WHAT'S INSIDE:

Staff List - 2Dates of Importance - 3School Schedule - 4Pick Up & Drop Off - 5Student Info Take Home Packages - 6Lunch & Class Trips - 7Stay Up To Date - 8School Council - 9Closing Prayer - 10Community Involvement - 11 & 12

S E P T E M B E R 3 R D 2 0 1 9 | V O L . 1

MARY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

My name is Leslie Boerkamp and I am very excited to introduce myselfas your new principal. As the new principal at Mary ImmaculateCatholic School I am very excited to meet the students and familiesthat we serve. I feel blessed to be a part of such a welcoming andengaged school community that has a rich tradition of spiritualstrength and academic excellence. Please stop in to introduceyourself. I have an open door policy and believe that working together,as families, staff and parish, we will continue to make great thingshappen for every child at Mary Immaculate School.On behalf of our entire staff at Mary Immaculate, we would like to takethis opportunity to welcome back our returning families and we wishto extend a warm welcome to our new families andincoming junior kindergarten students. The staff are excited to seeeveryone and begin an amazing year filled with much learning andgrowing as a family!Our mission at Mary Immaculate is to foster student learning throughthe lens of our Catholic faith and to practice Jesus’ teachings. We arecommitted to Catholic Education and know that joining together-children, staff, parents and parish, we will celebrate successfullearning.I am really looking forward to the opportunity of working with the MaryImmaculate School community for many years to come! As we beginthis new school year, I look forward to meeting all of your wonderfulchildren and working closely with you. If you have questions orconcerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school or viaemail at Leslie_Boerkamp@bgcdsb.org.Sincerely,Leslie BoerkampPrincipal

WELCOME TO THE 2019 - 2020 SCHOOL YEAR!Dear Mary Immaculate Families:

“Let our lightshine beforeothers, that theysee our goodworks and giveglory to God inheaven” –Matthew 5:16

Teaching StaffJK/SK - Lisa Finlay & Cassandra JohnsonGr. 1/2 - Michelle PletchGr. 2/3 - Jordan Kraemer (Jessica Luyten ~maternity leave ~ returning May)Gr. 4/5 - Karen HerchmerGr. 6/7 - Becky KroeplinGr. 7/8 - Julia SchaeferCore French - Sylvia DunnAdditional Prep - Shelby Collins Support StaffSpecial Ed. Resource - Leslie CummingsInstructional Coach - Christina SpeersLibrarian - Debbie StanleyEducational Assistant - Elaine SoersHead Custodian - Jeff Lantz Secretary - Susan Wolfe-DalesPrincipal - Leslie Boerkamp

On behalf of the entire staff family of MaryImmaculate School, we welcome your child(ren)back to school. The staff are very excited to seeeveryone and to begin a fantastic year of learningand growing together! There is a real feeling of greatpride and joy within this school community whichwe hope to continue building upon. Our mission atMary Immaculate School is to foster studentlearning through the lens of our Catholic faith andto practice Jesus’ teachings. We are committed toCatholic Education and know that by joiningtogether – children, staff, parents and parish, wewill together celebrate successful learning. We want to share a bit of helpful informationregarding our daily schedule and routines: Firstly,we will welcome ALL students, onto the playgroundyard in the mornings. The yard is supervised from8:20 a.m. until the bell at 8:50 a.m. If you drive yourchild to school, we ask that you park in the parkinglot or on the inside of the drive circle (beside thegrass) and walk your child to the drop-off zone. Parents are asked to not go onto the schoolyard,this is a safety measure and we thank you for yourhelp with this.  Along with Mrs. Boerkamp, we welcome a number ofnew members to our staff this year: CassandraJohnson, Jordan Kraemer, Shelby Collins, andChristina Speers! A complete staff list can be foundon the right, for your information.

WELCOME BACK!

Mary Immaculate School

Staff 2019 - 2020

Respect is an attitude of caringabout people and treating themwith dignity.  Respect is valuingourselves and others. We showrespect by speaking and acting withcourtesy.  When we are respectfulwe treat others as we want to betreated. Respect includeshonouring the rules of our family orschool, which make life moreorderly and peaceful.  It is knowingthat every man, woman and childdeserves respect, including you. (The Virtues Project, p. 215)

We have a great team at Mary Immaculate and we are thrilled to work together to serve ourstudents, families and community. Please contact us at the school anytime if you have questions orwould like to discuss your child(ren)’s education.  Please take a moment to review the StudentHandbook, found in the student planner and sign it.If you would like to contact your child’s teacher please contact the office and we will be pleased toset up an appropriate time to discuss any concerns or issues you or your child may be having (ex. byphone or in person). Our staff is extremely receptive to contact with our students’ families, butmeetings with the teacher cannot occur when class is in session.

CONTACT US ANYTIME

Virtue ofthe Month:

Respect

DATES OF IMPORTANCE:September 2019Sept. 3rd - First Day of School!Sept. 3rd - Little Ceasars' Fundraising StartsSept. 5th - Lice SquadSept. 6th - Student Information Forms DueSept. 13th - Opening School Mass @ 9:15 a.m.Sept. 19th - We DaySept. 19th - Meet the Staff BBQ @ 5:30 - 7 p.m.Sept. 19th - Last day for Little Ceasars' ordersSept. 23rd - Opening Catholic Parent Council Meeting @ 5:15 p.m.Sept. 24th - Virtues Assembly @ 2:20 p.m.Sept. 25th - DEER program gr. 4, 5, 6 @ Bruce PowerSept. 26th - Terry Fox School Run @ 2:20 p.m.Sept. 27th - Board PD Day - no school for students October 2019Oct. 1st - Little Ceasars' Pizza Delivery @ noon withparent pick up between 3:20 - 4 p.m.Oct. 8th - Hey 3 Year Olds! (Kindergarten Registration)Oct. 11th - Thanksgiving Mass @ 9:15 a.m.Oct. 14th - Thanksgiving Day Holiday - no schoolOct. 15th - Board Cross Country EventOct. 16th - Picture DayOct. 21st - Parent Council Meeting @ 5:15 p.m.Oct. 23rd - Virtues Assembly @ 2:20 p.m.Oct. 25th - Board PD Day - no school for students November 2019Nov. 11th - Remembrance dayNov. 14th - Retake Picture Day

Our school follows a daily schedule withmorning recess from 10:50-11:05 a.m.,followed by a lunch break at 11:45 - 12:05 p.m.and lunch recess from 12:05 - 12:45 p.m. Our afternoon recess is from 2:05 - 2:20 p.m. Dismissal is at 3:20 p.m.

Please ensure that you notify your child(ren)’steacher in writing if there are any changes to pick-up and dismissal. Alternately, please notify theoffice of the change as early in the day as possible. As mandated by the Ministry of Education, MaryImmaculate  School has a Safe Arrival Program inplace. We ask that you call our school 519-366-2681before 8:50 a.m. to notify us if your child will beabsent from school. Please note that you may leavea message anytime of the day. The messages will bechecked prior to the start of each day. When leavinga message please leave the child’s name andspecific reason for their absence (we must informPublic Health of the reason for absence). If we do not receive a call from you by 8:50 a.m.,office staff will do the following:

Call your home phone number to ensure yourchild is safeIf the office staff is unable to reach you at home,cell numbers, work or emergency numbers will becalled.If the student still cannot be located, the policewill be notified.

We must ensure the safety and wellbeing of ourstudents.

SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM:519-366-2681

Mary Immaculate School

Day Schedule

A SAFE WELCOME!Mary Immaculate’s frontdoor is locked during schoolhours and visitors need tobuzz into the office bypushing the silver button.

Hello, Bonjour,Aniin!

We welcome the following new students andtheir families to our school:

LoganRhettCharlieKylieKobieMaddoxLilahJasperHaydinBrielleKaleCloe

Parents are reminded that when dropping off theirchild(ren) in the morning (8:20 - 8:50 a.m.) andpicking up their child(ren) at the end of the day(3:20 p.m.) to do so in the designated area at thefront of the school.  Please do not park in the busloading zones (along the sidewalk area at the frontof the school). We’re so happy to see that our students are arrivingprior to our first bell at 8:50 a.m. and are not beingpicked up before dismissal time at 3:20 p.m. Thismakes for a very smooth day. For everyone’s safety and comfort when picking upyour child(ren) please report to the office and yourchild(ren) will be called down to meet you. Thisminimizes interruptions in classrooms.  Thank you for your understanding andcooperation.

PICK UP AND DROP OFF:

New Faces at Mary

Immaculate!

STUDENT PLANNERS:Student planners have been given to all students.We ask that you please send $4.00 to help offset thecost of the planners (payable via SchoolCashOnline).

LITTLE CEASARS'FUNDRAISING STARTSTODAY!Mrs. Herchmer and Mrs. Kroeplin’s studentsare raising money for their year end class trip.Sept. 19th is the last day for orders (done onSchool Cash Online). Oct. 1st is delivery of pizza kits (around noon),with parent pick up between 3:20 & 4:00 p.m.

One child in your family will be bringing home a package with lots of important informationin it! Please take the time to look over the Student Information Form very carefully and fillin or make changes where needed. Please know that this piece of information is veryimportant and our link to where we can reach you in the case of an emergency. Just a few spots to take note of:

Home and work phone numberEmergency ContactBus Route # (ensure it’s correct/updated)Adverse weather. Where will your child go in the case of cancelled buses?

Please make arrangements with a friend, relative, etc. for your child. Please have your child bring this back to their teacher by Friday, September 6th! Thank you for taking the time to keep us informed! Please note in an effort to be more"green" there are several forms, usually printed for this package that are now available onSchool Cash Online. A paper copy will no longer be sent home. We encourage all families who have not signed up to please do so as soon as possible. Thereis no fee required for these forms; however, parents still need to register to access them.Please review and sign (electronic signature) by September 6th as well.

STUDENT INFORMATION TAKE HOME PACKAGES

Your child(ren) will be visiting the school library with their class this week.We will be talking about the library and books. We will discuss howimportant books are in our lives and that library books belong to all of us. Mrs. Stanley will be emphasizing the importance of taking care of thebooks that students borrow from the library. When your child brings theirlibrary books home, if you could help them find a "safe" spot to placethem it would be greatly appreciated.

FROM THE LIBRARY

Millions of students across Canada take part in the Terry Fox SchoolRun every year raising funds for cancer research, making it one ofthe largest fundraising events in Canadian history and one of thelargest displays of solidarity this planet has ever seen! MaryImmaculate will be participating to help share Terry’s example ofcourage, strength and hope.

TERRY FOX SCHOOL RUN: THURSDAY SEPT. 26

We will be offering even more great hotlunch options this year!! Detailedinformation (dates, prices, etc.) isincluded in your family take homepackages. Payment is to be made through SchoolCash Online. Please note that pizza will continue tobe delivered on Fridays except whenthere is a PD Day - it will be deliveredon Thursday that week instead.

Happy Birthday to the following students whocelebrate their birthday this month:

Luke ChaseCortneyColette JonahLoganAubrieSethWyattKassieAdison

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY CALL!Let's Do Lunch!

CLASS EXCURSIONS:Students and parents are reminded of our saying,“No Slip—No Trip,” when class excursions areinvolved. The official Board permission form mustbe signed for each class excursion or your child willbe unable to participate. Such events should be inthe student’s planner giving parents plenty of priornotice and students time to hand in the requiredforms. As well, in order for trips to take place we mustensure we have enough parent volunteers to assistwith supervision. Board Policy requires allvolunteers to have an up to date Police Check inorder to be considered. We appreciate all the timevolunteers spend with us and hope you can continueto contribute to our school’s fun and success thisyear!

GUITAR LESSONS:

Private guitar lessons are being offeredagain this year at our school on Mondaysstarting in September.  Spaces arelimited. If you are interested in furtherinformation about these lessons pleasecontact Cathy Kempert @519-506-1310 oremail:  1happypicker@gmail.com

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATIONIf administration of medication is needed by the school, we need to have appropriatedocumentation signed by the parent/guardian and the child’s physician. Prescriptive and non-prescriptive medication forms are available at the office. According to Board Policy, staff maynot administer any medication without this documentation. All medications are to bedelivered to the school by the parent and must be in the original container from the pharmacy.All meds that students are required to take during school hours must be kept safely in theschool office along with the documentation.

Ready, Set …. Let’s Go to School! Mary Immaculate School will host a KindergartenRegistration Clinic for school entry in September 2020, for all children born in 2016 (JK) andfor those children born in 2015 (SK) if not already registered in JK. Our clinic will take placeon: Wednesday, October 8th from 3:30- 5:30 p.m. Families need to bring the following documentation with them to their appointment:

Birth Certificate Immunization RecordHealth Card #Tax NoticeBaptismal Certificate

Please call the school to arrange for an appointment time. This is a great opportunity tomeet many community partners and ask any questions you may have regarding your child’stransition to school. There will be many valuable resources at the clinic.

HEY 3 YEAR OLDS!

STAY UP TO DATE WITH SCHOOL MESSENGER!Lastly, we know that a monthly newsletter doesn’t always capture everything that happens inour busy school. We would like to keep you in the loop about events, dates, and importantinformation in a timely manner and we would love to use text messaging to do that. You areinvited to sign up to get information from “Mary Immaculate Families” right on your phone -no handouts or papers to lose! The service we use is called “School Messenger.” To sign up:

Simply go to https://go.schoolmessenger.caClick on “Sign up” in the top cornerCreate a Password 

An information sheet is included in our student take home packages (for new families).

JOIN OUR SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE!Another great way to stay up to date is to join the Mary ImmaculateSchool Facebook Page. We are working towards utilizing this greattool as a communication resource for our families this year.

The Mary Immaculate School Council is an important and vital part of our school community.Since educating the whole child involves a partnership between parents, students, teachers,the principal, the school board, the parish, the government and the community, we wantto ensure that our parent community has a significant voice in this partnership. Studies show that parental involvement is one of the most important factorscontributing to a child’s success in school. You can have a voice in your child’s education by becoming a school council member. Overthe past years Mary Immaculate Parent School Council has been active in many aspects. Theyhave been instrumental in organizing fundraising activities to raise money for literacy,guest speakers, upgrades to the playground, purchasing classroom supplies, student planners and enhancements to the Arts. They have been a committed voice for our general parent community. We are always looking for new (and old) enthusiastic parents, to share their ideas.For those of you who are new to our school community, our council consists ofparent representatives, a parish representative, a community representative, andschool staff representatives.

In each new school year, elections are held to fill our parent representative and community representative roles. School staff positions have been selected by the staff already.

We welcome parents from any grade to become involved in SchoolCouncil. Parent and Guardians may nominate themselves or haveanother parent nominate them. Nomination forms are included in yourschool take home packages. We are looking forward to working withyou toward a rewarding year with our students.

Sincerely,Mrs. BoerkampPrincipal

MARY IMMACULATE SCHOOL COUNCIL

Dear Mary Immaculate Families:

Please see the list of attachments that follow our newsletter for information and activities offered inour local community area.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

DEAR GOD, YOU ARE TRULY GREAT, AND HAVE CREATED ALLTHINGS OUT OF LOVE AND GOODNESS. IN THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR, HELP ME TO ALWAYSHONOUR MYSELF AS YOUR BELOVED CHILD, ONE WHO LOVES AND RESPECTS OTHERS, AS YOULOVE AND RESPECT ME. TEACH ME TO LIVE IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS WHOSHOWED RESPECT AND REVERENCE FOR ALL. AMEN

Parish Priest: Father Luc Payette                                 School Council Co-Chairs: Anne Bester & Krista GrafTrustee: Lori DiCastriOffice Administrator: Susan Wolfe-DalesPrincipal: Leslie BoerkampSuperintendent of Education: Michael BethuneDirector of Education: Gary O’Donnell

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT