Christmas Vacation
Just a reminder that the last day of school in
December will be Friday, December 19th. The first
day of school in the New Year will be Monday,
January 5, 2015.
Santa Toy Drive
Thanks to all the families who have
dropped off toys for those who will not
have them this Christmas. Already the
bottom of the trees in the front foyer are
filling with unwrapped toys to go to the Caledon
Exchange for families in need. Your support for
our toy drive is greatly appreciated.
Primary Christmas Concert
Our primary classes have been working hard to
prepare for a Christmas Concert. We are looking
forward to the presentations for families and
friends. It will be performed on December 17 at
7:00 p.m. by Grade 1 to 3 students. There will also
be daytime performances where the kindergartens
will be included at 9:00 a.m. (for the morning
Kindergarten classes) and at 1:00 p.m. (for the
afternoon Kindergarten classes). All other classes
will perform in all three concerts so we ask parents
to consider which one is best for their schedule.
Please keep in mind that these events are usually
most crowded in the evening. With due respect to
all performers, parents are asked to remain for the
entire concert.
Thanks to the Parent Group
We would like to thank the Parent
Group for spreading Christmas Cheer.
On December 9, they will be hosting a
special guest to visit students from
Kindergarten to Grade 4 and they will
serve hot chocolate. The following day students
from Grade 5 to 8 will also be served hot chocolate.
If there is any student who cannot have hot
chocolate and marshmallows, please let us know at
the office.
Dismissal and Planning Ahead
As we move along in the school year, there have
been a great number of calls to the school for
students about last minute instructions from home.
Please try to plan ahead, and/or have a backup plan
with your children to avoid last minute calls and
confusion. This may lead to placing students in
unsafe situations. Please help us keep school lines
open for emergencies and usage for the daily
activities of the school. Please remember that with
over 730 students in the school, last minute
changes are not always easy to facilitate. If there is
a change in the dismissal procedure for your child,
please send a note in with your child.
Holy Family Church on-line
Holy Family Parish have many activities posted online. Please be sure to take some time to visit their
website: www.holyfamilybolton.ca You may want
to see Father Larry’s blog with reflections on the
happenings in the parish. The Advent and
Christmas schedule for the parish is included there.
2015 – 2016 Kindergarten Registration
Registration for Full Day Kindergarten for the
2015-16 school year, will take place at Saint John
Paul II School on the following days:
Monday, January 26, 2014
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Wednesday, January 28, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday, January 29, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday, January 30, 2014
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 27, 2014
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
To register your child, you will need:
1. Proof of age
2. 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
of counseling with the parish priest, to complete
the process will be accepted)
3. Updated immunization records
4. Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Landed
Immigrant status
5. Proof of address (utility bill, bank or credit card
statement)
6. For schools in Caledon and Dufferin County:
emergency rural address numbers for identifying
your property
For more information, call Saint John Paul II
School or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
Kiss and Ride
Once again parents are reminded to use the Kiss
and Ride at all times when dropping off and picking
up children. At no time should students be
dropped off at the front of the school as this is a fire
route where cars will be ticketed. If using the Kiss
and Ride, cars should not be left unattended. In
case there is a need to leave your car, please park
in the parking lot.
Winter Conditions
Except under unusual conditions
which must be prearranged through
the office, students will go outside for
recess and lunch times. Research
indicates that fresh air helps students to
refocus on their studies. Please keep your child
home if he or she is not well enough to be outdoors.
The Board, with advice from the Peel Public Health
Department, has established the policy that states
all children will be kept indoors when the
temperature outside reaches -25 degrees Celsius
(including the wind-chill factor). We will monitor
weather conditions daily and make decisions based
upon our local conditions.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found box continues to be full. Please
ensure that you label all clothing and that your
child checks the box periodically.
Students will have the opportunity to peruse the
Lost and Found and reclaim any lost items the
week before Christmas Holidays.
Parking Lot
We would like to remind everyone who uses the
side parking lot and Kiss and Ride that we need to
rely on everyone to use extreme caution and
courtesy as students are dropped off and picked
up. Please be aware that as you turn into the
driveway, one cannot be in a rush and you will
likely require much patience as the many vehicles
make their way through. In addition, we would
ask that cars not be left double parked blocking the
way of others trying to get through. In particular,
we are anxious about young people who are asked
to run through the lot to or from parked vehicles.
We ask you to always consider the safety of
students as the first priority.
Library News
Scholastic Book Fair has
arrived! The Book Fair will run
from Monday, December 1 to
Friday, December 5 during
school hours (Wednesday
open from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.).
Please come by the school library and visit our fair.
All proceeds will help support our school library.
The nominated titles for the Forest of Reading
programs have been released. Mrs. Condotta will
be registering students for these programs
throughout the month of December.
Check out our school website for more details.
Cold and Flu Season
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
Peel Health 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 school day, a plan needs to be in place to care
for him/her. As with all medical issues, we
continue to take direction from Peel Health on how
to best respond to community illness.
Supervision
Once again we remind you that supervision is
provided only fifteen minutes before the 8:30 a.m.
bell. Students should not be arriving at school
before supervisors get to the yard. For the safety
of your children, please ensure that they are not left
at the school prior to 8:15 a.m. supervision.
On the other hand, we remind you of the
importance of students arriving on time. There has
been a significant reduction in the number of
students arriving late and we are grateful for
everyone’s efforts to reinforce this important skill
of preparing in advance and managing time
effectively to ensure punctual arrival.
Extended French
Any student who is eligible to attend a DufferinPeel Catholic school and who is presently a Grade 4
student is eligible to enrol in the Extended French
program for Grade 5 in September 2015.
Completed applications, containing all required
documentation must be submitted by 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015. A lottery will be held
at a pre-determined and advertised date if, and
only if, the number of applications received at the
school exceeds the places available.
An
information night will be held at Holy Family
School on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
QSP Orders
Thank you to everyone for their support of the
magazine subscription campaign.
Your
participation has helped to support activities
sponsored by the School Council.
Boy’s Intermediate Volleyball
Our Intermediate Boy’s Volleyball team competed
in the Bolton Tournament on
November 19th. Congratulations
to: Marco, Michael T., Andrew O.,
Joseph C., Aidan C., William V.,
Kyle R., Joseph B., and Nicholas S.
The team played extremely well,
winning many of their games. Special thanks to
Mrs. La Rosa, Mr. Kenny and Mr. Pusztai for
coaching the boys.
Girl’s Intermediate Volleyball
Our Girl’s Intermediate Volleyball team played in
the Bolton tournament on November 19th. The
girls demonstrated great effort and many
successes. Grade 7 & 8 girls on the team included:
Erin H., Hannah C., Kathleen, Martina D., Natalie L.,
Tristan W., Samantha T., Hannah, Julianna G. and
Gabrielle. Special thanks to Mr. Kenny and Mrs.
LaRosa and Ms. Sisti for coaching the girls.
Gifts at Christmas
Christmas is a wonderful time of gift giving. As a
staff we are grateful that many families take this
opportunity to express appreciation in the form of
giving a gift to the teacher. The gesture is very kind.
Given how fortunate we are, and how there are so
many needs around us, we respectfully suggest
that rather than directing your generosity to the
staff, you may consider giving to a charity or to
those less fortunate on our behalf. This is a
wonderful season of kindness and peace. It is a
privilege to share it with those around us.
Bus Cancellations
During the winter months inclement weather may
cause disruption of bus transportation. A decision
to cancel school transportation is usually made at
the school board level by 6:30 a.m. and will be
announced on local radio and television stations.
The Board communicates standard messages to
broadcasters. The announcements and their effect
on bus transportation are as follows:
1. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD BUSSES IN THE COUNTY OF
DUFFERIN ARE CANCELLED. This means busses
to Robert F. Hall Secondary will be cancelled.
However, busses to Pope John Paul II will still
continue their routes.
2. “THE DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD BUSSES IN THE TOWN OF
CALEDON AND THE COUNTY OF DUFFERIN ARE
CANCELLED. This means busses to Robert F. Hall
Secondary, St. Michaels Secondary and Pope John
Paul II will be cancelled.
Please note: If busses are cancelled, they are
cancelled for the day and parents/guardians who
bring their children to school will be responsible
for picking them up at the end of the day.
If your child usually walks and is not coming to
school on a bus cancellation day, we kindly ask that
you call in their absence to the school as usual. We
will follow up on all students who walk to
verify their absence and your support
will save us a great deal of time in
this regard.
Furthermore,
students
are
encouraged to attend school
when busses are cancelled.
Teachers will attempt to provide
the most appropriate programming for
students on these days, dependent, of course, upon
attendance.
Kingsview Drive Safety
There is a gate to the back yard coming in from
Kingsview Drive. This is for emergency use only.
Caledon Parking Control has been contacted to
ticket cars stopping in this area. Students who are
walking along the sidewalk may be put at risk
because of the proximity of the sidewalk. Do not
pull into this area. Children should not be picked
up or dropped off in this area.
Indoor Games Needed
Frequently, in the winter and wet fall and spring
days we must keep the students inside for recess.
At that time, students are encouraged to play card
games and board games. If you
have any games
at home that
are in good
condition,
with
all
their
pieces,
please
consider donating them to the
school. Games, in particular, demand include,
Sorry, Connect 4, Chess, Checkers, Snakes and
Ladders, Jr. Monopoly, etc. We are very grateful for
anything that is no longer used at home, but might
be put to good use here.