December
2009
185 Conestoga Drive, Brampton, Ontario L6Z 2Z7
Phone (905) 846−2086
Fax (905) 846−9464
Advent Prayer
Principal:
M. Lunn
Secretary
A. M. Condotta
School Council
Co-Chairs:
J. Lamb
M. Podnar
Trustee:
L. Zanella
Monthly Virtue—Hope
God our Father, we are getting ready
for Christmas:
buying presents, preparing for carol
services, rehearsing plays.
We thank You for all the preparations
You made for the first Christmas.
Through the prophets You told
people to get ready for Jesus:
You gave a baby, John to
Zechariah and Elizabeth,
You chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother
and
Joseph to provide a home for them;
You called wise men from far away.
As we prepare to enjoy Jesus’
birthday, make us ready to listen carefully to the Christmas story and to make
room
for Jesus in our hearts.
Amen
(905) 890-1221
Superintendent:
A. Tucciarone
(905) 890-1221
Pastor:
Fr. A. Maderak
(905) 846-5385
We, the community of St.
Leonard, are committed to
life-long learning and
respect for God’s creation.
We will nurture our
unique gifts and
entrust each member to
serve.
Alternative School #
905-890-0708
Press 7 then 54200
Food Allergy Alert
Dear Parents/Guardians
Please DO NOT SEND FOOD
ITEMS to school to be shared in
classes. Due to the high number of
life-threatening allergies, we have
already had to turn away a number
of parents bringing cakes and
doughnuts to school. Suggestions
in previous newsletters to celebrate
a child’s birthday instead of food
items could include such items as
stickers or pencils.
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We have learned about the Virtues of
Faith, Empathy and Conscience. In
December we will learn about the Virtue of Hope. We’ll learn about how a
person of hope keeps working for a
more peaceful world even when we
feel discouraged, and helps others to
feel positive and hopeful, instead of
negative or afraid, which is particularly
meaningful during Advent.
St. Leonard Student Council
2009—2010
Prime Minister
Trace Manuel
Deputy Prime Minister
Marielle Belanger
Treasurer
Yvette Medeiros
Secretary
Kyana Hatch
Grade 8 Communications Minister
Alex Ruffa
Grade 7 Communications Minister
Cassie Peixoto
Full Day Junior and Senior Kindergarten
Registration for 2010-11
Revised Dates for Full Day Kindergarten
Registration Only
Registration for the 2010-11 school year will be held at
all Dufferin-Peel Catholic elementary schools on the following dates:
Week Of February 8—12, 2010
Homework Tip for December
Designate a quite working space
Distractions and homework do not
mix. Provide a space for your child to do homework in an area that is free from distractions
such as television, computer games, friends,
pets and telephones, for example.
Please note: Deadline is Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Monday, February 8, 2010 during the day as well as
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 9 to Friday, February 12th
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Junior Kindergarten—Children must be 4 years old by
December 31, 2010
Senior Kindergarten—Children must be 5 years old by
December 31, 2011
Parents/Guardians should bring the following documents
when registering their child:
 Proof of age (birth certificate or passport)
 Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the Roman, Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one) and
child (if the child has not been baptized, a letter of
counseling with the parish priest, to complete the
process will be accepted)
 Updated immunization records
 Proof of Canadian citizenship or of Landed Immigrant status
 Proof of address (utility bill, bank or credit card
statement)
 For schools in Caledon and Dufferin County: emergency rural address numbers for identifying your
property
For more information, contact your local Catholic school
or call the Admissions Department at 905-890-0708 ext.
24500.
Please note: Our school has been chosen to be part of
the first phase of a multi-year implementation that will
bring Full Day Early Learning for four and five year
olds to all elementary schools in Ontario. Students will
attend for the full school day with the opportunity to
receive additional care before and after school.
Junior Kindergartens already attending St. Leonard do
not have to re-register.
Inclement Weather
Bus Cancellations
Please be advised that during the
winter months, inclement weather
may cause disruption of bus transportation and regular school operations.
Please note: The message is often unclear when
busses are cancelled in Caledon, please listen
carefully to determine if they are closed board
wide or just in Orangeville/Caledon area. The
website is often the better place to check.
