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Sunday 29 March 2015

St. Patrick's Blog Week of March 30th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog
Week of March 30th, 2015

This week marks Holy Week in the Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar.  Following weeks of personal reflection through Lent, we are asked to consider the importance of Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice to free us from the bonds of sin.  While this is a Christian belief, we have spent much time these last 40 days drawing parallels to the inner reflection encouraged by multiple faiths.  Reviewing our spiritual direction and setting personal goals for ourselves relates directly to what we are working on academically as well.  The steps to strengthening our faith are similar to those that clarify our academic direction.  To be able to draw connections between our spiritual and personal development and our academic growth is one of the gifts of an education in the Catholic system.  I wish all of our families peace as you journey through this solemn period.

Grade 6 Students’ Visit to St. Patrick’s Intermediate
It was a sure sign of Spring as we welcomed close to 200 grade 6 students to St. Pat’s this past week as we work on transitions to grade 7 for next year.  Students were treated to a video outlining our academic and co-curricular activities, a presentation from our own student ambassadors, a tour of the school, and some background from Mrs. Paniccia, our Guidance Counsellor.  Our future grade 7 students also actively participated in a drama and musical activity with our classroom teachers, and had an opportunity to access My Blueprint on our school chromebooks to continue the goal setting process begun at the elementary schools.  The visits were an integral part of our strong transition plan from grade 6 to grade 7, and we welcome our senior elementary students and their families to our open house presentations in May and our Welcome BBQ on September 3rd.  More information to follow.



Student Teachers from the University of Ottawa
St. Patrick’s Intermediate School has always enjoyed a strong relationship with the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa.  This past week we welcomed 3 strong students from the university as they begin their practical work with students.  Our student teachers have always brought innovative ideas and creative approaches from their theoretical work, and we look forward to the learning opportunities they can provide our students.

Director’s Forum for Parents and Guardians:
We invite all of our St. Patrick’s parent/guardian community to the 2015 Director’s Forum.  This year's OCSB Director's Forum will address the many challenges of school & home communication in the digital age. This event is great for everyone, whether you are new to social media or a seasoned online expert. Guests are encouraged to B.Y.O.D -- bring your own device.  Learn new skills to apply in your lives to improve your relationship with your child!  The evening runs from 6:15 to 9:00 pm on Tuesday, April 7th at St. Paul High School.

Parent Presentation: Kids and Drugs
We invite all of our parent community to join us on Tuesday, April 21st @ 7:00pm for an information session on Kids and Drugs.  The presentation will be delivered by the Ottawa Police Service and is sponsored by the Catholic School Parents' Association (CSPA).  The session is for parents, guardians, friends and family members who are concerned about preventing their children from using alcohol & other drugs.  Kids and Drugs is built on known protective factors for substance abuse prevention and strives to improve interactions between kids & parents through improved communication, support, decision making and discipline.  Please click on the link below to bring you to an information poster highlighting the event.  Click on “register now” to be included.  Child care is provided for our parent community.



Have a great week;
Sean Kelly

Sunday 22 March 2015

St. Patrick's Blog Week of March 23rd, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog
Week of March 23rd, 2015

Parent Presentation: Kids and Drugs
We invite all of our parent community to join us on Tuesday, April 21st @ 7:00pm for an information session on Kids and Drugs.  The presentation will be delivered by the Ottawa Police Service and is sponsored by the Catholic School Parents' Association (CSPA).  The session is for parents, guardians, friends and family members who are concerned about preventing their children from using alcohol & other drugs.  Kids and Drugs is built on known protective factors for substance abuse prevention and strives to improve interactions between kids & parents through improved communication, support, decision making and discipline.  Please click on the link below to bring you to an information poster highlighting the event.  Click on “register now” to be included.  Child care is provided for our parent community.


Grade 6 Students’ Visit to St. Patrick’s
This coming week we are welcoming the students from our community elementary schools for a visit to St. Pat’s Intermediate.  Students will have an opportunity to tour the school with grade 7&8 Ambassadors, begin the interest/academic pathway planning process through My Blueprint, and complete an art, drama or music activity with our staff.  This is one of the many transition steps that we take with our grade 6 students throughout the year.  As we progress to next September, we would encourage any new parents to the school to contact us if you have any questions.

Have a great week;
Sean Kelly

Sunday 8 March 2015

St. Patrick's Blog Week of March 9th, 2015


St. Patrick's Blog
Week of March 9th, 2015

Grade 6 Parent Information Session
This Wednesday, March 11th, the St. Patrick’s staff and student population will be hosting a parent information session for parents and guardians of students in grade 6.  Families are encouraged to join us at 6:30pm on Wednesday for a presentation around our programming for grade 7 students, school facilities, student support, activities at St. Pat’s, as well as a presentation from grade 7 students.  Representatives from our school council will also be on hand to answer questions.

Cake Auction
Our school-based Me to We student group has organized a cake auction to take place during the morning of Wednesday March 11th.  Homebase classes are each providing a cake or collection of cupcakes for the auction.  In addition, homebases will collect funds from among the students and will use those funds to bid on the cake of their choice.  This initiative helps support the Me to We fundraising campaign that has been taking place since September of this year.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Updated Health and Physical Education Curriculum
Ontario is releasing updated Health and Physical Education curriculum to give students accurate information that will help keep them safe and healthy. The province is also providing parents with resources to help them understand and participate in what will be taught to their children.  Starting September 2015, the updated curriculum will reflect health, safety and well-being realities faced by today's students. Updates to the curriculum include healthy relationships, consent, mental health, online safety and an appropriate presence on the internet.  This information is supported by our “Samaritans on the Digital Road” initiative that is current part of our Religious Education curriculum.  The ministry’s updated curriculum has also been revised to be more reflective of Ontario's growing and diverse population.

    • The Catholic education community of Ontario will work together to produce resources that support our Catholic teachers and ensure that the curriculum delivered in our classrooms is consistent with our Catholic teachings, and appropriate within the context of a Catholic classroom. The Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) in Toronto will coordinate this work.
    • ICE’s membership includes the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario, the Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers’ Association, the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education, and the Ontario Catholic School Business Officials’ Association.
    • As a Catholic school community, we will continue to offer a holistic curriculum that is shaped by a Catholic worldview and is guided by the teachings of the Church.
    • Links to Revised Curriculum, Parent Guide and Quick Facts - http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health.html


Thinkfast Activity
On March 13th, our St. Pat’s youth group will be participating in our Thinkfast activity.  Thinkfast is an initiative that was started by Development and Peace (the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada). It seeks to educate youth about the complex issues of development, social justice and poverty.
The day will begin at 8:00am with a meeting of the participants. We will start with a prayer, introduce the day and then send students to their regular classes. At lunch we will again gather for soup and fellowship. After school we will gather in the chapel for a prayer service, refreshments, a presentation social justice and then our ‘supper’ of the vegetable soup. After supper we will have fun time in the gym or cafeteria, play some games and then reconvene for a movie about social justice – the group will be watching the movie Living on a Dollar a Day. We will be breaking our fast at 8:00pm and having a light meal (provided at no cost) together while sharing what we learned during the day. Supervision will be provided throughout the event by Mr. Kozak, our chaplain, and a volunteer from Development and Peace.

Coming Up:
March 14th to 22nd: March Break!  

Have a great week;
Sean Kelly

Sunday 1 March 2015


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

Boys Basketball Team Wins Shamrock Classic!
The St. Patrick’s Boys Basketball team won their second tournament in as many weeks as they defeated The Ottawa Celtics in the Shamrock Classic final on Sunday, March 1st.  The St. Pat’s boys had just come off a successful run at the Ashbury Invitational at the end of February and have now made it two tournaments in a row.  Congratulations to Coach McKinnon and a special thank you to Mr. Card who organized the tournament at St. Pat’s.  Great job boys!

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March School Council meeting held over until April
We have had much discussion at our School Council meetings this year.  We will be taking a break in March, but will meet again with a special event in April.  On April 21st at 7:00 pm, St. Patrick’s Intermediate will be hosting an Ottawa Police presentation providing information on preventing drug use among our children.  This workshop is for parents, guardians, friends and family members who are concerned about preventing their children from using alcohol & other drugs.
Kids and Drugs is built on known protective factors for substance abuse prevention and strives to improve interactions between kids & parents through improved communication, support, decision making and discipline.  Please join us at this event, sponsored by the Catholic School Parents’ Association (http://www.ottawacspa.ca/).  Child care is provided.  Please see the information poster with a link to the registration form.

Pediculosis - Head Lice information
When there has been a report of pediculosis (head lice) possible at the school, we are required to share with our community.  Please see the following link regarding information to parents.

“Women’s Day” Event
Attention Mothers:  Join us for  "Women’s Day, InspireEncourage...Engage!", to be held at the Albion-Heatherington Recreation Centre, 1560 Heatherington Road.  Come and learn about community resources and agencies which support families in your area.
Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 11:30 am – 2:00 pm.   
Free childcare on site and free lunch.  
RSVP: Euphrasie 613-737-5115 ext 2409


Have a great week;

Sean Kelly