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St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School
“Enlightened by Knowledge . . . . Enriched by Faith”
April 2015
Principal: Mrs. D. Campbell
Vice-Principal: Mr. P. Deoni
Secretary: Mrs. W. Hicken
Office Assistants: Mrs. C. Cerant
Mrs. L. Ward
Trustee: Mr. John Mark Rowe [email protected]
Special Education: Mrs. B. Riddle, Mrs. S. MacLeod, Mrs. R. Richardson
905-702-9724
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM – A REMINDER TO PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR CHILD’S ABSENCE (905) 702-8001
Messages will be retrieved between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by office staff. Provincial protocols require that
schools exhaust all emergency contacts prior to calling the police in the event of a missing child. Please ensure that you
notify the school if your child will be absent and that your contact information is correct.
School Website: http://schools.hcdsb.org/cath
ADMINISTRATOR’S MESSAGE
As April begins, we continue on our Lenten journey and will find ourselves in a series of “celebrations”.
We will celebrate various activities and observances of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum, culminating
with the Resurrection of our Saviour and the beginning of the Easter season, the arrival of spring and the
continual contributions of our students and staff that make St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School
such an amazing place to learn and grow.
Just as the apostles were told “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here; for he has been raised.” (Matt. 28: 5-6), we enter and celebrate the season of Easter with
joy, proclaiming “Alleluia” in the knowledge that through the suffering and death of Jesus, our sins are
forgiven and we can enter into eternal life with our God.
Throughout the season of Lent, we have had a special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God,
reflect on our actions, pray more deeply, and be generous to those in need. The community of St.
Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School has been involved in a number of activities that focus on prayer,
fasting and alms-giving.
Save the Date: On the evening of Monday, May 11th, we invite all parents to join us for a session with Dr.
Christopher Cole who will share strategies for parenting children with mental health concerns such as
depression and anxiety. Additional information will be sent home shortly
We are continually amazed at the generosity, caring and creativeness of the students and staff of St.
Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School and are blessed to be a part of such an amazing place of learning.
Thank you to our parent community for your continued support of your child’s academic, social and
spiritual growth. As you read through this newsletter please make note of the number of special events and
accomplishments of our students – St. Catherine’s is truly a great place to learn!!!!
Yours in Catholic Education,
Mrs. D. Campbell
Mr. P. Deoni
A Lenten Prayer: How to Fast
Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling within them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Gentle God, during this season of fasting and feasting, gift us with Your Presence,
so we can be gift to others in carrying out your work.
Amen.
LENTEN ACTIVITIES
During this holy season, we are involving our community in a number of events designed to
highlight our need to fast (not necessarily from food but perhaps from negative thoughts
and habits), pray and give alms. In this light, we are asking our students and staff to
pocket those extra nickels and bring them in to school. During Holy Week, we will
donate these “Nickels from Heaven’ to Holy Cross Helps in order to assist those in
need here in Georgetown. We will also be collecting non-perishable food items to
support the Georgetown Bread Basket.
Our Grade 8 students will once again participate in Faith Fast which takes place on Holy
Thursday. This special day involves voluntary fasting and a number of Lenten activities
throughout the day culminating in attendance at mass at Holy Cross.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
As part of the Lenten season, the Grade 4 and 7 students will once again be performing the Stations of the
Cross during Holy Week. The Stations of the Cross act as a solemn reminder of the sacrificial love of
Jesus our Saviour. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we come to witness a faith tradition that models
the importance of unconditional love, forgiveness and mercy. The students will be mirroring such themes
through a dramatic tableau depiction of each station. The Grade 4’s will lead our Grade 1 to 3 students on
Wednesday, April 1st in the Gym at 1:30 p.m. and the Gr. 7’s will lead our Junior and Intermediate students
on Thursday, April 2nd in the morning.
As always, you are invited to join us for these special events.
Please pray for us as we prepare ourselves during this most holy season.
CELEBRATION OF SACRAMENTS:
FIRST COMMUNION
Please join us in offering prayers of thanksgiving for our Grade 2 students as they receive their First Holy
Communion on Saturday, April 11th – Miss Zoppas, Mrs. Brooks and Ms. Cooke’s classes
at 11:00 am and Mrs. Colalillo and Mrs. Cottrell’s classes at 2:00 pm.
We want to thank Holy Cross Parish for their assistance in preparation and the student
retreats and our teachers: Ms. Cooke, Miss Zoppas, Mrs. Cottrell, Mrs. Brooks and Mrs.
Colalillo for the preparation of their students.
CONFIRMATION
Please join us in offering prayers of thanksgiving for our Grade 7 students as they received the
Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, March 7th at 1:30 pm at Holy Cross
Church.
We want to thank Holy Cross Parish for their assistance in preparation and the student
retreats and our teachers: Miss Almeida, Miss Leoni, Miss Bradley and Ms. Comito for the
preparation of their students.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK - May 3rd through 8th
Catholic schools are Catholic communities. Catholic schools are faith
communities. We – parents, students, teachers, administrative and support
staff – walk and grow together in the faith which we received at our
Baptism. And it is the ‘together’ that we grow. Our growth is primarily a
relationship with God, who at our Baptism, called us by name. But the
response of each of us to that growth is both personal and communal. We
grow in our faith in the nurturing atmosphere of our Catholic community be
that of our local parish, our home, or our Catholic school community.
There are five sub-themes for each day of Catholic Education Week:
Monday – Walking Together and Sharing Our Stories
Tuesday – Opening the Scriptures
Wednesday – Welcoming Others to the Table
Thursday – Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread
Friday – Proclaiming the Good News
Every year, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) provides our Catholic schools
with a resource kit to help schools prepare for Catholic Education Week. Using these resources as well as
our own developed activities, we will prepare a series of activities which will highlight how our school is
‘Exploring Paths of Joy’. Activities that will take place in our school to celebrate this week in Catholic
education will be sent to you in a future pamphlet. We hope to see many of you during our school
celebrations.
STUDENT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Congratulations to Ivan V., from Mrs. Zanin-Minkiewicz’s class, who will be receiving the Sharing the
Spirit Award on Monday, April 27th at a mass and ceremony at Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School
in Burlington. The purpose of this evening is to recognize the outstanding work and achievements of
students in each of our Catholic schools in Halton, as we prepare to celebrate Catholic Education Week
2015, May 3 - 8, 2015 with the theme – Exploring Paths of Joy.
We join with students and staff in recognizing the outstanding work and achievements of students such as
Ivan in our Catholic schools in Halton.
SPIRIT OF INCLUSION AWARD
Each year, Special Education Services and the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) of the
Halton Catholic District School Board seek a nomination from each elementary and secondary school for
the Spirit of Inclusion Award. Congratulations to Sebastian Z. from Mrs. Zanin-Minkiewicz’s class
who was nominated from St. Catherine of Alexandria.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Our next meeting will be on Monday, April 13th in the school library at 6:30 p.m.
All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.
YOUR FUNDRAISING DOLLARS AT WORK
Over the past number of months, we have been using the funds that have been raised
through the various fundraising efforts at St. Catherine of Alexandria. To date, we
have received, or have on order, the following:
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10 Epson Interactive Projectors/Boards for Grade 2 and 3 classrooms
Medallions and Plaque for Public Speaking festival
Raz-Kids license renewal for all students in JK to Grade 3
3 MacBook Pro laptops
25 tablet laptops and storage cart
10 Round tables and tablecloths for meetings and special events at the school
6 new LCD carts with speakers for portable classrooms
Confirmation gifts for Grade 7 students
Materials for Joy Day activities and other classroom activities
New Physical Education resources including basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, variety of foam
balls, pinnies, tennis balls, bean bags and storage bins
30 iPad Mini’s and protective cases
Anti-bullying presentation to Primary classes
Anti-bullying presentation to Junior/Intermediate classes
Assistance with providing “Girls on the Run” program
Resources to support “Peers Running Organized Play Stations” (PROPS)
Math manipulatives
Literacy resources
We are truly blessed to part of such a caring and giving school community. We will continue to keep you
informed as the year progresses as to purchases that are made that will benefit student learning and
belonging here at St. Catherine of Alexandria.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CATHOLIC STUDENT COUNCIL:
This is another friendly message from your dedicated Student Council. March was a reverent month filled
with peace and solemnity. As a Catholic community, we reflected on ways we could demonstrate selfless
acts of sacrificial love and kindness for one another, especially those less fortunate. Our Student Council
attempted to honour these teachings by encouraging the importance of kind acts, through our participation
in the “Nickels from Heaven” initiative. In partnership with Jiulianna M., a grade 4 student at our school,
we also helped to raise awareness about epilepsy. Students and staff were encouraged to wear the colour
purple on Friday, March 27th to raise awareness and show our support for this
cause. All money raised from our Kernel’s Popcorn and Busy Bee sales in the
final week of March, were also donated to epilepsy research, to further show
our support. As usual, the response from our school community was
overwhelming. We would like to extend our sincerest appreciation for your
loyal and continued support.
We now look towards the month of April, an important and pivotal time in
our Catholic faith with much joy. We share in community spirit and solidarity
as we rejoice in the resurrection of our saviour, Jesus Christ. Easter marks a
central time as it reminds us of the life we are meant to live; one filled with
love, compassion and mercy for all, for together we ultimately join as one
resurrected spirit in Christ.
In the words of a great humanitarian and lover of the environment, “Preach the gospel, and when
necessary use words” (St. Francis of Assisi). Together let’s join in the spirit of Christ (who walked with
lepers, welcomed the poor and comforted the sick) by helping those in our own community through regular
and kind gestures of love and compassion. We would like to extend warm wishes to everyone for a
wonderful and joyful Easter season with family and friends. May God’s love reign over each of you!
ECO TEAM NEWS:
Growing Up Green Program (in conjunction with Sheridan Nurseries):
For the past two years, our ECO Team has benefitted from generous donations
from Sheridan Nurseries and participated in their “Growing Up Green” program.
Since spring is just around the corner and we will be getting out into our gardens,
this is a perfect opportunity to share time as a family, learn about various plants
and the factors that affect their growth, and help our ECO Team at the same time.
For every item that you purchase at Sheridan Nurseries, the school can receive a
2% donation to spend on our various school greening initiatives. Just ask for a second copy of your receipt
and have it brought to the planting pot in the main office.
WASTE FREE LUNCHES, PLEASE….
A waste-free lunch makes it possible to reduce our waste and reuse food packaging
and containers. If every family in our school takes a minute to re-think the manner
in which we bring our lunches to school, we can have a tremendous impact on the
amount of garbage that ends up in our landfills. Using a reusable lunch pail,
sandwich container, thermos, cutlery and a cloth napkin will bring awareness to our
responsibility for the environment in which we live.
‘Waste-Free Wednesday’ is part of our responsibility to become increasingly aware of our impact on
the earth and we are asking our students to bring lunches that are as waste- free as possible. If there
is something in their lunch they do not want to eat, we are asking them to return it to their homes
and discuss other healthy alternatives with their families.
April 22 is Earth Day!
On Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd, all of the St. Catherine students will
spread out around our school community to participate in the Halton Hills 22
Minute Makeover to clean up our community. We would like to extend the
invitation to all parents to join us in this celebration. Please encourage local
employers or businesses to support this cause as well. For more information
visit, www.haltonhills.ca/initiatives.
St. Catherine’s was the first Catholic school in Halton Hills to participate in the
green cart program and we continue to involve our students in various
environmental projects. We have an active environmental group involved in a number of projects to assist
in making us a more eco-friendly school community thanks to the many efforts of Miss Froud and Mrs.
Morgan.
Help our school join in Canada’s largest environmental awareness campaign! Here are some resources for
a successful Earth Day celebration:
Earth Day Canada: programs and resources to help organize an activity or event
EcoKids Earth Day Canada – teaching resources: free, curriculum-linked, K-8 lesson plans, activities and
teaching support as well as a list of environmental school speakers for children ages 7-12. Students
can find interactive games and homework activities in the kids section of the website
“Courting Reuse” Video: available for students in grades 1 through 5 and is a humorous way to raise
awareness around reusing items instead of buying brand new! To get your free copy email Earth Day
Canada at [email protected]
Air Quality and Climate Change Tools for Schools: a Halton Region resource to help increase student
awareness and understanding of the impact of air pollution and climate change on human health.
ECO MOVIE NIGHT:
Once again, our ECO Team, in conjunction with the Student Council, will be hosting an ECO Movie Night
on Thursday, April 23rd @ 6 p.m. We look forward to another exciting event that will be even better than
last years!!! More details to follow.
TOWN OF HALTON HILLS CLEAN UP DAY
On Saturday, April 18th the Town of Halton Hills has scheduled its clean up day to improve the
environment in our community. This day will target ravines, parks and roadsides and volunteers
are needed in order to keep our community beautiful! Please see the information flyer at the end
of the newsletter for additional information.
HALTON HILLS REGIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING:
Congratulations to Adriana D. for representing our school at the Halton Hills
Regional Public Speaking competition held at St. Catherine of Alexandria
Catholic School on Wednesday, March 25th. Adriana did a fantastic job
presenting her speech on Jennifer Bricker. Well done
Adriana!!!
A special thank you to the students of Mrs. ZaninMinkiewicz’s class and Ms. Addante for performing and Tia A.,
Brianna V., Adriana G., and Jordan B. for singing during
intermission.
GIVE RESPECT – GET RESPECT
On Tuesday, March 24th, the Halton Catholic District School
Board celebrated the 2nd annual Bullying Prevention Gala at Jean
Vanier Catholic Secondary School. This event marked the
culmination of the Board’s 2014-2015 system-wide Give Respect
– Get Respect campaign that began last November to raise
awareness around bullying prevention and intervention. Olivia T.,
Ava T., Katarina B., Taylor P., and Angelina M. composed an
original song and performed at the gala. Congratulations ladies!!!!
EQAO GRADE 3 AND 6 ASSESSMENTS:
Similar to previous years, Grade 3 and 6 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)
assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics will take place at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic
School from May 25th through June 5th of this school year.
These EQAO assessments will continue to be administered to all students in Grades 3 and 6. Students will
be required to complete three test booklets: one mathematics booklet, one reading booklet and one writing
booklet. The types of questions in the booklets will be familiar to your child as they are based on the kinds
of work your child has been doing throughout the year. The total amount of time that the students will
spend on the testing will be six hours that is generally spread over the course of three days. Sample
questions can be viewed on the EQAO website at www.eqao.com.
We ask that you make every effort to avoid holidays during these days and to try to make sure your
children are in attendance each day during the assessment. In advance, we appreciate your efforts in
scheduling appointments around this block of time. The EQAO assessment results help us to continue to
improve upon the quality Catholic education offered to your children.
Additional specific information regarding the assessments will be sent home to our Grade 3 and 6 parents
in the weeks to come.
GRADE 7 YEAR END RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ASSESSMENT
The annual Grade 7 Year‐End Religious Education Assessment will take place May 13 and May 14. An
information letter has been sent home with our Grade 7 students. The assessment focuses on the
content of the grade 7 religion program that is taught all year long.
GRADE 8 GRADUATION PHOTOS
Grade 8 Graduation photos will take place on Thursday, April 9th. Information packages have
already been sent home with Grade 8 students.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONS
We presently have over 50 new students registered for the Kindergarten Program at St. Catherine of
Alexandria Catholic School for next year. If you have, or know of a child who is planning to attend our
school in September, please be advised that we are still accepting registrations at the office.
KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION
Parents of new Kindergarten students are reminded of the Kindergarten Parent Orientation Workshop
being held on Wednesday, May 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the Gymnasium. This workshop will provide
information and resources to help parents support their child’s entry into school. Please be aware that this
is an adult only evening.
Please mark this date on your calendar!
ARE YOU MOVING?
