185 Conestoga Drive, Brampton, Ontario L6Z 2Z7
Phone (905) 846-2086 Fax (905) 846-9464
905-890-0708 press 9 ext 54200
www.dpcdsb.org/LENRD
Principal:
R. Romanet
Vice– Principal
P. Roul
Secretary:
A. M. Condotta
School Council
Chairperson:
M. Podnar
Trustee:
L. Zanella
(905) 890-1221
Superintendent:
A. Tucciarone
(905) 890-1221
Pastor:
Fr. A. Maderak
(905) 846-5385
We will have shortly reached the end of another successful and memorable school year. My
thoughts turn to our Grade 8‟s as we celebrate their graduation and many years of joy, learning and faith development which I know will serve them well as the enter high school.
My thoughts also turn to the many people responsible for making our school year as successful as it has been. These include many people but in particular:
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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.
Our School council who meets regularly with the sole purpose of helping the staff help
our children.
Our teachers who work endlessly in doing all the extras that make our students experiences so rewarding
Our custodial staff who make our school resonate pride, cleanliness and safety
Our parish team who are able to maintain a personal connectedness with our students
particularly as they celebrate their sacraments
All of our parents who spend time with their children reaching their goals
Our trustee Linda Zanella and her presence and positive influence on the well fare of all
of the St. Leonard community.
To our dear Mrs. Kretz who has given and career of love, teaching and service to the
children and parents of our school and now enters the next part of her journey and retirement.
We are many but we are all one special community of St. Leonard School. May you all enjoy the blessings of relaxation, family, friends, safety and health during the upcoming summer holiday.
See you all back in September.
Mr. R. Romanet
Principal
PRAYER FOR THE END OF THE YEAR
As we come to the end of another school year, and may now relax from our studies a little,
we pause to thank you, Dear Lord, for all of your guidance and support in our work,
throughout this past year. Please forgive us for any times that we may have offended you by
not using our talents and gifts to serve you (and ourselves) best.
Watch over us as we begin to enjoy our summer vacation. Keep us safe and free from harm.
We ask this of you, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
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Class Placements and September Entry
Class placements for September
will not be available until the 1st
day of school because of the need
to respond to last minute enrollment and staffing changes. On
September 4th, which is the first
day back for students, all returning or newly registered students will be met in the playground at entry
time by their teachers, and escorted to the gym.
Signs indicating each grade will be posted. If you
are moving, please let us know so that we can
provide a student transfer form.
Volunteers
We are fortunate at St. Leonard
School to have had parents sharing our day-to-day school life as
part of our volunteer program.
Volunteers have assisted at the
school in a variety of ways. We
have benefited from the additional individuals who accompanied classes on field trips or helped out with special
events in the classrooms or on trips. Thank you to all of
our volunteers! We hope to see many of our volunteers
back in September. Remember to please pick up your
Criminal Reference Forms.
Would you like your child to
become Catholic?
Our annual program for children in Grades 2 to 8,
who are not baptized or have been baptized in a nonCatholic Church, who would like to become Catholic, will begin at St. Leonard‟s Church in September.
This program will lead to Baptism of the children or
their Reception into the Catholic Church. For those
parents who would like to have their child baptized/
received, now is the opportune time to register and
begin attending at St. Leonard‟s and if you have not
already done so, make a commitment to practicing
your faith. Further details about this program will
be available at the Church in July. One of the parents will be required to provide a copy of their Roman Catholic baptism certificate. Please note that
only Catholic children are able to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation.
Returning School Books
As the year draws to a close students are
reminded to return any books belonging to
St. Leonard School. Parents please assist your children in
checking all the “nooks and crannies” for any books that
may be hiding there. If any have our school stamp in
them, please send them to the school.
Fr. A. Maderak, St. Leonard Church
Report Cards
Your child‟s report card will be sent home
on Tuesday, June 26. We wish to bring to
attention once again, page 3, called the
Response Form. Please return page 3, if you wish, to
your child's teacher on June 27 or 28th.
