2023 October

Starting November 1^st we have new vendors.

Remember to order through Lunch Box on School Cash Online. If you have not created an

account we have provided you the link to set up your account.

https://wcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/

Every Tuesday is pizza – alternating between Gino’s & Domino’s

Fridays are as follows following this rotation:

Harvey’s, Fresh Burrito, Subway, Nook (Nook menu pending)

Prayers for the Nguyen Family

The St. Margaret community mourns the loss of one of our parents Chau Van Nguyen, father of Emma Nguyen (grade 5), Colbie Nguyen (Grade 3), Jasmine Nguyen (Grade 1) and husband of Tuyen Pham. Chau lost a short but courageous battle with cancer.

Please keep the Nguyen family in your prayers!

Halloween at St. Margaret

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The St. Margaret School community is very excited for Halloween. This celebration is fast approaching, so please review the following information about upcoming events.

Our awesome grade 7/8 student leaders will be helping to organize a fun week leading up to Halloween. This will include colouring contests, candy guessing games, and pumpkin carving/decorating contests!

There will be a Halloween Dance on Tuesday October 31st. Each class from Kindergarten to Grade 8 will have a time slot to participate in the gym.

Tuesday October 31st – Wear your Halloween Costumes or Orange and Black!

*Remember that full face masks, weapons and gory costumes or makeup are not allowed. Please also avoid wearing costumes that mimic or insult the cultures of others. Please use your discretion regarding whether your child will need a change of clothes if they do not want to wear their costume for the full day.

On the day of Halloween, students may wish to bring treats for their classmates. Please note the following:

Treats must be peanut and nut free. We have many anaphylactic students.
Treats should be prepackaged, store-bought items or INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED treats.
Students will be allowed to distribute their treats at the end of the day and they will be sent home (rather than eaten in class.)
If you are sending treats, please ensure that there will be enough for each student in your child’s class.

We are looking forward to a Spooktacular Halloween season!

Thank you,

Staff of St. Margaret School

Food Drive Thank you from our St. Vincent de Paul

Thanks to our family of schools, St. Margaret, Christ the King, St. Peter and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, our recent school food drive was an outstanding success.

Our pantry is full of food products and hopefully our needs will be met for the next several months.

Thus far in 2023, we have answered 246 calls for assistance which includes 423 adults and 248 children. We also assisted 91 singles.

Our help to those in need is comprised of two heaping bags of groceries, a food voucher to a grocery store valued at $50.00 plus an additional $5.00 per person living in the household. We also provide a produce voucher of $5.00 to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables from a travelling mobile unit. So far this year we have given $14,460.00 to families. It is the parishioners of St. Patrick Parish who provide us with the funds to meet these needs. We are able to provide this money in vouchers only because we do not have to purchase the groceries. Our groceries come from school food drives and the benevolence of the parishioners of St. Patrick Parish.

On behalf of your St. Vincent de Paul, please express our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Cater who spearheaded the campaign at St. Margaret and to the parents of your students who donated so generously.

With kind regards,

Ken Sliter

School Food Drive Coordinator

School Photos from Pegasus due October 16th

FALL PORTRAITS – ELEMENTARY_2023-2024_ ORDERS DUE – Oct. 16

October School News

October 2023 News at-a-glance

Please continue to watch for Newswire reminders. We will add important dates to our school calendar and keep it up to date. Classroom teachers will continue to communicate through their D2L classrooms.

I will continue my ‘alphabet’ style review each month:

A

Athletics are fully up and running for our grade 4 – 8 students.

Congratulations to our Junior Soccer, and Intermediate 3-pitch teams

Intermediate Flag Football is Tuesday October 10^th.

B

Bus Patrols have been trained and will support the one bus we have this year. Thank you for your patience with a new driver and new routes this year! Watch for Student Transportation (STWR) reminders and updates.

Bus Safety Week is October 16^th to 20^th. All classes will participate in video bus training!

Bike Walk Roll Week is October 16-20, 2023. Stay tuned for more information.

C

Catholic School Council will begin this month. Meetings are at 6:15 p.m. in the school’s Conference Room. Stay tuned for the upcoming dates.

D

Dogs on the yard. We realize dogs are part of some families, but we also have students who may be afraid. Ideally, we would appreciate if you do bring your dog, please arrange a spot away from the pick-up area at the side of the school. We also realize that after hours dogs frequent the yard. Please ‘scoop when your dog poops’ so students aren’t stepping in it!

F

Our Forest is off-limits and ‘out of bounds’ for staff and students for safety reasons.

Fire Drills are practiced each term. Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 8^th to 14^th We will complete 3 Fire Drill practices during that week.

Faith:

-We celebrated our opening Mass at the school Tuesday September 19^th. Father Pierre our St. Patrick Church priest (while Father Joe is away), has provided the dates for upcoming masses and sacraments. They will be posted on the school calendar and more information will be sent home closer to the dates.

-Food Drive in support of St Vincent DePaul (St. Patrick Parish) will run from September 25^th to Thursday October 5^th. Thank you for your generous support!

H

Happy Thanksgiving to our families! Monday October 9^th is a holiday – NO SCHOOL!

Hot lunches are organized by our Catholic School Council. Gino’s Pizza is every Tuesday and Friday Hot lunches are East Side Marios, Harvey’s, Pita Pit, and Subway. New vendors are being added, so keep watching for changes. Orders are found on SchoolCash online. Orders need to be in the previous Sunday by 12:00 p.m.

I

Inclement Weather protocol: A bell will ring at 8:35 p.m. when our supervision starts. Students will enter at the gym ramp and stay in the gym, supervised until the bell rings at 8:50 a.m.

M

Meet the teacher was Thursday September 21^st from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Students were invited to share their classroom and introduce their new teacher. Thank you for joining us on short notice.

N

No peanut butter or other substitutes like soya etc. If it looks and smells like peanut butter it will be treated as peanut butter.

Nutrition for Learning is available to all our students every day!

Our NEW Director Mr. Tyrone Dowling visited the school on October 4^th!

Orange Shirt Day / National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was on Friday September 29^th(Officially September 30^th). Students and staff wore orange as a community in the spirit of reconciliation and hope because every child matters!

P

Pegasus Picture Day was September 26^th. There will be a retake day Wednesday November 1^st for any students absent.

Parking Lot Safety! Our parking lot is ONLY for staff, approved transportation vehicles and parents contacting the Office for a specific need. We now have 2 busses, so there is a longer time for approved vehicles to remain parked before leaving the lot. PLEASE find drop off and parking areas safely in the community!

Professional Development Day is October 6^th – No School for students!

R

Rowan’s Law Day was September 27^th. Concussions are very serious!

Retreat to Mount Mary for our grade 8 students is October 16^th to 18^th.

S

Spirt Wear orders are due October 13^th. Remember that EVERY Wednesday is a school spirit day to wear ‘Scotties’ gear or school colours of black and green!

Spanish Student Exchange. We welcome 2 students from the exchange program to Mrs. Cater’s grade 7 / 8 class. In return, the 2 student sponsors from St. Margaret will travel to Spain in the future.

Student Leadership Team has begun. Watch for regular activities and Friday theme days!

T

Trips with families are common. Please contact the school Office if the student (s) will be away for any period. Please continue to contact the classroom teacher for absences and copy the office to ensure safety.

Terry Fox Walk was September 22^nd. Thank you so much for another successful Terry Fox Walk. Together we raised $1895.00!

Go Scotties Go!

V

Volunteers will be welcomed back into the school this year. Stay tuned for the opportunities we offer! All volunteers (classroom, drivers, trips etc.) will need a Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check. Call the Office for the ‘paperwork’ and procedure to follow. A separate Newswire will follow.

W

Welcome back to a NEW school year learning in-person, praying and playing together!!

Mr. J. Schnarr

Principal