St. Joachim
435 Rutherford Rd North Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Fax: 905-453-8615
Volume 2, Issue 7
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
@DPCDSBSchools
www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH
“Through A
Celebration Of Our
Faith All Who
Enter Our School
May Grow Together As A
Christian
Community”
Inside this issue:
Mid-Winter Prayer
Dear Lord, every winter I think spring
will never get here.
I can’t wait until I see the green leaves
and the daffodils.
Even during the coldest times,
I believe in the promise of spring to come.
Help me to be patient while I wait
for things to get better.
The people of Samaria had faith that the
food You promised would arrive,
even though it seemed impossible.
Thank You for being constant like the
seasons, dear Lord. You won’t let us down.
Amen
St. Joachim Clothing Swap
Thursday February 7th 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
and
Friday February 8th 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
This is an opportunity for parents to browse and pick up any
items of clothing that they may need.
You do not need to bring anything to participate.
If you would like to contribute to the clothing swap please
bring clean, gently used items (coats, boots, pants, tops etc.)
on February 7th to the Old Gym. If you are sending them via
child –
please send in a bag clearly marked clothing swap.
Virtue of the Month: RESPECT
This month we celebrate the virtue
of respect.
Let us pray for the virtue of respect
so that everyone we meet will feel
like we are their brother or sister in
Christ.
A Respectful Person:
 Says “excuse me”, “please”,
“pardon me”

-Cold Weather Guideline
-School Council
-PED’s
-Anaphylaxis Policy Reminder
-St. Anne’s Parish Valentine’s
2
-Positive School Climate
-Black History Month
School Closings and Bus
Cancellations
3
-Picking up Child After
School
-Cyber Safety
-Parent Reminders for Drop
Off and Kiss and Ride
-Shrove Tuesday
-Perfume/Aerosol Free
School
4
-Carnaval
-Freeze Out Bullying
-Lates and Absences
-Peacemakers
5
-Snow and Ice
-Breakfast Program
-French Immersion
-Family Day
-Indoor Shoes
6
-Brampton Library
-Homework Tips
-Recess Rules
-No Dogs Allowed
-St. Joachim website
-March Break
7
-Region of Peel Public Health
-Crossing Guard
-Dates to Remember
Avoids
swearing, name calling, inappropriate gestures
 Uses a positive tone of voice and
body language
 Treats him/herself and everyone
else with equal consideration and
courtesy
8
Page 2
February 2013
COLD WEATHER GUIDELINES
SCHOOL
COUNCIL
The next meetings
of the School
Advisory Council
will be on :
February 21, March
7, April 18, May 16
and June 13
at 7:00 p.m. All are
invited to attend
St. Anne’s Parish
Knights of
Columbus
Council 14749 invite
all to celebrate
Valentine’s Day
with us.
Date:
Saturday February
9th, 2013
Location:
St. John Fisher Hall
300 Balmoral Drive
Brampton
Doors Open at 6:00
p.m., Buffet dinner at
7:00 p.m.
Cost: $45.00 per
ticket
Cash Bar, Fabulous
Draw Prizes
Please call
Kevin 905-450-5002
Carl 905-455-9242
Mike 905-796-0432
The board policy recommends that
students go out for recess unless it
is below –25 degrees Celsius with
the wind factor included. Please
ensure your children are appropriately dressed for outdoor play with
hats, scarves, mittens, boots and
snow pants/snowsuit. On wet and
slushy days, students often get wet,
therefore it is helpful if students
have a change of clothing (e.g. sweat
pants, shirt, socks) that can be left at
school or in their backpack as it is
difficult for parents to leave work to
bring an extra set of clothes.
Weather conditions are reviewed
daily and decisions around outdoor
play and length of recesses are determined. Students should be prepared to go outside.
PED’s (Personal Electronic Devices)
To promote respect for the dignity of all members of our school community and to
enhance student achievement and safety, the use of PED’s is prohibited at St.
Joachim School and during school related activities (e.g. field trips, sports events).
Failure to comply with this policy may result in the confiscation of the PED and/or
disciplinary action as outlined in the Catholic Code of Conduct.
It is the policy of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board that PED’s are
kept out of sight and turned off. The school assumes no responsibility for the
loss, recovery, or repair or replacement for any PED brought onto school property.
If the PED is confiscated, it will be the parent’s responsibility to pick it up at
the school.
HEALTH ALERT-ANAPHYLAXIS POLICY REMINDER
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, 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 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 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.
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 3
POSTIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE
The first week of January we had assemblies with our Grades 1-8 students reviewing our
school code of conduct (as outlined in our school agendas). We reviewed the Tribes four
agreements:
 attentive listening
 appreciation/no put downs
 mutual respect, and the right to pass
For more information please visit the website: http://tribes.com/
We are encouraging our student to “THINK” before they speak and act:
T~ is it true?
H~ is it helpful?
I~ is it inspiring?
N~ is it necessary?
K ~ is it kind?
When students are faced with conflicts we are asking them to use their WITS
Walk away
Ignore
Talk it out
Seek help
Taken from http://web.uvic.ca/wits/
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is “Black History Month”. During the month of February we recognize, highlight and
celebrate the gifts that our rich cultures and racial diversity enable us to experience and enjoy.
SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND BUS CANCELLATIONS
During the winter months, inclement weather may cause disruption of bus transportation and school
operations. A decision to cancel school transportation and or to close schools is usually made by
6:00am and will be announced on local radio stations. Ultimately, decisions to cancel transportation
are based on safety considerations and are made on the basis that once students are delivered to
schools it may be problematic getting them home if conditions do not improve or worsen.
Please check the Region of Peel‟s Transportation Department websites (www.stopr.ca and https://
businfo.stopr.ca/) to check for delays and cancellations.
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 to inform the office about your travel
arrangements at the end of the day. If you chose to keep your child at home during severe
weather, and the schools are not closed, please call the school to leave a message that they
will be staying home.
Page 4
February 2013
PICKING YOUR CHILD UP AFTER SCHOOL
Just a reminder to parents to pick up your child promptly at the end of the day. Only in
emergency situations should students be waiting at the office to be picked up. Teachers
have duties and other meetings at the end of the day and are not available to supervise students. Please make arrangements with other family members or babysitters to pick your
child up if you are going to be delayed.
CYBER SAFETY
The use of computers by children needs to be monitored closely
by parents. Children should never have computers in bedrooms,
especially if there is a webcam attached to the computer.
Online Safety Rules to review with your child
 Do not give out your name, phone number, location of school
or picture without parents permission
 Create a password that is hard to guess, reveal it to no one—
not even your best friend, ONLY reveal it to your parents
 Show your parents any inappropriate messages, and do not respond to them
 Do not send any insulting or rude messages online to anyone
 Do not post pictures of anyone else on your site, who is under 18 without their PARENTS’ permission
Adapted from Media Awareness Network
PARENT REMINDERS FOR DROP OFF AND KISS AND RIDE
Please remember that students should NOT be dropped off at school before 8:45 in the morning as
teachers are not in the yard to supervise until 8:45. Students are also expected to go straight
home after school at 3:30 as no supervision is provided. Please remind your child to go straight home
and not to a friend’s house without your permission.
Please remember that parents can NOT park or leave their cars in the Kiss and Ride lane. Parking
Control from the City of Brampton has been giving tickets for this as it is a designated fire route.
SHROVE TUESDAY
Shrove Tuesday will be on February 12th, 2013. It is also known as Pancake
Tuesday, is the last day before the long fast during Lent for Catholics. Our Grade
8 students will prepare pancakes for our whole school. As a snack, each child
will receive a pancake and a beverage on Shrove Tuesday. Thank you to our
Grade 8 students and teachers for taking on this initiative again this year!
PERFUME/AEROSOL FREE SCHOOL
Just a reminder to parents that we are a perfume and aerosol free school. We have many students,
as well as teachers who have allergies and are affected when these are sprayed. Please allow your
children to only bring roll-on or stick deodorants to school when needed for gym classes. Any perfumes or aerosol spray deodorants will be confiscated by the office for parents to pick up. Thank you
for your cooperation for the health of all our staff and students.
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 5
CARNAVAL
To celebrate our French culture, St. Joachim will be celebrating Carnaval the week of February 11 – 15,
2013. Students will learn about Carnaval History over the PA and each day will have a theme:
Monday – Toque & Mittens
Tuesday – Jersey Day
Wednesday – Ash Wednesday—Lent begins
Thursday – Red, Pink and White (Valentine’s Day)
Friday – Pajama
Carnaval History from http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/en/about/history
Since the beginning of the French colony, the habitants of New France created a tradition of getting together just before Lent to eat, drink and be merry. The custom of celebrating from the end of January
until mid-February has long been popular.
The first large winter Carnival in Québec City, the world's snow capital, took place in 1894. Often faced
with winter’s hardships, the city's population reinvented this popular tradition with a winter celebration
that warmed up the hearts of all. The first official edition of the Québec Winter Carnival took place in
1955. The Carnival snowballed into an undeniable manifestation for the entire Québec City population,
and was an important vehicle for tourism and economical activity in the city.
From one winter to the next, the Carnival enriched its activity program. We have since added even
more popular activities, such as winter sports, snow sculptures, and activities based on the traditional
Québec lifestyle, such as canoe races and dogsled races. The Québec Winter Carnival is the largest
winter carnival in the world today, and is third on the List of Top Carnivals after the famous carnivals in
Rio and New Orleans.
FREEZE-OUT BULLYING PRESENTATION
On Friday January 18th, students in Grades 4-8 were gathered for a Freeze Out
Bullying Presentation. Soccer freestylers Magnet and Freeze engaged students in different activities while reinforcing the message that everyone has a
role to play in eliminating bullying. Magnet and Freeze signed a soccer ball
that will be raffled off to raise funds for Share Life. Tickets are 25 cents each
and will be on sale February 25th to March 1st, 2013.
LATES AND ABSENCES
School begins at 9:00 a.m. Please ensure your child is on time for school. If you are dropping your child
off after 9:00 a.m. please use the front of the school. Students must a get a late slip to be admitted to
class. When a child is late, he/she misses valuable teaching time and causes a disruption to the lessons
being started in the class. Developing excellent work habits and time management skills can maximize a
child’s learning potential. For students that are consistently late or absent, letters will be sent home and
the attendance officer may be involved.
Thank you for those parents who are diligent in calling when your child is going to be absent or late. Our
secretary spends valuable hours trying to contact parents when a child is absent and the parent has not
contacted the school. Please continue to call and leave us a message regarding your child’s absence. This will save us time in the office.
PEACEMAKERS
Our Peacemakers were trained recently and will begin helping our Grades 1-3 students help solve conflicts at recesses beginning February 11th. Peacemakers will be wearing safety vests so that students
can see them easily.
Page 6
FAMILY DAY
Just a reminder
that
Monday
February 18th is
Family
day.
There will be
no school for
students.
February 2013
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.
BREAKFAST PROGRAM
We are proud that our Breakfast Program continues to run – thank you to our wonderful staff who on a weekly basis help run the program: J. Cicchino, A.
DeFrancesco, P. Di Filippo, A. Dyba, C. Harmer, T. Hogg, H. Kearney, H. Langley,
L. Leon, E. Napoli, L. Pollard, J. Russo, M. Scarcello and M. Thompson and often
when needed other staff come to help too.
The program offers a selection of healthy breakfast items such as: bagels, toast,
cereal, yogurt, fruit, cream cheese, cheese, milk and juices.
INDOOR SHOES
It is imperative
that all students
have a proper pair
of running shoes
for Physical Education
classes.
Running
shoes
with platforms or
wheels are not
safe. Please ensure your child
has a proper pair
of running shoes
left at school or in
their school bag
on a daily basis.
All students are welcome to join, as we believe that missing breakfast can often
lead to both physical and academic difficulty throughout the day. There are many
reasons why children do not eat breakfast, including our busy lifestyles. Some children are just not ready to eat breakfast before leaving home. If you are finding it
difficult to get your child to eat breakfast, the Breakfast Program may be the answer
for you.
Our program is supported through the Breakfast for Kids organization. We would
also appreciate the support and welcome donations from our parents or the community. We are asking students to bring a donation of $0.25 for each breakfast. Students are to arrived between 8:20-8:30 a.m.
We require that each interested child have a permission form completed. This does
not mean that each child that is enrolled will be expected to participate every day; it
simply means that when your child joins us, it is with your permission and that we
will be informed of any potentially harmful food allergies. Your child is expected to
demonstrate proper behaviour in this program. Students who come to the Breakfast
Program should be eating breakfast.
FRENCH IMMERSION
We accepted applications for our French Immersion. The application deadline was
Wednesday February 6th, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. After February 6 applications will be
placed on our waitlist. If needed, a lottery will take place on February 11th at 4:00
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 7
Growing Together in Faith and Celebrating Our Differences Conference
On Thursday, January 31st, 2013,
twenty Grade 7 students from Ms.
Sanna's and Mrs. Napoli's classes
were invited to attend the Brampton
North East Diversity Conference at
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary
School. During this fun-filled day,
we learned an appreciation for our
diversities, through liturgies and
workshops. A group called the Rising Stars taught the grade 7's at St.
Thomas Aquinas how to work together, being as one body, through
Jesus. To end the day, an inspiring
concert was performed by Fair
Child, where the group used songs
to promote our diversity even further. We learned not to judge a
book by its cover, communicating
through appropriate words and actions. We all had a great time at the
inspiring and motivational diversity
conference.
Written By:
Alice and Jeanell
HOMEWORK TIPS
Provide guidance, not answers
Homework is a key way for your child to learn independent, lifelong skills. Giving
answers regularly or doing homework FOR your child does not help him or her understand concepts or develop skills. As well, it prevents the teacher from understanding where your child may require further support back in the classroom. If your
child demonstrates signs of frustration with the homework being assigned, it is important to discuss this with your child’s teacher as soon as possible.
RECESS RULES
The safety of all students at St. Joachim is our number one priority. Students are
often reminded during announcements and assemblies of the important rules to follow at our school. Please review the following rules with your child:
Keep your hands and feet to yourselves
No verbal insults or inappropriate language
Treat all people with respect, especially adults at the school
Respect school property (especially treat the washrooms like you would your
own washroom at home)
Play only no contact games outside
Stay on school property at all times
Rocks, gravel and snow stay on the ground.
NO DOGS ALLOWED
Just a reminder that no dogs are allowed on school property. Dogs often frighten
children, some students have dog allergies, and we want to limit the liability of students getting scratched or bitten by a dog. Please have your child meet you on the
public pathway, or sidewalk if you are picking them up from school.
ST. JOACHIM
WEBSITE
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.
MARCH
BREAK
March Break
will take place
From Monday
March 11th to
Friday March
15th, 2012.
There will be
no school for
students that
week.
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 8
CROSSING GUARD
Students are reminded that if they need to cross the street, they must walk to the crosswalk in
front of the school and cross with the guard (at the lights). Students are not permitted to cross
near the Becker’s store. Teachers are on duty at the front of the school at the end of the day to
remind students of these important safety rules.
DATES TO REMEMBER
FEBRUARY
8- PA Day – No School
11- Toque/Funny Hat Day, World Day of the Sick
French Immersion Lottery if necessary @ 4:00 p.m.
12- Shrove Tuesday – Pancakes for all students
Jersey Day,
FDK In-bound lottery if necessary
13- Ash Wednesday – Lent Begins
14- Red, White and/or Pink day
15- National Flag Day
Int. Basketball Minis @ St. Anthony (girls a.m., boys p.m.)
18- Family Day – No School
19- Int. Bball Mini (snow date)
20- World Day of Social Justice
Reconciliation Grades 3-8 @ School
21- International Mother Language Day
7 p.m. School Council Meeting
22- Int. Basketball Family Finals @ St. Anthony (girls a.m., boys
p.m.)
25- Int. Basketball Family Finals (snow date)
Raffle tickets for signed soccer ball go on sale
26-12:00 p.m .Int. Boys Basketball Boards @ St. Roch
27– 1:40 p.m. Virtues assembly
6:30 p.m. Peel Public Health Session for K-1 Parents
28- Int. Girls Baketball Boards @ d’Youville
MARCH
20- p.m. Lent Mass
25-10:20 Virtues Assembly
28- 10 a.m. Stations of the Cross
29- Good Friday
31- Easter
APRIL
1- Easter Monday
4- Mitchell & Hodzic to Silvercreek
8- Di Tosto & Procaccini to Silvercreek
22-Earth Day
23-Grade 8 Grad Pictures on stage
26- Jr. Basketball Minis (girls a.m., boys p.m.)