St. Patrick’s Blog

Week of September 16th, 2013

            We are certainly settling into routines now that we have completed 2 weeks of school at St. Patrick’s.  I know that many of our students are feeling less anxious as they are getting used to expectations, navigating the layout of the school, while hopefully making new friends in the process.

I wanted our parents and guardians to be aware of our “Caught you Caring” program at St. Patrick’s.  Each week we identify students who are caught caring for others, maintaining our environment and welcoming those around them.  These students fill out a yellow ballot which is then placed in a draw for a complimentary lunch in our cafeteria.  Students can win multiple times, so we encourage you to keep “Standing Up” for the St. Patrick’s community.

            I wanted to highlight our literacy / numeracy programs that will be beginning after school in October.  These sessions are free of charge and provide a strong support for small groups of individuals in the areas of math and literacy skills.  More information regarding registration and the schedule will be provided following a board wide meeting this week.

            We have scheduled the diagnostic ONAP (Ontario Numeracy Assessment Package) assessment for our grade 7 and 8 students this week.  ONAP enables teachers to identify students' prior knowledge of the previous year's expectations for all five math strands. It provides 100% alignment to the Ontario Mathematics Curriculum, addressing all overall and specific expectations.  This assessment allows us to effectively provide learning opportunities to students while measuring growth in the area of mathematics.  Grade 7 students will write the test during periods 2 and 3 on Wednesday, September 18^th, while our grade 8 students will write the following day during periods 2 and 3.  Please ensure that your son/daughter has an extra pencil and an eraser that day.  No other special preparation or study is required.

            We are excited about our Meet the Teacher evening this Thursday, September 19^th from 6:00 to 8:00pm.  We will begin in our cafeteria area with an introductory presentation, and then teachers will have a chance to introduce themselves to you in their classrooms.  Remember to bring some funds on Thursday to support our live auction to benefit the Terry Fox foundation!

            Our photo day is on Friday, September 20^th this week.  No need to send money in ahead of time.  Students will be provided with proofs from their picture session, and any purchases can be made after the fact.

Have a great week.

Sean Kelly