Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Elementary School
25 Mount Royal Circle
Brampton, Ont. L6P 1W3
Phone (905) 913-1703
FAX (905) 913-2918
February 2014
Father,
Bless the love that brings people together
And grows ever stronger in our hearts.
Principal
Sonia Rotino
Secretary
May all the messages that carry the name of your holy Bishop Valentine,
Mary Doria
Be sent in good joy and received in delight.
~
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord.
Superintendent
Amen.
Max Vecchiarino
Trustee
Scott McLauchlan
Prayer During Black History
Month
Dear God,
You have done such a marvellous job of
creating us and the world around us. You
have placed this creation, including all the
people we meet, in our care. We come to
you now asking for the grace and strength
to be accepting of others. We admit that
we can never fully know Your plan for the
people around us. Grant us the strength to
admit that our role is to invite others to
participate in Your saving plan and then to
accept the choices that they make in their
own lives!
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our
brother. Amen
Parish Priest
Father Papais
As brothers and sisters who share one
Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to God.
We all deserve to be shown courtesy,
consideration, sensitivity and
thoughtfulness, which are all different
ways of showing respect.
Respect should come first and foremost
from ourselves. We have to respect
ourselves and then we will be able to
respect others. We should also be able
to expect to be treated with respect by
everyone we meet—our brothers and
sisters in Jesus.
2013-2014 LITURGICAL DATES
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Feb. 11, 2014 – 9:30 a.m. Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day Para-Liturgy
Feb. 19, 2014 – 7:00 p.m. Confirmation Meeting
Feb. 26, 2014 – First Reconciliation & Service of Light, 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 5, 2014 – 1:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Para-Liturgy
Apr. 17, 2014 – 1:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross Para-Liturgy
Apr. 25, 2014 – 9:30 a.m. Easter Liturgy
Apr. 27, 2014 – 2:00 p.m. First Holy Communion
May 4 – May 9, 2014 Catholic Education Week
May 15, 2014 – 7:00 p.m. Confirmation at St. Patrick’s Church
May 16, 2014 – 1:30 p.m. Crowning of Mary Liturgy
Jun. 25, 2014 – 9:30 a.m. Year End Liturgy
Visit our School Website:
www.dpcdsb.org/lourd
DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the
latest board news and information,
follow us @DPCDSBSchools.
www.connect2ENDviolence.ca
Our Lady of Lourdes
REPORTING - INTERVIEWS
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
The Student-Parent-Teacher Interview is designed to complement the Ontario
Report Card by enabling parents to communicate with teachers, to offer useful
information, and to ask relevant questions about their child’s progress in order
to support their child’s learning.
A formal written report will be sent home on Tuesday,
February 4, 2014. Interviews will be held during the evening
on Thursday, February 6.
As in the past, we ask that you call
the school on the days that your child
will be absent or late. This is a safety
precaution that can save precious
moments should there ever be an
emergency situation. We thank you
for your continued support in
following this procedure.
MITTENS, SCARVES AND
HATS
We will be collecting
new mittens, hats and
scarves this month for
Regeneration Outreach.
Regeneration Outreach
has been called to
bring healing, personal
growth and spiritual awareness to
marginalized youth and adults, all
within a safe and caring
environment. Please send in new
mittens, scarves and hats during the
month of January. Thank you in
advance for your generosity. For
further information, please see:
http://www.regenbrampton.com/#/
contact-us
LUNCH & TREAT DAYS
Pizza days are
Wednesday, February
5, 12, 19 and 26.
are on Tuesday, February 4, 11,
18 and 25.
Treats will be offered
Thursdays and we
will
be
selling
popcorn, baked chips
and Terra Cotta
cookies for $1.00
each.
on
If your child will be late or absent
from school, it is very important
that you notify the school before
9:00 a.m. by leaving a voice mail
message on the attendance line at
905-913-1703 and pressing 1, for
the attendance voice mail. You
should speak clearly and leave the
child’s FIRST and LAST NAME, the
teacher’s name, and the reason for
the absence or lateness.
Any student arriving at school late is
required to go to the office to let the
secretary know that they have
arrived. This allows us to change our
attendance information, and mark
your child late, rather than absent.
If you need to pick your child up
earlier than 3:15, we ask that you
please send a note to your child’s
teacher in the morning, advising them
of the time required for pick up and
the reason. We cannot interrupt
classes during this time, for
unannounced departures.
School starts at 8:45am and at
12:55pm. Students should be at
school with enough time to line up
with their classes. Please note that if
they do not arrive on time to make it
to their line as the bell rings, they
need to enter through the front doors.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
MEETING
Wed., March 19 at 7:00 p.m.
All parents are welcome.
February 2014
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENT(S)/GUARDIANS(S) OF STUDENTS IN SK
The French Immersion Online Application System is now open for submissions. To apply, go to www.dpcdsb.org.
Applications will be accepted until February 28, 2014.
Reminder:

All eligible submissions are accepted and, in the event that the number of applications is greater than the number of
spaces available at a French Immersion school, a centralized, computer-generated lottery will be held at a date yet
to be determined.

Some French Immersion schools offer Grades 1 to 8 and others offer Grades 1 to 4, with Grade 5 to 8 offered at a
nearby school. Please refer to the Board website for more information.

Parents and guardians of students registered in the program are responsible for providing transportation for their
child(ren) to and from their registered French Immersion school. Please note that for students living inside the regular
school boundaries of a French Immersion school, eligibility for student transportation is based on the policies
established by the school board.
A successful placement in the French Immersion School does not guarantee placement of siblings in future years.
If more details are required, please review the board website for up-to-date information. You may also contact your
child's present school, the principal of the French Immersion school in your area, or the board's French as a Second
Language Consultant at (905) 890-0708 extension 24307.

DUFFERIN-PEEL CATHOLIC INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is now accepting applications
from international students who wish to study in our outstanding elementary
and secondary schools.
Education means the world to us.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) is Ontario’s second
largest Catholic school board operating 149 school facilities throughout
Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. Schools are connected to
and supported by Catholic parishes and our faith.
Internationally recognized for excellence in education.
One of the defining characteristics of a Dufferin-Peel education is the diversity
that comes with having a student body from over 150 countries. We celebrate
both our internationalism and the uniqueness of each member of our community
- students, staff, parents, and parish. As a school community we are greatly
enriched by this diversity.
Opening minds to a better world.
Located just west of the City of Toronto and less than a 90 minute drive to
Niagara Falls and the U.S. border is the Toronto Pearson International Airport,
Canada’s largest airport with non-stop service to 180 destinations in 60
countries around the world. Plus, the region boasts an extensive network of
local and regional train and bus services with direct connections to 16
universities and colleges within a 60 km radius.
Students wishing to apply to our International Education programs are
encouraged to visit our website at www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Programs/
International+Students/ or to contact: Rita Borg, Principal of the International
Student Program rita.borg@dpcdsb.org, (905) 412-3341 Ext. 31460
CATHOLIC EDUCATION
What most distinguishes a Catholic
school from that of others is its broad
curriculum. All subjects in Catholic
schools (and all activities) are taught
from the perspective of faith. At its
core, curriculum in any subject reveals
fundamental beliefs and values about
the nature, task and specific
character of the educational
enterprise. It presupposes and
involves a definite understanding of
what it means to be human, of how to
live together, and the wisdom
necessary to sustain life on this
planet. Indeed, in its broadest sense,
Catholic curriculum is a worldview
shaped by the Catholic conversation
about life’s meaning and purpose.
Education that is Catholic, analyses
all truth and knowledge (literature,
his t or y, geogr ap hy , s ci en ce,
technology, mathematics) through the
lens of faith. See more at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/LOURD/Our
+Faith/Catholic+Education.htm
ONTARIO’S WINTER WALK DAY
Here at Our Lady of Lourdes, we are promoting “Walk to School Wednesday” through our ECO team. This month, make
an extra effort to participate in Canada’s Winter Walk Day on Wednesday, February 5, 2014. It’s a great opportunity
to get your children more active during the winter months and to improve the air quality and safety around our school.
Walk to school for daily physical activity, a healthier environment, safer streets, making friends and ... having fun!
Our Lady of Lourdes
MANY THANKS
EXTENDED FRENCH PROGRAM APPLICATIONS
I wanted to once again extend my gratitude on
behalf of the families that were recipients of the
infant bags your school community had donated
to our centre. This has been a great experience
for the families two years in a row. The
donations for the bags your volunteers and
school community put together continue to be a very big
help to quite a few of our young mothers, in addition to
some of our young expectant mothers. I can not express how
your generosity has been most helpful, and you have truly
all made a difference in these families lives. Thank you for
continuing to think of us.
On behalf of the Brampton YMCA Child Care Centre Happy
New Year and a sincere thank you!
Grade 4 parent(s)/guardian(s), who wish to enroll their
child in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September,
2014 are reminded to submit their applications to St.
Jean Brébeuf at 63 Glenforest Road, Brampton, by
3:00pm on Wednesday, February 12, 2014.
C. Howe, RECE ,Senior Director Brampton YMCA
Child Care & Summer Camp
DROPPING OFF YOUR CHILD
The separate Bus & ‘Kiss and Ride’ Lane were developed
to increase safety for all students. Thank you in advance
for your support to ensure safety for all children.
When you drive your children to school, please remember
the following:
1. The Bus Lane is strictly for buses: No cars, vans or other
vehicles should ever be in the bus lane.
2. The Kiss & Ride Lane is designed for parents who drive or
pick up their children at school: Never, ever leave your car
parked in this lane! Drive to the front of the line where a
supervisor (if available) will assist your child safely
between the car and the sidewalk.
3. The drive through lane is strictly for driving through: Do
not park in this lane. If you feel you must park your
vehicle and personally escort your child, then please use
the parking lot and accompany your child to the fence
line.
4. Please do not park in the driveway and wait for your
child(ren)!: Students are not to be entering the school by
the front door unless they are being dropped off after the
second bell has rung. Thank you for following these steps
to ensure the safety and supervision of all our students.
Parking enforcement will be closely monitoring the lot and
will be issuing tickets to those who do not comply.
Community members are reminded that parking on school
property overnight is not permitted. During
the winter months, snow removal equipment
must be able to remove the snow. Vehicles
remaining on the property overnight or during
the day that do not belong to staff or to
parents volunteering during the day will be
towed away at the owner’s expense.
ECO TEAM
In January the Our Lady of Lourdes
Eco-Team kicked off an eco-conscious
new year. Students have been working
on the launch of our anti-idling
campaign for February in hopes to help reduce pollution.
Eco-Team students will be giving out “Thank You Tickets”
to all drivers who turn off their engine when dropping off
students at school. Those who receive a ticket have a
chance to win a small prize at the end of February as a
token of Mother Earth’s appreciation. Winners will be
notified by the Eco-Team by the end of February. In
addition to our anti-idling campaign, our school will be
participating in the WWF’s “National Sweater Day”
initiative on Thursday, February 6, 2014. We will be
encouraging students to wear thick sweaters to show
support for this initiative. National Sweater Day started in
2010 and it aims to bring awareness to energy
conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, it encourages people to lower their
thermostats in their home all winter and stay warm by
layering clothes. We hope everyone participates at home
throughout the winter.
We will continue Boomerang lunches on Tuesdays. We
hope that bringing lunches, snacks and drinks in reusable
containers will help decrease the amount of garbage
produced by each class.
CHESS CLUB
Our chess club is in full swing! Students are spending lunch
recesses practicing the game. We will hold an in-school
tournament for all chess club members to determine which
students will participate on the Our Lady of Lourdes Chess
Teams. These students will then represent our school at the
Family level competition. The Brampton North East Chess
Finals will be held at Lester B Pearson Catholic School on
Thursday April 10th, 2014. Thank you to
Mme. Mastrangelo, Ms. Di Nunzio and Mrs.
DeBerardinis for running the club and
coaching the team. Good luck to all our
players!
February 2014
LIBRARY UPDATE
February is a busy month in the library. Our students are
involved in the Forest of Reading program which brings an
excellent selection of recent Canadian children’s books to
the attention of Ontario children. The Forest of Reading®
is Canada’s largest recreational reading program! A big
thank you goes to the School Council who subsidized the
program by contributing funds to purchase the books.
How do the programs work?
Children read a minimum of five out of the 10 nominated
titles and then vote in the spring for their favourite book.
Students from Kindergarten to grade 3 are reading the
Blue Spruce selections during their scheduled library times.
Grades 4 to 6 and grades 7 and 8 are independently
reading Silver Birch and Red Maple selections,
respectively. Junior and Intermediate students have been
given the opportunity to join a lunchtime book club.
Encourage your child to read, read, read!
Over 250,000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12
read Forest of Reading® books every year. The Forest of
Reading® programs are purely recreational, not tied to
the curriculum, and is meant to encourage the love of
reading. All information can be found at
www.accessola.com/festivaloftrees.
We had an author visit our grades 1 to 4 students in
January. Susan Aguilo has just published Alexander and
the Spear of Destiny. It is the first book in the Bedtime
Adventure Series. She shared Alexander and the Spear of
Destiny with the students and talked
about the writing process.
She
encouraged the students to write their
own stories and send them to her so that
she can post the best stories on her
website.
For more information, see
www.abedtimeadventure.com.
DRUMFIT
DrumFIT is returning to Our Lady of Lourdes! All families
are invited to come out to the Family Engagement Evening
and enjoy this fun, fast-paced fitness program that
combines music, dance, rhythm and learning. It is
guaranteed to leave you breathless and begging for
more! DrumFIT motivates and inspires. It truly breaks age,
language and ability-level barriers. Experience DrumFIT
for a great workout for both body AND mind!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
2 Sessions: 6:30 & 7:30
There is a maximum of 50 participants for each workshop.
RSVP to the school by February 14 if you want to take
advantage of this opportunity. Please look for the flyer in
your child’s backpack.
HEALTHY EATING
Our Healthy Eating recipe for the month is:
Honey-Roasted Bosc Pears
2 tbsp. unsalted butter,
melted
5 firm-ripe Bosc pears,
halved lengthwise (leave
stems intact), and cored
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup honey
Freshly ground pepper
2 ½ cups low-fat ice cream
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Pour butter into a large baking
pan. Tilt pan to coat with the butter. Arrange pears in one
layer, cut sides down. Roast 20-25 minutes or until tender
when pierced with a knife.
2. Combine vinegar and honey. Spoon mixture over pears,
and bake 5 minutes more. Arrange pear halves on each of
10 dessert plates. Spoon pan juices over top, add pepper
and 1/4 cup ice cream; serve.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Student council is also hard at work arranging a Valentine’s Dance for all the students.
The dance will take place on Thursday, February 14, 2014.
Students are encouraged to wear red, white or pink on for the dance!
Students will have the opportunity to win jars of candy in the “Valentine Candy” contest. Students can make their guesses
on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 12, 13 & 14. Guesses will be $0.50 each or 3 for $1.00.
Spirit Week is coming during the first week of March! Details will follow shortly!
Wear your Our Lady of Lourdes Spirit Wear every Friday!
REMINDER NOTICE—SAFETY SECURITY SYSTEM & CAMERA FOR LOCKED FRONT DOORS
Dear Parents and Guardians:
We strive to make sure that our school is a safe, caring, healthy and inclusive place in which to learn and to work.
Fire drills, visitors’ badges/sign in and other safety and security protocols and practices are important components
of our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure school environment.
As you are aware, through the province’s Safe School Welcome Program, our school received a grant that provides
for the installation of a front door speaker/buzzer/video monitoring system. The installation of this system allows us
to proactively enhance the safety and security of students and staff by locking the front doors after classes begin.
This change in access to our school requires a new access protocol that will apply to all visitors, including parents and
guardians. The new system was installed and activated as of January 1, 2014.
Under the new system, visitors may gain entrance by pressing a buzzer mounted on the wall outside the building,
beside the front door. The buzzer activates a two-way speaker and camera system. The Office will then be able to
determine who is at the door, by observing on a video monitor. This will enable better regulation of visitor access to
the school.
The following are also part of our new protocol:

All outside doors are locked and entry can be gained only through the front door.

All visitors, including parents/guardians must sign into the office and wear a Visitor’s badge.
Access during lunch time may be delayed depending on the availability of staff who are required to monitor the
new system. Please be patient.

The co-operation and understanding of parents/guardians will be an important factor in the success of our new
protocol. In this regard, parents/guardians are encouraged to:

Arrive at school on time to allow children to enter with their classmates to avoid front entry lates.

Send lunch with your child in the morning to limit traffic in through the front door at lunch time.
We respectfully request that you limit your visits to the school during the daytime as much as possible in order to
protect the instructional time and reduce interruptions.

Thank you for your understanding and co-operation as we implement the new access protocol as of January 2014.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Sincerely,
S. Rotino, Principal
Our Lady of Lourdes
Family Math Activities
Grades K-2

Compare large items with small items. Which one is big? Which one is small? How do you know?

Talk about heavy versus light items in a grocery store

Find the shortest and longest line in a grocery store

Estimate the number of footsteps between two trees on your walk
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Keep a record of the daily temperature outside and your child’s outdoor activities. After a few weeks, ask your
child to look at the record and see how the temperature affected his or her activities
Grades 3-6
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Have your child use a measuring tape or ruler to measure the dimensions of various household items (e.g. food
containers). Encourage your child to estimate the dimensions before measuring

Discuss how far a kilometer is

Walk a kilometer together – estimate the distance between two objects while on your walk
Measurement
Grades 7 and 8
People with measurement sense have an understanding of the
Measurement Game Show
www.resources.elearningontario.ca (OERB)
Ontario Education Resource Bank:
user id “dpcdsbstudent”, Password “oerbs
“howmuchness” of different standard units. (A Guide to
Effective Instruction in Mathematics, K-3, Measurement)
Web Resources
Primary:
Clifford Big Red Dog Measuring Up
http://pbskids.org/games/math.html
Junior:
Units of Measure
www.onlinemathlearning.com
DPCDSB COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
FROM ADULT AND CONTINUING
EDUCATION
P.A.L.S. PLAYGROUND
Winter 2014 DPCDSB Adult and Continuing
Education program flyers are open for registration!
You are invited to join in these exciting community
programs: Computer ABC’s Day Program Car
Maintenance for Women, Secondary Night School
Credit, French as a Second Language, Adult Coop
and Credit General Interest Programs, International
Languages, English as a Second Language,
Citizenship and ESL Classes, Health and Fitness and
much, much more.
Register now for lifelong learning opportunities! Call
905-891-9263 ext.0 or www.dpcdsb.org/cec/cne
We continue to run the P.A.L.S.
program in our school. The main goals
of this program are to; encourage
students to be physically active by
playing games at recess, prevent
bullying from happening at school and
to give older students the opportunity
to become leaders on the playground.
Sincere thanks are extended to the
Region of Peel Public Health network,
our organizer Mme. Mastrangelo, Mrs.
Deputat, and our student leaders for
volunteering to help in this activity.
ACTIVITY LEADERS IN
SCHOOLS
LOST AND
FOUND
Please be sure to
check the Lost & Found
in the gym on
Interview Evening
Thursday February 6
for any items that may
belong
to
your
child(ren). We will be
donating all remaining
items during the
March Break.
February 2014
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
1
February’s Virtue is
2
3
SAT
4
5
Term 1 Reports
go home
6
7
Treat Day
Black History
Month
Presentation,
grades 5-8
Parent/Teacher
Interview Evening
SmartStart, gr. 7
8
SmartStart, gr. 7
9
10
11
12
13
Educational
SmartStart, gr. 7
Resource Workers
Our Lady of
Day
Lourdes Feast
Day, 9:30am
para-liturgy
16
14
15
22
Treat Day
SmartStart, gr. 7
Junior Boys &
Girls Basketball
Tournament
17
18
19
20
21
Family Day—
no school for
students
SmartStart, gr. 7
Grade 8
Confirmation
meeting, 7pm at
church
Treat Day
SmartStart, gr. 7
African Body
Percussion
Workshop—all
students
26
27
28
Grade 2 First
Reconciliation &
Service of Light,
7pm at church
Treat Day
Virtue Assembly
DrumFIT Family
Engagement
23
24
25
Upcoming Events
March
April (continued)
4
Shrove Tuesday
10
Intermediate Basketball Tournament
5
Ash Wednesday, Para-liturgy at 1:00pm
11
Anti-Bullying Presentation, grades 6-8
7
Professional Activity Day—no school for students
17
Holy Thursday, Stations of the Cross Para-liturgy
18
Good Friday—no school for students
21
Easter Monday—no school for students
23
School Council Meeting, 7pm
10-14 Mid-winter Break—No school for students
21
African Body Percussion Workshop—all students
April
2
World Autism Awareness Day
24
Dental Screening, Grades K-2
3
Loretta Penny Presentation
25
Easter Mass
4
See, Hear Screening tests
30
Dance Showcase at the Rose Theatre, Virtue Assembly
7-16 Easter Food Drive