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Falcon Flyer
Our Lady of Fatima School
May 2015
Principal’s Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the May edition of the OLOF School Newsletter! One of our biggest highlights every year in May is the
celebration of Catholic Education in our province. This year, Catholic Education Week is the week of May 3-9. We are
very excited about the various activities that have been planned. If you are able, please drop in and visit your child’s
classroom the morning of May 5th or the afternoon of May 6th, our Open House dates.
Some other important happenings this month include: CAT-4 assessments for students in Grade 7, Confirmation of our
Grade 7s, First Holy Communion for our Gr. 2s, our school Track & Field Meet, the start of EQAO testing, Please read
the following pages for more details.
We would like to wish all the wonderful mothers in the Our Lady of Fatima School Community a Happy Mother’s Day on
May 10th!
As always, please feel free to contact the school should you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
D. Lynch
Principal
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School
Celebrates Catholic Education Week 2015
We will be celebrating Catholic Education Week this year the week of
May 3rd. It begins on Sunday at our local parish where the parish-home-school partner-ship will be highlighted as the foundation of
Catholic Education in Ontario. This year's theme is ‘Exploring the Paths of Joy’.
Parents…hopefully you are able to attend some or all of the following activities, liturgies, and events we have planned for
this special week.
Monday, May 4

8:50 a.m. - Catholic Education Week Opening Liturgy in the gym (JK-8)
Tuesday, May 5

8:50-11:30 a.m. - Open House - Parents are welcome to visit their children’s classrooms and observe a lesson (15-20 min. per
visit please)

P.M.– Career Day - Student in Grades 1-8 have the opportunity to attend three ‘career sessions’. Special visits will be made to
our Kindergarten classes.

7:00 p.m. - WCDSB Cambridge Folk Dance Festival at Preston Arena
Wednesday, May 6

12:35-3:00 p.m. - Open House - Parents are welcome to visit their children’s classrooms and sit in on a lesson (15-20 min. per
visit please)
Thursday, May 7

6:30 p.m. - Catholic School Council Meeting at St. Benedict CSS
Friday, May 8

8:50 a.m. - Catholic Education Week Closing Liturgy in the gym

P.M. - Jump Rope for Heart
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN NIGHT AND
JK PARENT ORIENTATION NIGHT
On Tuesday, June 2, from 6:30—7:30 p.m., Our Lady of Fatima CES will be holding both our JK Parent
Orientation session in our school library and at the same time and interactive Welcome to Kindergarten
workshop in one of our Kindergarten classrooms. We are asking that both parents as well as the JK child
attend this evening as we are running both sessions simultaneously.
JK/SK REGISTRATION
If by chance you missed our February registration dates and have a child starting JK or SK this September,
then please contact the school at 519-658-4041 as soon as possible. In addition, if you know of someone who
may not be aware of this, please mention it to him or her.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Please notify the school office of any changes in your work/home/cell telephone numbers, place of employment, change of sitter or
any such pertinent information. It is very distressing, as you can well imagine, to have difficulty making contact in times of medical
emergency, illness or school absence. Also if you are planning to move and your children will not be attending our school in
September, please notify the office so we can plan accordingly for next year.
STUDENTS LEAVING SCHOOL AT LUNCH TIME
In the best interests of our student safety, we ask that all students who normally stay at school for lunch, do so
every day. In the event of special circumstances, parents/guardians are asked to write a note to their child’s
teacher, explaining that their child will be leaving school property during the lunch hour and include the date and
signature. All students returning to school from lunch are reminded to arrive on time, by 12:15.
Class Lists for 2015-2016
Many factors are considered in the creation of class lists, including: academic ability, social
groupings and gender ratio. The teachers and administration take great care to ensure, to the best of
our ability, all students’ needs are met. Since it is very difficult to both honour requests from parents
as well as make the most prudent decisions for all students in our care, we will again not be
soliciting classroom placement requests for the 2015-2016 school year. We ask for you to please
trust that the staff will continue to make decisions on placements that are in the best interests of all
the students at Our Lady of Fatima.
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM
As part of our Board Wide Safe Arrival Program, please be sure to call the Attendance
line, 519-658-4041, then press 1, before 8:30 a.m. if your child is going to be absent of
late. The attendance line is available 24 hours, you can call anytime during the night. It
is essential that we know that your child is safe with a parent or caretaker if they are not
at school for any reason.
EQAO, CAT-4, AND CCAT ASSESSMENTS
The EQAO provincial assessments for grade 3 and grade 6 students will take place later this
month and the beginning of June. This is an opportunity for our grade 3 students to
demonstrate their learning based on the knowledge and skills that they have developed
throughout JK/SK, grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3. Our grade 6 students will also have an
opportunity to demonstrate their learning based on skills and knowledge acquired in grade 4,
5 and 6. Each of the EQAO assessments directly link to the specific curriculum expectations
that students are learning with their classroom teachers each year.
The Grade 3 students will participate in their Reading/Writing/Math assessments on May 25,
27, and June 1. The dates for our Grade 6 students’ Reading/Writing/Math assessments will
be May 28, June 2, and 4.
Our Gr. 7 students will be participating in the CAT-4 assessment May 4, 6, and 7. The
CAT-4 is a national standardized achievement test designed to measure achievement in the
basic skills commonly taught in schools across Canada. The specific skill areas in which
students will be assessed include literacy (Reading and Writing) and Mathematics.
And finally, our Gr. 4 students just completed writing the CCAT assessment this week. The
CCAT is a cognitive ability test that identifies areas of strength and need, as well as, the
specific learning style preferences of each student. It provides direction to teachers about
effective instructional methods, learning materials and pace of instruction in order to meet
the learning needs of their students along with acting as a screen for giftedness.
The students have been working hard preparing for the opportunity to demonstrate their
learning. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare and
participate in these assessments. We also ask the cooperation of parents/guardians to avoid
booking any appointments for their children as well as ensure that they get plenty of rest
during the scheduled assessment dates.
Consistent attendance during the testing period will help make it a positive experience. It is
very important that students be in full attendance during each of the days when the test is
being written. We hope that an advance notice of specific assessment dates will help you to
schedule medical appointments for your children outside of assessment dates.
Healthy, Active Living Fit Bit
Making Smart Choices from the Kids’ Menu
Going out to a restaurant can be a fun opportunity for kids to learn about different foods and eat in a new environment.
Unfortunately the options on the kids’ menu can be very limited and usually don’t offer up much nutrition. Here are some ideas to
help make healthier choices when eating out:
Choose a restaurant with a kids’ menu that offers more than the standard fare. Many only have nutrient-poor
choices like fries, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pizza or pasta with butter.
If you do choose an item from the kids’ menu, ask for veggies, rice or baked potato on the side instead of fries. You
can also ask for fewer fries, or half fries and half veggies as other options.
Consider ordering an appetizer for your child instead of a kid’s meal. Fresh spring rolls, quesadillas, bruschetta or a
salad with grilled chicken could be healthier options.
A regular entrée might be large enough to share between you and your child (or between two children). Consider
options like a vegetable soup and sandwich, a stir-fry or grilled salmon.
Bypass the sugary drinks and order water or milk to drink.
If the meal comes with dessert, ask for extra spoons for sharing or substitute a fruit salad.
Restaurant meals tend to be high in fat, sodium and sugar so try to limit eating out to no more than once a week (or 2 to 3 times per
month). When you have indulged in a less than healthy restaurant meal, focus on healthier fare with lots of vegetables for the rest of
the day. For more smart solutions when eating out with kids visit EatRight Ontario at:
https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Child-Toddler-Nutrition/You-can-ask----for-healthy-foods-for-your-kids.aspx
Try this recipe for a kid-friendly and healthier twist on egg fried rice, a popular restaurant dish.
Egg Fried Rice
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) brown or basmati rice, dry
6 cups chopped vegetables (carrot, green onion, broccoli, celery, cabbage, mushrooms, etc.)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
4 eggs
6 Tbsp (90 ml) low sodium soy sauce
Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large wok or non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables
and stir-fry until crisp tender, approximately 10 minutes.
Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. Add eggs to pan and scramble while cooking.
Once eggs are cooked add rice, vegetables and soy sauce to pan and combine well.
(This recipe meets the criteria for Maximum Nutritional Value for an entrée.)
Let’s Talk Science Challenge
Our Lady of Fatima was proud to send four teams of students to this year’s Let’s Talk Science
Challenge at the University of Waterloo, making us one of the schools with the highest number of
participants. Students from the Grade 7 and 8 classes studied on their own time in the areas of Physics,
Chemistry, Mathematics, Astronomy, Environmental, Earth and Life Sciences. At the event on April
24th, students participated in a design challenge and quiz competition. As always, OLOF students
represented their school with class, dignity and we are very proud of your
accomplishments! Congratulations on a great day to our teams: “We Knit With String Theory,” “We
Study Periodically,” “Everyday I’m Calculating” and “Nothing Cooler Than Absolute Zero.”
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
Throughout the day, schools often have many volunteers/visitors who enter the school. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Policy is that all volunteers/visitors to a school must sign in at the main office when they arrive, and sign out when they leave the
school building.
Parents/guardians who wish to speak with a staff member during the day, including before school begins in the morning, are asked to
wait until the staff member has been notified. . We respectfully ask that you please do not go directly to the classroom.
SAFETY REMINDERS
Bikes, Scooters, Skateboards, In-line Skates Must be Walked on School
Property
A reminder to students that, for everyone’s safety, roller blades, scooters, skateboards, and bikes are not
allowed to be ridden on school property. If students use these modes of transportation to get to and
from school, they must walk them on school property—both before and after school. Bicycles must be
locked up at our bike racks and scooters & skateboards must be stored in the hallway or classroom following the classroom procedures set by the teacher.
DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY—Reminder...
If you walk your child to/from school, this is a gentle reminder to please not bring your dog on school
property during the hours of 8:30 am and 3:30 pm. Even though your dog may be very gentle, we have
some students who are afraid of dogs. Please help keep all of our students safe AND comfortable.
PARKING LOT REMINDER
To ensure the safety of all of our students, the parking lot remains closed to parents and
visitors before and after school—8:30—8:50 a.m. and 3:00—3:35 p.m. Please help us to
keep our children safe.
May 2015
Sun
3
Mon
4 9 am -
Tue
5 a.m. - Open
Wed
6
Thu
7
Grade 7&8
Immunization
Program
Opening Liturgy
House
Exploring the
Paths of Joy
P.M. - Gr. 7 CAT-4
P.M. - Career Day
P.M. - Open
House
10
11
12
13
14
9:15 a.m.
OLOF T&F Meet
@ St. Benedict
CSS (Gr. 4-8)
Catholic
Education Week
2:00 p.m. - First
Communion
17
Sat
1
2
8 9 a.m. -
9
Closing Liturgy
P.M.-Grade 7 CAT-4
Feast of Our Lady
of Fatima—May
Crowning Liturgy
18
Fri
15
16
19
20
21
22
23
26
27
28
29
30
Gr. 3
Gr. 3
Gr. 6
P.A. Day
EQAO Day 1
EQAO Day 2
EQAO Day 1
(No School)
Victoria Day
(No School)
24
31
25