DUFFERIN-PEEL CDSB
St. Bernadette School Newsletter
1060 White Clover Way,
Mississauga, Ontario L5V 1K9
TEL: 905-501-9498 FAX: 905-501-9501
“Faith, Discipline, Excellence”
J A N U A R Y
PRINCIPAL:
M.J. VOWLES
SECRETARY:
L. MAGI
SUPERINTENDENT:
D. AMARAL
905 890 1221
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
The Virtue for the Month of January is…
Happy New Year! I trust you had a Christmas filled
with joy and a holiday where you were able to enjoy
special moments as a family. Know that as you
were gathered as a family celebrating, God was
there with you: “wherever two or three are
gathered in my name, I am with you” (Matthew
18:20).
People of Self Control…
As we begin the New Year we set plans for
ourselves and for our families. My challenge to
each of you is to find ways to bring God into your
relationship as a family. Head to Church together,
find a way to volunteer in the community, go for a
walk to appreciate the gifts in Winter that God has
given us. Open your hearts to the love God sends
and know he is with you always.
 Follow their Conscience
905 279 5742
Warm Holiday wishes…
 Look for peaceful ways to solve conflict
May peace and beauty, hope and love
be with you through the year;
May the love of friends and family
bring you lots of cheer.
 Try to do what’s best for everyone
C.S.C. Co-Chairs:
May everlasting joy and faith
always fill your heart with praise;
May the wondrous winter season bless you all
your days.
MJ Vowles, Principal
Please take the time this month to discuss
TRUSTEE:
P. FERREIRA
905-890-1221
416-805-7110
peter.ferreira@dpcdsb.org
St. Martin of Tours Church
Fr. J. Pottackal
P. Gaspari & J. De Costa
 Are patient with themselves and others
 Share and take turns
 Are able to use prayer to calm themselves
down
 Think before they react
 Have the power to stand up for what is
right.
with your child...
Welcome Back Mrs. Mahoney!

School Hours
8:30 - School Entry
10:30- Recess
11:00-Kindergarten
Dismissal
11:30 - Lunch
12:30 -Afternoon Start
1:55-Recess
3:00 Dismissal
2 0 1 4
It is with pleasure that we welcome Mrs. Mahoney
back to St. Bernadette! She will be teaching in our
Junior and Senior Kindergarten class. We are sure
parents and staff alike will be giving her a warm
welcome.
We’re on the Web!
http://www.dpcdsb.org/BERNA
REGISTERING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL…
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for
2014-2015
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September,
2014 are invited to attend an information meeting at St.
Rose of Lima, January 14th, 2014, 7:00pm.
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the
2014-15 school year will take place at St.
Bernadette School on the following days:
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.*
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
*SnowDate:
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
For more information about registration and the Full-Day
Kindergarten program, call our school office or visit
www.dpcdsb.org.
Parents/Guardians
must
bring
the
following documents when registering
their child:
· Proof of age of the child (birth certificate or
passport)
· Original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (for child
and/or parent/guardian) or baptismal certificate from
an Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy
See of Rome. If the child has not been baptized, and
the parent/guardian is a baptized Roman Catholic or
has been baptized in an Eastern Church in full
communion with the Holy See of Rome, the
parent/guardian must bring their own baptismal
certificate.
· Updated immunization records (Immunization Card,
Peel Health Form or Letter of Exemption)
·
Proof
of
Canadian
citizenship
(Birth
Certificate/Passport) or permanent resident status
· Proof of home address (tax bill, utility bill, bank
statement)
Planning information Session for Parents with Children
With Special Needs
As mentioned in our December Newsletter, on
Wednesday, January 22, 2014, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board’s Special Education and Support
Services Department will host a Kindergarten entry
planning information session.
AROUND THE SCHOOL…
Dress For The Cold
Please ensure that your child comes to
school prepared to go outside for
recess and lunch hour breaks. It is the
expectation that each child comes dressed appropriately
to go outside to enjoy the weather and get some fresh air
and exercise. Appropriate outdoor winter dress for
Canada includes ski jacket, hat, mitts (much warmer than
gloves), boots & a neck warmer (scarves can get caught
and could cause choking) and waterproof pants. If your
child is prone to getting wet during recess, please send a
change of clothes, especially socks, running shoes and
sweat pants.
School Footwear
Please ensure that your child brings a
pair of indoor shoes to school. Please
label the shoes for our primary students.
Sandals, flip-flops and slippers do not
protect your child’s feet and toes adequately. Running
shoes are safe and can also be used for gym. Please
ensure that shoes have non-marking soles.
We
appreciate your continued support.
Winter Safety
Winter is upon us. Please remind your
child about snow safety. Children
must stay off snow banks and ice
patches. We also ask you to reinforce
the dangers of pushing others on snow and ice. Snow
MUST stay on the ground. It must not be thrown or
kicked at any time. Following these safety rules can help
prevent someone from getting seriously hurt.
Rough Play
While outside during recess students sometimes find
themselves engaging in inappropriate activities that
involve rough play. Pushing, shoving, tackling, play
fighting and wrestling are all unacceptable activities that
compromise student safety. Please reinforce with your
children the inherent dangers of rough play, even when
the intent is fun.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Student Information
It is most important that we have up-to-date
records of your address, phone numbers and
emergency contacts in the event that the school must
contact you regarding your child. If there have been any
changes, please ensure that we have your most current
information. Please make every effort to communicate
with our office any changes that have occurred.
Punctuality and Attendance/School Yard Safety
School starts at 8:30 a.m. sharp. One of the
most important lessons a parent must
teach any child is punctuality. It is a primary
first step in self-discipline. Far too many
children, especially in the primary grades are arriving late
for school. As well regular attendance at school is critical
for learning and achievement of ministry expectations.
Students who habitually miss class or arrive late will
notice the direct impact on their marks and in the
evaluation process because their participation and
achievement cannot be full assessed. Instill that sense of
responsibility by enforcing good routines. If students aim
to arrive between 8:15 am and 8:20 am they will always be
ready to enter with their class at 8:30 am.
Front Door Entry System
This is an additional reminder that all school
doors are locked for everyone’s safety.
Visitors, parents and students must ring the
bell and identify themselves before entry is
permitted.
During
morning
announcements and prayers we refrain
from answering the doorbell in reverence
to our prayer time with God. We thank you for your
patience and understanding and assure you that we will
attend to the door as soon as possible. As well, please
note that there is very limited access to the school over
the lunch hour, from 11:30 to 12:30.
Visitor Sign In
All visitors (and parents are visitors) MUST sign in at the
office to ensure student safety. Parents may not escort
children or drop off packages by walking through the
corridors of the school.
Come to school with a packed lunch…
Please… inform the school of your child’s absence…
On the occasion when your child will be absent from
school, or late, please inform the school by leaving a
detailed message (including first and last name and
reason for absence) on our 24 hour answering system:
905-501-9498, option #1 (for Attendance).
Making lunches as a family in the evening or
morning is a great way to chat about your
child’s school day. Your child should come to
school each day with lunch and snacks. On
the RARE occasion when you have to drop off your child’s
lunch please place the lunch on the table in the foyer
labeled with your child’s name and teacher. Lunches
should be dropped off before 11:15 a.m. Students will pick
up lunches between 11:15 and 11:25 a.m. This allows
students enough time to eat their lunch and get dressed
for recess. For safety students MUST be back in their
classrooms before lunch hour supervision begins.
Kiss ‘n Ride Procedures
Thank you to parents who do not loiter in the
entranceway. This creates a safer place for all.
Please note that cars are not to use the Kiss
‘n Ride and the Bus Lane for parking at any
time.
Parents please do not leave your car unattended in any of
the Kiss ‘N Ride lanes at any point in the school day,
during the evening or at interviews as this is a Fire Route.
Cars can be ticketed and/or towed. Please use the front
of school Kiss ‘n Ride lanes only for dropping off and
picking up students at all times of the day.
We thank all parents for staying by the Peace Garden and
the walkway in the morning. Teachers are much more
able to monitor the safety of students when it is only
students in the yard.
Student Accident Insurance
With all the activities that take place at school
in the playground, the gym and in sports,
accidents happen. Dental injuries or broken
glasses can occur when 2 children accidentally
bump heads or fall. The school board does
not carry accident insurance for students.
Outdoor
activities,
extra-curricular
excursions and winter snow/ice conditions are additional
reasons you may wish to buy student accident insurance.
An insurance package was sent home with your child(ren)
in September. Packages are still available from the office
if you are interested in purchasing this optional insurance.
ON THE HEALTH WATCH…
Medication
A reminder that students are not allowed
to bring any medication to school. This
includes prescription and non-prescription
medication. As per Board protocol, all
medication must be stored in the office,
accompanied by appropriate paperwork and doctor
signature. Please note that this includes Advil cough
medication, cough drops, etc. We thank you for your
cooperation in this matter. As always, we care about the
safety of all our students.
We have been offering healthy choice recipes to families
through our Newsletters. These are simple and fun to
make. This month’s feature is…
Cranberry Surprise Muffins
Recipe developed by Emily
Richards, PH Ec. ©Heart and
Stroke Foundation 2012.
Operation Lifesaver
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 18 min | Makes: 9 muffins
Our thanks go out to the Go Transit staff that came to our
school and spoke to all the children about ways to keep
safe and reduce rail related incidents. Students watched
videos and discussed safe practice near and around trains
and railway tracks. Have your child/children share some
of the safety practices they learned. Thank you to the
Officer of Go Transit.
Ingredients:
¨ 3/4 cup (175 mL) plain 0% Greek yogurt
¨ 1/4 cup (50 mL) dried cranberries
¨ 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whole wheat flour
¨ 1 cup (250 mL) natural wheat bran
¨ 1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
¨ 3/4 tsp (3 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
¨ 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
¨ 1/3 cup (75 mL) liquid honey
¨ 3 tbsp (45 mL) canola oil
¨ 1/4 cup (50 mL) skim milk
¨ 2 eggs
¨ 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
¨ 3/4 cup (175 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries
ACADEMIC REPORTING
Report Card and Parent /Student/Teacher Interviews
The first formal report card will be going home on
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014. Interviews will be held the
evening of Thursday, February 6th.
Notes
will be coming home shortly. Please
be sure to book an interview time.
Teachers hope to meet with ALL
parents at this interview time.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION
Grade 2 First Communion
The Rite of Enrolment will be at masses between
Saturday, February 22nd and Sunday, March 2nd. The
celebration of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion
will be masses between Saturday, April 26th and Sunday,
May 4th. Your child must be registered with the Parish
office in order to receive First Communion.
Directions
1. In small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the yogurt
and dried cranberries; set aside.
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, bran, baking
powder, nutmeg and soda; set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together remaining yogurt,
honey, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour over flour mixture
and stir until moistened. Stir in cranberries.
4. Divide half of the batter among 9 greased or lined
muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of yogurt mixture into
centre of each and top with remaining batter.
5. Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven for about 18 minutes or until
golden and firm when lightly touched.
Per serving
Calories: 208, Protein: 7 g, Total Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g,
Cholesterol: 41 g, Carbohydrate: 34 g, Fibre: 6g, Sugars: 15 g, Sodium: 198
mg, Potassium: 270 mg
Peel Health Dental Screening Program
Grade 8 Confirmation
The Grade 8 Confirmation this year will be held at St.
Martin of Tours Parish on Friday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m.
Your child must be registered with the Parish in order to
receive Confirmation.
The Region of Peel will be here visiting our
school on Wednesday January 15th to screen
students in JK/SK, grade 2 and grade 8. Forms were sent
home for you to sign ONLY if you DO NOT want to have
your child screened.
SeeHear - Hearing/Vision Screening Service
light to be on. Please encourage this at home as well.
On January 21st, the SEEHEAR Clinic will be here at St.
Bernadette. Permission forms were sent home in order
to give permission to SEEHEAR to screen your child’s
Hearing and Vision. Screening results will be sent home
with your child.
The Eco team has many more fun and exciting Eco
initiatives planned to help save our environment. Stay
tuned to our school newsletter for upcoming events such
as:
Healthy Planet…ECO News
The St. Bernadette Eco-team is now up
and running for the 2013-2014 school
year. We have two representatives
from every class from grades 3 to 8.
Our new pillar for this year is energy conservation,
however; we will also be continuing with our previous
year’s initiatives in waste reduction. Some of the
initiatives we will be continuing for this year are the
following:
Mondays- Blinds up, lights off day-Blinds go up when the
sun is out; blinds go down when the day is done.
Tuesdays- Boomerang lunch- all lunches and snacks that
are not eaten are to be returned home and composted or
saved for another day. No untouched fruit or vegetables
are to be thrown out. They can be saved for another day.
Wednesdays-“Walk to school Wednesday”- Walk or bike
ride, to and from school -frequent walker/rider passports
will be handed out this year, an award will be given to our
frequent walkers and or riders.
Thursdays- we encourage students to “Taste the TapThursdays” and avoid bringing in juice boxes or bottled
water, we would like to see more re-usable water bottles.
Fridays- litterless lunch day, absolutely NO GARBAGE in
the lunch bags. All items are to be in resealable/reusable
containers. The class with the least amount of garbage
for the month will be awarded the “golden lunch box”.
As always, we will continue encouraging students to
reuse water bottles and to avoid plastic consuming our
landfills and killing our wildlife. We also encourage
parents to download or simply view our newsletter
online; this will avoid a paper copy from being put in the
trash, which as a result affects our eco-systems. We will
also be sending our notes and letters through the
youngest and only child to support our efforts in
conserving our forests by using less copy paper.
GOOS bin (Good on One Side), bins are in all classrooms,
this paper is used by our students to colour, write rough
drafts and to do math problems.
As for our energy initiatives for Eco certification 20132014, we will be encouraging, “lights out no doubt!” This
initiative is to remind students of the importance of
conserving energy by simply turning off the lights and
computers. When a room is empty, there is no need for a
· National sweater day
· Walk to school day
· Community swap day (i.e. Garage sale)
· Eco-source/energy audit
· Earth Day
· School greening events
Receive your Newsletter via e-mail…
In harmony with our Eco awareness
initiatives, earlier in December, we sent
home a form offering parents the
opportunity to consent to receiving our
school Newsletters via e-mail rather
than via hard copy. By completing the
form and providing their e-mail address parents will soon
receive the newsletter via e-mail. If you have not yet
submitted your form, please do so immediately so we can
enroll your e-mail address on our distribution list and help
do our part to reduce paper consumption and preserve
our precious environment. If you require a form, please
have your child pick one up from Mrs. Magi in the office.
Thank you for helping our school to be Eco friendly and
care for the earth God has gifted to us.
ONTARIO’S CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
168 Years of Success
Fairness in Our Catholic Education System
Some contend it is unfair for only one faith to have
publicly funded schools. Historically, Ontario’s Catholic
education system was established in fairness to Catholics,
a religious minority in this province. In 1867, the British
North America Act guaranteed that all educational rights
held by minorities at the time of Confederation would be
constitutionally protected. Without this protection of
denominational schools, Confederation would not have
been achieved and the Supreme Court of Canada has
upheld this pillar of our nation. Catholic schools have
maintained and enhanced their foundational place in
Ontario’s public education system as it has
evolved. It would be unfair to the
Catholic community and the people
of Ontario to dismantle a school
system that has been an integral
part of publicly funded education
since 1841.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic Institute for
International Education
International Student Program
Catholic School Council News
The next Catholic School Council
meeting will be held on Wednesday,
January 29th, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.
Please come and join us.
Now Accepting Applications
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is now
accepting applications from international students who
wish to study in our outstanding elementary and
secondary schools.
Education means the world to us.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board (DPCDSB) is Ontario’s
second largest Catholic school board
operating 149 school facilities
(including 123 elementary and 26
secondary
schools)
throughout
Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. Schools
are connected to and supported by Catholic parishes and
our faith.
Internationally recognized for excellence in education.
One of the truly defining characteristics of a Dufferin-Peel
education is the diversity that comes with having a
student body from over 150 countries. We celebrate both
our internationalism and the uniqueness of each member
of our community - students, staff, parents, and parish. As
a school community we are greatly enriched by this
diversity.
Opening minds to a better world.
Located just west of the City of Toronto, on the north
shore of Lake Ontario, and less than a 90 minute drive to
Niagara Falls and the U.S. border, Dufferin-Peel is home
to the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s
largest airport with non-stop service to 180 destinations
in 60 countries around the world. Plus, the region boasts
an extensive network of local and regional train and bus
services with direct connections to 16 universities and
colleges within a 60 kilometre radius.
Students wishing to apply to our International Education
programs are encouraged to visit our website
atwww.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Programs/International+Studen
ts/ or to contact: Rita Borg, Principal of the International
Student Program rita.borg@dpcdsb.org
(905) 412-3341 Ext. 31460
Article for Parents…
How to Raise Kids with Faith - Franciscan Media Catalog
We all want to raise our children to have faith. Build your
child’s foundation of faith while strengthening your own
relationship with Christ. The following is a link to an
article on raising kids with faith. Please feel free to read
more about it at…
http://catalog.franciscanmedia.org/ViewDigitalNewslette
r.aspx
MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENTS
Student Lunch Monitors Needed…
We require Emergency Student
Monitors to cover from time to time
when the regular Student Monitors are ill. You will
require a Criminal Reference Check. For more details
please contact the school office if you are interested.
Weather Conditions
During the winter months, inclement
weather and/or poor road conditions
may cause the disruption of bus
transportation and regular school
operations.
In
these
cases,
parents/guardians should develop
alternate care/transportation arrangements.
A decision to cancel bus transportation and/or to close
schools is made by 6:00 a.m. Decisions are based on
several factors including precipitation, air temperature
and road conditions. A decision to cancel bus
transportation may be system wide (where all buses in
Dufferin County and the Region of Peel are cancelled) or
municipality specific (where buses in one or more
municipalities are cancelled).
If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not
operate in the afternoon. Therefore students
transported to school by parents require the same
transportation home.
Notification Parents/guardians, students and school staff
are asked to monitor the following radio/television
stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation/school
closure information. Radio: Television: CKFM 99.9 CKFM
99.9 CFTO CJCL 590 CJBC (FR) 860 AM Global CHFI 98.1
CJEZ EZ ROCK 97.3 CP 24 CFTR 680 CFRB 1010 CBC FOXY
88.5 FM Z103.5 The Weather Network CFNY 102.1 CHIN
100.7 FM / 1540 AM 93.1 FM CJMR/CHOW 1250 102.7 FM
(Caledon)
A bus cancellation and/or school closure message will be
posted on the Board's main webpage at
www.dpcdsb.org, on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools and on
the Board's phone message system at 905-890-1221.
Thank you for your support as we focus on providing safe
transportation for all our students. - See more at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Schools/Weather+Cancellati
ons/#sthash.MgYu8LHo.dpuf
CALENDAR & PLANNING…
Looking Forward to Next Month…
Feb 4
Report Cards sent home
Feb 5
Intermediate Speeches
Feb 6
Parent/teacher Interviews
Feb 17 Family Day—No School this day
Notes
(for Parental Use)
P.A. Day
The P.A. day this term is Monday, January 20, 2014.
The next P.D. Day is scheduled for Friday, March 7th,
2014. This dates have been set aside for teachers to write
report cards.
If you need to call the school on these days, please feel
free to leave a message on our answering machine and
your call will be returned as soon as possible. From time
to time, scheduled phone line maintenance is performed
and lines may be busy. Thank you.
Please Calendar these Dates…
Jan 9
Pizza Day
Jan 14 St. Rose of Lima Extended French Parent Mtg (7pm)
Jan 15 Dental Screening
Sub Day
Jan 16 Pizza Day
Jan 20 P.A. Day, no school for students
Jan 21 See Hear Clinic visit
Jan 23 Pizza Day
Jan 27 Kindergarten Registration (7-9pm)
Swim to Survive, Gr 3s, 1-2pm
Jan 29 Full Day Kinder Registrations (9-11am and 1-3pm)
CSC Meeting (6:30pm)
Swim to Survive, Gr 3s, 1-2pm
Sub Day
Jan 30 Full Day Kinder Registrations (9-11am and 1-3pm)
Pizza Day
Jan 31 Full Day Kinder Registrations (9-11am and 1-3pm)
Swim to Survive, Gr 3s, 1-2pm
Over…
Healthy Minds & Healthy Bodies Attachment