St. Bernadette Elementary

School Newsletter

September 5th, 2018

Highlights

• Parking Lot Drop Off and Pick Up

• Meet the Teacher Night

• Music Instruments

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

•

Sept. 7th               First School Mass – School starts at 8:45am

School News

THANK YOU

Many thanks to everyone for joining us in our first day of school festivities.  It is a joyous celebration to start the school year with a fun and social breakfast.

On that note, we would like to thank the members of the PEC for taking the time and effort in making the morning special for all families. Their hard work and dedication behind the scenes was on display at the breakfast as they served pancakes and operated the welcome table.

We would like to send a special thanks to members of the Knights of Columbus for cooking and donating all the food for the event.  The Knights involve themselves in the school to help support the many activities we do throughout the year.

 

MEET THE TEACHER/ PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

Please mark your calendars for Thursday September 13th Meet the Teacher/Parent Information Night. The evening begins at 6:30 in the parish hall. The school will be relaying some very important information in regards to the upcoming school year and parent participation. After the short gathering, parents will then proceed to their child’s class to meet the teacher. Teachers will share information for the year ahead. It is really important that you attend this evening and 1 hour of parent participation will be given to every family who attends.

This is one of two mandatory nights for families so please make arrangements to attend (the other night is the AGM/Parent Support Night in January).

 

PICTURE DAY

Picture day is coming on Thursday, September 20.

Make it simple by ordering your portraits online, using your Picture Day ID and child’s first name to get started. If you prefer to order on paper, we will be sending an order form home as well.

Remember to smile and have fun!”

 

MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

This year our music teacher, Ms. Heaman, will be teaching the recorder and ukulele to the intermediate students.  Grades 4-5 will learn the recorder while grades 6-7 will learn the ukulele.  Each student in grades 4-5 will receive a recorder to keep and use in music class.  They are to put their name on the recorder and clean it regularly.  If they loose it, there will be $10.00 replacement charge for a new recorder.

The grade 6-7s will learn the ukulele.  The ukuleles will be kept at school as they are

PLAYGROUND SUPERVISION

We are still needing parents for the School Ground Supervision Task Group in the mornings 8:30-9:00 if you are available please contact Camille via email;  participation@stbernadette.ca

 

AFTERNOON BIBLE STUDY

Everyone is welcome to attend Wednesday afternoon bible study sessions.  It’s a great opportunity to learn more about our Catholic faith and how we can apply it practically in our lives.  We watch and discuss seminar series’ from professional theologians such as Jeff Cavins.  Join us Wednesday’s 1:00-2:15pm beginning Sept. 12 in the Parish Centre, Room C.  School parents – we are always out in time to pick up the kids.  For more information or if you have questions, please call Brendan at 778-322-2721.

 

PARKING LOT DROP OFF AND PICK UP

We had lines painted in the parking lot a couple of years ago to increase child safety. The design is also provides students with more activities during recess and to provide better safety measures during school hours. The solid yellow line running parallel to the school field and playground is not to be crossed by any vehicle from 7am (the start of Stingers Club) to 6pm (the end of Stingers Club). This is to ensure proper safety for our students.

We ask that you familiarize yourself with the drop off and pick up routines in the parent handbook. (If you don’t have a handbook you can download one off our website).

We will continue to close the alleyway beside the church hall.  Although this provides a service for parents who want to quickly drop off their child and go, there are too many safety breaches and concerns.  The vast majority of our parking lot incidents occurred when the alleyway was open.  We also noticed that most safety breaches occur between the time of 8:50 and 9:05am. Please make arrangements to drop off your child(ren) early to avoid parking lot frustrations.

 

SCHOOL CALENDAR

Our Calendar is now updated for the 2018-2019 school year. The school exclusively uses google calendar and events are added and changed throughout the year. Please check the calendar regularly. It is best practice to add the calendar to your own google calendar so that you can see the updates as they happen (there is a + symbol at the bottom of the calendar for you to click to add). You can find our calendar under our “School Life” tab on our website.

 

STINGERS CLUB

The hours are from 7am – 8:30am and 3pm – 6pm school days (Wednesdays are 2:15pm – 6pm). For the half days during the school year (excluding the 1st and last days of school), we offer the Stingers Club after school on those days.

On the first day of school, Stingers Club will be open in the morning, but closed after school.

The stingers club is open to all students. It offers fun activities and learning opportunities beyond the classroom. If you would like more information, please contact the office or download a form from our website.

 

NUT AWARE SCHOOL

St. Bernadette’s is a nut aware school. St. Bernadette’s is committed to not allowing any nuts and nut products on the school premises.  We ask everyone to remember that no nuts of any kind are permitted in the school, due to severe food allergies. Individual classes may have other dietary restrictions based on the students in that class. If this is the case for your classroom, you will be notified.

 

WASTE FREE LUNCH

St. Bernadette’s promotes a waste free lunch. Students will pack in and pack out their lunches. This helps with the composting measures and allow parents to monitor their child’s nutrition at school.

PEC Contact Information

For general PEC inquiries –  pec@stbernadette.ca

Parent Participation – participation@stbernadette.ca

Treasurer – treasurer@stbernadette.ca

Fundraising – fundraising@stbernadette.ca

Communications – communications@stbernadette.ca

Maintenance – mf4@telus.net

REMINDERS

GENERAL  REMINDERS

If you are bringing anything to the school for your child (lunch, homework, etc.), please leave the item in the green bin outside the classroom.  Please do not disturb the class for any reason.  If you are picking your child up during school hours for an appointment, etc., please sign him or her out and have Mrs. Gelz or Mrs. Spanjers get your child from their class.

 

CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK

Any parents who wish to volunteer at the school to work one on one with students and wish to volunteer to drive students must have a criminal record check.  You can apply for the Criminal Record Check on line, please see the attached letter in regards to the Access Code. There is no cost associated with the criminal check if you are volunteering.

 

VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

Parents that are going to be driving for Field Trips, Sports Events, etc. must have the Volunteer Driver Authorization Form completed and returned to the school ASAP.  If you did not receive a form and your are requiring one please contact the office.

 

LATE/ABSENT

If your child is going to be late or absent, please call the office before 9:00 am., if calling prior to 8:30am, please leave a voicemail for the school secretary, do not leave a voicemail for the classroom teacher, as the teacher may not have had time to check their voicemail  When your child returns to school, please ensure that an Absentee Form is completed with the correct date of the absence, the reason for being absent and a parent’s signature. This form is to be given to the teacher so that we are able to keep an accurate record for the attendance audit. An Absentee form is attached and can also be found at the school office or downloaded off of the school website. If your child is going to be late, please have him/her sign in at the office and get a late slip.

 

NOTES FROM PARENTS

We require a signed note from a parent when:

• your child has been absent from school for any reason

• your child needs to leave the school for an appointment, etc.

• your child cannot participate in a specific activity

• your child cannot go outdoors during recess or lunch break

• someone other than yourself picking up your child early from school (early dismissal)

Once school has started, children who are late or who have to leave the school early MUST sign in or out at the office.

 

LABEL YOUR UNIFORMS

We notice that quite often we find uniforms in the lost and found without student names on it. It is important to label your uniforms and to relabel them throughout the year if you are using a marker on a tag.

 

 

CAMBRIDGE UNIFORMS
Please read this note from Cambridge Uniforms:

A few brief notes with updates to our hours of operations, contact information and return exchange process.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Our hours are adjusting for September and we are closed on Labour Day.

• As of September 1st our hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 9:00am – 5:30pm. • We are closed on Sunday’s and Statutory Holidays, including being closed on Labour Day.

CONTACTING CAMBRIDGE – please note that our telephone system has changed to better assist our clients.

As there is a high volume of calls and orders being placed during the next 2 week period, we ask for your patience and understanding. Please allow up to 24 hours to receive a reply on your request.

• Email orders@cambridgeuniforms.com for order related inquiries.
• Email info@cambridgeuniforms.com for online school code or general inquiries.
• The customer service telephone number is 604-924-9069 or toll free 1-800-924-9069.

All voice messages are recorded and emailed to our orders desk. Please ensure your voicemail includes your child’s first and last name, school he or she attends, the best number to be called back at and the details for how we can assist you. We will contact you back with 24 hours.

RETURNS/EXCHANGES

• If your school allows returns to be left with the reception, the next scheduled pick up for returns is on September 8th at your school. This does not apply to all schools.
• Families requiring a return or exchange prior to this date must ship their return to Cambridge Uniforms directly (we suggest using Canada Post), this will expedite the process of individual orders.

• If there is a need for a rush return or exchange our suggestion is that a new order be placed. The returned goods can be sent back with the school pick up on September 9th and Cambridge Uniforms will issue a refund once received.
• Our Return/Exchange form can be found on our website at: http://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/returns.

All returns must be accompanied by this form.

Returns please mail to:

Attn: Returns Department Cambridge Uniforms #112-2455 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, BC Canada, V7H 0A2 

Start of School Prayer 

God of wisdom and might,
we praise you for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and their teachers and staff.
Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow; wisdom and knowledge to their minds
as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Links

School Calendar
Absentee Forms
Stingers Club

St. Bernadette Elementary Catholic School
13130 65B Ave
Surrey, BC V3W 9M1
phone: (604) 596-1101
fax: (604) 596-1550
admin@stbernadette.ca

St. Bernadette Elementary

School Newsletter

Highlights

• Work Bee – Saturday, September 1st

• Pancake Breakfast

• Parking Lot Drop Off and Pick Up

• Meet the Teacher Night

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

•

Sept. 1st               School Grounds Clean Up (Lunch provided)

Sept. 4th               School Opens for 2018-2019 school year

9am – 10am Pancake Breakfast – whole family is welcome!

12:00pm – early dismissal (no Stingers Club after school)

Sept. 7th               First School Mass – School starts at 8:45am

School News

Welcome back to another wonderful school year. With the new school year upon us, there are a few items we would like to share with you prior to our first day of school on September 4th.

NEW HALF DAY DISMISSAL TIMES

When we have a half day, students will be dismissed at 12:00 unless otherwise stated.  Please make note that September 4th, December 21st, March 15th, May 17th, June 14th, and June 27th, students are dismissed at 12 noon.

 

SCHOOL GROUNDS CLEAN UP

Get a jump start on your hours this summer!

The school grounds, both inside and out, will be needing sprucing up before school re-opens on Tuesday.

Join us on Saturday, September  1st from 9:00 until completion.

Lunch will be provided!

Please contact Marc Fournier at mf4@telus.net if you would like to help out.

Please bring your own gloves.  All other tools will be provided.

Many hands make light work 🙂

 

WELCOME BACK PANCAKE BREAKFAST

This is a tradition we have each year.  We believe that creating a strong community of families is important to the overall well being and education of your child(ren).  With this in mind, we wanted to do something special to bring our families together to start the year.  From 9am – 10am we invite you and your family to enjoy a pancake breakfast hosted by the K of C in our parish hall. Immediately after breakfast student will head to class and get ready for the Flag Raising Ceremony (Parents are welcome to attend – it will be at our flag pole). Kindergarten will have their own schedule for the day.

The pancake breakfast is also a perfect time to welcome the new families into our school community. One of the strengths and draws of St. Bernadette’s is our sense of family. If you are a new family please stop by the PEC to acquire more information about our school.

 

PLAYGROUND SUPERVISION

We are still needing parents for the School Ground Supervision Task Group in the mornings 8:30-9:00 if you are available please contact Camille via email;  participation@stbernadette.ca

 

AFTERNOON BIBLE STUDY

Everyone is welcome to attend Wednesday afternoon bible study sessions.  It’s a great opportunity to learn more about our Catholic faith and how we can apply it practically in our lives.  We watch and discuss seminar series’ from professional theologians such as Jeff Cavins.  Join us Wednesday’s 1:00-2:15pm beginning Sept. 12 in the Parish Centre, Room C.  School parents – we are always out in time to pick up the kids.  For more information or if you have questions, please call Brendan at 778-322-2721.

PARKING LOT DROP OFF AND PICK UP

We had lines painted in the parking lot a couple of years ago to increase child safety. The design is also provides students with more activities during recess and to provide better safety measures during school hours. The solid yellow line running parallel to the school field and playground is not to be crossed by any vehicle from 7am (the start of Stingers Club) to 6pm (the end of Stingers Club). This is to ensure proper safety for our students.

We ask that you familiarize yourself with the drop off and pick up routines in the parent handbook. (If you don’t have a handbook you can download one off our website).

We will continue to close the alleyway beside the church hall.  Although this provides a service for parents who want to quickly drop off their child and go, there are too many safety breaches and concerns.  The vast majority of our parking lot incidents occurred when the alleyway was open.  We also noticed that most safety breaches occur between the time of 8:50 and 9:05am. Please make arrangements to drop off your child(ren) early to avoid parking lot frustrations.

 

SCHOOL CALENDAR

Our Calendar is now updated for the 2018-2019 school year. The school exclusively uses google calendar and events are added and changed throughout the year. Please check the calendar regularly. It is best practice to add the calendar to your own google calendar so that you can see the updates as they happen (there is a + symbol at the bottom of the calendar for you to click to add). You can find our calendar under our “School Life” tab on our website.

 

STINGERS CLUB

The hours are from 7am – 8:30am and 3pm – 6pm school days (Wednesdays are 2:15pm – 6pm). For the half days during the school year (excluding the 1st and last days of school), we offer the Stingers Club after school on those days.

On the first day of school, Stingers Club will be open in the morning, but closed after school.

The stingers club is open to all students. It offers fun activities and learning opportunities beyond the classroom. If you would like more information, please contact the office or download a form from our website.

 

NUT AWARE SCHOOL

St. Bernadette’s is a nut aware school. St. Bernadette’s is committed to not allowing any nuts and nut products on the school premises.  We ask everyone to remember that no nuts of any kind are permitted in the school, due to severe food allergies. Individual classes may have other dietary restrictions based on the students in that class. If this is the case for your classroom, you will be notified.

 

WASTE FREE LUNCH

St. Bernadette’s promotes a waste free lunch. Students will pack in and pack out their lunches. This helps with the composting measures and allow parents to monitor their child’s nutrition at school.

 

MEET THE TEACHER/ PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

Please mark your calendars for Thursday September 13th Meet the Teacher/Parent Information Night. The evening begins at 6:30 in the parish hall. The school will be relaying some very important information in regards to the upcoming school year and parent participation. After the short gathering, parents will then proceed to their child’s class to meet the teacher. Teachers will share information for the year ahead. It is really important that you attend this evening and 1 hour of parent participation will be given to every family who attends.

This is one of two mandatory nights for families so please make arrangements to attend (the other night is the AGM/Parent Support Night in January).

 

 

2018-2019 TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS

Below you will find the teaching assignments for this school year:

Kindergarten – Mrs. Schollen

Grade 1 – Mrs. Misiti, Mrs. Hillard

Grade 2 – Ms. De Sousa

Grade 3 – Ms. Misiti, Mrs. Fraser

Grade 4 –Mrs. Stuart

Grade 5 – Mrs. Bourassa

Grade 6 – Mrs. Peck

Grade 7 – Mrs. Kosman

Music – Ms. Heaman

French – Mrs. Fraser

Learning Resource – Mrs. Bennett

Physical Education – Ms. Heaman

 

2018-2019 PEC

Here is your 2018-2019 Parish Education Committee Members:

Angela Lew – Chairperson

Catherine Lan – Vice-Chairperson/Fundraising

Camille Evangelista – Secretary/Parent Participation

Cheryl Chiang – Treasurer

Paul Lylyk – Communications/Fundraising

Marc Fournier – Maintenance

Cristina Ricafort – Parish Liaison Rep/Communications

Fr. Paul – Pastor

Michael van der Pauw – Principal

Boni Kosman – Vice-Principal

Mary Peck – Teacher Representative

 

PEC Contact Information

For general PEC inquiries –  pec@stbernadette.ca

Parent Participation – participation@stbernadette.ca

Treasurer – treasurer@stbernadette.ca

Fundraising – fundraising@stbernadette.ca

Communications – communications@stbernadette.ca

Maintenance – mf4@telus.net

REMINDERS

CAMBRIDGE UNIFORMS
Please read this note from Cambridge Uniforms:

A few brief notes with updates to our hours of operations, contact information and return exchange process.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Our hours are adjusting for September and we are closed on Labour Day.

• As of September 1st our hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 9:00am – 5:30pm. • We are closed on Sunday’s and Statutory Holidays, including being closed on Labour Day.

CONTACTING CAMBRIDGE – please note that our telephone system has changed to better assist our clients.

As there is a high volume of calls and orders being placed during the next 2 week period, we ask for your patience and understanding. Please allow up to 24 hours to receive a reply on your request.

• Email orders@cambridgeuniforms.com for order related inquiries.
• Email info@cambridgeuniforms.com for online school code or general inquiries.
• The customer service telephone number is 604-924-9069 or toll free 1-800-924-9069.

All voice messages are recorded and emailed to our orders desk. Please ensure your voicemail includes your child’s first and last name, school he or she attends, the best number to be called back at and the details for how we can assist you. We will contact you back with 24 hours.

RETURNS/EXCHANGES

• If your school allows returns to be left with the reception, the next scheduled pick up for returns is on September 8th at your school. This does not apply to all schools.
• Families requiring a return or exchange prior to this date must ship their return to Cambridge Uniforms directly (we suggest using Canada Post), this will expedite the process of individual orders.

• If there is a need for a rush return or exchange our suggestion is that a new order be placed. The returned goods can be sent back with the school pick up on September 9th and Cambridge Uniforms will issue a refund once received.
• Our Return/Exchange form can be found on our website at: http://www.cambridgeuniforms.com/returns.

All returns must be accompanied by this form.

Returns please mail to:

Attn: Returns Department Cambridge Uniforms #112-2455 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, BC Canada, V7H 0A2 

 

LABEL YOUR UNIFORMS

We notice that quite often we find uniforms in the lost and found without student names on it. It is important to label your uniforms and to relabel them throughout the year if you are using a marker on a tag.

 

Start of School Prayer 

God of wisdom and might,
we praise you for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and their teachers and staff.
Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow; wisdom and knowledge to their minds
as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Links

School Calendar
Absentee Forms
Stingers Club

St. Bernadette Elementary Catholic School
13130 65B Ave
Surrey, BC V3W 9M1
phone: (604) 596-1101
fax: (604) 596-1550
admin@stbernadette.ca