The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
56 Oaklea Blvd, Brampton, Ontario, L6Y 4W7
Phone: 905-455-1001
Principal: W. Bodsworth
Secretary: A. Mijandrusic
Fax: 905-455-3406
Superintendent: L. Kazimowicz
905-890-0708
Trustee: A. Da Silva 905-459-7089
Parish: St. Jerome Church
Pastor: Fr. Jan Kolodynski
905-455-4260
NEWSLETTER # 3
November 2010
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
In November, we reflect on the after-life
and those who have gone before us
marked with the sign of faith. These sober
thoughts of the mysteries of life and death
cause us to cherish every moment on earth
as a gift from God. Here at Pauline Vanier
School we strive to model those virtues
that inspire our students to lead lives of
holiness and service. In October, we
celebrated the life of the first Canadianborn canonized Saint, Brother Andre
Bessette of Montreal, who demonstrated
prayerfulness, humility and compassion,
the marks of a true saint. As we celebrate
the lives of the saints and pray for the
souls in purgatory, we also remember all
those who lost their lives in wartime to
preserve peace and democracy. We are
mindful of our own mortality and of the call
to live each day in the service of God. We
teach our students to think before they act
and to rely on conscience as their moral
compass, rather than giving in to emotions
or peer-pressure when faced with tough
choices. We challenge students to
consider “What would Jesus think, say or
do?” The gift of Catholic education invites
us to embrace this sacred trust of
educating the whole child—mind and soul.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
between the crosses, row on row,
that mark our place; and in the sky
the larks still bravely singing, fly
scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders’s fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
the torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
we shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Liet. -Col. John McCrae
Remembrance Day
We are an Allergy Aware School
On the eleventh day of November,
at the eleventh minute of the
eleventh hour we pause to
remember, and pay tribute to those
who have fought, and continue to fight for our
freedom. Freedom allows us the ability to
make decisions and choices. This month we
urge our students to use their consciences to
help them make choices and decisions which
are right, good and peaceful. It is in working
together to create peace on a daily basis, in the
ordinary events of our lives, that we truly
honour those who have served us as
peacekeepers. We gather as a community of
th
believers on November 11 to remember all of
those who have died so that we might live in
peace and freedom. If you are available please
join us in the school gymnasium at 10:45 a.m.
for our Remembrance Day Service.
Our student population has a
variety of allergies and it is
impossible for us to monitor and
control all allergens, for all
students. We have many
students with life threatening
allergies, the most common of
which are “nut allergies”. We ask
that
you
consider
these
vulnerable students when selecting lunch and
snack items for your children. Also, remind your
children that snack and/or lunch items are never
to be shared or traded. In order to help us to
minimize risk, we ask that parents consider nonfood favours such as pencils or stickers when
sending in a treat for birthdays or holiday
celebrations. Home-baked goods brought to
school will no longer be permitted in the
classroom.
Commercial foods that are
individually wrapped in single-serving sizes, and
clearly labelled “nut free,” may be permitted
unless there are severe allergies to other
substances in the class.
CONSCIENCE
This month we celebrate and grow in the
virtue of conscience.
God has given us the ability to know the right
and decent way to act, and then to act that way.
We trust that the One Spirit we share inspires us
and guides us to make good decisions, if we
allow our conscience to be well-formed.
A person of conscience allows prayer and
scripture to influence his or her life choices.
A person of conscience …
chooses to do the “right thing” and
feels good about it
can see how his/her actions may hurt
others
admits his/her mistakes
says “sorry” and tries to make up for
mistakes
keeps promises
What the law requires is written on their hearts, to
which their own conscience also bears witness.
Their conflicting thoughts will accuse perhaps
excuse them on the day when, according to my
gospel, God through Jesus Christ, will judge the
secret thoughts of all. Romans 2:15-16
Progress Report Cards
Progress report cards went home on November
nd
2 and parents had an opportunity for an
th
interview with teachers on November 4 .
These progress reports gave parents an early
prognosis of their child’s academic progress
and learning skills. Along with notes in the
agenda and phone calls home, the interview
and progress report help parents to stay
connected to their child’s learning and serve as
valuable conduits of communication between
home and school. Parents are encouraged to
contact the child(ren)’s teacher at any time for
clarification about social, behavioural, or
academic issues related to student progress.
There is no need to wait for official report cards
to inquire about your child’s progress.
French Café
Once again, our annual French café was a huge
success thanks to the incredible time and effort
spent preparing every detail of the event. Every
day during the month of October the students
involved in the play gave up their lunch hour to
meet with Mme. Byrne in the French room to
rehearse the play and accompanying dance
routine.
Many thanks to our hard-working Grade 8
actors for their dedication and enthusiasm. We
wish to acknowledge the fine performances of
Daniel D., Pauline, Bete, Alyssa, Virginia,
Claudia and Shanisha.
Cassandra is also
congratulated for the dance, which she entirely
choreographied herself and performed with
Dana to the audience’s delight. Well done, girls!
All our Grade 8 students took part in and hosted
the French café for the entire school. The
children loved wearing their Hallowe’en
costumes and thoroughly enjoyed their croissant
with jam and their orange drink. The host and
hostess, waiters and waitresses, the kitchen
helpers who prepared the croissants, jam and
drinks worked very hard to ensure the café ran
smoothly. A special thank you goes out to our
parent volunteer, Mrs. Brohart whose help is
indispensable.
The stage was incredibly decorated as a park for
our play. Many hours were spent painting the
trees, bushes, Eiffel Tower and L’Arc de
Triomphe to make it into a Paris scene. The
decorations in the gym add to the ambiance and
were diligently placed by our Grade 8 students.
Everything was taken, down, packed away and
returned to storage, in preparation for next year.
Our Grade 8 students showed leadership
qualities par excellence—Bravo tout le monde!
Candy for Developing Nations
Thank you to all parents who encouraged their
children to donate their Halloween candy. Two
large bags of candy were delivered to St.
Jerome Parish where they will be sent to
medical clinics in developing countries.
Punctuality
Punctuality continues to be a concern for some
students. Please encourage and assist your
child to recognize that punctuality is a
responsibility which all students should be
working towards. Students who are persistently
late for school will be subject to telephone calls
home and a consequence at school.
All students should be at school 5 to 10
minutes before the 8:30 a.m. bell.
Kiss and Ride
Thank you to all parents who are using the
Kiss & Ride lane. You are helping to make
the drop-off situation safer for all children.
Please do not allow your children to disembark
from the car until you have reached the front of
the kiss and ride line. Pauline Vanier has four
buses that arrive between 8:15-8:30 a.m. and
again from 2:55-3:15 p.m. It is imperative that
personal vehicles are not in bus lane at any
time.
This is a gentle reminder: the round-about in
front of the Kindergarten and Child Care Centre
yards is reserved for parents using the Child
Care Centre and/or if a parking space is
available for parents of Kindergarten children
that are being walked by the parent to the
Kindergarten yard. Please do not park along the
curb while you take your child to the sidewalk,
as you are putting other children at risk when
you do so. Take a few extra minutes to properly
park your vehicle.
Regarding Kiss and Ride Supervision, please
note that teachers have been advised by their
Association that teachers are NOT to be
opening car doors, nor should they be
stepping off the curb when on kiss and ride
duty in front of the school. This is a Health and
Safety issue for teachers. The teacher’s role is
to be vigilant regarding the safety of the children
as they exit the cars under their parents’
supervision, and to direct students to go directly
into the playground.
Safe Play in School Yard
We continue to remind our students about
school safety. Students are cautioned on a
regular basis that there is to be no physical
contact, i.e. pushing, shoving, hitting, or
punching. What can be viewed as “play-fighting”
can result in students getting hurt. We realize
that in most cases, children do not mean to hurt
other children, however when physical contact
occurs, students can get seriously hurt.
Through continuous education, we are trying to
prevent this from happening. We ask your
ongoing support in reminding your children to
play with others without physical contact.
First Communion and Confirmation
Parents unable to attend the information
meetings, please pick up a Registration
Package at the church office, complete
the forms, attach a copy of your child’s
Baptismal certificate, and hand in the form at St.
th
Jerome’s Parish Office by November 30 .
St. Jerome’s Parish
8530 Chinguacousy Rd. Brampton
905-455-4260
School Masses
Our first school mass for this year will be held at
th
9:00 a.m. on November 17 . Our Advent Mass
th
will be at 9:00 a.m. on December 8 .
Parents/guardians are encouraged to join us for
the celebration of these masses.
Christmas Concert
Our school’s most recent
Christmas concert was held in
2008.
That event was a
wonderful opportunity for our
community to gather to hear
seasonal music, enjoy seeing
our students perform, and celebrate the
importance of the Christmas story in our faith
tradition. We are pleased to announce that
Pauline Vanier School will once again be
hosting a Christmas concert performed by
Grades 1-6 students on the evening of
th
December 9 , 2010. In addition, an open
invitation has been extended to all students in
Grades 3-8 to join a choir which rehearses every
Tuesday with Ms.Tac, Mr. Gutt and Mrs.
Muzzatti. This choir will be singing at the
Christmas concert.
Further details about the
concert will be sent home in a special flyer
closer to the date. Looking ahead, we hope to
be able to offer a Christmas concert every
second year.
Glee Club
This year Pauline Vanier has added Glee Club
to its list of extra-curricular activities. Students
participate in the club every Monday during
lunch recess. The Glee Club gives students the
chance to sing and dance to popular songs from
all different genres of music. The club is being
directed by Ms. Tersigni and Ms. Tac.
Web-Page
The Web-Page is now up and running and
upcoming events and monthly newsletters can
be found on the page. Eventually, we hope to
eliminate hard copies of the newsletter
altogether in the board’s effort to “go green.”
History of Catholic Education
Did you know why Catholic Schools can’t
operate as part of just one publicly funded
school system? The Catholic school system
offers a distinctive and valuable approach to
education. For Ontario, this distinctive approach
would be compromised within the context of one
umbrella board where administrative and
financial control would be in the hands of people
who do not support, or may even oppose, our
vision of education.
A separate governing
structure is essential for Catholic Schools. The
Constitution guarantees and recognizes the right
of Catholic parents to govern and manage the
education of their children. The highest courts in
the land have consistently upheld this right.
(Ontario Catholic Trustees Association)
Grade 1 FRENCH IMMERSION
INFORMATION MEETING
Senior Kindergarten parents/guardians who wish
to enroll their child in a Grade 1 French
Immersion class for September, 2011 are invited
to attend an information meeting at:
St. Joachim
435 Rutherford Road North
Brampton, Ontario
L6V 3V9
January 12, 2011 7:00 p.m.
The deadline for submission of applications is
th
2:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 9 , 2011.
Grade 5 EXTENDED FRENCH
INFORMATION MEETING
Grade 4 parents/guardians, who wish to enroll
their child in a Grade 5 Extended French class
for September, 2011 are invited to attend an
information meeting at:
St. Monica
60 Sterritt Drive
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 5B6
January 12, 2011 7:00 p.m.
At the present time, the above mentioned school
is the designated centre for our area.
Applications will be accepted at that centre for a
two week period following the parent information
meeting and up until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday,
th
February 9 , 2011.
Holy Name of Mary Grade 8 Info Night
On November 18th, beginning at 7:00 p.m., Holy
Name of Mary C.S.S. will be holding a Grade 9
Information & Registration Night for current
Grade 8 students, and their parents, in the
school’s gymnasium. As a regional all girls
school, all eligible Region of Peel girls are
invited
to
apply
to
Holy
Name
of
Mary C.S.S. The night will involve information,
presentations, tours of the school, and
registration. Please visit the website for further
updates:
www.dpcdsb.org/hnmry/guidance.
Location: Holy Name of Mary C.S.S.,
115 Glenvale Blvd., Brampton, Ontario. For
further information please call 905-458-5541 X
64104.
Recess Dress and Supervision
Recess breaks serve a special purpose in the
daily life of the school. Students are expected to
go outside for fresh air and exercise. Please
note, there is NO supervision of students
indoors at recess, as staff members are
occupied elsewhere, or on duty outside.
Therefore, If your child is sick, please keep
him/her at home until they are well. This
prevents the risk of your child spreading their
illness throughout the classroom.
We ask that students dress appropriately for
outdoor activity (coat, hat, mitts, boots, etc.)
Where possible, please put identification (your
child’s initials) on your child’s belongings. If they
are dressed warmly, they are better prepared to
participate in outdoor activities during recess
and noon hour. If your child brings home an
item by mistake, please return it to the school so
that this mix up can be corrected the following
day. Students are reminded to have a pair of
indoor shoes/slippers at school. For safety
reasons, wet and muddy shoes/boots may not
be worn in the classroom.
Please be advised that students are kept
indoors at recess during the winter only when
the weather conditions are extremely cold.
(When the wind chill equivalent temperature
is minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower, as per
school Board policy.)
Inclement Weather and Busing
For school and bus cancellation information,
please listen to any of the following radio
stations:
CKFM
CFNY
CHIN
CFRB
CHUM
CJCL
CHAY
Q 107
DC103FM
CHFI
CJMR
CHWO
680 News
AM640 CISS FM
CHEZ
CBC
CIAO
CJBC (Fr.)
You can also check the following websites for
delays or cancellations:
http://www.stopr.ca
www.dpcdsb.org/VERON
Stamping Out Leprosy
Our Youth Faith Ambassadors are
asking all families to help them in
their efforts to support The Leprosy
Mission of Canada which is located
in Richmond Hill, Ontario. During the
Advent/Christmas season many families receive
greeting cards in the mail. By trimming the
stamps from these Christmas card envelopes
and sending them to school, you can help to
stamp out leprosy. The Leprosy Mission of
Canada models the love of Jesus as he reached
out to those who suffered. We can help minister
to those with leprosy by sending trimmed, used
postage stamps to raise money to supply
medicine and rehabilitation to people affected by
this terrible disease.
