontario
TO RESERVE A SEAT - E-MAIL
NDSC@perfectmail.com
Just a reminder that the Library will be converting to a new circulation system. In order to get ready for it, there will be an inventory of the library on April 2 and 3. The library will be closed for this and there will be no book exchange for students.
The conversion to the new system takes place later that month. To get ready for it, no items may be signed out between April 17 and 24. We are asking for the return of all materials during this time.
We “go live” with the new system on April 25th, and students can begin signing out books again.

April 2013 Page 3





Are you a parent of a child/children between the ages of 4 and 9 who has experienced any of the following:
Calls
Finding
Your
Your
You
from
it child child and
the difficult hits has your
school
to others a   hard spouse
about manage when time
your
child your he/she settling disagree
misbehaving child’s feels when about
how
behaviour angry;
to
he/she
in feels
at school;
home; upset consequence   or
or
angry; reward
your   child’s   behaviour.
Peel Children’s Centre and the Dufferin ‐ Peel Catholic District School Board are excited to offer and facilitate a FREE parent and children’s group at St. Joachim Elementary School.
This three ‐ week group is an opportunity for parents to come together to share and learn strategies to help support your child’s positive behaviour so they can get along better at school and at home. Children will also have an opportunity to participate in a group (in a separate room) to learn self ‐ calming strategies they can apply both at school and at home.
Location of Groups : St. Joachim Elementary School
435 Rutherford Rd, North, Brampton ** light dinner provided
Dates: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 & Tuesday, April 23, 2013 & Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Time: 5:45 pm – 7:45 pm
If you are interested in learning more about this group program and/or are interested in registering, please call Mrs. Anna Alonzi ‐ Peever or Ms. DiNunzio at 905 ‐ 453 ‐ 4472, press 0.
To register, you need to leave your name, contact number, and list the names and ages of your children that will be participating in the group
We were asked to reinforce once again through the school newsletter some of our safety rules for students and parents. Please go over the following with your child:

Parents and children must listen to the direction given to them by the teachers outside on duty, this is for the safety of everyone

Please continue to use the crossing guard at the intersection of Rutherford Road and Winterfold
Drive—do not cross at the Beckers, this is very dangerous and students have narrowly missed being hit by a car

Cars should not be parked on Rutherford Road when picking up or dropping off students—please use the Kiss and Ride access, or park on a neighbouring street and walk with your child

We encourage parents to drop their child off at 8:45am to 8:50am in the morning as the volume is much less. Most of the congestion occurs at 9:00 a.m.

Please do not PARK and leave your car in the Kiss and Ride lanes.

Do not park in our Fire Routes, especially in front of the school. Do not use the Bus/Fire Route as a
Kiss and Ride.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding.

Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 9
Why is it important for my child to be in school every day?

Parents and the school can work together to keep kids in school. One of the most important first steps is for parents to become aware of the dangers that school absenteeism poses to a child’s success in school and later in life

When students miss school, they fall behind. When your child comes home from school after an absence and tells you they didn’t miss anything, remember, they were away and can’t begin to know what they missed during the hours the class was together.

Each school day a teacher presents new material and builds on work given the previous day. When students return from an absence they must catch up which can be difficult for students who are not strong independent workers. Even strong students find it difficult to do their best when there are gaps in their knowledge

Insist that the kids leave the house in time to arrive at school at least five or ten minutes before the bell.
The time spent in the school yard before school is a transition time that allows your child to reconnect with classmates and to refocus on school issues. Lining up to enter the school with the rest of class allows your child to become part of the group and ease into the routines of school.

Arriving to school on time makes a difference. Your children learn the importance of punctuality from the example you set.

The first few minutes in the classroom are critical. During these minutes the teacher deals with important messages, dates, and opening lessons.

As parents, you have many responsibilities toward your child. One is to ensure your child is in school every day, ready to learn. In fact, it is the law. The Provincial Education Act states that every child between the ages of 6 and 18 is required to attend. school every day from September to June

The habit of non-attendance established in elementary school typically continues into secondary school.
By the time your child is in high school, he or she will have more independence and you will have less influence. Begin now to set the standard that every school day is compulsory, even on days your child is not ready for a test, or is tired. Consider too, the messages you send about your own attitudes toward missing work or using sick days

If you are thinking of taking your child out of school for a week or more, reconsider. Most children cannot afford to miss a week or more of class work.
EQAO for all grade three and grade six students will take place for this year during the period starting Mon- day May 27 th
to Thursday June 6 th
. We kindly ask that parents refrain from booking appointments or holidays during this time. Parents may visit the EQAO 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.
Parents may visit the EQAO website at www.eqao.com
for many resources and useful information regarding
EQAO.
A sample of questions from previous EQAO years: http://www.eqao.com/Parents/Elementary/036/BookletsandGuides.aspx?Lang=E&gr=036&yr=11 ).
Questions and sample student responses: http://www.eqao.com/Educators/Elementary/036/
BookletsandGuides.aspx?Lang=E&gr=036&yr=04
For French Immersion:
There is a glossary of terms from the EQAO site: http://www.eqao.com/pdf_e/12/
FrenchImmersionGlossaryPJ_2012.pdf

April 2013 Page 5
The QSP Magazine program promotes reading and literacy, offers great prices on magazine subscriptions and our school earns a profit at the same time.
Choose from a selection of 600 top selling magazines including a great selection of Children’s magazines.
QSP Fundraising materials went home with students on March
21st. Ms. DiNunzio will wear a penguin costume at Kiss & Ride if we sell 200 subscriptions by April 11th! We appreciate your support!
Our crossing guard is located in front of our school at the lights.
Please remind your children to use the crossing guard to cross the street. Students are not allowed to cross the road elsewhere, especially in
front of Beckers. Let’s work together to keep our students safe.
There was great interest in Chess from many students across all divisions at St. Joachim this year from past team members and some students competing for the first time. Team members have been chosen and are practicing very hard every Wednesday and Thursday. We are happy to be sending members from the Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions to represent St. Joachim at the Brampton North East Chess Tournament at
Lester B. Pearson Elementary School on Wednesday April 17 th
, 2013.
Due to the high interest in Chess this year at St. Joachim, we will be having chess club meetings for students who want to learn how to play chess in order for these students to compete on the Chess team in years to come. Thank you to the coaches Mr. Schultz & Mr. Vitale!

Our Junior and Intermediate
Toon Boom Animation Teams will be off to competition on
April 10th at St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Intermediate Dance team will be off to competition on
May 1st at the Rose Theatre in
Brampton.

Page 6 Volume 2, Issue 9
The staff at St. Joachim has been in serviced 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, which 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 cross-
contamination which may occur if a child eats, for example, peanuts and then touches a book, chair, desk etc that may be touched by the child with the allergy.
St. Joachim would appreciate the co-operation of the entire school community in
NOT sending any lunches, snacks or treats 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 cooperation in making our school safe for all students.
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. This includes a puffer for asthma. Please come to the office to pick up a form before seeing your doctor.

April 2013 Page 7
On Friday, March 22 nd , St. Joachim celebrated Earth Hour by switching off classroom lights and limiting the use of electricity within the school for one hour. The Environment Club has been working diligently to ensure the school is conserving energy with our weekly "Turn off your Light Tuesday check". Participating in Earth Hour was a simple way to show we care about the environment, while also sending a powerful message that together, we can make a difference.
Earth Day is on Monday, April 22 nd . St. Joachim will be celebrating the Earth the entire week following Earth Day with trivia and special theme days.
Eco-Trivia Challenge —everyday over the P.A.
Know your facts about the Earth!
Waste-free BOOMERANG lunch Everyday
Bring in your lunch and juice /water in re-usable containers.
Monday , April 22 nd earth day
Tuesday , April 23 rd Walk to school Day
Walk. bike, or rollerblade to school
Energy Conservation Audit
Wednesday , April 24 th Green Day
Wear   something   green   to   promote environment.
the   spirit   of   protecting   the
Recycling bins Audit
Thursday , April 25 th
Friday , April 26 th
Recycled Sculpture Day
Create a sculpture made out of recycled materials.
Blue Day
Wear   something   blue   to   promote   the   spirit   of   recycling .
Various students from Grades 4-8 will be performing in our Spring
Talent Show on Friday April 12 th
. Parents are invited to come and watch. There will be two performances at 9:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.
Parents who wish to come are asked to complete the tear off form on the reverse and send to school – tickets will be distributed on
Monday April 8 th
, 2013. We are asking parents to donate at the
‘door’ towards Share Life.

April 2013 Page 8
All students at St. Joachim will have an opportunity to participate in Zumba lessons with Miguel Martinez.
Zumba is a Latin dance-inspired fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in Colombia during the 1990s. Zumba involves dance and aerobic elements. Zumba's choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, martial arts, and some Bollywood and belly dance moves (taken from Wikipedia). Miguel will be teaching classes Zumba moves the last week of April, with performances during the day on Monday May 6 th
. Parents will be invited to attend.
New students and parents of Junior Kindergarten will be having a Parent/Child Orientation evening on
Thursday April 25 th
, 2013. It will take place in the gymnasium from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. During the evening parents will have the opportunity to learn useful strategies to help their child prepare for entering Junior Kindergarten. They will also receive early learning and literacy resources for their child to use at home. All new
Kindergartens and parents are invited to attend.
If you are moving between now and September 2013 and your children are not returning to our school next year, we would appreciate knowing that information as soon as possible. The information is crucial in planning our classes for the next school year. Please contact the school secretary.
Thank you for supporting our
Share Life Raffle. We were able to raise $290.00!
April
2-HEAL Network Grade 5
4-Hodzic & Mitchell to Silvercreek
5-HEAL Network Grade 6
8-Di Tosto & Procaccini to Silvercreek
11- 7 p.m. School Council Meeting
12- 9:45 a.m. & 1:15 p.m. Talent Show
15-Dental Screening JK, SK, Grade 2 & 8, a.m. HEAL sessions Grade 7 & 8
16- Dental Screening JK, SK, Grade 2 & 8, 5:45 p.m. COPE
Session for parents
17- BNE Chess Tournament
18-Grade 4 & 5 FI Trip to Living Arts Centre
19- a.m. Procaccini Brass Rubbings, p.m. Di Tosto Brass
Rubbings
22-Earth Day, a.m.K-3 Cinderella’s Frog Prince Play
23-Grad Pictures on stage
24Administrative Professionals' Day
26- Jr. Bball Minis (girls a.m., boys p.m.)
29- Zumba
30-Zumba
May
1-ShareLife Make a Rosary, Zumba
2- Jr. Bball Family @ St. Anthony, Grade 7 & 8 Part 2 HEAL
Network
3-Zumba
6-10: CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
6-Zumba Performances
7- Jr. Boys Board BBall @ Iona
8- Jr. Girls Board BBall @ Cabot
13-PA Day – No School
14-Grade 8 Cyber Bullying with Cst. Lyons
16- Tentative HEAL Grade 7 & 8
24- 10:30 a.m. Virtues Assembly
27-EQAO Begins
CHILD’S NAME: _____________________________________
TEACHER:_______________________________________
9:45 a.m. performance _____ tickets 1:15 p.m. performance _____ tickets
Please return this form by Friday April 5th to your child’s teacher