A
decision to cancel school transportation and/or to
close schools is usually made by 6:00 a.m., and will
be announced on the following radio and television
stations:
Virgin Radio 99.9
CFTR 680
CJCL590
CFRB 1010
CJBC (Fr.) 860 AM
CHIN 100.7FM/1540 AM
City Pulse
93.1 FM
CFNY 102.1
CHFI 98.1
EZ Rock 97.3
Z103.5
CBC
Global News
Or on the school board website at
www.dpcdsb.org
Please note: When the busses are cancelled we
still need to account for your children. If they are not
coming in, please call the school. If the busses or the school is cancelled we will try to change
the message on the answering machine by 6:30
a.m. as well as e-mail those who have signed up
H1N1 Updates
Please continue to check your child’s backpack for H1N1 updates sent
home to you by the Region of Peel. For updates and clinic information/
wait times, please log onto the Region of Peel Website at http://
www.peelregion.ca/health/topics/commdisease/flu-swine.htm
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Winter Safety in the
School Yard
In order to avoid injury
and to help ensure
student safety, students are reminded regularly to
play safely in the school yard.
Students are reminded not to
throw snowballs, or kick snow, as
well as to stay off snow hills and
off any ice patches. Play fighting
and contact sports are not allowed.
Students are reminded to report
problems to the teacher, rather
than taking matters into their own
hands. The Creative Playground
will be closed until further notice.
Please review the importance of
playing safe in the school yard with
Attendance Verification
The flu season is here. We need your
help in making our attendance verification program work effectively. Please
call and leave a message on the answering machine or call the secretary if your child
will be absent. This will assist us, as the secretary
often has difficulty reaching parents or guardians to
confirm absences. Your co-operation is greatly appreciated. Call the tape at 905-846-2086 to leave
your absence information. PLEASE NOTE: WHEN
BUSSES ARE CANCELLED WE STILL NEED TO
ACCOUNT FOR YOUR CHILD—PLEASE CALL
THE SCHOOL IF THEY ARE STAYING HOME
Medication At School
Please be advised that for safety reasons, no
child should bring any form of medication to
school without prior approval from the office.
The school will store necessary medication if a Request
Form has been filled out and signed by the parent/
guardian and your family physician. Forms are available
in the office.
Be Informed and Go Green
Sign up to receive your newsletters and letters
to your e-mail account. Send you e-mail address to Mrs. Condotta in the office. Letters
will be sent BCC so no other parents will have
access to your e-mail address. We currently
have 174 of 358 students receiving mail electronically. Our newsletter is posted to the
school web-site, please see the address on the
front page.
Dates to Remember
The environment group continues to work to
recycle paper products at the school. New recycling bins have been added to many of our
classrooms.
In a further go green effort, all washrooms
have had motion detectors installed so that the
lights only come on when someone enters.
Tues. Dec. 1
Reports go home
Thurs. Dec. 3
Thurs. Dec. 3
Friday, Dec. 4
Thurs. Dec. 10
Thurs. Dec. 10
Tues. Dec. 15
Thurs. Dec. 17
Lunch Mom Lunch
Parent Teacher Interviews
P. A. Day
Lunch Mom Lunch
Parent Council
Christmas Concert
Lunch Mom Lunch
Santa Shop — December 7, 8, 9
Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 Christmas Break
I wish to receive electronic mail
Family Name: _________________
Pizza is available every Tuesday for
$1.50 per slice
Popcorn is available every Wednesday
for $2.00 per bag
E-mail Address: ___________________
_________________________________
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Sports—Fall 2009
St. Leonard's Cross Country team had another very successful season. Thirty-Five athletes attended the Family
meet and seventeen of those qualified for the Board
Championships! We won 3 banners at the family meet Gr. 5 Girls, Gr. 7 Boys and Gr. 8 girls and our Gr. 7 Boys
were Board level champions. Congratulations to Tyrus
Rehanek, Simon Grabowski, Daniel Stanley, Tyler Avila
and Darius Lee on this amazing accomplishment! Ms.
McQueen and Mrs. Tanner are incredibly proud of all the
Cross Country runners and look forward to next year's
season. Way to go chargers!
Both the Intermediate Boys and Girls Volleyball teams competed at the Brampton
North East Mini Volleyball tournaments in
October. Both teams displayed excellent
teamwork and sportsmanship. The girls
team was comprised of Amy Lovsin, Eve
Nsitem, Alex Ruffa, Marielle Belanger, Alexis Orlando,
Rachel Zajic, Gabriella Zajic, Alana Andrade, Kyana
Hatch, and Trace Manuel. The members of
the boys team are Anthony Sousa, Jose
Ocampo, Marcus Carroll, Derek Dimech,
Chris Erskine, Tyler Avila, Matthew Grenier,
Tyrus Rehanek, Jason Smith and Daniel
Stanley. The coaches - Ms. McQueen, Mrs.
LaFontaine and Ms. Grimbly - were very impressed with the hard work
Co-Ed Softball
Congratulations to the Co-Ed Softball
Team for a great tournament. The team
members consisted of Marcus Carroll,
Mathew Grenier, Liana James, Christine
Kuchirka, Christine Mendizabal, Bailey Molella, Evie Nsitem,
Julianna Nunes, Tyrus Rehanek, David Saraiva, Anthony
Souza and Daniel Zita. The team played well and both Mr.
Bruni and Ms. D’Aiuto were impressed with the enthusiasm
and hard work of all team members.
Grade 7 boys (clockwise) Simon Grabowska, Darius
Lee, Tyler Avila, Daniel Stanley and Tyrus Rehanek
finished first at the board finals—GO CHARGERS!
Rainbows
As part of our ongoing effort to support the
needs of our school community, we are once
again pleased to offer the “Rainbows Program”,
a support group for children who are grieving
because of a separation, divorce, death or any
painful transition in the family. Through the
support group we wish to assist your child in
expressing and understanding his/her feelings.
The program will be offered in the new year for
those children identified by parents who feel
their child would benefit from the Rainbows
support meetings. Please let your child’s
teacher know if you would like to find out additional information about this program.
Santa Shop
Parent Council will be hosting the Annual Santa Shop on
December 7, 8 and 9th. Children in Grades JK to 6
will receive an envelope to bring their money to
school. Please look for the flyer with dates and
information in your child’s backpack.
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St. Leonard Catholic School Toy Drive for Peel Regional Police and Christmas Food Drive
From December 1st to 15th, 2009, St. Leonard school will be participating in Peel Regional Police Toys for
Tots. During this time we are asking students to bring new unopened toys for needy families in Peel Region.
We are asking you to bring a new unwrapped toy to be placed under our Christmas Tree.
We are also doing our annual food drive for St. Vincent de Paul from December 1st to December 15th. The
following is a list of suggested items that are needed.
Canned vegetables or fruit
Kraft Dinner
Canned Tuna
Peanut Butter
Baby Food or Formula
Caned Ham or Chicken
Pasta or Pasta sauce
Tetra Packs
Cereal
Thank you to Mrs. LaFontaine and the Student Council for organizing
this worthy endeavour.
Peel Regional
Police Service
The Peel Regional Police Service
has been in contact as part of our
Safe Schools Initiatives. Our
school officers PC Chris Holmes
and PC Gerry Antonio will be
visiting the schools regularly to
visit classrooms and speak to
groups of students.
On Friday, November 6, The Green Team members
participated in a fall bulb-planting project. Representations from the City of Brampton talked to the
Green Team about how to properly plant their bulbs
in addition to answering the student’s questions
about plant care. The Green Team is looking forward to next spring to see their bulbs bloom into
beautiful daffodils.
Some things you can do to keep our school community healthy this fall/winter season:






Teacher children to wash their hands with soap and water thoroughly and often
Use santizer (gel or wipes). Note that alcohol-based sanitzer should contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective
Teach children not to share personal items like pens, pencils, drinks, or food
Teach children to cough or sneeze into their sleeve or a tissue, not their hand. This includes teaching them
to dispose of tissues in the garbage immediately
Keep sick children at home until they are feeling well and are able to fully participate in all normal day-today activities
Please inform the school if your child has been ill with any type of communicable illness (e.g. Hand, Foot
& Mouth, Chicken Pox, etc.) This information will be used for the protection of our students, staff and
school community.
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Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child
is a fun and simple, hands-on project of Samaritan’s Purse that anyone can participate in. Each gift-filled shoe box is used to bless the
life of a child living in a desperate situation. This year St. Leonard students filled 20 boxes to send overseas
to children in fifteen countries. Thank you to Ms. McQueen’s class for organizing the shoe box drive and to
the parents and students for so graciously giving of themselves to this worthy cause. Thank you to the
School Council for paying to ship the boxes overseas.
Catholic Ratepayers – Check your Tax Bill to Ensure Proper Tax Support
If you are a Catholic ratepayer, we urge you to check your property tax bill to ensure that your support is
directed to your local Catholic school board, in our case, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. If
you are a tenant, you can verify your support by contacting our Admissions Department at (905) 890-0708,
ext. 24511, 24512, or 24519, or your local municipal office. By ensuring that you are accurately recorded as
a Catholic school supporter, you can help deliver a powerful message to the government about the level of
support for publically-funded Catholic education in Ontario. In order to be eligible to vote for your local
Catholic school board trustee, you must be registered as a separate school supporter.
Christmas Concert
On behalf
of the
Staff and Students
of
St. Leonard School
we wish you
the peace and joy
of the
Christmas season
Please join us the evening of
Tuesday, December 15th at
7:00 p.m. for our Annual St.
Leonard Christmas Concert.
The following classes will be participating in the
concert: Mrs. DeMelo, Ms. Troina, Mr. Bruni,
Mr. Gregory, Ms. Grimbly and Mrs. Rudensky.
We look forward to seeing you on this evening.
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