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.

Kids and Drugs Poster

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly