October, 2016

St. Barnabas Catholic School Newsletter

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Parent/Guardian,

The first month has now come and gone and I hope that your child is

settling in well. There has been much activity inside and outside the classrooms of St. Barnabas. I would like to take this opportunity to say

how pleased I am with the strong start we have made to the school year. Our school is an exceptional place to work, learn and grow and the staff

and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of this community. It is a gift for us, the staff, to be able to live out our faith in

the on-going work we do. Happy Thanksgiving to each and all of you. I hope to see you all at curriculum night and look forward to sharing some

insights with you in the gym after the classroom presentations.

Yours in Catholic Education,

P. FitzPatrick School Halls and Yard Safety:

Thank you for your support and understanding in ensuring it is staff and

students only in the schoolyard and halls prior to school and during school hours so we can ensure student safety. If you would like to speak

with the teacher, the office staff will page them to come down to the office to meet you. Thanks for your support.

OCTOBER’S VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: GRATITUDE

“This is the day, the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.” Psalm 118:24

ST.BARNABAS

CATHOLIC

SCHOOL 30 Washburn Way

Scarborough, Ontario M1B 1H3

416-393-5351 Fax: 416-397-6980

Principal

P. FitzPatrick

Superintendent

K. Malcolm 416-222-8282 Ext: 2263

Trustee

G. Tanuan 416-512-3408

Parish

St. Barnabas Catholic Church 10 Washburn Way

416-298-0989

CSPC Chair: V. George

CPIC (Parent Engagement--TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic

Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Lunch Hour:

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ________________________________

DRESS CODE

All students are expected to come to school appropriately dressed; that is, neat and clean, and in a manner that suits the aims and atmosphere of a Catholic elementary school environment. To be succinct, any combination of white and navy is acceptable. Absolutely no denim is

permitted. The Dress Code is now mandated for all TCDSB schools. Adherence to the code is not optional.

AFTER SCHOOL PICK UPS:

Please allow your child’s teacher to dismiss the children outside the building and kindly wait for them at their dismissal spot. It becomes confusing and hectic to have students heading in different directions to meet their parents. We appreciate this support for student safety.

PIZZA LUNCHES

Mrs. Gordon’s grade 7/8 class will be organizing

pizza lunches for the school. Please keep a close

eye for the envelopes, as the turnaround is very tight. Thanks to Mrs. Gordon and her students

for taking on this wonderful school wide

initiative.

SAFE ARRIVAL

Parents are asked to call the school at 416-393-5351, press 1 and leave a message if a child is going to be late or absent from school. Please state the date, your child’s name, their grade and the reason for the absence. This important safe arrival routine assists us in knowing who is absent. Our school bell rings at 8:30a.m. to start the day. It is very important that students arrive on time daily to begin each day at school. Late arrivals disrupt the learning of your child and others in their class. Thank you for your continued cooperation in establishing punctual routines for your children. Any student leaving the school during the day due to appointments must be signed out at the office. This ensures that our staff is aware of when and with whom your child is leaving the building.

Students who are late or absent repeatedly will be referred to our school social worker for support in addressing attendance issues. Let’s work together to ensure our students are at school on time.

Please report to the office when you begin your visit to the school. Thank you!

LUNCH PROCEDURES

Many of our students remain at school for lunch. These students are not permitted to leave the school grounds at any time during the lunch hour unless they have written parental permission to eat lunch elsewhere.

LUNCH TABLE

The lunch table is set up in the foyer for the convenience of parents bringing lunch for their children. Please make sure the lunch is clearly labeled with name and classroom. Remind your child in the morning to pick up lunch from the lunch table. The office will not disrupt classes to call down individual students. Your assistance with this matter is most appreciated.

Cross Country: Our cross-country team has been training hard on a

daily basis. The coaches have been inspiring these athletes to run hard but to pace themselves. Cross-

country is a sport for the true warriors in athletics!

Many of our students have been training long and hard to try to make the team. St. Barnabas has

always had a great cross-country team and it looks

like this year will be no exception. Every athlete that tries out for the team is a winner and shows

true Barnabas Spirit. By cross country runners.

CSPC – (CATHOLIC PARENT SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL)

ST. BARNABAS CATHOLIC CHURCH - IMPORTANT DATES

Preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation will take place at St. Barnabas Catholic Church. Through our grade 2 and 7 programming, the school will continue to support these most blessed sacraments and will continue to work closely with the parish. Stay tuned for further information regarding significant enrollment dates.

Guidance Corner – October My name is Miss Vincent and I am the school Guidance Teacher/Counsellor. I will be visiting your child’s school on a regular basis to deliver classroom programming on a wide-variety of topics, as well as providing counselling services on an individual or small group basis. I have been a teacher with the TCDSB for more than two decades, and in my role as Guidance Teacher/Counsellor in Scarborough for the past 18 years. I will be providing regular updates to my Guidance Corner in the school newsletter each month. During the month of September I spent time getting acquainted with a number of classes in the school, helping students to know who I am and to understand how I can support them during the school year. I encourage students, teachers, administrators and parents to follow me on Twitter @ginvin25 to see all of my Guidance related tweets. Please do not hesitate to contact me through the school principal or secretary, if I can be of any assistance to you or your child during the school year. During the month of October, we focus on having an "attitude of gratitude". Help your child to see the blessings in everyday activities and to be grateful in the simple things. Consider keeping a family Gratitude Journal, or sharing things that you are grateful for in your life. A couple of good articles on the topic of Gratitude can be found here: http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/article-ten-ways-raise-grateful-kid.html High school Open House nights begin this month for Grade 8 student and parents. The complete list can be found here: https://www.tcdsb.org/school/openhouses/pages/default.aspx. Grade 7 parents are also welcome to attend. Please make time to visit the high schools of interest to see what they have to offer. Students in the junior and intermediate grades will be continuing the use of My Blueprint Educational Planner during the school year. Information can be found at: www.myblueprint.ca Ms. Vincent Guidance Teacher

St. Barnabas Staff 2016/2017

Principal Mr. FitzPatrick

Administrative Assistant Mrs. Brown

Administrative Assistant Mrs. Grief

Early Childhood Educator Ms. McPherson

Early Childhood Educator Mrs. Velinor-Avril

Educational Assistant Mrs. Garas

Educational Assistant Ms. Chan

Educational Assistant Ms. Trabulsey

FDK Teacher Mrs. Caesar

FDK Teacher Mrs. Straub

Gr 1 Teacher Mrs. Colla

Gr 1/2 Teacher Mrs. Richardson

Gr 2/3 Teacher Mrs. Capone

Gr 3 Teacher Mrs. Ross

Gr 4 Teacher Mr. Nabzdyk

Gr 5 Teacher Mrs. Shiller/Mr. D’Souza

Gr 5/6 Teacher Mr. Durant

Gr 6/7 Teacher Ms. Twydell

Gr 7/8 Teacher Mrs. Gordon

Gr 8 Teacher Mr. Sulmona

English Language Learner Mrs. Jarrett

Resource Mrs. Schiller PM

French Teacher Madame Carvalho

French Teacher Madame Shea

Physical Education Mr. MacLean

Library Technician Mr. Paolo Iannucci

Vocal Music Mr. Longo

Instrumental Music Mr. Zaw-Tun

BOSTON PIZZA - ST. BARNABAS SCHOOL

KICK BACK PROGRAM

The 10% kick back program is fairly simple:

Dine at Boston Pizza Morningside. Write “St. Barnabas

School” on the receipt and put it in the box marked Team

Rewards. At the end of the school year, St.

Barnabas School will get 10% of all food sales.

This program is with the Boston Pizza Morningside

location only.

Boston Pizza Morningside is located at 25 Cinemart Drive.

(416) 282 0770 (Milner/Morningside across from the Cineplex Odeon).

Join in and make your dining experience go a long way! Spread the word!