Holy Family Catholic School 649 Murray Street Wallaceburg, Ontario N8A 1W1 Phone: 519-627-6003 Principal: Gloria Grieve http://www.st-clair.net Fax: 519-627-9558 Secretary: Heather Barnes Our Mission Walking together in Christ’s light with parish and family, we are called to build a safe and inclusive Catholic learning community and to serve as partners in the formation of life-long learners by: Living our faith; Promoting educational achievement and innovation, and; Fostering stewardship, leadership and social justice. October 2014 Thanksgiving Mass Friday, October 17 @ 9:15 AM Top Fundraiser Orders and money due to office by Wednesday, October 15th. Grade 8 Faith Day at St. Joseph Chatham 9:15—1:00 Wednesday, October 23rd PD Day—Friday, October 24th Fall Photos— Tuesday, October 29th Our Day 8:50 First Bell—students may enter the school 9:05 Start of the Day Bell First Nutrition Break: 11:35-12:15 (students who walk home for lunch will do so at first break) Second Nutrition Break 1:55-2:35 Dismissal: 3:25 Please note students are NOT to arrive prior to 8:50. This is a safety concern and there is NO supervision before 8:50 Thank you to the parents for using the loop to drop off and pick up students. Please refrain from parking on Roy Street as it is unsafe for your child(ren) to ’run’ through the parking lot to meet you in your car. We also ask that you do not use the laneway on the south side of the school to drop off your child(ren). This will help us keep our school family safe. The Cardinal ISSUE: 2 Principal’s Message In October, school is in full swing. The most beautiful time of the fall season occurs during these days. We often associate October with Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en. October is one of the months set aside in the Church calendar with special prayers to Mary. We will be learning more about the rosary this month. Dolores will be in to pray part of the Rosary with classrooms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at least once a month throughout the year. We are very fortunate to have Dolores share this ministry with us. On Thanksgiving, we are invited to take time to respond to God in gratitude for all His blessings, especially for the gift of His Son, Jesus. As a school community, we will celebrate Thanksgiving with a school Mass at the Church on Friday, October 17th at 9:15 am. Please feel free to join us. Thanks to the many parents who have been very cooperative in using the parking lot and the loop as set out at the beginning of September. Your patience waiting in line and keeping the loop moving when your children at not the first ones outside have made the loop more successful and safer for everyone. As the weather becomes more cooler, we have noticed more drivers entering and exiting the parking lot using Murray Street rather than Roy Street. This has caused some near misses for families walking to their vehicles. Please help to keep our students safe by entering off Roy Street or using the loop. Thanks to the students who are walking down the sidewalk along the exterior of the school rather than through the parking lot. Thanks for helping us to develop independent skills with our students by dropping them off and picking them up at the outside doors before and after school. They are learning very quickly to prepare themselves for learning. I will contacting all parents with a cell phone number recorded with a request to use Remind as a direct form of communication regarding school emergencies, such as school bus cancellations, school closures. If you are agreeable, all you have to do is accept my invitation when it comes to your cell phone. Thanks for making our September start a great one! Have a blessed Thanksgiving. Holy Family is a nut safe school. Please refrain from sending nut or “may contain traces of nuts” to school to help keep all of our Holy Family students safe! Page 2 THE CARDINAL FUNDRAISER The Holy Family School Advisory Council has organized a fundraiser in order to purchase technology for student use, e.g. chromebooks, iPad minis and to purchase more math manipulatives. Dieleman Fundraising Sales is a Canadian company that provides a variety of food and food related products. The brochure includes the products that are available to order. If you require an extra order form, please contact the office. All orders and money must be sent to the office by Wednesday, October 15th. Only prepaid orders will be accepted. Please make cheques payable to Holy Family Catholic School. All orders come frozen and must be picked up on the designated day of delivery early in November. A notice will be sent out once the company determines that day for us. Students should not be going door to door to sell the items but are encouraged to ask family and close friends to order from the