Fall Newsletter 2015 Virtue: Confidence and Assertiveness

Centenary Icon of the Holy Family

The icon was designed and written by Andre J. Prevost around the Archdiocese of Winnipeg’s centenary theme Proclaiming Christ Always, including the Holy Family with emphasis on St. Joseph as patron of the archdiocese. The icon was unveiled at the Centennial Mass, May 3, 2015 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. The focus of the icon is the Holy Family, with Our Lady and St. Joseph presenting Jesus to the World, the initial proclaiming. The background of the icon is a landscape representing Manitoba. The Archdiocese is represented with St. Mary’s Cathedral centrally placed. St. John Brebeuf Church is one of the two churches representing the presence of the archdiocese, chosen for its dedication to a Canadian martyr and its contemporary architecture. For a detailed description of the Centenary Icon of the Holy Family and its many images and symbols, please visit the website www.archwinnipeg.ca/wcm-docs/docs/icon_broch_web.pdf. The Centenary Icon of the Holy Family is currently on tour and is on display in St. John Brebeuf Church until October 11th, 2015.

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FROM FATHER MARK An Icon – As part of the 100th Anni-

versary of the founding of the Archdi-ocese of Winnipeg, Archbishop Gag-

non commissioned an Icon as a com-memoration. An Icon transcends a

holy picture as it draws us into a religious truth that is God’s providential presence in the world. I asked that

the Icon of the Holy Family be placed on the cover of

this newsletter. First, because we need to be reminded that the Mission of Saint John Brebeuf Parish is to have

a parochial school, and no matter what happens in the operation of the school it needs to be brought home

that it is part of the fabric of the parish, the Archdiocese

of Winnipeg and the Universal Church. God’s providence is seen in the Icon of the Holy Family, as we recognize

the vastness of this archdiocese, the multi-cultural lay-ers of who we are, the people of the first nations to

whom we owe a great debt of gratitude, and that mo-ment in which “the Word became flesh and lived among

us” (John 1.14)

We look at this Icon and we are drawn into that very mystery. We recognize the wise Saint Joseph, who

trusted that despite all that might be said, done or hap-

pen, that the child entrusted to his care would astonish them. St. Luke tells us, “When his parents saw him they

were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father

and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ He

said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” (Luke

2:48-50) We see the young woman, Mary the Mother of God, who said to the angel Gabriel, “Here am I, the

servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your

word.” (Luke 1:38) and we see that face of the young saviour of the world, who with His very presence tells

us of the family of humankind.

I wanted the Icon on the cover to remind us who we are, and what the foundation of the school is based on.

It is based on the Yes of the Holy family, the Yes of those who scrimped and saved to establish the school,

the Yes of the religious who ensured that this school would never be overwrought with secularism and the

Yes of the families who entrust their children here for a

Catholic education.

I pray that you will take few moments in the next week

to make a trip to the sanctuary, the very heart of Saint

John Brebeuf Parish and pray in front of this Icon. As you look and pray you will see in the Icon this parish

church, and this reminds us of the eternal activities that we are part of as we continue to walk on Holy Ground…

Saint Joseph Pray for us… Mary, the Mother of God,

Pray for us… Jesus, Son of the living God, Have mercy on us…

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

I would like to take this opportunity to once again welcome our new and returning families. It is a privilege to be part of St. John Brebeuf –an outstanding community. We look forward to working with all our stakeholders.

Our excellent and dedicated team of educators will chal-lenge students to grow in their faith, academic and so-

cial skills. The first month of school is crucial to estab-lishing class routines and set goals for the year.

Our Social Justice will center around two key principles

of Catholic Social Teaching: i) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable and ii) Stewardship of Creation. Through

our school mission of Living, Learning and Serving in

Christ, we will focus on the needs of the poor and vul-nerable first and look at ways on how to help protect

God’s creation-protection of People and the planet. Drive Away Hunger and Bag Up Manitoba Programs are the

focal points for this month. For further details please

refer to page 4.

The Second Step Program, being implemented for the

first time this year, addresses character building along

with our Virtues program to strengthen students social intelligence. On-line safety will be a priority for this fall

in our Literacy with Information and Communication Technology classes ( LwICT). It is our goal that students

will use information and communicate as citizens of the global community and members of God’s beautiful crea-

tion using ICT responsibly and ethically. An evening

session for parents is being organized by our Parent Ad-visory Group. Further details will be sent via email.

In keeping with the principle of Stewardship of Creation,

our school will be issuing four seasonal newsletters for 2015-16. The next newsletter for winter will go out at

the end of November (covering Dec/Jan/Feb). The spring newsletter will go out early March (covering

March, April and May), and lastly the summer newsletter

at the end of the school year (will cover June and up to the beginning of the new school year). Important re-

minders will be sent out via eBlast, through classroom teachers’ emails, Portals, or PCR communication.

A big thank you to our staff for organizing our House

Assembly along with the Terry Fox Walk, our school dance, the grade 7 and 8 retreat, and preparing stu-

dents for their first Mass with the School. A special thanks to Mrs. Cisneros for her countless hours

spent purchasing our school supplies. Thank you also

to our Parent Council (Mrs. Cisneros, Mrs. Hauser and Mrs. Waggoner ) for their initiative in starting a new hot

lunch program.

We look forward to an awesome school year! Thanksgiving blessings to all our families and friends!

Mrs. Laura Carreiro

Principal

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SCHOOL BOARD

2015-16 St. John Brebeuf School Board Members

Fr. Mark A. Tarrant, Pastor Mrs. Laura Carreiro, Principal

Mrs. Elizabeth Matyi, Chair

Ms. Mariella DiSanto, Past Co-Chair Mrs. Marni Waggoner, Secretary

Mrs. Margaret Kingdon Mr. Phil Samyn

Mr. Raj Sharma

Mrs. Carolyn Callbeck Mr. Andrew Calista

Mr. Paul Prendergast Mr. Antonio Garofoli

Mrs. Shannon Cisneros

PARENT COUNCIL

Parent Council Report

WELCOME BACK!

The St. John Brebeuf parent council got off to a great

start this year. We have been busy facilitating the

lunch program with Dana Hospitality. Thank you for your overwhelming support for this new program. I

wish you could all see the faces of your children down in the Parish Hall; what a beautiful sight!

The 2015/16 Parent Council Roster, Parent Advisory

and Parent Council Representatives (PCR) are listed on this page. We have continued with the PCR to assist

and expedite communication between parent council and parents. We hope you see this way of messaging

as an invitation for you to become involved in the activi-

ties and initiatives this upcoming year.

The next Parent Council Meeting will be held on Tues-

day, November 3 @ 7:30 pm in the school library. All

are welcome!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Shannon Cisneros & Mrs. Simone Lambos

2015-2016 Parent Council Roster

Executive Positions:

Chairpersons: Shannon Cisneros (lead) & Simone Lambos Past-Chairperson: Marni Waggoner

Treasurer: Kerri Moore

Secretary: Renee Bertand-Teo

Committee/Event Chairpersons:

Volunteer Coordinators: Marnie Kaul & Shauna Filuk

Thursday Lunches: Gillian Hauser

Popcorn/Freezie Day: Michelle Thorsteinson

Bingo: Simone Lambos (lead)

QSP Magazines: Paula Chorney

Glenlea Plant Sale: Gillian Hauser

K of C Pancake Breakfast: Danielle Savage

SJB Idol: Marni Waggoner

Family Fundraiser: Rachel Banmann (lead), Kerri Moore,

Marni Waggoner, Laureen Wilson

SJB Community Carnival: Gillian Hauser (lead), Paula Chor-

ney, Trish Cantafio, Sandy Miller, Kristina Braun, Michelle

Thorsteinson

Christmas Concert Reception: Nicky Louizos-Gerwing (lead)

Laureen Wilson, Vinita Pandey

Open House: Simone Lambos & Shannon Cisneros

Staff Appreciation: Renee Betrand-Teo (lead), Jennifer Melo,

Crystal Santarsieri

Roles and Responsibilities: Sandy Kostyniuk

Terry Fox Walk: Simone Lambos & Shannon Cisneros

Voyageur Day/Refreshments: Simone Lambos & Shannon

Cisneros

Parent-Teacher Conferences/Refreshments: Simone Lambos

& Shannon Cisneros

Parent Council Representatives:

KC (C. Walker): Mariane McKiernan KW (D. Wolfe): Sandy Kostyniuk 1P: Jennifer Melo 2P: Miriam Jezik 2R: Kristina Braun 3S: Renee Bertrand-Teo 4M: Paula Chorney 5M: Laureen Wilson 5B: Kim Prendergast 6C: Marni Waggoner 7M: Stacey Calista 8T: Rachel Suarez-Banmann Parent Advisory Representatives:

Raj Sharma Kim Prendergast

Marnie Kaul

Please Note: No School Clubs on Hot Lunch Days

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SUSTAINABILITY

During the month of October, our school will be partici-

pating in the provincial recycling drive Bag Up Manitoba. For the entire month of October, we are collecting

plastic that would otherwise end up in our lakes, rivers, and forests where it will not biodegrade and could

potentially be harmful to wildlife.

Plastic items accepted are: grocery bags salt bags

retail bags pellet bags newspaper sleeves cereal bags

produce bags case over wrap

bread bags dry cleaning bags ice bags re-sealable food bags

bubble wrap

SOCIAL JUSTICE

FCC Drive Away Hunger: During the period from October 5th to 12th, the school will be collecting

non-perishable food items to support Winnipeg Harvest,

as part of our school’s social justice focus on hunger and poverty. Please consider donating items from the

most wanted list below. All donations will be matched in weight by Farm Credit Canada and delivered to

Winnipeg Harvest.

Winnipeg Harvest 9 Most Wanted Food Items: Canned fish and poultry – tuna, or salmon (packed in

water) chicken or turkey; canned fruit and vegetables (packed in own juice); canned stew, chili, brown beans;

baby food – jars of chicken, beef vegetables or fruit,

infant cereal such as oatmeal, barley, or rice, formula with added iron; whole grain pasta/whole wheat pasta;

rice – brown, converted or parboiled; canned spaghetti sauce or tomatoes;

cereal – high fiber, non-sugar coated;

canned soup – lentil, pea, vegetable.

Due to allergies at the school, please DO NOT SEND ANY

NUT PRODUCTS SUCH AS PEANUT BUTTER.

Thank your for your continued generosity! Ms. Craig, Social Justice Committee Chair

SCHOOL PATROLS

Welcome to another school year! This year, we have

many responsible Grade 5 and 6 students that have signed up to be patrols. These individuals will give up

time in the mornings and after school to help ensure

everyone’s safety. I am excited to announce this year’s patrols:

Reet Singh Benjamin Slugoski Walters

Julia Mainprize Cassidy Ledger

Marc Samyn

Annika Holtmann Madison Dornn

Liam McKay Paiton Komar

Abby Sywake

Tristan Rodrigues Grace Cameron Brandstrom

Thank you all for your support! I know this will be a

great year! Miss Misa, Patrol Coordinator

REPORTING ABSENCES:

Please contact Mrs. Foubister at 204-489-2115 (ext.241)

or email receptionist@sjbcommunicty.ca before 9am.

ROOTS of EMPATHY

Empathy is an important trait that, when developed through this in-class program, reduces aggression

amongst school children and increases social/emotional competence through empathy. Violet, our baby teach-

er, will be working with Miss Misa’s grade 4 class

towards the following goals: -To develop empathy and emotional literacy.

-To reduce levels of bullying, aggression & violence, and promote children’s pro-social behaviours.

-To increase knowledge of human development, learn-ing, and infant safety.

-To prepare students for responsible citizenship and

parenting

We will be meeting Baby Violet soon and look forward to learning!

Ms. Johnson, Library Tech

GRADE 2R AT AMAZE IN CORN

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2015 World Meeting of Families Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

September 20-28, 2015

It was summer last year when my husband and I received a phone call from Deacon Ted Woods and

asked us if we were one of the candidate couples to represent The Archdiocese of Winnipeg to attend the 2015 World Meetings of the Families in Philadelphia, what would we feel? With awe and wonder, we said

it is a blessing to be one. Our names were submitted to the Canadian Catholic Bishops and last April we received a letter from the organizers of 2015 WMOF from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that we were

granted the scholarship to attend this special event.

Our praise and thanksgiving to the Lord is unmeasurable being part of the weeklong World Meeting of Families which was divided into 3 parts: an international congress, consisting of presentations by some cardinals, bish-

ops & experts about the family; parade & festival with Pope Francis, testimonies by one family from each continent and

performances of great local & international artists; and finally, an outdoor Mass on Sunday which was celebrated by the Holy Father in Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

This years’ World Meeting of Families: The Family Fully Alive reminded us the importance of family as God’s masterpiece

and a gift from Him to each one of us, that He created with full of life and love. The family is the place where we feel most accepted & loved, most protected & safe, & most valued. Pope Francis said that the fami-

ly is the first school, the first Church, and especially the first hospital. It is true, because when we talk about the familiy as being the first hospital, we talked about wounds, or weakness, as

the vicar of Jesus Christ, the Holy Father is interested in attending particularly to the wounds

and weaknesses of the human family.

It is an experience to remember and to cherish, but most of all it is a reminder for all of us who

attended this special celebration of faith that Love is our Mission. Love that needs to be shared

not only to our friends & families but even to the least of our enemies with courage, humility and forgiveness.

Mrs. Vasquez, Educational Assistant St. John Brebeuf School

SECOND STEP

This year we launch our new character building program Second Step. An important component of this program is the Bullying Prevention Unit. Administration is busy delivering the Bullying Prevention Unit to all our classes this autumn. The BPU focuses on three main areas: recognizing bullying, dealing with bullying, and preventing bullying. An important part of the entire program is the home link. Research shows this program works best when involvement at home is undertaken in addition to the school initiative. Please watch your child’s backpack for the maroon Second Step duo tang. Inside, you will find an introductory letter and home link activities that are to be done by your child with the supervision of an adult. The home link work should be a shared experience. Go online with your child today to check out the many resources available from Second Step (www.secondstep.org) using the activation key listed in the introductory letter.

Mrs. Campbell, Vice Principal

TERRY FOX WALK

This year marked the 35th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope begun by Terry Fox. On Friday, September 25th the

students of St. John Brebeuf School continued our proud tradition of walking for this incredible cause. We completed a 2.5 KM walk around our community. As it was the 35th anniversary our students were asked to donate $5.00 towards

funding cancer research and as always, our students rose to and surpassed the challenge donating an incredible $4020.00. On behalf of the House Committee, thank you so very much to all the staff members who made our assem-

bly such a huge success and an especially HUGE thank you to all who made donations as well as the parents who came

out to volunteer. Your efforts are helping to keep Terry’s dream and Marathon of Hope alive.

Mrs. Walker, House Committee Chair

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FROM THE ATHLETICS DEPARMENT:

Physical Education

Welcome back students and families of the St. John Brebeuf community! I hope

everyone had a safe and active summer.

The first week back to physical education had all students playing a series of low

organized games. During the first few months, students from grades K – 4 will be developing their basic move-

ment skills – run, jump, hop, gallop and skip. Students in

grades 5 – 8 will be learning the rules and skills required for Flag Football and developing their understanding of

Volleyball.

Please be sure your child has their crested gym shorts and shirts labeled with their name along with non-

marking running shoes (please do not send casual “Crocs” or “skateboard/street” shoes as they do not provide ade-

quate support) in a labeled gym bag. If students forget to bring these items to class, a uniform form will go home

with them for you to sign, and must be returned to me

the following day.

Intramurals

Intramurals start on November 16; please see the PE

portal for details.

Cross Country

Congratulations to the Cross Country on their strong showing at the St. Maurice Cross Country Meet in beauti-

ful Crescent Drive Park. Over 125 students competed on September 23rd after school. See results below:

Grade 8

2nd Carson Dornn 3rd Noah van den Burg

4th Adam Christie Stewart 9th Drew Demarin

14th Mattias Duehrsen

16th Daniel Lewis

Grade 7

2nd Michael Resler

3rd Jack Filuk-Scott 4th Declan Bowden

7th Ben Ellerbrock

Volleyball

Our boys’ competitive and developmental volleyball teams

have been selected. Congratulations to all students for

making the team! The developmental team will be coached by Mr. Toni and Mr. Suban. The competitive

team will be coached by myself along with the help of some St. John Brebeuf Alumni. If any parents are inter-

ested in assisting as a volunteer coach please contact me

at Bueti@sjbcommunity.ca

All 2015 volleyball schedules are available on the PE

Portal at http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/phys-ed/.

Mr. Bueti, Physical Education

FROM THE TECHNOLOGY DEPT.

To access a portal, please visit sjbschool.ca and select the grade or specialist area that you wish to view via the dropdown menu at the top of the page. Input the school password “bobcats.” http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/k-walker/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/kwolfe/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade1 http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-2p/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-2r/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-3/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-4/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-5b/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-5m/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-6c/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-7/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/grade-8/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/library/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/french/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/technology/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/music/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/phys-ed/ http://www.sjbschool.ca/class/resource/

Ms. Hill, Technology Teacher

The St. John Brebeuf School Annual QSP Magazine

Fundraiser is starting soon! Information will be sent home with your child the week of October 5, but you can

order online anytime at: www.qsp.ca and enter in Group ID: 3742731 or search for St. John Brebeuf School.

For more information, contact the PCl QSP Coordinator,

Paula at paulachorney@hotmail.com

GRADE 5 STUDENTS DISPLAYING THE MINIATURE TIPI THAT THEY ASSEMBLED AT THE MANITOBA MUSEUM.

SCHOOL CALENDAR Please note the following: NO SCHOOL

October 12 - Thanksgiving

October 23 - In-service November 6 - In-service

November 11 - Remembrance Day November 20 - In-service

December 19 - January 3 - Christmas Holidays

EARLY DISMISSAL November 5 - 11:30am dismissal; No After Care

November 19 - 2pm dismissal; After Care available December 4 - 2pm dismissal; After Care available

December 18 - 2pm dismissal; After Care available

PLEASE CHECK THE

SCHOOL WEBSITE www.sjbschool.ca FOR MORE INFOR-

MATION AND UPDATES!

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NOTES FROM THE MUSIC ROOM

What’s happening in 2015-2016?

Mass with the School - The Feast of St. John Brebeuf

was celebrated with the first school Mass on September 25th. We welcomed many new Grade 2 students to the

mass choir (under the direction of Mr. Suban) along with several returning students from Grades 3-5.

Mark these dates!

WSO - The woodwind section of the Winnipeg Symphony

Orchestra will be at St John Brebeuf on October 14th to perform a workshop entitled 'Bach to the School'.

Grade 3-5 students will be attending the WSO performance

'Adventures in Music' on March 9th. This program is called “Orchestra Games” where students will celebrate a variety

of countries through music and movement, both artistic and athletic.

School Events:

Remembrance Day Assembly - November 10

Christmas Concerts - December 16 & 17

Music clubs will be offered again this year. We hope to

have the groups perform both inside the school and at venues outside the school. Day 1 Girls choir grades 4-6 Day 2 Guitar/Ukulele club for grades 2-4 & grades 5-8 Day 4 Beginner Violin club for grade 1-4 (must have own violin) Day 5 Advanced Violin club for grades 2-8 (must have own violin) Day 6 Mass choir for grades 2-8 Friday Morning Boys Choir

Please visit the SJB Music portal for more information, dates and times.

Musically speaking,

Mr. Allan, Music Teacher

To celebrate the 100th

anniversary of the Archdi-ocese of Winnipeg, Cath-

olic Schools from across the Archdiocese have

worked together over the

past year to create a beautiful Christmas CD of

children’s choirs singing both traditional, and cur-

rent carols.

In May, the Boys and

Girls Choir of St. John Brebeuf School recorded

One Voice by Ruth Moody, and Believe by

Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard (arr. by Mark Hayes). Students who participated in the recording will be gifted

a CD from St. John Brebeuf School. CDs will be made

available for purchase in December at the price of $12.00. All funds from CD sales will go towards the

St. John Brebeuf School music program.

LIBRARY NEWS

Fall at the Mabel Skelly Library has started with lots of new

fiction and non-fiction books added to the library collection. This include most of the Manitoba Young Readers Choice

Awards books as well as popular new releases like The Day the Crayons Came Home, by Drew Daywalt and illustrated

by Oliver Jeffers.

Students in grade 4-8 are improving their research skills through our Research Ninja

scavenger hunts and other library lessons.

Aaaaand……… coming soon:

The Scholastic Book Fair is November 16-19.

Ms. Johnson, Library Tech, Mabel Skelly Library

SCHOOL MASS CHOIR

The School Mass Choir has started off once again and

we have had a huge turnout. We sang for our first mass with the school and all the students did a wonderful job.

They were truly the voice of the angels. Mass choir practice is usually every day 6 from 11:55-12:25pm in

the sanctuary.

PLEASE CHECK THE

SCHOOL WEBSITE www.sjbschool.ca FOR MORE INFOR-

MATION AND UPDATES!

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SCHOOL POLICY: REFUND OF TUITION AND FEES POLICY NO. 401.5 1. Unless otherwise approved by the Board, tuition fees will

be refunded only if a child’s parent or guardian is transferred or moves out of the City before December 31. In this case, tuition will be refunded on a pro-rated basis.

2. A request for a tuition refund must be made in writing to

the Principal. 3. Application fees, technology fees, school supply

fees, field trip fees and lunch fees are all non-refundable.

4. If Before/After School Program service is cancelled after

the first day of a month, the fees for that entire month are payable.

Approved in January 2013

SCHOOL UNIFORMS If you need to order uniform pieces, or wish to purchase gently worn items,

please visit Ms. Barry at the Uniform

Room (lower level, adjacent to the Science Room) every Thursday between 3:30 and 4:30

pm, or email her at barry@sjbcommunity.ca.

After Thanksgiving, students are not permitted to wear shorts or skorts until Spring.

For more information on school uniform policies please

refer to the parent handbook or visit the school web site at www.sjbschool.ca.

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE Please note that a fee of $40.00 will be required for all NSF cheques. Post-dated cheques are not accepted. GRAD 2015-2016

Save the date - Sunday, June 26, 2016 for Class 2016 graduation day, beginning with mass at 4pm.

More information to follow!

STUDENT COUNCIL Student Council for 2014-2015

President: Noah Banmann

Vice President: David Xavier Secretary/Treasure: Justin Cross

October Colour Day:

October 30: Orange and Black

Thanks to the students who came out September 25th

for our school dance, Neon. The dance was a time to

shake off the beginning of the year jitters, make new friends, and show off dance moves.

Student Council News

The St. John Brebeuf Student Council is responsible for assisting with selling milk at lunch time to our students,

looking after the drink machine and organizing school dances and other activities.

St. John Brebeuf Student Council

Mr. Will Toni, Teacher Advisor

POPCORN DAYS

The next Popcorn Day is October 16th. Please check the calendar on the school

website for future dates. Bags are only $1

each and are sold during the lunch hour.

SCHOOL DANCE SEPTEMBER 25TH