The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
56 Oaklea Blvd, Brampton, Ontario, L6Y 4W7
Phone: 905-455-1001
Principal: W. Bodsworth
Secretary: A. Mijandrusic
St. Jerome Church 905-455-4260
Pastor: Fr. Jan Kolodynski
NEWSLETTER #7
LENTEN PRAYER
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
You have made the sun to light the day
and the moon and stars to light the night.
Help us walk in your light.
During this season of Lent,
renew us through the gift of your
Holy Spirit.
Help us grow in faith, hope, and love.
During this special time,
we remember that Jesus died and rose
from the dead, so that we might be
free to love.
Help us grow to be the people
You call us to be -- letting go of old habits of selfishness,
- forgiving those who have hurt us,
- giving quality time to our families,
- spending time in quiet prayer.
Amen.
Fax: 905-455-3406
Superintendent: L. Kazimowicz 905-361-0146
Trustee:
A. DaSilva 905-890-0708
March 2011
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
As we approach the Lenten Season we are aware
of the profound truth that ―less is more.‖ We
plan to give up some favourite food or T.V.
show. We decide to tone down our frenetic
lifestyles. We strive for better work-family
balance. We pray more fervently.
As we
embrace the spirit of Lent, the disciplines of
fasting, almsgiving and prayer bring us face-toface with our frailties and underscore our
dependence on God.
Our Catholic schools provide us with a
privileged opportunity to balance the busyness
of daily life with the eternal truths of our
Catholic faith tradition. Our staff and students
attend Ash Wednesday services, Stations of the
Cross, and other penitential observances of the
Lenten Season. Our teachers imbue gospel
values across the curriculum and teach virtues
for the Christian life. In March we focus on
teaching and modeling the Virtue of Kindness.
Our staff and students work together each day to
create a positive environment where everyone’s
talents are nourished and where the dignity of all
persons is respected. We rely on the generous
support of home and parish to assist us in the
good work of educating our students to be ready
to go out, as ambassadors of Christ, to make a
difference in the world! Together, we pray that
this Lenten Season will bear good fruit in all of
our lives.
Wendy Bodsworth
FAITH
March’s Virtue
~Kindness
This month we will celebrate the virtue of
kindness.
God has given us the gifts of friends and
companions to keep us company and to help
us out along the way.
Every person in our lives carries the Spirit of
God – and so every person is our brother or
sister through Jesus Christ.
As brothers and sister who share one Holy
Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all
deserve to be shown concern for our welfare
and our feelings. We have all been given the
fruit of the Spirit called kindness.
Kindness can only be seen through actions.
It’s not enough to say I will be kind or I am
kind. We must show that we are kind by our
words and our actions.
Through prayer and concentration, we can
get better at showing kindness to everyone
we meet.
A Kind Person…
Says nice things about others so they
feel good about themselves
Sticks up for people who are picked on
or need help
Refuses to join others who are insulting, intimidating, mean or hurtful
Watches and looks for ways to help
those in need
Embracing the Lenten Spirit
Lent offers us a very special opportunity to
grow in our relationship with God and to
deepen our commitment to a way of life,
rooted in our baptism. During the Lenten
season the Church invites us to a ―change
of heart.‖ This is a season that we can
commit ourselves to being more reflective.
We can make a point of being more
observant and more attentive to the beauty
of the world, to nuances in our relationships
and to the depths of our experiences. We
are called to pray, fast and exercise
authentic Christian generosity in the weeks
of Lent ahead.
Lent is a real chance to learn that the
religious practice of fasting is not about
―losing weight‖ or ―getting in shape‖ but
about becoming more alert. Anyone who
has tried to diet knows that something
changes in us when we try to avoid eating.
The monks in the desert, centuries ago,
discovered that fasting caused a
tremendous boost to their consciousness.
Not only did their bodies go on ―alert‖ but
their whole person seemed to be in a more
heightened state of attention. The whole
purpose of fasting was to aid prayer, to
make it easier to listen to God more openly.
During the season of Lent, the Church also
calls us to practice generosity. Generosity
is not simply giving our discarded clothes
where poor people might benefit from
them, or giving a cash donation to
ShareLife. While these are wonderful
practices, generosity is more about an
attitude. It is a sense that no matter how
much we have, all that we have is a gift
from God, given to us to be shared. It
means that sharing with others is a priority
for us.
That is quite different from
assessing all of our own needs first, and
then giving away what is left over. This
kind of self-sacrificing generosity places us
in solidarity with the poor who share with
each other, without having any excess. It
also joins us with Jesus, who gave himself
completely for us.
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday gets its
name from the ritual of
shriving, when the faithful
confessed their sins to the
local priest and received forgiveness before
the Lenten season began.
Shrove Tuesday also marked the beginning
of the 40-day Lenten fasting period when
the faithful were forbidden to consume
meat, butter, eggs or milk.
However, if a family had a store of these
foods they would certainly spoil by the time
the fast ended on Easter Sunday. What to
do? Solution: use up the milk, butter and
eggs no later than Shrove Tuesday. And so,
with the addition of a little flour, the solution quickly presented itself in... pancakes.
Today, the Shrove Tuesday pancake tradition lives on in Canada where it will be celebrated in many homes and classrooms.
Ash Wednesday Service
The school community will
gather in the gym at 9:00
a.m. on March 9th for Ash
Wednesday
observances
including receiving ashes on
the forehead. As we begin the Lenten
Season, parents, grandparents and caregivers
are invited to join us for this solemn liturgy
where we will be challenged to ―turn away
from sin and be faithful to the gospel.‖
Confirmation Date
Confirmation candidates from Pauline
Vanier School who have enrolled at St.
Jerome’s Parish will receive the Sacrament
of Confirmation at the parish on Thursday
June 9th at 7:00 p.m.
FOCUS ON GOOD HEALTH
Heart and Stroke Foundation
In an effort to raise
awareness about heart
disease and the importance
of a nutritious diet and
active lifestyle, Pauline
Vanier participated in the Jump Rope for
Heart and Hoops for Heart campaigns this
past February. Together, we raised a grand
total of $1508.06 for the Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Canada. Thank you to all who
participated, to Ms. Tac for organizing the
event, and for the many generous donations.
We look forward to hosting this fabulous
event again next year.
Breakfast Club Open to All
Whether you are a familiar
face in our community or a
newcomer, we think you will
be interested in the benefits of
joining our school’s Breakfast Club. All
students are welcome to join. There are
no stipulations, other than a desire to
ensure that your child has a healthy
breakfast to start the day! On request, the
students can also be provided with nutritious
snacks to take with them for recess.
The Breakfast Club is made possible thanks
to the shared sponsorship from the Boys and
Girls Club and Breakfast Clubs of Canada.
If you would like your child to participate in
this program, please phone the school office
and we will arrange for a permission form to
be sent home with your child. The Breakfast
Club runs each morning from 8:15 to 8:30.
It is never too late to join. Thank you to the
many staff and parents who have
volunteered to assist with the Breakfast
Club. A special thanks to Mrs. Maria
DeSouza for her devoted leadership at the
Breakfast Club.
Healthy Food Choices A Priority
In an effort to comply with the
Ministry directive that foods for
sale at school include healthy
options, we are pleased to announce a
variety of nutritious food options.
Pizza Tuesday
Every Tuesday, for $2.00 per
slice, students can purchase
pepperoni/cheese or plain cheese
pizza with a delicious whole wheat crust
prepared to Ministry dietary specifications.
Healthy Snack Fridays
A taste-testing panel made up of two
students from each class has approved a
selection of tasty snacks for sale each
Friday. For only $2.00 per item students can
purchase from a wide selection of nutritious
snacks. Thanks to Ms. Tac and her students
for organizing the Healthy Snack Tuck
Shop.
Bagel Lunch Days
Great Canadian Bagel is
offering a lunch pack for
$4.50 including bagel,
cream cheese, fruit, drink
and dessert. Last call for orders, due in
office Monday, March 7th.
Nutri-lunch Program
Nutri-Lunch is coming to
Pauline Vanier in April!
Order any day/every day
of the month for only
$2.75/day! A $2.75 lunch
includes a sandwich, two
fruits/vegetables,
two
sides (popcorn, goldfish, etc), and a drink.
Lunches are delivered to the classroom
before school starts. Watch for the menu and
order forms to be distributed in the last week
of March for our April trial.
“Welcome to Kindergarten” Night
Kindergarten
registrations
for next fall
are still being
accepted
at
the school office. Parents and newly
registered kindergarten students for 20112012 are invited to attend a ―Welcome to
Kindergarten‖ evening on May 12th . At that
time, families will participate in a variety of
fun activities and will receive a gift bag of
resources to help their child successfully
transition to life at school. Please contact
the school office to let us know if you plan
to attend. (May 12th 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Healthy Food Options
School Council has encouraged Pauline
Vanier to introduce healthy food options at
our school, recommending taste trials for
healthy snacks, a bagel lunch and the daily
nutri-lunch program, outlined above. School
Council invites you to give these options a
try and offer your feedback to the school.
Clothing Drive
BAGS2SCHOOL will be collecting clean
clothing, bedding, drapes, soft toys, shoes
(tied together), belts and purses
on March 23rd from 5:00-7:00
p.m. and on March 24th from
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. We
receive money based on the
weight of materials and
clothing collected. More information will
be sent home shortly.
Lamontange Fundraiser
Don’t miss out on your
chance to win Canada’s
Wonderland Season’s passes
for a family of four for the
2011 season.
All youngest and only
children will have received a catalogue and
order form for the Lamontange Jewellery
and Cookie/Coffee fundraiser.
Please
remember that all orders are to be turned in
by March 11th. We will be placing our order
that day, so please send your order in early if
possible. Everyone
who places an order
receives a ballot for
the
Canada’s
Wonderland draw
regardless of the
amount
of the
order.
Next Meeting Monday March 7th
School Council will meet again on Monday
March 7th in the school library at 6:30 p.m.
The meeting following that will be April 4th
at 6:30 p.m.
PARENT’S CORNER
Immunization Message from Peel Health
Peel Public Health has been reviewing
immunization records of all
children
attending
our
school. If you receive a
letter that your child’s
immunization is incomplete,
please ensure that the required vaccine(s) is
received,
then,
submit
proof
of
immunization to Peel Health to update your
family records in order to avoid suspension
of your child from school. For more
information please call Peel Public Health at
905-799-7700
or
visit
www.ImmunizePeel.ca.
Translation
services are available.
EQAO After-School Tutoring Program
Thanks to Mrs. Stott and Mr. Pavic who are
tutoring 22 students after school for 10
weeks, every Monday
and Thursday from
3:00 to 4:30 p.m. The
students
eagerly
participate in literacy and math lessons to
improve their basic skills and to prepare
them for the style of questioning typical of
EQAO. There is no charge for the tutoring
program.
ARE YOU TICKED?
Please check your property tax bill to ensure
your support is directed to your local
Catholic school board, in our case, the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board. You can verify your support by
contacting
the
board’s
Admissions
Department at (905) 890- 0708, ext. 24511
or 24512, or your local municipal office.
Speak Up Winners
Three groups of
students
were
successful recipients
of a total of $2,000
in Speak Up grants.
The students put
forward proposals to support student
leadership initiatives at Pauline Vanier
School. Congratulations to the Tutoring
Club, the Sports Club and Performing Arts
Group.
Mrs. Vigneault reports that 20 students
regularly attend the Tutoring Club sessions
which are held twice a week at lunchtime.
Grades 7-8 supervise the children and assist
them with homework and the strengthening
of basic math and literacy skills.
Ms. Tersigni, aided by Ms. Prlic, is excited
about the leadership of the older students in
mentoring the younger students in
developing talent in vocals and dance. The
lunchtime Performing Art classes are a huge
success and foster a love for the performing
arts.
Mrs. Mayer’s sports-minded leaders are
keenly involved in mentoring younger
students in a variety of team sports. The
leaders look forward to the warmer weather
when they will be able to take their charges
outside for soccer and other spring/summer
games. Congratulations to the Tutoring
Club, the Fine Arts Club and the Sports
Club for demonstrating enthusiasm,
perseverance and leadership!
Literary Star
Congratulations to Quinton B. in Mr.
Pavic’s Grade 4 class. His literary entry
entitled The Mysterious Creature of the
Deep will be published by Polar Expressions
Publishing, moving him to the final round of
competitions with prizes totally more than
$10,000 overall. His short story is published
here for your reading pleasure.
The Mysterious Creature of the Deep
Tom, the orca, was happily swimming
towards his pod when he heard a highpitched sound through the waves.
Something very big was making that noise.
It was swimming very fast. It sounded like a
Baleen whale, but the call was much, much
higher pitched. The sound came closer and
closer, louder and louder. “What is that?”
Tom said to himself. As the sound go
louder, he started to call out to the creature,
threatening it with the mighty orca growl,
but it did not call back.
