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Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
F e br ua ry 2 0 1 6
Good Shepherd Elementary School
28 Red River Drive
Brampton ON, L6R 2H9
Phone: 905.791.1039
Fax: 905.791.9856
Principal
A. Brunette
Vice Principal
S. Chambers
Office Staff
N. Jacques
Superintendent of Schools
L. Storey
(905) 890-0708 ext. 24240
Trustee
S. Xaviour
Prayer for the Winter Season
There is a winter in all of our lives,
a chill and darkness that makes us yearn for days that have gone
or put our hope in days yet to be.
Father God, you created seasons for a purpose.
Winter, cold and bare as nature takes stock
rests, unwinds, sleeps until the time is right.
We need a winter in our lives, a time of rest, a time to stand still,
a time to reacquaint ourselves with the faith in which we live.
It is only then that we can draw strength from the one
in whom we are rooted. Amen.
It has been an unusually mild start to our year. Students have been kept in
several times not because of the frigid temperatures, but because of the rain!
We hope that these milder weather patterns will lead us into the season of
spring.
We continue to monitor the Kiss ‘n Ride area, and thank those parents who
are parking their cars in a designated space should they need to escort their
children to the yard. We continue to remind parents that the Kiss ‘n Ride
lane is not for parking and tickets can be issued for parked cars as it is a fire
route as well.
Many students are also continuing to arrive late. Please note that we have a
busy drop off area with many parents driving their children to school because
of the cold weather. Supervision is provided from 8:30 so please arrive
earlier to avoid the back up through the driveway.
Many exciting things are happening at Good Shepherd over the next few
months…read through this newsletter to find out all about them!!
Parish
St. Marguerite d’Youville
(905) 792-7497
Pastor
Fr. Robert Mignella
February Virtue of the Month – Respect
We all deserve to be shown courtesy,
consideration, sensitivity and thoughtfulness,
which are different ways of saying respect. That
respect should come first and foremost from
ourselves. We have to respect ourselves and then
we will be able to respect others. Through prayer
and concentration we can become better at
respecting ourselves as well as respecting those
around us.
A respectful person…
∙ Treats him/herself and everyone else with equal
consideration and courtesy
∙ Uses a positive tone of voice and body language
∙ Avoids swearing, name-calling, put-downs, and
inappropriate gestures
∙ Says “Excuse me”, “Please”, and “Pardon me”
∙ Avoids gossip
IMPORTANT DATES
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Feb. 1st – Black History Month Begins
Feb. 1st – Intermediate Speech Contest
Feb. 2nd – Report Cards sent home
Feb. 3rd – National Walk to School Day
Feb. 4th – Term 1 Interview Evening
Feb. 4th – National Sweater Day
Feb. 5th – P.A. Day – No School for students
Feb. 8th – Virtue Buddies Day
Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 – Pizza Days
Feb. 1, 8, 16, 22, 29 – Sub Days
Feb 10th – Ash Wednesday Service
Feb 11th – Future Steps Dancing Begins
Feb. 11th – School Council Meeting 6 p.m.
Feb. 15th – Family Day – No School
Feb 19th – Black History Presentation
Feb 24th – Nutrition Presentation
Feb. 27th – CWL Speech Contest @ d’Youville
Church
Mar. 1st – Lenten Mass 1 p.m.
Mar. 14- 18 – March Break
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Parking Lot Safety
Term 1 Report Cards
Term 1 Report Cards were sent home on Tuesday, February
2nd. Parent / student / teacher interviews were scheduled
for the evening of Thursday, February 4th, and during the day
on Friday, February 5th.
If you were unable to make your scheduled interview time
please contact your child’s teacher to arrange an alternate
time or a phone interview.
Cold Weather Recommendations
We continue to have concerns regarding safety in our
parking lot during the morning and afternoon pick
up/drop off times.
We ask for everyone’s
cooperation in the following:
 It is extremely dangerous to be crossing with your
child(ren) through the Drive Thru and Kiss ‘n Ride
Lanes.
We have a designated crosswalk for
crossing. Please walk down to this crosswalk so
that you can cross safely.
Even though the weather has been exceptionally good this
winter, there is always a possibility of cold weather. Please
ensure that your children are dressed warmly; wearing
insulated boots, winter weight coats, mittens, hats, neck
warmers etc. Students will have recesses outdoors with the
following exceptions only. Outdoor recess time will be
reduced when the temperature is between -20 and -25
degrees Celsius, with or without wind chill and children will
be kept indoors when the temperature is -25 degrees Celsius
or colder, with or with-out wind chill.
 Children should not be exiting a car directly into
the Drive Thru lane. In order to be safe they
should exit from the passenger side of the car onto
the school sidewalk.
Bus Cancellations and/or School Closures
We thank you for your continued cooperation in
helping us to keep everyone safe.
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.
Please continue to check www.stopr.ca for cancellations
and delays as needed.
REMINDER
Monday, February 15th is Family
Day and schools are closed. Hope
you enjoy this special day with
your children!
 Please do not stop your car by the garbage
dumpster to either pick up or drop off your child.
You may need to wait briefly until you can move
your car all the way up into the Kiss ‘n Ride Lane.
This will help us to keep the Kiss ‘n Ride moving
smoothly.
School Council News
Next council meeting is February 11th at 6:00 pm.
Peel Police officer Joy Brown will be presenting on
the topic of School Safety. All are welcome.
National Walk to School Day
On Wednesday February 3rd a number of students and
parents participated in the National Walk to School
Day. Thank you to all those who took part and to the
Peel Police officers who escorted us from
Chinguacousy Wellness Centre. Remember, stay
active and stay healthy.
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
Public Speaking
The Public Speaking contest for the grade 7 and 8
students took place on Feb. 1st. Congratulations to
Destiny C and Kaitlyn C. who will be representing our
school at the Catholic Women’s League competition on
Saturday, February 27th, 2016 at St. Marguerite
d’Youville church.
Student Council News
Hey Good Shepherd! This is your Student Council here.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we have planned Candy
Gram sales for Valentine’s Day. Beginning February 8 th.
Students can purchase candy grams for their special
friends and they can leave a loving message for them
too! Each Candy Gram is $.50, so remember to bring it
in! Candy gram sales will end on February 11th and will
be handed out on the 12th. Proceeds from the sales will
go towards school activities. Don’t forget to place your
order before it’s too late.
Along with the Candy Gram sales there is a Valentine’s
Spirit Week starting February 8th until February 12th. The
days are as follows:
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Black History Month
Dufferin-Peel Catholic Schools have a long tradition of
observing Black History Month. Teachers have highlighted
this theme within their curriculum programs as an
opportunity to develop a greater awareness and
understanding of the many significant contributions of
Black Canadians to our nation. To help promote this event
in our school, our students will be engaged in various
activities and discussions about different leaders who
have inspired others, have been role models, and have
made a positive difference during their lives. These
activities will take place in different classrooms, and on
the morning announcements.
Flex Boundary Requests
Parents who are requesting consideration for flex
boundary are asked to write a letter expressing this
request and submit it to the office by March 31st. Flex
boundary for FDK will not be considered until August
2016. As a result you must register at your home school.
Mon. Feb. 8th
-Poem Contest. Write a love themed
poem. Due Feb 11.
Tue. Feb. 9th -Wear pink, red and white colours.
Wed. Feb. 10th -Show your favourite team love -Wear your favourtie sports team jersey
Thurs. Feb. 11th -Wear your Valentine’s accessories!
Fri. Feb 12th
-Act of Kindness day/Candy Grams
Happy Valentine’s Day from Student Council
Year of Mercy Campaign for Dr. Simone’s Silent
Children’s Mission
Silent Children’s Mission is a mission to relieve the
suffering and neglect of those who do not have a voice –
especially women, children and their families. The goal
is to let the poorest of the poor know someone cares –
that God has not forgotten them but loves them. Silent
Children’s Mission provides basic needs, education,
health care, spiritual care and counselling so they can
live a life of dignity and have the opportunity to develop
their soul.
From February 8 – 24th, as part of Good Shepherd’s
Lenten mission, we will by collecting the following items
for students in Malawi Africa. Pencil Cases, Pencils,
Pencil Crayons, Pens, Markers, Vaseline, Granola
bars and Hard Candy
A letter will be going home with more details.
“God is so merciful toward us. We too should learn to
be merciful…” – Pope Francis
Grade 3 AND 6 Provincial Assessment Of Reading,
Writing and Mathematics
All grade 3 and 6 students in Ontario will again be
participating
in
the
Educational
Quality
and
Accountability Office (EQAO) Provincial Assessments
scheduled to take place from May 25 to June 8, 2016.
We would ask that if possible, please try to avoid booking
appointments or vacations for your grade 3 and 6 children
during this assessment period.
2015-16 School Year Calendar
Additional Professional Activity Day: Monday, April
11, 2016
Terms of the recent contract settlement between the
teacher federations and the Ministry of Education
included the provision of an additional Professional
Activity Day for the 2015-2016 school year for both
elementary and secondary schools. Recently, boards were
directed to schedule this additional Professional
Development Day on or before April 15, 2016.
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the
designated additional Professional Activity Day has
been scheduled for Monday, April 11, 2016.
Therefore, there will be no classes for either
elementary or secondary students on Monday, April 11,
2016.
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Ash Wednesday
Presentations
will
be g4 There will ESL Programs for Adults
Wednesday,
February 10, is Ash
Wednesday.
be a liturgy for the students at the school.
Ashes
will be
DPCDSB
offers
a variety of ESL, Citizenship and CO-OP
Good
Shepherd’s
Good
News
distributed to students. The liturgy will take place at
Programs for Adults throughout Mississauga and Brampton.
approximately 1:00 p.m. As always parents, family and
Registration is ongoing for many of our programs. Please
friends are invited to join us.
see our Winter Flyer posted on the board website at
http://dpcdsb.org or call at 905-891-9263.
Preparing for Lent
Lent is a season of turning to God in simplicity and
sincerity as we prepare to celebrate the joy of Easter.
Our hearts feel heavy as we remember our sins, but we
are also confident in God’s mercy and forgiveness.
The three great Lenten practices are prayer, fasting and
alms-giving (giving money or other help to the needy).
Doing these three things will help us to keep Lent as a
holy season. In our prayers this Lenten Season, let us be
open to God’s kindness as we promise to pray with more
love, avoid treats and make a contribution to a
charitable organization, such as Share Life.
General Interest Courses for Adults
Discover a new talent, explore a new interest, put a hop in
your dance step, come and join us. Various General
interest courses are available…visit the board website at
http://dpcdsb.org and click on the “Adult and Continuing
Education” Link for Winter Programs.
LENTEN PRAYER
Lord God,
In this Lenten season of growth
Teach us humility
And help our love to grow.
May our faith grow stronger
And our selfishness weaker.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Online Reporting Tool
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School board has
developed a new way to help nurture a safe, caring and
inclusive school environment. The Online Reporting Tool is
intended for students in grades 3 – 8 who become aware of
bullying incidents and negative behaviours. The student
can simply ‘click’ on the link found on our school’s website
to fill out the report. The report will then be directly
emailed to the principal and/or vice principal and will be
dealt with accordingly.
It is important to recognize that the Online Reporting Tool
is an alternate reporting option. It is best practice to
speak directly with a responsible adult at home and/or in
the school.
Student Pick Up
Parents please be on time to pick your child up at the end
of the day. Dismissal time is 3:15 p.m. Please remember
we do not have supervision for your child after these times.
We want to ensure that your child is safe at all times.
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