St. Patrick's Blog Week of February 17th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of February 17th, 2015

This week marks the beginning of the Catholic liturgical season of Lent.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is recognized as a day of fast and abstinence.  This means we are to approch the day with reverence by fasting from larger meals and abstaining from treats and "extras".  Our personal preparation for Ash Wednesday should be a larger preparation for the 40 days of Lent, which should be marked by personal prayer and reflection on how we can improve our relationships with others.  As we complete our academic term one and begin setting goals for work in term two, Lent reminds us that we should be setting spiritual goals as well.  This is a practice shared by many religious traditions and is recognized by multiple faiths.  We will continue this discussion with our students and staff throughout this important liturgical season.

Activity Day Reschedule

Due to the extremely cold weather last Friday we postponed our Winter Activity Day until this Friday, February 20th.  All other details of the excursion have remained the same – students will travel to the canal (skate or hike) or take part in activities here at the school.  We are keeping our transportation lists and organization the same from last week, therefore we are not inviting any changes to student choice at this point.  This Friday will be a dress down day, and we would ask you to encourage your son/daughter to dress warmly for our activities.  If you have any questions, please contact the school.

Parent/Teacher Discussions - Thursday, February 19th

Our Parent/Teacher discussion evening will take place this Thursday, February 19th from 2:00 to 4:00 and again from 5:00 to 7:30.  We invite you to fill out your son/daughter's interview form to schedule a 10 minute meeting with teachers.  This sheet needs to be returned to classroom teachers so that they may finalize their schedule with parents.  Families will also have the opportunity to access community facilitators (translators) for assistance in Arabic, French, Spanish and Tagalog discussions.  We are also thankful to our group of  Student Language Ambassadors who will be providing translation assistance as well.  Please see our "Language Centre" to access information and support.

Our School Council will also be available to answer questions and provide information on the business of the council at the interviews.  They will have a table set up with refreshments.

Ash Wednesday

We will observe Ash Wednesday with an afternoon liturgy on February 18th.  We will reflect on the meaning of Lent, and invite students and staff to be marked by ashes that represent our mortality and are an outward sign of our need for forgiveness.  The staff member distributing the ashes will say "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel".  Because the administration of ashes is sacramental and not a sacrament, all individuals, regardless of their faith may receive a marking.  Students who would rather not receive ashes will be encouraged to come forward for a blessing.  

Schedules this Week

There are a number of activities taking place this week.  Our Grade 8 girls receive their HPV vaccines on Tuesday, while all of our grade 7 students receive their inoculations on Wednesday.  Our Grade 8 students also have the opportunity to have their “milestone” pictures taken this week with a photographer (information went home in a letter regarding this last week).  

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly