Monthly Archives: March 2024

We need your help!

Kindergarten Registration Happening NOW! 

It is critical that families register for Kindergarten NOW. Our staffing for next year is based on registrations that are completed online at this point in time. Currently, we have less than half the number of Junior Kindergarten students than we are expecting for next year. This will have a negative impact on our staffing and number of Kindergarten classrooms for September. If you know a family with a child who is planning to start school in Kindergarten in September please encourage them to contact the main office as soon as possible.

Children born in 2020 are eligible for JK/Year 1 Kindergarten.

Children born in 2019 are eligible for SK/Year 2 Kindergarten.

If your child is already attending Kindergarten at St. John’s you do not need to register for next year.

Online Kindergarten Registration

Extended-Day-Pre-Reg-Reminder

Click on this link if you are interested in registering your child for Extended Day programming next year.

2024-25 Registration: Grades 1-8

Online registration is open for NEW students who will be attending St. John’s starting in September 2024. Again, it is critical that we have registrations completed as soon as possible to ensure our school is properly staffed for the beginning of the school year. Families should not wait until the end of summer to register their children for school in September. You are encouraged to share this information with families who are new to the neighbourhood.

Please click on the link in the title to complete a NEW registration.

Building community through Ramadan & Lent

Did you know there is a strong connection between Ramadan and Lent? Read on to find out the similarities!

Ramadan Is Here! March 10^th to April 9^th, 2024

The Holy month of Ramadan is here! Ramadan, observed by Muslims worldwide, is a time dedicated to fasting, prayer, introspection, acts of charity, and strengthening bonds with family and friends. Ramadan follows the lunar calendar and changes by about ten days each year depending on when the new moon is sighted in the ninth month.

At St. John’s, we continue to learn about the numerous cultures, practices, and religions that make our schools vibrant, inclusive spaces for all. We are so blessed to have many followers of Islam within Waterloo Catholic to help us learn more about the holy month of Ramadan and the Muslim practice of fasting.

During Ramadan, approx. 1.9 billion people around the world fast for 30 days, from sunrise to sunset. In the KW region, this means local Muslims will be fasting up to 14 hours this year. If a student/staff member is not eating or drinking at lunch, they might be observing Ramadan. However, it is important to avoid asking why a Muslim student/staff member is NOT fasting. This could be due to many reasons including: medical conditions, age, pregnancy, menstrual cycle, travelling etc.  A common misconception is that Ramadan is like a chore to those observing it, when in reality a lot of observers are eager for the month every year!

How can you respectfully acknowledge a Muslim who is fasting?
“Happy Ramadan”
“Ramadan Mubarak” = loosely meaning “Congratulations to your Ramadan”
“Ramadan Kareem” = loosely meaning “May your Ramadan be generous”

Lent Is Here! February 14^th to March 28^th, 2024

Almsgiving is an outward sign of love for others.

Giving alms is essential to fostering a deep spiritual life because it allows us to step outside of ourselves and focus on the needs of others. More than simply giving money, almsgiving is an act of love that can deepen our prayer life and bring a greater sense of meaning to fasting. Almsgiving incorporates the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting in a way that manifests itself by caring for our neighbours in need. It can deepen our prayer as we are brought into contact with those who live in poverty and give us a greater understanding of what it means to go without while fasting. It can also prompt important questions: Do I really need this? Am I consuming too much? Almsgiving provides us with a human connection and the opportunity to see the impact that works of charity can have on others.

When we look at the practices of Ramadan and Lent, we see deep connections and similarities. The focus on prayer, service for others, and introspection are important ways to bring about positive outcomes in ourselves and our communities. We will continue to teach our students through our Catholic faith by modelling patience, engaging in daily prayer, practicing meditation, and the acknowledgment of acts of kindness and giving in our school community. On a daily basis, we engage in conversations about “What Would Jesus Do?…WWJD” with our students, and we recognize the good deeds and choices made in our community.

We encourage you to engage in conversations with your children at home about the ways you can build prayer, fasting, and almsgiving into your family time during Ramadan and the Lenten season. As a faith based school community, it is important for these connections to exist in both the home and school environments in order for children to fully understand and embrace the teachings. We are grateful for your partnership in fostering your child’s faith.

Earth Hour 2024: March 23rd, 2024 @ 8:30pm

Earth Hour invites  you to switch off and spend 60 minutes doing something – anything – positive for our planet.

Just 60 minutes? Yes, just one hour. It may not seem like much, but the magic happens when you, and those like you in Asia and Africa, North and South America, Oceania and Europe – supporters in over 190 countries and territories – all give an hour for our one home, creating the Biggest Hour for Earth.

For ideas on how your family can make a difference please visit the Earth Hour website. We all need to do our part to take care of the earth.

Looking for important dates to finish off the school year?

Keep scrolling down this post to the very bottom. We will continue to include all the upcoming dates when there is no school for students. Please plan accordingly.

You are also encouraged to watch our school Google calendar which is linked on our school website. We will post school wide events; however, you will need to gather specific details from your child’s teacher about items such as class trips. This is a requirement to ensure privacy and student safety. Only legal guardians can have access to detailed information for students.

Why doesn’t my child have math homework?

This is a question we hear from families…A LOT! The truth is learning looks different today than it did when we were in school. There is no math textbook at elementary school. The majority of the learning that students do in school is “hands on” inquiry based instruction using online learning platforms such as Mathology. Students do not use repetitive math drill sheets or textbook exercises as part of their day to day math learning. However, you are encouraged to support your child’s math learning at home using the Math @Home Resources provided by our board.

Parents can make a big difference in their child’s learning by talking with them about what they are learning at school. While these resources are optional, they provide valuable information about what students are learning at school and ideas for supporting their learning at home.

Parents are strongly encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher throughout the school year to build the partnership between home and school. Traditional homework exercises may not exist but school work at home can be very valuable when it is connected to real life problems and tasks. Examples are provided in each of the Math @ Home Monthly newsletters found on our board website.

D2L Parent & Guardian Portal App

Video tutorials in Arabic, English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Tigrinyan have been created to guide our families in getting connected to their students’ D2L classrooms.

Videos are housed on the WCDSB Parent and Guardian Page (scroll to the bottom). 

Parents only need to go through the steps once and all their students who attend WCDSB schools will populate in the app.

PLEASE NOTE: you must have an updated email on file with your child’s school in order to access your child’s D2L page. Please contact the main office if you are having difficulty signing up for the parent portal.

D2L Webinar Recording: to introduce families to D2L Brightspace Parent & Guardian access by web browser or app.

Parent Engagement Evening: Guardians of the Game

WCDSB is pleased to present a virtual parent and guardian information evening on Cyber safety, digital literacy, and esports gaming on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 

Matthew Johnson, the Director of Education from Media Smarts will speak about online safety and digital literacy as well as resources available to families from Media Smarts.

Katina Papulkas is the Senior Education Strategist at Dell Technologies and will provide guidance on online gaming and how parents and guardians can support their children’s passions, explore career opportunities, and appreciate the engagement it provides. 

Register:   

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

Important Dates

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

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

April 8th – PA Day (no school for students) **note this date change since beginning of the year**

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)

Social Work Week in Ontario

Today, the staff and students of St. John’s would like to take the opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to Feven Gebremicael, our school social worker ~ and all our Social Workers at WCDSB!  Your contributions to our school community are often overlooked and understated, but we want to let you know today, and this week especially, that your role on our team is valued!  Your commitment to our families when they are at their most vulnerable and your willingness to support the many adults in our buildings, demonstrate that you are here for us!  Knowing that someone like each of you is here to support us is reassuring and comforting.  Your role is vital to the success of our system, and we wanted to make sure that today especially, you know how thankful we are for YOU!

Just a quick reminder…

No school Friday March 8th!

The school will be closed from 4:30pm Thursday March 7th – Monday March 18th 8:30am.

Enjoy your time with your children!

We Appreciate Our Lunch Hour Supervisors

The administrators of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board would like to take the opportunity today to recognize all of our Lunch Hour Supervisors!

We are thankful for the daily dedication of our Lunch Hour Supervisor team at St. John’s.

On any given day Mrs. Bundscho, Mrs. Brosseau, Mrs. Nauman, Mrs. Kaur, Mrs. Wooster, and Mr. Harsatanaya are outside rain or shine!

Most importantly, they build relationships with our entire school community!

Our schools would not be the same without them!

They truly matter, they make a difference and we want to say THANK YOU!