November 2023 News at-a-glance

Please continue to watch for Newswire Reminders from the Office or D2L messages in classrooms!

A

Athletics: Boys’ Volleyball tryouts for grades 7 and 8 are happening now.

B

Bully Awareness and Prevention Week is Nov. 20th-24th. Stay tuned for more information.

St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Grade 8 Parent and Student Night is December 7th from 6-7:30 p.m.

C

Catholic School Council met Monday November 6th. Welcome Mrs. Bogias as our NEW Chair, Mrs. Pendergast and Mrs. Brochu as Assistants to the Chair, and Mrs. Sullivan Names-Petra as our Secretary.

We still require a Treasurer. Please contact the Office if you are interested. Meeting dates are the first Wednesday of each month. Our next meeting is December 6th

D

Dogs on the yard after hours. 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 were completed, and students evacuate in a very safe and timely manner!

Faith:

-Our Feast Day mass is November 16th at the church. All students will be bussed to St. Patrick Church for 10:00 a.m.

-Grade 4 Bible Celebration is November 14th at 9:15 a.m. in the Learning Commons.

-Christmas Program from St. Vincent DePaul is running again. Families living within the parish boundaries can request Christmas assistance by leaving a message on their voice mail at 519-623-0173 from Nov 1 to Nov 30. A volunteer will return the call and collect the required information. Families will receive a grocery store voucher and Walmart gift cards for children under 18.

G

Grade 8 students are selling Poinsettias to raise money for their Mount Mary Trip. (They have already had the retreat and are now covering the costs due to the early date).

Guest Speaker Saidat presenting on November 15th Grades JK-3 form 9-10 a.m. / Grades 4-8 from 10:30 -11:30 a.m.

H

Hot lunches are organized by our Catholic School Council. 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.

Indigenous Veteran Day was November 8th. Flags were flown at half-mast.

M

Monthly Themes and Student Recognition has begun. For November we focus on them of COMMUNICATION and the Grandfather Teachings theme of Humility.

N

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

P

Pegasus Picture retake day Wednesday November 1st.

Parking Lot Safety! Our parking lot is ONLY for staff, approved transportation vehicles and parents contacting the Office for a specific need. PLEASE find drop off and parking areas safely in the community!

PD / Faith Day for WCDSB staff is Monday November 13th– No School for students! Note the correction from our Student Agendas.

Progress Reports will be sent home Monday November 20th Parent/Student/ Teacher Conferences will be scheduled for November 23rd after school. Watch for the schedule forms to be sent home soon.

R

Remembrance Week: Wed. Nov. 8th we welcomed Winslow Taylor from the Canadian Armed Forces to talk to our grade 4to 7 students about the importance of Remembrance Day and Veterans week.

School Remembrance Day Celebration is November 1oth beginning at 10:30 a.m. Please wear RED and Black. Poppies will be distributed. Please consider a small donation for the Galt Legion and Poppy Fund.

S

Student Leadership Team consists of 25 grade 7 and 8 students. Regular activities are planned for the school community.

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.

Tiny Homes ‘Sheltering Hearts; A Home for Everyone’. We encourage St. Margaret Families to consider donating. This will replace our fundraiser for Monica’s House done in the past.

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.

 

Mr. J. Schnarr

Principal