St. Joachim
435 Rutherford Rd North Brampton, ON L6V 3V9
Telephone: 905.453.4472
Fax: 905-453-8615
Principal:
A. Alonzi-Peever
Vice-Principal:
M. Di Nunzio
Head Secretary:
J. Sequiera
Secretary:
Y. McCutcheon
Superintendent:
M. Vecchiarino
Trustee:
A. Da Silva
Pastor:
Fr. James Cherickal
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
We Give Thanks
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would
have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.
- Harry Jewell
Associate Pastor:
Fr. Paul Magyar
VIRTUES
“Through A
Celebration Of Our
Faith All Who
Enter Our School
May Grow Together As A
Christian
Community”
Each month we will focus on a specific virtue:
September:
Faith
February:
Respect
October:
Empathy
March:
Kindness
November:
Conscience
April:
Love
December:
Hope
May:
Acceptance
January:
Self-Control
June:
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
Inside this issue:
-Attendance
-Twitter & School Website
-Emergency Incident Policy
-Open House
-Hep B/HPV Immunization
Program
-Thanksgiving Food Drive
-Catholic School Council
2
-Think Recycle Program
-Lates
-School Visitors
-Safe Arrival Program
3
-Bus Safety & Courtesy Seats
-Empty Bus Seat Policy
-Medications at School
-Homework Policy and
Procedures
-School Picture Day
-Crossing Guard
4
-Medicalert’s No Child
Without
-Letter to Parents
5
-Lunch Moms/Milk Program
-Special Assignment Teacher
-Cell Phones
-Change in Pick-up Arrangements
-Information Required by
School
-Breakfast Club
-Terry Fox Walk Update
6
-Halloween Safety
-Kiss ‘N Ride & Parking
-Recess
-Student Accident Insurance
-Sign up Today
-Injury
7
-Lockdown Drill-Oct. 5
-Pediculosis
-Dates to Remember
8
Page 2
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
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 ensure that your child attends school
every day, on time.
 Children who are organized and can follow rules are more successful in school. Establish
regular and consistent routines for getting ready for school in the morning, for mealtimes,
homework, chores and bedtime.
 Memory and concentration are known to deteriorate when children (and even adults!) are
tired. Make sure that your child has plenty of sleep with a bedtime appropriate for your
child‟s age. Experts suggest that 4-6 year olds require 11 hours of sleep in every 24 hour
period. Older children require 9 to 10 hours per night.
 Establish routines while your children are young. If at all possible, place the phone, television and computer in a room other than your child‟s bedroom.
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest board news and information, follow us
@DPCDSBSchools.
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.
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 evacuation 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 dur-
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 September 24th, 2012.
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 Tuesday
October 16th, 2012.
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. 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 5th, 2012 in the
a.m.
CATHOLIC
SCHOOL
COUNCIL
2012-2013
Our
first
Catholic
School Council meeting
will be on October 3rd,
2012. All parents are
welcome to attend.
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
Page 3
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!
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.
Thank you to those families who donated items last year: St. Joachim has collected over 150
printer cartridges, 50 cell phones, 3 laptops and 1 MP3 player.
Spread the word! It‟s a program that‟s good for the school and most importantly, good for the
environment!
printer cartridges
old cell phones
cameras
MP3 players
LATES
SCHOOL VISITORS
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 follow-up.
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 to 9:00 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
Page 4
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
BUS SAFETY & COURTESY SEATS
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.
EMPTY BUS SEAT POLICY
The transportation department has only allocated one bus for the 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. 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.
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 – see school website for form or
ask at office. Students are not allowed to have medication
of any kind at school, unless it is stored in the office.
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.
CROSSING GUARD
Re:
Winterfold and the Walkway
Rutherford and Winterfold
Due to lack of children crossing at the above school crossing, as of Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 there will be no
crossing guard during the lunch break.
SCHOOL PICTURE DAY
October 4th, 2012 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.
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
Page 5
MEDICALERT’S NO CHILD WITHOUT PROGRAM
The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert membership to students who attend
our school and are between the ages of 4 up to their 14th birthday. If your child has a medical
condition, allergy 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 the child‟s medical record as needed.
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 2012
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Re: allergies to chickpeas, eggs, fish, kiwi, milk, nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, seafood,
shellfish and strawberries
There are several pupils at St. Joachim with severe food allergies that are life-threatening and
their families would like to join me in thanking you for your continued understanding and cooperation 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
Page 6
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
LUNCH MOMS/ MILK PROGRAMS
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.
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 again this year.
CELL PHONES
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. If cellphones are brought to school they should be off and out of sight during school hours.
Also, there are to be no personal electronic devices (cell phones, i-Pods, 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.
CHANGE IN PICK UP ARRANGEMENTS
Dear parents if you are changing your child‟s pick up
arrangements or times, kindly please call as early as
possible during the day so that information can be
shared with your child and his/her teacher. We have
noticed an influx of calls between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30
p.m. and it difficult to reach students in a timely manner. We thank you for your co-operation.
BREAKFAST CLUB
Our program began on Monday, October 1st and 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, these donations help us purchase products to
keep the program operational.
Permission forms went home the last week of September. If you
require one for your child(ren), please ask for one at the office.
INFORMATION REQUIRED BY
SCHOOL
At the start of each new year, the school
works through the process of updating
and adding new information for each student. Student Verification Forms were
sent home. Please check the form, make
any corrections and return to the school.
TERRY FOX WALK UPDATE
Thank you to all students, staff and parents for your generous donations in raising money for cancer research. Terry
says thank you for donating over $800 to
find a cure for cancer! Way to go St.
Joachim School!!!
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
HALLOWEEN SAFETY
Please remind your children of safety guidelines for Halloween:
1. Do not wear a facemask, so your child will be able to see clearly.
2. Wear light coloured clothing, so drivers can see them.
3. Carry a flashlight, so your child will be able to see on dark streets.
4. Go out with an adult or an older brother or sister if under the age of 10.
5. Stay away from cars, and friendly strangers in cars.
6. Watch for cars, and look both ways when crossing the street.
7. Wear costumes above the shoes so they will not trip.
8. Do not eat treats until they are home, and parents have
checked the candy.
9. Do not damage other people‟s property
10. Start trick or treating early and be home by 8:30 p.m.
KISS ‘N RIDE & PARKING
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 lane. This is a fire lane and you may be ticketed ($100).
We appreciate your cooperation in following these procedures. Your children‟s safety is our main concern.
RECESS
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.
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
With our September newsletter we sent home information about Student
Accident Insurance. Please note the student accident insurance is voluntary, but the board encourages parents to take advantage of the inexpensive coverage especially if their children participate in sports, excursions, or
field trips and if you do not have dental coverage.
If you wish to purchase insurance coverage for your child, please see our
school website or go to: www.insuremykids.com
Page 7
SIGN UP
TODAY!
Parents and guardians
of
Dufferin-Peel
Catholic students can
stay up-to-date with
the latest board news
and information by
joining the DufferinPeel
eCommunity.
Members will receive
the latest news and
information by email,
including news releases, school activities and events, board
meeting
highlights,
school and bus cancellations, plus useful
tips for parents and
students. Sign up
o n l i n e
a t
www.dpcdsb.org.
INJURY
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.
Volume 2 Issue 3—October 2012
Page 8
LOCKDOWN DRILL—OCTOBER 5TH, 2012
The Dufferin Peel CDSB has a procedure to lockdown schools should an emergency exist on
school property or in the surrounding neighbourhood. One part of this process is to practice the
Lockdown Procedures just as we practise Fire Drills.
This is to inform you that on October 5th, 2012 we will be conducting a Lockdown Drill within our
school.
When a Lockdown has been initiated, all staff and students will follow the procedure outlined below:




All students and staff inside the building or in portables will remain in their classroom.
Students or staff in the hallways or washrooms will be expected to go to the closest classroom.
Students and staff will remain in the classroom until further instructions are given.
All students and staff who are outside the building are to quickly move as far away from the
building as possible and remain there until further instructions are provided.
During the next few days, teachers will review with their students these procedures to prepare
them for the Lockdown Drill.
Again, please remember that the “Lockdown Drill” is only a drill.
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 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.
DATES TO REMEMBER
October
1 to 5- Food Drive
3 –1:30 p.m. Opening Mass
7 p.m. School Council Meeting
4 – School Pictures
5 – World Teacher’s Day
8-Thanksgiving
10- World Mental Health
11-Softball Tournament @
13-Year of Faith begins
16- Grade 7 Immunizations & Grade 8 HPV
17- Bus Driver Appreciation Day
23- Intermediate Volleyball Minis
30-10:20 a.m. Virtues Assembly
November
2- Picture retakes
4-11 Veteran’s Week
6- Progress Reports go home
7-Take Our Kids to Work Day
8- Interview Evening as needed
10-Remembrance Day Liturgy 10:20 a.m.
16 – PA Day Provincial Priorities
18 to 24-Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
28-1:40 p.m. Virtues Assembly
December
5-8 Intermediate Camp Brebuef Trip
19-10:30 a.m. Virtues