25 Mountainberry Rd, Brampton, ON L6R IJ3
Phone: (905) 789-1741 Fax: (905) 789-1958
“Achieving, Believing & Caring”
Principal: K. Dolan
Vice Principal: S. Chambers
Secretary: P. Tomei
http://www.dpcdsb.org/FCTIP
St. Marguerite D’Youville Parish
(905) 792-7497
Pastor: Fr. R. Mignella
Associates: Fr. B. Alphonsus/Fr. R. Tolentino
http://dyouvilleparish.ca/contact/
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
(905) 890-1221
Trustee: S. McLauchlan
Superintendent: L. Storey
http://www.dpcdsb.org/
PRAYER FOR GIVING THANKS
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
O, heavenly Father,
You have once more brought the year full circle,
through planting and growing and ripening
to harvest time, and autumn.
Help us to see,
in the marvelous succession of seasons,
and in the growth and ripening of our crops,
the merciful, generous hand of Your divine providence.
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the
wonderful things we have in our lives. Let us take this time
to be thankful for our children, our families, our local
community and the peace and harmony we enjoy in our
country. It is in these things that God’s graces are often
revealed. On behalf of the staff of Father Clair Tipping
Catholic School, we hope you have a wonderful
Thanksgiving!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those
parents who were able to take the time to come out to the
school for our Barbeque/Open House in September. This
sends an important message to all children about how
important school and education means to you. Here at
Father Clair Tipping Catholic School, we are always
trying to find ways of further strengthening the important
relationship between the home, parish and the school.
Ongoing and open communication is essential to the
success of your child.
May God Bless you and your family this Thanksgiving
weekend!
We thank you for food and remember the hungry.
We thank you for health and remember the sick.
We thank you for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank you for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service,
so that Your gifts to us may be used for others.
Amen.
K. Dolan - Principal
Inside this Edition
Virtue of the Month - Empathy
FCT Catholic School Council Members
School Safety and Security
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Please support our Thanksgiving Food Drive
October 6 -17, 2014
Students and families are invited to bring non-perishable food items. Items will be donated to
the Knight’s Table in Brampton to help those in need in our community.
Achieving, Believing & Caring
September – A month in review
Thanksgiving Food Drive
The month of September was a very busy and exciting
time for our students and staff at Father Clair Tipping. We
celebrated our Opening Mass with our new pastor Father
Mignella on September 22nd. Our students took part in our
annual Terry Fox Run to support cancer research on
September 26th. Our bus patrollers received their training
at Peel Safety Village on October 2nd to ensure that our
students stay safe as they travel to and from school each
day. We also had our Open House/Barbeque which was
very well attended and our Scholastic Book Fair in
September! These are just a few of the highlights of the
many activities that took place during our opening month
of school here at Father Clair Tipping!
Father Clair Tipping School is holding its annual food
drive from October 6th-17th. Thanksgiving is a very special
time of the year when we as a school community collect
non-perishable food items to help those who are in need in
our own local community. We will be collecting these
items over the next week. Please be generous with your
donation of canned/dried goods and soaps/general hygiene
products. All donations will be sent to the Knight’s Table
in Brampton.
Adjusting to the daily routine of setting time aside to
complete assigned work has nudged out the carefree days
of summer. Students should be tracking their work daily
in their agendas. Parents are reminded to please check the
agenda daily for important information from their child’s
classroom teacher. During our professional activity day,
staff were involved in faith development and setting goals
and expectations for this school year. At our first Catholic
School Council meeting on October 1st the school council
brought closure to last year, elected a new council for the
2014-15 school year and looked towards setting another
active agenda for this upcoming school year.
Thank you to Mrs. Gordon for all of your hard work in
chairing our Catholic School Council last year and a
warm welcome to Mr. Rowe and Mrs. Britton our new
council co-chairs for the 2014-2015 school year!
Virtue of the Month - Empathy
The Virtue that we will be focusing on for the month of
October is empathy. We understand empathy to mean the
ability to identify with and feel other people’s concern. An
empathetic person believes that we all share one Spirit; that
we are many parts of one body because we are all created
in the image and likeness of God.
An empathetic person:
Listens attentively & watches people’s body language
Notices and responds when someone is upset
Can name her/his feelings
Can see a situation from a different point of view
Knows that different people may feel differently about
the same thing.
Opening Mass
Our opening school mass was held on
Thursday, September 22nd. Our celebrant
was Fr. Robert Mignella. It truly was a
special celebration shared by our students,
staff and parents who attended. A special
thank-you to our school liturgical team (Mrs. Skrak) who
organized our mass with our Parish Pastoral Team, our
school choir under the direction of Mrs. Grabowski, our
altar servers, readers and technical support.
Terry Fox Walk
A big thank you to parents, students and
staff for your active involvement in
making our Terry Fox fundraising
effort on, September 26th such a great
success! We are thrilled with the
response of our community to such a
worthwhile event. It was truly an
inspirational day for all as we joined together as a school
community to support this very worthy cause in the fight
against cancer.
WORLD TEACHER DAY – OCTOBER 5, 2014
Over 100 countries around the world celebrated United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) World Teacher’s Day. The Board of Trustees
for Dufferin-Peel resolved the following: “Our board is
proud to recognize the professionalism and dedication
that our teachers show in their classrooms,” says Mario
Pascucci, chair of the board of trustees. “We encourage
all our students and school community to thank our
teachers for the extraordinary contributions they make to
the development and success of our students.”
“Teachers have an incredibly important role in our
communities,” said John Kostoff, director of education.
“Most of us can point to a teacher who has influenced us
in a very positive way. The contributions that our teachers
and Catholic educational teams make in preparing our
students to become successful in their future careers, as
well as good citizens, should be recognized and
celebrated.”
Special thanks to the teaching and support staff at
Father Clair Tipping for your on-going commitment
to student learning and student achievement. You
truly make a difference in the lives of our children.
Achieving, Believing & Caring
2
Book Fair Update
School Hours and Supervision
Thank you to all parents and students who
helped make our book fair a great success.
The school raised $1,871.39 in net profits
for the Book Fair. This money will be used to purchase
additional books and supplies for the library. Your
generosity and support will also help purchase many
needed resources for our school. A special thank you to
all those who donated their time to help organize and run
this most worthwhile event.
Supervision in the school yard begins at 8:15 a.m. Please
do not drop your children off at school prior to that time as
they will not be supervised. The school day ends at 3:00
p.m. Parents are asked to ensure that arrangements are
made for their children to leave school at 3:00 p.m.
Students are not supervised after 3:00 p.m. unless they are
involved in a planned supervised activity that has parental
permission. Please do not rely on the school to supervise
children after 3:00 p.m. The doors of Father Clair Tipping
are open to parents who wish to visit or confer with staff,
however, an appointment is necessary, as the classroom
teacher’s first responsibility is teaching the class during
regular school hours. Please report to the office upon
entering the school. Thank you for your support in keeping
classroom interruptions to a minimum and maintaining a
safe environment for our students
C. Di Federico
Teacher/Librarian
FCT School Council
Thank you to all the members of the 2013-2014 School
Council. Your hard work and dedication to Father Clair
Tipping Catholic School was truly appreciated by all the
staff and students.
Our first Catholic School Council meeting for this school
year was held on Wednesday, October 1st at 7:00 p.m. in
the school library. Congratulations go out to the following
elected School Council Members for the 2014-2015 school
year:
Co-Chairs
Treasurer
Secretary
Parent Representatives
Staff Representatives
Vice Principal
Principal
E. Britton/R. Rowe
K. Lake
M. DaFonte
G. Miranda
J. Gordon
Z. Dosanjh
M. McKnight, R. Munroe,
S. Menezes
S. Chambers
K. Dolan
Our Next Catholic School Council Meeting is Monday,
November 3rd, 2014 @ 7:00 pm in the school library.
Future meeting dates for the school year will be posted on
our school web site. All meetings begin promptly at 7:00
p.m. and end at approximately 8:30 p.m. Please come out
to help make Father Clair Tipping School the very best it
can be for all the children.
Peel Police Partnerships with FCT School
We are very pleased to once again partner with Peel
police to support our safe school’s initiatives. Our
educational officer will be coming to our school to
continue to present on various topics such as cyberbullying, bullying, street-proofing, etc. Once these dates
and presentations have been established we will notify our
school community.
Tips to Prevent Cyberbullying
Today, students have access to a variety of digital devices
such as cell phones, computers and iPads where they can
access instant messaging, chat rooms, video games, social
networking places such as email, My Space, Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook. Parents and educators have a
responsibility to ensure that students use this form of
communication in a safe and responsible manner.
Cyberbullying is the practice of posting or sending
harmful images or electronic text via the Internet or other
digital communication tools. The following are some tips
to help keep your kids safe.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Tell your children to never pass along harmful or
cruel messages or images.
Never post or share your personal information
online (this includes your full name, address,
telephone number, school name, parents’ names,
or Social Security number) or your friends’
personal information.
Train your child to delete suspicious email
messages without opening them.
Teach your child how to use technology to block
communication with cyberbullies.
Speak to your child about the importance of
telling a parent or trusted adult about any
cyberbullying they’re witness to.
At home, supervise and monitor your child’s
time online. Putting the computer in a common
area, such as the kitchen, is a good idea.
Communicate with your child’s school if any
bullying issues are brought back to the school
environment.
For More information Contact:
www.canadiansafeschools.com
O
Achieving, Believing & Caring
3
Safe Schools: School Security
Indoor Shoes/Extra Clothing
As many of you are already aware, a security camera and
buzzer system have been installed at the front entrance to
our school. Parents/visitors are expected to press the
button on this system and identify themselves by name
and also include their child’s name and reason for their
visit prior to entry into our school. Please continue to be
patient as staff in the office will attend to the door
monitor as soon as possible. There may be a delay in
answering the door as our first priority is students in our
school office. We have asked our students if they see
adults at the front door NOT to open it. Please do not
knock on the door and call students to open the door for
you as this defeats the purpose of our system. Also, once
parents have entered the front door of the school they
MUST report to the office immediately. Parents/visitors
are NOT permitted to walk down the hall to their child’s
classroom. If you wish to speak to your child please come
to the office and office staff will arrange to accommodate
your request. For parents who are dropping off lunches,
there is a lunch table set up in the front hallway for
lunches for grades 1-8 and also a separate table for
lunches for our Kindergarten students. Kindergarten
parents are not permitted to deliver lunches to their
child’s classroom to ensure the safety and security of our
students.
With the arrival of colder weather, and increased
precipitation, we would like to ensure all students are dry
and comfortable when indoors. We ask that you ensure
your child has a pair of shoes that he/she wears only when
indoors at school. We also suggest to have your child
keep a change of clothing at school, including extra socks
and mittens. Be sure such clothing is labeled and easily
identified by your child.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY GUIDELINES
School Halloween celebrations will be organized by
classroom teachers and will take place at the school on
Friday, October 31st. Students are encouraged to select
costumes that are in good taste, bearing in mind our
Catholic setting. In keeping with our School & Board
Catholic Code of Conduct Guidelines, we ask that
parent/students follow these guidelines for appropriate
dress and safety:



No masks
No replicas of weapon or artifacts of a violent nature
(e.g. toy guns, toy swords, toy knives, etc.)
No costumes and/or attire that would be considered
demeaning or offensive to others
We ask that you follow our school guidelines for NOT
sending any products with peanut/nut products and to
follow any information from your child(s) classroom
teacher regarding specific food allergies (no home
baked items). We encourage parents to send in nonfood items such as pencils, stickers, etc. If you have any
questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or
the school office.
Attendance and Punctuality
The Ministry of Education states that it is the
responsibility of each parent to ensure that his/her child
be in attendance and at scheduled activities on time and
with the proper materials required for full participation.
At Father Clair Tipping Catholic School, we teach
children to be on time for their scheduled classes. Regular
and punctual attendance on the part of the student is vital
to the process of learning. Students who are habitually
late or absent for class will miss essential parts of the
program. Also, when a child is late, the entire class is
disrupted and the program is affected for all. It is essential
that your child be punctual in order to achieve maximum
success. Please reinforce the importance of promptness
with your child. Should your child have a legitimate
reason to be late or absent at any time, please provide
them with a written note to assist us in appropriate followup. Frequent late arrivals or absences without appropriate
reason from parents/guidance will result in letters home,
and if necessary an attendance conference. If your child
will be late or absent from school, it is very important that
you notify the school before 8:30 a.m. by leaving a voice
mail message on the attendance line at 905-789-1741 and
pressing 1.You should speak clearly and leave the
students FIRST and LAST NAME, the teacher's Name,
and the reason for the absence or lateness. Thank you.
Leaving At Lunchtime
Parents/Guardians please be advised that ALL students
must have written permission from a parent/guardian to
leave the school at lunch. Verbal permission (over the
phone) will not be accepted. A signed and dated note with
a parent/guardian signature is required for each
occurrence. The note must come to the office and students
are required to sign out and to sign back in when they
return for afternoon classes.
Epi-Pens/Medication
Just a reminder that if your child requires an epi-pen due
to various allergies, we must have his/her epi-pen at the
school. Please check before sending that the epi-pen has
not expired or a replacement will be required. Also,
students are not to have any form of medication on them
at the school. If your child requires medication you must
inform the principal and have it stored in the school
office. Thank you.
Achieving, Believing & Caring
4
School Driveway/Kiss N’ Ride Safety
EQAO Testing Results
We respectfully ask once again that drivers refrain from
stopping or parking in the bus lane at the front of the
school. This area is a Fire Route and fines for a violation
are high. Also, parents are asked NOT to park in our
Kiss N’ Ride lane next to our Kindergarten yard as this
stops traffic from moving and is a danger to the safety of
our students. Please note that students are to exit their
parent’s vehicle on the passenger’s side (right side) of
the car NOT the driver’s side. The driver’s side is
directly next to our drive thru lane and it is extremely
unsafe for children to exit on this side of your vehicle.
Results from last year’s EQAO testing have been
provided to the school. Individual student results for all
students in Grade 3 and 6 have been sent home to parents.
At Father Clair Tipping we continue to address academic
gaps and strive towards improving student achievement
and success this year. School staff are in the process of
putting together our school plan to address achievement
gaps. Further information regarding our school plan will
be shared in November.
Lastly, parents are asked to take caution when picking up
and dropping off their child in the Kiss N’ Ride lane.
Please Do NOT speed through this area and please
obey the Stop Sign at the Crosswalk as students use
this area to walk to school. School staff will continue to
monitor this area and remind parents to follow these very
important rules.
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) prohibits the
sending of commercial messages, including e-mails and
other forms of digital messaging if the electronic message
encourages participation in a commercial activity, unless
the sender has received the recipient’s consent prior to
sending the message.
We at Father Clair Tipping require your consent to send
any electronic messages which promote, advertise or offer
for sale goods and services. We have sent home a consent
form for you to sign to give your consent to receive
electronic communications, which may contain
commercial electronic messages, as described above. If
you did not receive this form and would like to fill one in
please notify the school office. Thank you.
HOT LUNCH MONDAYS HAVE
STARTED! PIZZA DAY FRIDAYS
AND POPCORN THURSDAYS ARE
COMING SOON!
MORE INFO. TO FOLLOW.
READING
Level 3&4
WRITING
Level 3&4
MATH
Level 3&4
FCT
61
76
54
BOARD
73
83
67
PROVINCE
70
78
67
FCT
83
80
51
BOARD
82
82
57
PROVINCE
79
78
54
GRADE 3
GRADE 6
Progress Report Cards
Progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday,
November 11th. The progress report card provides initial
information, early in the school year about a student’s
progress. It is designed to show a student’s development
of the learning skills and work habits, as well as a
student’s general progress in working towards the
achievement of the curriculum expectations. For these
reasons, the November progress report does not include
marks. The evening of November 13th, 2014 will be
designated for parent/teacher interviews if requested.
*Please note that students in FDK do not receive a
Progress Report in November.
Achieving, Believing & Caring
5
DATES TO REMEMBER:
OCTOBER
Oct 8
Oct 9
Oct 13
Oct 16
Oct 23
Oct 29
Oct 30
Oct 31
Grade 8 Confirmation Retreat at St. Marguerite
d’ Youville Parish
Junior Volleyball Tournament @ FCT
Board Catholic School Council Mtg @ St.
Francis Xavier Secondary School @ 6:30 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day – No school
Korean Teachers to visit FCT!
Region of Peel Immunization Clinic – Grade
7’s & Grade 8 girls
Commissioning Ceremony for student Youth
Faith Ambassadors at d’Youville Parish
Picture re-take day for students
St. Thomas Aquinas Arts Presentation to
Grade 8 students
Halloween Dance-A-Thon – collect donations
from family and friends to support our school
initiatives and families in need at Christmas.
HALLOWEEN DANCE-A-THON!!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Our School Council is hosting a “Halloween
Dance-A-Thon!” Students are invited to wear
their costumes and have fun dancing to great
tunes!
Students will be asked to collect pledges from
family members and friends to support our
Catholic School Council fundraising objectives
for this school year and also to help support the
needy families at Christmas Time for the Helping
Hands Program with St. Marguerite d’Youville
Parish!
NOVEMBER
Nov 1
Nov 2
Nov 3
Nov 5-7
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 14
All Saints Day
All Souls Day
School Council Meeting – 7:00 p.m.
Camp Muskoka Trip – Grades 7 & 8
Progress Report Cards sent home
Interview Evening for parents (optional)
PA Day – Provincial Priorities
Achieving, Believing & Caring
6