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The Good Shepherd Catholic School
April/May Newsletter
23 Cloughley Dr., Barrie, ON
705-728-2302 ~ gsh.schools.smcdsb.on.ca
“Witnessing Christ through loving, learning and serving God”
Easter Blessings
Spring Sibling Photo Session
May the glory and the promise
of this joyous time of year Bring peace and
happiness to you and those you hold most dear,
Green Apple Studio will be at our school
on: Thursday, April 23rd to
photograph any students that wish to
have sibling photographs taken
together. There is no obligation to
purchase photographs afterwards.
This is simply a service that is
being offered at our school, and
participation is optional.
On Photo day children will be called down to have
their sibling photographs taken. If you wish to
participate and have your children photographed
together please dress them appropriately and have
them come down to the photographer when called.
You can indicate you wish your children to
participate by writing to their classroom teacher in
their agenda.
After Photo Day an order form with sample proof
portraits will be produced by Green Apple Studio
for families to view. If you wish to purchase these
portraits instructions on how to order will be
included on the form.
Grade 8 Grad and SK retakes will also be taken
this day. If you have any questions please email
Green Apple Studio at [email protected].
And may Christ, Our Risen Saviour,
always be there by your side to bless you
most abundantly and be your loving guide.
Amen
From the Office…
Happy Easter! I hope
you are all enjoying the
hopeful joy of this Easter
Season.
The students
have been excited to get
outside and enjoy the
nice spring weather.
First Communion
First Communion is an exciting, life-changing
event where a young member of our Catholic
community becomes an integrated adult member of
the church. The event marks a threshold in the life
of young Catholics throughout the world. We are
proud of our students and
their families who have been
preparing for this Sacrament
throughout the whole year.
This rite of passage will be
celebrated at various Masses
at St. Mary’s Parish.
Congratulations on this
wonderful rite of passage for
your child.
God Bless!
New Student Registrations
We have been processing many new registrations
recently. Knowing our student enrolment for
September helps us to plan in advance. Please
encourage all friends, relatives and neighbours
within our school boundaries to enroll their
children as soon as possible, regardless of their
grade. This will help ensure a smooth start in
September. The parent or parents of students
being registered must be Roman Catholic to be
eligible to support the school board and will be
asked to provide a copy of their baptismal
certificate. See the next page for Kindergarten
information.
Kindergarten Registration
Safety First ~ Drop Off & Pick Up
Do you have a child that will be 4 years old by
December 31, 2015 (born in 2011), and you are
looking to register them for Junior Kindergarten?
Please visit our web site and follow the
Registration tab for links or call the school to learn
more information on how to register your child at
The Good Shepherd Catholic School. We look
forward to welcoming your child to our school
community.
You will require the following documents for your
child for registration:
• Proof of age (Birth Certificate)
• Parent or child’s Roman Catholic baptismal
certificate
• Updated immunization records
• Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent
resident status
• Proof of address
Thank you for your continued cooperation in not
driving into our bus loop at the beginning and end
of the day. With your help we will continue to
have a safe bus loading area for our students.
Parents may enter the staff parking lot to drop off
or pick up students.
Some parents have chosen to bring their children to
school late to avoid the parking congestion. This is
not a viable long-term solution, as your children
will miss the morning routines on a regular basis.
Teaching students the importance of being
punctual is a worthwhile skill.
If you are meeting students at the Hodgson Drive
gate, please tell them not to leave the yard until
they see you. Students are asked to remain in the
fenced area until they are picked-up.
The
Supervisor on duty will bring any students not
picked-up into the office and we will call home for
them.
If you drop off or pick up your child along
Cloughley Drive, please be sure to follow the
posted signage. There are “No Stopping” signs
just beyond our crosswalk. This is so students can
see cars approaching the crosswalk and so that
buses have the necessary room to exit the school
driveway.
Are You Moving?
If you are moving out of The Good Shepherd
boundary area this summer, please notify the
school office. This will help in our planning for
next year.
Boundary Exemptions
All students on a Boundary Exemption must be
reviewed annually. You should have received your
Annual Renewal letter already. If you did not
receive
one please contact the office
right away.
Once forms are signed by
your “home” principal and
returned to the office your
request will be considered.
Response letters will be sent home
in early May.
Your cooperation in keeping our students safe is
appreciated.
Kindergarten Yard Update
EQAO Assessment
Many of our families are aware of the challenges
with our Kindergarten yard over the last several
years. After consultations with contractors and
Board Officials we will begin to “clean up” our
yard by boxing-in our trees with wooden frames.
This will prevent the
soil
from
creating
muddy conditions in our
yard. We will also pave
the remainder of the
area around the large
tree. Other strategies
for solving the drainage
issues will also be
implemented.
Should it be necessary
to relocate students during any work, students will
be given access to a small portion of our large
fenced-in yard (with an increase in supervision).
Once this work is completed other enhancements
will be made (pavement painting).
These
enhancements are possible due to the generous
support and fundraising of our community this
year.
Our Grade 3 and 6 students will be writing the
EQAO Provincial Assessment on the following
school days.
Grade 3:
Mon., May 25, Tues. May 26 & Wed., May 27
Grade 6:
Mon., June 1, Tues., June 2 & Wed., June 3
Students have been learning the curriculum and are
eager to demonstrate what they know.
Please help us in making them as successful as
possible by doing the following:
 Avoid scheduling appointments or vacations
during testing times listed above
 Ensure your child is at school on time (test
starts at 9:00am each day)
 Encourage a good night sleep each night
 Provide a nutritious breakfast and send healthy
snacks to school each day
 Wish them good luck each day and let them
know you are proud of them
Preparing For Next Year
If you're in grades 5 - 8 and love to have fun and
learn more about faith, then EDGE is for you. Here
are our upcoming events:
Friday, April 24: 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall.
Come ready to use your creativity!
Friday, May 8: 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall. Join us
for our own MasterChef-style challenge!
EDGE CAMP: St. Mary’s EDGE is excited to
announce we are teaming up with St. John Vianney
EDGE to attend EDGE Adventure Camp, August
18-23. If you are in grades 5 – 8 and are interested
in this amazing camp, come to the next EDGE
night to learn more or contact Sharon LaPlume,
Youth Minister: 705-728-2985 ext. 118 for details
or [email protected]. Deadline for
Registration is April 24!
We have already begun to plan for the next school
year. We spend a lot of time and take great care in
placing students in classrooms that will help
promote academic and personal success.
Although we take many factors into consideration,
parents often have information that may be
important for us to consider when placing students.
Parents are asked to put any special considerations
for their child’s classroom placement in writing
and submit it to the office prior to June 5th. All
letters should be labeled “confidential” and
addressed to Mrs. Smith, as the Principal finalizes
all class lists. All requests will be reviewed in
confidence but are not guaranteed.
Ø Parents with questions can call an EQAO
official at 1-888-327-7377 or visit the website
at www.eqao.com.
Ø The parent section of the EQAO website can be
accessed at the following URL:
http://www.eqao.com/Parents/parents.aspx?stat
us=logout&Lang=E
St. Mary’s Parish Update
Catholic Education Week
May 3 – 8, 2015
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated
on Saturday, May 30th, 2015. The Candidate
Retreat is Sat., April 25th, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
in the parish hall. This is a compulsory step in
preparation for this Sacrament for candidates only.
Dress Code
As warmer weather is approaching we would like
to remind all families to review the Dress Code
found in the student agendas.
If a student's clothing is deemed to be
inappropriate, a number of options will be
considered: Students may be required to change
their clothing, students may be sent home to
change, or parents may be asked to bring a change
of clothing. Students not in compliance with the
dress code and unable to fix it, will not be admitted
into class and will work in an alternate location
(office/library) for the day.
Spring Weather Conditions
When it is necessary there will be
“pavement only” or indoor recesses when the field
is too muddy. Sending appropriate footwear, rainboots, is advised during the remainder of the year.
Students must have indoor shoes.
“Were not our hearts burning
within us while He was talking
to us on the road?”
– Luke 24:32
The sub-themes for Catholic
Education Week 2015 are as follows:
Monday: Walking Together and Sharing our
Story
Tuesday: Opening the Scriptures
Wednesday: Welcoming Others to the Table
Thursday: Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of
the Bread
Friday: Proclaiming the Good News
For more information about Catholic Education
Week visit
http://www.ocsta.on.ca/resources/catholiceducation-week-resources/or the Archdiocese of
Toronto online at: www.archtoronto.org
Yearbook Sponsorship
We are still looking for local businesses to sponsor
pages of our Yearbook. The cost is only $20 per
page. Send in your submissions by May 1st. We
appreciate your support.
Upcoming Dates
Mon.
Thurs.
Fri.
Tues.
Thurs.
Fri.
Mon.
Tues.
April 20
April 23
April 24
April 28
April 30
May 1
May 4
May 5
Wed.
Thurs.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thurs.
Sun.
Mon.
May 6
May 7
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 15
May 24
May 25
Wed. May 27
Sat. May 30
P.A. Day ~ No school for students
Sibling Photo Day & Grade 8/SK Grad Retakes
New Nicholyn Order begins
Catholic School Community Council Meeting -6:30 in the library
Race Against Drugs 12:30-2:30 (Mr. Korber & Ms. Mask’s classes)
Yearbook Sponsorship Deadline
Start of Catholic Education Week at School
School Mass at St. Mary’s Parish 9:30 ~ All families welcome!
Wendy’s Night Fundraiser 4:30-7:30
Primary Poetry Recital 9:30
Provincial Mass Day at St. Joan of Arc (Grade 6,7,8s)
Dental Screening
Dental Screening
Grade 7 & 8 Immunizations
May Celebration of Mary 9:20 ~ All families welcome!
Coffee Sunday at St. Mary’s Parish hosted by our school
Grade 3 EQAO Begins (for 3 days)
Shakespearience Presentation for Grades 7 & 8 2:00pm
Volunteer Lunch
Confirmation at St. Mary’s Parish