we all use self-control, we can be sure that St.
ST. BERNADETTEWhen
SCHOOL
Bernadette School will be a safe, caring and inclusive place
1060 White Clover Way, Mississauga, Ontario L5V 1G7
PRINCIPAL:
SECRETARY:
SUPERINTENDENT:
Mrs. M. Parker
Mrs. L. Magi
Mr. D. Amaral (905) 890-1221
to live, love and to learn.
Phone: 905 501-9498
Fax: 905 501-9501
TRUSTEE:
Mrs. L. del Rosario (905) 890-1221
PASTOR:
Fr. J. Pottackal (905) 279-5742
SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAIR: Mrs. Gaspari
JANUARY – NEWSLETTER #5
Virtue of SELF-CONTROL
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Happy New Year! I would like to take this opportunity to
welcome all of the families back to St. Bernadette School.
I hope that Christmas was a blessed time spent with your
family and friends and that you had an opportunity to
renew yourselves for the year ahead.
Let us take time to remember the incredible gift that God
has given us through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ and
what this means to us as Catholics. It is our hope that 2016
unites us all closer to Christ through our daily interactions
with others.
Together as a faith filled community, St.
Bernadette School will continue to weave our Catholic story
through our educational practices and our commitment to
each student’s academic success and sense of being and
self-worth.
On behalf of St. Bernadette School staff, we extend the
warmest wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy
and prosperous 2016! Together as partners in your child’s
education, we will ensure that all our students receive the
best educational and faith based opportunities that will
inspire, promote and sustain success.
Thank you for your continued support of all our
endeavours here at St. Bernadette School.
God Bless,
Mrs. Parker
Principal
VIRTUE EDUCATION
Virtue for January is SELF CONTROL
This month we will celebrate the virtue of Self Control:
A person with Self Control …





Is patient
Knows how to wait his/her turn
Can calm him/herself down and think before
reacting to situations
Knows how to avoid physical aggression
Can think things through and do what is best for
everyone
FAMILY PRAYER
I am the New Year.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity
to practice what you have learned during
the last twelve months about life. All that you sought the
past year
and failed to find is hidden in me;
I am waiting for you to search it out
again and with more determination.
All the good that you tried to do
for others and didn’t achieve last year
is mine to grant– providing you have
fewer selfish and conflicting desires.
In me lies the potential
of all that you dreamed but didn’t
dare to do, all that you hoped
but did not perform.
All you prayed for
but did not yet experience these dreams slumber lightly,
waiting to be awakened by the touch
of an enduring purpose I am your opportunity
to renew your allegiance to Him who said,
“behold, I make all things new.”
I am the New Year.
Author
Unknown
ADVENT and CHRISTMAS
KEEPING CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS AT ST. BERNADETTE
SCHOOL 2015
During the month of December, St.
Bernadette School focused on our
community and the various needs
especially during the Advent season. To
prepare and reflect on those in need we
created some ways to give back to our
community:
her appreciation for all the support she has received from
parents/guardians set the tone for a memorable evening.
Gratitude to our St. Bernadette Staff who committed
themselves to making this evening magical by preparing
students. Every classroom took part in this beautiful
evening. As well, to all members of our School Council
who graciously volunteered numerous personal hours in
order to make this evening a true success.
Thank you for your generosity and community spirit!
Our Christmas TREE OF LIGHTS (located in our front
foyer) served as a beacon for December’s initiative;
ONE BODY, ONE MIND, ONE COMMUNITY IN CHRIST.
Families/staff were asked to assist in providing families in
need in our community by purchasing gift cards or
donating non-perishable food items. Items were donated
to St. Vincent de Paul society who handed out family
hampers to those most in need in the community.
We are incredibly thankful to all our St. Bernadette School
families/staff who participated in this event by giving
selflessly so others could have a Christmas. Your
generous donations were instrumental in giving families
in need a Christmas this year.
PHOTOS WITH SANTA
On Thursday, December 10, 2015 Santa dropped by to
meet with our students before the end of the
day. He took time out of his busy schedule to
spend some time posing with families in front
of the camera to ensure that photos with Santa
were taken in a stress free and magical place. Many
families came out to participate in the event and word has
it that Santa has penciled St. Bernadette School in again
for 2016!
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WEEK ACTIVITIES
December 14 to December 18, 2015
Students and staff participated in our Spirit Week with
enthusiasm. Activities such as wearing Christmas colours,
Christmas sweaters and finally Christmas pajamas created
a sense of community within St. Bernadette School halls
and classrooms. Staff were also very immersed in the
events. Each day of the week staff along with students
displayed their Christmas enthusiasm by participating in
events. Smiles were abound!
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY DAYS
Monday, January 18, 2016 is a PA Day for all students as
teachers will be assessing and evaluating pupil progress
for Term 1.
Friday, February 5, 2016 is a PA Day for all students as
teachers will be reporting to parents on 1st term reports.
Report Cards/Parent Conferences
Term 1 report cards will be sent home on Tuesday,
February 2, 2016.
Parent/Teacher conferences will take place on:
Thursday, February 4, from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm
Friday, February 5, from 8:30 am–3:00 pm.
ST. BERNADETTE SCHOOL EVENING CHRISTMAS
CONCERT
St. Bernadette School hosted an evening Christmas
Concert on Thursday, December 10, 2015. Our school
gymnasium was the venue as
parents/guardians/grandparents/friends, etc. waited in
anticipation for what turned out to be an incredible
evening that prepared our community for what Christmas
truly means to us as Catholics.
KINDERGARTEN ENTRY PLANNING FOR SEPTEMBER
2016
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2016/2017
school year, will take place at St. Bernadette School on the
following days:
Monday, January 25, 2016 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
SNOW DATE: Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Registration Week: Wednesday, January 27 to Friday,
January 29, 2016 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
There was laughter, smiles and even some tears as
students performed in front of a standing room only
crowd. Staff gave of themselves tirelessly preparing
students for this incredible evening. There was even a
fashion show where t-shirts designed by each classroom
were paraded to roaring applauds.
Parents/Guardians must bring the following documents
when registering their child:
 Proof of age (birth certificate)
 Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the
Roman, Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one)
and child (if the child has not been baptized, a
letter counseling with the parish priest, to
complete the process will be accepted)
 Updated immunization records
 Proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed
immigrant status
The evening was supported by our School Trustee, L. del
Rosario who thanked parents/guardians for their ongoing
support and commitment to Catholic education. Her
message of hope and well wishes for a 2016 along with
 2 documents for proof of address which may
include:
1. Property tax bill
2. Real estate document (i.e. purchase
agreement/rental agreement)
3. Current utility bill
4. Government of Canada – issued forms (i.e.
Passport, Service Ontario documents)
For more information about registration and the Full- Day
Kindergarten program, call 905 501-9498 or visit
www.dpcdsb.org.
Dufferin-Peel Hosts Parent Evening to Support the
Transition of Students with Differing Abilities into
Kindergarten
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Special
Education and Support Services Department will host a
Kindergarten entry planning information session on
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at the
Catholic Education Centre (Room 301) – 40 Matheson
Blvd. West, Mississauga (Hurontario and Matheson.
January 27 –PARENT WORKSHOP: Supporting Diverse
Learners with Math at Home Transitions Years: Gr. 7-9
Dufferin-Peel Special Education Advisory Committee
(S.E.A.C.) is inviting parents and guardians of
intermediate students with diverse learning needs to
attend a Parent Engagement Workshop with a focus on
supporting math development at home.
The session “Supporting Diverse Learners with Math At
Home Transition Years: Grades 7 -9” is a free event that
will offer a hands-on opportunity to explore mathematics
through math tools and online supports. A light dinner
will be served.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
6:30 –8:30 pm
WHERE: Catholic Education Centre
Room 301 (Third Floor)
40 Matheson Blvd. West
January 28 -Nurturing a Lifelong Relationship with God
and Preparing your Child with Differing Abilities for the
Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion
and Confirmation
Dufferin-Peel Special Education Advisory Committee
[SEAC] cordially invites families to an interactive evening
with the Religious Education and Faith Formation Team.
The evening, presented with funding from the Ministry of
Education’s Parent Reaching Out (P.R.O.) Grant will
provide families with the opportunity to explore the
Adaptive Kits that are used in our schools and to explore
how to nurture a lifelong relationship with God. A light
dinner will be served.
WHEN: Thursday, January 28, 2016
6:00 pm –8:00 pm
WHERE: Catholic Education Centre
Room 301 (Third Floor)
40 Matheson Blvd. West
Mississauga
RSVP via email or by phone to Maryann DiAdamo at
maryann.diadamo@dpcdsb.orgor 905-890-0708 ext.
24411 by January 15, 2016. For more information,
contact Jacqui Toste, Academic Consultant for Students
with Diverse Learning Needs at
jacqueline.toste@dpcdsb.orgor 905-890-0708 ext.
24021.
January 11 –February 14 –French Immersion Online
Registration
Online registration will be open from January 11 to
February 14. Should the number of applications exceed
the number of spaces available, a centralized, computergenerated lottery will be held following the deadline.
More information: French Immersion.
Ballroom Dance instruction has commenced at
St. Bernadette for students in JK to Grade 8
thank to the generous support of our Catholic
School Council. Dance will run from January
11 to March 1st.
STUDENT ILLNESS-STAYING IN FOR RECESS
Students who are ill should be kept home where they are
most comfortable and can get better, sooner. A child who
is too ill to go out for recess is too ill to be at school. Your
co-operation to keep your child home when he/she is ill is
appreciated.
If your child can come to school but cannot go out due to
an injury, please ensure that the school receives a medical
note from the attending Physician.
PEDICULOSIS (LICE)
Should you suspect that your child has head lice, please
notify the school. By checking your child’s head once a
week for head lice, you will catch it early and treat it
before it has a chance to spread.
Remember, an infestation of lice is not a reflection on the
cleanliness of your child. A reminder to all to refrain
from sharing hats and combs, etc. The treatment for
pediculosis is simple. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s
directions and remove all nits from the hair. The office is
required to check your child before entering the
classroom. Please visit the office the morning on the day
your child returns to school. Peel Health
(www.peelregion.ca/health/) is available to provide
advice regarding treatment and prevention. They can be
contacted at (905) 791-7800.
INDOOR FOOTWEAR
Please ensure that your child brings back to school
his/her indoor shoes if they were taken home for the
Christmas break. These should be an EXTRA pair that can
be left at school at all times. Students are expected to
wear shoes in the school building at all times. Please note
that in the event of an emergency evacuation, students
will not have the opportunity to put on shoes, boots,
clothing articles, etc.
SLIPPERS ARE NOT CONSIDERED PROPER INDOOR
SHOES! Please do not send slippers to school as they are
not safe in the event of an evacuation.
INCLEMENT WEATHER REMINDERS
Our winter season is here! At this time we would like to
remind all students to dress appropriately for the season
by wearing the proper winter attire which should include
hats, gloves/mitts, winter coats and boots. When students
are dressed properly for the winter conditions, they can go
outside and enjoy some fresh air and activity in comfort.
There will be a few times during the course of the year
where a recess may be shortened or held indoors due to
extreme cold temperatures. Our school board policy states
that although consideration should be given for keeping
students indoors during recesses when the wind chill
reaches –20 C, students are to be kept indoors during
recesses when the wind chill reaches –25 C. In the colder
weather, we receive numerous requests to allow children
to remain indoors when students have a cold, the flu, etc.
Please note that we cannot comply, as we neither have the
facilities nor the staff to supervise these students.
Moreover, the health officials indicate that the fresh air is
good for children….not harmful as long as they are
dressed appropriately.
ATTENDANCE and
PUNCTUALITY
St. Bernadette School begins
promptly at 8:30 am each day.
ALL students are expected to attend school regularly and
punctually. In the event that your child will be late or
absent, you are asked to please call the school and follow
the prompts to leave a message. For students who are
absent and for whom a call is not received, we will
contact you as part of our Safe Arrival program.
We monitor lates and absences. You will be contacted by
your child’s teacher first regarding concerns of lates or
absences. If these continue then you may be contacted by
the school Social Worker. We want to work with you to
ensure that your child arrives to school on time every day
and is present for optimum learning opportunities. If for
some reason you are having difficulties getting your child
to school on time each day please contact us.
905 501-9498
Please call by 8:15 am if your child is
going to be away for any reason.
VISITORS TO ST. BERNADETTE
Parents are welcomed to St.
Bernadette School throughout the
year, however, for the safety of all
children, parents and visitors must use only the front door
for entry and must sign in at the office. As a reminder, we
are now required to keep all outside doors locked,
including the front doors. The only access point will be
via the front doors and visitors will require entry through
a buzzer system. Please be patient as there will be times
when Mrs. Magi will need to be away from her desk and
may not be able to admit you as soon as you ring the
buzzer.
At no time are visitors permitted to go to the classrooms as
this is a disruption to student programming and may pose
a safety concern. Since the hallways are busy during pick
up times, siblings and parents are asked to arrange with
your child, a meeting place outside of the school.
Messages and deliveries (keys, lunches, etc.) are handled
through the office. Please remember: to most students in
the school, you are a stranger.
If your child is enrolled in our Family Day Care here in
our school, please note that school aged children will be
dismissed from the daycare at 8:15 am where they will
join their friends at the back of the school. There is NO
access from the Daycare into the school at any time. If
parents/guardians of Daycare children need to come to
the office they will need to walk around and come in
through the front doors.
Thank you for making St. Bernadette School safe.
**DAYCARE**DROP OFF
Parents/guardians are reminded that drop off should be
between 7:00 am and 8:15 am in order to reduce the
interruption and possible injury of parents/children who
are being walked or driven to school for our 8:30 am start
time. There will be NO access to the staff parking lot from
8:15 am and 8:30 am. And again between 3:00 pm and
3:15 pm. Negative response/actions towards teachers
who are doing their jobs to ensure the safety of St.
Bernadette students will not be tolerated.
Pylons are put up to offset congestion in the parking lot
and possible physical injury. If you are late dropping your
children off, consider parking your car on the road and
walking them into the daycare.
KISS ‘N RIDE STUDENT SAFETY
Attention parents! There is only one safe crossing point for
your students when they are left off at the Kiss ‘n Ride.
Teachers are there to escort the students safely across.
Please let your child off close to the front doors of the
school in the Kiss ‘n Ride lane ONLY so that they are safe
crossing with the teacher on duty. No student is to be let
out of a vehicle before approaching the teacher on duty.
We also have a teacher on duty to supervise student safely
into the yard in the am starting at 8:15 am and again
upon dismissal time. We ask that you remind your child
(children) to be cautious at the end of this sidewalk where
the driveway begins as cars and busses are entering our
parking lot. We ask that your child does not walk on the
school driveway, but rather on the sidewalk portion.
REMINDER – when using the Kiss ‘N Ride lane, please
keep moving up once children have entered the car in
front of you. We want children to be picked up where the
teacher on duty stands at the front of the school and not at
any other area in the Kiss ‘N Ride lane. There should
never be cars parked and left unattended in the Kiss ‘N
Ride lane please.
Thank you for helping us keep children safe.
PEANUT AND NUT ALLERGIES
There are students in our school who have
severe peanut or nut allergies, which are life
threatening. Allergic persons exposed to
peanuts, nuts and their by-products, or
residues are at risk of suffering a serious reaction. Some
children are so sensitive that even the smell of peanut
butter or nuts can cause problems and could be fatal.
Because of the seriousness of this condition, everyone’s
continued cooperation is needed in not sending foods to
school with peanuts, nuts or their by-products. In the
event that a child accidentally brings a lunch or snack with
peanuts, nuts or their by-products, this student will be sent
to eat their lunch in the office or in another room. They can
invite a friend to eat lunch with them. Following are some
strategies that parents, students and staff can use to help
keep our school safer for children with peanut or nut
allergies. • Avoid sending foods from home that may
contain nuts or nut products such as peanut oil, peanut
butter, peanut sauce, peanut meal, mixed nuts, ground nuts
and mandalona nuts. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein may
also contain peanuts and is not considered safe for people
with peanut allergies. • Read food labels carefully. Avoid
products that do not carry a list of ingredients.
It’s
important to read food labels each time you buy a product
that will be eaten by a child with a nut allergy, or by a child
in the same classroom, because products and production
facilities often change.
• Clean hands and face
immediately after eating peanut butter or nut containing
products before heading off to school or at school; if
brought by accident. • Avoid sharing snacks and drinks.
Thank you for your on-going cooperation in helping to
make our school safer for students with peanut/nut
allergies.
Further to this, as part of “Sabrina’s Law”, we are no
longer permitted to allow treats for sharing with other
students. On special occasions (Halloween, Christmas)
teachers will advise students what foods they can bring
for their own consumption. To acknowledge your child’s
birthday, if you would like to send something, items such
as pencils or “dollar store treasures” that are not edible
would be appropriate. Thank you for your consideration
and co-operation in making our classrooms safer for
students
ST.
BERNADETTE
CATHOLIC
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Next Council Meeting is January 12,
2016 at 6:30 pm.
Please see attached update from school council – Parent
Engagement Evening (Focus on Math). Wednesday,
January 27th, 2016 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm St. Bernadette
School Library.
See invitation sent home.
REPORTING HEAD INJURIES
Even when it may appear to be insignificant, we inform
parents of ALL head injuries at school which are reported
to us. We do this in recognition of the potential danger of
any injury involving the head area. We are not intending
to alarm you, rather to keep you informed. Please remind
your child to let a staff member know if they bump/injure
their head at school.
FIRE DRILLS & LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
In accordance with Ministry regulations, Fire drills will be
conducted during various times during the school year.
While we hope that a real fire situation never arises, this
practice helps prepare students in the event of a real fire.
In addition, our School Board has established lockdown
procedures should a high risk incident involving weapons
occur in the school, or on school property, that could
endanger the lives and/or the safety of students and/or
staff. We will practice the Emergency Lockdown Procedure
with pupils two times during the school year and review it
from time to time.
ECO NEWS
The St. Bernadette Eco- team is now
up and running for the 2015-2016
school year. Our pillars for this
year are Energy Conservation and 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.
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.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are also pizza days and we would
like all students to bring in a re-usable dish for their pizza
to avoid the amount of paper plates that are being thrown
into the garbage once your child is done eating his/her
pizza.
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 with banning the bottle 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 ecosystems. 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.
Thank you to Mrs. Montanaro and Mrs. Mills for their
time in leading our ECO students in their endeavours to
keep St. Bernadette ECO friendly.
ST. MARTIN OF TOURS PARISH NEWS
First Holy Communion: Rite of Enrolment: Saturday, Feb.
6th, 5:00pm Mass or Sunday, Feb. 7th 8:00am, 10:00am
12:00pm Masses
ATTACHMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline
Are You Ticked
Supporting Diverse Learners
Students with Differing Abilities
CALENDAR
LOOKING AHEAD
January 1
January 4
January 11
January 12
January 15
January 18
January 25
January 26
pm
January 26
FDK-2
January 27
January 27-29
January 29
February 1
February 2
February 4
February 5
February 9
February 10
February 15
February 18
February 22
only
Happy New 2016 Year!!!
Classes resume
Ballroom Dancing Begins – all grades
School Council 6:30 pm
Transition to Kindergarten Students with
Differing Abilities at CEC 7:00 pm
Skating grades 4-8
P.A. Day: Assessment and Evaluation (no
classes)
FDK Registration Evening 7:00 pm–9:00
pm
Kindergarten Reg. (Snow Date) 7 pm -9
Music Makers Presentation – grades
Parent Engagement Evening – Math
Kindergarten Reg. 9:00 am-3:00 pm
Skating grades 4-8
Michael Wade Presentation
Grades 3-8
1st Term Reports Sent Home
1st Term Interview Evening
PA Day –1st Term Interview
Shrove Tuesday – Council to make
pancakes for students/staff
Ash Wednesday
Family Day –No school For Students
Public Speaking Speeches
Dental Screening – FDK, grades 2 and 8
Grade 7 and 8 Immunization
STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND SUCCESS