St. Stephen Catholic School
17 Colonel Bertram Rd., L6Z 4N8, Brampton
Telephone: (905) 840-3921 Fax: (905) 840-6454
School Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/STEPH
March 2015 – Volume 6
“With Love, Compassion,
Honesty, & Respect”
Principal
A Lenten Prayer
S. Rea
Highlights:
Head Secretary

M. Psaila
Superintendent
D. Oude-Reimerink
Brampton North East
(905) 890-1221
Trustee
Darryl Brian D’Souza
(905) 890-1221
Ward 2, 5, & 6
Parish
St. Leonard
187 Conestoga Dr.
Brampton, Ontario
(905) 846-5385
Pastor
Fr. John Nosan
Fr. Eric Mah
School Council Chairs
D. Vieira De Santis
W. Hawley
Follow Us on
Twitter!
@DPCDSBSchools
Gracious Savior,
You have given us this season of Lent
so that we might open ourselves more fully
to your saving grace and new life.
By our fasting, prayer and almsgiving,
may we realize anew that we rely on You in
all things.
Your gift of grace makes all good things
possible,
including our desire to reject sin and return to
you.
Grant your people a spirit of reconciliation
this Lent
so that we may forgive one another as you
have forgiven us.
Amen
March Break
March 16th – 20th
No School for Students
Enjoy the week!
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Key
Message
for
March
is…“Bullying Can Be Stopped”
Our Catholic Heritage
Catholic School Council
Catholic Education Week
Virtue Assembly
EQAO
Dates to Remember
A message from M. Vecchiarino
and a warm welcome to D. OudeReimerink, our new
Superintendent
Virtue of the Month: Kindness
OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL HERITAGE
FAITH ACTIVITIES
How did the Ontario government solve separate school
financial inequity?
In 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada judged that the Canadian
Constitution’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms entities Francophone,
where numbers warrant, to their own school boards. French-language
district school boards and French-language Catholic district school
boards were created. Consequently, Ontario then had four systems.
Three of them – the English-language Catholic District school boards,
the French-language Catholic District school boards – possessed most
of the province’s corporate assessment and, therefore, ability to spend
much more than their counterparts on education. Faced with this
inequity and a court challenge it was convinced it would lose, the
government took the only logical and fair step. It abolished the power
of all school boards to tax and took over all education funding. Now
each pupil, no matter which type of school he or she attends, receives
the same per-pupil funding from the government. After 150 years of
sacrifice and hardship, Catholic school boards have achieved financial
equity.
What has been the history of Catholic education in the
Dufferin-Peel Region?
Catholic Schools were fundamental in the early development of our
region. With the support of local parishes, bishops and parents, Catholic
schools were formed as an expression of a world view differing from
other schools. In 1837 in Mono Township (Dufferin County), a school
was dedicated and housed at St. Cyprian Church. Later, a log churched
housed a local Catholic school at St. Patrick’s in Melanchthon
Township. In 1864, the first formal Catholic School was developed in
Melanchthon Township. In peel, Catholic schools were formed well
before confederation as an expression of the Catholic communities
developing in our region. A more detailed history of our Catholic
education in our region can be found in the book entitled Catholic
Education in Dufferin Peel – A Story Worth Telling.
ST. LEONARD PARISH MASS TIMES
Saturday:
Sunday:
5:00 pm
9:00 am
10:30 am
12:00 NOON
Sacramental Dates
Eucharistic Celebration – Sat April 11th, 2015 @ 10:00 am
Confirmation Practice – Wed May 20th, 2015 @ 9:30 am
Confirmation Day – Thurs May 21st, 2015 @ 7:00 pm
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Future Meeting Dates are:
Tues April 7th, 2015 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tues May 5th, 2015 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
All meetings will be in the Staff Room
All are warmly welcomed to attend
Our Potluck Luncheon will be held on Monday
June 1st, 2015 at 11:45 am in the Staff Room
What is the current number of Catholic Schools in Dufferin
Peel?
While Dufferin Peel continues to grow throughout the region, our
current population as of 2009 is 87,000 students and an additional
43,000 adult continuing education learners. Our board has 261,645
Roman Catholic electors and the board operates 145 schools, 23
secondary schools and 122 elementary schools. Three additional
secondary schools will be operational by 2010. Our board supports 38
Catholic parishes in our region. As an employer we have over 10,000
employees and Dufferin-Peel operates 1,406 buses per day in the region
to transport students to and from school.