We ask any family who will be moving out of the area for the 2015 - 2016 school year
to please notify the office in writing. We will be projecting student enrolment for
September 2015 and having this information assists us in being more accurate with our
projection. Your assistance with this information is greatly appreciated as school
organization changes with enrolment at each grade level.
STUDENT INFORMATION
Please note that it is very important that you advise the school office immediately of any change in phone
numbers, emergency contacts, address or e-mail address. We must have up to date information in order to
respond promptly in an emergency situation and to share school information with you.
CLASS PLACEMENT 2015 – 2016
The planning process that will result in the school / class organization for the 2015-2016 school year is
underway. It is our hope that by sharing the information concerning school organization you will
understand the care and thought required to develop a plan.
The task is complex, time consuming and because it is consensus seeking, must be the subject of many
revisions. The process begins now and continues right up to the final publication of class lists in
September.
Our primary goal at St. Catherine of Alexandria is to develop balanced classes. A balanced class reflects
the diversity of our community and allows the variety of interests and talents of our learners to emerge and
be appreciated.
It is our hope that each new school year brings opportunities for students to meet new friends and expand
their circle of acquaintances. We try to place the child where he or she will be able to work best and
achieve the most success. In building classes we use the following criteria:
1. Heterogeneous groupings—a balance of abilities in each class.
2. A balance according to gender.
3. Best matching the students’ learning style with the teacher’s teaching style.
4. If a child was in a combined class this year, we will do our best to try to place that child in a straight
grade class. However, this is not always possible.
5. Social blending—we attempt to place students in groupings where they will learn effectively. This
should not be viewed as a grouping of friends. At particular stages, some close friends learn best in
separate classes.
The staff at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School are a group of dedicated professionals. Years of
meeting the learning needs of children gives them the unique qualifications to make these decisions. It
takes many hours of discussion, reflection, revision and consideration of alternatives to arrive at the best
organization for our school.
Please note that parental input is important to us and is weighed with other criteria. Specific teacher
requests cannot be considered. Rather, if necessary, parental input, in the form of a letter to the
Principal, Mrs. D. Campbell, should focus on the learning style of the student and the type of environment
the student best learns in. Letters should be submitted to Mrs. Campbell by the end of April.
VOLUNTEER TEA
Once again, it is time to give thanks and praise to our wonderful parent volunteers!! These wonderful
volunteers give up their time to help out in the school and make St. Catherine School a better place.
In your honour, we wish to invite all Parent Volunteers to our Volunteer Tea on Friday, May 15th . We are
still in the planning stages so please stay tuned for more information as it comes available.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES PRACTICES:
During the Fall and Spring, we are mandated to practice our Emergency Procedures for Fire Drills and
Lock Down. Before the end of the school year, we will be reviewing and rehearsing our Lock Down and
Fire Evacuation procedures with the students and staff.
FEELING ILL?
At this time of the year, colds and the flu, along with other illnesses can affect many of the children. Some
can be contagious and will spread quickly in the classroom environment. If your child is not feeling well,
please keep him/her at home. Please note that we cannot allow children to remain inside during recess as
the teachers on duty are outside with the kids. Don’t forget to report all absences or late arrivals. You can
call the school early in the morning, or the evening before, and leave a message on our answering machine.
Clearly state your child’s name, grade, teacher, a brief reason and length (if known) of the absence.
LATE ARRIVAL AND STUDENT SAFETY
Parents are kindly reminded that in the event your child is late for school (after 9:05 in the morning or 1:05
in the afternoon), that you enter the school through the front doors and report to the office for an “admit
slip”. Parents are asked NOT to take their child directly to class or to the portable. Please note that the
doors at the back of the school are locked during instructional time to assist in maintaining student safety.
Students and staff in the portable classrooms have access to the school by key. Doors are open during
recess breaks.
LET’S THINK ABOUT SUMMER SAFETY AND FOOTWEAR…..
With the approach of the warmer weather, we would like to take this opportunity to ask for your
cooperation in keeping the children safe during play. Though we know our students enjoy wearing
cooler footwear such as flip-flops and crocs, these shoes can pose serious risk to your child. Wearing
open-toed shoes when running in the playground and walking up and down concrete and tiled stairways
can be the cause of unnecessary injury. Children wearing crocs or flip-flops do not have a proper grip on
these surfaces and are therefore, at a greater risk than those children wearing proper footwear. Please help
us help your children to avoid injury by wearing shoes designed for play.
BICYCLE SAFETY:
It’s that time of year again! With the end of winter, children will be out on their bicycles, so now is a good
time for some reminders.
Please remind your children that cyclists are governed by the same rules as drivers,
and review safe cycling procedures at home. Be certain that the bicycle is “road
worthy” and that your child is able to ride it in a safe manner. Teachers review these
rules every year, but you are more aware than we of the level of your child’s cycling
skills.
Students should record at home the serial number of their bicycles. We request that ALL students LOCK
their bicycles in the racks at school to prevent loss. Students have been reminded that they must not sit on
another child’s bike while it is in the racks, nor should they play amongst the bikes or on the bicycle rack.
To ensure safety of other students, cyclists must walk their bicycles on school property.
BICYCLE HELMETS ARE MANDATORY AND STUDENTS MUST WEAR A PROPERLY
FITTING HELMET FOR THEIR SAFETY!!!!
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Know the rules of the road.
Obey all traffic lights and signs.
Use correct hand signals.
Ride on the right side of the street.
Ride single file.
Ride one to a bike.
Keep your bike in good repair.
You’re Invited to CYCLEPALOOZA!
Do you or your family enjoy riding a bike? Then you'll want to be at the Halton Hills Library & Cultural
Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015 starting at 9:30 a.m. Visitors can look forward to a morning full of
activities, prizes, presentations and more!
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Presentations on the new Milton Pan-Am Velodrome - what it is and how you can access it
Professional bike helmet fitting by Halton Police – Bring your own helmet
Helmet decorating and contest – bring your own helmet
Bike maintenance workshop with Ollie Tuchel of Ollie's Cycle & Ski
Information on cycle-tourism including the new Greenbelt CyclingTour
Videos featuring Dutch Cycling
Bike-themed Story Time for children at 11:00 a.m.
Prizes and giveaways
Official Launch of the 2015 Halton Hills Bike Challenge at 11:30 a.m.
If the weather is good, you may ride your bike to the event, as there will be ample bike parking available.
For more information check out www.haltonhills.ca/CyclingEvents/
APRIL LUNCH DAYS:
Please note the following dates for lunch days in April. Please note that there will be no Pizza, Pita or
Lunch Lady Day during Holy Week (March 30 – April 3).
Pizza day is every Tuesday.
Booster Juice days are Thursday, April 9, 23
Lunch Lady days are Thursday, April 16, 30
HALTON HILLS PUBLIC LIBRARY:
The Halton Hills Public Library provides a list of programs and activities that may be of interest to children
and adults. Their new website and newsletter can be found at: http://www.hhpl.on.ca/
The Library’s spring newsletter is now available at
http://www.hhpl.on.ca/sites/default/files/publication%20documents/HHPLWordsworthSPR15_FINAL.pdf
FOCUS ON FAITH:
Throughout the course of the year, we will be providing information on the Halton Catholic District School
Board’s and our school’s Focus on Faith program.
In previous months, the background for Focus on Faith and the current theological theme was described as
was an overview of the Unifying Catholic Themes for Each Grade, Kindergarten to Grade 12
The Halton Catholic District School Board is rooted in, and envisions education based on the true model of
moral character, Jesus Christ. By including gospel values into all of our pursuits, we work for the highest
ideal of human character.
· Christ-centered character formation in our schools is guided and supported by the Unifying Catholic
Themes identified for each grade, Kindergarten to Grade 12.
· These Themes are drawn from the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church, and find their source in the
Kindergarten to Grade 8 Religious Education and Family Life Education programs, and in the Grades
9 to 12 Revised Ontario Catholic Secondary Curriculum Policy Document for Religious Education.
Each Grade has a specific theme, central question and Grade level questions. These are highlighted in
posters that are placed in each classroom. For Grade 4 and Grade 5, students explore: