ST. BERNADETTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1060 White Clover Way, Mississauga, Ontario L5V 1G7
PRINCIPAL:
SECRETARY:
SUPERINTENDENT:
Mrs. M. C. Parker
Mrs. L. Magi
Mr. D. Amaral (905) 890-1221
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/Mr. De Costa
APRIL 2016 – NEWSLETTER #8
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Jesus is risen! Alleluia!
As a faith filled community of believers, St. Bernadette School
with its partners: teachers, students, parents and St. Martin
of Tours Parish, have come to learn to walk and demonstrate
our Catholic faith in which we all received at the moment of
our Baptism. Our personal relationships with God, who at
our Baptism, called each of us by name. But the response of
each of us to that growth is both personal and communal.
Each of us is encouraged to grow in our faith in the
nurturing atmosphere of our Catholic community through
our local parish, our home, or our Catholic school
community.
May each of us continue to be inspired to become the strong
faith filled individuals remembering to keep those in our
community who are marginalized in our daily prayers and
thoughts. Together, St. Bernadette School with all its
stakeholders will continue to guide our students to forge lifelong Catholic values through our Catholic Graduate
Expectations as well as, monthly Virtue assemblies and daily
prayer.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK –
OPEN THE DOORS OF MERCY
St. Bernadette School along with all
the other schools in the Dufferin Peel
family will celebrate Catholic
Education Week from May 2 to 6,
2016. This year’s theme as
proclaimed by Pope Francis is “Open
the Doors of Mercy”. There are five
sub-themes for each day of Catholic
God bless all our school families.
M. Parker
Principal
VIRTUE EDUCATION
Virtue for April is LOVE
This month we will celebrate the virtue of Love.
A person who LOVES …

Relates to family members in a loving,
compassionate and respectful manner
 Respects the rights, responsibilities and
contributions of self and others
God wants us to serve and to see the goodness in
everyone we meet.
Education Week:
Monday – Mercy that Welcomes
Tuesday – Mercy that Loves
Wednesday – Mercy that Forgives
Thursday – Mercy that Lives the Gospel
Friday – Mercy that Rejoices
Every year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association
provides our Catholic schools with a resource kit to help
schools prepare for Catholic Education Week. Using these
resources as well as our own developed activities we have
prepared a series of activities which will highlight how our
school is “Catholic Education: Opening Doors of Mercy.” On
Thursday, May 5 we will be holding an OPEN HOUSE/BBQ.
Mark your calendars. More information will be coming
home soon.
Our next PINK shirt day is scheduled for April 13th which is
the International Day of Pink. This day we ask all students
and staff to wear pink in order to show their support for
those victims of bullying as well as, to demonstrate to all that
at St. Bernadette School we say NO to bullying!
SAVE THE DATE: EQAO TESTING FOR OUR GR. 3 & 6
STUDENTS
their own colouring books and crayons although these items
are also provided for those who may not have access. So far
there has been an overwhelming response to this
opportunity. Other activities include Karate and Lego. These
last two activities are provided to parents/guardians with a
fee for those students participating. We especially thank
those teachers who have given of themselves selflessly to
provide safe, supervised and fun activities.
If you have any unused games that you can donate to the
school for our up and coming Games Room we would gladly
accept your generous donations. Thank you on behalf of all
our students.
RECESS REMINDERS
Our Grade 3 and 6 students will be participating in our
EQAO testing from May 25th to June 8th, 2016. Please avoid
scheduling appointments and vacations during these dates.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO MINIMIZE CLASSROOM
INTERRUPTIONS - CHANGING PLANS, DROPPING OFF
CLOTHING AND HOME-WORK IN THE OFFICE
Parents please encourage your children to remember to bring
all their items to school in the morning. Calling classrooms to
remind students to pick up materials, causes interruption to
the class and lessons being taught and the school does not
have enough personnel to make these calls. Also, if you are
picking up your child early from school for any reason please
indicate this in your child’s agenda or send a note to the
classroom teacher.
Uninterrupted instructional time is very important to the
learning environment of all our students. Frequent
interruptions to a classroom results in loss of concentration
and delivery of lessons which ultimately will affect a child’s
learning process. Therefore, we will not call a classroom
unless we deem it to be vital. Teachers will continue to
receive messages in their mailboxes or during recess times if
necessary.
We thank you for supporting our efforts here at St.
Bernadette School.
SAVE THE DATE: YOUNG RIDER ORIENTATION DAY
WELCOMING ALL KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN TO
YOUNG RIDER ORIENTATION DAY
The intent of the day is to introduce children to school buses
in an informal setting prior to the first day of school.
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2016
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: to be determined
WHAT’S HAPPENING FOR KIDS AT ST. BERNADETTE?
To engage our students in
safe and creative, fun
opportunities, students at
St. Bernadette have a
variety of supervised
activities that they can
take part in during lunch
recess times. Students can
access our Kreative Korner whereby students are able to sit
with friends and colour. Students are encouraged to bring
We continue to reinforce the
need for students to play
games and activities safely. At
St. Bernadette School, we have
a hands-off policy. This means
that activities such as contact
sports, tackling, play-fighting,
tripping, pushing, piling on
and any rough play are not
permitted. Students are
consistently reminded of these
rules by staff, supervisors and
administration. We
recommend that parents have conversations with their
children about the types of games they play at school. We
need your help to reinforce with them the dangers and
consequences of rough play and the importance of notifying
staff on duty during recess time. The health and safety of our
students is always our priority at St. Bernadette School.
WEATHER
With the constant change in temperatures this winter
seasons we have come to discover that many of our students
come to school properly dressed but at recess they are
forgetting to dress appropriately. Please discuss with your
child the need to dress for the weather. Here at St.
Bernadette we consistently remind our students that they
must dress for recess. Wearing proper clothing permits our
students to go outside and enjoy the break and fresh air
without having to worry about the weather.
As well, please have your child check our Lost and Found bin
on a regular basis for any lost items of clothing. This bin
seems to attract many items including gloves, coats, boots
and other items.
CLASS LISTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016
Staff will soon be meeting to organize class lists for
September 2016. If there are any special learning needs your
child has that you feel we should know when making up
classes, please do so in writing to the principal by April 29th.
Letters received that make a request for a specific teacher
will not be considered. Please limit comments to specific
learning styles. Requests for your child to be placed with a
“friend” will not be considered. If you feel your child has an
ongoing conflict with another child, please write us a letter
and we will do our best to separate them. All staff work hard
to balance class lists by abilities, gender and learning style.
Please keep in mind that capped primary classes (max 20)
often result in combined classes throughout the school. As a
result, requests for students not to be placed in a combined
grade will not be considered.
mentorship and judging events. Location: St. Philip School,
345 Fairview Rd W., Mississauga.
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN
PLAN AHEAD . . .
We are in the process of planning staffing and organizing
classes for the 2016-2017 school year. If you are planning
on moving out of the St. Bernadette school area, or simply
changing address within our boundaries, please let the office
know as soon as possible in writing. Families with students
who live outside of the school area are reminded that they
must apply through the Flex Boundary policy to the Principal
for permission to attend the school in September 2016.
Consideration will be based on the following:
BOARD NEWS
April 5 - Read and Write Gold – Literacy Support Software
for Home
On Tuesday, April 5, the Dufferin-Peel Special Education
Advisory Committee (S.E.A.C.) is inviting parents and
guardians of elementary and secondary students with diverse
learning needs to attend a Parent Engagement
Workshop: “Read and Write Gold – Literacy Support
Software for Home”. This event will take place at St.
