S T. S T E P H E N E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L
“ W i t h
1 7
L o v e ,
C o l o n e l
C o m p a s s i o n ,
B e r t r a m
R. Pazzelli
Principal
M. Vecchiarino Superintendent
Fr. A. Maderak Pastor, St. Leonard Parish
840-3921
890-1221
846–5385
R d . ,
H o n e s t y
L 6 Z
L. Zanella
M. Psaila
4 N 8 ,
&
R e s p e c t ”
B r a m p t o n
Trustee
Head Secretary
School FAX
840-2707
840-3921
840-6454
November, 2012
SAFE SCHOOLS—’Bullying is Not Acceptable!
St. Stephen School has a ‘Safe Schools’ Committee in place. It is known as the
‘Catholic Community, Culture and Caring’ Committee.
This year, three goals have been created:
1.
2.
3.
To continue to build awareness of the issue of bullying as it is perceived to exist in this school
To develop comprehensive, specific policies that are communicated to staff, students and parents (develop a school Pledge statement specific to bullying prevention, communicate this and
display the Pledge statement)
To provide education and skill building (have everyone in the community speak the same language with a common, accepted definition of bullying and understanding of comprehensive
strategies)
Thirteen students from Gr. 3-8, two Staff members and two Parents form this
committee. The Pledge statement that was created is as follows:
Here at St. Stephen School:
We include others!
We use kind words!
We resolve conflicts peacefully!
We help each other!
We declare our school a no-bullying Zone!
This Committee meets once each month.
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Prayer For The Month of Remembering!
O Heavenly Father,
Your Beloved Son Jesus told us that He would
‘go and prepare a place’ for us.
May our prayers and those of the entire St. Stephen Community
Prepare a place for loved ones who have gone before us.
May we some day be united with them
And with Him in that place prepared for us.
We ask You through Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. AMEN
AMEN.
MONTH OF REMEMBERING PRAYER:
BOOK FAIR!:
November begins with a double
feast in Remembrance of those
who have died. The Saints –
people whom God has ‘harvested’
into heaven– are remembered on
November 1st, All Saints Day.
Many members of our own families have
died. We pray for them on November 2nd,
All Souls Day.
All through this month, we will offer
prayers to remember the dead and to
thank God for the harvest. We will also
ask God to provide enough for the poor,
the hungry, the homeless and the
jobless.
We will also remember all those who
have served, through the years of our
history, in the defence of our country, in
Canada and in distant lands. It is only
through their bravery, dauntless Spirit
and supreme sacrifice, that we are able
to live in freedom and security.
St. Stephen Library Resource
Center will be hosting a SCHOLASTIC
Book Fair during the following dates:
December 17-19, 2012 (school day hours)
December 18 (school day hours and from
5:00-7:00 pm)
Additional merchandise is available for
Christmas gift giving!
More information to follow.
OPENING / ST. STEPHEN
THANKSGIVING MASS & FOOD DRIVE:
I would like to express gratitude for
all those who attended our
Opening / Thanksgiving Mass on
September 27.
With your generous donations, the food
drive associated with this Mass was a
great success! The food was distributed
to the St. Vincent de Paul Society
through St. Leonard Church!
The St. Vincent de Paul Society has
written a note of thanks to the
St. Stephen School Community for our
generous donations of food!
REMEMBRANCE DAY OBSERVANCE:
On Friday, November 9, 2012
at 10:45 am, the students
and staff will commemorate
Remembrance Day and clelebrate
peace. Students will receive a poppy
for a donation on that day!
DRESSING FOR WINTER WEATHER:
While we have been blessed
with unusually moderate Fall
weather, we can expect this
to change at any time.
Please assist us in encouraging
the children to dress adequately for
this weather. When on supervision,
teachers are checking, not only on the
activities / games children play, but also
noting that they are wearing boots,
hats, gloves and scarves when
necessary. Except when the weather is
extremely cold or wet, the students will
be going outside during the recess and
lunch periods. Playing outdoors is a
pleasant & healthy activity when
students wear suitable clothing.
For the younger students, it would be
helpful if parents were to label items of
clothing with their child’s name, so that
each person can locate his/her own
clothing from the class coat rack area.
Each term, items make their way to the
Lost and Found and are never claimed.
Labelled items can be returned more
easily and mixed up items sorted out
more readily.
If your child brings home an item by
mistake, please return it to the school so
that this mix up may be corrected!
CHRISTMAS CONCERT:
Students have already begun to prepare
for our annual Christmas Concert,
scheduled for Tuesday, December 18!
More information will be coming!
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY DAYS:
For your information the following
dates are the P.A. Days for the rest of
the year:
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Friday, November
Monday, January
Friday, February
Monday, May
Friday, June
16,
21,
8,
13,
7,
2012
2013
2013
2013
2013
Reminders will be sent home as the
days approach.
INDOOR SHOES:
Soon we will begin to
experience wet and slushy weather.
In order to avoid tracking mud, water
and snow into the classroom, it will be
necessary for each student to have a
pair of indoor running shoes.
Students will change into this
additional pair of shoes as soon as they
come to their class.
We are also requesting that the shoes the
students will wear indoors, have LIGHT
coloured soles so that there will be no
black scuff marks on the floors indoors.
We appreciate your assistance to this
matter.
INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL
TEAMS, 2012:
On October 24, 2012, our BOYS
and GIRLS’ Intermediate Volleyball
teams participated in the
Brampton North East Tournament.
The SHARKS (both the boys and
girls teams) displayed great
sportsmanship and volleyball skills!
Congratulations to all Team members:
The Intermediate Girls’ SHARK
Volleyball team members included:
Sofia Salituro, Megan Hettinga, Sara
Fitch, Madisen Evans, Natalia Gurgacz,
Naomi Perex, Sarah Doucet, Kalista
Papandrea and Julia Ferreira.
The Intermediate Boys’
SHARK Volleyball team
members included:
Dante Tremontozzi, Daniel
Christopher, Andrew Beals, Tyler Auger,
Antonio Webb, Malcolm Roberts, Ryan
Blechner, Giovanni Altrui and Erik
Sendek.
The Coaches – Madame Sochnacka, Mrs.
Florio & Mr. Florio are all very proud of
your great team spirit!
A special thank you to Staff members
who assisted with supervision support!
EXCURSIONS:
Educational trips which
extend learning opportunities in
curriculum areas, may be planned
during the year. By law, the school
must have on file, permission forms
which must be signed by the
parent/guardian.
If on the day of the excursion, your
child did not return his/her form, and
the parent/guardian cannot come into
the school to sign the permission form,
the student will remain at the school.
A verbal telephone permission is not
acceptable.
LOST & FOUND BOX:
Our Lost and Found box is
full. We will be putting out the
items (mostly clothing) for teachers to
bring their classes to view.
If you feel that you would like to view
these items yourself, please report to
the Office and we will provide you a
Visitor’s Badge before entering the
school.
CROSS COUNTRY,
2012:
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND
PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT:
A big congratulations
to all on the Cross
Country Team! The
entire team worked
hard during their training for many
weeks. Significant improvements were
made by all team members and we are
very proud of their efforts in
representing St. Stephen School.
The Municipal Freedom of
Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (M-FIPPA) sets out
the general rules which school
Boards must follow regarding the
collection, use, disclosure and retention
of personal information. Please be
aware that recording of students
through printed form (photographs), on
film, by electronic means (video taping)
or by any other means is considered a
‘collection of personal information’ and
therefore certain rules apply for its
collection, use, disclosure etc. While
the Privacy rules in the Act are strong,
signed parental consent forms may or
may not be required in ALL situations.
The photographing / recording of
students would not be permitted
without the required informed
parental consent.
The team members included:
Ethan Archer, Gabriella Ardila, Joseph
Atherley, Sara Atherley, Jenna Auger,
Jordan Auger, Tyler Auger, Zoe Bakker,
Corry Beland, Ryan Bernardino, Ryan
Blechner, Shaelynn Blechner, Anjali
Christopher, Alexander Cosentino,
Joshua diCenzo, Lucas Fernandes,
Emilia Frias, Jacob Frias, Natalia
Gurgacz, Braden Handley, Alison
Hettinga, Rowenna James, Dylan
Lanteigne, Jake Lanteigne, Anthony
Larade, James Larade, Andrew Linton,
Quinn McCallum, Milah Mills, Tess
Moffat, Noah Pacheco, Doreen Sarfo,
Jack Skinkle, Olivia Skinkle, Jada
Smith, Mackenzie Sunderland, Zachary
Sunderland, Dante Tramontozzi, Davide
Tramontozzi, Remo Tramontozzi, Reiley
Whelen, Shawn Clarkson and Reily Di
Thamaso.
An extra special congratulations
goes out to those students
who went on to represent
St. Stephen School at the Board
finals. They ran the Cross Country
course with great pride and displayed
tremendous effort and energy:
GROLIER ONLINE:
St. Stephen subscribes to Grolier
OnLine. Grolier OnLine is an
educational portal providing access to
information from many sources, both
print and electronic. This online suite
consists of 8 databases, with 3 of the
best known encyclopedias:
 The New Book of Knowledge
Reference and current events for
Elementary readers and up
 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia:
Quick reference and the news for
middle school and high school
Sara Atherley, Tyler Auger, Jordan
Auger, Ryan Blechner, Rowena James,
and Zachary Sunderland.
 Encyclopedia Americana:
In-depth research and worldwide
current events for middle school,
high school and college.
The Coaches – Ms Paglialunga and Ms
Serpe, Mrs. Muir and Mrs. Ianiero are
extremely proud of your efforts and
achievements! Congratulations to all!
As a member you may also access this
website from home. Just go to
http://go.grolier.com & enter dpcdsb!
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
HOMEWORK?:
Homework gives your child a chance to
pratice what he/she has learned in
school. It is not supposed to teach new
concepts or skills. Practice is important
because it helps your child master
important skills. Often, however, the
children who need the most practice
are those who find homework to be
harder, take longer, and raise negative
feelings. Start by making sure your
child understands what the assignment
is and the directions for completing it.
Next, find out if he/she has learned
enough at school to do the work on
his/her own. If your child has problems
in either of these areas, schedule a
conference with the teacher to develop
a home-school communication system.
One example would be an assignment
sheet (perhaps in the Student Planner)
that the teacher reviews with the child
and sends home for the parent to read
and sign off on.
Where is it done?
For some children, a small
desk where supplies are stored
is the best place to do homework. With
other children, the kitchen table may be
the best place. Wherever your child
works, you should be able to check to
see if he/she is sticking to the task,
especially if there are problems with
concentration, and be able to offer
encouragement.
When is it done?
For some children, right after school is
the perfect time to do the work because
the assignment is fresh in their minds.
Others need a break before they can do
more school work. Sometimes team
sports, a parent’s work schedule, or
other activities interfere with doing
homework immediately after school.
With your child’s input, you may need
to develop two plans: one for the usual
day and one for the unusual events.
MILK PROGRAMME AT ST. STEPHEN:
Canada’s Food Guide
recommends at least two daily
servings of milk and
alternatives (such as cheese and
yogurt) for young children and as many
as three to four daily servings for youth
aged children (9-13 years of age).
In order to assist you in ensuring that
your children reach the recommended
daily servings, St. Stephen School will
continue to offer a milk programme for
Gr. 1-8 students.
White and chocolate milk are available
each day for a cost of $1.00. You may
however, choose to order 20 drinks at a
time, for a cost of $20.00. A card will be
provided to your child and maintained
at the school. Please make cheques
payable to St. Stephen School!
ADVENT SEASON:
Advent Season will begin
on the first Sunday of Advent,
December 2, 2012.
We will celebrate the Advent Season
with a Mass on Wednesday, December
5, 2012 at 9:15 am.
We will also be celebrating weekly
Advent Liturgies:
Advent Liturgies (9:00 am):
Monday, December 10, Liturgy #2
Monday, December 17, Liturgy #3
Thursday, December 20, Liturgy #4
This year we will continue our
Charitable Drives:
CLOTHING (mitten, hats, scarves, socks)
FOOD (non-perishable food items)
NEW TOYS (Peel Regional Police Drive)
A flyer will be sent home to summarize
these significant events!
We hope you can join us for the Mass
and the Liturgies!
ANAPHYLAXIS INFORMATION:
Anaphylaxis is a serious
allergic reaction.
Food is the most common
cause of anaphylaxis but, insect stings,
some medicines, latex, or exercise can
also cause a reaction.The most common
foods that cause anaphylaxis are
peanuts, treenuts, milk, shellfish, fish,
eggs, soy, sesame seeds and wheat.
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Did you know?
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Approximately 1-2% of Canadians
(600,000) are affected by these
allergies which are more common in
children.
Symptoms of an anaphylactic
reaction can range from a rash and
itchy eyes to swelling of the face,
tongue and throat with difficulty
swallowing and breathing.
Death can result from anaphylaxis if
not treated immediately.
Administering an epinephrine autoinjector (Epipen® or Twinject™)
can help save the life of someone
having an anaphylactic emergency.
Tips for Parents:
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If your child has anaphylaxis:
Teach your child to keep the
epinephrine auto-injector with them
at all times (if doctor prescribes this
plan) and know how to use it
correctly.
Always have another epinephrine
auto-injector in a well known,
unlocked place in the school. Keep
track of expiry dates on epinephrine
auto-injectors and replace expired
ones immediately.
Ensure that you have completed the
forms necessary for the school. These
forms detail an emergency action
plan for your child(ren).
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Teach your child to recognize
symptoms of anaphylaxis and tell
an adult immediately if they
experience them.
Teach your child the importance
of washing hands/eating surface
before and after eating.
Teach your child to read
ingredient lists and stay away
from foods without a list.
Teach your child the importance
of not sharing food containers or
utensils with other children.
Have your child see a doctor who
is a qualified allergy specialist.
Teach your child that avoiding
the things they are allergic to and
openly sharing about their
allergy/treatment for anaphylaxis
is the best way of preventing
anaphylaxis!
For more information, call the Region
of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700,
or visit peelregion.ca/health
CELL PHONES, I-PODS,
MP3 PLAYERS AND
ELECTRONIC GAMES:
Please do not send your child
to school with a cell phone.
They are not necessary and do
become a distraction for your child and
others during the instructional day.
If you feel that a cell phone is
necessary for your child before or after
school hours, please review with your
child that the cell phone must be turned
off during school hours and out of sight
while at school.
Students are not encouraged to bring
I-Pods, MP3 players and electronic
devices / games to school as these are
valuable items and may be targeted for
theft!
JUNIOR AND SENIOR
KINDERGARTEN
REGISTRATION
FOR 2013-2014:
NOVEMBER – VIRTUE OF
CONSCIENCE:
Registration for Junior and Senior
Kindergarten for the 2013-14 school
year, will take place at St. Stephen
School on the following days:
Mon., Jan. 28, 2013
Wed., Jan. 30, 2013
Thurs., Jan. 31, 2013
Fri., Feb. 1, 2013
* Snow Date:
Tues., Jan. 29, 2013
7:00 – 9:00
9:00 – 3:00
9:00 – 3:00
9 :00 –3:00
7:00 – 9:00
For more information, call St. Stephen
School or visit www.dpcdsb.org.
EXTENDED FRENCH PROGRAMME:
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:
School:
Address:
Date:
Time:
St. Anne School
124 Vodden St., Brampton
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
7:00 pm
At the present time, the above
mentioned school is the designated
centre for our area.
Applications will be accepted at that
centre until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday,
February 6th, 2013
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Math at Home Newsletter
2. November, 2012 Calendar
One of our curriculum
focus this year will be
‘Virtue Formation’.
The notion of virtue is deeply rooted in
Catholic Christian tradition. It is in a
community of caring and committed
partnerships that we find the
opportunity to become our best selves!
As Catholic Educators, we know that
virtue is increased by ‘practice and
prayer’.
In a school community, Virtue
Formation contributes to a healthy,
positive learning environment by
fostering a climate in which all
members feel safe, confident and hopefilled about themselves, their
relationships and their futures.
A virtue is defined as a habit or
established capability to
perform good actions according to a
moral standard. It is a habit that shows
people and God that I am a good person.
Each month, St. Stephen students will
look at developing one of these virtues
by praying, talking, practicing and
celebrating:
During the month of November, we
focus on the Virtue of Conscience.
God helps us to choose to be good
people.
Conscience…is the voice of God within
us. A developed conscience helps us
make decisions that encourage and
support truly loving relationships.
From the perspective of the Catholic
Expectations, a person of conscience…
 Makes decisions according to gospel
values
 Accepts accountability for one’s own
actions
Volume 2
November 2012
Web Resources:
Primary: Hickory Dickory Dock
www.ictgames.com
Junior: Clockworks
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/
numeracy/time/fs.shtm
Family Math Activity
Time
Students need to learn to tell time on both analogue and
digital clocks. The world is increasingly digital but
there are still analogue clocks in use. Telling time helps
develop skills in proportional reasoning, fractions , skip
counting and understanding elapsed time. Use everyday
activities and make it
fun!
And don’t forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour on
November 4th!
K-3
 Make it a practice to use timers as a tool to teach your child
the length of a minute or group of minutes (“You have ___
minutes to get ready for ___.”)
Grades 4-6
 Discuss with your child how much time has passed (“You started
school at 8:30 and you finished at 3. How long were you at
school today?”) or how much longer it will take (“How much
longer did it take a shower than brush your teeth?”
Grade 7 and 8 -­‐ Free Math Tutoring! Homework Help is more than just free tutoring Sunday to Thursday nights from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. The site offers a wide variety of resources such as videotaped lessons and interactive tutorials. Plus students get a virtual locker to keep a record of their sessions which is great for review before tests and end of the unit evaluations. Register today at https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/. All you need to register is your student OEN number which is found on your report card. If you have additional questions, please contact your classroom teacher or Liliana Gomez-­‐
Franco at Liliana.Gomez-­‐Franco@dpcdsb.org. Elementary Mathematics Program Team 2012 Month of
November 2012
Remembering
Sun
4
11
Mon
Tue
5
6
* PHOTO
RE-TAKE Day!
*RAID Prog. for
Gr. 6s
* Progress
Reports go
home!
12
13
* REMEMBRANCE Day!
Wed
7
14
* PIZZA
*SCHOOL
COUNCIL Mtg
Lest we Forget
18
“Think of Peace”
19
20
21
25* Enrol- 26
27* PIZZA 28
ment Ceremony for Gr. 8
Confirmation
Candidates
* SANTA
PHOTOS day!
*Gr. 8s to N.D.
*HNM Inf. mtg
*BRAVE
Programme
begins
*BRAVE
Programme
Thu
Fri
Sat
1* ALL
2
SAINTS Day!
* Intermediate
Division Mtg.
*Gr. 3s SWIM
to SURVIVE
* ALL
SOULS Day!
*Presentation
for Gr. 8s
8* Gr. 3s
9* REMEM- 10
SWIM to
SURVIVE
* Progress
Reports Interview evening
BRANCE Day
Liturgy, 10:40
* Presentations
for Gr. 8s
*Parks & Rec
* Volunteers
for Ed. at St.
Joseph S.S.
15
16
17
*Gr. 3s SWIM
to SURVIVE
* Homework
Help Session for
Gr. 7 & 8s
*P.A. Day
(more info. to
come)
22
23*SPIRIT 24
*AWARDS
Ceremony for
Progress
Reporting Term
Day! (favorite
Jersey / Sports)
*Superintende
nt to visit (2
hours)
29
30*Walk
for Wellness!
* Dance
instruction for
Intermediates
3
*Enrolment
Ceremony for
Gr. 8
Confirmation
Candidates