Week of December 1st, 2014

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of December 1st, 2014

Bullying Awareness Week

Between November 17th and 20th we observed Bullying Awareness Week at St. Patrick’s.  This is a national initiative around which we were able to integrate our own activities.  Throughout the week we shared prayers about strengthening our community and being kind to one another.  Students were encouraged to share their space at lunch with students they might not have met yet, and we had a “photo booth” set up to capture friendly moments.  While these activities take place over the week, the staff at St. Patrick’s is always open to discussions around ensuring that our students are comfortable at school.  Please see an administrator or visit our student services department if you would like to chat about anything.

Ottawa Catholic School Board - Christian Community Day

On November 21st, our school board hosted our annual Christian Community Day.  This is an opportunity for all board staff to participate in spiritual theme discussions and take part in a full board mass.  Our speaker this year was Sister Helen Prejean, whose work with individuals on death row in the United States was portrayed in the movie Dead Man Walking.  Sister Helen spoke of redemption and aptly illustrated our board theme: Restore one another in a spirit of gentleness.

Eric Walters Visit

Young adult author Eric Walters, writer of novels such as Trapped in Ice, War of the Eagles and War of the Eagles, will be visiting St. Patrick’s on Monday, December 1st.  All of our grade 7’s will have the opportunity to hear Eric read, as well as share some of this current works.

School Courtyard make over

New signage on Building 2

The Ottawa Catholic School Board has approved a number of financial supports for St. Patrick’s to be put in place shortly.  This has included new signage on our building 2, updates to our school stairwells, and, most excitingly, a makeover for our courtyard.  Our student eco team, lead by Mrs. Rupert, is to be commended for the creation of a video presentation to the board that outlined our vision for the outdoor space.

School Council Meeting

A reminder that the St. Patrick’s School Council will meet this Tuesday, December 2nd at 7:00 in our Learning Commons area.  We look forward to meeting more of our parent and guardian community.

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly