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
Trustee: A. Da Silva
905-890-0708
905-706-5679
Parish: St. Jerome Church
Pastor: Fr. Jan Kolodynski
905-455-4260
NEWSLETTER #3
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
As the days grow shorter and the weather gets
colder, the Catholic Church completes the
Liturgical Year with renewed emphasis on lifeafter-death realities.
The liturgical focus
challenges us to direct our energy and
commitment towards the attainment of
heavenly rather than secular goals.
At school, our teachers have spent time
explaining the importance of All Saints Day
and All Souls Day. Several classes have created
their own liturgies to pray for deceased
relatives and friends.
Parents and teachers are reminded of the need
to be aware of their potential for positive
influence with students, as they strive to
cultivate attitudes of peace and forgiveness in a
world that is hungry for love.
On November 12th, the Monday following
Remembrance Day, our school assembly will
honour those who have courageously died in
war zones and peace-keeping missions.
Our mission at Pauline Vanier School is to cooperate with parents and parish in educating
the souls of our children and youth, so that
their lives will be oriented to the pursuit of
holiness and the noble goal of peace on earth.
November 2012
Dear Lord,
The world says hate.
You say love.
The world says revenge.
You say forgive.
The world says destroy.
You say create.
Help us listen to
Your Word.
AMEN
FOCUS ON FAITH
A Month of Remembrance
During the month of November, the Church
calls us to reflect upon our own mortality and
the ultimate goal of life here on earth—to gain
the glory of eternal life in heaven. Mindful of
this truth, we think about those who have died
and gone before us and we re-focus our energies
towards getting our own priorities, at home and
at school, in the right order. We ask for the
Saints in heaven to intercede for us, and we pray
for our deceased friends and family that they
might one day enjoy the glory of God in heaven.
All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st,
reminds our community of those holy men and
women (both known and unknown) who have
lived exemplary lives of faith in the Church.
The historical roots of this feast day date back to
the Church’s desire to honour and recognize the
martyrs who died in the early Church. Later, in
837 A.D., Pope Gregory IV declared this day to
be the date we remember all who lived and died
for their faith.
All Souls Day, November 2 , is a Roman
nd
Catholic feast day that shifts the focus from
those in heaven to those in purgatory. It is
typically celebrated with masses and prayers for
the dead. While the Solemnity of All Saints is a
day to remember the glories of heaven and all
who are there, the Feast of All Souls reminds us
of our obligation to live holy lives and of the
need for purification of souls destined for
heaven. We believe that our prayers can hasten
the progress of souls from purgatory to heaven.
Remembrance Day
On November 11th Canadians all across the
country stop and honour those who have
served, at home or overseas, in World War I and
II, Korea and the Afghanistan conflicts, and in
all peace missions around the world. Memorial
Services pay tribute to the more than 100,000
brave Canadians who were killed in the service
of our country, defending freedom and
democracy.
Freedom is so precious and so often taken for
granted.
In our sober moments of quiet
reflection, we admit that God’s great gift of freewill is sometimes misused as we are tempted to
make personal choices that selfishly serve our
short-term interests, while undermining unity
and peace in our community.
Our school will gather for Remembrance Day
on Monday, November 12th. We urge family
and friends to join us, as we honour the
sacrifices of those who defended Canada in war
and have worked tirelessly to make peace in the
world. We will challenge each other to use our
consciences to make daily choices that
contribute to peace in our hearts and our homes.
The On-going Challenge
Let us teach our children that war begins in the
human heart and that each person has the
power to create peace, one relationship at a time.
The Virtue Program
Virtue for the month of November:
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 common
Spirit we share inspires us and guides us
to make good decisions, if we have
cultivated
a
well-informed
conscience.
Conscience is the voice of God within us. As we
develop our conscience, we will learn to make
decisions that encourage and support truly
loving relationships. Our conscience reminds us
how to act towards other people and how to be
a good friend. It is a daily challenge to examine
our lives and ask: Who or what guides my
conscience to help me make the right decision?
“What the law requires is written on our 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
On Saturday, October 27th, 2012 at the 5:00 p.m.
mass, Bishop Boissonneau presided with Father
Jan over the rededication of St. Jerome’s Parish.