Congratulations to Grade 8 Graduates
Congratulations to the grade 8 graduates of St. Leonard
Catholic School. The students have worked very hard,
showed leadership and cooperated well. We wish all
the students well in their future endeavours. Our prayers
go with them as they enter secondary school. The graduation ceremony will take place on the morning of Friday,
June 22 at 9:30 a.m. in the St. Leonard School gym.
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Bussing Information
Virtue for June—Fairness
Every September Parents wonder if their child(ren)
are eligible for bussing. The board has implemented
new software to determine eligibility
for bussing. Please check out the link
on the side of our main page “Bussing
Eligibility” or http://businfo.stopr.ca/
Please indicate for the 2012/2013. As
soon as we receive the bus schedule
for September it will be posted on line
and on our front doors. If you move over the summer please check out the STOPR newsletter on line
for details on how to update the transportation department so your child has bussing for September.
This month we will celebrate the virtue of fairness.
Student Absences
A Fair Person…….
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Listens to all sides before
forming opinions
Shows good sportsmanship at
all times
Knows that the same rules
apply to everyone
Refuses to twist rules to avoid consequences
Works to bring about peaceful solutions to problems
Cheers on the successes of others
Can balance their own rights and responsibilities
with those of others.
We continue to have a large number of
parents not calling the school to report
their child‟s absence. This is especially
problematic on Mondays and Fridays.
Please use the answering machine to leave a message at any hour of the day on each day your child is
absent.
Grade Eight Graduating Class at Ottawa
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SUMMER LEARNING FUN
TIPS FOR PARENTS
1. Encourage your child to start a daily journal or diary for the summer
months. This journal will keep your child‟s writing and reading
skills in check.
2. Continue reading with your child on a daily basis.
3. Get outside. The worst thing for children during the summer months is having
them glued to a television or computer. According to the journal of School
Health, physical activity programs have positive effects on academic achievement, including increased concentration; improved mathematics, reading, and
writing test scores, and reduced disruptive behaviour.
4. Provide your child with fun and educational puzzles and games for those rainy
days.
5. Try your best to continue with a homework routine. If your child does one
hour of homework each weeknight now, get them to do about half of that each
weeknight in the summer too.
6. Take trips to the local library, museum or zoo where fun learning always takes
place.
7. Practice math skills using everyday chores and activities like cooking or going
grocery shopping.
8. Provide your child with opportunities to volunteer or help out the community.
This will help keep your child busy and socially active during the summer.
9. Keep up with classroom trends like „silent reading‟, „lunch hour‟, and „free
play‟ activities. This will help to eliminate a free-willed mindset in September.
10.If you‟re taking a car trip, play games like „I Spy‟ or finding license plates
from out-of-province cars. This will keep everyone entertained and make
learning fun.
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The Reverse Lunch Hour
Feb 19, 2010
Simon Blakesley
The following article is reprinted with permission from Health and Learning, "School Health Basics," November 2008, published by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. The article has been edited to conform
to ATA style.
For generations, elementary school lunches have followed more or less the same routine. After spending most of the morning behind a desk, students are hustled into the lunchroom, where they are expected to sit again and eat their lunch before going to play. This has been the standard operating procedure in our schools for so long that few have ever questioned it.
Yet with the increasing societal focus on nutrition and well-being, more schools are starting to reconsider
the traditional approach to lunchtime. Too often, the urge to get outside and play takes precedence over
the child’s need to eat well. The result? Hastily eaten or half-eaten lunches, hungry kids and less-thanideal learning for the rest of the day.
One solution that is emerging is the reverse lunch hour. Piloted and implemented in a number of American schools, the idea is simple: children play first, burn off some accumulated energy, and then come
indoors for lunch. I first ran across this "Play First, Eat Later" approach at the 2007 Canadian Association of Principals (CAP) Conference in Vancouver, B.C., organized by the British Columbia Principals’
and Vice-Principals’ Association. The April 2007 issue of the B.C. association’s journal, Adminfo, included an article by Peggy Antifaeff and Janet Porowski, entitled "Thinking Outside the Lunchbox: Analyzing the Effects of the Reverse Lunch Schedule on Student Nutrition and Performance." As the northern coordinator for the Canadian Council on Learning’s (CCL) Health and Learning Knowledge Centre,
and a school administrator in the Yukon, I believe that the article offers a possible approach to improving
health and learning in our schools.
Following the CAP conference, the reverse lunch hour concept was presented to Yukon school administrators. Four elementary schools (K–7) in Whitehorse decided to implement the reverse lunch hour for
the 2007/08 school year (since then, four more have done so). The principals of the participating schools
reported that the initiative generated positive results. In order to examine the initial experiences of the
four schools in greater detail, I met with each principal to discuss the usefulness of the program in their
schools.
A Simple Transition
Principals in all four schools indicated a smooth implementation that was well accepted and supported
by staff, students and parents. Students in particular appear to have bought in to the concept quickly.
One principal commented, "The kids figured it out easier than the adults." The remark referred to the
change in supervision patterns that required teachers to be in a different place and at a different time
than may have been traditional. Another principal described the simplicity and ease of its implementation
as "switching around two small things"—the play and eating part of lunch. The principals indicated that
no substantive parental issues arose from changing the lunch hour schedule.
In addition, three schools reported that no changes to the supervision schedule were required. Two prin5
cipals described the organizational change of moving two blocks of time without adjusting the timetable
itself.
One school alleviated any potential implementation challenges by introducing the reverse lunch hour for
a one-week period in May of the previous school year. This approach put the concept on the ground
where it could be evaluated by school staff. One principal indicated that their school’s music appreciation time, which was scheduled at the end of lunch/play period, further alleviated any timetable issues as
the students did not have to be called in from the playground at that time.
This principal further added that the nature of change at elementary schools is such that things "just take
time for people to get used to."
A principal at another school identified an issue with student bussing to afternoon activities, stating that
the reverse lunch made it difficult for children to eat lunch in time to catch the bus.
This problem was alleviated by having the teacher eat lunch with the students to ensure that they were
all finished in time.
Positive Health Effects
A number of examples of health effects were acknowledged by school principals. Some had been identified by students themselves; in one example, a student commented that he no longer experienced stomach cramps as a result of having to eat his lunch quickly to get outside in time to play. Some students
indicated to their principal that they had a better appetite as a result of some fresh air and physical activity prior to eating lunch.
From a food consumption perspective, three principals specifically indicated that there appeared to be
less food wastage in classrooms. This presents an important point: whereas with the traditional lunch
hour students must gobble food before the bell rings, with the reverse lunch hour students have the opportunity to finish any remaining lunch while the afternoon’s classroom activities resume.
Academic Effects
Although it is too early to attribute specific learning gains (in a quantitative manner), principals identified
a number of observed student behaviours that appeared to be more conducive to learning.
With the traditional school lunch hour, the transition from the playground to the classroom can at times
be frenetic. After lunch, classroom activities are often structured to settle the children. It appears that this
is not the case when the reverse lunch hour is in place. The transition from lunch to academic activities
was characterized as smoother, calmer and more seamless by all four principals. Students used their
lunchtime as free reading time, or as an opportunity to get ahead on homework. In some classrooms,
teachers read quietly to the children while they were eating, further reinforcing a smooth transition to the
afternoon’s academic activities.
Cleaner, Calmer Schools
In one school, the principal reported that an unanticipated consequence was increased hallway and
playground cleanliness. This was attributed to the fact that students no longer had to carry portions of
unfinished lunch out the door with them to the playground. At this particular school, the cleanliness of
the classrooms also improved, which was attributed to a calmer, less rushed atmosphere.
In contrast, another school noticed a short-term increase in the amount of garbage in the playground
that eventually decreased. The principal of this school attributed this development to the fact that children started taking snacks out with them at recess until they were used to the reverse lunch hour format.
One principal observed that the implementation of the reverse lunch hour brought the school lunch more
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in sync with the sports programs offered at the school, and simplified supervision. Since the new lunch
hour coincided better with sports activities, which were typically taking place before the traditional lunch
hour, supervision and staff were much easier to coordinate, since all the students were eating at the
same time.
At another school, an unanticipated benefit was also indicated with respect to parents who had sent their
child to school without a lunch. By having the eating portion of lunch occur later in the noon hour, parents had more time to deliver a lunch to school for their child.
A perceptual observation was made with regard to the dispositions of teachers and students. One
school principal stated that both groups seemed happier. Overall, there appeared to be less rush, less
peer conflict and less commotion in the hallways and playground at lunch hour, translating into fewer
behaviour referrals to the principal’s office. Another principal confirmed this, indicating that there had
been no after-lunch office referrals of students by teachers during the first two months of the school
year. This principal further stated that although it was not likely to be solely attributable to the reverse
lunch hour, student behaviour had improved and that this initiative could well be a contributing factor.
Advice to Other Schools
"Don’t fear it," was an example of the positive advice offered by one principal. "It’s a simple change and
the kids will adapt sooner than the adults." "Do it, for sure," another principal emphatically stated. Another principal said, "This is a common-sense initiative."
While it was acknowledged that each school community is different, one principal strongly suggested
that their colleagues should discuss the concept with their respective school councils prior to introducing
a reverse lunch hour. This principal added that the smoothness of implementation could be attributed in
part to prior discussions with staff and careful planning through each phase.
Another principal sent parents a letter explaining the concept so that parents would be aware of the
change. This communication gave parents the opportunity to let the school know of any particular student needs. For example, one principal remarked that once informed by parents of a student’s needs
resulting from diabetes, the school was able to make any required adaptations to ensure the student’s
well-being.
One piece of advice shared by a principal was the need to consider the community (human) traffic patterns around the school. For example, if the school is located in proximity to another school, changing
the time children were on the playground could bring students in contact with those from the other
school. If the students from the other school are older and allowed to leave their school’s property, then
supervisors need to direct the visiting students to return to their own school.
Finally, one principal suggested that having a good research and evidence base to share with staff and
community helped with the implementation of the reverse lunch hour. This could be done at a professional development day to help set the stage. Stressing the health effects of the approach was considered important to its successful adoption.
In closing, it is important to note that there are few more traditional institutions in our society than the
public school. The structure of the school day and the design of classrooms have largely remained unchanged for more than 100 years. Perhaps we have come to a point where we’ve done the same thing
for so long, and are so rooted in tradition that we lose sight of the fact that there are perhaps better ways
of approaching our most fundamental of processes—even something as simple as how our students eat
lunch.
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References
Antifaeff, P., and J. Porowski. 2007. "Thinking Outside the Lunchbox: Analyzing the Effects of the Reverse Lunch Schedule on Student Nutrition and Performance." Adminfo. B.C.: British Columbia Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association.
Simon Blakesley is the northern coordinator for the Canadian Council on Learning’s Health and Learning
Knowledge Centre at the University of Victoria. Blakesley, who resides in Whitehorse, Yukon, has been
a teacher and school administrator for the past 18 years.
Home About the ATA Teaching in Alberta Publications News Room For Members Privacy Policy Terms of Use
© 2010 The Alberta Teachers’ Association
June 14, 2012
Dear Parents,
Well another school year is winding down for not only the children, and teachers, but also the
Parent Advisory Council. We wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the details regarding the amount that we were able to raise this year with fundraising, as well as where the
money has been allotted. If you take a look at the following page you will see the Wish List
Items that have been approved. They have been divided amongst the different divisions, as well
as the Library, Special Education, Music etc.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents and students in this community
that were able to sell chocolates this year (or donate money instead), as many of the improvements that the Parent Advisory Council made this year would not be possible without your hard
work. We look forward to next year to see what can be accomplished!
I also wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to the Parent community to try and bring
some new people and fresh ideas to our Parent Advisory Council. The members work so very
hard to ensure that the children are able to enjoy many events throughout the year like Open
House BBQ, Literacy Nights, PRO Speakers, Santa Shop, Pancake Breakfast, Book Swap, Popsicle Days, and Pizza Days etc. Unfortunately this year we will be losing a few members, so we
will require some more people to help out next year. Whether you are able to commit your time
to hold an executive position (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer etc), commit to attend the monthly
meetings and have a voting position, or even just come out to the meetings you can attend, and
help out with the school functions. Any help is appreciated. It is also a great way to stay connected with the school, upcoming events, and lend your ideas.
If you are interested in more information regarding the Parent Advisory Council, please feel
free to contact me, and I can answer any questions you have, and can keep you informed of upcoming meetings and events.
Thanks,
Michelle Podnar
Parent Advisory Council Chair
smpodnar@gmail.com
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Are you moving?
Last Day of School
The last day of school for students will be:
If you are moving during the summer, please inform the
office so that you may acquire transfer papers. If the office
is already aware of your leaving, you will receive a transfer
form with your child‟s report card. If you move over the
course of the summer, or you will be on vacation when
school starts, please leave a message on the answering
machine at (905) 846-2086. The machine is checked regularly during the summer. Please provide the name of the
new school which your child will attend.
Friday, June 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Please find attached the school calendar for next year 2012
-2013. Keep this calendar for your records.
Lost and Found
Mr. Romanet will have the items from the lost and found
on display in the hallways of the school. Please have your
child look for any lost items. Any remaining items will be
donated to charity.
Share Life Fundraising
At Graduation we will present Fr. Maderak with a
cheque for $1000 for Share Life. Our Parent Council generously donated $750.
St. Leonard Talent Show 2012
St. Leonard‟s Annual Talent Show was another
great success! Thank you to all the participants
who helped make it possible. Thank you to Ms.
Troina, Mrs. Pelaccia, Mrs. DeMelo, Mrs. Loizzo
and Mrs. Tanner for organizing this wonderful showcase.
What a talented bunch!!!
Congratulations
Congratulations and best wishes to Mrs. Kretz.
Mrs. Kretz has decided to retire at this time. We
would like to extend our thanks to her for the many
years of teaching here at St. Leonard School. Best
wishes from the entire school community. Also
leaving us this year is Ms. Grimbly, Mme. Giannini
and Mrs. Edgar.
On behalf of the staff and students
we wish you a safe and restful
summer !!
See you in September
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First day of classes elementary and secondary schools
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Last day of classes Semester 1 Secondary (Semester Schools Only)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
First Day of classes Semester 2 Secondary (Semester Schools Only) Friday, February 1, 2013
School Year ends Elementary and Secondary Schools
Friday, June 28, 2013
Number of school days for the 2012 – 2013 school year
194
Number of Instructional Days in Elementary Schools
188
Number of Instructional Days in Secondary Schools
188
Number of Professional Activity Days in Elementary Schools
6
Number of Professional Activity Days in Secondary Schools
6
School Holidays for the 2012-2013 School Year
Every Saturday and Sunday
Labour Day
Monday, September 3, 2012
Thanksgiving Day
Monday, October 8, 2012
Christmas Break (inclusive)
Monday, December 24, 2012 to Friday, January 4, 2013
Family Day
Monday, February 18, 2013
Mid-Winter Break
Monday, March 11, 2013 to Friday, March 15, 2013 (inclusive)
Good Friday
Friday, March 29, 2013
Easter Monday
Monday, April 1, 2013
Victoria Day
Monday, May 20, 2013
Elementary Schools – Professional Activity Days
1. Friday, September 14, 2012 Principal’s Day: Re-organization/Faith Development/Prov. Priorities
2. Friday, November 16, 2012 Provincial Priorities and Faith Development
3. Monday, January 21, 2013 Term 1 Assessment and Evaluation of Pupil Progress
4. Friday, February 8, 2013 Reporting to Parents on Evaluation and Pupil Progress
5. Friday, May 3, 2013 Provincial Priorities and Faith Development
6. Friday, June 7, 2013 Term 2 Assessment and Evaluation of Pupil Progress
Secondary Schools – Professional Activity Days
1. Friday, September 14, 2012 Provincial Priorities and Faith Development
2. Friday, November 16, 2012 Provincial Priorities and Faith Development
3. Thursday, January 31, 2013 Principal’s Day: Semester Turnaround
4. Wednesday, June 26, 2013 *Principal’s Day: Year End Reporting and Activities
5. Thursday, June 27, 2013 *Principal’s Day: Year End Reporting and Activities
6. Friday, June 28, 2013 *Principal’s Day: Year End Reporting and Activities
*Semester and year end evaluations and school wide promotion meetings; contact parents with summer school recommendations, OSR and report card preparation; inventory management of books,
equipment, learning materials; curriculum development for new course outlines; goal setting for the
upcoming school year.
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