St. Vincent Catholic School 9399 McNaughton Line East Chatham, ON N7M 5J1 (519)354-4066 1-866-336-6139 www.st-clair.net A P R I L Director: Deb Crawford Superintendent: L. Callaghan 2 0 1 9 Principal s Message Chair of the Board: J. VanHeck Trustee: D. Argenti INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Spring is a special time of the year. Spring brings new life and new freedom outside. April weather is very unpredictable warm, cold, rainy and snowy. To ensure that children are properly attired for all weather conditions, we appreciate the assistance of parents in monitoring what their children wear to school. As you may also be aware our school yard does tend to get quite muddy in wet weather and for this reason, we would ask that you would consider sending in a change of clothes in case of slips and falls. Inclement Weather 2 Wash your Hands 2 Safety/Drop Off Areas 2 Sports Update 3 CK SuperKids Veggie & Fruit Program 3 Running for Reading 4 KinderSTARt 4 UCC Musical 4 Parish Update 5 Renewing the Promise 6 Racing Against Drugs 6 School Cash Online 7 Numeracy/Literacy 8 Subject of the Month French Parenting Seminars 9 Madame Gore will look at participation, reading writing and oral language. It may also be helpful with spring upon us to put a tennis ball or soccer ball in your child s back pack so they will have something to play with if the need arises. N. Stevens nicole.stevens@st-clair.net Virtue of the Month Peace Peace: Creating right relationship with God, ourselves and the world. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building. Romans 14:19 (NRSV) PA Day April 5 SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATE Easter Weekend April 19 to 22 Our next School Council meeting will be held April 25, 2019.
P A G E 2 INCLEMENT WEATHER REMINDER and BUS CANCELATIONS Our school is in ZONES 7 and 8. Listen to the radio stations CKSY or CFCO or check the Board s transportation website: www.schoolbusinfo.com Please remember, whether your child is bussed or not bussed, to call the school if your child will not be attending on inclement weather days. WASH YOUR HANDS Did you know one of the most important things you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands? During flu season it is even more important to wash your hands to prevent the spread of germs that would result in sickness. Safety/Drop-off Areas Just a reminder that when dropping your students off in the mornings and/or picking them up at the end of the day we would ask that you please park in a designated parking spot or use the bus lanes. The NO PARKING AREA in front of the school is a very dangerous area for picking up or dropping students off. I understand people are in a hurry or rushed but this is a dangerous situation. Backing up from the no parking area is also very dangerous. It is also not environmentally healthy or safe to leave your engines running while running into the school even for just a minute. Therefore, we would ask that you do not drop students off first thing in the morning in the front NO parking area. We truly appreciate you putting the safety of our students first and ensuring that you follow these safety guidelines. Please use school bus lane or park in S T. V I N C E N T C A T H O L I C S C H O O L
P A G E 3 SPORTS UPDATE Congratulations to the junior basketball teams who participated in the tournament held. Boys Team includes: Logan H., Owen H., Skyler M., Hewson M., Reese V., Liam H., Finn R., Coulter H., Cameron S., Camden A., Zack C., Jacob A. Girls Team includes: Cara D., Taylor T., Ava G., Amanda H., Emma Z., Isabella R., Grace G., Karissa V., Lexi R., Claudia B., Bella B. THANK YOU TO COACHES: Mrs. Zondervan, Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Lucier Congratulations to the following students for representing our school on the badminton team: Benedict E-K., Cassius S., Carter P., Carson N., Xavier H., Owen T., Chloe H., Kylie B., Livia K., Addison A., Alexandra H.. Alicia L. Thank you to coaches: Mrs. McGregor and Mr. Jones Super Kids CK Club Veggies and Fruits Program St. Vincent School is participating in the Super Kids CK Club V&F (veggies and fruits) program from March to May. This program is funded by the province of Ontario as part of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge (under the banner of Super Kids CK in Chatham-Kent). In our March salad bar, students enjoyed trying iceberg lettuce, spring mix, celery, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, snap pas, peppers, carrots, corn, sunflower seeds, chick peas, melba toast, naan bread, eggs, water chestnuts and broccoli. Perhaps you can try these on your salad tonight. Thank you to our salad bar peer helpers: Benedict E., Jayden H., Alexandria H., Casey T., Liam H. Taylor T. Braidyn B., Blake O., Cara D., Bella B., Abi M.
PAGE 4 Running for Reading Walk, jog, run, zoom! As part of our physical literacy program, students will be involved in the running for reading club here at St. Vincent School. For 8 weeks, the defiance running club (of Wallaceburg) will donate.15/km to purchase new books for the school! Not only does this activity promote physical health and well being, it is great for team spirit and personal development, as well. Let's go Vikings! Students in the Grades 5 to 8 will attend the April 11 performance at 10:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. ST. VINCENT CATHOLIC SCHOOL
P A G E 5 Chatham Catholic Family of Parishes Sacrament of Reconciliation Communal Penance- April 7 th at 3:00 p.m. St. Joseph Church Many priests from the Kent Deanery will be present. All Day Confessions-April 10 th : 9:00 a.m.-noon: St. Ursula Noon-3:00 p.m. St. Joseph 3:00-6:00 p.m. St. Agnes 6:00-9:00 p.m. Blessed Sacrament First Communion Family Potluck Supper-April 11 th from 5:30-7:00 at the Spirit and Life Centre Children making their First Holy Communion and their families are invited to attend. Please contact Ali Chinnick (achinnick@dol.ca) to rsvp with child s name and number attending. Stations of the Cross-April 12 th at 7:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Church Please join the First Communion children and parents to pray the way of the Cross. St. Agnes Soup Kitchen Soup Sampler- April 14 th from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Church Hall Free will offering will support the needs of the St. Agnes Soup Kitchen. Soups are amazing! Holy Week Schedule April 14 th Palm Sunday: Regular Sunday Mass schedule April 18 th Holy Thursday: St. Ursula s -7:00 p.m. April 19 th Good Friday: St. Joseph-11:00 a.m. St. Joseph-3:00 p.m. Blessed Sacrament-3:00 p.m. St. Ursula-3:00 p.m. St. Agnes-3:00 p.m. April 20 th Easter Vigil: 8:00 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament April 21 st Easter Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m. St. Joseph 9:00 a.m. Blessed Sacrament 10:00 a.m. St. Ursula 11:00 a.m. St. Agnes 12:00 noon St. Joseph ALPHA Explore life, faith and God in a friendly, open, informal environment. Sessions will begin Thursday, May 2 nd at Blessed Sacrament Church Hall. Time to be determined. For more information, call 352-9483 or email Colleen Keane ckeane@dol.ca S T. V I N C E N T C A T H O L I C S C H O O L
P A G E 6 Renewing The Promise RESURRECTION The Catholic education community is encouraged to support opportunities for faith formation for all members of the community in ways that are inviting, engaging, comprehensive and purposeful. Our faith is built on the witness of those who have experienced the Risen Christ in their lives and who have shared this truth in the way they live: close to Jesus, receiving the Eucharist, engaged in Parish life and serving their family and those in most need. Easter is a time of renewal and a time for us to renew our promise to Christ. Jesus suffered in an act of selfless love. He rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, but He did not abandon us. Instead, He reminded us of the promise that He will be with us always. (page 7) Catholic schools live this resurrection, and are places where Jesus walks with us. Catholic schools are places where children and young people encounter Jesus, and where they are encouraged to enter more deeply into a personal relationship with Him. (page 25) Caption describing picture or graphic. We often say we are a resurrection people. This must mean we proclaim Christ as our saviour from death and sin. Our schools are places of hope, rooted in the hope of the Resurrection. We look to the future of Catholic Education with great hope because we are blessed to have so many committee and faith-filled educators and leaders whose witness to faith provides a compelling example to our young people. Reflection: Reflect on these words by Pope Benedict XVI: Jesus is risen not because His memory remains alive in the hearts of his disciples, but because He Himself lives in us and in Him we can already savour the joy of eternal life Caption describing picture or graphic. Racing Against Drugs is a community-based drug and alcohol awareness program developed in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, local police services, local businesses, representatives of the School Boards and local health and drug education agencies. Financing of the local program has been through the donations of the local service clubs, businesses and interested individuals. Our students will be attending the event which is being held at the St. Clair HealthPlex at 9:50 am on April 30th. Grade 5 s, start your engines! S T. V I N C E N T C A T H O L I C S C H O O L
P A G E 7 Caption describing picture or graphic. Caption describing picture or graphic.
P A G E 8 Numeracy and Literacy Math at the grocery store You can reinforce fundamental math concepts including operations, estimation, and working with currency by having your child: Estimate the cost of items in your cart Use the produce scale to weigh one piece of fruit compared to five pieces Add up the estimated cost of items and compare it to a budget Determine how much change you will receive from the cashier Compare the sizes of packages to determine the better deal Determine how much an item will cost if it is a percentage off the regular price (25%, 50%) Consider visiting the new Canada Food Guide to learn about serving sizes and help you and your family make informed food choices. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/ Every day is an opportunity to build new literacy skills. Here are a few examples of how you can help your child build literacy skills. Reading/following recipes Reading/following a map Locating, reading and using environmental print (signs, menus) Looking at flyers and creating a shopping list Reading labels Creating and following weekly schedules Involving children in everyday activities not only builds important life skills, but also provides opportunities to develop essential literacy skills. - Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I Remember, Involve me and I learn- Albert Einstein For additional information and ideas see the link below. http://www.hanen.org/helpful-info/early-literacy-corner/literacy-at-home.aspx S T. V I N C E N T C A T H O L I C S C H O O L
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