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September Newsletter 2018

St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic

Elementary School

430 Van Kirk Drive Brampton, ON L7A 0J2

Ph.: 905-846-0078 Fax: 905-846-9044 Board web site: www.dpcdsb.org School web site: www.dpcdsb.org/bakhi Twitter: @DPBakhita

Principal’s Message

On behalf of the staff of St. Josephine Bakhita, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your children as we begin a new school year! To our new students and families, in particular our new Full Day Kindergarten students, we would like to especially welcome you to our school. We hope that you will find it to be a caring and supportive Catholic community. It is our belief that a child’s Catholic education is a shared responsibility between home and school, thus it is important for everyone to communicate to ensure your child’s(ren) success! As parents, you are a vital and valuable component of your child’s education, therefore, in order to keep you informed of events at the school, you will be receiving a monthly e-newsletter the first Friday of every month. You are invited to visit our website which will be updated regularly, and will contain valuable information including the newsletter. If you have not provided us with an email address (or would like to update it) or if you prefer to receive a hard copy of the newsletter, please contact the office as soon as possible. St. Josephine Bakhita School continues to foster the spiritual, academic, physical, social and emotional growth and development of all students. We anticipate a year of exciting learning opportunities for all children, and look forward to collaboratively working with you as we journey through 2018-2019 in Faith. I am truly honoured and blessed to be given the opportunity to continue my ‘retirement’ journey at St. Josephine Bakhita School! Remember that my door is always open and I am truly here to ‘serve’ you and your children. Do not ever hesitate to contact me at any time if you require anything at all. M. McIsaac – Principal (Acting)

Principal (Acting)

M. McIsaac

Vice-Principal

N. Kenny

Head Secretary

M.Misasi

Assistant Secretaries M. Jaques

Superintendent

L. Storey

905–890–1221

Trustee D. D’Souza

905–890-1221

Parish St. Leonard’s Parish 187 Conestoga Drive

Brampton Ontario, Canada

L6Z 3X8 (905) 846 – 5385

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Together In Faith

Catholic Graduate Expectations

Catholic education views human life as an integration of body, mind, and spirit. Rooted in this vision, Catholic education fosters the search for knowledge as a lifelong spiritual and academic quest. The expectations of Catholic graduates, therefore, are described not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but in terms of values, attitudes and actions.

The Graduate is expected to be: A discerning believer An effective communicator A reflective, creative and holistic thinker A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner A collaborative learner A caring family member A responsible citizen

Taken from Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations…

Virtue of the Month – FAITH

Faith is the great virtue of believing in God and trusting that God is with us. A faithful person believes that we are created, guided by and destined to be reunited with God. A faithful person believes that God’s plan for us includes the right to be safe, especially at school.

A Faithful Person… • Prays regularly and reverently • Learns from Scripture stories • Honours people’s God-given names • Assumes that there is good in everyone • Accepts the God-given worth of themselves and others

Sacramental Preparation

The celebration of our faith is done in partnership with our school parish,

St. Leonard’s Roman Catholic Church. Sacraments are Parish events,

although initial preparation is done by the schools through

the religion program. The sacramental preparation will be

conducted through the Parish. For all students interested

in the sacrament of First Communion & First

Reconciliation as well as the sacrament of Confirmation,

please check the Parish for dates, we will communicate

the dates once they are received.

We would like to welcome the

following new staff members

to the St. Josephine Bakhita

Community.

- J. Orlando/R. Paterson – FDK

- S. Bachle – DECE – FDK

- I. Caputo – Gr. 1

- C. Spadafora – Gr. 2/3

- K. Coulas – Gr. 4

- B. Yarmenko – Gr. 4/5

- A. Sterling – E.R.W.S

- K. Schryver – Head Custodian

(See attached list for all other

staff members.

Please keep in mind that classes

are not finalized until after

September 14th – reorganization

day.

Thanking you in anticipation of

your understanding, should

reorganization occur.

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Safe School Initiatives

Early Pick-Up

If you need to pick up your child prior to the end of the school day, 3:45 p.m., please send a note with your child in the agenda, advising the teacher when to send him/her to the office. Please be prepared to sign your child(ren) out at the Main Office.

Students Leaving School Property

Please make sure to inform your child’s teacher of regular lunch arrangements for your child. If there is a change to the regular arrangements a note signed and dated must be given to the classroom teacher. No students from grade 1- 6 will be allowed to leave the school property without first being signed out by a parent/guardian. Students in grade 7 and 8 will be able to leave school property, for lunch, if a note has been provided by the parent. NO permission will be granted over the phone. Permission must be done in writing, every time the child leaves the school.

Student Safety

Peanut and Other Life Threatening Allergies,

Sabrina’s Law Anaphylaxis Reaction

As we begin the new school year, we would like to inform you

that St. Josephine Bakhita School is an allergen aware school.

There are pupils in attendance at our school who suffer from severe and life

threatening allergies to certain foods. Exposure to the smallest quantities can

cause severe and life threatening reactions. Anaphylaxis is a severe and life

threatening allergic reaction. We would appreciate the cooperation of the

entire school community by NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain

peanuts/nut products. We want St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic School to be a

safe environment for all students. Thank you for your assistance with this

initiative.

If your child has been diagnosed with an allergy and you have not notified the school, please do so immediately. There are forms that must be completed. A written communication will be sent to the parents of children notifying them of the nature of a life threatening allergy when it is specific to their child’s classroom. Your continued cooperation in support of our efforts to create a safe and healthy learning environment for all is greatly appreciated!

Reporting Absences:

All students are expected to attend school regularly and punctually. In the event that your child will be late or absent, please call the school and follow the prompts to leave a message. This can be done 24 hours a day. For students who are absent and for whom a call is not received, we will attempt to contact you.

PLEASE CALL: 905-846-0078

Please leave the following

information:

Date of the absence

Student’s full name

Grade level and teacher

Reason for absence

All students who arrive after

9:15 a.m. or

1:16 p.m. must obtain a Late

Slip.

*Students are considered late if they do not enter their classroom with their classmates!

Respect for Self, Respect

for Others

As a staff, we continue to work together to provide examples and consistency in modeling Jesus’ message to our students. We will assist and remind students of the importance of being respectful and working together to create a safe, caring, inclusive community.

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Student Safety continued…

Please do not send birthday snacks / cakes / treats into the school. There are many alternatives such as stickers and pencils.

We appreciate the cooperation of the entire school community. We want St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic School to be a safe environment for all students.

Medical Concerns

If your son / daughter has any medical concerns, please ensure that you inform the school. Information may be shared directly with the classroom teacher / office. If medication is required, forms will be sent for completion by parents and the family doctor. All information is held in confidence.

Medication School staff cannot administer medication, including aspirins and Tylenol without a “Request and Consent for Administration of Medication” form, completed and signed by a doctor. A properly labeled container is required, including the instructions and conditions that are to be followed for the administration of the

medication for the safety of the child.

Parents of children with life threatening medical concerns/allergies are asked to

notify Mrs. Misasi in the school office and fully complete an Emergency

Medication Protocol form each September and return it to the school as soon as

possible. All medication is stored in the office area. The only exception to this

requirement has to do with any child who, because of life threatening allergies,

must carry medication.

Student Supervision

School yard supervision does not begin until

9:00 a.m. every morning. Please, for the

students’ safety, do not drop students off at

the school prior to 9:00 a.m. unsupervised.

Visitors to the School

We would like to thank all of our parents and other visitors to the school for respecting the designated waiting areas outside your child’s exit door. Only Staff and students are allowed in the school yard from 9am-3:30pm. In the event you have an appointment or are volunteering, please be reminded that all visitors to the school are to report to the office, sign in and wear a visitor’s sticker. This helps to ensure the safety and security of all students.

Emergency Information/ Parent Consent Form

A printout and attendance card for each of your children containing the most current emergency contact information we have in our database will be sent home for verification. Please review the information and return it to school no later than Monday, September 11, 2017 to your child(ren)’s teacher indicating any changes. It is critical that we have current and accurate contact information on file in the event your child becomes ill or in the rare case of an emergency. Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter.

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Student Safety Continued…

For student safety, we would like to remind all parents and visitors to please use designated waiting areas outside the school yard from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Only staff and students are allowed in the school yard from 9:00-3:30pm. These measures will help to protect the security of all students as well as help to reduce the congestions at busy drop off and dismissal times. Remember you are a stranger to most students! To aid in the safety of students in the yard, parents will NO longer be allowed in the yard during Supervision Time, from 9:00am- 3:45pm. If you are in the yard, you will be asked to please follow safety protocols and sign in at the office.

Kiss and Ride

Parents/guardians who drive students to and from school are requested to use the Kiss and Ride lane to drop your child off at the sidewalk. Students must exit the vehicle on the sidewalk side for safety. Parents who are dropping Kindergarten children will be allowed to park at the south parking lot only. Do not use the reserved parking area or the parking lot. There are limited parking spots so if there are no spots remaining please park elsewhere (observing all posted city signs) and walk your child to school. Parents using Kiss and Ride are not permitted to park and leave their vehicles unattended.

When using Kiss and Ride please:

Students must disembark on the sidewalk side, if you have a child seat on the wrong side please consider moving it to accommodate safety in the future.

Be patient with other cars as they drop off students. Some are younger students and require more time.

Drive slowly on school property at all times.

Pull up as close to vehicle in front to accommodate other parents.

When pulling out to drive by other stopped cars, proceed with caution.

Always be polite with other parents. They may not be familiar with school routines.

Please do not leave your vehicle unattended to walk your child to the school yard. If you wish to walk your child, find a parking spot and that may be off school property.

Volunteers- Criminal Reference Check

We are pleased to welcome our volunteers for another year to support learning in our school. We appreciate your commitment and support and look forward to a great year.

In accordance with the Safe Schools Act, all volunteers, including those going on one-day school trips, must have a Criminal Reference Check.

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Student Safety Continued

Crossing Guard

As a matter of safety, students and adult escorts are

reminded to use the cross walks. The City of Brampton

Crossing guards are on duty:

Burnt Elm at Van Scott Drive (Uncontrolled intersection)

7:50 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

NO LUNCH.

3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Wanless at Van Kirk Drive (Traffic Signals)

7:50 – 9:15 a.m.

NO LUNCH.

3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Van Kirk Drive at Games Creek Crescent

8:45 – 9:20 a.m.

NO LUNCH.

3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Please continue to instruct your child regarding safe passage to school; i.e.

crossing with the guard, and/or at signed locations, walking with a friend, and to

always watch out for vehicles. Use side-walks and avoid crossing or walking

along the centre of the parking lot.

Lunch Routines

If you are delivering your child’s lunch to school, please do

so between 12:00 p.m. and 12:15 p.m. When lunches are

delivered late, it reduces the amount of time that students

have to eat. Please also write your child’s name on his/her

lunch bag and place it on the table by front entrance.

Thank you for your support.

For safety reasons, if a student is going home for lunch, a written request signed and dated in your child’s

agenda or a separate note from you is required for each occurrence. Unless you have indicated that your child

goes home every day.

Transportation

Information pertaining to Transportation can be accessed online at www.stopr.ca. You can also go to the board website www.dpcdsb.org and use the link for student transportation.

Courtesy Seating requests cannot be processed until October. If you are interested in requesting courtesy seating please contact the office after September 24, 2018. Please be aware that we are anticipating no courtesy seats this year due to the number of students that are eligible for transportation.

Please ensure that for those children who are transported via school bus, children are aware of their bus number and stop location. If you wish to change the bus stop please make your request in writing. Parents are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that Kindergarten and Grade one students are met at the bus. If the bus driver does not see a parent or sitter at the scheduled stop, the child will be returned to the school.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the office.

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P.E.D.s (Personal Electronic Devices)

It is the policy of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Elementary School that Personal Electronic Devices such as mobile phones, tablets etc, only be used as per teacher’s instructions for educational use. If not in use in class, they should be kept out-of-sight, turned off and not used on school premises or during school-sanctioned events. Students who are using these devices in school or on school property may face consequences.

Dress Code

Students at St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Elementary School are expected to dress appropriately to promote a positive learning environment which reflects our Catholic beliefs and values. Recreational wear such as tank tops, halter tops, muscle shirts, tube tops, spaghetti straps, short shorts, cut offs, hats/ headgear, wallet chains and shirts with inappropriate logos/symbols are not to be worn to school. These items are contrary to both the philosophy of our Catholic schools and the standards that we set as educators.

Student Accident Insurance As required by the Education Act and the Ministry of Education, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board annually provides parents with information about cost effective student accident insurance coverage via student courier. Although enrolment is voluntary, the board encourages parents to take advantage of the inexpensive insurance coverage, especially if their child/children participate in sports, excursions/field trips, or, if parents do not have dental insurance coverage.

You may purchase coverage for your child at www.insuremykids.com or by calling toll free at 1-800-463-KIDS (5437). Please direct your question to a Reliable Life Insurance Representative

Community Corner

You are invited to attend our Open House with your child(ren) on Wednesday, September 19, 2018. • The classrooms will be open from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to visit your child’s teachers. • Our School Council will be available to discuss volunteer options throughout the year.

JOIN US!

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Community Corner continued…

Picture Perfect The school photographer will continue to be Edge Imaging.

Photographs of students will take place on Wednesday,

October 10th. All JK to Grade 8 students will have their

picture taken in the morning or afternoon.

If your child should happen to be absent that day, picture

retakes will take place on: Thursday, November 2, 2018.

Dress Down Days

St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Elementary School faculty participate in Dress Down Fridays. The staff will donate money to the United Way/Share Life charities so that they may wear business casual clothes to school on Fridays.

Library News: Welcome to a new school year – the library is up and running!

We are now up and running! There are lots of new books to read and discover.

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair begins September 17th, and ends on September

24th. Parents are welcome to visit us during our School’s Open House on

September 19th. All monies raised will be used to help make the library an even

better place! Thank you!

Clubs, Teams and Sports News

Information on the many clubs, teams and sports available at St. Josephine Bakhita

Catholic Elementary School will be sent home within the next few weeks. Please

support your child in coming out and trying out for the numerous teams and being

a part of the many clubs.

There are many opportunities for students to get involved in our school!

In the Community

Terry Fox Run

On Thursday, September 27th, 2018, St. Josephine Bakhita will be participating in a school initiative to help collect donations for the Terry Fox Foundation to support Cancer Research. Nominated as one of Canada’s greatest Canadians, Terry Fox has been able to fulfill his ultimate dream of raising funds for cancer research toward finding a cure for cancer. St. Josephine Bakhita students and staff will have an opportunity to help carry out his Marathon of Hope. An outline of the day’s activities will follow. Students are asked to wear red and white to represent our Canadian heritage. If you would like to volunteer to walk with the classes, please let the classroom teacher know.

As part of our EcoSchools pledge, we will not be sending home pledge forms this year, instead please follow the link which will take you to our Schools Fundraising Page.

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Parent Corner

Parent Council Elections

Within the first 30 days of every school year, the school’s parent council must be

formed. Joining the parent council is a great opportunity to become involved in

the school. Please see the Catholic School Council section for nomination form

deadlines if you are interested in joining us. Even if you have been a member in

the past, you will need to fill out a nomination form due to the office on Sept.

20th 2018 (most members self-nominate) and attend the first meeting. The first

meeting will be on Thursday, September 27that 6:30pm. A School Council FAQ

sheet is attached to this distribution to answer any general questions you may

have.

Volunteering

You do not need to join the parent council to help out! If you would like to

volunteer without joining the council, you can sign up for the volunteer list at the

school open house or send in your contact information (name, phone#, e-mail) to

bakhitacouncil2011@gmail.com. We will put you on the volunteer e-mail

distribution and you will receive notifications of needs for volunteers for Parent

Council activities as they come up.

Lunch Programs – more info to follow

** Parent volunteers help keep the lunch programs running. If you are available

to help supervise lunch distributions during the school lunch hour either on a

regular or occasional basis, please contact us at bakhitacouncil2011@gmail.com

or through the office. **

Parent Lending Library

In 2016, we established the Bakhita Parent Lending Library with a Parent

Reaching Out grant from the Ministry of Education. Attached to the newsletter

e-mail is a document listing the books available to our parents to borrow. There

are just over 50 books covering topics from Healthy Lunches and Snacks to

dealing with Teenagers. If you see any books that interest you, the borrowing

request form is also attached. This is a convenient resource for our parent

community.

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It’s easy being

GREEEN!

NEWSLETTERS

As part of our continued support of Eco Schools Initiatives, parents will have the option to receive the monthly newsletters electronically.

We will be collecting email addresses in early September as part of our student information verification process. Please consider receiving the newsletter electronically to help lesson our Ecological Footprint.

PLASP Child Care Services operates Before and After School Programs at St. Josephine Bakhita School.

The Before School Program operates from 7:30 a.m. and continues until school begins. A nutritious breakfast is served daily.

The After School Program begins once school is dismissed and operates until 6:00 p.m. Children participate in recreational activities, are served a nutritious snack daily and have time for homework.

Registration is currently taking place. To register your child, visit the PLASP Program Director, before or after School. For further information, call 905 890-1711 or visit the website at www.plasp.com.

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Dufferin-Peel Online Payment

The option to pay school related fees online, is now available at Dufferin-Peel CDSB. Refer to the

Online Payment icon on the DPCDSB webpage to get the most updated information regarding the

system and schools online. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the

office.

This year our goal is to make our school 100% cash payment free!

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HPV/ HEP B/ Vaccinations/ SEE HEAR

HPV and HEP B Vaccinations, for Grade 7 and 8 students, will take place during the month of December and February, More information to follow.

See/Hear information to follow at a later date.

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September 4 First Day of School

September 20 Catholic School Council Election Forms due to office by 3pm

September 14 PD Day (no school)

September 19 Open House 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

September 26 Dance-A-Thon Kick off Assembly

September 27 Catholic School Council Elections and Meeting 6:30pm

September 27 Terry Fox Run

September 28 Terry Fox Run Rain date

October 1 Summit Climbing K-8

October 8 Thanksgiving Day (no school)

October 10 Picture Day

October 18 Freedom Day - Excursion

October 26 Dance-A-Thon

October 31 Halloween

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Introducing the Staff at St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Elementary School

2018-2019

Aylward, S. JK/SK

DiCarlo, R. JK/SK Kirk, S. SERT

Orlando, J. JK/SK Zivcic, M. SERT

Tassone, A. JK/SK Pavic, N SERC/SERT

Engson, C. JK/SK Melo, S. DECE

Faye, M. Grade 1 DeCaro, F. F.S.L.

Biffis, C. Grade 1/2 Paterson, R. DECE

Caputo, I. Grade 1 Foulger, C. DECE

Spadafora, C. Grade 2/3 Xun Jing. L. DECE

Rabiega, G. Grade 2 Ramirez, N. French

Scaccia, P. Grade 2

D’Agostino, D. Grade 3

May, M. Grade 3 Gregory, P. Planning Time

Pyczek, Z. Grade 3 Rodrigues, C Planning Time

Delembert, P Library

Coulas, K. Grade 4 Borrelli, J. ERW

Levy, N. Grade 4 Walsh, M. ERW

Yaremko, B. Grade 4/5 Kelly, N. ERW

Commissso, M. Grade 5 Sterling, A. ERW

Basciano, M. Grade 5

Prospero, N. Grade 6

Barletta, S. Grade 6 Vuillet, A. Psych.

Bascoe, S. Grade 7 Gordon, C. CYW

West, J. Grade 7

Pacheco, N. Grade 7

Fullan, S. Grade 8

Bartucci, L. Grade 8