March Break
A reminder that March Break is from Monday, March
16th to Friday, March 20th. There will be no school for
students on these days. We hope everyone enjoys a
safe and restful March Break.
Changes of emergency numbers
Throughout the school year there may be any number
of changes which occur at home. There are a few
families who have not left us with emergency contacts.
Please help us ensure that we always have current
home numbers, work numbers and emergency
contact numbers. In addition, it is important that you
have a network of support for your children as a backup in case you cannot be reached. Cell phones, family
and local friends are all good contacts for us to have on
file.
Immunization
Peel Health has now distributed letters to those
families that require updated immunizations. Peel
Health works through school boards. If you don’t
respond, the school will be instructed to suspend
your child. Please check your mail to see if you have
received notification and ensure that your
immunization records are up to date.
Epilepsy Awareness Month
March is designated as Epilepsy awareness month.
Epilepsy is still largely misunderstood in the general
public and educating others about what epilepsy is can
help in reducing the stigma attached to the condition.
Purple Day was started in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a
girl from Nova Scotia who wanted her friends to know
what it really meant for her to live with epilepsy. Her
dream of sharing her story has turned into a
recognized global movement to raise awareness about
epilepsy. March 26th is now officially known as Purple
Day in Canada thanks to the passage of a federal
private member’s bill supported by all parties in
Parliament last year. Visit www.purpleday.org to get
more information about her initiative. Throughout
the month of March, we will be accepting donations in
support of epilepsy research.
The Great Gulp
The Region of Peel is sponsoring “The Great Gulp”
event to help create awareness about the importance
of Peel drinking water in our lives and to promote
action to improve water resources. Our school will be
participating on Friday, March 13, 2015. Everyone is
invited to take part in a toast to tap water!
Remote Mission Operations Centre (RMOC)
St. John Paul II School is excited to be working with the
support of Canadensys Aerospace to be the mission
control centre for a satellite built by the students at St.
Thomas More School in Arlington, Virginia. The tiny
satellite built by the elementary school children will
fly 400km. above the earth and it will transmit
pictures of the earth every 30 seconds. Students from
here will gather the pictures and send them to St.
Thomas More School in order for them to be displayed
at the central Mission Operation Centre. We are very
excited to be learning about space exploration,
astronauts, the international space station and
satellites. Canadensys is a space systems and services
company and we are pleased to have their support and
expertise to help guide us as we are involved in this
inquiry. The first activity was to have all the students
sign a mural which was digitally reduced and etched
onto a plaque to go on the satellite.
Kiss and Ride
Please try to ensure that the children are ready to get
out of the car in Kiss and Ride and that they can exit on
the passenger side. Students using Kiss and Ride
should be able to exit the vehicle on their own.
Teachers have been cautioned by their Association,
not to be opening doors. Their role is
to supervise the students. Drivers,
please remain in your vehicle if
you are going through Kiss and
Ride, pause long enough to
allow children to exit safely,
then continue through to allow
other cars to move in. If parents need to get out of the
driver’s seat, you should not be using the Kiss and Ride
– instead, you should park and escort your child safely
to the school yard. If parking, please use designated
parking areas only.
Student Dress Code
Please note that although the community decided
against a Standardized Dress Code, we still maintain a
dress code for students. Students are to maintain a
standard of neatness, cleanliness, modesty and good
taste. What is acceptable on a six or an eight year old
student may not be appropriate on a twelve year old
student. Therefore, students from grades five to eight
should not wear such things as short-shorts, tight
spandex biking shorts, cutoffs, tank tops, halter tops or
any other clothing which leaves the wearer with a bare
shoulder, a bare back or a bare middle. Pants and tops
are to meet at the waist, even if the wearer is reaching
up. All headwear must be removed upon entry into the
building. Bandanas and sweatbands are not to be
worn to school. Suggestive or offensive slogans,
particularly those of a sexual, racial or violent nature
on t-shirts, hats or sweat shirts or graffiti on regular
clothing, are not acceptable. We ask for your
continued support for a dress code which reflects a
community standard of a Catholic School as a place for
serious work, accompanied by standards of
sensitivity, politeness and decorum. The school
reserves the right to send students home when they
are not suitably dressed.
Weather Update
As the wet spring season approaches parents are
reminded that children should be cautious of high
water levels and to stay clear of these areas. In
addition we are likely to have rapid shifts in
temperatures from warm to very cool. Students are to
dress appropriately for the weather of the day and
they must be prepared for outdoor recesses.
Student Safety
If a child is being picked up from school by someone
other than a parent or guardian, there must be
written permission from the parent or guardian.
Also all parents/visitors to the school must report to
the office. All visitors in the school, must wear a
visitor’s badge. No one should be going directly to
their child’s class or wandering through the school. No
adult should engage in conversation with other
students on school property. Please share any
concerns you may have with staff only. Remember
you are a stranger to other students in the school.
Snow Safety
We have reminded students repeatedly that “snow
stays on the ground”. Despite these reminders we
have incidents where students get hurt from ice
particles in the snow that is thrown. Your help to
reinforce this message is appreciated.
Holiday Homework
Homework is generally work not completed in class or
reinforcement of concepts taught in class. It is an
integral part of what occurs in the classroom.
Therefore, without the initial lesson/activity in the
classroom, teachers cannot provide homework which
would address the same skills and concepts. Often
when parents take holidays other than during
regularly scheduled holiday times, we are requested
to provide home-work which would cover the same
material as the students may miss. As a courtesy,
worksheets may be provided to reinforce some
concepts, however it may be better to take full
advantage of what can be learned on the trip and have
students read material related to what they will see,
write a journal about their activities and calculate the
exchange of currency. These are real situations which
can be exploited for their learning potential. Work
missed because of absence is the responsibility of the
student. If a student is having some difficulty
demonstrating the expectations of the grade level, one
may want to be cautious on how much school time is
missed and its possible effect on the academic success
of the student.
EQAO Update
The grade 3 and 6 EQAO assessments measure how
well students have met the expectations in the Ontario
Curriculum Grades 1-8. The assessments test what
students know and how well they apply their
knowledge and skills in reading, writing and
mathematics by requiring students to read and
respond to passages, to write and to solve
mathematical problems. The results are reported in
terms of achievement from levels 1-4 with level 3 as
the standard. The window for EQAO assessments of all
grade 3 and 6 students of 2014/2015 has been
established for May 25 to June 5. Please keep this
important time frame in mind when you are planning
family trips or appointments. It is important that all
grade 3 and 6 students be in attendance for the
assessments.
Valuables
Students are reminded not to bring valuables, items of
importance or money to school. The school does not
accept responsibility for the above. Treasures, with a
monetary value or sentimental value, should not be
brought to school. Student clothing and play items
should be clearly marked with the child’s name. No
Personal Electronic Devices, including cell phones are
allowed on school premises.
Kindergarten Bussing for 2015-2016
On Saturday, August 22nd,
STOPR will be holding their
annual
YOUNG
RIDER
ORIENTATION DAY for ALL
Kindergarten children. The
intent of the day is to
introduce children to school buses in an informal
setting prior to the first day of school.
We encourage you to participate by bringing your
Kindergarten children and elementary age siblings to
a one hour program between the hours of 9:00 a.m.
and 12 noon. Bus rides and a school bus safety video
are only part of the informative fun. All Young Rider
Days have been tremendous successes.
To confirm your attendance and preferred time slot,
please call Parkview Transit at 905-846-1070 in June
2015.
Placements for September 2015
Soon we will begin work on next year’s
class lists. If you are planning for your
child(ren) to attend Saint John Paul II
School next year and there are any learning needs that
you think we need to consider in making up classes
(this does not include requests for specific teachers),
please include this information in a letter to the
principal. Educational reasons will be factored into the
decisions which will be made by teachers, resource
staff and the school administration.
Letters must be signed and submitted to the
Principal prior to March 27, 2015. We cannot
guarantee your request but we will consider your
concerns and reasons along with all other factors. As
always, class placements will be tentative until the end
of the second week of September when our staffing is
confirmed. Your assistance in helping your children
understand this process is greatly appreciated.
Safety First
A safety reminder to all our students
that bikes, scooters and roller
blades are to be walked both on and
off the school property. Bikes are to be locked at the
side of the school. We do not have facilities to store or
secure roller blades or scooters, so there is an added
risk of damage or theft and they are not encouraged to
be brought to school. The school is not responsible for
these items. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Parking Cautions
Once again we remind you to always consider student
safety over adult convenience. Right at bell times, we
have major congestion. It lasts for about 10 minutes.
There will not be major changes in our parking lot or
driveways to accommodate these times. We must
work together to consider how we can support one
another to ensure the safety of all. Please reduce your
speed on school property.
Please be aware that the front drive through area of
the school is considered a “fire route”. Please do not
park or leave your car in this area at any time.
Pizza Reminder
We would like to thank all those who support our
pizza days. This is a wonderful fundraising project for
the school. Please be reminded that if there is an
unavoidable disruption of the school routine, such as
bus cancellations, pizza days will continue. We do not
have the facilities to store or reheat pizza for students
who are not present for Pizza Day. Special thanks to
our volunteers who work on this project.
Earth Hour
We would like to take this time to invite all Pope John
Paul II families to participate in Earth Hour which is
an international celebration of the conservation of
electricity generated by Lights. On Saturday, March
28th from 8:30 to 9:30 pm., we are asked to turn off all
electrical sources of light and see what we can do
instead. The Eco Team would like to challenge the
community to come up with novel and fun ways to
celebrate this hour with your family, friends and
neighbours. Write down your plan and send it in.
We’ll select the best to announce over the PA! Happy
Earth Hour everyone.
Boy’s Soccer
Congratulations to the Junior Boy’s Indoor Soccer
team for a well played tournament. The boys played
with heart and determination and represented our
school well at the tournament on
Wednesday, February 25 in
Brampton. Thank you to all the
team players. The team included:
Massimo., Sebastian P., Tomas M.,
Peter T., Alessio Q., Luca P., Anthony
S., Vincent S, Dante M., Anthony T. and Stefano as well
as, Ryan B., Michael D., Matteo, Vincent O. and Jacob R..
Coaches: Mrs. Pennella, Mrs. Rosati and Mrs. Condotta.
Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
Forest of Reading
The Forest of Reading program is alive and well in the
library. All programs are up and running. Grades 1-3
have already read their 5th Blue Spruce book while
older students are enjoying their fiction and nonfiction titles. Over 70 students have joined the Silver
Birch, Silver Birch Express and Red Maple Programs.
Participants come to the library daily to read their
books, to discuss them with their peers or simply to
exchange them for new ones. Students are very
excited about being part of this program that allows
them the opportunity not only to read great Canadian
literature but also to have a voice in the selection
process.
Congratulations
to
our
committed readers!! Voting day
is on April 23, 2015.
Reminder to parents and
students to check out our school
website for access to Online
books through Tumble Books and
other great sites. Links are found
under the Learning tab in Student
Resources.
TumbleBooks: Username: PJPII
PebbleGo: Username Saint John Password: library
Hockey
Congratulations to all the players on our Hockey team
who represented the school at tournaments in
Orangeville and Caledon East. In each of the games the
players demonstrated great skill and sportsmanship.
Representing our school were Maximus T., Gabriel M.,
Adrian B., Roman C., Nicholas S., Daniel A., Nicholas G.,
Devon P., Kyle D., Braedon T., Steven P., Antonio A.,
Joseph B., Tomas Z., Jonathon R. and Tyler S. They have
two tournaments coming up. Thank you to the parent
volunteers who are helping Ms. Sisti and Mrs.
Mangiapane with the coaching.
Front driveway
We want to remind everyone in the community that
cars cannot be parked in the front driveway at any
time. The Town of Caledon parking enforcement are
very vigilant in ticketing people who have stopped
their cars at the front doors and run into the school,
even for just a second. This is a fire route and a bus
route, so the parking enforcement officer has
authority to ticket. This area is solely for buses. Cars
should not be dropping off at the front in the morning.
We will remain at the Kiss and Ride to wait for any last
minute students arriving.
Junior Boy’s Basketball Team
Congratulations to the Juior Boy’s Basketball team
who placed first in the Bolton Tournament and went
on to place third overall in th Family Tournament on
Wednesday, February 25.
They played with
determination, sportsmanship and they represented
St. John Paul II School proudly. Well done
boys!. Team memebers included: Gerick,
Josh T., Anthony T., Xavier, Ryan B., Alessio,
Daniel R., Samuel, Peter T., Adamo Z., Zachary C.
and Luca R Special thanks to coaches Mrs. De
Cassan, Ms. Scarpelli and Mr. Pusztai.
Junior Girl’s Basketball Team
Congratualtions to the Junior Girl’s Basketball team
who placed first overall at the Bolton Tournament
and then placed first again at the Family of Schools
tournament. The girls will now go on to the Board
finals at St. Michael’s Secondary
School on Wednesday, March 4. The
girls’ have displayed incredible skill,
poise and team work. Sophia S.,
Sofia I., Izabella Z., Hannah T.,
Alexandra P., Ailen S., Mia C., Valentina C.,
Julia A., Maya C., Maggie K. and Emma A.
Thank you to the dedicated coaches, Mrs. Kennett,
Mrs. Filippo and Mrs. De Angelis.
Pancake Tuesday & Ash Wednesday
On Tuesday, February 17, 2015, we had over 25
parent volunteers serve pancakes to all the students in
the school. Classes visited gym 2 to be served
pancakes with maple syrup. Thank you to the Parent
Group for organizing this event. We would also like to
recognize the older students who demonstrated their
kindness and responsibility by sitting with and
helping the younger students cut up their pancakes.
This was a great celebration before going into Lent
with Ash Wednesday. Father Larry was here on
February 18 to lead a Liturgy of the Word and
distribute ashes. The solemn Liturgy was in stark
contrast to the pancake atmosphere of the day before.
Father reminded us of the need for prayer, fasting and
giving throughout Lent.
Indoor Shoes
Once again we remind parents that students should
have shoes to change into following recess times. In
particular, indoor shoes sent at the beginning of the
year, may no longer fit. Practical inexpensive
footwear are best for indoor use.