Monthly Archives: December 2023

2023 Christmas Cafe invite

Christmas Café & Open House

Thursday December 21st, 2023

8:45am – 10:30am

Please come and join us in the gym for hot drinks and light breakfast treats. Socialize with staff and other parents as we gather in the fellowship of the Christmas spirit.

School aged children will be supervised on the yard at this time but you are welcome to bring younger children who are not yet school aged.

Once students are in classes, families are invited to visit Grade 1-6 classrooms and join in a Christmas activity, sing along, or craft with their children.

Our Kindergarten students will be gathering at the church for a brief Christmas concert from 9:30am to 10:15am. Please speak to your child’s Kindergarten teacher if you would like more information.

 

11:00am Daily Mass @ St. John’s Roman Catholic Church

Our Intermediate students will be attending 11am Mass at the church and families are certainly welcome to join us!

We look forward to you joining us on Thursday December 21st!

Merry Christmas

2023 Christmas Cafe invite

Christmas Café & Open House

Thursday December 21st, 2023

8:45am – 10:30am

Please come and join us in the gym for hot drinks and light breakfast treats. Socialize with staff and other parents as we gather in the fellowship of the Christmas spirit.

School aged children will be supervised on the yard at this time but you are welcome to bring younger children who are not yet school aged.

Once students are in classes, families are invited to visit Grade 1-6 classrooms and join in a Christmas activity, sing along, or craft with their children.

Our Kindergarten students will be gathering at the church for a brief Christmas concert from 9:30am to 10:15am. Please speak to your child’s Kindergarten teacher if you would like more information.

 

11:00am Daily Mass @ St. John’s Roman Catholic Church

Our Intermediate students will be attending 11am Mass at the church and families are certainly welcome to join us!

We look forward to you joining us on Thursday December 21st!

Merry Christmas

The attached flyer will be sent home to each family as well!

Good day Thunder Community!

 

Today is the first Sunday of Advent a time when we prepare for the coming of Jesus.  Each Monday, we will light one candle in our Advent wreath to help us count down the four weeks of Advent. The first candle is the candle of HOPE. The lighting of the candle is not a passive act. It reminds us that we, too, are the light, as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14. We can shine a light in dark places by providing kind gestures or kind words to those in need. Over the next four weeks, we will prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.

Advent Resources for home & school

 

Busted Halo Advent Calendar

A digital twist on the traditional Advent calendar brings a sense of surprise by showing you the whole calendar, but not letting you “open” each day and find out what’s behind the picture until that day comes along. Each day, the link will lead you to a special Advent-themed Daily Jolt and MicroChallenge.

10 Meaningful Advent Traditions to try this year

 

This is why we are here…

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations

December’s Catholic Graduate Expectation focuses on being a Caring Family Member.

A Caring Family Member gives witness to Catholic social teachings by promoting peace, and respect for all.

Being a caring family member means I CARE!

I love God, myself and my family,
I care about and respect my ‘family’ at school, at Church, in the community, and the world,
I care about and respect God’s creation and everything in it.

Because I care, I pray for all my families, and I will live my life like Jesus!

How will you be a caring family member for those you love and those you care about this month, and always?

How are you going to change your life for the better this Advent season?

 

Deep Learning: Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are the skills and attributes that students need to thrive in the modern world. Based on international research, the Ontario Ministry of Education has defined seven important categories of transferable skills – sometimes called “competencies” – that will help students navigate the world of work and meet with success in the future.

During December, as Catholics, we will show transferable skills through active collaboration, not just with our classmates and teachers but also within our wider community organizations like our parish churches, volunteer opportunities, and giving to others. It’s about tackling real-world challenges, engaging in activities, and exchanging ideas together.  We encourage you to support your child’s learning partnerships at home by participating in a community initiative such as volunteering or donating to a local organization that has meaning for your family. You may also wish to visit our parish website for Advent Mass times.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Other Information: 

Snow & Winter Safety 

The snow season arrived this week and is here for the remainder of the winter. Our students LOVE playing in the snow when we have it and you can help them enjoy it more by making sure they have extra clothing to stay warm including boots, snow pants, mittens, and hats. It would be helpful for students to keep an extra pair of dry mittens and socks in their backpacks as well. As per our Board’s policy, when the temperature is between -20°C and -27°C students will not be outside longer than 15 minutes.  When temperatures are colder than -27°C, students remain inside.

We have reminded our students of the dangers of throwing snow/ice and sliding on any icy spots/hills outside. Serious injury can often result from what is often considered ‘just good fun’ or ‘joking around’ in the snow. At school, we enforce the rule of NO SNOWBALLS being thrown at people at any time. Please reinforce this important rule with your children at home. This helps us all remain safe while walking to and from school each day and playing at recess.

St. John’s Snow Rules

We share the responsibility of snow removal on and around our property. The city is responsible for our sidewalks by the road. School personnel and board contractors are responsible for pathways and the parking lot. This involves both snow clearance and salting in certain areas. Our head custodian checks the ground conditions early every morning, and salting in some areas may occur. It is always important to be careful during the winter months when walking on pathways and sidewalks.

 

CSAC Meeting: Monday December 4th

Our next Council meeting will be held in the Learning Commons on Monday December 4th from 6pm – 7:30pm. We will discuss the upcoming Christmas Café & Open House event. All are welcome to attend.

 

 

Please do not ENTER School Parking Lot 

A reminder that our school parking lot is available only for staff parking and bus/taxi drop-offs at the beginning and end of day. This lot is also shared with St. John’s church which means it is a busy area. There are no additional parking spots for families during drop off and pick up times. 

Despite our reminders, we continue to have parents park illegally and abandon their cars in the middle of the lot. This is dangerous and illegal. Last Friday, both Administrators had to address numerous parents who were blocking the fire lane, driving through the STOP & Do Not Enter sign, and barricading staff cars due to perpendicular parking in the lot. Our school buses could not exit the lot due to the number of cars that were blocking the driveway. School staff should not have to risk their lives to re-direct parents who continue to enter the lot despite it clearly being full.

If your child is a bus eligible student, they are expected to ride the bus to and from school. This alleviates additional traffic at drop off and pick up times at the school. If your child is not bus eligible, this means that you live within an acceptable walking distance to the school. Please walk to drop off / pick up your child each day.

If you must drop off or pick up your child with a vehicle at the beginning or end of day, please park on the side streets or at Cherry Park and walk to the school. Thank you for helping to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff.

City of Kitchener Bylaw will be contacted this week to help deal with this increasingly dangerous situation. Our priority is keeping students safe while they board school transportation and/or while leaving the property at the end of the day.

 

How are you feeling?  

Cold and flu season is certainly upon us. If your child is feeling sick, they should not attend school to prevent transmission to others.  Students should not attend school if they have the following symptoms that are not related to other conditions:

 

• Fever and/or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Decrease or loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or joint pain
• Extreme tiredness
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy/congested nose
• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Pink eye
• Decreased or no appetite

After being sick, students may return to school when symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if they had nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea) and do not have a fever and do not develop any additional symptoms. If your child returns to school before this time, you will be called and asked to pick them up. We need to prevent illness from spreading throughout our school community as much as possible.

Thank you in advance for your continued support in keeping sick children at home to help stop the spread of viruses.

Together, we will build a strong community that is committed to lifting up others, repairing harms of the past, and creating a better tomorrow for all. #Strengthen

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Important Dates

December 25th – Christmas Break Begins

January 8th – Back to School New Year 2024

January 19th – PA Day (no school for students)

February 15th – Term 1 Reports go home

February 19th – Family Day (no school for students)

March 8~15th – March Break (no school for students)

March 29th – Good Friday (no school for students)

April 1st – Easter Monday (no school for students)

April 19th – PA Day (no school for students)

May 20th – Victoria Day (no school for students)

May 31st – PA Day (no school for students)

June 25th- Term 2 Reports go home

June 27th- Last Day of School

June 28th – PA Day  (no school for students)