St. Patrick's Blog Week of May 4th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of May 4th, 2015

Catholic Education Week

May 4th to 8th is Catholic Education Week across our province.  There is a great deal going on across the board, as well as at our school.  We have published a pamphlet that highlights the activities taking place at St. Patrick’s Intermediate this week.  As part of our celebrations, we are honoured to have Archbishop Prendergast saying mass at the school on Thursday, May 7th at 10:00 am.  This Thursday we will also be having an open house (2:30 to 6:30) with a BBQ at 4:00 and a Music and Dance Showcase at 5:50.  Our parents and guardians are welcome to join us.  Please see our brochure for other details on our activities.

Board Events:

Catholic Education Week Mass – Celebrated by Archbishop Terrance Prendergast & Director of Education Awards & Stephen H. Richardson Memorial Award

·      Tuesday, May 5 | 7:30 p.m. | Notre Dame Cathedral |

“Step Up by Stepping Back” Dance Showcases

·         Tuesday, May 5 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | St. Paul High School

·         Wednesday, May 6 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Notre Dame High School |

·         Thursday, May 7 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Sacred Heart High School |

Choral Celebration – Friday, May 8 | 12 noon – 2:00 p.m.  Massed Choir of  600 students from 17 schools sing together about 1:15 p.m.  | Notre Dame High School |

School Accommodation Review Update

A reminder that the next public consultation meeting regarding the St. Patrick’s Intermediate School Accommodation Review will be May 11th at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at St. Patrick’s High School.  The board has prepared an update document that will serve as additional information regarding the process.  You can access the document here.  We will be discussing the accommodation review further at our School Council meeting this Monday, May 4th at 7:00pm in our Learning Commons area.  Please join us for information on a range of topics.

St. Patrick’s French Excursion to Quebec City

We welcome our students and staff back from their Quebec City trip this past week.  The group was involved in a French language and cultural experience that included a visit to Sainte Anne de Beaupre Basilica, a guided sightseeing tour of the city, and an exploration of the history surrounding the Plains of Abraham.  There was also a little time for shopping and, I hear, some great meals!  Thank you to our parent community for supporting this activity.

Parent / Guardian Survey for the Board

Our Board, in collaboration with the Ottawa Catholic Schools’ Parent Association (CSPA) are conducting a survey of school families, to find out what information families would like to receive from OCSB schools and how you wish to receive it.  Good communication between home and school allows parents/guardians & school staff to work together to help our children succeed.  With many communication tools now in use, we believe it is important to understand how families currently view communication.  WE NEED YOUR HELP.  Your opinions are important to us.

The survey is available both online and in printed form (from your school); in English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.  Participation is voluntary and completely anonymous.   We plan to use the survey results to work together with school councils and our school board to put in place communications plans and strategies taking into account parent preferences.  Please access the surveys in different langauges at the following link:

Parent Surveys

School Exchange - Oaxaca, Mexico

Students and staff at St. Patrick’s Intermediate will be hosting visiting students and teachers from a school in Oaxaca, Mexico beginning this Friday, May 8th.  The Mexican students are dancers who will be participating in next weekend’s Tulip Festival as well as participating in cultural activities with their billeted families.  I look forward to providing you with additional details in next week’s Blog.

School Cash Online

We are actively encouraging our parent and guardian community to sign up for our School Cash online program.  This web-based software allows parents to go online and pay for school excursions, sports wear, student fees etc.  Our St. Patrick’s Intermediate school yearbook will be available for purchase online this week, and student fees for our year end trips for grade 7 and 8 students can also be taken care of online.  Please visit https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com to register.  If you have any questions about the process or are having technical issues, please call 1-866-961-1803 or email parenthelp@schoolcashonline.com for the Parent Help Desk

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly