Summer Clean Up
Special thanks to our summertime custodial staff,
Mr. Mirabelli, Ms. Kennedy-Bourne and Mr.
Covatta for their hard work in making the school
look great for the students!
Staff Changes
Welcome back to Mrs. Doulgeris (Grade 6) and Mr.
Pitre (Grade 5) who are returning to our staff. We
would like to welcome Ms. Peter who will be filling
in for Mrs. Saab until Christmas. She will be
providing music, Grade 4 to 8 from Tuesday to
Friday.
We are pleased to have Ann DeCarolis as our new
Crossing Guard at the corner of Bolton Heights and
Kingsview Drive. We hope that all who use the
intersection will respect the efforts of the Crossing
Guard to keep the pedestrians safe.
Open House
On Wednesday, September 19, the staff will host
our annual Open House evening from 6:30 p.m.
until 8:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for teachers
and families to meet to discuss plans for the year.
Please set aside the date. We look forward to
seeing you here.
School Hours
Our school hours remain the same as in previous
years. We applaud students who are on time for
class and ready to learn! Punctuality is a valuable
life skill and we must do our part to help children
learn the value of punctuality. School begins at
8:30 a.m., therefore, it is important for students to
be at school before the school bell rings.
8:30
10:20
10:35
11:00
11:30
12:30
1:55
3:00
School Starts
Gr. 4-8 Recess
Gr. 1-3 Recess
K Dismissal
Lunch
PM classes begin
PM Recess
Dismissal
Professional Development Day
A reminder that there will be NO SCHOOL FOR
STUDENTS on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14. The
day will be devoted to reorganization of classes (if
necessary) and for curriculum and faith
development for staff.
Transportation
JK-Gr.1
1.0 KM
Gr.2-4
1.6 KM
Gr.5-8
2.0 KM
The distance criteria for those eligible for busing is
determined by the Dufferin-Peel and Peel Boards of
Education and apply to all students. This year we
share buses with James Bolton School. Additional
buses transport more of our students. With the
greater efficiencies in transportation, only those
who qualify for busing are allowed to ride the
buses. If there are limited “courtesy seats”, these
will be addressed in October. Please adhere to the
guidelines
above
and
make
alternate
arrangements to transport your child if he/she
does not qualify. Seats are limited.
Helpful hints:
•Be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes ahead of pickup.
•follow all directions from the driver, especially
when getting off and on the bus.
•go directly to a seat and stay seated until let off the
bus.
•keep all belongings inside the bus.
•sit quietly at all times. Speak only in
conversational tones.
•No eating on the bus.
Parents of Kindergarten and Grade 1 students
travelling by bus need to be aware that in the
interest of safety, students will be identified for
purposes of ensuring that no child is released from
the bus unless an adult is present to receive them.
If there have been any recent changes in addresses
that may affect your child’s transportation ie.
change of address, daycare, etc. please notify the
school as well as transportation at 905-890-6000.
Please check www.stopr.ca for any bussing changes
(cancellations, etc.).
We thank you in advance for your co-operation.
Please remember that only eligible students may
take the bus.
Courtesy Seats
Application forms can be picked up in the main
office.
STOPR (Student Transportation of Peel Region) has
established a procedure for granting courtesy seats.
Courtesy transportation is assigned on an annual
basis based on empty seats not occupied by eligible
riders. Requests for courtesy transportation must
be submitted to the school, by the parent/guardian
each year, using Courtesy Transportation Request
Form (TF004) found in the main office here at Pope
John Paul II. The completed form is due to the
main office no later than Friday, September 28,
2012.
Students attending the school under the flex
boundary policy, must make their own
arrangements for transportation.
A courtesy seat may be granted if all of the
following conditions are met:
A seat is available on the bus;
The bus stop already exists in the current school
year.
Visitors
All visitors of the school are reminded that they
must report to and sign in at the office when first
arriving. Adults in the building who are not staff
must wear identification stickers for safety reasons.
To further ensure the safety of all students and to
minimize the traffic in school hallways at arrival
and dismissal times, we ask that parents meet their
children outside of the school and away from
immediate exit doors. Staff are on duty 15 minutes
before the start of the school day and are ready to
receive the children at this time.
Any student leaving the school during the day due
to appointments, etc, must be signed out at the
office. Please ensure that you send a note in this
regard to your child’s teacher. This safety feature
ensures that the staff is always aware of when and
with whom your child is leaving.
School Council
According to Ontario Regulation 612, elections
must take place at the same time each year- within
the first 30 days of each school year. Nomination
forms are available at the office. All parent
nominations must be submitted no later than
Friday, September 21 at 4 pm. We welcome and
encourage all Parents/Guardians to participate on
the School Council and become more informed of
school activities and provide input on planned
activities. We will schedule the first School
Council meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 25.
Allergy Alert
As we begin a new school year we would like to
inform you that Pope John Paul II is an “allergen
aware school”. There are pupils in attendance who
suffer from severe and life threatening allergies to
certain foods, such as peanut and nut products and,
in some cases, sesame seeds or eggs. Exposure to
the smallest quantities can cause severe life
threatening reactions.
We at Pope John Paul II School would appreciate
the cooperation of the entire school community by
NOT sending any lunches or snacks that could
potentially harm a pupil. Please make sure that all
of your children’s caregivers are aware of the food
restrictions. Students should be reminded not to
share food items. No food treats are to be sent to
the school for birthdays or special occasions.
There are many alternatives such as stickers and
pencils. All food treats sent for sharing will be
returned for home use.
At Pope John Paul II we pride ourselves in
providing a safe and inclusive educational
environment for all our students.
Personal Electronic Devices
Parents and students are reminded of the DufferinPeel Catholic School Board’s policy banning all
PEDs. IPODs, cell phones and digital cameras. We
thank you in advance for discussing this expectation
with your child and for your support. These
products distract from the learning process and
infringe upon the privacy of others. It has been our
experience that cell phones are often misused the
most. Any cell phones or other unauthorized
electronic devices seen by staff, will be confiscated.
Lunch Time Procedures
We will continue to provide a table, writing
instruments and notepaper just inside the front
doors for parents who are dropping their child’s
lunch off at the school. Please ensure that your child
is aware that his/her lunch is being dropped off at
the school. In the event that your child is unaware,
all students have been instructed to check the table
at the front of the school if they do not have a lunch
or snack. We kindly request your understanding that
we will not interrupt classes to notify students that
their lunch has arrived. If there is no lunch for a
student, the office will contact parents.
Student Monitors
We have been fortunate enough to be allotted
funding for four supervisors at lunch time. We are
grateful for the support of our current team of
Student Monitors. We appeal to the community, if
there is anyone else interested in helping us by
supervising students at lunch, please contact the
office. This is a paid position.
Agendas
Each student in grades 1 through
8 will receive a school agenda to
assist
them
with
the
development of organizational
and time management skills and to facilitate
communication between home and school. We are
pleased to announce that once again the agendas are
supported by the School Council.
Reorganization Possible
Each year we begin the school year with classes
based on projected numbers of students provided to
the school by the Planning Department. Despite
best efforts to predict, inevitably, there will need to
be adjustments to meet Ministry class size
guidelines. It is expected that changes may occur at
the end of next week. Please note, the September
14th professional development day may provide
time for reorganization which would be effective as
of Monday, September 17.
Parents in the Schoolyard
In keeping with Dufferin-Peel School Board Policy,
all visitors to the school must report to the office.
Particularly in the first days of school, it is
important that we all work together to ensure that
there are no adults on school property other than
those staff members who are wearing orange safety
vests. You may be known to your child, but you are
a stranger to other children on the playground.
Please make arrangements to meet your child at
a specific place at the end of the day. All students
have been told to go to the office or approach an
adult in a vest if they do not see their parent at the
end of the day. By continuing to work together, we
can continue to ensure a safe environment for your
child. Thank you for setting the example and
adhering to this important guideline.
Kiss and Ride
Our Kiss and Ride ensures a safe arrival for your
child at school while providing convenience of
drop-off. It is open at 8:15 every morning. Students
should exit from the passenger side of the vehicle.
Drivers should remain in their vehicles in order to
keep the line moving smoothly through the Kiss and
Ride. Please adhere to the posted sign and do not
park in the drive thru lane nor double park in
the parking lot. Also, please do not have your child
walk by themselves through the parking lot as this
is a safety concern.
Student Insurance
As required by the Education Act and the Ministry
of Education, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board annually provides parents with
information about cost-effective student accident
insurance coverage. Although enrolment is
voluntary, the board encourages parents to take
advantage of the inexpensive insurance coverage,
especially if their child/children participate in
sports, excursions/field trips or if parents do not
have dental insurance coverage. Enrolment is
required in writing - there are two options for
enrolment:
1) Complete the traditional form and mail it in or
2) Apply On-line at www.insurmykids.com
Emergency Drills
In accordance with Ministry and Board regulations,
3 fire drills and 2 lock-down procedures are
conducted at the school. During a lockdown
procedure the bells will constantly ring inside the
school. Please note, at this time only Emergency
Personnel are permitted to enter the school.
Practicing these drills is important for student safety
in case a real emergency occurs. We will continue
to prepare students in a judicious and conscientious
manner. For safety reasons, we ask that students
wear proper footwear at all times.
Terry Fox Run
We are very excited to be planning a
Pope John Paul II Terry Fox Run this
year. We hope that all the students in the school
will contribute a “Toonie for Terry”. Students will
be running and walking around the track next to the
school. All students are invited to participate.
Please watch for more information to follow
shortly.