Simply Delicious Catalogue. CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA IS BACK! Over $170,000.00 raised in the past three years for our students! Our Catholic Principals and Vice Principals are pleased to inform you that ‘Christmas in Muskoka’ will be back at the historic Chatham Armoury from Dec. 2 to 6th! This fundraiser generates money for all of our grade seven students who attend the Muskoka Leadership Camp in May! Kick Off – Saturday, Oct. 4 To kick off our fundraising efforts, we will be participating in the ‘Ford Drive One 4 UR School Program’. Ford of Canada recognizes the need and has developed the ‘Drive One 4 UR School’ to connect dealers with their local community. On Saturday, October 4 at Monsignor Uyen Catholic School on Lark Street in Chatham, Victory Ford will have fifteen vehicles for our parents and friends to test drive. Ford will make a donation of $20 for every test drive that takes place up to $6,000.00! (one test drive per household). Bring a friend or family member—they must have a valid driver’s license. Please join us on October 4! These events benefit all the grade 7s in our school. Holy Family Open House/BBQ Thanks to the parents who attended the open house/BBQ. The turnout was great despite the rainy weather. The staff was very happy to meet the families of new and returning students. By working in partnership with home, school and parish we can ensure a successful year for all our students. Thanks to the parents who signed up to volunteer their time and talents in our school . The winners of the two Canteen Cash Cards were Brookelynn/Katie and Sawyer. Just a reminder Canteen Cash Cards are available at any time during the school year. EQAO EQAO results have been released. We noted gains in students’ written responses and multiple choice questions. We feel we are moving in the right direction. Current grade 4 and 7 students received letters with their individual results from last year EQAO Assessment. Interested parents may view school, board and provincial results at http://www.eqao.com/results. As a staff we are examining the results and student surveys. We are currently setting our School Goals for the 2014-2015 school year based on this data and other data we have gathered. Our school goals will be shared in the November newsletter. Helping Your Child to Succeed at School Each month in this space, look for tips on ways in which you can help support your child’s learning. Here are 10 tips to help your child do homework. Homework is an important part of learning. When you support your children’s homework routine, you can help them do better at school. These are simple ways in which you can help them get the most out of their homework. Dan Parr Director of Education Source: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/ 1. A routine is good. Homework can be habit forming and that's good news for you and your child. Work out a homework schedule and make sure children adhere to it. It won't be long before homework is complete without your getting involved. 2. Give space for homework. Distractions and homework don't mix. So do your best to create a bright and quiet space where your child can concentrate on schoolwork. Make sure it's away from distractions like TV, music and loud siblings. 3. Practice makes perfect. Repetition reinforces learning. That's why it's helpful to have kids practice reading, writing and math with you every day. Ten to 15 minutes a day can work wonders, whether reading a favourite book together, or helping measure ingredients in the kitchen. 4. "How was your day?" Every school day is an adventure. Kids will do and learn so much they'll be bursting to tell someone all about it. So take a few moments every day to chat about the school day—and be a good listener. 5. Check in occasionally. When kids do their homework all alone, their concentration can often wander. Check in once in a while and see how it's going. Ask if there are any questions. Sometimes kids just need to talk about a homework problem to figure out the answer. 6. Turn everyday activities into homework. Teachers give homework and so can you. Include children in everyday tasks and assign activities such as searching newspapers, reading recipes, creating shopping lists, plotting out routes on a map, etc. Small activities can often teach big lessons. 7. Make kids proud of their effort. Getting the answers right is important, but it's only part of what homework is all about. Doing a thorough and neat job is important, too. Make it a habit to sit down and go over completed homework. Look at it together for thoroughness and overall quality of work. Always look for something positive. 8. Motivate with applause. "Hey, you did a great job". Words like these have an amazing effect on children. Encouragement gives them confidence and makes them feel good about doing their best. At the end of every homework session, try letting your son or daughter know that you appreciate and admire the effort. 9. Encourage curiosity and questions. Learning really begins when kids start asking questions. Who, what, where, when and why are magical words of discovery that make learning more interesting and fun. Give your children the confidence to ask for help if the homework is difficult or confusing. 10. Know what's going on at school. Unfortunately, kids don't always tell parents everything. Make a point of staying in touch with teachers, especially if you have a question or concern. Let teachers know they can always call you if there is a problem. Page 4 THE CARDINAL Counting on Math - Math at Home Encourage children to appreciate math homework as an opportunity to review and practice what they have learned at school. Be A Cheerleader! Motivate your child through praise and encouragement when they put forth an effort to work on math. Celebrate sticking with it and working hard on math. Talk to them about their math work. Ask children questions about what they are working on instead of telling them how to do it. Ask, “Where should we start?” “What do we know?” “What do we need to find out?” “What can we do to help us solve the problem?” Talking about math out loud can help children focus their thinking. Make it Fun! Games such as Prodigy offer practice for grades 1-8. Children can create an entire world where math is the key to success. They are able to play alongside their friends and share their successes in a completely safe environment. https://www.prodigygame.com/Parents/ Check out the “Tools and Tips for Parents” page hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Education http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/tips/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Read All About It - Reading at Home Encourage your child to LOVE reading. Home and school partnership is an important key to developing this love. Here are some ideas to support your child at home. Don't Leave Home Without It! Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office or a long car ride. Remember that many of their electronic devices have options to download reading material as well. Always try to fit in reading! Try downloading free books from The ChathamKent Public Library website. http://www.chatham-kent.ca Use Electronic Devices to Your Advantage Encourage sites and programs that promote reading skills in an engaging way. Try Reading is Fundamental Game Station http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/gamestation.htm or www.dogonews.com Turn Reading Into Something Special Take your children to the library, help them get their own library card, read with them, and buy them books as gifts. Have a favourite place for books in your home or, even better, put books everywhere. Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Children of all ages enjoy this special time with their parents Page 5 THE CARDINAL Sports Updates Senior Volleyball Season has begun! Thanks to Mrs. Bunda and Mr. Demeter for coaching the teams! Members of the girl’s team are: April, Gabi, Tessa, Shylynn, Lexeia, Kayla, Georgia, Abbey, Hanna, Jocelyn, Taylor, Jessica, Jenna and Makayla. The member of the boy’s team are: Bryson, Owen, Hayden, Dylan, Alex, Tanner, Anthony, Parker, Marshall, Andrew, Brodie, Adriaan, Aidan and Ben. The Cross Country Meet will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4th. The team has taken part in 2 mini-meets in preparation for the Board Meet. The runners have shown improvement and sportsmanship. Thanks to Mrs. Vandenbogaerde and Mrs. Henry for coaching the team! Defiance Fun Run for Life Monday you received a letter regarding Run For Our Life! All classes will be taking part in this excellent programme as part of their daily physical activity. Please ensure your children are dressed for the weather. We will not go outside during rainy weather but will during cool weather. All students will take part in the daily physical activity of walking/running as part of their regular school day. We hope to have 100% of our student take part in the challenge—all that is required is your signature on the form. Great prizes to be won and a healthy lifestyle are benefits of participating! Before and After School Kids Club (childcare) openings! The Family Centre has spots available in our Before and After School Program . Please call Courtney at 519-627-7122 for more information or to register. Math Night On Tuesday, October 21st, we will hold our first in a series of Math Nights. We will begin in the gym at 5:30 with a presentation followed by some sharing of math strategies and activities parents use at home to support their child in the area of mathematics. Families who attend will receive dinner and some math manipulatives to take home. A flyer will go home soon for parents to return letting us know how many people will be in attendance. Watch for this exciting opportunity supported and suggested by the School Advisory Council and the staff at Holy Family. Page 6 THE CARDINAL NEWS FROM HOLY REDEEMER PARISH CLUSTER *Thursday, October 2nd at 7 pm at Our Lady Help of Christians Church – ROC (Rite of Confirmation) Parent Meeting *Saturday, October 4th and Sunday October 5th – In honour of Holy Redeemer Parish Cluster’s 10th Anniversary Bishop Fabbro will be presiding at the 5:00 p.m. Mass at Holy Family on October 4 th and the 9:00 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart & 12:30 p.m. Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians on Sunday, October 5 th (on Saturday evening there will be dinner with Bishop Fabbro and music from Classic Vibe at the Wilkesport Hall – tickets available at the parish office) *Wednesday October 8th – 7pm-8:30pm - Edge Night for Grade 6-7 students at HF Annex *Wednesday October 15th – 7pm-8:30pm - Spark Night for Grade 4-5 students at HF Annex *Friday October 17th - 9:15 a.m. - Holy Family School Mass - Holy Family Church *Wednesday October 22nd – 7pm-8:30pm - Edge Night for Grade 6-7 students at HF Annex *Sunday, October 26th - 1st Reconciliation Preparation for Parents and Child – after the 12:30 pm Lifeteen Mass in the Parish Centre *Wednesday October 29th – 7pm-8:30pm - Spark Night for Grade 4-5 students at HF Annex *Thursday, October 30th – 7pm – ROC Sponsor Night at Our Lady Help of Christians Church School Advisory Council Thank you to the parents who willingly put forth their name to be part of the Holy Family School Advisory Council. Their commitment and dedication on behalf of our families and students is greatly appreciated. Our first Council meeting was held last night and lots of planning for the school year has already begun due to their enthusiasm. Your School Advisory Council consists of Mandy Gunby, Maggie Laprise, Colleen Janssens, Melissa McTavish-Dupcik, Emma Persyn, Kim McAuley, Sherry Alves and Ncole Alves (co-chairs). Hallowe’en Safety Tips Walk, Slither and Sneak on sidewalks, not in the street. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don’t hide or cross the street between parked cars. Wear light coloured reflective type clothing. Plan and share your route with your family. Always go out with an adult or a group. Visit homes that have a porch light on. Never go into a stranger’s house. Be cautious of animals and people you don’t know. Don’t eat your treats until an adult checks them. If you need help, go to a Block Parent home. INTORDUCING SCHOOL CASH ON LINE Why Use School Cash Online? Convenient Make secure payments 24/7 from the comfort of your home Easy To Use Online shopping with various payment methods Safe Your child won't be carrying cash or checks to and from school Saves Time Manage your school expenses and view payment history in one place See the flyer sent home or call the office for more information. Parents please register! Here’s how: Step 1: Go to this website: https://sccdsb.schoolcashonline.com Step 2: Register by selecting “Get Started Today” and follow the three online steps (using your name). Step 3: Confirmation Email - A registration confirmation email will be forwarded to you. Click on the link provided inside the email to confirm your email and School Cash Online account. The confirmation link will open the School Cash Online site prompting you to sign into your account. Use your email address and password just created with your account. Step 4: Find Student - This step will connect your children to your account. Enter the school board name (if not already listed), enter the school name, enter your child’s name and date of birth. Select Continue. On the next page confirm that you are related to the child, check in the Agree box and select Continue. Your child has been added to your account. Step 5: View Items or Add Another Student - If you have more children, select “Add Another Student” option and repeat the steps above. Five children can be added to one parent account. If you have children who attend a different school within our School Board be sure to change the school location. If you do not wish to add additional children, select, “View Items For Students” option. A listing of items will be available to purchase once they are posted by the school. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ KEEP THIS HANDY! USER NAME: ________________________ PASSWORD: ___________________ Check for fees anytime by returning to https://sccdsb.schoolcashonline.com Save this link to your desktop! We are always here to help: School Cash Online – Parent Help Desk 1-866-961-1803 [email protected]