Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
De ce m b e r 2 0 1 5
Prayer for Advent
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
Parish
St. Marguerite d’Youville
(905) 792-7497
Advent - A Time of Hope
God of Hope You sent us Jesus, the Light of the World.
As we light our Advent candles one by one, a week at a time,
May we rekindle within ourselves
The desire to make peace with Him.
May the flame of His presence grow brighter and brighter
In our hearts, In our school, And in our world.
May the God of Hope fill us with joy and peace this Christmas
By the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Throughout the season of Advent we will have time to reflect, pray
and give thanks for our many blessings. Our community outreach
to support needy families in our community and globally, remind
us of how truly fortunate we are. As we await the coming of Jesus,
let us be reminded that Christ is at the heart of Christmas.
The Good Shepherd Catholic School community brings a message
of faith and hope to our world through generous donations of time,
food, clothing, and gifts for those who are in such need of hope.
May God bless each of you in our community; staff members,
students, parents, pastoral team, and trustee for being the hands of
Jesus for those in need. The staff of Good Shepherd Catholic
School wishes your family a blessed Advent and Christmas
season!
Pastor
Fr. Robert Mignella
December Virtue of the Month – Hope
Hope is the virtue of relying on God. It
keeps us searching for true happiness,
sustains us during hard times, and keeps us
from being discouraged.
People of Hope

Expect the best to happen for everyone

Hold on to their dreams

Always count on God to help them in tough
situations

Trust that things will work out in God’s
way.

Look for something good to come out of
problems
IMPORTANT DATES
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Nov. 29
Dec. 2, 9, 16
Dec. 7, 14
Dec. 4
Dec. 6
Dec. 10
Dec. 10
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Dec. 13
Dec. 18
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Dec. 20
Jan. 4
Jan. 14
First Sunday of Advent
Pizza Days
Sub Days
Santa Photos – 1 - 4
Second Sunday of Advent
Advent Mass – 9:30 at the school
Good Shepherd’s Live Nativity
6:30-8:00
Third Sunday of Advent
Last Day of School before
the Christmas Break
Fourth Sunday of Advent
First Day back from Christmas Break
Parent Information Night for Grade
5 – 8 Extended French @ St. Jean
Brebeuf 7 p.m.
Page 2 of 4
Good Shepherd’s Good News
Health and Hygiene
Safe Arrival
For safety reasons, it is very important to notify the school
if your child is going to be absent or late. Please call 905791-1039 and press 1 to leave a message if your child is
going to be absent or late.
Late Arrivals
We have noticed an increase in students arriving late.
With the colder weather and the increase in traffic in the
Kiss and Ride lanes please prepare to leave a little earlier
to get to school for the 8:45 start. Late students should be
checking into the office to obtain a late slip. We will
continue to monitor late arrivals and send communication
home regarding this should your child demonstrate
frequent late arrival to school.
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.
Some Key Differences Between Bullying and
Conflict (based on the work of Dan Olweus, 1993)
Region of Peel-Public Health: Conflict is Inevitable, Bullying is Not
Normal Conflict
Occasional
Not pre-planned, in the heat of
the moment
Genuine upset to both parties
Trying to work things out
Not trying to take something from
someone
Both parties admit some
responsibility
Effort to solve the problem by
both parties
Bullying Behaviour
Is a repeated happening
Premeditated, on purpose,
intentional, planned
Person being bullied is more upset
Trying to be the one in control
Want to take power or possessions
from someone
Blame is laid on the person who is
bullied
No effort to solve the problem by
the person bullying
Student Created Anti-Bullying Posters
Primary Poster
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Junior Poster
Please be aware that children who are unwell should
not be at school. If your child becomes ill during the
school day we will contact you, or your designated
caregiver, to pick up your child. We are not able to
care for sick children at school.
Winter Dress
Please ensure your children come to school prepared
to participate in all outdoor recess breaks. 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.
For health reasons and to help keep the school clean,
we ask all students to have indoor shoes. You may
also wish to pack a spare set of clothes, especially
socks, pants and gloves, in case your child becomes
wet during recess. This would allow them to change
into more comfortable clothes and eliminate the
need to disturb parents for new clothes.
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.
Student Council News
November has been a very busy month for Student
Council.
Student Council members prepared a
variety of activities for anti-bullying week, including
motivating students with daily inspirational quotes,
and encouraging students to participate in the
positive challenge of the day. Students were also
encouraged to stand-up against bullying, and bolster
someone else’s self-esteem, through the Positive
Paper Bag task, our Growing Together tree, and
classroom presentations.
Our anti-bullying symbol
class competition was also a success and we would
like to congratulate the winners from each division:
Ms. Centofanti’s class (Primary), Ms. Fernandez’ class
(Junior), and Mr. DiNatale’s class (Intermediate).
With the Christmas season fast approaching, we are
preparing for some Christmas spirit days. Stay tuned
for more information.
Newsletters/Correspondence by Email
82% of our families currently receive school
correspondence by email. Help us to become more
eco-friendly by providing us with an email address
that we can send school correspondence to. Please
complete the attached CASL form and return it to
school.
Intermediate Poster
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Good Shepherd’s Good News
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Extended French Program
The Extended French program starts in Grade 5. In the
program, 50% of the total instruction is in French. The
program includes studies in French language arts, social
studies, science, and one of either: visual arts, music,
drama or physical education. The program leads into
Extended French at the secondary school level, where
French language arts, geography, history and world
religions are offered.
Students in the Extended French program usually attain
a mid-range level of competency in the language. This
means that after at least 2,670 hours of French
instruction during his/her school career, the student
should be able to read newspapers and books, with the
occasional help of a dictionary, as well as watch and
understand radio and television news and other
programs. The student should also be able to participate
adequately in conversation, demonstrate knowledge of
the culture, society, customs, economy, government and
institutions of a French-speaking community and, after a
few months residence, and function quite well in a
French-speaking community.
ADVENT EVENTS at GOOD SHEPHERD
Advent is a time of reflecting and preparing for the
Christmas season. The Good Shepherd community is
hoping to make this holiday season memorable for
families in our community through the Helping Hands
Initiative through the parish. This year we are adopting
3 families at Good Shepherd. Information was
forwarded last week outlining the needs and seeking
donations. Our Helping Hands Program will run from
November 30th to December 14th.
Additionally, Pictures with Santa will take place on
December 4th from 1 – 4 for a minimum donation to
Helping Hands of $5:00.
Our Living Nativity event will take place on December
10th at 6:30. We will be collecting non-perishable goods
that evening.
Also on December 10th at 9:30 a.m. we will be
celebrating our Advent Mass, at school. Parents are
welcome to join us at mass.
In cases where the number of applications exceeds the
number of places available at a school, a lottery would
be held at a predetermined and advertised date, if
required. In all other cases, students will be placed in
the program, provided all required documentation is in
order.
Extended French Information Meeting
Grade 4 parents/guardians who wish to enroll their child
in a Grade 5 Extended French class for September 2016,
are invited to attend an information meeting at:
St. Jean Brebeuf
63 Glenforest Rd. Brampton
905-791-8529
Thursday, January 14th, 2016 @ 7:00 p.m.
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, February 16th,
2016 @ 3:00 p.m.
Support Catholic Education
Make Sure Your School Support Designation is English
Separate (Catholic) it’s a powerful message in support of
Catholic Education.
Even if you have been an English Separate School
supporter in the past, the designation DOES NOT follow
you when you relocate. Every time you move, it is
essential that you re-declare yourself as a Catholic
school supporter.
Kiss ’N’ Ride Update
With the weather getting colder and the snow coming soon,
it is apparent that more students are being driven to
school. With the additional vehicles using Kiss and Ride it
becomes imperative that parents have patience and follow
the expectations for all drivers. Parents are reminded that
unless you have parked in one of the spaces in our parking
lot, you should not be getting out of your vehicle and going
to drop off or pick up your child.
We are also reminding you that no vehicle should stop in
the drive through or bus lane to pick up or drop off their
children. This is very dangerous and blocks the lane for
those cars exiting. Teachers are on duty at the bus lane,
kiss and ride drop off lane and at the crosswalk to ensure
the safety of all our students. Pylons are placed to direct
the flow of traffic. Please respect the measures we have in
place in the interest of the safety of your children.
School Council News
Our Chocolate Fundraiser continues
until December 10, 2015. Proceeds
from the fundraiser will be used to
support new basketball nets, board
games and activities for cold winter days. Next council
meetings are Thursday, December 3, 2015 and February 11,
2016 at 6:00 pm.
Page 4 of 4
Good Shepherd’s Good News
Full-Day Kindergarten Registration for 2016-2017
Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for the 2016-2017
school year, will take place at Good Shepherd on:
Monday, January 25, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Friday, January 29, 2016
* Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
7
9
9
9
www.dpcdsb.org/gshep
Use of Personal Electronic Devices at School
Presentations
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.
For more information about registration and the Full-Day
Kindergarten program, call 905-791-1039, visit the board
website at www.dpcdsb.org, or call the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board at 905-890-1221.
Dufferin-Peel hosts Parent Evening to Support the
Transition of Students with Differing Abilities
(Special Needs) into Kindergarten
On Tuesday, January 12, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board’s Special Education and Support
Services Department will host a Kindergarten entry
planning information session for parents and guardians of
children with differing abilities which affect their
learning, such as vision, hearing, speech, autism,
physical/medical and/or developmental delays in the
cognitive and/or motor areas, who are entering
Kindergarten in September 2016. The meeting will be
held at the Catholic Education Centre from 7:00 p.m. –
8:30 p.m. For more information about this session, call
905-890-0708 ext. 24011.
WHAT:
Parent Evening to Support the Transition
of Children with
Differing Abilities into Kindergarten
WHEN:
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
*Snow Date: January 13, 2016
WHERE:
Catholic Education Centre – Room 301
(Third Floor)
40 Matheson Boulevard West,
Mississauga (Hurontario & Matheson)
For more information, parents/guardians should contact
their local Catholic school, visit the board website at
www.dpcdsb.org, or call the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board at 905-890-1221.
Our School Board Policy states that all PEDs are to be
turned off and not used within school premises or during
school-sanctioned activities. This would include the use
of cameras during school presentations. The taking of
photos and videos of individual students is considered to
be the collection of personal information under privacy
legislation. There are times during the year where we
may take photos/videos of students and school activities
for school and/or board promotional purposes e.g.
Newsletters. In such instances, where the end use of the
images and personal information collected is specific,
parental consent is obtained in writing.
When parents or visitors take photos/videos of students
during school performances, the personal information
(e.g., images, video) of students who are not their
children may be captured. In such cases, the school and
board have no control over the end use of those images
or personal information. Given the present digital and
social media age in which we live, we cannot put the
privacy of our students at such risk. It is for this reason
that the taking of photographs or videos during school
performances/activities will not be allowed. Where
possible, we will provide an opportunity for you to take
photos of your child only, either before or after the
performance. We thank you for your cooperation and
understanding in this matter.
Living Nativity
Blessing to take place at 6:30 with Fr. Robert Mignella
Please bring an unwrapped toy or non-perishable food
items in support of our Helping Hands Program.