St. Jerome School
790 Paisley Blvd W.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5C 3P5
Tel (905) 273 3836 Fax (905) 273 9539
Newsletter
September
2014
Mississauga South
Family of Schools
Trustee:
B. Iannicca
Blessing for the New School Year
Father, we give you thanks for all you have given us. We bless you for creating us and filling
us with good things, for giving us your Son Jesus to show us the way to you. Bless all
students, teachers, support staff and parents as we begin this new school year. Help us in
all we do, to appreciate the goodness in ourselves and to look for the good in those around
us. Help us live our faith, and love for you by loving those around us. Help us to see your
presence always. May we turn to you in good times and in bad and know you are our
strength. As we grow on the outside, may we grow on the inside too, in knowledge and love
for you and others! Let your Holy Spirit give us the gifts of wisdom, understanding and
knowledge to help us learn the things you need us to know.
We ask this through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
WELCOME BACK!
The staff at St. Jerome School extend a very warm welcome to all the new families and to
those returning to St. Jerome this year. We trust that over the summer you had the opportunity to rest, relax and to enjoy peaceful times with family and friends. Once again we extend a special welcome to our Junior Kindergarten students who begin school for the first
time. We welcome back our Superintendent for the Mississauga South Family of Schools,
David Amaral and welcome back our devoted and dedicated Trustee Bruno Iannicca. We are
excited that you are joining our community! As we begin our new year, let us be reminded
that God gives us each day as a gift…and He encourages us to untie the ribbons.
905 270 0536
Superintendent:
D. Amaral
Principal:
A. Aquino
H. Secretary:
C. Bowering
Parish Priests:
Fr. Joyson Pottackal
St. Martin of Tours
905 279 5742
Catholic School
Council Chair:
September 12th Professional Development Day
Please note that September 12th is a professional development day, and there is no school
for students. A reminder that, due to Ministry of Education mandate, our classes will not be
finalized until September 12th. Numbers will be monitored carefully every day and a final decision will be made prior to our reorganization PA Day on Friday, September12th. Therefore, please note that your child’s class is not final until after reorganization occurs. If your child’s placement or teacher changes, you will be notified as soon as the information is available. Thank you for your patience as we follow the process provided to us.
School Photographs
The school photographer will once again be Edge Imaging. Photographs of students and class
photographs will take place on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. Don’t forget to bring your
best smile!
M. Fleese
Web-site:
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom
Faith Life
Virtue of the Month: FAITH
Faith believes the incredible, sees the invisible, and receives the
impossible. A faithful person believes that God’s plan for us
includes the right to be safe, cared for, and included, especially
at school. Faith is the great virtue of believing and trusting God.
Our faith helps us to remember the importance of God in our
lives and calls us to deepen our relationship with God when
things are going well and when they are not.
Beginning of the Year Mass
Please join us as we celebrate our beginning of the year mass
together on September 30th at 10:00 a.m. The mass will be at
school. It is a wonderful opportunity to give praise and glory to
God as the community of St. Jerome School. A special thank
you to Father Joyson and the parish team at St. Martin of Tours
for their spiritual guidance and support!
Parent Meeting for Confirmation
If you are planning to have your grade 8 child confirmed this
year at St. Martin of Tours Parish, please note that you must
attend a mandatory information meeting at the church. The
meeting dates are: Tuesday, September 9th at 7:00 or Thursday, September 11th at 7:00.
Parent Meeting for Communion
If you are planning to have your grade 2 child receive First Holy
Communion this year at St. Martin of Tours Parish, please note
that you must attend a mandatory information meeting at the
church. The meeting dates are: Tuesday, September 16th at
7:00 or Thursday, September 18th at 7:00.
Open House 2014
Our Open House/Curriculum Night/Meet the Teacher Night is
scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2014, from 6:30 to
7:30. More information will be sent out under separate cover.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teacher
and all the staff at St. Jerome. We hope you plan on attending!
Around the School
Indoor Shoes/Change of Clothes
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. If your
child is prone to getting wet during recess, please send a
change of clothes, especially socks and sweat pants. Please
ensure that your child brings a pair of indoor shoes to school.
Please label the shoes for our primary students. Running shoes
are preferred because they are safe and can also be used for
gym. Please ensure that the shoes have non-marking soles. We
appreciate your continued support!
PED Policy (Personal Electronic Devices)
It is the Board policy that all personal electronic devices (PEDs), must
be off and out of sight on school property or during school-sanctioned
activities such as retreats, field trips, sport events, etc. To prevent the
loss or damage of PEDs, we encourage students to leave their PEDs at
home. The school is not responsible for loss and/or damages. PEDs may
be confiscated and parents/guardians will be notified.
ECO Club News
We had our ECO School audit and visit last year. St. Jerome earned a
GOLD rating! We want to extend a huge thank you to Mrs. Read and
Mrs. Srutwa for taking on this enormous task. A special thank you to all
the ECO club members for their dynamic ideas and dedication to this
worthwhile initiative. Stewardship and taking care of our earth is everyone’s responsibility. We all have to care for the environment and to
protect it for future generations! We will be continuing this initiative
this year and we will be looking for new projects and ideas to protect
our world! We have also been accepted as a healthy school in the Ministry of Education Healthy School Initiative and we will be continuing
this initiative as well this year!
School Safety
Parents are welcomed to the school throughout the year, however, for
the safety of all children, parents and visitors will now be required
to ring the door bell at the front door for entry, and must sign
in at the office and receive a visitor’s sticker each and every
time you visit the building. Visitors are not entitled to go to the classrooms as this is a disruption to student programming. 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! We also ask that parents do not enter the school
yard during school hours as this is also a safety issue. More
information about the parking lot, the front door being locked
and the Kiss N Ride will be shared under separate cover. Safety continues to be our primary area of focus!
Twitter
Help us spread the word! Dufferin-Peel is on Twitter! For the
latest board news and information, follow us @ DPCDSBSchools.
School Hours
Our school hours remain the same as last year.
Please note the following:
8:45 School Office Opens
9:00 Supervision Begins
9:15 Morning Bell
11:15 Recess
12:15 Lunch
1:15 Afternoon Bell
2:40 Recess
3:45 Dismissal
4:15 School Office Closes
Kiss ‘N Ride
PLEASE NOTE THAT CARS ARE NOT TO USE
THE BUS LANE AT ANY TIME. Parents are also
asked to use our proper Kiss ‘N Ride lanes and not
to pull into the school lanes. This is especially
important this year as we begin to offer Full Day
Kindergarten classes.
Parents please do not leave your car unattended in
any of the Kiss ‘N Ride lanes at any point in the
school day, most especially at lunch time. If you
are dropping off a lunch for your child please park
your car in a designated parking spot or on the
street. Please note that if you are using the Kiss ‘N
Ride you should not be getting out of your car to
help a child exit, you should not pop open your
truck to retrieve knapsacks, and all students must
exit from the right passenger side of the car for
their safety. We ask that parents use extra
caution when using our Kiss ‘N Ride lanes in the
winter months. Please drive safely and take your
time. Our focus is always to keep all of our
students safe.
School Yard Safety
Just a reminder that student supervision begins at
9:00; students must not be dropped off at the
school before this time.
Reporting Absences
If your child/children are going to be absent or late for school,
we ask that you call the school office and leave a message (905)
273 3836. Please press 1 for our attendance line. Please leave the
following information:

Date of the absence

Student’s full name

Grade level and teacher

Reason for absence

Date of Return
Please let us know on a day to day basis if the child will continue
to be absent. As a safety precaution we will always try to contact
parents by telephone if we do not know why a child is absent.
When your child returns to school, please provide the teacher
with a note regarding the specific reason for the absence. If the
absence is over three days or it is an extended absence, please
write a note to the teacher and copy it to the office. Your
continued cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Student Verification Sheets
Student verification sheets will be sent home with your child.
These are very important and should be updated and returned to
the school by Monday, September 22nd. We rely on this
information to be current in case of an emergency. If your child
has any medical concerns, please list them on the forms. Please
fill them out carefully.
Criminal Reference Check
In compliance with Ministry directives, a Criminal Reference Check is
mandatory if you wish to volunteer your services in the school,
transport students and assist on trips. Copies of the Criminal Reference
forms are available in the office. An annual declaration is required for all
valid Criminal Reference Checks that are on file in the school office. A
Criminal Reference Check will be mandatory this year if you plan to
volunteer for both in school and out of school activities.
Website
Parents are encouraged to visit our website! The
site is
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom. Please take the time to check it out. All
school information and parent information is on the site and updated
regularly. All previous and current newsletters are on the site. Our
web-site is another excellent tool to keep parents connected to what is
happening at school.
Leaving At Lunchtime
Parents please be advised that ALL students must have written
permission from a parent/guardian to leave the school at lunch. Verbal
permission (over the phone) will not be accepted. A signed and dated
note with a parent/guardian signature is required for each occurrence.
The note must come to the office and students are required to sign out
and to sign back in when they return for afternoon classes.
Anaphylaxis Alert
There are several students in our school with a severe life-threatening
food allergy to peanuts, nuts and latex. This is a medical condition that
can result in death within minutes of exposure. Although this may or
may not affect your child’s class directly, please send foods with your
child’s lunch that are free from nuts /nut products. Further to this, as
part of “Sabrina’s Law”, we are no longer permitted to allow treats for
sharing with other students. All of these treats will now be sent back
home. 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. A letter will be sent to the students in the class
where there is a severe life-threatening food/latex allergy. Thank you
for your consideration and co-operation in making our classrooms safer
for students.
Medical Concerns
If your son/daughter has any medical concerns, please ensure that you
inform the school. All information is held in confidence. Parents are
responsible for ensuring that all medication and forms are updated
annually for any students who require medication to be administered at
school. If your child requires medication, please have the necessary
forms completed and return them, along with any medication, to the
office as soon as possible. This is board policy. New medications and
the proper forms for storage will need to be filled out for every new
school year. Please make sure that the school is aware of any
important medical information regarding your son/daughter in order
that we can be properly prepared to deal with an emergency situation.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
School Council Elections
According to Ontario Regulation 612, elections must take
place at the same time each year—within the first thirty days
of each school year. A nomination/self-nomination form can
be picked up at the school office. We aim to have 8 parent
members on the Council. If needed, the election for parent/
guardian representatives will take place at our first meeting.
Please consider joining our wonderful team! Your time is truly
appreciated and is valued by all our staff and students! The
nomination/self-nomination forms are due to the office on
September 11, 2014 by 4:00 p.m. Our first council meeting
will be Wednesday, September 24th at 6:30 p.m. All are
welcome to attend.
Transportation Update
Bus transportation is provided by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board. This service is handled solely by
STOPR. (Student Transportation of Peel Region)
You can check your eligibility for bussing by logging on to
stopr.ca. All school bus related issues and questions are to be
handled directly with STOPR at 905-890-0614.
Safe and considerate behaviour while travelling to and from
school is an expectation. Repeated misbehaviour on the bus
may result in the loss of riding privileges. If empty spaces on
the buses permit room for riders in addition to the
designated bus students, parents may apply for permission for
their children to receive bus transportation under the
Courtesy Seating Policy after October 15th each year.
Permission to ride under this policy is provided under the
following conditions:

The youngest students who live farthest away are
considered first.

Courtesy riders must use an existing stop—NO NEW
stops will be added.

Courtesy seat requests are only valid for the current
school year and are dependent on availability and may be
withdrawn at any time.

Applications will be available in the
beginning September 8, 2014.
school office
Pizza/Milk Program
Please support our pizza days/milk program. Please watch for
the forms. St. Jerome students love our pizza days and our
milk program (and so do our parents). We thank you for your
continued support in both of these initiatives!
Planning Ahead:
PA Days:
Sept.12, Nov. 14, Jan. 19, Feb. 6, May 11 and June 8
Christmas Break:
Monday, Dec. 22 to Friday, January 2, 2015 inclusive
March Break:
Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20, 2015 inclusive
Dates to Remember
Mark your Calendar
September 2
First Day of School
September 9 or 11
Parent Meeting for Confirmation (Gr. 8)
September 11
School Council Nominations Due 4:00
September 12
PA Day, no school
September 16 or 18
Parent Meeting for Communion (Gr. 2)
September 17
Open House 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
September 24
Picture Day
Catholic School Council Meeting 6:30
Sept 15 to Oct 8
Thanksgiving Food Drive
September 26
Terry Fox Run/Walk
September 30
Feast of St. Jerome
Beginning of the Year Mass 10:00 a.m.
October 1-3
Camp Muskoka Grade 8
October 7
Immunization Clinic Grade 7 and 8
October 13
Thanksgiving Day. No school.
October 28
Picture Re-take Day
November 11
Progress Reports go home
November 14
PA Day, no school
November 29
Grade 2 Reconciliation 10:30 a.m.
Student Accident Insurance
The Board takes every precaution to provide a safe learning environment for students, but accidents can and do happen. Some
families have private accident insurance which is able to respond
to costs arising from injuries. However, many families do not.
Under the Education Act, Ontario School boards are empowered
to: “provide, by contract with an insurer under the Insurance Act,
accident and life insurance for pupils, the cost of which is to be
paid on a voluntary basis by the parents or guardians.” R.S.O.
1990, c.E.2, s. 176, par 4. The ‘Basic Plan’ coverage for school
days only can be purchased annually for about $3.50 per child and
includes a 10-year dental benefit feature. Family discounts are
available. Plans can be purchased for post-secondary and mature
students and in some cases visitor or immigrant students. More
complete packages include 365 day per year coverage; the Super
Plan Plus has a travel component. Coverage may be purchased at
any time during the school year. As the cost is very competitive,
it will remain the same regardless of when it was purchased. The
best value for parents exists in purchasing the insurance in September. Coverage becomes effective at the date of purchase. You
may purchase coverage for your child at
www.insuremykids.com or by calling toll free at 1-800-463
-KIDS (5437). Please direct your questions to a Reliable Life
Insurance representative. Student Accident Insurance Brochures
are sent home with students at the beginning of each year. If you
do not receive one please contact the school. Participation in all
extra-curricular activities or excursions will require acknowledgement of receipt and awareness of Student Accident Insurance
available for purchase.
Homework Policy
We ask that you please review the Board Homework Policy with
your child. The policy can be found on the Board web-site or at
the front of your child’s agenda.