FCT TITAN TIMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER

Principal: Treena Boudreau-Gigante

Head Secretary: Paula Tomei

Superintendent: Adrian Scigliano

Trustee: Shawn Xaviour

Pastor: Rev. Roger Pacall

Associate Pastor: Rev. Jesuraj Anthony Silva I.V.Dei.

25 Mountainberry Rd.

Brampton, ON L6R 1J3

Phone: 905.789.1741

Email: fctipinfo@dpcdsb.org

Please feel free to click on the Translate button on the bottom of the newsletter to choose your language of preference! (Arabic, Spanish, Hausa, Portuguese, Taglog, Polish, Italian, Malayalam, Hindi etc.)

Hay una opción de traducción en el boletín informativo. W biuletynie znajduje się opcja tłumaczenia. هناك خيار ترجمه في النشرة الاخباريه

Dear Father Clair Tipping Families,

Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year! I am delighted to welcome back our returning students and families and extend a heartfelt welcome to all new families joining our school community. We are so blessed to have you with us as we begin another year of faith-filled learning and growth.

Our theme this year is “Wickedly Oz-some!” which is inspired by the classic tale The Wizard of Oz. We are reminded that the journey of learning is filled with wonder, courage, and discovery. As Glinda the Good Witch once said: “You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” This year, we will help our students discover that power within themselves—through faith, friendship, and the pursuit of knowledge. With God as our guide and each other as companions, we’ll walk together down the Yellow Brick Road toward a year full of promise and purpose.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible staff. Their dedication, creativity, and countless hours of preparation over the summer have ensured that our school is ready to welcome students with open arms and open hearts. Their commitment to Catholic education is truly inspiring.

This year, our theme and the theme for Catholic Education Week is "Pilgrims of Hope.: On the Path to Holiness" As pilgrims, we are on a journey of faith and discovery, grounded in the love of Christ and supported by the strength of our families. Hope will be our guiding star, leading us forward with courage and optimism, even when the path may seem uncertain.

You will receive updates of the exciting things happening around the school through our weekly Titan Times which will be sent to you via schoolmessenger. Please ensure that we have your email or phone number updated so that you can receive communication on a regular basis.

Let us begin this new school year with joy, hope, and trust in God’s plan. May our classrooms be places of peace, our hallways filled with laughter, and our hearts united in faith.

Here’s to a Wickedly Oz-some year ahead!

With gratitude and excitement,

Mrs. Boudreau-Gigante

Principal

Loving God,
As we begin this new school year, we thank You for the gift of learning, the joy of friendship, and the strength of our community.
Bless our students with curiosity and courage,
Bless our teachers with wisdom and patience,
And bless our families with peace and love.
May our school be a place where faith grows, kindness shines, and every heart feels at home.
We place this year in Your hands, Lord.
Amen.

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH: FAITH

To begin the new school year, we’ll focus our attention on the first of our virtues – faith. Faith is the great virtue of believing in God and trusting that God is with us.

A faithful person believes that we are created, guided by and destined to be reunited with God. A faithful person believes that God’s plan for us includes the right to be safe, especially at school.

A Faithful Person...

• Prays regularly and reverently
• Learns from Scripture stories
• Honours people’s God‐given names
• Assumes that there is good in everyone

Students will begin each day at 8:30am. Students will enter the school anytime between 8:15am - 8:30am and go straight to their classrooms where they will be supervised by staff. All students will be dismissed at 3:00pm using their designated doors. All bus students will be dismissed at 3:00pm.

• On the first day of school, Tuesday September 2nd, all classroom teachers will be in the yard at 8:15am with signs indicating the teacher name and grade. All teachers will have a class list.
• Families will be notified beginning Saturday August 30, via School Messenger which class each child belongs.
• SK parents are asked to drop off their child at the Kindergarten gate.
• Students in grades 1-8 are to be dropped off at the back pavement.
• All support staff will also be available to assist students who were not able to access their child's placement information.
• When the bell rings at 8:30am, classes will enter the school building via their designated doors.
• All JK students will begin school either on Wednesday September 3rd, Thursday September 4th or Friday September 5th. All JK parents have been contacted in August with your scheudled date for their first day of school.

For the first 2 weeks, teachers will focus on topics such as:

• Entry and dismissal routines
• Movement in and around the school
• Transition times
• Using the school washroom
  
• Eating lunch/snacks, etc.
• Mental health and well-being check-ins and support

All students from SK to Grade 8 will attend school on Tuesday September 2nd. School will begin for JK students beginning Wednesday September 3 or Thursday September 4 or Friday September 5th. There is a PA Day on Monday September 15th therefore there is no school for children.

Supervision begins at the school at 8:15am. For your child's safety, please do not send your child earlier as there is no one to supervise them. There will be a soft entry for all students beginning at 8:15am. Students can go directly to their classrooms via their appropriate door at that time.

School Begins: 8:30am

Recess: 10:36am - 10:51am

Lunch: 11:31am - 12:31pm

Recess: 1:55pm - 2:10pm

Dismissal: 3:00pm

The beginning of each school year is always marked by unexpected changes which require all of us to be understanding, accommodating and flexible. The September school organization is based on projected enrollment prepared by the Board’s Planning Department. Such enrollment projections determine the number of teachers assigned to the school and consequently the grade and class configurations. In the event that student enrollment falls below or increases above projections, an adjustment to the number of teachers assigned to the school follows, which in essence may affect the placement of your child. Therefore, as we start the year, staffing is still tentative and until actual numbers are realized and assessed, reorganization of classes is a strong possibility. If we need to reorganize the school, it will take place on Monday September 15, 2025, which is our PA Day. You will be notified ahead of time if changes need to be made.

Early Learning Team:

Ms. Watters, Ms. Clemenzi

Primary Team:

Ms. Caputi, Ms. Bastasin, Ms. Arturi

Junior/Intermediate Team:

Ms. Pompilii, Mr. Belli , Ms. Gareri

Library/ Planning Time

Ms. Lukavecki

Special Education Team:

Ms. Najem, Ms. DeFaveri, Ms. D'Emilo, Ms. Acosta

Support Services Team:

Mr. Mason - Child and Youth Worker

Ms. Vincic - Speech and Language Pathologist

Ms. Tauro - Psychologist

Ms. Grant - Social Worker

Our open house this year will be held on Wednesday September 24th. This will be your opportunity to meet your child's classroom teacher, visit their classroom and visit the school. We will also have our annual Book Fair taking place during this time Thank you to the Knights of Columbus from St. Marguerite d'Youville Parish who will be providing our families with a BBQ. Keep this date open so that you can join us. More information to come in the week ahead.

All class placements were made with great thought and input from last year's teachers and resource staff to place your child in their new class this school year. We understand that this time of year can be an anxious one. We ask families to allow two weeks for students to get comfortable within their classes. Any changes to class placements will not be accommodated until reorganization as all our class placements and staffing are tentative until September 15th.

Families will be notified by email via School Messenger to Guardian 1 and 2 as per PowerSchool records that list the contact who has custody and access to the child’s record who their child's teacher is beginning Thursday August 28th and throughout the weekend. If your child does not receive an email in their school account, if they are new to the school, or their teacher indicates TBD, they can arrive at the school at 8:30am on Tuesday September 2nd and go to the back of the school for grades 1-8 or in the Kindergarten yard for any SKs to find out their class placement. Teachers will have signs indicating which class they have, and every staff member will have class lists to assist you with finding your child's teacher. Please note that new classroom teachers may be identified as TBD.

Please see below for more information about combined grades provided by the school board and the Ministry.

The distance criteria for transportation eligibility must be more than:

• 1.0 kilometre for Kindergarten and Grade 1
• 1.6 kilometres for Grades 2-4
• 2.0 kilometres for Grades 5-8

All Kindergarten and Grade 1 students who take the bus are required to be met by a parent or guardian when disembarking from the bus after school.

All bus information for the current school year is posted on the front windows of the school. Transportation eligibility is determined via the Board Bus policy. Information regarding this policy as well as current route information is available through the STOPR website: https://www.stopr.ca/

You may also contact the Transportation Department via the following contact numbers: Transportation: 905-890-6000 Special Education Transportation: 905-890-6362. To determine if your son or daughter is eligible for transportation, please visit https://businfo.stopr.ca/Eligibility.aspx?Page=School You can also receive up to date information by following STOPR on Twitter @STOPRinfo

To receive updates on whether your child’s bus is running late, please subscribe to STOPR at https:// businfo.stopr.ca/Subscriptions/Login.aspx

STOPR will provide Courtesy Seats. If you would like your child to take the bus to and from school and are in need of a courtesy seat, Please complete the courtesy seat form found on the STOPR website and Please Submit the form to the office by September 22, 2025.Please note that courtesy seats will only be provided at the end of October. Only students who are eligible to ride the bus according to the distance criteria above will be granted a seat on the bus for the first day of school.

If your child rides the bus daily, it is important that they are aware of the safety rules on the bus. Students are required to:

• Listen to the Bus Driver at all times and report any problems or injuries to him/her
• Go directly to their assigned seat and remain seated during the entire bus ride
• Do not eat, drink, swear, fight or chew gum on the bus
• Do not put arms out the window, or throw items or garbage out the window
• If any damage to the seat of bus is caused, students will be held responsible
• Be at least 5 minutes early at your bus stop to ensure that you don't miss the bus

Improper conduct on the bus will be dealt with at the Office. Repeated or serious incidents can result in busing privileges being suspended or removed. Please review these rules with your child. Taking the bus is a privilege, not a right.

The Kiss n’ Ride program is available to provide the convenience and safety for our students and parents driving to our school. Please take a moment to review the following procedures to ensure safety for all students and parents using Kiss N’ Ride.

1. NEVER LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE. Kiss and Ride lanes are to be “moving lane ways”, not parking spots. This ensures that emergency vehicles or buses may enter the school. Please do not leave your vehicle at any time. If you need to directly drop off your child, please park your car. For safety reasons, have the children exit the car from the passenger side of the vehicle only. If they are unable to do this without your help, you must park your car and walk your child in.
2. DO NOT drop your child(ren) off in the bus loading zone or in the bus lane, only in the DRIVE THRU lane
3. Teach your child to watch for buses in the bus lane, before they cross into the lane and onto the sidewalk. Once on the sidewalk, they can walk along the sidewalk to the back of the school yard.
4. Students walking and using the crosswalk, need to respect the crossing guard on duty. Running across Glen Erin Drive is never allowed and is dangerous. Please use the tunnel.
5. PLEASE CONTROL YOUR SPEED. Kiss and Ride is the type of environment where students behave unpredictably and could quickly ‘pop out’ in front of you. Please give yourself the greatest chance of avoiding an accident. We are all working together to minimize risks to our children.
   

Please remember that the driveway is a one way only. Please follow the signs to ensure that safety or all students and family.

We want to ensure the safety of all students at all times. Please drive slowly. Thank you for your continued cooperation. Please feel free to direct any questions or safety concerns to Mrs. Boudreau-Gigante.

As we begin the year, we would like to inform and remind you that Father Clair Tipping is an allergen aware school. There are pupils and staff in attendance who suffer from severe and life-threatening allergies to certain foods, such as dairy, peanut and nut products. Exposure to even the smallest quantities can cause severe life-threatening reactions. Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction. The most common allergen triggers are food, insect stings, medications, and latex. An anaphylactic reaction involves symptoms from two or more body systems. We at Father Clair Tipping would appreciate the cooperation of the entire school community by NOT sending any lunches or snacks that contain nut or nut byproducts including peanut butter alternatives (i.e. WowButter), or other products containing nuts or nut oils (i.e., Nutella). If a student who has such an allergy comes 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 which could potentially harm a pupil. Please make sure that all of your children’s caregivers are aware of the food restrictions. Please do not send food for birthdays or special occasions. If you have any questions, please talk to your child’s teacher or the school staff. We look forward to your co-operation in making this a safe year for all of our pupils.

If your child has a medical condition, please ensure that the school is aware of it by submitting the proper forms and medication as soon as possible.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that all medications and forms are updated for any student who requires medication to be administered at school. If your child requires medication, please have the necessary forms completed and return them, along with any medication, to the office as soon as possible. Forms are available in the office. Please remember to check the expiry dates of all medication before bringing them to school.

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has developed a Concussion Policy and Guidelines for students who have been diagnosed with a concussion by either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. School staff cannot diagnose a concussion. Anytime a student reports to the office with a head injury, the parent/guardian will be contacted and the incident will be entered into the school’s “Documentation of Head Injuries” log. This is precautionary only, and we ask that you check your child when he/she gets home for any signs of a concussion or illness. We will also encourage you to go onto our school website, where a brochure containing information about Concussions is provided. Again this is a precautionary measure and for information purposes.

It is important for students to be at school on time and ready to work. When students are late they miss important information and routines. We realize that throughout the year there will be times that your child will be away from school.

SafeArrival is an application within SchoolMessenger that will allow parents/guardians to report their children’s absences in one of the following three ways:

• SchoolMessenger App
• SchoolMessenger website https://go.schoolmessenger.ca
• Toll Free number 1-844-435-3440

What is SafeArrival:

• SafeArrival is an absence management system that improves student safety.
• It supports school staff to follow up on unexcused absences.
• It allows parents and/or guardians to notify the school in advance about an upcoming absence.

Benefits:

• Better Attendance Management for Enhanced Student Safety
• Faster and Easier Attendance Management
• Simplified Parent Reporting Tools
• Accessible, Convenient and Secure
• Automated Key Tasks With SafeArrival Administrative Tools

In the event that your child is late or absent, please use one of the three ways to access Safe Arrival.

Students who arrive late to school must proceed to the office.

Student verification forms will be distributed on September 16, 2025, this year. We ask that you kindly review all information to ensure that it is correct. Please ensure that all phone numbers and emails are accurate in case we need to contact you should your child be sick at school. If you have any information that has changed, please make the changes on the form and return it to your child's teacher. (Please ensure that you have an emergency contact on file)

DPCDSB dress codes will be consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Students shall wear clothing that promotes a safe, respectful, and inclusive place to learn. Students cannot wear clothing that promotes or can be seen as representing:

• Hate
• Sexually explicit content
• Stereotypes
• Discrimination
• Illegal Activity
• Profanity
• Violence

By working together, we can promote safe, inclusive, and healthy schools. Thank you for your attention to this important information.

The Child and Family Services Act compels educators to report any issues that may compromise a child's welfare. If a staff member suspects any issue that may affect a child's safety, then Children's Aid Society (CAS) must be contacted. It is our Legal Obligation as employees of the school to report any suspicions directly to the Children’s Aid Society. It is not the role of educators to investigate. That is CAS' role. CAS, not the school, informs parents directly of the issue.

The School Advisory Council is comprised of parents, a school faculty member, a non-teaching representative, as well as an appointed parish community representative. The aim of the council is to support school activities and students through involvement and fundraising. We are always looking for new parents to join our School Council! If your child is participating in online learning, you are still part of our Father Clair Tipping community and therefore you are welcome to attend council meetings and participate in council elections. The first council meeting will take place in person in the library learning commons on Wednesday October 1st @6:30 pm. During this meeting, we will vote on the new council and close out the 2024-25 school year. More information on the election process and future council dates will be coming shortly. We look forward to meeting you and coming together to make this year an exciting one for our students. We are ready to keep making changes to the school to make it even better, but we need your help and your creative ideas.

Students will eat lunch in their classes and are encouraged to bring a re-usable water bottles to school. These water bottles can be refilled at our water bottle refill stations. Students should bring to school a packed lunch each day. If parents need to drop off lunches, they can do so in the foyer lunch table. Please be sure it is labelled with the child's name and grade. Students will be allowed to go home for lunch. If you choose to have your child, go home for lunch on a daily basis, please notify the school or let your child's teacher know. If your child is to go home on an occasional basis, a written note or email must be provided to the office for each occasion. Unfortunately, verbal permission will not be honoured.

PLEASE NOTE: THIRD PARTY DELIVERY IS NOT PERMITTED: Due to safety reasons Father Clair Tipping will NOT accept food deliveries for students from any third-party delivery services.

Students should not bring toys, valuables or items of importance to school. The school cannot assume responsibility for valuables brought to school therefore we are asking for toys to stay at home. Trading Cards such as Pokemon and Marvel cards can sometimes cause problems at school. Students will not be allowed to trade cards to another student. If they have duplicates, please have your child trade cards at home after school hours. Thank you for your help.

We are encouraging families to label as many of their child's items as possible to reduce the chance of items to be accidentally shared or lost. Some items that are commonly labelled are indoor and outdoor shoes, water bottles, lunch and snack containers, lunch bags, backpacks, pencil cases, cutlery, outdoor clothing and personal school supplies such as rulers, sharpeners etc. To make this task easier for you, the school has registered for Mabel's Labels. Simply visit Mabel's Labels and find our school on the list. For every purchase made, a portion of the sale will go towards our school. Thank you for helping us reduce the many items that tend to go missing during the school year.

Your participation in your child’s school life is fundamental to their educational success. Effective and on-going communication between home and school takes a variety of forms and operates on a variety of levels. Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress or issues in the classroom, please do not hesitate to call and leave a message for your child’s teacher with some times that are convenient to reach you. Please do not let problems fester. A quick phone call or note in your child’s agenda asking the teacher to call you can help put your mind at ease. Grade 1-6 students will receive an agenda. The agenda is a wonderful tool for time management, organizational skills and home-school communication. All children benefit from using an agenda on a daily basis.

It is important that we are able to contact someone in the case of an emergency. Please fill out and return the emergency student verification sheets that will be sent home with your child during the first weeks of school. Remember that the people you list as contacts are automatically given permission to pick up your child from school. They are needed in case we cannot contact you. It makes sense to have a relative, neighbour, or friend who lives close to the school and is available during the day to pick up your child in case of illness, concussion, or changes of clothes that inevitably happen. If your child is sick, there must be someone available to pick them up if you are unable to leave work.

The Board has an updated PEDS policy this year. School members including students are to refrain from using their PEDs unless directed by to do so by a teacher, or for health, medical and/or special education needs.

PEDs are to be kept out of site and either powered off or on silent mode. Students shall care for, maintain and secure their personal devices at all times and recognize that the Board is not responsible for the replacement of lost, stolen or damaged items.

Please do not text or call your child during the school day on their personal device. This will greatly assist us at the school to manage discipline. If you need to contact your child during the school day, please contact the school by phone.

Father Clair Tipping is cashless with the use of Online Payment. School Cash Online. It allows parents to pay school-related items online safely, quickly and easily. Please go to https://dpcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/ to register online if you are new to the school or if you did not register last year. All lunch programs and field trips will be placed on School Cash Online.

We greatly appreciate volunteers in our schools and often encourage parents to volunteer their time. To volunteer at the school and join your child on field trips, a criminal reference check needs to be completed, and a copy needs to be in the school office. If you have already completed a vulnerable sector, check last year or completed a declaration then you do not need to do anything else as we have your records on file.

If you are looking to volunteer your time at the school, please visit the police station or complete the Volunteer Form online https://rec-check.peelpolice.ca/ so that we can best place you in the school and you can attend field trips. It is highly recommended to do this as soon as possible as it may take several weeks for the police to have it completed for you.

Dufferin-Peel is excited to be offering the community again opportunities for students to learn a new language or become familiar with an existing language on weekends. Please see below for more information.

As you may be aware, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) is currently under supervision by the Ministry of Education. This supervision is part of a formal process established by the Ministry to provide support and oversight to the Board. As part of the conditions of this supervision, communication that would normally be facilitated through your local trustee should now be directed to the Office of the Director of Education. If you have questions, concerns, or require support, please contact Dr. Marianne Mazzorato, Ed.D., our Director of Education, directly at director@dpcdsb.org

Our school is part of the St. Marguerite d'Youville Parish. We consider our Pastor Fr. Roger Pascall and Associate pastor Rev. Jesuraj Anthony Silva I.V.Dei. to be an integral member of our school community.

Weekend masses are celebrated on Saturdays at 5:00pm and Sundays at 9:00am, 10:30am, 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm

St Marguerite d'Youville Parish

2490 Sandalwood Parkway East

Brampton, ON L6R 3A4

Phone: 905-792-7497

https://stignatiusloyolami.archtoronto.org/

September 2: First Day of School for SKs to Grade 8

September 8 International Literacy Day

September 15: PA Day (no school for students)

September 16: International Dot Day

September 17: Well-being leadership Conference (Grade 7 and 8)

September 24: Open House (Time and Details TBD)

September 24: Picture Day

September 30: Orange Shirt Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day

October 1: Catholic School Council Meeting @ 6:30pm (School Library)

October 10: PA Day (No school for students)

October 14: IEPs sent home

October 23: CSC Chair Meeting @ 5:30pm @ Cardinal Leger Secondary School

October 31: Halloween Dance