121 Royal Orchard Drive (905) 454 - 4458 Principal Vice Principal Superintendent Trustee S. Mifsud S. Steer L. Zanella Brampton, Ontario L6X 4K9 FAX (905) 454 - 0360 Secretary Parish Pastor Associate Pastor N. Eisan St. Anne Church Fr. J. Cherickal Fr. P. Magyar CHILDREN ARE OUR FOCUS. THEIR GOOD IS AT THE CENTRE OF ALL THAT WE DO PARENT NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2013 Principal’s Message Welcome Back to All St. Maria Goretti Community Members We hope you enjoyed a wonderful, fun and relaxing summer. A new school year begins!! We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all the new families in our school community and to welcome all those returning to St. Maria Goretti Catholic School. A special greeting is also extended to our Junior Kindergarten children who are starting school for the first time. Our school community is strengthened through our partnerships, none being more important than our parish team, our active Catholic School Council, our Superintendent, Sue Steer and our Trustee, Linda Zanella. Our students respond respectfully and enthusiastically to each faith and school initiative; this can only be attributed to the values modeled by their parents and guardians. The Teachers have been working hard over the last couple of weeks planning for the opening of school. Thank you to all of the teachers who have diligently organized and prepared their classrooms. A special thank you to our custodial team led by Mrs. K. Bradbury and to our head secretary, Mrs. Eisan for all of her work over the last week. We would like to welcome Ms. Khalid; who will be teaching the grade 3/4 class and Ms. Sousa; who will be the teacher librarian and planning time teacher. We would like to congratulate Mrs. Marchand on the birth of her baby boy! We hope to see all of you at our Open House night on Wednesday, October 2nd from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Please mark this date on your calendars more details will follow. We are all excited about working with you and your children to provide a highly rewarding year - spiritually, academically, emotionally and physically . . . We hope the 2013/2014 school year will be the best one yet for everyone. May God bless us as we journey together. S. Mifsud Principal Welcome Back – Two Way Communication! Close, ongoing communication between the home and school is in the best interest of your child. Should you have any concerns about your child, praise, or comments, please do not hesitate to share them with us. Early and ongoing information sharing can help to clarify and often alleviate concerns quickly. Begin by contacting the classroom teacher who is usually the one most able to deal effectively with your child’s learning and behaviour. A time should be scheduled for you to speak to the teacher, either by telephone, or at a meeting. This newsletter is the first of a number of communications that will give us an opportunity to let you know what is happening here at school. One newsletter per family will be sent home each month with each youngest or only child. Our school secretary will also be able to help you with many of your requests. School Organization During the first few weeks of school, the school's enrolment, which was based on a projected total, undergoes changes and fluctuations. Therefore, as we start the year, all class lists and staffing are tentative until numbers are sent to our school board. Each year St. Maria Goretti has faced some sort of reorganization of classes to accommodate for changes due to growth and/or transfers. If necessary, reorganization of classes will take place on Friday, September 13, 2013. If your child’s class placement changes, you will be notified on or before September 13th. Any changes required will be made with the best interest of your children in our minds. Staff spends many hours in discussion, reflection, revision and consideration of alternatives, to arrive at the best organization for each class. Parish News When you choose to send your child to a Dufferin-Peel school, we assure you a holistic Catholic education. We do this through . . . Teaching Religious & Family Life education in each grade, living our faith daily through prayer, celebration and liturgy, building community and “retreat”, active involvement in charity and initiatives of social justice from a Catholic context, everything we do . . . is imbedded with Catholic values and content, and assisting the St. Anne’s Parish team with the preparation of students for the sacraments. Our school is part of the parish of St. Anne’s Church located on Vodden Street. We consider our Pastor, Father J. Cherickal and Father P. Magyar, the Associate Pastor, to be integral members of our school community. Weekend masses are celebrated on Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and Sundays at 8:15 a.m., 10:00a.m., and 12:00 p.m. School Times 8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. (students should not arrive before 8:15 am) 8:30 a.m. - Entry 10:10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. Nutrition Break 1 11:00 a.m. - Morning Kindergarten dismissal 12:30 p.m. - Afternoon Kindergarten begins 12:30 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. Nutrition Break 2 3:00 p.m. - Dismissal PD DAY Friday, September 13, 2013 Children do not attend school. Catholic School Council Nomination forms for membership in the St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Council were sent home with your child last week. Please consider joining us this year. September 13th – Nomination forms due by 3:30 pm. September 18 st – Elections at the school: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm. October 3rd – Catholic School Council meeting at 3:10 pm. DPCDSB is now on Twitter! For the latest board news and information, follow us @DPCDSBSchools. Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools Sacramental Preparations The school works together with the parish and parents to prepare students for the sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation. Parents of Grade 2 and Grade 8 students have received some very important letters from St. Anne’s Parish Team regarding the sacraments of First Holy Communion/First Reconciliation and Confirmation. These letters contained significant dates of parent information meetings for your child to receive the sacrament this year. If you have misplaced this information, please contact the church. Volunteers—New Process for September 2013 Any individual who works as an employee of the Board or volunteers to assist with our programs MUST have a Criminal Reference Check (CRC) completed by Peel Police. Beginning September 2013, ALL volunteers must have a CRC, even for one-time events, such as field trip supervision. We strongly recommend that parents/guardians who are interested in supporting our school programs in this manner, please begin this process as soon as possible. For all volunteers, CRCs are free of charge. Further information and forms are available through the school office. Homework policy Please be advised that teachers at St. Maria Goretti will adhere to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board policy on Homework – Kindergarten to Grade 12. In particular, the policy states that homework shall not be assigned to students in kindergarten. Homework in the early grades (Grades 1-3) shall more often take the form of reading, playing, discussing, listening, viewing, and interactive activities such as building and cooking with the family. In later grades (Grades 4 to 6) homework may take the form of independent work, with a maximum of 40 minutes per day, and a maximum of 60 minutes per day on average for intermediate students. A summary of the policy can be found in your child’s agenda (Grades 1 to 8). We continue to ask for your support as we promote good work habits at home for our students and ask that you help in the following ways: monitoring daily homework and ensuring that your child(ren) complete all tasks to the best of their ability; providing a consistent time and location for daily homework; Please use your child’s agenda as one form of communication with the classroom teacher. It is a valuable tool. Crossing Guard A crossing guard will be available in front of the school at the following times: 8:00 a.m. - 8:35 a.m. 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Please note that the guard will not be available between 12:45 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. All students who must cross Royal Orchard Drive are instructed to cross while the crossing guard is on duty. Medications It is crucial that you notify the office of any serious health concerns your child may have. There is a Board policy on the storage and administration of medication. Where a student is required to take medication at school, medication forms must be completed by you and your physician prior to the storage and administration of any prescribed medication by the school. Any medication brought to school must be stored in the office. The storage and administration of an Epi-Pen requires additional forms to be completed by physicians. The forms are available from the school and were sent home in June. To ensure the safety of all our children, please do not send medication to school unless you have made arrangements with the school in advance. Information regarding Anaphylaxis, and protocol regarding safe and unsafe food at school was sent home in your child’s initial correspondence package from the school. Please sign and return the pink form to indicate something off for your child, please do so in the main office. Hepatitis B/Meningitis/HPV Vaccinations Initial vaccinations by the Region of Peel Health Department are scheduled for Wednesday, October 30. Parents of students in grade 7, and female students in grade 8 must complete the consent forms that will be sent home, and return them to their child’s teacher, if they would like their child to receive the vaccination. that you have received and reviewed this information. School Insurance - Highly Encouraged The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board does not provide accident insurance coverage for student injuries that occur on school premises or during school activities. As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of Education, the Dufferin-Peel CDSB annually provides parents with information regarding costeffective student accident insurance coverage. Although enrolment is voluntary, the board encourages parents to take advantage of this inexpensive insurance coverage. You may purchase coverage for your child at www.insuremykids.com, or by completing the brochure that will be sent home on Tuesday, September 10, 2012, or by calling toll free at 1-800-463-5437. Scent Sensitivity Awareness DPCDSB has a scent sensitivity awareness campaign that provides information regarding allergies to scented products. For more information about scent sensitivity, please visit: www.dpcdsb.org School Visitors For safety reasons and the protection of all children in our care, you are reminded that by law all visitors(including parents) must report to the office, sign in and receive an identification badge. Please remember, to your child, you are the parent, but to other students you are most likely a stranger. All staff will stop and question an unidentified person in the school or in the school yard. If you are dropping Toonie Tuesdays Toonie Pizza Days will be offered every Tuesday. The students will only have the choice of pepperoni pizza and it will cost $2.00 per slice. The money raised will be used to supplement student resources and activities. Orders will be taken and money will be collected every Tuesday morning. Please bring your own snacks and drinks. First Toonie Tuesday is September . "Safe Arrivals" Program - Attendance Verification The Safe Arrival Program is designed to ensure that your children arrive safely at school each day. We appreciate your cooperation in calling the school to let us know that your child will not be attending. To help facilitate this process, we ask that parents call the school at 905-454-4458 between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. These times are for your convenience, but they also help to alleviate a heavy influx of calls on the main telephone line each morning. When reporting an absence please state the child’s name the child’s grade the child’s teacher, and the reason for absence. Students may not call and leave messages for you as we require your voice/authorization. If we haven't heard from you, and your child is not in school, we will attempt to contact you. Transportation For information or concerns regarding bussing, call 905 – 890 - 0614 or visit: http://businfo.stopr.ca Medic Alert - No Child Without Dress Code We ask for your support for our dress code. Students are expected to be dressed in a clean, neat, and appropriate manner conducive to the school environment. Clothing must be free from offensive or questionable language and pictures. Hats/caps must be removed in the school building. Appropriate footwear must be worn at all times. Appropriate clothing must be worn for physical education classes (i.e. running shoes, shorts, t-shirts). Kiss and Ride/Parking/Safety Thank you to the many parents who continue to follow the safety guidelines for the drop off and pick up of children. These guidelines are in place to keep all children safe. St. Maria Goretti continues to support The Medic Alert - No Child Without. This program provides free Medic Alert Membership for students requiring medical alert bracelets. For more information, please visit: www.nochildwithout.ca. Terry Fox Run Valuables Students should not bring valuables or items of importance to school. This includes trading cards, expensive sports equipment, toys, personal electronic devices (cell phones) etc. The school cannot assume responsibility for valuables brought to school. The following reviews the school protocol: P.E.D Policy (personal electronic devices) TRAFFIC SAFETY The KISS and RIDE LANE is designed to be a quick and convenient method to drop off children at school, without the need to park or leave your vehicle. Parking in the Kiss and Ride Lane is prohibited. Illegally parked vehicles pose a danger to students and pedestrians. Parking in the school driveway is prohibited. After dropping children at Kiss and Ride, parents are to use the front driveway as a drive through. There is no parking. If you wish to walk your child to school, please park in a designated parking spot or park on Royal Orchard Drive. Please be advised, that the City of Brampton, Parking Enforcement will be present to heighten safety awareness during peak drop off and pick up times. Students are not to be dropped off at the front of the school. A reminder that Dufferin-Peel CDSB has a PED policy. Students are asked to leave all electronic games, cell phones, iPods, waletc, at home. The school will not be responsible for lost, damaged or stolen items. The PED policy is outlined in your child’s agenda. Pets on School Property There are no pets allowed on school property during the school day. This includes drop off and pick up times. Please call the school if you have any questions regarding this Board policy. The Fall of 2013 marks the 33rd year of the amazing and courageous charity run of Terry Fox. A Terry Fox Run/walk will be held at the school on Thursday, September 26th. Our school goal this year is to raise $500.00. The first class to all bring in a donation will win a movie showing for the class! We have sent home pledge sheets if you as a family wish to collect pledges. We ask all the money to be in by Monday, September 30, 2013. Nutritional Breaks Students are encouraged to bring healthy food for these two nutrition breaks. Please do not send any foods containing nuts or nut products as a snack or lunch. Forms have been sent home with students indicating whether your child will be either staying for lunch every day or going home for lunch every day. For safety reasons, students who stay for lunch every day will not be permitted to leave the school grounds unless accompanied by a parent/guardian and signed out at the office. Head Injury Policy When a student receives an injury/bump to the head (however minor), it is a Board Policy that we inform parents. Either a note will be left in your child’s agenda, or a phone message will be left at one of your contact numbers. This is precautionary only, and we ask that you check your child when he/she gets home for any signs of a concussion or illness. Scent Sensitivity Awareness DPCDSB has a scent sensitivity awareness campaign that provides information regarding allergies to scented products. At St. Maria Goretti, one of our staff members is severely allergic to scented products. Therefore, we ask that staff, students, parents, and visitors to the school refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes and scented creams. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. For more information about scent sensitivity, please visit: www.dpcdsb.org and click on ACCESS Dufferin Peel. Late Arrivals, Early Leavers, Interruptions Staff members work diligently to ensure that time is not wasted, and that all students are involved in all possible ways every moment of the day. : Please make sure your children leave home so that they arrive at the bus stop or on the school grounds on time. Our entry bell rings at 8:30 a.m. Whenever possible and appropriate, please schedule out of school appointments and activities for weekends, or before or after school hours . . . that way children will not miss out on any aspect of the program we are attempting to provide for them. If it is necessary that your children leave school early, make sure they know this in advance, and send in a written note for their teacher. Staff will then try to ensure that your children are at the office, ready to go when you arrive to pick them up. In this way we won’t be asked to disrupt the learning of an entire class by calling your child down to meet you. Students are discouraged from using our school phones to make arrangements to go home with friends, staying for sporting events or other activities. Pediculosis Pediculosis, or head lice are a common occurrence in schools. Head lice are parasites which have been common among human beings for centuries. They are not connected with dirt and neglect. Anyone can be infested with them. If even one case is found in the school, we will inform all parents in a letter. Please check your children frequently and if you find them infested, we would ask that you let us know so we can advise you on the proper treatment. If a child does become infested, we will ask you to keep your child out of school until he/she has been treated with the correct medicated shampoo and his/her hair is entirely clear of both lice and nits (eggs). When the child returns to school, the child needs to come to the office to be checked before going to class. If we all cooperate in these procedures we can address these occurrences in a sensitive manner. We may not entirely escape outbreaks, but we will be able to bring them under control quickly. Opening Mass Our Opening Mass is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. in the school gym. Please join us. School Photo Day Wednesday, October 23, 2013 Details will be sent home via your child. FACT SHEET FOR PARENTS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN Custody of Children On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at school asking to visit their child or to take their child home after school. We are best able to serve and protect students when we are made aware of legal custody arrangements, visitation rights and other special instructions. If legal custody matters affect your family, please ensure that our office and classroom teachers are aware of any custodial arrangements that may affect your child during school hours. Why is it important for my child to be in school every day? Your child’s school is dedicated to helping your son or daughter develop the spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, social and physical capabilities to live fully and to meet the future challenges of adult roles and responsibilities. o Is this what you want for your child? Most parents would emphatically answer, “Yes!” The school can best contribute to your child’s education and development when you form a partnership with them. Goretti Gear- Grrrrreat stuff at Grrrrreat Prices! Show your pride for your school. We have t-shirts, pull string bags and water bottles for sale! The bags and t-shirts are $10.00 each. The stainless steel water bottles are $5.00 each. Each of the items has our school logo on them. We have many sizes of t shirts in stock. This is cash only. The products can be bought any day; just let your child’s teacher know and they will get the products that you need. We will also be selling all of our Goretti products at our open house on October 2. As parents you have many responsibilities towards your child. One responsibility is to ensure that your child is in school every day, ready to learn. In fact, it is the law. The Provincial Education