St. Patrick's Blog - Week of February 2nd, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of February 2nd, 2015

While the weather continues to challenge our patience in these cold dark days, St. Patrick’s is rolling along with activities for students, and invitations to our community to join us for upcoming events.

School Council Meeting

We invite all of our parent and guardian community to join us for our next School Council meeting this Tuesday, February 3rd (7:00 pm in our learning commons space).  We will be discussing school budget, our mental health approach with students, and our welcoming steps for newly arriving students.  Our meetings focus on information and communication with our parents, and we welcome you to join us and bring along any questions you might have.

Lockdown Drill

This past week we practiced our safe schools lockdown procedures in cooperation with members of the Ottawa Police.  Three constables joined us, including our School Resource Officer Const. Mark Leroux who organized the drill, and spoke with some groups of students afterwards to ensure they understood the procedure.  Our police officers commended the reactions of both students and staff and recognized our efforts as highly effective.  Our board mandates that schools practice the lockdown procedure twice a year, in addition to regular fire drills, so we will be following up again later in the spring.

Christmas Mass

While the Christmas season is well behind us at this point, a number of issues delayed our celebration of the birth of Christ through a mass until this week.  This provided Father Greg an opportunity to remind us that celebrating Jesus’ birth is a reflective opportunity that we must consider year round.  The mass did give us a chance to sing Christmas carols one more time before retiring them until next year!  Students were encouraged to celebrate this spiritual break from our regular academic program as a great opportunity that we have at our Catholic school.  And while not all of us worship in the same way, Mass is a chance to reflect upon the importance of our faiths and their place in our personal growth.

Winter Activity Day

The staff at St. Pat’s are organizing a winter activity day to take place on the afternoon of February 13th.  Following a regular academic program in the morning, students will have an opportunity to skate or hike on the Rideau Canal, or remain at the school for winter activities organized outdoors.  If students are choosing to skate that afternoon, as a safety measure we are insisting that they wear helmets.  If choosing to hike on the canal, students should dress warmly, however, they do not need any protective gear.  More information will be coming home on a permission form next week.

Term One Report Cards and Parent/Teacher Discussions

A reminder that Term One report cards will be distributed on February 12th.  Parents and guardians will then have an opportunity to meet with teachers on the evening of February 19th.  Please ensure that you complete the interview form that comes home with your child’s report card so teachers are aware of your scheduled meeting time.  We will also have members of St. Patrick’s School Council present to answer questions that evening and a display from our Shamrock Fashions clothing consignment store.

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly