25 Beckview Drive, Kitchener, ON, N2R 0N7
226-444-9774
https://stjosephine.wcdsb.ca
https://twitter.com/stjbbruins
May 13, 2024
“Seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars, the beauties of nature, I asked myself, ‘Who is the owner of all these beautiful things?’ and I felt a great desire to see him, know him, and pay him homage.” – St. Josephine Bakhita
Our Mission:
“As disciples of Christ, we educate and nurture hope in all learners to realize their full potential to transform God’s world.”
Our Vision:
“Our Catholic Schools: heart of the community – success for each, a place for all.”
Victoria Day – Monday, May 20
Parents – don’t forget, the school is closed on Monday, May 20th for Victoria Day. We hope you enjoy the long weekend with your family & friends!
School Track & Field Meet – Wednesday, May 22
Please pray for some sunny, warm weather on May 22nd when our Gr. 4-8 students travel by bus to St. David Catholic Secondary School for our St. Josephine Bakhita School Track & Field Meet. Top performers at our school meet will qualify for the Regional Track Meet taking place at Resurrection CSS on June 13th. Parents are welcome to attend both our school meet and the regionals.
Jump Rope for Heart FUNdraiser – May 24th
Join us in helping us reach our school fundraising goal of $2000.00 in support of the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation.
Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser
This year, we are partnering with Mabel’s Labels to raise money for our school community and provide families with amazing quality labels.
Mabel’s Labels is a well-known brand of durable labels with a growing line of products (e.g., kids labels, allergy and medical alert products, sports labels, household labels and seasonal items). They’re extremely durable, they’re laundry, dishwasher, and microwave safe – and they’re 100% guaranteed.
The steps to order are simple:
- Visit https://mabelslabels.ca/
- Click, “Support a Fundraiser”
- Type, “St. Josephine Bakhita Elementary School (Kitchener)”
- Click, “Let’s Get Shopping”
Your order will be sent directly to your home and 20% of your order total will support St. Josephine Bakhita- Thank you!
Drop off and Pick up Policy at St. Josephine Bakhita CES
***PARENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN EITHER OF OUR PARKING LOTS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY – OUR PARKING LOTS WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR STUDENT PICK-UPS BY PARENTS – PARENTS WILL NEED TO PARK ON A SIDE STREET AND HAVE THEIR CHILD WALK SAFELY TO THEIR VEHICLE***
***PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE DESIGNATED ACCESSIBLE (HANDICAPPED) PARKING SPOTS WHEN DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP – EVEN IF IT’S FOR A SHORT TIME – UNLESS YOU HAVE AN ACCESSIBLE (HANDICAPPED) PARKING PASS***
***ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA PARENTS – PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE DESIGNATED YMCA DAYCARE PARKING SPOTS***
Please read the following information and follow our school’s drop off and pick up procedures that have been developed to keep your children safe. We encourage students in Gr. 4 – 8 who live within 1.6 km of the school (0.8 km for JK – Gr. 3 students) to walk to school. Those who live further than 1.6 km (0.8 km JK – Gr. 3) are eligible for bussing. Parents who choose to drive their children to school may use our Drive to Five option or our designated ‘Kiss & Drop’ zone.
DRIVE TO FIVE & Drop Off (8:50-9:05 a.m.)
Parents who choose to drive their children to school are asked to either:
- “Drive to Five” (BEST OPTION for Junior & Intermediate students) – Drop your child off a block or two away from the school (5 min. walk). You will avoid contributing to the congestion in the Kiss & Drop zone and the walk will do your child good – they will be that much more alert to begin their day!
- Use the school’s Kiss & Drop area (SECOND BEST OPTION) – We are very fortunate to have a ‘Kiss & Drop Zone’ at our school – most schools do not have this option for parents. Please follow the procedures we have put in place to make it as safe for our students as possible.
· Pull into the school driveway and wait until you enter the clearly marked Kiss & Drop zone
· To keep traffic moving, parents using the Kiss & Drop zone are not permitted to get out of their vehicles and children may only exit the vehicle from the passenger side
· Please only have your child exit your vehicle in the designated Kiss & Drop zone
· St. Josephine Bakhita parents are not eligible to park in the school parking lot
· If your child requires assistance getting out of your vehicle, please do not use the Kiss & Drop zone or school parking lot – you will need to park on a side street and walk your child to school safely
Pick Up
Parents choosing to drive their children home at the end of the school day cannot park in our school parking lots. Schools are not designed or built for this. The Kiss & Drop zone is for dropping students off before school only and the school parking lots are reserved for staff and daycare parking only. Parents will need to park on a side street and have their children walk safely to their vehicle if they are providing their children with a ride home.
Important to Note:
- Cold Weather, Snow, or Rain does not change this policy
- This policy has been communicated weekly since the beginning of the school year in our Bruin Bulletin
- Parents – please always be respectful when speaking with school staff who are enforcing our policy that has been developed to keep our students safe
- Please follow this policy and help us to continue to build a strong, caring, and respectful Catholic school community here at St. Josephine Bakhita
- Should you have any questions or concerns about our Pick Up & Drop Off Policy, please contact Mr. Dave Lynch, Principal (226-444-9774)
Important Safety Reminder – Crossing Beckview Drive
Students and parents crossing Beckview Drive are reminded to please walk to the designated pedestrian crossing at the Huron Road-Beckview Drive roundabout or Tartan Ave-Beckview Drive instead of the unsafe practice of crossing the road directly in front of the school. Thank you.
2023-2024 School Year Calendar – Some Important Dates
May 20 Victoria Day (no school)
May 22 School Track & Field Meet at St. David CSS (Gr. 4-8)
May 24 Jump Rope for Heart
May 31 PA Day
June 6 Welcome to Kindergarten Night
June 24 Term 2 Report Card Distribution
June 27 Last Day of School for Students
June 28 PA Day