JUNE 2015
14Septe
ST. JOACHIM CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
435 Rutherford Road North, Brampton, ON, L6V 3V9
905-453-4472
Follow us @StJoachimDPCDSB or visit our website at www.dpcdsb.org/JOACH
Principal
M. Di Nunzio
Vice Principal
I. Judd
Office Staff
L. Quiambao
Y. McCutcheon
Superintendent
D. Oude-Reimerink
Family of Schools
Brampton North
East
Trustee
A. Da Silva
Parish
St. Anne
Parish Priest
Father J. Cherickal
Associate Pastor
Father F. Marrone
Parish Telephone
905 453-1303
1.
PPRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
“Through A
Celebration Of Our
Faith All Who Enter
Our School May
Grow Together As A
Christian
Community”
What an exciting fun-filled year it has been so far, and June will certainly be the
same. We have many events coming up…. Track & Field Meet, Pan Am Play Day,
Graduation, Virtues Assembly, Closing School Mass and Joachim’s Got Talent. We
are fortunate to have a wonderful staff who give up their time for our students. A
reminder to parents and students we have a water-bottle refilling station so that
students can have water with them all day and if we could use refillable water
bottles we could be responsible citizens and care for our earth. A special
congratulations to our Grade 8 students who received the sacrament of the Holy
Spirit in May, may God continue to guide you in your journey.
Yours in Catholic Education,
Your Admin team – M. DiNunzio & I. Judd
JUNE 2015
VIRTUE OF FAIRNESS
“Life is not always fair, But we can always choose to be fair and just.”
Duane Hodgin
A fair person …

listens to both sides of a story

is a good team player

knows that the same rules apply to everyone

works to bring about peaceful solutions to problems
God wants us to treat each person as we would like to be treated.
From the perspective of the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, a fair person...
 Finds meaning, dignity, fulfillment and vocation in work which contributes to the
common good
 Witnesses Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and
solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society
 Respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples
and cultures
OUR DAILY PRAYER FOR JUNE
Let us now pray...for the virtue of fairness-the desire to live by the rules of God’s kingdom everyday of our lives. AMEN
LOOKING AHEAD – THE FEAST DAY OF ST. JOACHIM AND ST. ANNE – JULY 26
Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Saint Anne
was born in Bethlehem, and married Joachim of Nazareth. Both were descendants of David.
Joachim was a pious man, devout in the Jewish faith. He regularly gave to the poor and to the
synagogue. However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim, as his wife’s
childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine disapproval.
Joachim withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. The angel Gabriel
then appeared to both Joachim and Anne, promising them a child. Joachim returned to Jerusalem and
embraced Anne with great joy. She too had been visited by Gabriel. There was ancient belief that a
child born of an elderly mother who had given up hope of having offspring was destined for great
things. Soon after, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Mary, Mother of God.
Did you know…The name Joachim in Hebrew means “God Prepares”, or “God Will Establish”. There is a shrine to St. Anne
called Ste. Anne de Beaupre near Quebec City.
Excerpts from http://www.worldmeeting2015.org
FEAST CELEBRATIONS AT ST. ANNE’S PARISH
St. Anne's Parish Feast Celebrations:
St Anne's Church 115 Vodden Street East, Brampton. 905 4531303
Friday, July 24 - 7:00 p.m. Mass of Anointing
Saturday, July 25 - 9:15 a.m. Mass of Remembrance (followed by Pancake & Sausage Breakfast)
6:00 p.m. Cultural Night (at Notre Dame High School) Entertainment and BBQ
Sunday, July 26 - 11:00 a.m. Solemn Feast Mass celebrated by H.E. Bishop Vincent Nguyen
followed by an outdoor procession, BBQ and musical entertainment
JUNE 2015
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
The last Catholic School Council meeting was held on Monday, June 1st. Thank you to all of the members of our school
community who attended and supported our students through their commitment. Your support has proven itself to be an
enhancement of our goals and initiatives and we are grateful for their insights, enthusiasm and child-centred approach to all decisionmaking.
Our final fundraiser for the year, the Dance-a-thon on May 8th raised $4,008.75. Congratulations to Anthony Z., Desiree A.
and Gideon K. for raising the most funds. The monies raised will be used for technological enhancements and extra curricular
events for students.
A reminder that the elections for the Catholic School Council for St. Joachim Catholic School will be held in September.
Nomination forms for parent/guardian representatives will be available in the main office of the school from September 10 –
30, 2015. Eligible parent/guardians are encouraged to complete a nomination form and become a parent/guardian
representative. It is a great way to get to know your school community better and make a difference! Electors must be
parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school and electors or their spouses must be separate school supporters.
Parents wishing to be elected must be present at the September meeting. We encourage everyone to come out and get
involved in your child’s education.
SACRAMENTS OF COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION
Congratulations to our Grade 2 students who received the sacrament of Communion and 8 students who
received the sacrament of Confirmation in May. A very special thank you to all of our Grade Two and Eight
teachers for their commitment and support in preparing these children for this sacrament of initiation. Our
thanks to Ms. Lett for helping our students to prepare for these blessed sacraments.
REPORT CARDS
Third term report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, June 24th. The school will not schedule
parent interviews for these reports. If, however, you would like to discuss the report, please contact
your child’s teacher and an in-terview time will be arranged.
TIME TO RETURN BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY
June is the time we try and have all library books and materials returned to the school. Most students are very
cooperative and return items on time and in the same condition which they received them. We will notify parents if
their children have missing books. Students are aware that they are responsible for paying for any lost or damaged
books. Please help us by spring cleaning and returning any library books to the school. All library books are to be
returned by June 5th, 2015.
ACTIVE BODY AND ACTIVE FAITH
On Thursday, May 21st, representatives from St. Joachim’s Called to Action Group were invited to an Active Body & Active
Faith day at St. Andre Bessette School. Students participated in a variety of workshops and activities that gave witness to
Catholic School teachings by promoting peace, justice and respect for all. Students engaged in hands on activities,
promoting messages that healthy relationships is all about respect and commitment. The morning wouldn’t be possible
without the support of MCT Life, Brampton’s Gore Meadows, Brampton Safe City and Brampton Fire. Thank you to Sabrina,
Paulina, Jonav, Fallon and Judith for participating and representing St. Joachim.
MAKING MATH FUN
This year, St. Joachim focused on many math initiatives. It began with the Math Avengers. The Math
Avengers is a small to moderate group of students that get together to make math fun. It often
involves art, sensory materials, etc...and is aimed at teaching students to love math. The second
initiative was The Amazing Math Race. Not unlike the show of its similar name, The Amazing Math
Race featured a race between pairs of teammates, with 7-8 challenges in math they needed to
JUNE 2015
overcome in a short period of time. Winning takes skill, teamwork and a bit of luck. The First Amazing Race featured 11
teams and the second featured 24 teams. The third initiative, is the Math Discipleship program. Based on how Jesus
taught the word to his disciples and they in turn taught others, Math Disciples (in this case grade 5 students) had an
opportunity to teach Grade 3 students math, one-one. Finally, our school just celebrated their first ever Pan Arithmetic
Games. The Pan Arithmetic Games, featured play-day based games, with Grade 3 EQAO based challenges. All-in-all,
the children had fun at the event and learned, while their team represented a country in the real Pan American Games
(Puerto Rico, won!). Thank you to Mr. Mintz and his fellow mathletes for their efforts and excitement.
FINAL SCHOOL MASS
Please join us as Father James celebrates our end of the year Mass on Tuesday, June 16th, 2015 at 10:00 in the
Old Gym. We are fortunate indeed to come together as a Catholic community to celebrate our faith and express
our thanks to the heavenly Father for the many gifts bestowed upon us.
BEFORE SCHOOL STUDENT SAFETY
Student supervision begins in the school yard at 8:45. Be aware that any students dropped off before 8:45 are not
supervised. To help ensure your child’s safety, please make the necessary arrangements so that your child arrives at school
between 8:45 – 9:00.
BREAKFAST CLUB
This year, our breakfast club has served over 6300 breakfast snacks to students. Each day, foods from at
least three of the food groups were served to start students off right. Thank you to the teacher volunteers,
the fundraisers and the students who donated to help provide a healthy start to the day for many of our
students. The final day for Breakfast Club this year will be Wednesday, June 17th. It is scheduled to begin
again in October 2015 should the funding be available. A reminder that Breakfast Club opens at 8:30. For your child’s safety,
please do not drop your child off before then.
KISS AND RIDE
Just a reminder to parents not to PARK in the Kiss and Ride lanes or the bus lanes as these are designated fire
lanes. The City of Brampton Parking Control has been by and has ticketed vehicles by the City of Brampton
Parking Control. Thank you to everyone for their patience and understanding.
COPS FOR CANCER SOCCER GAME
On Monday, June 15th, students in Grades 1 – 8 can pay $2 to watch our Intermediate soccer teams square off
against members of Peel Police and St. Joachim staff in a friendly soccer game to raise money for Cops for Cancer.
Come on out to cheer on all of the players.
PLASP – BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
PLASP Child Care Services operates Before and After School Programs at this school.
The Before School Program operates from 7:30 a.m. until school start. A nutritious breakfast is served daily.
The After School Program runs from the end of the school day until 6:00 p.m. Children participate in recreational activities,
are served a nutritious snack daily and have time for homework.
Fee assistance is available for those who qualify. Visit www.plasp.com and register your child online today.
JUNE 2015
GRADE 8 GRADUATION
To our Grade 8 graduates, we extend a fond farewell, and a wish for continued success and happiness, as
you embark on the next segment of your life journey. The graduation lunch will be held at The Garden
Banquet & Convention Centre on Tuesday, June 23rd at 12:30 p.m. This will be followed by the Graduation
Ceremony and the awards presentation at 5:00 p.m., to which all parents are invited to attend.
PLAY DAY – JUNE 22ND
June 22nd marks the day for our annual Play Day (weather permitting). The students will enjoy an array of activities inspired
by the PanAm games as well as having the opportunity to cool down at our water and freezie stations. Please remember to
send a hat, water bottle and sun block with your child on the day of the event. Our rain date is June 25th.
END OF YEAR PARTIES
As end of year parties will soon be upon us, St. Joachim would appreciate the co-operation of the entire
school community in NOT sending food. 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.
DISTRIBUTION AND STORAGE OF MEDICATION AND EPI-PENS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015
A reminder to parents that you will need to pick up any medications and/or Epi Pens for your child that has been
stored in the office this year on June 26th – a note will come home shortly for you to complete letting us know
how the medication will be sent home.
STOPR – BUSING FOR SEPTEMBER
STOPR oversees busing for both the Dufferin-Peel Catholic and the Peel School Boards. Just a
reminder to parents that had children on the bus this year on a “courtesy seat” that you will NOT be
automatically be eligible for the bus in October. Parents must reapply by filling out a “courtesy seat”
request form (must be submitted by September 25th). STOPR will not allow us to allocate these
seats until mid October. Having been granted a courtesy seat this year, does not guarantee that you
will be granted one for October 2015. Please make alternate transportation/walking/buddy/babysitter arrangements for
your child until mid October. Paperwork will be sent home only with students who have been granted the courtesy seat.
Priority is given to younger students and students who live south of Williams Parkway. Empty seats are extremely limited.
Should you have any questions regarding busing, please call STOPR at 905-890-0614.
OFFICE REOPENS AUGUST 31ST
The school office will be closed from June 29th until August 31st.
Classes resume on Tuesday, September the 8th, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.
St. Joachim will continue to have a 9:00 a.m. start and a 3:30 p.m. dismissal time.
A copy of next year’s calendar for holidays and professional activity days has been
included in this newsletter (and is also available on our website). Keep this document
handy.
Please note the following changes:
Morning Recess will begin at 10:23 a.m.
Lunch will be eaten by students BEFORE they go out for lunch recess (from 12:01 p.m. – 12:21 p.m.). If you are dropping off
a lunch, it should be at the school by 12:00 p.m.
JUNE 2015
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the many parents and members of our school
community who have given generously of their time, energy and talents, to benefit the students of
St. Joachim Catholic School. Your contributions have made a positive difference. If you are
interested and available to contribute to our school by volunteering, please contact the school. All
volunteers who wish to participate in school activities must provide a Criminal Reference Check.
Please see the office as soon as possible to receive paperwork in order to receive the reference
check. The Criminal Reference Check will be completed at no cost to you. The reference check
MUST be complete before you can volunteer in the school or supervise on class trips.
SUMMER FUN
There are many things to see in do during the summer months. Check out the following:
http://www.bramlib.on.ca/ - free reading programs
http://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/recreational-Activities/Pages/Priceless-Playgrounds.aspx - free playground programs
DATES TO REMEMBER
June 8 - PA Day – no school for students (Term 2 Assessment)
June 9 – Pizza Day, Crossing Guard Appreciation Day, Intermediate Girls’ Soccer Tournament
June 10 – Virtues Assembly and Presentation of Confirmation Pins to Grade 8 students
June 11 – BNE (Brampton North East) Track and Field Meet
June 15 – Cops for Cancer Charity Soccer Game
June 16 – Sub Day, Year End Mass, Intermediate Boys’ Soccer Tournament
June 18 – Joachim’s Got Talent School Performances at 9:30, 1:15, 7 p.m.
June 19 – Board Track and Field Meet
June 22 – Pan Am Play Day (rain date June 25th)
June 23 – Pizza Day, Grade 8 Graduation
June 24 – Report cards sent home with final newsletter
September 8 – FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL!
JUNE 2015
Coming soon to a Public Library
Branch near you!!
Why: To reinforce reading strategies introduced throughout
the school year and to sustain reading development over the
summer months in a fun parent/child interactive environment.
What: Each week for 6 weeks, Dufferin-Peel teachers will be
modelling and demonstrating a variety of reading
comprehension strategies during read-aloud sessions.
Participants will receive a “Parent Toolkit” and “Student
Toolkit” to help support reading throughout the summer.
Who: Students in Grade 1 through Grade 3, and their
family members.
Where: Select Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and
Orangeville Public Libraries
When: 1 hour weekly (dates and times will vary depending on
library locations)
Please look for the registration link on the
Dufferin-Peel website, your child’s school
website or from your child’s teacher
to enrol your child in the
Ready Set Read! Club this summer.
Brampton
Children’s
Chorus
AUDITIONS 2015
Come Join the Brampton Children’s Chorus
in it’s second year
Open to Students in Brampton
Grades 4 - 9
Committed to the development of
choral music through artistic singing and
musical literacy.
Weekly Rehearsals
Two Main Performances
per year
AUDITION DATES
June 15 - 16, 2015
St. Roch C.S.S., 200 Valleyway Dr., Brampton, ON
Please contact Mark McCallen at
bramptonchildrenschorus@gmail.com
to schedule your audition.