Marcellinus Secondary School located at 730 Courtneypark
Drive West in Mississauga from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The
evening, presented with funding from the Ministry of
Education’s Parent Reaching Out (P.R.O.) Grant, is intended
to provide a hands-on learning opportunity to discover how
Texthelp’s Read and Write Gold software may provide
reading, writing, studying, and research support within
familiar applications (e.g. Word, Internet Explorer, Adobe
Reader). A light dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. and the
learning session will begin at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP via email or by phone to Laura Conte at: laura.conte@dpcdsb.org
or 905-890-0708 ext. 24011 by March 22, 2016.
April 9 – Central Committee for Catholic School Councils
Conference & Marketplace
Time: 8:30 a.m. Registration & Marketplace; 9:00 a.m.
Liturgy and Opening Remarks; 9:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker
Dr. Susan Williams, Psychologist; 10:30 a.m. Marketplace;
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Workshop Sessions; 12:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks; 12:15-12:45 p.m. Marketplace. Location:
St. Joseph Secondary School, 5555 Creditview Road,
Mississauga. For more information, visit
www.dpcdsb.org/CCCSC.
April 12 – DPCDSB Catholic Students Technology Elementary
Skills Competitions 2016
St. Bernadette School will be sending several teams to this
wonderful event. The Skills Competitions provides
experiential learning opportunities, offers awareness in
technological education, opportunities to explore careers in
various trade sectors. Students showcase their God given gifts
and talents while developing their knowledge, technical and
essential skills in their chosen sector competition, as
individuals or in teams. These events promote positive school
engagement and build community partnerships through
On Tuesday, May 3rd at 6:00 p.m., St. Bernadette School will
be welcoming NEW Kindergarten students and their families
to our community by hosting an evening of Full Day
Kindergarten learning experiences beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Families will be able to work and play with their children
using age appropriate, engaging tools and strategies that
promote literacy and numeracy. All of the activities are
developmentally appropriate for pre-school youngsters and
will help families prepare their children for school.
This event is sponsored by municipal and provincial
government agencies in cooperation with school staff and
neighbourhood services. Each family will receive a free bag
of educational activities to continue practicing the strategies
learned during this event. Please call the school office with
your RSVP for this great event! This is for NEW Kindergarten
registrants only.
GRADUATION PHOTOGRAPHY DAY
Lifetouch is coming to St. Bernadette
School on April 15th to celebrate and
photograph students in SENIOR
Kindergarten at 9:00 a.m. and
GRADE 8s in the p.m. These are two
specific milestones in a child’s life
and what better way but to have a
photograph. A flyer, showing all the
different poses to choose from, will
arrive about a week before. Please note we will begin
promptly at each of the respective photo sessions. We ask
that your child be here on time.
CURRICULAR NEWS
Staff continue to support student success by following
ministry and board curricular expectations. Staff will
continue to access professional development opportunities
when possible in the area of academic excellence and special
needs.
Communication with your child’s classroom teacher
regarding your child’s specific needs allows for
understanding of best practices and ensures that
parents/guardians are provided clear understanding of what
your child is learning and how teachers are supporting
student success here at St. Bernadette School.
noises, moving things or rectangular things she/he sees
MATH AT HOME:
PARENT
INVOLVEMENT AND
MATH
ACHIEVEMENT
“HOW CAN I HELP?”
Be positive
Choose your words
carefully. When parents
(and other adults) say
they aren’t good at
math—sometimes to make children feel better—they may be
giving children permission to stop learning.
Avoid math anxiety
Math anxiety (unproductive tension and stress) is real and
occurs in children as well as adults. Pressure from timed tests
and the risk of failure are major sources of math anxiety. Try
not to over-react when your child makes a mistake. Making
mistakes is an important part of learning!
Learn from mistakes
Homework time can be a more positive experience if you
help your children learn from mistakes: praise their efforts,
ask them to explain their answer, ask them to think about
why the mistake happened, and encourage them to try again.
Help set the tone
Be relaxed and engaged as your child does math homework.
You are not expected to be an expert, but you can offer
support and ask questions: “How did you do that?”; “Why
did you do that?”; “How do you know if you are right or
wrong?” and “Would you teach me how to do another
question like this one?”
Be patient and build confidence
If your child becomes frustrated, stop. Remind them of things
that they have already learned how to do successfully, such
as riding a bicycle or playing a musical instrument.
BOOSTING YOUR CHILD'S LANGUAGE SKILLS
The following suggested activities take advantage of things
you do every day. Do you speak another language? These
activities can be done in any language and you are
encouraged to use your strongest language. You play an
important role when you spend time talking with your
children. Teach your child new words.
When you are making dinner, ask your child to get you the
spatula out of the utensil drawer. Need to keep your child
occupied? Have your child draw a picture of a room in the
house. Have him/her draw in and label all of the things
he/she can remember in that room.
happy, sad, big or little. Teach your child words
like excited, frustrated, gigantic, and miniscule. Use
describing words and phrases to expand language skills.
Cooking and baking together is a great way to learn names
for ingredients as well as action words such as blend, stir and
mix.
bing words. Ask your child to
find something that flies or crawls, something that has four
legs but cannot walk or something that you can hear. During
car rides have your child locate or make a list of different
along the way. Give each child in the car a different job.
about airplanes, outer space, animals or opposites.
- give your child a job! Ask your child to
fold laundry. This teaches matching and organizing skills.
objects. Have him/her find and cut out pictures of
appliances, or clothes you wear outside. She/he can paste
them onto paper to make a little book about groups.
vegetables to buy. Talk about how the grocery store is
organized. Let your child help unpack your groceries.
Adapted from: Parents Boost Learning
ST. BERNADETTE’S ECO TEAM
The Region of Peel invited all students and staff to celebrate
Peel tap water during Canada Water Week. Students/staff
took part here at St. Bernadette School in a school wide
synchronized drink of tap water. Our school’s Great Gulp
event took place on Thursday, March 24th. Thank you to
students, staff and parents/ guardians for supporting our
efforts to help the environment through our commitment to
be a “Bottled Water Free Zone”.
LIGHTS OFF FOR EARTH HOUR
On Wednesday, March 30th, 2016, St. Bernadette School
participated in a Board wide Earth Hour. It was a huge
success with all classrooms turning off their lights and a
school-wide effort to reduce our overall use of electricity.
This month, our school will be continuing its energy
conservation campaign. Energy conservation efforts can help
both the environment and you to save money! By reducing
your use of electricity and water, you use less natural
resources and reduce the amount of pollution being created
by energy plants. Further, using less energy means spending
less money. Find below a few tips to help you conserve
energy in your homes and at school.
Use power bars to plug in appliances and lamps in your
home. When not in use, turn the power off at the power bar,
to reduce unnecessary power usage
Use energy efficient light bulbs
Turn lights and TVs off when you leave a room
Use your washing machine and dishwasher ONLY when
you have a full load in the machine. Turning on the machine
when it is half full is a waste of water and electricity
Adjust thermostats to be two degrees less or put them on a
timer. This way, the heat or air conditioning will only be on
when it is really needed
Dust and vacuum all floor radiators so that air flow is
much smoother and efficient.
Special thank you to Mrs. Montanaro, Mrs. Mills and our
dedicated student Eco Team for making a difference here at
St. Bernadette School.
Earth Day is on Friday, April
22nd, 2016.
St. Bernadette School will be celebrating Earth Week from
April 18-22, 2016. Activities include:



April 18
Earth Colours- wear EARTH colours
Earth Week Liturgy – 9:10 a.m.
April 19 Earth themed bulletin boards
April 22 Celebration of Earth Week Liturgy
and candles. Exposure to fragrances and other scented
products may trigger adverse health reactions (e.g., asthma
attack, anaphylactic reactions and shortness of breath) in
individuals with asthmas, allergies, migraines or chemical
sensitivities. Other less serious but equally debilitating
symptoms include headache, sore throat, runny nose, sinus
congestion, wheezing, dizziness, anxiety, anger, nausea,
fatigue, mental confusion and an inability to concentrate. In
order to support those individuals with sensitivities to
fragrances and scents, and to possibly prevent others from
developing such sensitivities, we are asking your cooperation
in avoiding the use of spray perfumes and fragrances in the
school. In particular, students should use roll-on deodorants
after gym classes. Other spray deodorants are misused in the
change rooms and hallways.
FLU SEASON
VISITORS TO ST. BERNADETTE SCHOOL
A reminder, for the safety of all our students and staff, we ask
that all visitors please check in at the office and obtain a
Visitor’s badge. We ask that you sign in and out.
Thank you in advance for assisting us in keeping St. Bernadette
School safe.
.
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 cooperation to keep your child home when he/she is ill is
appreciated.
Students who need to stay indoors for medical reasons must
have a doctor’s note to indicate this.
We would like to remind parents of the need to have a
network of support to care for children especially in case of
midday illness. As we go through this difficult time when
everyone is anxious about the spread of germs please note
that the Health Department repeatedly recommends that the
best practice to prevent the spread of viruses is:
 Wash hands with soap and water thoroughly and
often
 To cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue
 Stay home if you are sick
When children become sick during the course of the day, a
plan needs to be in place to care for him/her. As with all
medical issues, we continue to take direction from Dufferin
County Health on how to best respond to community illness.
INDOOR FOOTWEAR
For SAFETY reasons, students MUST 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.
Please ensure that your child has an extra pair of shoes at
school, to keep their feet dry and warm during snowy
weather. SOCKS AND SLIPPERS ARE NOT FOOTWEAR.
STUDENT LATENESS
There has been a gradual increase in the number of students
arriving just as the bell rings or after. Please note that classes
begin at 8:30 a.m. sharp and students should arrive at
school prior to that time in order to ensure that they are
prepared to begin work on time. Please review the need to be
punctual with your children. Once the last of the student lines
have entered the building at the back, the doors are closed and
locked. A child who is coming in late must report to the office
for a late slip as part of the safe arrival program. Lateness is a
disruption to the class and other students. Please try to impress
upon your child the need to be on time.
Supervision of pupils in the mornings begins at
8:15 a.m. To ensure your child’s safety, please do
not bring your child to school before 8:15 a.m. as
no one will be available to supervise students.
AWARENESS OF FRAGRANCES
Fragrances and scents are found in a wide range of products
including perfume, aftershave, deodorant, soap, air
fresheners, fabric softeners, laundry detergents, facial tissues
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
The next Catholic School Council meeting will take
place on Tuesday, May 10th at 6:00 p.m. Please join us.
NEW PA DAY – April 11th – No School
DATES TO REMEMBER – PLEASE MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
April 1
April 8
April 9
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 15
April 18-22
April 18
April 19
April 22
April 27
World Autism Awareness Day
Butterfly Conservatory – Gr. 2s
Marketplace @ St. Joe’s S.S.
PA Day – No School
Skills Competition
International Day of Pink – Wear Pink
Day of Pink Flash Mob 11:00 am
Confessions/Confirmation Rehearsal for
Grade 8s – St. Martin of Tours Church
Grad Photos – SKs a.m. and 8s p.m.
Dairy Presentations – Gr. 2-6
Earth Week
Wear Earth colours to school
Earth Liturgy – 9:10 am
Confirmation – 7:00 pm St. Martin
Of Tours Church
NED Performance – 1:00 pm
Celebration of Earth Week Liturgy
St. Bernadette School – District Support
May 2-6
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 8
May 13
May 23
Education Week
“Saidat” Anti bully Presentation
Welcome To Kindergarten 6:00 pm
RAID Program – grade 6s
Open House – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Book Fair – all day and evening
First Communion retreat – St.
Martin of Tours Parish
Mother’s Day
PA Day – No School
Victoria Day – No School
ATTACHMENTS
Math at Home - April
2016 CCCSC Marketplace Brochure