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Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Ja n u ary 2 0 1 4
Good Shepherd Elementary School
28 Red River Drive
Brampton ON, L6R 2H9
Phone: 905.791.1039
Fax: 905.791.9856
Prayer for the New Year
Give us the kindness to hear with compassion,
to offer support, loving comfort and care.
Give us the courage to do what is needed, the wisdom to
choose what is right and most fair.
Give us the vision to see what is possible.
Give us the faith that we will pave the way for a present
that’s hopeful, a future that’s peaceful.
Give us the hearing to bring joy to each day.
Amen
Principal
A. Brunette
Vice Principal
M. Daddabbo
Office Staff
N. Jacques
D. Canal
Superintendent of Schools
L. Storey
(905) 890-0708 ext. 24240
Trustee
S. McLauchlan
Parish
St. Marguerite d’Youville
(905) 792-7497
On behalf of the Good Shepherd staff, Happy New Year and welcome back!
I hope everyone had a safe and restful Christmas break. We welcome back
Mrs. Gabil to the grade 4 class and wish Ms. De Buono well in her new
placement. Once again, the Helping Hands baskets, delivered to needy
families in our parish, were over-flowing with goodies and gifts, a testimony
to our generous community. We raised approximately $1400 that was used
to provide gifts and food to 5 families in our parish.
January is the time that we settle into the winter term and look forward to
the many exciting things that the remainder of the school year brings. Our
grade 2 and grade 8 students are continuing preparations to receive the
sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation—please keep them in
your prayers.
We wish everyone health and happiness for 2014! May we continue to
strive to make every day in our lives as beautiful and meaningful as
Christmas Day!
Pastor
Father R. Tolentino
January Virtue of the Month – Self-Control
God wants us to do what we know and feel is
right.
A person with self-control …
• Is patient
• Knows how to wait his/her turn
• Can calm him/herself down and think
before reacting to situations
• Knows how to avoid physical aggression
• Can think things through
Self-Control helps us to resist the temptation
to do something that we will regret. It also
helps us to resist the temptation to do
something that will harm ourselves or others.
Each time we exercise self-control we grow
stronger in the Lord and invite peace to settle
in our lives.
IMPORTANT DATES
 Jan. 15, 22, 29th – Pizza Days
 Jan. 27 – Sub Day
 Jan. 31st – Milk and Cookies starts again
 Jan. 17th – Author Mike Wade
 Jan. 20th – No School for students
 Jan. 27th – Family Literacy Day
 Jan. 27th – Kindergarten registration night
 Jan. 28th – Grad Photos
 Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26th – Pizza Days
 Feb. 3, 10, 24th – Sub Days
 Feb. 4th – “Hoza” – School Presentation
 Feb. 4th – Report Cards sent home
 Feb. 6th – Term 1 Interview Evening
 Feb. 27th – School Council Meeting 7:00 pm
 March 5, 19, 26th – Pizza Days
 March 3rd – Sub Days
 Mar. 5th – Ash Wednesday
 Mar. 7th – PD Day – No school for students
 Mar. 10-14th – March Break
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2014-15
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2014-15
school year, will take place at Good Shepherd on the
following days:
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
7
9
9
9
p.m. - 9 p.m.*
a.m. – 3 p.m.
a.m. – 3 p.m.
a.m. – 3 p.m.
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Registration packages will be available for pick up
beginning January 13th.
For more information about registration and the Full-Day
Kindergarten program, call 905-791-1039 or visit
www.dpcdsb.org.
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their child in
a Grade 5 Extended French class for September 2014, are
invited to attend an information meeting at:
St. Jean Brebeuf
63 Glenforest Rd. Brampton
Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m.
The deadline for applications is Wednesday, February 12 th,
2014 @ 3:00 p.m.
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Winter Dress
All children should have hats, scarves, gloves, warm
coats and boots, labeled with their name (and send
extras too!). This will enable them to enjoy a fresh
breath of air at recess time! Students who wish to
play in the snow MUST have snow pants.
Let it Snow!!
Snow is always an attraction on the yard. We expect
that students will build and play in the snow and
enjoy our Canadian weather. Students are reminded
of our school rules surrounding snow. Throwing of
snow is not allowed for any reason. Snow is to
remain on the ground at all times.
School Driveway/Kiss & Ride Lanes
We respectfully ask that drivers refrain from stopping
or parking in the drive – thru or Kiss & Ride lanes at
the side of the school. This area is a FIRE ROUTE and
fines for a violation are high. Stopped or parked cars
also create a safety hazard for your children.
Please note students should never be dropped off in
the bus lane and at no time should cars be left in the
bus zone at the front of the school. Cars can be
ticketed here as it is a fire lane.
All students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. or 12:30
p.m. must obtain a Late Slip from the office.
Students With Special Needs - FDK
There
will
be
an
information
session
for
parent(s)/guardian(s) of children with special needs
including vision, hearing, autism, physical/medical and/or
developmental delays who are transitioning to Full Day
Kindergarten in September 2014. The information session
will be held at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board -- Catholic Education Centre, Room 301 on January
22, 2014, from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Snow date Thursday,
February 6, 2014.
Bus Cancellations and/or School Closures
During the winter months inclement weather may cause
disruption of bus transportation and regular school
operations. 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 stations:
VIRGIN RADIO 99.9
CHUM 1050
CFTR 680
CFNY 102.1
CJCL 590
CHFI 98.1
CFRB 1010
EZ ROCK 97.3
CJBC (FR) 860
Z103.5
93.1 FM
CFTO
CITYPULSE
GLOBAL NEWS
CBC
CHIN100.7
FM/1540 AM
Information is also available on the board website.
If an announcement is made that buses are cancelled in
“Dufferin County” only – this does not include our school
and buses will run as scheduled.
Please continue to check www.stopr.ca for cancellations
and delays as needed.
Family Literacy Day – January 27th
Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative
created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held
annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the
importance of reading and engaging in other literacyrelated activities as a family.
Taking time every day to read or do a learning
activity with children is crucial to a child’s
development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve
a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a
parent improve their skills as well. Please visit
http://abclifeliteracy.ca/fld/family-literacy-day for
more information.
More information on school
happening on this day will follow.
based
activities
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
Term 1 Report Cards
Please be reminded that a Term 1 Report Card will be
sent home on Tuesday, February 4th. Parent / student /
teacher interviews will be scheduled for the evening of
Thursday, February 6th.
Parents will receive interview scheduling forms to
request interview times. Please be aware, there will not
be report cards for junior and senior kindergarten
students, however interviews will be available for the
parents of kindergarten students.
Scholastic Book Fair
Mrs. McLoughlin is happy to offer the opportunity to
purchase books from the Scholastic Book Fair during the
week of February 3-7th.
Classes will have the
opportunity to browse and to purchase throughout the
week. The book fair will also be open on the evening of
February 6th during parent interviews.
No Food For Any Occasions – School Policy
We are asking parents/guardians to ensure that their
children eat only the food they bring from home (and
not share food), and that they do not send or bring
food to school for other children to celebrate birthdays
and other festivities. When food is sent to school, it can
be disruptive to learning and may be shared without the
knowledge and/or consent of other parents, which is
problematic in that it may not always be nutritious and
because classmates may have potentially lifethreatening allergies.
Nevertheless, the school also recognizes that food is
socially important, and an integral aspect of our Faith.
With this in mind, a number of school-sponsored events
which include food will continue, (such as Pizza Days,
sub days, milk and cookies etc.) however the school /
School Council will ensure the highest possible standards
of preparation and safety.
School Council News
Next council meeting is February 27th at 7:00 pm.
Mr. Sub forms will be sent home during the week of
January 20th to begin on January 27th. Thank you for
your support.
Sports
The intermediate girls’ and boys’ basketball teams will
compete in their tournaments soon. Stay tuned for
updates. Intramurals will also begin soon.
Our Catholic School Heritage:
A Historical
Understanding of Key Issues Related to Catholic Education
Has the Ontario government always supported separate
schools?
Yes, as did its predecessor, the United Legislature of Canada East
(now Quebec) and Canada West (now Ontario) during its total life
from 1841 to 1867. One of the first pieces of legislation it passed in
1841 was the Common School Act, with a separate school clause.
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
The Return of QMack
QMack will make a return appearance to Good Shepherd
on March 31st to continue his message on “Increasing the
Peace”. That same evening, parents will be afforded the
opportunity to hear QMack speak and perform in his
unique way. We invite you to join us for this special
presentation – March 31st at 7:00 pm. www.qmack.com
Edge Program at St. Marguerite D’Youville Parish
The EDGE is a Catholic youth ministry experience created
for early adolescents in grades six, seven, and eight. The
EDGE is designed to meet the educational, spiritual,
emotional, and social needs of young adolescents. Kids
are always welcomed and encouraged to bring their
friends to The EDGE. As a Catholic Community, they are
going to give our middle school youth The EDGE they need
in life: Jesus, The Word, The Eucharist, and the Church!
New program starting Friday nights soon. Contact St.
Marguerite D’Youville Parish if you are interested.
DP Catholic Institute for International Education
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.
Internationally recognized for excellence in education.
One of the truly defining characteristics of a DufferinPeel 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, on the north
shore of Lake Ontario, and less than a 90 minute drive to
Niagara Falls and the U.S. border, Dufferin-Peel is home
to 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 kilometre 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
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Late Arrivals
We have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of students arriving late for school. School begins at
8:45. Students should be entering with their class lines. Please visit the school website to read some
suggestions for promoting responsibility in this area, under the “News” tab.
The Wellness Committee
STAYING HEALTHY
The best ways to reduce the risk of becoming ill or spreading flu viruses include:
• Wash your hands frequently: Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Practise good hygiene: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw
the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or
elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are spread this way.
• Stay Healthy: Eat healthy foods, stay physically active and get adequate rest to keep your immune
system strong. [Also, no sharing food].
• Monitor your health: If you develop flu-like symptoms (fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, shortness
of breath), stay home from school or work and limit your contact with others while you are sick.
Parents may want to consider contacting their doctor or call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 if your
symptoms get worse.