All parishioners were thankful for reentering
their sacred worship space and returning home.
Special thanks to Father Jan for his commitment,
energy and perseverance during this difficult
period of renovation.
All parishioners are
happy to be home. On October 28th after the 12
Noon Mass parishioners recognized Father
Mark for service to his priestly vocation for 50
years—congratulations Father Mark!
SACRAMENTS
FIRST HOLY
COMMUNION
 Be a registered
member of St.
Jerome parish.
 Pick up a First Communion Registration
form at the parish office after any weekend
mass.
 Attend the Parent information session TBA.
 Registration ends November 25, 2012.
CONFIRMATION




Be a registered
member of St.
Jerome parish.
Pick up a
Confirmation Registration Package after
any weekend mass.
Attend the Parent Information Session
TBA.
Registration ends November 25, 2012.
When Faith Meets Pedagogy
Parish News
St. Jerome’s Parish
Tel: 905-455-4260 Fax: 905-450-6326
E-Mail: office@stjeromeparish.ca
Homepage: http//www.stjeromeparish.ca
On October 25 through to October 27, Mrs.
Sunday Eucharist: Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday
9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., l2:00 p.m.
faith-based conference, held every year, gives
Bodsworth, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Venalainen and
Ms. Grasman attended an enriching conference
entitled ‚When Faith Meets Pedagogy 2012.‛ This
Catholic educators the opportunity to gather in
Remembrance Day Poem
a Spirit-filled setting to attend lectures and
Little poppy given to me,
presentations celebrating Catholicity in our
help me keep Canada safe and free.
schools. This year’s theme was Proclaim and
I’ll wear a little poppy,
Celebrate the Good News, a premise that is
as red as red can be,
inspired by Pope Benedict’s declaration of the
Year of Faith and the 50th Anniversary of Vatican
to show that I remember
those who fought for me.
II. Keynote speakers included Marina Nemat,
author of ‚Prisoner of Tehran,‛ who spoke
passionately on the ongoing use of torture in our
contemporary world, as well as her own
personal story of survival and the strength of the
human
spirit.
Sr.
Maureen
Sullivan,
a
Dominican Sister of Hope, spoke about Vatican
II and the importance that we have as Catholics
and educators to embrace and evangelize the
great teachings of our church as well as
approach the content of Vatican II with renewed
eyes and spirit.
Another highlight of the
weekend included Mass celebrated by His
Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins. Additional
lectures and presentations included: ‚Living a
Positive Life to the Max!,‛ ‚Poverty in our
POPPY DAY
On Monday November 12th poppies
will be available from the Royal
Canadian Legion.
If possible,
please send a small donation (coins)
in support of our veterans. Students
will go door-to-door to make a
poppy available to each child just
prior to our assembly.
Please send a donation to the
Royal Canadian Legion
Schools,‛ ‚Belonging: Creating a Safe, Healthy,
Inclusive Christ-Centered School,‛ in addition to
‚Catholic Faith and 21st Century Learning,‛ as
well as workshops celebrating our vocation as
educators and our duty to empower our
Catholic youth in our schools.
Andria Miller ERW
Reported by
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, canonized
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, elevating her to
sainthood on October 21st, 2012. This event was
a great honour to all of North America, but in a
particular way to its Aboriginal Peoples, of
whom Kateri, known as the ‚Lily of the
Mohawks,‛ was born in 1656 in what is now
New York State. Persecuted for her Catholic
faith, she moved to a Christian Mohawk village
in what is now Kahnawake, within the current
diocese of Saint-Jean Longueuil, Quebec, where
she died at the age of 24.
SCHOOL ROUTINES
Lunch Policy
We have a large number of students who eat
lunch at school. Often we need to remind these
students of proper behaviour while eating in
their classrooms. Please assist us by reminding
your child (ren) of the following rules:
 Remain seated while eating
 Do not share food (Sabrina’s Law re:
allergies)
 Chat quietly with classmates
 Dispose of all garbage
 Ask permission of lunch supervisor to
get up and/or go to the washroom
 Clean up desk and class before leaving
 Bundle up before going outside
Lunch Table
Parents are reminded that we have a lunch table
set up in the main foyer for student’s work and
lunches to b e placed on. Please
let your child know that you will
be dropping off their work or
their lunch, and then during
recess breaks they can come to
the foyer to collect their belongings. We have
provided sticky notes for the items—please
clearly indicate your child’s name, grade and
teacher. Thank you for your co-operation!
Casual Fridays
You may observe that staff may dress in a casual
manner on Fridays. Through donations made
on these Fridays, we support the board’s Share
Life Campaign.
Label Clothing
For our younger students, it would be helpful if
parents were to label items of clothing with their
child’s name, so that each person can easily
locate his/her belongings from their class coat
rack area. Each term many items make their
way to our ‚Lost and Found‛ bin. Labeled
clothing makes it easier to find the rightful
owner and sort out any accidental switches.
School Hours
Supervision in the school yard does
not start until 8:25 a.m. Please do
not drop off your children before
that time. The school office is open
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Late Arrivals
Every day there are a number of children who
arrive after the bell.
Students who are
habitually late will be serving detentions with
the Principal as a reminder of the valuable
learning time that is being lost and of the
disruption and inconvenience caused to others.
Parents are urged to have their children at
school at least five minutes before the bell.
Children who are late must report to the office
for a late slip.
Phone Calls during school time
The office often gets requests
from students to make phone
calls home to ask parents to bring
forgotten items such as running
shoes, agendas or textbooks/homework. We are
reinforcing with students that is their
responsibility to bring all necessary items to
school and to arrange in advance for their outof-school activities. Unless the situation is an
urgent matter, phone calls due to poor
organization and lack of planning will be
discouraged. It is our intention to work hard to
minimize unnecessary interruptions to student’s
instructional time.
Valuables
Pauline Vanier School cannot
assume personal possessions.
Students are requested to leave
valuables at home. This may
include any item of importance
such as a good soccer ball, Nintendo Games,
Game Boys, cell phones, expensive sports
equipment, trading cards, etc.
b. stay calm and don’t show fear
c. tell an adult
d. all of the above
SCHOOL SAFETY
Visitors in the School
All visitors to the school, including
parents and former students, must
check in at the main office before
proceeding to any other area of the
school. If you are picking up your
child at school, we ask that you
report to the office if the pick-up is during the
school day. If it is at regular dismissal time,
please wait outside the appropriate exit doors of
the building to avoid disruption of classroom
routines.
Parents should not be in the
schoolyard during recess times or before school
in the morning (Remember, to most of the
children in the yard, including some teachers on
duty who may not know you, you are a
STRANGER). Your cooperation in following
these routines helps ensure student safety.
Lockdown Drill
Twice a year lockdown drills are rehearsed at
Pauline Vanier School. This practice drill only
lasts about 5-10 minutes and is an important
aspect of our preparedness program of safety
and security in Dufferin-Peel.
While it is
unpleasant to imagine the prospects of our
innocent children being threatened, it is
important that we have a well-rehearsed
protocol that we can rely on if such a situation
warrants it. If your child/ren mentions the Lock
Down at home, please assist us by assuring
them that a Lockdown drill is a practice drill
only, and is not cause for worry.
3.
Bullying can be <
a. physical
(pushing,
hitting,
pinching)
b. verbal (name-calling, insults,
threats)
c. emotional (excluding someone,
ignoring someone)
d. all of the above
4.
The most common forms of bullying
among girls are<
a. hitting, pinching, kicking
b. stealing, destroying personal
property
c. excluding someone, gossip,
name-calling
d. pulling hair, scratching
5.
Children learn bullying behaviours
from<
a. other children
b. media (television, movies, video
games)
c. adult role models (parents,
teachers, athletes)
d. all of the above
6.
If you are being bullied, you should<
a. stay calm and not act angry or
upset
b. ignore the behaviour and walk
away
c. tell an adult you trust
d. all of the above
7.
If you witness someone being bullied,
you should<
a. tell an adult you trust
b. walk away and pretend you
didn’t see anything
c. fight back with actions and
words
d. join the crowd and watch
what’s happening
Bullying Prevention
A Quiz for Parents and Children
1.
Children who bully<
a. think hurting others is okay
b. can be any age
c. can be boys or girls
d. all of the above
2.
You are less likely to be bullied if you<
a. play with a group of friends
8.
