IMPORTANT Reminders

Saturday February 15th Craft Show and Market from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

February 17 to 21 at a glance:

Monday February 17th is Family Day – NO SCHOOL

Thursday February 20th – is hot lunch (rescheduled from Friday Feb. 21)

Friday February 21st is a ‘Job Action’ Day – No School for students!

HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS MR. RESENDES!!!

St. Margaret School Community:

With mixed emotion, I am very proud to share that Mr. Resendes has been appointed to an Administrative position with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

Beginning February 24^thMr. Resendes will be the Vice-Principal at St. Vincent DePaul.

Mr. Resendes has been at St. Margaret of Scotland for 15 years and his name is synonymous with the school. He will be leaving his classroom to return to his old elementary school in the role of Vice-Principal.

We are celebrating the opportunity we have had to work with or be taught by Mr. Resendes!

He has impacted all our lives and we wish him all the best in his new role!!

Mr. Schnarr, your Principal

Expanded OECTA Job Action – Week of February 10, 2020

All Waterloo Catholic District School Board schools are open and running on their normal schedules during the week of February 10, 2020.

However, as part of the ongoing central bargaining process involving the Ontario government and education workers across the province, the association representing our teachers – the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) – has indicated that in the absence of a negotiated collective agreement, they are expanding their previously announced list of activities no longer being performed by teachers. The new list takes effect on February 11, 2020.

Below you will find the full list.

In practical terms, this means that because schools will not be able to assign teachers any additional supervision or “on-call duties” where they backfill for another teacher, any activity that typically requires a supply teacher or backfill in the local school will be cancelled. This is a necessary step to help maximize the number of supply teachers available to cover classes board wide.

One of the impacts of implementing this contingency plan is that sports events and field trips may need to be cancelled. Some events will proceed as planned if they do not generate the need for a supply teacher.

If there are fees associated with a cancelled field trip or event, they will be reimbursed.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through challenging times, and we continue to remain hopeful the two sides will return to the bargaining table quickly and will come to a fair and respectful agreement that serves the best interests of our students.

Craft Show & Market -SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15TH at St. Margaret

This Craft Show & Market is finally here! This Saturday from 9 – 3!

A few notes:

there will be 40+ amazing vendors
the first 50 families will be entered to win an amazing DOOR PRIZE
the class with the highest percentage of students in attendance will win their choice of a PIZZA or SUNDAE PARTY
every guest will receive ten free tickets to win over 25 amazing RAFFLE PRIZES
for every purchase you make, you will receive one ballot to WIN one of ten items donated by our local business partners
BEAVERTAILS will be there from 11am – 2:00pm
there will be a SUPERVISED KIDS’ ZONE all day – with FREE FACE PAINTING by Stacy from 10:00 – 1:00
there will be a COOKIE WALK where you can purchase a mixed variety of homemade cookies by the half or full dozen – please bring a REUSABLE container for your cookies
coffee, tea, soft drinks and water (in cans) will be available – please bring your REUSABLE coffee mug for complimentary hot drinks
be sure to remember your REUSABLE shopping bags – we love all things eco-friendly – but, if you do forget, St. Margaret’s GREEN TEAM will be there with reusable bags for sale

Please note that we are still accepting cookie donations – contact stef.perri@hotmail.com!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Mad Science – Last Call

MS Registration

FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS

Please continue to follow us on Newswire (our school website), and regularly check the school on-line calendar.

After a great start to 2020, here are some ‘happenings’ at St. Margaret:

–Band begins for our Intermediate students Wednesday February 4^th with Mr. Figueiredo!

–Bell ‘Let’s Talk Day!’ was January 29^th. We appreciate al ‘The Little Things’ that the students and shared and will continue to do for each other and themselves!

–Black History month is here. Check out http://vlcguides.wcdsb.ca/home/blackhistory

–Catholic School Council meeting will be Monday March 30^th at 6:15 p.m. If you have anything to share or discuss, please contact the school.

–Donations and support went to the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. We received a very special thank you for your kindness and support!!

–Early Years registration for NEW students entering Junior Kindergarten born in 2016 (or new to Senior Kindergarten) for September 2020 will be February 10^th. Please register on-line and contact Mrs. Goldrick at the office to book an appointment.

–Faith:

*Thursday January 30^th Grade 7 traveled to St. Patrick for their Confirmation Retreat.

*Friday January 31^st at 7:00 p.m. Grade 7 students received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Patrick Church. We proudly support them on their Faith Journey.

-We are entering our Lenten season: Shrove Tuesday February 25^th / Ash Wednesday February 26^th at the school 10:30 a.m.

–Fitbit for February will be at the end of this post!

–Inclement weather is upon us. Please dress your child to be outside as much as possible. (hats, mitts/gloves, snow pants, boots, extra socks etc.) Remember supervision begins at 8:35 a.m. Students should not be on the yard prior to this time. The ‘Y’ also uses the yard in the morning for their programming!

*When the temperature is between -15 and -19 students may remain outside for no longer than 20 minutes

*When temperatures are colder than -19: students must remain inside. Temperatures and conditions vary across the Region

*www.weather.ca helps access local conditions

–Report Cards will go home February 13^th. Please review the letter included in the Reports. Please take the time to review the Report Card with your child, celebrating successes and creating goals for improvement. Only grades are provided, so you may wits to contact the classroom teacher to discuss the results.

–Safety is always the most important. PLEASE remember we DO NOT have a student drop off area at the front of the school. The gates close at 8:35-8:50 a.m. / 3:20-3:35 p.m. EVERY DAY. Unless the vehicle is authorized (e.g., Taxi, bus etc.), or there is an EMERGENCY, NO Vehicle should be moving until the gates are opened. Drop off and 3-point turns in the entrance and exit are very dangerous. There are several parking spots along Saginaw Parkway to drop students off, as well as side streets. If you have questions or concerns, please call the office. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE!!

–Umbrella skill from January was AUTHENTICITY. February UMBRELLA skill is PURPOSE!

–Valentine’s Day is Friday February 14^th. Students and staff are encouraged to wear red, white, pink. Consider buying some cookie grams!!

–Winter Walk Day is February 5^th. Help us celebrate our culture and educate students on the importance of active, sustainable transportation. Consider leaving the car at home and walking together. If you are out of bounds consider dropping the kids to a friends place or park a few blocks from school and walk together!

Mr. J. Schnarr

Your Principal

February 2020 Fitbit

Enjoying Vegetables All Year Long

It can be challenging to find creative ways to fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits throughout our long Canadian winters. Our markets and grocery stores may not be filled with as many local options as they are during warmer seasons. However, you may be surprised by how much local produce is available throughout the winter months in Ontario. Locally produced vegetables such as beets, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, squash, mushrooms, leeks and sweet potatoes are all available this time of year. Frozen vegetables are another healthy and affordable choice. If you are looking for some inspiration on ways to incorporate vegetables into your family mealtimes this winter, here are a few fun ideas.

Add frozen or winter vegetables to dishes

· Add sweet potato or squash to homemade chili and soups.

· Add shredded cabbage to salads – purple cabbage adds a splash of colour.

· Add leeks or mushrooms to a frittata or omelette.

· Add rutabaga, turnip or celery root to mashed potatoes.

· Blend cooked beets or sweet potatoes into a hummus recipe.

· Add frozen vegetables to stir-fries, soups, casseroles, pasta dishes or serve them as a side dish at meals.

Make winter vegetables fun for kids

· Make roasted parsnip sticks; they are a fun finger food.

· Cut and roast acorn squash in slices that look like smiles.

· Try spiralized sweet potatoes or carrots as a fun new way to serve these vegetables.

· Roast sweet potato or butternut squash medallions and let kids use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Find some winter vegetable inspiration in the recipes below

· Cabbage and Peanut Butter Chicken Stir-Fry

· Butternut Squash Soup

· Pork, Apple and Cabbage Barley Casserole

· Crunchy Turkey Fingers with Oven Fries

· Bean-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Visit Foodland Ontario’s availability guide to find out when Ontario fruits and vegetables are in season: https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/availability-guide.

WINTER WALK DAY – Wednesday February 5th

Winter Walk Day is for ALL students!!

Bussed students can walk to their bus stop!

Out of bounds students can walk a few blocks!

School Closed TUESDAY FEBRUARY 4TH

The only day Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools are affected is TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4.

All WCDSB schools are open and running on their normal schedules on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week.

IMPORTANT! Updated Closure Information Concerning Strike Action on Tuesday, February 4, 2020

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that all of its members will be engaging in a one-day strike on Tuesday, February 4. This decision affects all Catholic district school boards in Ontario.

As a result of this strike, all Waterloo Catholic District School Board elementary and secondary schools will be closed on February 4.

All WCDSB extended day programs will be open for the day as usual (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) for students currently registered in the program.

Community use of schools activities will continue as scheduled.

ADDITIONALLY – As a result of pending strike action announced today by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), all of the WCDSB’s St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centres campuses will also be closed on February 4 — except for all PSW (Personal Support Worker) programs that will be running as per the normal schedules and locations.

As before, we remain hopeful the government, OECTA and OSSTF will return to the bargaining table quickly and will come to a fair and respectful agreement that serves the best interests of our students.

Bell Let’s Talk – TODAY!

Today’s the day!

Today Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives for every text, mobile and long distance call by Bell customers, tweet using #BellLetsTalk, social media video view, or use of the Facebook frame or Snapchat filter. Today, let’s help make these actions count!

So far today 1,013,915,275 interactions have taken place from coast to coast to coast and around the world, all in the name of mental health and ending the stigma around mental illness.

Together, the students at St. Margaret CES can help create positive change for people living with mental illness. Because when it comes to mental health, every action counts.

Remember that if you need someone to talk to our Staff, Social Worker, CYW and Principal are here to listen.