St. Daniel Comboni
Newsletter for September / October 2021
Principal : A. Scigliano
Vice-Principal : S. Salameh
Superintendent: T. Peel
Trustee: Brampton Wards 2, 5 and 6: Darryl D’Souza
Head Secretary: D. Whiteman
Asst. Secretary: J. Harvey
120 Veterans Drive, Brampton, ON, L7A 3Z7
P: (905) 495-4621 F: (905) 495-8620
dpcdsb.org/COMBO
School Council Chair: A. Marchao
SCHOOL HOURS
The school hours for students are as follows:
9:15 a.m Class Begins
12:16-1:16 p.m Lunch
3:45 p.m. Class Dismissal
Follow us on Twitter:
StDanielComboniDP@StDanielComboni
WELCOME TO THE LION'S PRIDE
Opening Prayer
Gracious and merciful God of all creation,
You have loved us since before we were born.
From our mothers’ wombs
to our eternal place in heaven
You have given us the gifts to live and grow in safety.
We come to You now asking for the grace and strength to follow Your plan and to form a safe, caring, inclusive community here at
St. Daniel Comboni Catholic School.
May our faith in You and Your plan lead us to know and feel Your presence among us.
We ask this in name of Jesus, Your Son, who lived to show us Your way.
Amen.
Administrator’s Message
On behalf of the St. Daniel Comboni Staff, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone back to school after such a long time away due to the school closure and summer break. I hope that your families are well and you were able to enjoy the beautiful summer we’ve had.
As expected, many of you may be experiencing mixed feelings about the return to school for your child(ren) at this time; worry for their health and safety during this on-going pandemic while also acknowledging the need for them to return to school for their own mental health and well-being. As such, some families have chosen to return in person and others have chosen remote distance learning for their child(ren) based on the individual needs and circumstances of each family.
Return to school will look different this year for all of us. Please be sure to read ALL Board and School communications carefully, especially with regards to school re-opening. The recently released DPCDSB School Reopening Plans outlines important detailed information. All recent communications can be found on the Board website (https://www.dpcdsb.org/).
Parents, children and staff will need to work together as we reconnect and create our new learning space. It make look different than what we are used to, but the focus is always on a caring and safe learning environment for all. Despite the circumstances, the staff have been working very hard to prepare for the start of school and to ensure a safe and friendly classroom is ready for your child(ren).
Thank you to all the educators who have diligently organized and prepared their classrooms. A special thank you is extended to our custodial team for all their hard work preparing our physical site for this new school year.
Sincerely,
A. Scigliano
Principal
S. Salameh
Vice Principal
We Give Thanks
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our families a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! We often take many of our blessings for granted and we feel truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of the St. Daniel Comboni community. It is the combined efforts of everyone—parish, staff, students and parents—that make this such a vibrant and caring school community. By working together, we move forward as lifelong learners striving for excellence in our personal, social, spiritual and academic growth.
During this time, let us thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us and ask Him to continue to guide us on our journey.
Monday October 11th is Thanksgiving Day. There is no school on this day.
Returning to School (Face to Face)
For those returning to in-person learning, you can support your child by reviewing regularly with them:
- a positive outlook: be with your friends, see your teachers, learn new things together, etc.
- how they are feeling about school: talk about and acknowledge all their feelings but offer hope by teaching them how to stay safe & that there are caring adults at school to help them
- wearing a mask (in the school and on the bus): mandatory for all students
- ALL students will have outdoor time daily, only with their class, and while physically distancing, have a break from wearing their mask; please ensure they are dressed appropriately to be outside daily (FDK to Grade 8)
- practice good hand hygiene – wash hands often and/or use hand sanitizer (can bring their own unscented sanitizer)
- greet teachers and friends by waving
- stay in your assigned seat/desk
- not to share any food or personal belongings
Our Virtue for September (FAITH)
Our Virtue for October (EMPATHY)
SAFE SCHOOLS INITIATIVES
KISS & RIDE
We will continue to support students' safe arrival and dismissal from school and we continue to ask you to park your car in the parking lot not in the Kiss n Ride lane. This will allow for continued easy flow of the Kiss n Ride lanes.
As we continue to navigate our wonderful growth at Comboni, please be mindful of Kiss n Ride etiquette and continue to be kind to one another, especially as the winter months approach. Our first goal is the safety of your children.
Thank you again for your support!
Absence Reporting- School Messenger
NEW Process for Reporting Student Absences - Effective Monday May 3, 2021
Whether it’s a medical appointment, an illness or other important event, there are times when students may need to be away from school. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District school board is introducing a new method for parents to report their child(ren)’s absences. Using the SafeArrival system, parents will be able to report daily or future absences in one of three ways:
Web:
- Go to the SafeArrival website at go.schoolmessenger.ca
- Select Sign Up to create your account. (Only needed for the initial setup, after that you will click on login).
- Select Attendance.
- Select Report an Absence.
App:
- Download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Please note that SafeArrival uses the SchoolMessenger app.
- Select Sign-Up. (Only needed for the initial setup, after that you will click on login).
- You will be prompted to enter your email (same email address your school has on file) and create a password.
- The system will send a link to the same email address the school has on file, please click on the link you have received in your email to activate your account.
Phone:
- Call the toll-free number 1-844-435-3440
- Listen to and follow the instructions to report an absence.
- If the system doesn’t recognize your caller ID, you will be asked to enter the student’s home phone number or any phone number for the guardian that is on file with the school.
Student Safety and Allergies
We have several students who have life threatening allergies to food such as nuts, sesame seeds, oats and/or peanuts. We are asking that you help us make our school an allergy aware school by refraining from sending your children with peanut butter or other products containing nuts or nut oils (i.e. Nutella). If these students come into contact with anything containing peanuts, nuts, nut oils or derivatives, it could be life threatening. Some students have such a severe allergy that only the smell of the allergen may cause a reaction. Your child’s teacher will inform you of any class-specific allergy concerns.
Should you wish to send in a treat for the class in honour of a birthday or special occasion, we ask that treats such as stickers, pencils, book/game board donations be considered. Please note that food related snacks are not accepted.
Attendance and Punctuality
We ask that parents continue to support their children in their morning routines so that they can arrive to school on time. This ensures that your child learns an essential life skill, participates in the entire school day, and that disruptions to the learning environment are minimal. A reminder that school begins at 9:15am and supervision begins at 9:00am.
CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
On rare occasions, we are faced with situations in which non-custodial parents/guardians arrive at school asking to visit a student or sign them out. We are best able to serve and protect our students when we are made aware of legal custody arrangements. Please inform the main office of these issues as soon as possible and we will ensure your child’s teacher is aware of the arrangements.
PHONE CALLS DURING SCHOOL TIME
The office often gets requests from students to make phone calls home to ask parents to bring forgotten items such as running shoes, agendas or textbooks/homework. We are reinforcing with students that phone calls should be minimized and that it is their responsibility to bring all necessary items to school and to arrange in advance their out of school activities. Also, please make after-school arrangements with your children prior to the start of the school day. We make every attempt to minimize interruptions to classes.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Also, The Ontario Government has launched a new online and interactive COVID-19 screening tool for parents before their children go to school. https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/
CONCUSSIONS
Concussions are brain injuries caused by excessive, rapid movement of the brain inside the skull. This movement causes damage that changes how brain cells function, leading to symptoms that can be physical (headaches, dizziness), cognitive (problems remembering or concentrating), or emotional (feeling depressed).
A concussion can result from a blow to the head or body in any number of activities including receiving a check in hockey, falling from a jungle gym, or slipping on an icy sidewalk. All head injuries can be difficult to diagnose, however, a concussion is the most difficult head injury to diagnose. Brain scans do not always determine if a concussion exists.
The school calls parents whenever a child has hit their head. It is important that parents also keep the school informed if their child has had a head injury during an extra curricular activity. The school will work with the family to set up a plan (in line with the Board’s protocol) to assist the student through the 8 phases of Return to Learn and Return to Play.
Emergency Drills
ORANGE SHIRT DAY
St. Daniel Comboni community will be participating, once again in a Terry Fox Walk to continue Terry’s dream that there be a cure for cancer. While our walk may look different this year the need for a cure still exists. We look forward to a fun walk/activities around our school yard with our classes on Wednesday September 29th. Each class will be assigned a time in which they will walk our Terry Course to ensure that all students are safely walking while maintaining their physical distance requirements.
Please help support our walk by contributing to the Terry Fox Organization. Please follow the instructions below to ensure your donation is linked with our school. This provides a safe way to donate directly to the Terry Fox foundation without having to collect finds at the school, which is safer for everyone in this unusual time.
Please helps us reach our goal of $700!
Terry Fox Organization Link
Click on the DONATE button found on the top right hand corner of the page.
Your generous donation will be greatly appreciated by our school community and the Terry Fox Organization.
Thank you!
St. Daniel School Community
Walk To School
World Teachers' Day
October 5 is World Teachers’ Day and we would like to take the opportunity to recognize and celebrate our teachers for their commitment and dedication to Catholic education here at St. Daniel Comboni School.
Teachers have a great influence on us. They help prepare us for life. They teach us skills we need to participate and compete. They help us identify our strengths and weaknesses. They work to make us stronger students and hopefully, better people. Most of us can point to a teacher who has influenced us positively in some way.
We invite you to take a moment to reflect on the teachers you have today, or have had in the past. If there is someone who has had a major influence on you, has made learning fun and interesting, or has helped you to achieve success in some way, take a moment to thank that person if you can. Or simply thank one of your current teachers by telling them you appreciate them.
Women’s History Month
More: https://cfc-swc.gc.ca/commemoration/whm-mhf/index-en.html
Empowering Women Day
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has proclaimed the first Monday in October as Empowering Women Day. This year it falls on October 4, 2021.
DPCDSB wishes to underscore the importance of celebrating and commemorating the notable achievements and advancements of Canadian women, while addressing the challenges faced.
SCHOOL PICTURES
At this time, we have been advised that we will be able to have a photography vendor on site to take induvial pictures. Our picture date will be Friday November 19, 2021.
The photography vendors are onsite to provide individual photo sessions only.
No class photos will be taken.
More Information and details will be sent home shortly.
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION
At this time, only eligible students may ride the bus. Bus students in FDK and Grade 1 must be met at the stop. Your child should arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes before the assigned arrival time. Due to inclement weather or construction, delays may happen. We appreciate your understanding and patience. Due to COVID-19 precautions, students have been assigned seats on a seating plan that the bus drivers have copies of. For more information regarding delays, cancellations and/or eligibility contact STOPR directly at:
businfo.stopr.ca
(905) 890-0614
Special Education (905) 890-6362
Guardian Angels
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,
· assisting the Guardian Angels Parish team with the preparation of students for the sacraments,
· ensuring everything we do is embedded with Catholic values and content.
Our school is part of the parish of Guardian Angels Parish. We consider our Pastor, Father Jan Gogolewski to be an integral member of our school community. Weekend masses are celebrated on Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:00 a.m.
Information can be found on the parish website - https://guardianangelsbr.archtoronto.org/
Catholic School Council
The purpose of Catholic School Councils is, through the active participation of parents, to improve pupil achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents. A Catholic School Council’s primary means of achieving its purpose is by making recommendations in accordance with this policy and regulation to the principal of the school and to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
Council members shall maintain a school-wide focus on all issues. Each member shall:
•Attend regularly and participate in council meetings
•Participate in faith development, information and training programs
•Act as a link between the Catholic School Council and the school community
•Encourage the participation of parents from all groups and of other people within the community
Wednesday October 6, 2021 @ 6:30 PM we will be having our first Catholic School Council Meeting.
Topic: Catholic School Council
Time: Oct 6, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95356008799?pwd=NHFIMERBTzFONnpBZGVxZmpNQ1cvQT09
Meeting ID: 953 5600 8799
Passcode: yzs1rN
Sept. 29- Terry Fox Day
Sept. 30-- Orange Shirt Day
Oct. 4- Opening/ Thanksgiving Mass, 10am (Virtual)
Oct. 4 - Empowering Women Day
Oct. 5 - World Teachers’ Day
Oct. 6-- Catholic School Council @ 6:00pm via ZOOM
Oct. 11–Thanksgiving Day (No School)
Oct. 31 -- Halloween
IMPORTANT ATTACHMENTS
Dear Parents and/or Guardians:
Attached you will find attachments for informational and safety purposes, and need not be returned to your child/children’s teacher. However, it is essential that parents take the time to read each attached form.