You can help put a stop to bullying by<
a. telling an adult any time you
see it happening
b. using
bullying
behaviour
yourself
c. trying to include kids, who are
alone, in your group of
activities.
d. a and c.
Answers: 1(d), 2(d), 3(d), 4(c), 5(d), 6(d),
7(a), 8(d).
For additional information about how to
prevent bullying call Peel Health at 905799-7700 or visit on-line at:
http://www.peelregion.ca/scripts/school
/health101.pl
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 from 8:25 a.m. to 8:40 a. m. and
again from 3:10 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. It is
imperative that personal vehicles are not in the
bus lane at any time.
Also, 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 move
quickly and safely to the playground.
SCHOOL HEALTH CONCERNS
Medication at School
Please be advised that for safety
reasons, no child should bring any form
of medication to school, without prior
approval from the office. The school
will store medication, and supervise a child
taking essential medication, providing that a
Request Form has been filled out and signed by
t he parent/guardian and your family physician.
Forms are available in the office.
It’s Flu Season
We would like to remind parents of the need to
have network of support to care for children
especially in a case of midday illness. Peel
Health repeatedly recommends that the best
practice to prevent the spread of viruses is:
 Wash hands with soap and water
thoroughly and often
 Cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue
 Stay home if you are sick
 Consider getting a flu shot
When children become sick during the course of
the school day, a plan needs to be in place to
care for the child. As with all medical issues, we
continue to take direction from Peel Health on
how to best respond to community illness.
Winter Ailments
At times we receive requests to allow students
to stay indoors when they have a cold, flu, etc.
Unfortunately, we are unable to comply with
this request since we do not have adequate staff
or facilities to supervise these students. If a
child is too ill to go outside for recess we request
that they remain home until they are healthy
enough to join in the regular activities of the
school. Please be advised that on extremely cold
days,
when
the
wind-chill
equivalent
temperature is minus 20 degrees Celsius or
lower, students will stay indoors, as per Peel
Health Department guidelines.
Muddy fall/winter weather is
here. In order to make sure the
students remain safe and to keep
our school clean, an extra pair of ‚indoor shoes‛
would help immensely. We thank you for your
cooperation in making sure that your child has a
pair of indoor shoes to change into.
pencils or individually wrapped and labeled
commercial products that are nut free. Please do
NOT send home-baked snacks for special
occasions, as we cannot be sure that these
products are allergen free. In our Catholic
Community we have an obligation to be
responsible for one another. We thank you for
your attention to this important Health Watch.
Change of Clothing
EVENTS & PROGRAMS
Along with the cold and wet weather just
around the corner come wet socks, pants, mitts
and gloves. We encourage parents to send an
extra pair of socks, pants, mitts and toques,
especially for the younger children. If they do
get wet, they will have a change of clothing and
we will not need to interrupt your work
schedule by asking you to bring a change of
clothing to school.
French Café
Indoor Shoes
Dressing for the Weather
As the colder weather approaches, we ask that
you dress your child appropriately. It is easier
to layer and then remove items of
outer wear than not having
sufficient outdoor clothing. We
encourage you to speak to your
child about the merits of ‚bundling up‛ before
going outside. Often our students will bring a
coat to school but will not wear it outside. With
a 40 minute play period mid-day, and two 15
minute recesses, it is important for children to be
dressed according to the weather.
Anaphylaxis
As outlined in past newsletters,
Pauline Vanier School is an allergen
aware school. Some of our students
suffer from severe and life
threatening allergies to food products
containing traces of peanut/nut products as well
as other allergens. Please assist us in
maintaining a safe environment for all students.
Kindly ensure that your child’s lunch or snack
DOES NOT contain nuts or traces of nut
products. For birthdays and other special events
we encourage non-food treats such as stickers or
Once again, our annual French café was an
enormous success thanks to Madame Byrne and
her enthusiastic team of intermediate students.
The students enjoyed dressing up, sampling the
croissant treats, and soaking up the ambiance of
the Hallowe’en décor and the very scary ‚La
Maison Hantee‛. Special thanks go out to Ms.
Tac and her wonderful dancers, Brittney and
Monika for their solo performances; and Mrs.
Brohart and Mrs. Virostek, our parent
volunteers, who worked behind the scenes to
assist with the décor and in the kitchen.
Wizard of Oz
Co-directors Ms. Tersigni
and Ms. Tac are excited to
announce the following
news:
Watch out Pauline Vanier!
Looks like we are heading
to Oz! Pauline Vanier School will be presenting
The Wizard of Oz on stage with participation
from students in Grades 4-8. After a couple of
weeks of fantastic auditions, the final cast and
ensemble will be announced early this week.
Rehearsals will begin immediately and we are
looking forward to a hard-working and fun year
ahead of us. The Wizard of Oz will be presented
in the Spring with a daytime and evening
performance. Any parents that are interested in
helping please contact Ms. Tac or Ms. Tersigni at
school. Costume and prop donations will also be
greatly appreciated - stay tuned for a list of what
we will need. The staff and students involved
are very excited to get started! "We're off to see
the Wizard!"
Roots of Empathy
Go Girls!
Mrs. Vigneault reports that
her class will be ho sting Mrs.
Rondinelli and her daughter
Valerie, as part of the Roots
of Empathy Program. "Roots
of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom
program which has shown dramatic effect in
reducing levels of aggression and violence
among
school
children
while
raising
social/emotional competence and increasing
empathy." Mrs. Rondinelli and baby Valerie
will visit Mrs. Vigneault’s classroom once a
month on Wednesdays. They will visit nine
times during this school year. Mrs. Campbell, a
trained ROE instructor, will coach students to
observe baby Valerie's development and to label
her feelings. Baby Valerie will be the "Teacher".
She will help the students to identify and reflect
on their own feelings and the feelings of others.
Thanks to Mrs. Vigneault, Mrs. Campbell and
Mrs. Rondinelli for making this worldrenowned program available!
Go Girls! Healthy Bodies, Healthy
Minds is a mentoring program
designed to encourage physical
activity participation, healthy
eating choices, and the development of positive
self-image among girls ages 12-14.
A seven week program led by two female
university/college-aged mentors, Go Girls!
incorporates fun, educational games and
activities to stimulate mentor/participant
relationship-building as well as self-reflection
and group discussions about healthy living and
emotional, social and cultural issues. The girls
who are participating love the program! Thanks
to Madame Byrne and Mrs. Brathwaite for their
support in organizing Go Girls!
BeCool
Game On!
Mrs. Patricia Brathwaite is our School Child
and Youth Worker (CYW). She has been using
the BeCool program to help children control
their emotional outbursts in class and on the
playground.
Here she describes how the
program works:
Pauline Vanier is pleased to announce it
will be offering the Game On! Program once
again. Mr. Daniels writes that ‚this is our
second year with this group mentoring program
that is targeted for our grade 7 and 8 boys.
Game On! Eat Smart, Play Smart, Live Smart is
an evidence-based mentoring program designed
to address the physical activity, healthy eating
and nutrition, plus the self-esteem and
communication skills of male youth. It is
structured on a very low ratio group-mentoring
model and delivered by trained male volunteers.
This is a relatively new program that was
developed in 2009 for Big Brothers and Big
Sisters of Canada. Game On! is comprised of
seven weeks of core sessions, each of which is
between 90 minutes in length. Each session is
loosely structured around the following three
main program themes: physical activity, healthy
eating and nutrition, and self-esteem and
communication skills.‛ Thanks to Mr. Daniel’s
for championing this program.
The BeCool program teaches students, in easy to
understand language, how to manage conflict,
anger and emotion. It is a series of animated
videos, with Chester the cat, who teaches
students that there are three ways to handle a
conflict. There is the HOT response; which is
the ‚blowing up‛ or angry reaction. There is the
COLD response; which is the ‚giving up‛ or
passive reaction. There is also the COOL
response; which is the ‚being in control‛
reaction. Children learn throughout the videos
that the COOL response has the most positive
outcome.
This series includes a five part
module to help cope with criticism, teasing,
bullying, anger of others and anger of self.
The BeCool program describes techniques for
managing some of the most common and
difficult interpersonal behaviours faced by
young children and adolescents. Being the
brunt of teasing, bullying, anger, and criticism
can produce tremendous stress, serious
behaviour problems, and destruction of selfesteem. Using the self-defense coping strategies
presented in this program, students can learn
how to minimize the destructive effects of theses
behaviours, as well as promote positive
interpersonal interactions; when confronted by
difficult people or difficult situations, they’ll
know that the best defense is to ‚BeCool.‛
“Don’t be Hot, Don’t be Cold…BeCool”
Circle of Friends
Our CYW also co-ordinates a Circle of
Friends program that is hugely successful.
Mrs. Brathwaite describes the program
thus:
Circle of Friends has been in
place in the schoolyard since
September of this year. This
initiative
has
been
established to help some of
our most delicate, vulnerable
and needy students. Some
Grade 4-6 students have generously volunteered
their time to engage and encourage students in
the yard to play cooperative games and be on
the lookout for students who need extra support
and guidance while outside. At Pauline Vanier
we are one big Circle of Friends!
P.A.L.S.! …Coming Really Soon!
Mrs. Brathwaite and Mrs. Bagley have been
working hard (behind the scenes!) to organize
the P.A.L.S. program for our primary students.
Mrs. Bagley reports their progress to date: ‚We
have selected an enthusiastic crew, and have
had several meetings. We had the pleasure of
working with Alicia Petruccelli, a Peel Public
Health Nurse, who came in during the month of
October to facilitate two formal training sessions
for our program volunteers.
The CYW along with a few Grade 8 students,
created a beautiful P.A.L.S. bulletin board in the
primary hallway. Pictures of all P.A.L.S. leaders,
as well as game and rotation schedules, are
posted on the board. Please note that the
program will run at lunchtime on Tuesdays and
Fridays.
We will be meeting with our students on a
monthly basis to review the types of games that
they are leading with the primary students, and
to teach them new games as well. We want to
ensure that the younger students always have
new games to look forward to playing. If you
have any game suggestions, feel free to share
your ideas with us.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements, as
well as classroom visits (to primary classes only)
from our leaders who will be promoting this fun
program! We would be deeply appreciative if
you would encourage your children to
participate in P.A.L.S. games.‛
Youth Faith Ambassadors
Ms. Tac, Ms. Sementilli and
the Youth Faith Ambassadors
have been working hard all
year. Read on to learn about
their latest endeavour:
"Stand Up to Bullying!" That is
what
the
Youth
Faith
Ambassadors, Ms. Tac and Ms. Sementilli have
been focusing on over the past few weeks.
Meeting twice a week after school, the Pauline
Vanier Youth Faith Ambassadors are preparing
for Bully Awareness Week which will be taking
place the week of November 19th. The theme is
"Stand Up to Bullying!" The Youth Faith
Ambassadors are very eager and excited to be
hosting a very special assembly for the entire
school that will target bullying issues and
ultimately help the students stand up to
bullying. The assemblies will consist of various
drama presentations, videos and personal
stories from the students and staff. We would
like to invite parents to join this special event.
The kick-off assemblies will be taking place on
Monday November 19th at 9:00 a.m. The week
will be followed by different activities focused
on bullying awareness. Please show your
support for the Youth Faith Ambassadors as
they teach the students at Pauline Vanier to
"Stand Up to Bullying!"
SCHOOL SPORTS
SOCIAL OUTREACH
Cross Country Team
Milk Bags for Haiti
Our coaches Mrs. Vigneault and Mrs. Maria
DeSouza have prepared this article about their
team:
After weeks of practice, the junior/ intermediate
students took part in the cross-country meet at
Erindale Park. All 21 students ran extremely
well and showed great sportsmanship. Four of
our students will participate at the Board level.
Thanks to all the parents who came out to help
and support our team. Congratulations to all!
Cross Country Team Members: Giacomo C.,
Maya C., Matthew D., Leanne D., Nicole D.,
Philip D., Fernanda E., Natalia e., Sena G.,
Joshua J., Daniel J., Marciano M., Sebastian N.,
Mithuza P., Jithmal S., Christian S., Jalen S.,
Micayla V., Ryan W., Nicholas W., Jessica Y.S.
Board Qualifiers: Maya C., Nicole D., Jithmal
S., Ryan W.
Congratulations to our great team and their
wonderful coaches—good luck at the Board
finals!
