May 4, 2012

RCCDSB

228 Mason Avenue Jeannie Armstrong, Principal

Renfrew, Ontario

K7V 3Y3 Jody White, Secretary

Catholic Education Week 2012 Our schools are walking places. The kids walk, the teachers walk, even the principal walks! Walking is such a normal human activity. We celebrate when a baby takes its first tentative but independent steps. In our Catholic schools there must be that deliberate intention that the light in which we walk is the Light of Christ. When you walk through our school, the feeling that you are walking in the Light of Christ is palpable. The interaction of student and teacher, the dialogue of principal and staff, the presence of parents in the school, the welcome extended to the visitor, are imbedded with the conviction that we believe that we are indeed walking in the Light of Christ. Being human, we may not always be conscious of that great reality but the light will always continue to shine. There are five sub-themes for each day of Catholic Education Week and various activities held each day to celebrate these themes. Daily Themes

Events

Monday – Listening in the Light of Christ

Opening prayer service about Catholic Education Week themes

Tuesday – Learning in the Light of Christ

Reflection on morning announcements about Learning in the Light of Christ

Wednesday – Living in the Light of Christ

Girl Power workshop-Grade 7’s 6:00-7:30 p.m.-Open house and Book Fair 6:00-6:30-Presentation by Phoenix Centre 6:30-7:00-Classroom tour and Book Fair

Thursday – Loving in the Light of Christ

Dance workshops by tour company-all grades -Social studies themes Mother-Daughter evening-grades 4-7 (6-8 p.m.)

Friday-Leading in the Light of Christ

Living Rosary at 1:15 p.m. with CWL

May Events Hot lunches-Hot lunches will be held on Thursday, May 4 (pizza); Friday, May 11th (Sante Fe); Friday, May 18th (pizza) and Thursday, May 24 (Sante Fe). NEW***Please be advised that if your child is absent on a hot lunch day, or there is a snow day (which hopefully won’t happen in May!), we will not save your child’s piece of pizza or order pizza another day to compensate. We truly try to provide a fairly inexpensive yet healthy lunch as a service to parents and students. Mrs. White spends hours counting money, organizing orders, etc. We cannot keep track of over 275 orders on any given day! Thank you for your continued understanding. Individual Program Review Committee Meetings (IPRC’s)-These meetings will be held on Tuesday, May 8th and Thursday, May 10th. All meetings will take place in Mrs. Black’s special education room. Please arrive for your meeting at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Casual Fridays-Each Friday, staff members wear denim to support social justice activities such as CPAN, cancer awareness, Holy Cross and Sisters of St. Joseph orphanages and schools, etc.. If you see staff dressed less formally each Friday, please know that they are raising funds for a good cause! Healthy School Grant-Mrs. Armstrong applied for a healthy school grant and received $500 from Physical and Health Education Canada. This money will be used to purchase outdoor equipment for the PALS project. Although we spend money on outdoor physical activity equipment each year, balls and other items are worn easily each year and must be replaced. School Council-The next school council meeting will be held on Monday, May 28th at 6:30 p.m. The focus of this meeting will be to finalize important details for our annual Fun Fair. SJHS Musical-The Secret Garden-Grade 7 students are invited to view the St. Joseph’s High School musical production on Monday, May 14th. Students will travel to and from SJHS via bus. Permission forms will be sent home by Wednesday, May 9th and must be returned by Monday, May 14th in order to board the bus. Special thanks to SJHS for extending the invitation and providing funding for bussing. One more reason why SJHS is the natural choice for our students! Excellence in academics, athletics and the arts! Staffing 2012 We are still in the process of finalizing staffing for next year. We have increasing enrolment next year and so class configurations may still change. With current numbers we have the following classes: JK/SK (3 classes); grade 1; grade 1/2; grade 2; grade 3; grade 3/4; grade 4/5; grade 5; grade 6; and grade 7. If you would like your child to be in a particular class, please indicate your preference and reasons for your choice, in writing by Monday, June 11th. Page 2

Up & Coming Events Class Trips-Mrs. Valleau’s grade 5 class will be travelling to Ottawa on May 16th to attend the University of Ottawa and participate in science workshops. This is an enriching experience for these students. All workshops are directly linked to the grade 5 curriculum. In June, (Monday, June 11), grades 3 and 4 students will travel to Upper Canada Village and participate in an experiential learning experience in the Pioneer and Medieval Times exhibits. In addition, the grade 7 class will travel to Fort Henry, Kingston to participate in the Soldier’s Overnight Program on June 13th and 14th. Finally, on June 21st, grade 6 students will travel to Ottawa where they will view an Imax movie, tour the First Nations exhibits at the Museum of Civilization in Hull and then take a cruise along the Rideau Canal. Grades JK-2 teachers are still planning their field trips. Further information will be included in the June newsletter. Kate Windle’s Poetry and Song-Kate Windle will be bringing her recently published compilation of songs and poetry to OLF JK/SK students on Tuesday, June 22. The poems and songs are set to catchy tunes to get children reading and moving! EQAO Testing-From Wednesday, May 23 to Wednesday, June 6, students in grades 3 and 6 will be writing the Ministry of Education’s Primary and Junior assessments. It is very important that students are present at school during this period of time. Students will be writing and or reviewing key concepts during this period. Students will only write one section of the test per day. This will allow students time for physical activity, snacks and time for review. Please try to not schedule doctor or dental appointments during this time (if at all possible). Students who miss a day of writing have to make up this time by June 6th. Please make sure students are well rested, receive good nutrition and have plenty of water to drink. Brains get hungry and thirsty while writing. Students will also receive healthy snacks at school! Thank you for your continued support. We want this process to be a positive one for students!

We are pleased to announce that Foster McIntyre, a grade 7 student at Our Lady of Fatima submitted an application to sit on the Minister’s Student Advisory Council. Out of more than 300 applications provincially, we are proud to say that Foster was chosen as one of 60 students to sit on this committee. This is the second time in two years that a student from Our Lady of Fatima has been chosen to sit at the Minister of Education’s discussion table. Kailyn Friske sat on the council in 2010. Congratulations, Foster! We are proud of your accomplishment! Page 3

Let’s Talk About… Oral Communication How will I know that my child is learning at school to be an effective communicator? I thought that talking and listening was just natural – not something that needs to be taught. Literacy is the ability to read and write, to listen and speak to others, and to view and to represent ideas and images in various media. It is also the ability to think critically while doing all of these. Language Gr. 1-8, 2006 Research shows that listening and speaking to others are the foundation for developing reading and writing skills. Children often need to talk about their ideas before they can put them down on paper effectively. Did you also know how important it is for students to speak and listen in ALL subject areas? Here are some things you may hear your child say when speaking about her/his learning in this area at school:

Listening to Derek lets me wonder about my ideas. Are we thinking the same or differently? Can I add some of his ideas to my own? Did he learn something from what I said? We can build on each other’s ideas. Everyone gets smarter together! Sharing with my elbow partner is fun! It’s hard to sit and try to listen to the teacher all day. I like to stand up and move around sometimes when I share. Here are some ways to encourage your child to talk with you: Talk with your child about such things as movies, television programs, songs, and plays. Encourage him to say why she thinks so. Have your child tell stories at special family events such as celebrations or holidays. Encourage your child to tell you about his or her day – about activities, sports, and games. Encourage your child to tell you what he or she thinks or feels. Show interest in what your child is saying by being a good listener.

We have an accountable talk anchor chart at school. It gives me some words to help me get started when I want to share my thinking with someone. At school, we do something called “Think/ Pair/Share.” First, I get a chance to spend some time thinking quietly about what I want to share.. This helps me to figure out what I want to say. Next, I get to share my ideas with a classmate. I tell my ideas and I listen to someone else’s. Then I am ready to share in front of the class.

Opportunities for talking and listening are key components of early literacy and the continued development of critical literacy.

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EASTER DRAW RESULTS Movie Passes

Dylan Rekowski Cassie Monk

Lunch bag of goodies Chocolate goodies

Skylar Schultz, Tommy M. Sophie McLeod MacKenzie Scerba Shaylea Edgell-East Ryan MacGregor-Dennique Eady Horvath Layla Cobus Gracie Froats

Stuffed animals

 EQAO-May 23-June 6-Please do not

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Karly Friske Emma Todd Josh Smith Kellie Dowdall Michael Widdows-Willmott

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Bubbles

Abigail Price, Annabelle St. Cyr

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Nail Polish Kit

Colton Charbonneau Hazel Horvath Abby McQuirter

Girl Kit Assorted Theme Easter Baskets

Alexis Cowan Kylie Thomlinson Marley Tabar Hannah Huckabone Justin Thompson Nych Pearse Jason Deacon Bridget McLeod Lacey Shea Trevon Edwards Brianne McNulty

Popsicle Maker

Cally Dunbar

Urban Planet Gift Card

Paige St. Michael

Soccer Ball Football Ball Volleyball

TJ McDonald Darren Dombroskie, Riley H., Riley B. Holly Calvinho Easton McDonald

Barbie Set

Kaitlyn Deacon

Top Toy

Connor Dowdall

Pencil and Picture set

Abby Wright

Hop DVD

Jada Newberry

I-Pod shuffle

Mikulus Horvath

We raised $794.16, which will be directed towards the Holy Cross and Sisters of St. Joseph charities. Special thanks to all staff who donated items for the draw!

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book any appointments during this time as students in grades 3 and 6 will be writing in the morning and afternoon. June 8-PA day June 25-Report cards go home Grade 7 Graduation-June 26th –6-7 p.m. and dance to follow at SJHS from 7:30-10:00 JK Concert (all classes)-Wednesday, June 27th at 11:00 a.m. in the gymstudents may go home with parents following the concert. SK Graduation (all classes) Wednesday, June 27th at 1:30 p.m. in the gym-students may go home with parents following the ceremony. June 28th-Last day of school June 29th-PA day-no school for students

Badminton Tourney The Grade 7 Badminton team, led by coach Chris Mulvihill, posted a collective record of 9-14 on April 16th at Opeongo High School. In five of the seven first round match-ups, OLF battled to earn victories and extend play on the A side. Second round match ups proved to be more difficult with only three wins in the seven contests. Team members were: Brianne McNulty, Jessica Hackbarth, John Agnew, Haylee Blackburn, Paige McGuire, Madison Kasaboski, Chelsea Bernard, Alex Paquette, Dan Corcoran, Patrick Widdows and Gilles Cote. Special thanks to Mrs. Agnew for assisting. Page 5