Tom started to swim away from his pod and
towards it, thinking it was someone from his
pod that had gotten lost. What he saw was a
huge shape far ahead of him and it was
coming straight at him. The shape got
bigger and bigger. Tom thought he should
go back to the pod and warn them about this
creature. As Tom swam back to his pod, he
heard a clang behind him. Looking back
one more time, he saw a large grey oval
shape like the shape he saw before, only this
time it was right behind him. As he kept
swimming, he kept hearing strange sounds.
Suddenly, it was silent.
The creature
vanished. When he finally got back to the
pod and started to tell them about the
mysterious creature, nobody could decide
how they should react to this creature.
As Tom began describing the creature,
Jackson confidently interrupted him and
said, “We should hunt it down and kill it
and then eat its tongue! This is the way of
all the orcas as the top hunters of the
oceans,” Jackson reasoned all orcas could
adapt to any threats.
Tom answered back weakly, “It is too big a
kill for such a small pod like ours.”
As the pod kept bickering, the smallest killer
whale, Lani, came up with an idea. She told
them they should talk to the humans to see if
they knew what the mysterious creature was
before trying to kill it.
Tom swam as fast as he could towards Eden
Bay and started to hit his tail on the water to
get the humans towards the shoreline.
George arrived soon, so Tom started to tell
him about what he saw. George listened
carefully and then said, “You have seen our
research submarine; it was a gift from the
research department of Marine Biology for
the Protection of Ocean Species. The name
of the sub is Discovery. It can go into any
deep water where no human has gone
before.”
As George explained further,
everything became clearer for Tom.
Tom swam back and kept thinking about this
machine. When he got back he told his pod
about it. Once his
pod realized there
wasn’t
any
danger, submarines
actually weren’t so
scary.
Tom’s pod
began to spread the word
to other pods of orcas.
Soon
everyone knew what this creature was.
Now, everyone knows why killer whales
don’t fear submarines.
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
The teacher candidates from Charles Sturt
University would like to thank Pauline
Vanier for allowing us
to become part of their
school
and
community. Charles
Sturt University is an
Australian university which has been in
Ontario for the past six years. Over the last
two months we have participated in the
following activities outside of the classroom.
Daniel Sponagle in Ms. Stott’s Grade 2/3
class has just finished his involvement in
coaching the boy’s intermediate basketball
team. The boys finished at the semi-finals.
Izabela Jakubowska, in Ms. Grasman’s
Kindergarten class, and Josie Vivaldo, in
Ms. De Souza’s Kindergarten, have been
participating in the Rosary Club. We would
like to invite students to come and join us on
Wednesday’s at lunch time from 11:50 to
12:30 p.m. More members are welcome.
The three of us have done volunteering of
our time to the Breakfast Club which has
been a very worthwhile experience. Over the
next few months we will continue our work
with the Breakfast club and also the
Bullying Prevention Committee. Please stay
tuned for further updates and activities in
our quest make our school a safe one.
As teacher candidates, we are currently in
our classrooms on Wednesday and
Thursday. We will be starting our 4 week
placement on April 11th until May
6th. Thank you Pauline Vanier for
making us feel welcome here—
we have been enjoying our time!
Daniel, Josie and Izabela
REMINDERS
Kiss and Ride
Parents are reminded to drop off children at
the location where a staff member is on duty
at the end of the kiss and ride lane. Please do
not use the turn-about as a drop off spot for
passengers. This is an extremely dangerous
practice as there are no staff members on
duty and it is a very congested area in the
morning and afternoon. It has also come to
our attention that some drivers are ignoring
the signs prohibiting parent vehicles in the
staff parking lot. There should be no drop
offs or pick-ups in this area.
No cell phones in school
Ministry and board policy prohibits the use
of cell phones in the school or on school
property. The school has warned students
that cell phones that are visible will be
confiscated and held in the office until the
end of the day (warning) or until parents
come to the school to retrieve the device
(repeated offences).
Punctuality
Students and parents have been reminded on
numerous occasions of the importance of
punctuality. Late arrivals at school continue
to be a chronic problem for many students.
From here on in, students who have more
than two late arrivals per month (without
reasonable explanation), will be required
serve one or more lunchtime detentions to
pay back the instructional time that has been
lost.
Hands off policy
Parents are asked to remind their children of
the importance of keeping their hands and
feet to themselves and of the merits of
working through social problems with
reasonable conversation instead of their
fists. Unfortunately, some children are
under the impression that it’s okay to hit if
the other person hits them first (self
defense). In actual fact, hitting is never
okay. When a student is being bothered, we
expect them to speak firmly, politely and
assertively (by saying ―STOP, I don’t like
that!‖) and then to walk or run away. If the
problem persists students are urged to tell an
adult. Please assist us in promoting a safe
school environment by stressing with your
children that name-calling, put-downs and
violence are never an appropriate response,
regardless of the provocation.
Playground Safety Rules
Keep your hands and feet to yourselves
No verbal insults or inappropriate
language
Treat all people with respect
Respect school property
Play only no contact games outside
Stay on school property at all times
Keep snow, ice, rocks and gravel on the
ground
UPCOMING EVENTS
Go Girls!
The Go Girls Program is being offered free
of charge for seven consecutive Fridays for
two hours each time at
Pauline Vanier. Go
Girls! Program began
on Friday, March 4th
and is scheduled from
11:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. Twelve girls in
Grades 7-8 have been
selected to participate.
Developed for girls, ages 12-14, Go Girls!
uses a mentor approach to provide girls with
the information and support they need to
make informed choices about healthy active
living during a particularly challenging stage
of development.
Maintaining sensitivity towards emotional,
social and cultural issue, Go Girls! addresses
topics such as physical activity, healthy
eating choices, self-image, problem-solving
skills and relationships.
Go Girls! led by mentors, runs in schools for
seven, two-hour sessions. Each session
provides an opportunity for the girls to
participate in fun, educational games and
activities that encourage mentor/participant
relationship-building and group discussions
about what is important to them. Our girls
are excited to get started!
Spirit Week
During the week of April 11-15th we will
celebrate Spirit Week including such zany
events as crazy hair day, backwards day, hat
day, Pauline Vanier Day and Fun in the Sun
day. Stay tuned for more information!
Share Life Money Drive
During the Lenten season we would like to
come together as a school community to
help those who are less fortunate than
ourselves. We are planning a Share Life
Money Drive the week of March 28th to
April 1st. The idea is for the students to
bring in a penny on Monday, a nickel on
Tuesday, a dime on Wednesday, a quarter
on Thursday, and a loonie on Friday.
All monies collected will
be donated to Sharelife.
ShareLife works with its
international partners to
ensure that our donations
are being used responsibly
and effectively around the
world to strengthen communities for years to
come.
ShareLife does not keep any
percentage
of
our
donations
for
administration costs. Thank you in advance
for your generosity in contributing to this
event. If you have any questions about
Sharelife, their international partners, or
their humanitarian relief efforts please call
the ShareLife office at: 416-934-3411 or 1800-263-2595.
DPCDSB Summer 2011 Adult Programs
Adult CO-OP Programs (905-362-0701 or 905891-3934)
ESL English as a Second Language (905-8919263)
FSL French as a Second Language Conversation
905-891-9263 (ext 37955)
LINC Language Instruction for Newcomers
(905-279-6816)
Visit our website:
www.dpcdsb.org/coopcentre
Try this Lenten Diet
Fast from criticism
Fast from self-pity
Fast from ill-temper
Fast from resentment
Fast from jealousy
Fast from pride
Fast from selfishness
Fast from fear
Feast on praise.
Feast on joy.
Feast on peace.
Feast on contentment.
Fest on love.
Feast on humanity
Feast on service.
Feast on faith.
PRAYER FOR KINDNESS
Dear God,
You have done such a marvelous job of creating us
and the world around us.
You have placed this creation,
including all the people we meet, in our care.
We come to you now asking for the grace and strength
to keep a sense of kindness.
We hope that by recognizing and honouring this fruit of the Holy Spirit,
we can contribute to making our school
a safer, more caring, more inclusive community.
May kindness, the fruit of your Spirit,
help us to feel the courage to act
on behalf of people around us who are in need.
We ask this in name of Jesus, our brother,
who lived to show us your way.
Amen.
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 8th Shrove Tuesday
March 9th Ash Wednesday Service: 9:00 a.m.
March 14-18 March Break-NO SCHOOL
March 19th Saturday Midnight~Daylight Savings
March 22nd World Water Day
March 26th 12:00 Noon: First Reconciliation
March 28th to April 1st Share Life Money Drive
April 11th-April 15th Spirit Week
April 17th Palm Sunday
April 22nd Good Friday-No School
April 24th- Easter Sunday
April 25th Easter Monday-No School
June 9th 7:00 p.m. Confirmation