66 Main Street South, Brampton, Ontario L6W 2C6
Telephone: 905-451 - 1020 Fax: 905-451-0161
Principal:
Paul Roul
DECEMBER 2013
Secretary:
A. Magalhaes
Council Chair:
Jim Doran
Superintendent:
Sue Steer
(905) 890-1221
Trustee: Ward 3
Anna Podesta– da
Silva
(905) 890-1221
(905) 706-5679
Advent Prayer
Parish: St. Mary
Catholic Church
66A Main Street, South
Brampton, Ontario L6W
2C6 (905) 451 - 2300
Fr. Liborio Amaral,
Pastor
Fr. Vargas Lara
(Associate Pastor)
Fr. A. Chan
(Associate Pastor)
WEBSITE:
www.dpcdsb.org
Then go to Elementary
Schools and click on St.
Mary Catholic School
Lord Jesus,
Master of both light and darkness, send your
Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.
We who have so much do seek quiet spaces to
hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over so many things look
forward to your coming among us.
We, who are blessed in so many ways long for
the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your
presence.
We are your people, walking in the darkness,
yet seeking the light, to you we say,
“Come Lord, Jesus!”
AMEN
Virtue of the Month – HOPE …..
In the month of December, we will celebrate the
virtue of HOPE.
We believe that God comes to us as a real human
who can show us the way of life.
We understand that both the world and its people
are from God and so are essentially good.
Furthermore, God has given us this Advent
season year after year in order to focus our minds
and our hearts on the good all around us.
Year after year, we are reminded that God chose
to send his Son to us because we are worth it. God
knows how great we can be when we all come
together.
When we look at the world through the eyes of
God we see it becoming more and more like the
reign of God that Jesus describes.
People of Hope…
 Keep up a positive attitude
 Can bounce back from tough situations
 Set and stick to their goals
 See the good in others even when they
make mistakes
 Work to include others
 Let others know that they are good people
School Council Wednesday
Pizza…
Pizza Days continue be offered every
Wednesday for students. The
money raised will be going back into the school.
The students will be offered a slice of cheese pizza
and it will cost $1.50 per slice.
The money will be collected every Wednesday
morning.
Please bring your own snacks and drinks.
Christmas Concert December 10, 2013…
The staff and students have been busy preparing for
our School Christmas Concert. The concert will have
performances from all our students. The concert will
begin at 6:30 p.m. The ticket request form was sent
home on Friday November 29th and is due on
Wednesday December 4th. We hope you can come out
to support your child’s learning and enjoy our school
concert with your family.
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for
2014-2015
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the
2014-2015 school year, will take place at St.
Mary Catholic School on the following days:
Monday, January 27, 2014 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.*
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday, January 30, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday, January 31, 2014
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 28, 2013 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
For more information about registration and the
Full-Day Kindergarten program, call St. Mary
Catholic School or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
Sharelife
Thank you to everyone for making the Halloween
Spook-a-thon a huge success. Thanks to your
generous contributions Sharelife will be able to help
families in need in our community.
Junior Intramural Basketball
Students in grade 4, 5 and 6 will have the opportunity
to participate in intramural basketball in the New
Year. Please listen carefully to the announcements
for more information
Choir
The student choir is up and running. We would like
to thank them for the wonderful performances at
various school events so far this year. If any student
is still interested in joining the choir please see Ms.
Pilon or Ms Marchese for more information. The
choir meets during the lunch hour to provide the
opportunity for all students to participate.
Cold Weather
This is a reminder that the students will be outside for
recess unless the weather reaches temperatures of
negative 20 degrees. Students should be dressed for
the weather and be prepared to be outside for 40
minutes during the lunch recess.
Electronic Distribution of Information
We would like to thank all the parents and guardians
that have signed up to receive information
electronically from the school. With your support we
have reduced the amount of paper used in the creation
and distribution of the newsletter. In the month of
December only 70 copies of the newsletter were
printed to be sent home. If you wish to help reduce
the environmental footprint of St Mary and receive
information electronically please send a letter to the
school indicating your interest in signing up and your
email address to include on our distribution list.
Student Supervision Times…
Please note that teachers are on supervision duty 15
minutes before the start of the school day. For safety
reasons we ask that you NOT drop your child off at
the school prior to 8:15 a.m. Students are not allowed
in the school prior to 8:15 a.m. or after 3:00 p.m.
unless they are under the direct supervision of a
teacher.
Student absences …
We strongly encourage parents/guardians to
please call the school if your child is going to be
absent or late. You may phone the school at any time
and leave a message. Be sure to state your child’s
name and teacher’s name. The school phone number
is 905-451-1020 and press # 0 for the attendance line.
When students are late they will need to go to the
office for a late slip before entering their classroom.
The Lunch Table…
We have many parents who drop off lunches for their
children at school. A table has been placed in the
office for lunches. Lunches MUST be labeled with
your child’s name. Classes are NOT to be
interrupted for students to pick up lunches. Please let
your child know in the morning if they should expect
to have a lunch dropped off. Then at lunch time your
child can come down and pick up their lunch.
Health Alert…
In each newsletter I bring to your
attention that there are students in
a number of our classes who have
a serious, and in some cases, life
threatening allergy to peanuts, nuts
and peanut and nut by products.
Even the mere exposure to these products may cause
a severe allergic reaction for these children which
could potentially result in death. While these students
may not be in your child’s class, or eat in the area that
your child eats lunch, we are most concerned about
cross contamination which may occur if a child who
eats a peanut product touches a chair, desk, book or
any object that may be touched by a child with this
allergy. On behalf of these students and their parents
I ask for your co-operation to ensure that peanut and
nut products are NOT sent to the school. We
encourage ALL students NOT TO SHARE FOOD
with any classmates.
Pediculosis …
Although not a communicable disease, pediculosis
(head lice) is a concern to parents and teachers. Each
year it is common for outbreaks of pediculosis to
occur. Unfortunately, in recent years, head lice have
become increasingly common throughout North
America. They are parasites which have been
common among human beings for centuries. They
are not connected in any way with dirt or neglect.
Anyone can be infested with them. If a case of lice is
found at school, we inform all parents by way of a
special letter.
 If cases are found in a classroom, we shall inform
all parents of students in that class. We request
that you also check your own children and, if you
find them to be infested, we would ask you to let
us know so that we may advise you of the proper
treatment for them. This information can also be
obtained from a pharmacist or the regional health
department.
 Even if cases are not reported from the school, it
is a wise precaution to check your child’s head
periodically. Teach them not to use other
people’s combs or hair brushes.
 If your children do become infested by head lice,
we will ask you to keep them out of school until
after they have been treated with the correct
shampoo and their hair is entirely clear of both
lice and nits(eggs).
Security at St. Mary Catholic School…
A reminder that all visitors INCLUDING PARENTS
must come to the office, and sign in every time they
need to come into the building during the day.
Visitors need to sign out when they are finished as
well.
If you are picking up your child at school at a time
other than regular dismissal, we ask that you report to
the office. Arrangements will be made for your child
to be sent to the office. If you intend to send someone
else to pick up your children, please inform the office.
We thank you for your cooperation in supporting a
safe environment at St. Mary Catholic School.
Volunteer Police Checks….
We as a staff greatly appreciate the efforts of our
parent/guardian volunteers. These individuals enable
us to enrich the curriculum for our students. Board
policy requires that all volunteers must produce a
police check to the principal of the school. These
forms are available in the school’s office. We ask that
you complete the form and take it to the local police
station with two pieces of identification (one with a
photo).
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this
process please feel free to contact the school.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, December 5th – Santa Pictures
Tuesday, December 10th – Advent Mass at 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, December 10th – Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 17th – Christmas Luncheon
Thursday, December 19th – Last Day of classes for
students
Friday, December 20th – PA Day
Monday, December 23rd to Friday, January 3rd –
Christmas Holidays – No School
Monday, January 6th – Classes Begin in 2014
Driveway Safety…
The Front Driveway… Your assistance is
required in helping to use the bus loading zone
located closest to our school. Please respect our drivein drop off points. Students and parents are reminded
to follow our already established procedure for
dropping off. Please share the above information
with family members or care givers who may be
picking up or dropping off your child. As a reminder,
we do not have a kiss and ride because we have a
parking lot that children walk through to get into
school. Please remember to PARK your car in the
designated areas. Thank you in ensuring the safety of
your child as well as all students at St. Mary Catholic
School.
St Mary’s Church – New Mass Times
Saturday
Sunday
5:00pm
8:00am
9:30am
11:00am
12:30pm
3:00pm (Spanish)
Christmas Events…
Advent Mass:
Please join our school at St. Mary Catholic School
for this special mass at 9:00 a.m. on December 10th.
This is a great way to begin this special liturgical
season.
Hat and Mitten Tree:
We are continuing with our St. Mary Catholic
School Mitten Tree. We invite children and their
families to decorate the tree with new mittens,
scarves or hats. We will give the proceeds to St.
Mary’s Church to help less fortunate children keep
warn this winter. You will find “Our Mitten Tree”
in the front hallway.
Student Council Advent Food Drive:
St. Mary Catholic School collected non-perishable
food items from December 2nd to December 18th
2013. The items were donated to many needy
families in our community through the St. Vincent
de Paul Society. We want to thank the students,
parents and staff at St. Mary Catholic School for
your support and donations.
Attachments:
 Breakfast – Snack Program
 Kindergarten registration
 Bus Cancellation Information