On behalf of the staff at St. John Brebeuf, I would like to welcome everyone to the upcoming school year. The theme for our school is “Be the Good News”. This theme will be embraced throughout all programs within the school.Below are some updates to help with the transition of the upcoming school year:
School ScheduleTuesday September 7th is the first day for Grade 8 students only. School will begin at the regular time (8:30) and will end at 12:00. All buses will be running. The first day of regular classes will be Wednesday September 8th for all grades.
Bus ServiceDuring the week of August 30th, the bus drivers will be calling families that use the service to inform them of the pick-up & drop-off times, and the location.
Student Course SchedulesStudents in grades 9-12 will find their class schedule included with this letter. Grade 8 students will receive their schedule on the first day of classes. If there are course changes that are needed, students in grades 8 & 9 should contact the school’s Vice-Principal, Mr. De Julius, while those in grades 10-12 should contact Mr. Fraser.
Lockers & LocksAll lockers have been assigned to the students. Locker numbers will be posted on the first day of school. Students wishing for a second locker must complete a locker request form and give it to Mr. De Julius. All new students will receive a lock. If a returning student has lost their lock from the previous year, a new lock can be purchased for $8 or a used one for $5.
Parent-Student HandbookThe parent-student handbook will be available on our website (www.stjohnbrebeuf.ca) mid-September. Parents who would like a hard copy of the handbook can contact the office for a copy.
Parent ParticipationThe parent participation program not only serves to strengthen the school community, it also provides support to a wide range of school initiatives that help to offset the cost of tuition. The school relies on the valuable contribution of each family.As part of your commitment to the school, each family is required to volunteer a minimum of 12 hours. There are many opportunities to volunteer at the school. As part of the registration package, you filled out a form indicating your first, second, and third choice of volunteer opportunities. Although this list is used to call volunteers when help is needed, please be aware that you may not be
able to fulfill all your hours in the areas that you have chosen. Upcoming volunteer opportunities areincluded each month in the parent participation section of the school newsletter. You may also contact the school or email
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if you would like to know more about ways to volunteer.
A volunteer from the Education Committee supports the program by helping to find volunteers when needed.A parent volunteer records the hours. The 12 hours need to be completed by June 15. You are responsible for reporting your hours and will receive confirmation once your hours have been recorded.
You can report your hours either by filling out a “Volunteer Work” form and returning it to the office or via email.
To report hours by email:Email
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. Please include the number of hours, the date that you volunteered and a brief description of what you did and the name of the teacher that organized the volunteer activity.In recognition that not all families may be able to volunteer their time, there is an option of paying $300. If you find you do not have the time to volunteer during the year, the school will cash your parent participation cheque that was collected during registration at the end of the school year.
Parent Evening/ Meet the Teachers NightThursday September 9th is the school’s Meet the Teachers Night. Grade 8 parents will meet in the library at 6:15 for information about Grade 8 Camp. All parents will meet in the Multi-Purpose Room at 7:00 and then rotate through their child’s classes. Finally, at 8:15, grade 12 parents will have a graduation meeting in the library.
Uniform Pick-Up and OrdersUniforms that were ordered previously can be picked up at the office. New orders can be made by faxing the uniform order form to 604-872-8268 or email
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. Please read through the parent-student handbook on our website (www.stjohnbrebeuf.ca) regarding the school’s uniform policy.
Student PhotosSchool Photos will take place on Friday September 10th. All students are to have their picture taken for the school identification card and yearbook. Order forms will be distributed on the first day of school.
Monthly NewsletterBeginning this September, the monthly newsletter will be posted online on our website (www.stjohnbrebeuf.ca) and sent home with your child.Once again, welcome to a new school year and as our school theme suggests, all of us can “Go and Make Disciples of All Nations”.
Sincerely,Mr. Ted Brennan
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR LOCAL POLICE
Dear parents, guardians and caregivers,
As a result of increased gang and drug activity last year, some targeting young people, the Abbotsford Police Department launched a series of crime prevention initiatives during the 2009/2010 school year. These included OPERATION TARNISH (a poster series displayed in secondary schools), OPERATION IMPACT (a presentation to 6,500+ secondary school students), OPERATION VERITAS (a series of videos produced by APD, shown in secondary schools, posted on YouTube, played at AHL Abbotsford Heat games), and OPERATION IMPACT II (a presentation to 5,500+ middle school students). APD anti-crime, anti-gang messaging also appeared on jail cell ceilings, projection billboards and ice arena boards in Abbotsford. This is in addition to the formation of a gang suppression unit and other intervention initiatives involving the Youth Squad, including a mediation between two groups of youth in conflict with each other.
This year we will be launching some new initiatives. According to Abbotsford’s residents crime is the most important issue facing our community. But if we think that crime and gangs are only a police problem, we are putting this community at risk. We believe that parents are part of the solution. And this year we want to engage you. In the coming months we will be coming to the secondary schools to talk with you. We want to let you know what’s happening in our community so you can make informed decisions on how to protect your children from the influences of gangs and criminal activity. Please consider attending one of these presentations when the dates and times are announced. If you have questions, concerns or comments regarding what we should address at those meetings please email your suggestions to
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. We will also be regularly providing you with information in upcoming newsletters. Watch for our column. We want to give you tips about what you can do to help make Abbotsford the safest city in BC. – Sgt. Mike Novakowski, Abbotsford Police.
Grade Eights: Wednesday September 8th (3:00- 4:30)
Junior: Thursday September 9th and Friday September 10th (3:00- 4:30)
Senior: Thursday September 9th and Friday September 10th (4:30-6:00)
Entertainment Books
SJB will be selling Entertainment books in September to support Extra-curricular Athletics and the Drama program. Please suppport the school and purchase your books from SJB in the fall. For more information please contact Mrs. Kitteringham or Mrs. Choboter.