Act states that every child between the ages of 6 and 18 is required to attend school every day from the first school day in September until the last school day in June. Parents and schools can work together to keep kids in school. One of the most important first steps is for parents to become aware of the dangers that school absenteeism poses to a child’s success in school and later in life. When students miss school, they fall behind. When your child comes home from school after an absence and tells you that he didn’t miss anything when he was away yesterday, remember: He was away. He cannot begin to know what he missed during the hours the class was together. Each school day a teacher presents new material that builds on the work given the previous day. When students return after an absence, they must catch up. For students who are not strong, independent workers, this can be difficult. Even strong students will find it progressively more difficult to do their best as the gaps in their knowledge and the need to catch up increases with every absence. Arriving at school on time does make a difference. Your children learn the importance of punctuality from the example you set. Insist that the kids leave the house in time to arrive at school at least five or ten minutes before the bell. The time spent in the school yard before school is a transition time that allows your child to reconnect with classmates and to refocus on school issues. Lining up to enter the school with the rest of the class allows your child to become part of the group and to ease into the routines of school. The first few minutes in the classroom are critical. During these minutes the teacher deals with the many issues that individual students share – just like the busy excitement of a group of relatives getting together for a visit. And the teacher eases the At the same time, the student becomes discouraged with his or her poor academic achievement and feels even less like going to class. Would you feel like going to work if you were graded every day on how well you did your job, and many days you received a disappointing grade? Set your child up for success by insisting that he or she attend school daily, and on time. The habit of non-attendance established in elementary school typically continues into secondary school. By the time your child is in high school, he or she will have more independence and you will have less influence. Begin now to set the standard that every school day is compulsory, even on days when your child has a headache, is not ready for a test, or is tired because everyone stayed up late for a family function. Consider too, the messages you send about your own attitudes toward missing work or using sick days. While some children may feign illness or beg to stay home because they feel that they do not fit in with their classmates, other children are gradually excluded by their peers as their irregular attendance makes them increasingly marginal to the social group. Eco Schools- We got Bronze! students into the business of learning with a number of routine opening activities. When your child arrives even five minutes late, it is like arriving at a family gathering when everyone else is already seated at the table. You would have missed some important information and you might feel a little ‘outside’ the group. If you are thinking of taking your child out of school for a week or more, reconsider. Most children cannot afford to miss a week or more of class work. Success at school helps children engage in learning. Children who miss school and then fall behind tend to miss more school. These children risk becoming frustrated and ‘giving up on school’. In fact, the process of dropping out of school begins very early in the lives of some children. It can start when a child misses school days without sufficient reason and then develops the idea that attendance is optional. Last year for the second year in a row our school was designated an eco-school (bronze). The schools green team which was named SWAT (Starts With A Tree) worked very hard on many projects that allowed our school to be granted this designation. On behalf of the SWAT team we wish to thank all the students and parents who supported our initiatives last year and look forward to working together again this year to keep our school environmentally friendly!! Virtue for September: Faith A faithful person believes that we are created, guided by and destined to be reunited with God. A faithful person believes that God helps us to create a safe and caring school. A Faithful person… prays whenever they can learns from Scripture stories assumes that there is good in everyone knows that we are all loved by God Our Daily Prayer for September Let us now pray …for the grace and strength to be people of faith-people who can truly believe that God’s plan for us includes the right to be safe at school. AMEN Important Dates: Sept 13 – P.A. Day – No Classes for Students Sept 14 – CSC nomination forms due Sept 19 – CSC Elections Sept 26 – Terry Fox Run Sept 30 – Virtue Assembly 11:00 a.m. (parents welcome) Oct. 2 – Open House (details to follow) Oct. 3 - School Council Meeting 3:10 p.m. Oct. 8 - School Mass 11:00 a.m. in gym (parents welcome) Oct. 23 - School Picture Day Oct. 30 - Grade 7 & 8 Immunization Clinic