ST PAUL CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Principal Mr. J. Vandenbosch Superintendent Mr. C. Ciapanna Trustees Mrs. M. Nardini & Mr. P. DiFrancesco Pastor Father David Wilhelm Our Lady of the Assumption Feeder High School - Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School Catholic Education: Renewing the Promise Theme for Catholic Education Week 2018 M essage from the Principal All Saints Day is the first of the two-day celebration of saints and all those who have died. November 1st is the Feast of All Saints. On all Saints Day, we celebrate the communion of saints on earth and the saints in heaven. November 2nd is the feast of All Souls. This is the second day of our remembrance of saints. On November 11th, Canadians all across Canada will stop and pay tribute to the men and women killed in wars and military operations around the world. Some will remember friends and relatives who have passed away. Others will pause in tribute. In classrooms across Canada, students will discuss Remembrance Day, recognizing the sacrifices which others have made for Canada and for freedom. Please join us as we will be celebrating Remembrance Day together on Friday, November 10th at 10:30 a.m. in the gymnasium. A box of Remembrance will be placed by our statue of St. Paul in the main entrance. Please send in the names of all those who passed away that we may remember them in our prayers throughout the month of November. Jim Vandenbosch NOVEMBER 2017 N E W S L E T T E R # 3 St. Paul Catholic Elementary School 24 Amberwood Street Stoney Creek Ontario L8J 2H9 Telephone: 905-578-2117 Fax: 905-578-4357 SCHOOL HOURS 2014-2015 8:55 a.m. - School Entry 10:10-10:25 a.m. - Morning Recess 11:45-12:40 p.m. - Lunch 1:50-2:05 p.m. - Afternoon Recess 3:25 p.m. - School Dismissal MASS TIMES Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Pastor Father Wilhelm Saturday 5:00 p.m. Sunday 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m.
ST. PAUL OF TARSUS St Paul was born at Tarsus in Cilicia a few years after the birth of Christ. A tent maker by trade, the well educated Saul bitterly persecuted the Christian Jews. Saul, following an encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, became a Christian a follower of Jesus. After being baptized, Paul zealously began a life of prayer and travel to bring the good news of Jesus to many people. After some 30 years of missionary work, he was taken as a prisoner to be tried before Caesar. After his first trial, he was released for a while, but was again arrested, condemned to death and was beheaded in the year 67 A.D. St. Paul s main message was that both Jews and Gentiles (non- Jewish people), through faith and acceptance of the gospel, could enter into eternal life with the Risen Christ. During St. Paul s lifetime, and as a result of his work, Jesus disciples turned their energies to the worldwide missions of bringing the good news of Jesus to all people. FEAST DAYS OF ST. PAUL January 25 th Celebration of his Conversion June 29 th Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul MISSION STATEMENT At St. Paul School, Catholic values and the traditions of our Catholic faith are central to our lives. As apostles of Christ, we spread the message of Jesus Christ by acting as contributors to society through prayer and service to the global community. VISION At St. Paul CES, each member of our school community is valued. We respect ourselves, each other, and everyone that we come in contact with. In this atmosphere of respect, we strive for personal excellence. Our catholic beliefs permeate every aspect of our lives. OUR SCHOOL PRAYER Dear St. Paul, Bless us and guide us each day. May the light of your love for Jesus show us the way to love others. Help us to believe in ourselves and achieve our goals, protect us from wrong choices so that we may be an example for others, and carry the gospel in all that we say and do. REMEMBRANCE DAY PRAYER We arise today with the power of God to guide us, The might of God to uphold us, The wisdom of God to teach us, The eye of God to watch over us, The ear of God to hear us, The word of God to give us speech, The hand of God to protect us, The way of God to direct us, The shield of God to shelter us, And the host of God to defend us. Be with us, O God, as we offer to you our remembering.
MONSTER MASH SUCCESS Our monster mash move-a-thon was a great success. We all had a lot of fun. Thank you parents for your generous donations! The money will be counted over the next week and we will award the prizes at our wrap-up assembly. The funds raised will be used to purchase chrome notebooks for use in the classrooms. Thank you to the student council, Mrs. Ruddy and all the staff who helped to organize, decorate, and run our Monster Mash. A special thank you to all the staff for their great efforts on the dance floor. Grade seven dance captains led the students in dance and all had a great time. Thank you to the intermediate teachers and students for organizing the spooky activities the students enjoyed so much in the afternoon. Our closing Monster Mash Assembly will be held later this month were we will award the prizes for the top fundraisers. In support of the United Way, we will be having a Red and White Dress Down Day on Tuesday, November 7th, 2017. We are asking for a $2 donation. All Donations will be given to the United Way of Hamilton. Thank you for your support. LEAVING FOR APPOINT- MENTS When picking up your child prior to dismissal time, you must first sign them out in the main office and provide a reason for their dismissal. For safety reasons, we cannot have your child sitting in the office prior to your arrival. The secretary will call out your child from class once you arrive to pick them up. Thank you for your cooperation. REPORT CARDS AND PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES Progress report cards will be sent home on Tuesday November 14th. Please look over the report with your child, celebrate the successes and discuss the next steps for improvement. Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, November 16th from 4:00 8:00 p.m. Forms have been sent home with your child. It is important to meet with your child s teacher to discuss your child s progress. If this date is not suitable for you, please arrange to meet with your child(ren) s teacher on another date.
Basketball and Flag Football teams continue on their journey to the final championships. Good luck to all teams! The Fall Cross Country Meet was a huge success. Congratulations to all of our runners. We are proud of each and every one of you for trying your best! FIRE DRILLS We have completed all Fire Drill practices for the fall. All drills were very successful and we have implemented any necessary changes to improve efficiency of the drill. We will have three more drills again in the spring. LOCK DOWN DRILL On October 10th, we had our second lock down drill of the year. The drill was highly successful. We will be having one more drill later this year with our school s community services officer. STUDENTS WHO STAY FOR LUNCH Students who normally remain at school for lunch will not be permitted to leave school premises during school hours unless they are picked up by a parent. We will not accept written requests to have children leave the school to buy their lunch. This is a safety concern and we thank you for your support in this matter.
Dear Parents/Guardians: INCLEMENT WEATHER - SCHOOL CLOSURE When schools are closed or buses cancelled due to extreme weather conditions, details will be announced on the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board website (www.hwcdsb.ca) and Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services website (www.hamiltonschoolbus.ca/public_v2/index.aspx) as well as the following Hamilton and area media outlets: 900 CHML / 95.3 Fresh FM / Y108 FM CKOC 1150 / K-Lite 102.9 FM CKPC 1380 AM / Jewel 92.1 FM CHCH TV Morning Live (Channel 11) CBC Hamilton www.cbc.ca/hamilton The Hamilton Spectator www.thespec.com Twitter https://twitter.com/hwcdsb Facebook www.facebook.com Schools closures and bus cancellations will be posted on the HWCDSB and HWSTS websites and communicated to the local media by 7:00 a.m., whenever possible. If schools close early, the information will be posted on the HWCDSB and HWSTS websites and sent to the media for dissemination. In addition, each school will initiate its own procedures for notifying parents of early closures due to inclement weather. We ask parents/guardians to take notice of the following guidelines: In the event of impending severe weather conditions, parents should consider the safety of their children in deciding whether or not to send them to school; Parents should stay tuned to Hamilton and area radio stations for weather reports and school board announcements; Parents who, in spite of bus cancellation, drive their children to school, should ensure that their children can get into the school and will be required to make the necessary arrangements for the safe return home of their children at the end of the day or in the event of an early closure. Buses which do not run in the morning will not run for the rest of the day; Phone calls to the school during severe weather conditions are to be made only in the case of extreme emergency; Parents shall be requested to provide the school with the name and telephone number of a neighbour alternate, (someone who lives in close proximity to the home) who would be willing to act on their behalf in the event that they cannot be reached. Thank you for your assistance. Yours truly, David Hansen Director of Education
WALK WITH CHRIST PILGRIMAGE Thank you to the intermediate students who participated in the 14th annual walk with Christ Pilgrimage on Sunday October 15th. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and the walk portion of the event was cancelled due to high winds. Thanks to all the students for their participation in this important event. PARENT CONFERENCE On Saturday November 4 2017, the H.W.C.D.S.B. will be hosting its 25th Annual Parent Conference. The conference will be held at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School and admission is free. Continental breakfast, snacks, and a free lunch are also provided. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate as a Catholic parent community to attend informative workshops and to network with other parents within our Catholic community. Be sure to register as soon as possible to ensure that you receive confirmation for the workshop of your choice. 25 th Annual Parent Conference Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School 1824 Rymal Road East Saturday, November 4, 2017 PEANUT ALLERGIES Within our school community there are several students who have potentially life-threatening allergies (anaphylaxis) to foods, predominantly to peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds. We feel the best way to reduce the risk of accidental exposure to these students is to respectfully ask for the co-operation of the parents/guardians within this school community to avoid sending peanut butter or products with peanuts, nuts or sesame seeds listed in the ingredients. We are sincerely grateful for your support in this matter. MEDICATION If your child requires prescription medication to be given at school, or they require an inhaler or EPIPEN, your physician must complete the Administration of Medication Permission Form. Non-prescription medication requires the parent s signature on the Administration of Medication Form. Forms are available in the school office. We cannot dispense or supervise the intake of medication at school without written authorization. No child should be carrying ANY medication in his/her backpack at any time (with the exception of Epipens and/ or inhalers). Please ensure that your child s Epipen is current and not expired. Mr. Persia will be in contact with you regarding this.
Say Cheese.again School Photo retakes will take place on: Wednesday November 29th in the school open area. A CALL FOR PLASTIC CUTLERY AND BAGGIES It s that time of year again when we ask for your support in collecting plastic cutlery and sandwich baggies. I know this sounds like a strange request but plastic spoons and sandwich bags are the two items that we can t keep around the office very long. Students often arrive to school without a spoon or fork and have trouble eating their lunch. Baggies are used daily to hold ice provided to students with injuries. If you can help us out with any of these items, your generosity would be appreciated. UNIFORMS When purchasing your child s uniform, please refer to the Uniform Policy which can be found in your child s agenda or on the website. Please read the policy carefully as it outlines the acceptable and unacceptable uniform item. Mandatory School Uniform implies that all students arrive at school dressed appropriately and in adherence to the Board and School Uniform Policy. Failure to do so shall result in consequences as outlined in the Uniform Policy. A reminder that: Nylon, cargo, kobe and track bottoms are not permitted Only navy or white t-shirts can be worn under tops All shirts must be collared (excluding turtle neck) Hooded sweaters are not permitted indoors. Leggings are not permitted and tights must be either navy blue or black.
ADOPTION AND FOSTERING Do you have room in your home for one more? Adoption and Foster Parent Information Night Please join us and get all your questions answered. Wednesday, November 15, 2017 7:00 p.m. At Catholic Children s Aid Society of Hamilton 735 King Street East, Hamilton, ON L8M 1A1 For more information and to register: To register, please call 905-525-2012 and ask for the Adoption Unit.
MONTH of NOVEMBER Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Feast of All Saints. 2 Feast of All Souls. 3 PA Day No School! 4 Parent Conference Bishop Ryan High School 5 6 7 Red and White Day for United Way 8 9 10 Remembrance Day Ceremony @ 10:30 am 11 Remembrance Day 12 13 14 Report Cards go Home 15 16 Parent - Teacher Conferences 4:00 8:00 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Moustache Day 25 26 27 28 29 Picture Re-takes 30 Grade 8 Parent Information Night at Bishop Ryan @ 7:00 pm