St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Email: St.BernardofClairvauxInfo@dpcdsb.org
Website: dpcdsb.org/brnrd
Location: 3345 Escada Drive, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Phone: (905) 542-9203

Blessed are You, O Lord our God,

You have made the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night. Help us walk in your light. During the season of Lent, renew us through the gift of your Holy Spirit. Help us grow in faith, hope and love.

During this special time, we remember that Jesus died and rose the dead, so that we might be free to love. Help us grow to be the people you call us to be; letting go of old habits of selfishness, forgiving those who have hurt us, giving quality time to our families, spending time in quiet prayer. Amen.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux continues to be a faith filled, vibrant, and bustling place. The cold and wintry weather has definitely not slowed us down. February was filled with many opportunities to grow in our learning, practice our faith, and have fun. Black History Month was highlighted through daily morning announcements where we learned a great deal about the contributions of various Black Canadians.

With Ash Wednesday, we have now entered into one of the most important times in our liturgical calendar as a Catholic community. During the Lenten and Easter seasons, parents and teachers place a heightened emphasis on discussions about religion and spirituality with our children so that they come to appreciate

Please see below for a link to Trustee Corbet's website and March newsletter.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Catholic School Council was absolutely thrilled to host Shrove Tuesday for our school community. We would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped plan, shop, and cook for the students. There will smiling faces all around.

We would also like to thank the council for facilitating the school Valentine dance and cookies for all the students.

The next council meeting is scheduled for April 24, 2023 at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

March 6-10 - First Reconciliation

March 13 - 17 - March Break

March 21 - World Down Syndrome Day

March 26 - Earth Hour

March 28 - Lenten Mass

March 31 - Virtue Assembly

During the month of February, St. Bernard of Clairvaux celebrated Black excellence and recognized Black History Month. Students participated in a daily quiz over announcements highlighting various Black Canadians.

We will continue to highlight Black History and Black excellence throughout the year.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux celebrated Pink Shirt Day by standing up to bullying and inviting all students to wear pink in support of this initiative on February 23, 2023. Thank you to all students, families and teachers who participated and helped to create a wave of pink.

On Tuesday, March 21, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is celebrating World Down Syndrome Day and encourage awareness about Down Syndrome in our school and community. Students are encouraged to wear mismatched socks on March 21 to raise awareness and start conversations. Classes will participate in lessons and discussions on Down Syndrome as we help people #SeeTheAbility.

Join us on March 21 and rock your socks!

As part of our Lenten service to others, St. Bernard of Clairvaux will be holding a food drive for Eden Food for Change. Students are encouraged to bring in food donations from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, April 5.

Dufferin-Peel is excited to support the Canadian Food for Children (CFFC) by running a soap drive. We invite families to participate by bringing in bars of soap and other soap products. We will be collecting soap products from March 6 to March 27.

Last month, the Junior Girls Basketball team represented St. Bernard of Clairvaux at their first ever pod tournament. They developed their skills and teamwork as they played hard and moved onto the family tournament. Although eliminated in the semi-final round, the team showed continued willingness to learn, communication and incredible sportsmanship. Thanks girls, for a great season!

Mrs. Lopez & Ms. Comi

We are also excited to have the intermediate Girls and Boys Basketball teams up and running. Thank you to Mr. Kostoff and Mr. Rossit for coaching. Go Bears!

We are beyond excited to announce one of our students, participated in an art contest held by the Special Education and Learning Services Department at DPCDSB. Students were asked to create a visual representation of what it means to be Rooted in Faith. Her beautiful work will be recognized and published. We are so proud of you, J!

Mass Schedule

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 pm

Sunday Mass: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm

Weekday Masses

Monday, Wednesday, Friday Mass 7:00 pm

Tuesday, Thursday Mass 7:30 am

Saturday Mass 9:00 am

Email: parishoffice@stjosephinebakhita.ca
Website: http://stjosephinebakhita.ca/
Location: 3200 Thomas Street, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Phone: (905) 826-1143

During the month of March, we will focus on the virtue of Kindness.

God wants us to give generously to others around us.

A kind person...

• is gentle and sensitive to others
• stands by their friends in time of need
• shares their time and talents
• says nice things about others from the heart
• always looks for ways to be helpful

God wants us to be kind to everyone we meet. KINDNESS is about more than just pretending to be nice. It is about helping and playing with others because we want to, not because we feel we have to. We have all been given the fruit of the Holy Spirit called kindness, which is the act of loving and giving generously to others as God does.

Our empathy for others is transformed into action that extends beyond concern for ourselves and allows us to see God in every face that we meet.

Let us now pray...for the virtue of kindness so that everyone we meet will feel like we are looking out for their good. AMEN.

I AM A TEAM PLAYER!

• I co-operate with others in all that I do
• I value everyone's work
• I respect and listen to others
• I think of others before myself
• I follow the rules of fair play
• I work hard in school so that I can build my community and make it a better place

Because I am a team player, I know that 'Together is Better,' and we will live our lives like Jesus.

The Liturgical calendar continues to move forward and we will soon begin the season of Lent. Lent is the 40 day period of fasting, penitence and sorrow, leading up to the feast of Easter, recalling Jesus' 40 day fast in the wilderness. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time to turn to God in simplicity and sincerity, as we prepare to celebrate the joy of Easter. Our hearts feel heavy as we remember our sins, but we are also confident in God's mercy and forgiveness.

A Different Kind of Fasting

Fast from negative thoughts about self or others...

Feast on Christ's dwelling in each of us.

Fast from seeing differences...

Feast on the Spirit in all life.

Fast from discontent...

Feast on gratitude.

Fast from useless fears...

Trust in God's providence.

Fast from anger...

Feast on patience.

Fast from bitterness...

Feast on forgiveness.

Fast from discouragement...

Feast on hope.

Fast from complaining...

Feast on appreciation.

Fast from hostility...

Feast on non-violence.

Fast on the need to be always be right...

Feast on compassion for others.

The theme for Catholic Education Week 2022 is...

We are Many, We are One.

The subthemes for Catholic Education week 2023 are as follows:

Monday: When We See

Tuesday: When We Listen

Wednesday: When We Reflect

Thursday: When We Learn

Friday: When We Act

We are many, we are one; we all form one body in Christ.

Lord,
when we see the one before us, let us reverence your presence within;
when we listen to one another, let us hear with our hearts;
when we reflect on each encounter, may we discern to understand;
when we learn from those around us, let us respect our differences with joy;
and when we act, may we be kind and generous to all,
for each person is a member of your body, with all that they are.
We are many, we are one.

Amen.

With the season of Lent, we will also continue our annual ShareLife campaign. ShareLife has a long tradition of assisting the vulnerable and marginalized in our community dating back to the 1840s when our first Archbishop of Toronto, Michael Power, personally worked with immigrants who were dying of typhus. Today, we continue this tradition by extending an invitation to all Catholics to take part in continuing to care for the vulnerable among us. ShareLife supports a number of Catholic organizations within the community and Archdiocese of Toronto. Student involvement in school-based activities has already raised some funds and more activities are planned to generate additional funds. Thank you for giving generously.

March Break will be March 13 - 17 inclusive. Students will return to school on Monday, March 20, 2023.

As the weather has gotten a little colder we’ve noticed an increase in students coming to school late. We understand life happens, and children will be late from time to time, we are just asking for your help as it will go a long way. Here is a link to an article on the benefits of arriving on time to school (Lates).

Lateness = lost learning!

• 5 minutes late each day = 3 days lost!
• 10 minutes late each day = 6 days lost!
• 15 minutes late each day = 9 days lost!
• 20 minutes late each day = 12 days lost!
• 30 minutes late each day = 18 days lost!

Success in learning is strongly linked to participation in school programs which includes arriving on time. Coming to school on-time:

• Help your child understand punctuality and commitment—sets them up for success
• Let them greet friends before class—reduces anxiety
• Coming in with the class—makes them feel comfortable and gives them sense of belonging
• Being on Time and Present makes them feel good about themselves

If you will be moving out of the St. Bernard of Clairvaux area between now and September 2023, please inform the school as soon as possible. This information assists with our planning, organization of classes, ordering of materials, etc. for 2023-2024. Updated records are also important in the event of an emergency and if we are required to contact you immediately. Thank you for your cooperation.

Are you looking for ways to engage your family in math activities at home? Connect learning between school and home with the Board's Math@Home newsletters.

This month the focus is on estimation. Have fun trying these suggested activities at home.

Please see the link below for the Thrive newsletter for March.

The days continue to be cold and wintry. We ask that students dress appropriately with coats, hats, gloves, mitts, boots, snow pants, etc. If they are dressed warmly, they are better prepared to participate in outdoor activities during recess and lunch.

For health reasons, and to help keep the school clean, we ask all students to have indoor shoes. Please note that in the event of an emergency evacuation, students will not have the opportunity to put their boots on. Thank you for your support in this matter.

During the winter season, the school receives calls from concerned parents as to how we determine when children will or will not be allowed outside for recess. On extremely cold days, we limit the amount of time that students spend out of doors. We obtain our weather information from the Environment Canada Weather Information Line and follow School Board guidelines.

Board Guidelines indicate that students will generally be outside for lunch and recess when temperatures do not fall below –25 degrees Celsius, with the wind chill. With the exception of these occasions, all children will go out for recess and the lunch break. We remind all students to dress appropriately for the weather.

Please see the link below for further reminders and general information