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
April 2015 – Volume 8
“With Love, Compassion,
Honesty, & Respect”
Principal
S. Rea
Highlights:
Head Secretary
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Key Message for April is…“ If
you’re Not Part of the Solution, You’re
Part of the Problem“
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Our Catholic Heritage
Sacramental Dates
Catholic Education Week
25th Anniversary
Library News
Celebrating our Virtues
Go Green
Sharks Corner
Dates to Remember
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
An Easter Prayer
St. Leonard
187 Conestoga Dr.
Brampton, Ontario
(905) 846-5385
Heavenly Father and God of mercy,
Pastor
Fr. John Nosan
Fr. Eric Mah
School Council Chairs
D. Vieira De Santis
W. Hawley
we no longer look for Jesus among the dead,
for he is alive and has become the Lord of
life.
From the waters of death you raise us with
Him
and renew your gift of life within us.
Follow Us on
Twitter!
@DPCDSBSchools
Increase in our minds and hearts the risen
life we
share with Christ, and help us to grow as
your
people toward the fullness of eternal life
with you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Virtue of the Month: Love
OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL HERITAGE
FAITH ACTIVITIES
ST. LEONARD PARISH MASS TIMES
The history of Catholic Schools in Ontario since 1841 is
one of dedication and perseverance in the face of financial
hardship and adversity. Due to the commitment of the
religious teaching Orders, the bishops and priests, the
teachers, parents, and students, our forebearers have
handed to us a great gift-a fully funded public Catholic
school system. The courts of Ontario and Canada have
reinforced the rights of the Catholic school system with a
number of judgments which affirmed the rights of separate
school boards to:
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
(a) Have their guaranteed powers in the Separate School
Act of 1863 improved
(b) Receive equitable funding
(c) Prefer Catholics when hiring elementary and
secondary school teachers
(d) Have their own buildings
(e) Have an exclusive Catholic school community
The integration of religious truths and values with life is
one of the most significant elements that distinguish the
Catholic school from other schools. This is a matter of
crucial importance today in view of contemporary trends
and pressures to compartmentalize life and learning and to
isolate the religious dimension of existence from other
areas of human life. The courts have recognized, over the
years that Catholic education is not a subject but rather a
way to view the world that speaks to the interrelationship
between faith, knowledge and action. The Catholic School
is a unique setting within which this ideal can be realized
in the lives of Catholic children and young people. In our
Catholic schools this reality can and is lived out.
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
WELCOME TO
KINDERGARTEN NIGHT
Thank you to our generous St. Stephen community for
all your contributions to our ShareLife campaign this
year. Collectively we have raised $1921.60 to date.
Your contributions will go a long way to serving those
most in need.
All parents who have registered their child for
Kindergarten for September 2015 are invited to
attend (with their child) a Welcome to
Kindergarten information evening at St. Stephen
Catholic School on Thursday May 28th from 6:00
pm to 7:30 pm. Please contact the office to
RSVP.
We look forward to seeing everyone that evening.
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM - Attendance Verification
Daily attendance at school and punctuality are very important. If
your child is going to be late or absent from school, please inform
the office at (905) 840-3921. The school has an answering machine
to receive messages at any time of the day or night. The child’s
parent or the legal guardian must call the school regarding their
child’s absence. When calling, please provide the following:
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Name of student (first & last, spell the last name)
Name of teacher
Grade
Reason for absence
A reminder when you child(ren) are sick, best for them to be at
home.
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
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.
LIBRARY NEWS
St. Stephen’s Library is a very busy place this month with a
number of exciting activities!
First, all primary students will be voting on their favourite Blue
Spruce book from this year’s ten nominees. We will let you
know which book gets selected as this year’s favourite at St.
Stephen’s School in the May Newsletter.
Second, as an additional activity for the Forest of Reading
Program, we have invited the Brampton Public Library to
provide workshops for our Grade 1 to Grade 3 students. Each
workshop focuses on activities and/or trivia for the nominated
lists of the Forest of Reading Programs. For Blue Spruce, we
will have a matching game of book titles with an object in one
of the titles, as well as a story reading of one of the titles, some
small activities and a library presentation. Parents are
welcome to attend. The presentations begin at 9:30 on April
24 in St. Stephen Library.
As an additional initiative, we will also be able to provide
library cards to our students and the Brampton Library will be
having a draw for those children who come into one of the
many Brampton Public Library locations and borrows a book!
The prize is a Forest of Reading prize pack. Please complete
the Library Application Form if you wish your child to receive
a library card on April 24. Application forms are due April 10
to Mrs. VandeCamp.
Also, the Brampton Public Library will be inviting local
schools for an author visit. These invitations will be
sent separately through the school at a later date for parents to
take their children.
On April 8, St. Stephen’s Library has the honour to have an
author visit and presentation by renowned author, Michael
Wade. The presentation will take place during the afternoon
in the library at St. Stephen School. Grades 3 /4 up to and
including Grade 7 will visit to listen to Mr. Wade. Parents are
welcome to attend as always. Mr. Wade is the author of the
well-known series And Then it Happened and many of our
students follow his series of books with enthusiasm.
Finally, new resources on mental health have recently been
purchased with the support of the Catholic School Council.
These resources are housed in the Parent Reference section
and contain parent reference as well as student focused
storybook titles and activity books to address the many
challenges that we can face in our daily lives. If you wish to
see these resources for use with your family, please see
Mrs.VandeCamp in the Library. We also have many Ministry
resources that are free for parents to use that can assist with
understanding curriculum, current teaching initiatives and
practices.
GOOD NEWS TO SHARE
1.
Megan, one of our students in our Primary division
presented her speech at the Branch level of the Royal
Canadian Legion on February 8th, 2015. She won first
place at the Branch and moved on to compete at the zone
level of the Royal Canadian Legion on March 14th,
2015. Megan represented St. Stephen School very well
and received an Honourable Mention from the judges,
along with a certificate of acknowledgment.
Megan's speech was on The Endangered Panda. The
Branch's Youth and Education Officer will be coming to
the school in May to present our students with their
awards.
Congratulations to Megan and also to one of our
intermediate students, Madeline, who also competed at
the zone level with her speech on The Barbie Doll.
We are so proud of our students!
VIRTUE ASSEMBLY
Thank you to Mrs. Pritchard 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 Kindness…
April 22nd, 2015 is Earth Day.
We encourage everyone to continue to make good
choices for the benefit of our world and our future.
GO GREEN INITIATIVES
Throughout the school year, staff and students at St.
Stephen will continue to participate in a variety of Go
Green initiatives focusing on the importance of
environmental stewardship. We are proud of our Gold
Certification and thank you to all for your continued
efforts.
During the month of April, we will focus on the virtue of
Love and we look forward to our next Virtue Assembly on
April 30th, 2015 @ 1:00 pm which will be organized by Mr.
Aleong and his 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.
CHESS CLUB
The Chess Club is getting ready to participate in the
Brampton North East Family of Schools Chess
Tournament on April 7th, 2015. Thank you to Mr.
Aleong for running the Chess Club.
1.
Last day of Sub Day is Thursday June 4, 2015
Eco School Update
The Eco Team will continue our school ground
greening project by continuing to beautify the front area
of our school. We need your help!
We are kindly asking for any of the following
donations; Plants, Flowers, Shrubs, and/or Top Soil.
If you are able to graciously donate any of the items
above, please drop them off at the main office.
Thank you for your continued support in helping St.
Stephen be eco-friendly!
A BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. Tipou and our Eco
Team for our successful Water Week and
Assembly…
SAFE, CARING, HEALTHY &
INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS
The key message for April is… “If you’re Not Part
of the Solution, You’re Part of the Problem”.
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.
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
February - Respect
March - Kindness
April - Love
May - Acceptance
June - Fairness
In April students will be focusing on the role of
the bystander/witness in bullying situations.
Research shows that bystanders make or break
bullying episodes – they hold the power to stop
bullying. They provide the audience for students
engaged in bullying behaviors. Students will
discuss what it means to be a bystander, explore
why people let bullying happen and learn safe
and effective strategies to use if they witness
bullying. The theme for this month is ‘If you’re
not part of the solution, you’re part of the
problem’. Every child should feel they have the
power to prevent and safely help in bullying
situations.
Tips for Parents:
- encourage your children to show empathy for
others who are bullied (befriends them, include
them)
- teach your children to intervene appropriately
or walk away and tell an adult
- Role model being ‘part of the solution’ when
you encounter difficult situations in your life
VOLUNTEERING
It is only with the help of volunteers that the events at
St. Stephen can be run. We are always looking for
dedicated parents/guardians to help with events within
the school. If you are interested in sharing some of your
time with us, please call the school office and register
your name.
Please note that as of September 2013; all trip
volunteers must have a criminal reference check in
order to volunteer and participate in excursions.
A BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. Pritchard
for organizing our Hockey Tournament.
Thank you to our students who
participated…
Joshua F, Rowenna J, Anthony L, Michael O
Josef S, Nicholas S, Gordon V…
SHARKS CORNER
Our grade 6, 7, and 8 students are enjoying their golf lessons
from Mr. Ed McMahon at First Par Golf School.
Mr. McMahon works with both Golf Canada and several of
our Golf courses and facilities to provide instruction for both
Elementary and Secondary students. Having been an active
golfer himself and golf instructor throughout his years as a
professional teacher, he is now bringing Golf to the
classroom. We are thrilled to have this opportunity as Golf is
a lifetime sport that promotes active living. Golf is one of the
only sports that has inherent life skills and values embedded
within it such as honesty and integrity.
The program is designed with fun and safety in mind and a
foremost goal of aligning the program with curriculum. The
program aims to give students an opportunity to experience
and learn a sport that helps build character and promote lifelong activity.
We are looking forward to our continued upcoming lessons.
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
A Day at Silver Creek…
“I really enjoyed the field trip to Silver Creek. I loved the animal survival game and I loved how we learned about the food chain.
The trees and the plants were beautiful too. I really enjoyed going snowshoe hiking and I liked how Mr. Cavanaugh stopped and
told us about what we were seeing. We earned coins by answering questions and traded them in for chocolate at the end. I really
enjoyed a day in the outdoors. Silver Creek was very fun.” ~Alyssa, Mrs. Chaves
“I really enjoyed our trip to Silver Creek. I really liked how Mr. Cavanaugh taught us about snowshoeing and it was really fun
going up and down the trails. I liked the animal survival game which is like tag, but you have to pretend to be an animal. That’s
what I liked about Silver Creek.” ~ Maya P, Mrs. Chaves
City Councilors visit Mrs. Tipou’s grade 6 class
In early March, Mrs. Tipou’s Grade 6 class wrote letters to several city councilors addressing various
community concerns as part of their Social Studies Heritage and Communities unit. On March 24 th,
Councilor Doug Whillans and Councilor Jeff Bowman visited the class to answer many of the questions
the students had. The following is what the students said about the visit, “Meeting Doug Whillans and
Jeff Bowman was a great pleasure and was very educating. We learned how much hard work it takes to
take care of Brampton. Doug Whillans takes great care of wards 2&6 and Jeff Bowman’s hard work is
shown in ward 3&4. Their visit to our grade 6 class meant a lot to us. We learned a lot about the
municipality and how to improve the image of Brampton with park clean up services. We all can take
part in these activities, all we need to do is contact Doug Whillans and he will get us started. He spoke to
us about what can be done to our parks to change the play structure and make it fun for all ages. “The
vandalism and graffiti in the parks have been a bad influence to children so you should get the people that
vandalized aware of what they’re doing wrong” said Doug Whillans. He and Jeff Bowman taught us so
much, their visit to us was very inspiring and we would love to have them visit again.”
Y
DATES TO REMEMBER
April 3
April 5
April 6
April 8
April 11
April 22
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
25th Anniversary Rooftop Photo @ 1:00 pm
Eucharistic Celebration at the Parish @ 10:00 am
Intermediate Basketball Tournament
May 6
May 11
25th Anniversary Celebration 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
P.A. Day – Provincial Priorities/Faith
Development
Victoria Day
Confirmation at the Parish @ 7:00 pm
Welcome to Kindergarten Evening 6:00 pm –
7:30 pm
May 18
May 21
May 28
June 4
June 8
June 24
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
Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION 2015 - 2016
School organization for next year is in the planning stages.
To help us with our planning for September 2015, it would
be appreciated if you could let us know if you will be
moving out of the school area over the summer months.
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.
Our Dance Team in Action…