Guidelines for the
collection of stamps are as follows:
prefer stamps to be trimmed, leaving ¼”
to ½” paper border, being careful not to
damage the perforations
no need to separate stamps by types
all foreign stamps welcome
commemorative issues are particularly
valuable
send stamps in an envelope or a zip
lock bag marked STAMPING OUT
LEPROSY.
Cram-a-Cruiser Food Drive
Peel Police will arrive at Pauline Vanier
rd
on the morning of December 3 . All
children will have a chance to
meet the officers and place
canned food in their cruiser.
These food
donations will be given to St. Louise Outreach in
Brampton for needy families in our area. Please
send non-perishable foods to school with your
child between now and the deadline date of
rd
December 3 .
Coats for Kids
Peel Police will be making sure that
all students in Brampton have warm
coats to wear this winter. Please
send in gently used coats or new
children’s jackets or snowsuits for
distribution to students in need throughout
Brampton. All coats will be picked up by the
rd
police on December 3 .
Mitten Tree & Christmas Shoe Box
Once again this year the Youth Faith
Ambassadors
are
encouraging
families to donate new hats,
toques, mittens and scarves to
our annual mitten tree. Each
classroom will also be preparing
Christmas Shoe Boxes for Dr.
Simone’s
Canadian
Food
for
Children
Organization. Please be generous in your
contributions to these very worthwhile social
outreach projects. Thank you!
The Breakfast Club
Sometimes
work
schedules
and
other
extenuating circumstances make it difficult for
children to get the breakfast they need as their
kick-start for the day. With the help of staff and
parent volunteers, as well as subsidies from
Breakfast Clubs of Canada, Pauline Vanier
School is able to provide a meal for students
who might otherwise come to school without a
nutritious breakfast. If you are aware of families
who may benefit from this program please refer
them to the school office. The Breakfast Club
runs Monday to Friday from 8:15 to 8:30 daily.
We are grateful for the generosity of many staff
members who have created a hospitable and
cozy environment for our club members.
WE
REALLY
NEED
MORE
PARENT
VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST BETWEEN 8:30
and 8:45 when teachers must leave the
Breakfast Room to join their own classes.
Thursday morning is a critical hole in our
schedule. Please contact the office if you might
be able to assist us at this time.
CELL PHONES AT SCHOOL
School Personal Electronic Devices Policy
To promote respect for the
dignity of all members of our
school community and to
enhance
achievement
and
safety, the use of a PED is
strictly prohibited in the school
(including portables) or during school related
activities (such as retreats, field trips, sports
events, etc).
Failure to comply with this policy may result in
the confiscation of the PED and/or disciplinary
action as outlined in the Catholic Code of
Conduct 2001. The school and the DufferinPeel Catholic District School Board assume no
responsibility for any PED brought onto school
property.
School Council
School Council meets the first Monday of the
month in the school library at 6:30 p.m. All
interested parents and guardians are welcome.
School Council acts in an advisory capacity to
the principal on a variety of school issues and
also engages in fund-raising activities to support
school needs. Reminders from School Council
Executive:
1. There will be a notice going home shortly
regarding the SAMCO MIKO toy warehouse sale. If
you shop the sale in the weeks between November
24-28 and December 1 -5 and hand in your receipts,
the school council receives 10% of the total purchase.
2. Magazine renewal information went home last
week. Please submit orders by December 3rd.
3. $6,051 was raised during the chocolate
fundraiser. Council will be making decisions on the
best use of funds at the next council meeting. We still
have several families with money to be handed in.
Please do so ASAP. Thanks to all who purchased
and sold chocolates. The campaign was a huge
success.
UPCOMING
DATES
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November 16 -Picture Retake Day
th
November 17 -First School Mass 9:00 a.m.
th
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November 24 & 25 -Peel Police Visits
th
November 26 -PA DAY-no school
th
November 29 -City of Brampton-Fitness
th
November 30 -City of Brampton-Nutrition
st
December 1 -Peel Police Visits cont’d
rd
December 3 -Cram the Cruiser Food/Coat Drive
th
December 8 -Advent Mass 9:00 a.m.
th
December 9 -Christmas Concert 6:30 p.m.
Saint Brother André Prayer
Saint Brother André,
we celebrate your presence among us.
Your loving friendship with Jesus, Mary and
Joseph
makes you a powerful intercessor with God, our
Father.
Compassion carries your words straight to God’s
heart,
and your prayers are answered and bring
comfort and healing.
Through you, from our lips to God’s ear,
our supplications are heard .
We ask to be made a part of God’s work,
alongside you,
in the spirit of prayer, compassion and humility.
Saint Brother André, pray for us.
Amen