This is an on-going Board-wide initiative that
invites us to collect the colourful exterior milk
bags and bring them to school. The bags are cut
into strips and then crocheted into comfortable
hygienic sleeping mats for poverty-stricken
families in earthquake-devastated Haiti. Please
join us in transforming household garbage into
essential supplies for our brothers and sisters in
Haiti. We will be collecting bags all year long—
it takes 600 empty bags to create one sleeping
mat. Please, help us to change the face of
poverty in Haiti, one milk bag at a time!
Volleyball
Thanks so much to Mr. Daniels and Mr.
Connelly for their hard work with the teams.
Here is their reflection on the season:
The Intermediate Boys and Girls volleyball sea
son has just come to a close.
Although the teams did not
advance to the Family level,
their coach, Mr. Daniels, was
particularly impressed with
their marked improvement as the season went
along. Both team demonstrated much more
control of the ball, were able to set up attacks
and played with great enthusiasm and
sportsmanship. Team members of the boys'
team consisted of Ashton, Bernard, Cameron,
Jacob K., Jacob M., Jason, Jithmal, Josh, Noah
and Ryan. Members of the girls' team were
Caroline, Cierra, Fernanda, Karolina, Kiara,
Lawrencia, Leanne, Nicole, Raven and Sydney.
Halloween Candy
We are asking all trick-or-treaters to
give up some of their Hallowe’en
treasure. Dr. Simone of Canadian
Food for Children is collecting Halloween
candies to distribute to poor children in the
Third World. We are collecting hard candy and
chips. Hard candy is needed to stimulate the
sugar and nutrition needed for the day. Chips
are needed to help pregnant women keep their
babies healthy by using the salt. We will accept
wrapped candy, lollipops, and chocolate bar, no
later than November 15th.
Pop tabs
We are collecting Pop tabs to donate
to organizations that raise money for
children with Duchene Muscular
Dystrophy. The pop tabs, which are
pure aluminum, are sold to recycling
depots. The money is then used to purchase
wheelchairs for those in need. Please send in
your SILVER pop tabs to the office.
CURRICULUM NEWS
P.A. DAY
Friday, November 16th, 2012 is a P.A. Day. This
day is dedicated to school level planning for
student achievement. There will be no classes
for students on this day and the main office will
be closed.
Each year schools are required to set goals in
order to reduce gaps in student achievement,
increase public confidence in education, and
increase student achievement overall. Pauline
Vanier has set goals in the 5 key pillars
identified by our board: Catholic Community,
Culture and Caring; Literacy; Numeracy;
Pathways and Transitions; and Professional
Learning and Instructional Leadership. Please
visit our school web-site to view the entire plan.
progress report help parents to stay connected
to their child’s learning. Parents are encouraged
to contact the child (ren)’s teacher at any time
for clarification or input regarding social,
behavioural, or academic issues. There is no
need to wait for official report cards to inquire
about your child’s progress. The school agenda
is a great place to facilitate an on-going dialogue
between home and school. Daily use of the
student agenda is a first step towards open and
regular communication.
What is S.W.S.I.?
Regional Centre for the Arts
Pauline Vanier is one of 300 schools
participating in an exciting, province-wide
Student Work Study Initiative. This study
focuses on students from Kindergarten to Grade
6 to determine what types of conditions enable
them to be successful learners. Tara Kramaric is
the Student Work Study Teacher who will be
visiting select classrooms in our school
throughout the 2012-13 school year. She
describes her work by saying that she ‚will be
collaborating with classroom teachers to collect
and analyze samples of student work to be
combined with samples from other schools
across Ontario.‛ Please be advised, Mrs.
Kramaric will not be evaluating student work in
any way and all collected samples will remain
anonymous. The results of this study will form
the basis of future resource development and
teacher training across Ontario. Ms. Kramaric
looks forward to being a part of the Pauline
Vanier community in an effort to learn more
about students and their learning. Mrs. Cotic,
Mrs. Venalainen, Mrs. Bagley and Mrs.
Vigneault are thrilled to be part of this
professional collaborative inquiry.
St. Roch Catholic Secondary School is proud of
its Regional Centre for the Arts Program that
began in the Fall of 2010 for Grade 9 students
living west of Highway 10. Students who attend
this program at St. Roch will be invited to select
a major focus in one of the following areas:
Catholic School Learning Plan
Progress Reports
The
Progress
Reports
received earlier this month
give 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
Drama Major
Instrumental Music
Major
Media Arts Major
Vocal Music Major
For more information visit the St. Roch website
www.dpcdsb.org/ROCHS
or
call
the
information Hotline at 905-456-8543.
Holy Name of Mary Registration
On November 27th, 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, they would like
to invite all eligible Region of Peel girls to apply
to Holy Name of Mary C.S.S. Please visit their
website
for
further
updates:
www.dpcdsb.org/hnmry/guidance. Registration
packages will be available on the school’s website. For further information call 905-458-5541
extension 64104.
Kindergarten Registration
Registration
for
Junior
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!
and
Senior
Christmas Cram-the-Cruiser Campaign
Kindergarten for the 2013-14 school year,
Once again, we will are asking families to
contribute non-perishable and canned foods to
our annual Christmas Food Drive. The Peel
Regional Police Officers will visit the school on
December 13th at 1:00 p.m. and all of our
students will have the chance to carry their food
donations outside to fill up the visiting police
cruisers.
will take place at Pauline Vanier School on
the following days:
Monday, January 28th, 2013
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
9a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday, February 1st, 2013
9a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, call the school at
905-455-1001 or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
Extended French Program
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to
enroll their child in a Grade 5 Extended French
class for September, 2013 are invited to attend
an information meeting at:
St. Monica School
60 Sterritt Drive
Brampton, Ontario L6Y 5B6
905-454-6346
January 16th, 2013
Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
At the present time, St. Monica School is the
designated centre for our area. Applications
will be accepted at that centre until 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013.
Christmas Mitten and Hat Tree
Throughout the Advent season
there will be a Christmas tree in the
front foyer of the school. We are
asking families to help us to
decorate the tree with new hats,
mitts, toques and gloves as part of our social
justice goal to the help the needy of our own
community during the Christmas season.
Please give generously! Deadline for donations
is December 12th.
Photos with Santa
Our school photographer will here
with Santa on Thursday November
29th to take individual, sibling or
family photos with Santa. A letter
will go home shortly explaining how
to pre-book an appointment and
order your photos. This promises to be a userfriendly, low cost alternative to the long line-ups
and expensive process at the mall! We are very
pleased to be able to offer this service which will
include an early morning photo shoot and a
lunch hour time slot to meet the needs of
families where Mom or Dad are working but
could manage to stop on the way to work, or
slip out at lunch for a family photo. Stay tuned
for more details!
Story-telling with Santa
Santa will also visit the primary classrooms for
story-telling with the students to communicate
the ‘real meaning’ of Christmas from the
perspective of our Catholic Christian story.
Christmas Concert
Our school Christmas concert will be in the
school gymnasium on Thursday evening
December 12th at 6:30 p.m. Please mark your
calendars. More details to follow. Admission to
our concert will be a food item for our
Christmas Food Drive.
FOOD ITEMS FOR CRAM
THE CRUISER CAMPAIGN
Cereal
canned vegetables
Canned meat canned fish
Pasta sauce peanut butter
Pancake mix pancake syrup
Instant rice ketchup
Instant coffee
Peanut free snacks
An
Announcing Operation Christmas Child
We are pleased to inform you that
this year we will be filling
shoeboxes for the less fortunate
around the world. Operation
Christmas Child is an exciting and
worthwhile project involving many
Dufferin-Peel schools. Pauline
Vanier is thrilled to take part.
Please put a shoebox aside and stay
tuned for more details about how
you can get involved!!
IMPORTANT DATES
TO REMEMBER
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Rosary Apostolate
Loretta Penny FREE talk/craft sale
PA DAY No School
Bullying Prevention Week
Sacramental Registration Deadline
Grade 3 Family Math Night
Santa Photo Day
Advent Begins
Rosary Apostolate
Advent School Mass
Christmas Concert
Cram the Cruiser
Grade 7/8 Immunization
November 8- p.m.
November 14
November 14-6:45 p.m.
November 16
November 19-23
November 25
November 27- p.m.
November 29
December 2
December 5
December 6 - 9:30 a.m.
December 12th
December 13th-1:00 p.m.
December 17