Lent 2015 begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18th,
and ends during Holy Week. Lent is a period of 40
days during the Church’s liturgical year where we turn
away from sin, to have a change of heart, and prepare
for the joyous feast of Easter. It is a time of prayer,
fasting, and works of love.
Catholic Education Week
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS
Our 25th Anniversary School Roof Top photo is on April 8th,
2015 @ 1:00 pm. Please join us.
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
Please remember that to other children, you are a stranger. All
school doors are locked at all times and a monitored entry system is
active at the front door of our school. Please enter the school through
the front doors and report to the office, sign in, and pick up a visitor
pass. Prior to leaving, sign out and return your visitor’s pass. Any
individuals wandering the school without appropriate identification
will be asked to report to the office. Please help us to maintain a
safe and welcoming environment for your children.
Parents/guardians are also kindly asked to bid your child(ren)
farewell from beyond the playground. Only students and staff are
to be in the schoolyard. Again, this is to ensure the safety of your
child(ren). Your attention to this is most appreciated.
Please be reminded that dogs are not permitted in the schoolyard
area at any time. The excitement of the children or the bell ringing
can frighten dogs. Also, some students are afraid or allergic.
KISS & RIDE SAFETY
St. Stephen is proud of its Kiss and Ride Program. In order for it to
continue to run smoothly and safely for all our students, everyone
needs to follow the same procedure. Please obey the following
procedures when driving into the school parking lot:
The entry, exit, cross walk and bus zone, on school property, must
never be blocked by cars. Ample space must be left for buses to
enter and exit the school property.
Please park in the parking spots at the school or on the street.
Do not park in any of the lanes in the front of the school and
please do not leave your car unattended.
We are always looking for parent volunteers to assist with Kiss &
Ride. If interested, please let us know at the Main Office.
BUS INFORMATION
Transportation eligibility is determined by a student’s home
address. The following website, www.businfo.stopr.ca is
available
to
students,
parents/guardians,
school
administrators, secretaries and school bus operators.
Parents/guardians who are eligible for transportation will be
able to login to the www.businfo.stopr.ca site and access
details of their child’s transportation arrangements.
Catholic Education Week – May 3-8, 2015
Theme: Catholic Education: Exploring Paths of Joy
“Were not our hearts burning within us while
He was talking to us on the road?” - Luke 24:32
The sub-themes for Catholic Education Week
2015 are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Walking Together and Sharing our Story
Opening the Scriptures
Welcoming Others to the Table
Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the
Bread
5. Proclaiming the Good News
Catholic Education Week begins on a Sunday to highlight
the partnership that remains the foundation of Catholic
education between our Catholic schools and local Catholic
parishes. Throughout Catholic Education Week, we ask
you to reflect on the significance of Catholic education’s
presence and contribution in our Church, and in our
society. We invite all members of our community, to
participate in the celebrations and activities that will mark
the celebration of Catholic Education Week 2015 in our
schools.
25th Anniversary
As you are aware, this year marks the 25th anniversary
for St. Stephen School. The school plans to mark the
anniversary during Catholic Education Week, May 3rd
– 8th, 2015. The celebration will take place on
Wednesday May 6th, 2015 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. The
evening will include a Liturgy with Fr. John, followed
by a Time Capsule presentation and an Open Door and
Gallery Walk Reception with refreshments. We look
forward to this event.
Miss Serpe’s class celebrating 100 days of
school by sharing 100 reasons why they love
school and grade 1 !
LIBRARY NEWS
New mental health resources have been purchased and
they will be on display in the library for parents to use as
a reference. We thank the Catholic School Council for
their generous support to allow the school to purchase
these items.
Looking for Parent Volunteers for All Star Reading
We are trying to facilitate the All Star Reading Program
in our Grade 1 to 3 classes. If you are interested in
working with students as they read and use specific
reading strategies, please contact Mrs. VandeCamp. We
would need 1 to 2 hours of your time to work in the
library with students one to one.
The St. Stephen Library Website is up and running!
Go to the school website and click the link! Enjoy!
BUS CANCELLATIONS & SCHOOL CLOSURES
During the winter months, inclement
weather may cause a disruption to bus
transportation and regular school operations. A
decision to cancel school transportation is usually
made by 6:00 a.m. and will be announced over local
radio and television networks. As the weather
worsens, please take into consideration that buses
may be delayed in reaching their stops. If buses are
cancelled in the morning, they do not run in the
afternoon. If buses are cancelled, the school
remains open. On inclement days, please:
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Listen to the radio and/or television for bus cancellations
and/or school closures (see below)
Check the GeoQuery website: www.stopr.ca, DufferinPeel website: www.dpcdsb.org or call (905) 890-1221
Parent inquiries call Student Transportation (905) 8906000 or 1-800-668-1140
Wait no more than 15 minutes for a late bus.
Contact the school or the listed numbers above if
your bus has not arrived and wait for information
regarding arrival.
VIRTUE ASSEMBLY
Thank you to Mrs. Chaves and her students for our Virtue
Assembly. Congratulations to all our Virtue of the Month
recipients. We want to thank them for being exemplary role
models and for living out the virtues in their daily lives. A
special thank you to all the families that joined us.
Recognizing the Virtue of Respect…
Good News to Share…
St. Stephen represented us well at The Royal Canadian
Legion Speech Contest on February 8th. Our students
did an outstanding job placing all across our divisions.
We are so proud of them!
Congratulations to…
In our Intermdiate Division:
1st place – Madeline G, The Barbie Doll
2nd place – Amanda R, Women’s Fight for Gender Equality
3rd place – Jenna A, Technology ruining our lives
In our Junior Division:
2nd Overall – Jordan A, Child Labour
Our Primaries also did exceptionally well, both Chiara
B, If I had a pet, what would it be, and Lucas B,
Sklylander’s Trap Team, placed in the finals!
During the month of March, we will focus on the virtue of
Kindness and we look forward to our next Virtue Assembly
on March 31st, 2015 @ 1:00 pm that will be organized by Mrs.
Pritchard and our grade 8 students.
St. Stephen Variety Show
St. Stephen Catholic School is hosting a Variety Show
in the spring. Our grade 4 to 8 classes are showcasing a
range of talent on this special evening. Please join us
for this Celebration of the Arts on June 4th @ 7:00 p.m.
to 8:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing our wonderful
St. Stephen Community on this night.
1.
The last day for our Mr. Sub lunch program for this term is
Thursday March 12. New forms for the final term will go out
Monday March 23 and will be due Wednesday March 25.
The first start date is April 2, 2015. Thank you to all who
support our lunch program.
SAFE, CARING, HEALTHY &
INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS
The key message for March is…“Bullying Can Be
Stopped”.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s
initiative to create safe, caring, healthy and inclusive school
communities is rooted in our Catholic identity, in particular,
our shared belief in the dignity of all persons created in God’s
image. Safe Schools Policies include Bullying Prevention and
a school wide Progressive Discipline approach.
BULLYING PREVENTION
INITIATIVES
At St. Stephen we have a variety of Bullying Prevention
Initiatives, including our Virtues Program, Positive Climate
Initiative, PALS, Circle of Friends, and other meaningful
school wide and classroom programs and activities.
Tips for Parents:
- review strategies with your child
- help your child practice speaking assertively
(role play)
VIRTUES INITIATIVE
A Catholic Faith Community is rooted in a set of common
beliefs which are inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus.
As a Catholic Community we are called to learn, to grow and
to become more like Jesus in the way we see and treat others.
Our Catholic faith plays an important role in helping us shape
schools that are safe, caring, healthy and inclusive.
Catholic School Education provides us the opportunity to
integrate virtue formation into all areas of our life within the
context of our faith. St. Stephen Catholic School will again
focus our attention on the Catholic Virtues. This program is
designed to help us nurture virtue and character development
in the lives of our students. Each month the whole school will
focus on a different virtue. Classroom activities, school wide
activities and assemblies will all focus on a specific virtue each
month.
September – Faith
October – Empathy
November – Conscience
December – Hope
January – Self Control
This month we look at safe strategies students
can use when faced with a bullying situation.
Students learn how to deal with bullying using
the ‘3 Rs’ – Recognize bullying behavior;
Refuse to be bullied; Report bullying behavior.
There is no set formula that works for dealing
with every bullying situation. Students need to
learn a variety of strategies and the skill to
determine when and how to apply them safely.
Key strategies that will be addressed include:
avoiding, playing with others, staying calm,
ignoring, walking away, saying ‘stop’, being
assertive and telling an adult.
February - Respect
March - Kindness
April - Love
May - Acceptance
June - Fairness
- take time with your child to make a plan for
how you want them to deal with situations
LOST AND FOUND ITEMS
Thank you to our students and families who have been
collecting items from our Lost and Found Box. This is
a good place to start looking for missing items. We
regularly remind our students to check the box for any
items they may have lost. Please continue to remind
your child(ren) to check the Lost and Found Box
periodically.
Walk to School Program…
SHARKS CORNER
Our Junior Girls and Boys Basketball Team…
Thank you to our students and coaches, Mrs.
Larade, Mrs, Sousa, and Miss Serpe.
EQAO
Primary
HOMEWORK HELP
Division
Assessments
Mathematics
of
and
Reading,
Test
Administration
Dates May 25 – June 8
th
J u n io r
Division
Writing
and
th
, 2015
Visit DPCDSB on the web for Board and School
profiles: http://www.dpcdsb.org/EQAO
EQAO Assessments Reminder
The grade 3 and 6 EQAO assessments measure how well
students have met the expectations in the Ontario Curriculum.
The assessments test what students know and how well they
apply their knowledge and skills in reading, writing and
mathematics. Students are required 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 has been established
for May 25th to June 8th, 2015. 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. For further details on our
school
results,
visit
the
Board
website
at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/EQAO
Homework Help is a free service, offering live
one-on-one tutoring by certified Ontario teachers.
Tutors tailor teaching strategies to each student,
taking the time to understand the specific
challenges for each learner and gear the sessions
to meet the student’s needs.
Homework Help offers 24/7 math resources for
Ontario students in grades 7 to 10. HH resources
are diverse, covering the key skills learned in
grades 7 to 10. Resources are skill based, not
sorted by grade making them welcoming to
learners filling their gaps.
Parents can sign up for a free guest account.
Get resources and tools 24/7:



Math videos
Interactive exercises & activities
Scientific calculator…and more!
You can help your child with math.
Teachers are standing by:


Every Sunday to Thursday
5:30 pm to 9:30 pm ET
Register at ontario.ca/HomeworkHelpHH tutors
develop student understanding through:
 Scaffolding
 Direct instruction
 Guiding questions
 Demonstrating and Modeling
 Summarizing for consolidation
 Descriptive feedback
1.
NELSON MATH WEBSITE
Teachers, students, and parents can visit this site for web
links and other online support for Nelson Mathematics
K-8 at www.nelson.com
HH tutoring provides opportunities for:
 Reciprocal teaching: have students teach
each other the method they learned with
a HH tutor
Higher order questions: students can stretch their
understanding with the support of a teacher
coming alongside
Celebrating Black History Month with the SUGAR AND GOLD PRESENTATION
On February 11th, Sugar and Gold, The Story of The Underground Railroad was presented to all our students. This historical
and musical presentation has been developed for students by blues musicians Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley. The
presentation was a lively and interactive performance that included songs, slides, and storytelling of the exciting history of the
Underground Railroad in Canada and the story of the first Black settlers.
Here’s what our students had to share…
“We loved that the presentation was both educational and fun. We enjoyed learning about the people who fought for freedom.
We enjoyed listening to the music that involved different instruments being played at once. We also really liked learning how these
songs helped those who were trying to find freedom and lead them to safety. We loved that our presenters shared their personal
stories and family ties with us. This allowed us to connect with the presenters and made the stories more emotional.” ~Miss Farias
grade 5 class
“I learned about the lady presenting and her family. She was one of the railroad families and I learned about how they followed
the North Star to get to Canada. My favourite part was when everyone played on the instruments.” ~Eliana, grade 2, Mrs. Sousa
“I learned that you have to respect others and stay strong. My favourite part was when we sang all the songs.” ~Jaidyn, grade 2,
Mrs. Sousa
“I learned that when the man was in the box for two days, it was a secret passage to Canada. My favourite part was when we
sang the song Sugar and Gold.” ~Matteo, grade 2, Mrs. Sousa
Celebrating Black History Month with the SUGAR AND GOLD PRESENTATION
Here’s what our students had to share from Mr. Jesus, grade 7 class…
“The things that I liked about the presentation is the songs and when Mr. Whitely was playing the harmonica and the guitar.
The things that I learned about the presentation is that people would sacrifice their life for other people. One other thing I liked
was the audience participation.” ~Kyle
“My favourite things about Sugar and Gold is that you get to sing and have fun while learning at the same time. I also loved
how that man played the harmonica and that guitar at the same time. There are a lot of cool and interesting things about Sugar
and Gold, but those were my favourtite.” ~Davide
“The Sugar and Gold presentation told such a good story in an entertaining way. They sang really well. It was really cool to
see that they actually wrote some of the songs themselves. They had the school audience participate. They were very talented.
He played a harmonica and a guitar at the same time!!! How did he even do that?! ~Samantha
“My favorite part of the assembly was the constant singing throughout the assembly. I thought it was honestly a beautiful
presentation. I also extremely enjoyed the amount of instruments they used. I thought it was amazing.” ~Alexa
“I think the Sugar and Gold presentation was very good. I loved all of the songs that they played for us and I also love all of the
things they taught us about their culture and about other important people in Black History Month. I loved how they got the
audience involved with activities like singing a song. I really enjoyed their presentation and I hope they come again next year.
They were great role models and they have taught us so much.” ~Jenna
“Wow! That was a great performance, it was so nicely told. Instead of them just talking about boring us, they actually sang
and made nice songs which we sang along too which made it beautiful. I learned a lot of new things about people I already
know and people I didn’t know. What a great way to learn about Black History.” ~Hannah
Enjoying a walk on International Walk to School Day…
Big Kids Entertainment
Thank you to our Catholic School Council for sponsoring our Big Kids Entertainment presentation on February
25th. The Jack and the Giant presentation focused on Truth-Telling, Problem-Solving and Resiliency and
included a whole school presentation followed by in class learning sessions with our actors.
Here’s what our student had to share…
Miss Serpe’s grade 1 class:
“Our class loved the show, ‘Jack and the Giant.’ We loved it because it was funny, especially when Jack was
in his underpants! We loved the show because it taught us about respect, giving, kindness and never giving up. We
will never forget to try and try again.”
Ms. Farace’s grade 2/3 class:
“We really liked the performance today. We learned it is not nice to steal and that we should treat others
the way we want to be treated. We also learned if we make mistakes, we can, ‘try, try again!’ Thank you for
inviting Big Kids Entertainment to our school.”
Mrs. Chaves grade 4/5 class:
“The Big Kid Entertainment presentation was a blast! The actors were funny and they taught us some
important lessons. They used a lot of expression, and colourful, funny and detailed costumes that were eye catching
and kept our interest. We really enjoyed the role reversal. We also liked how they made connections to our world.
The most important part of the presentation were the lessons that were presented. We learned that we should treat
others the way that we want to be treated, that we need to problem solve, and that it is never too late to right a wrong.
Finally, we were reminded to try, try again.”
A message from Max Vecchiarino…
Y
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 2
March 16 – 20
Lenten Mass @ 10:15 am at the school
Mid-Winter Break (inclusive)
April 3
April 5
April 6
April 8
April 21
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
25th Anniversary Rooftop Photo @ 1:00 pm
Welcome to Kindergarten Night 6 pm – 8 pm
May 6
May 11
25th Anniversary Celebration 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
P.A. Day – Provincial Priorities/Faith
Development
Victoria Day
May 18
June 4
June 8
June 24
Variety Show @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
P.A. Day – Term 2 Assessment and Evaluation
of Pupil Progress
Report cards sent home
The Online Reporting Tool
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School board has developed
a new way to help nurture a safe, caring and inclusive school
environment. The Online Reporting Tool is intended for
students in grades 3 – 8 who become aware of bullying incidents
and negative behaviours. The student can simply ‘click’ on the
link found on our school’s website to fill out the report. The
report will then be directly emailed to the principal and/or vice
principal and will be dealt with accordingly.
It is important to recognize that the Online Reporting Tool is an
alternate reporting option. It is best practice to speak directly
with a responsible adult at home and/or in the school.
Dear Parents/Guardians/Students,
I write to inform you of my transfer from the
Brampton North-East Family of Schools to
Dufferin-Peel’s Program Department. I have
very much enjoyed and treasured my time as
Superintendent of the Family of Schools and
have cherished learning alongside students,
their families, our parish teams and staff. I
wish to extend my sincere thanks to each and
all who have made a difference in Brampton
North-East. It is true, as I daily witness first
hand, that “extraordinary lives start with a
great Catholic education.”
I also take this opportunity to welcome Denise
Oude-Reimerink to the position of
Superintendent of Schools for Brampton
North-East. Ms. Oude-Reimerink is an
experienced Supervisory Officer, who has
previously held the position of Superintendent
of Schools, as well as Central Office
portfolios.
My very best wishes for all of you in the
future, and for all of God’s many blessings.
Sincerely,
Max Vecchiarino
Superintendent –
Family of Schools
Brampton
North-East