St. Patrick's Intermediate October 31 to November 4

Experiential Learning at St. Pat's High School
On Tuesday, various grade 8 classes went over to St. Pat's High School to involve themselves in hands-on experiential learning activities.  Experiential learning is an important component of our school improvement plan; hence, we are grateful to the staff of St. Pat's High School for letting us take part in these important activities.  Here are a few photos from our day there:

Career Week
Next week is Career Week. To highlight this, various careers will be presented each morning over the PA during announcements and a video will be shown during the lunch break. Helping students learn about various careers is fundamental to all that we do at St. Pat's Intermediate.

Progress Report Cards
Student progress reports will go home this Thursday, November 5th.  These report cards provide an indication of how students are progressing in each of their subject areas.  In most cases, there is an indication that students are progressing well, or very well.  In cases where students are progressing with difficulty, teachers have indicated a next-step for success.  At the school, we meet as an administrative and student services team to review any students that are having some difficulty.

After-School Academic Support

As part of our Student Success plan at St. Patrick’s, we are offering a number of options for after-school support.  These programs range from informal homework assistance to numeracy/literacy incentives.  Parents/guardians may have already been contacted about their son/daughter participating in an after-school course.  If you have any questions, please contact the school.  

Halloween
Monday is Halloween. Students may dress in an appropriate, imaginative costume if they wish. We do not allow masks that cover the face (make-up is ok) nor are we permitting clown costumes this year. It's always fun to see students dress-up each year.

Important Contact Information

Our School Council chair is Cees Artz and can be reached at 

chair@StPatsInt-council.ca

Our Trustee is Mark Mullan and can be reached at mark.mullan@ocsb.ca

Have a great week.

Don Murphy

Principal

Thursday, Nov. 3:  CSPA presents Intro to Self-Regulation - Stress Behaviour vs. Misbehaviour with Dr. Stuart Shanker, 7-8:45 p.m., St. Paul Catholic High School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

Monday, Nov. 7:  CSPA presents Boot Camp for School Councils, 7-8:45 p.m., Thomas Darcy McGee Catholic School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

Tuesday, Nov. 15:  Connection is Key: A Presentation by Dr. Jean Clinton, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Frank Ryan Senior Elementary School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

St. Pat's Intermediate Oct. 24-28

Halloween Activities

Students will have the opportunity to dress up in an appropriate costume on Monday, October 31st. We ask that no masks cover the face (make-up is ok) and no replica weapons be utilized. Also, this year, we are banning clown costumes given what has happened in various parts of North America.

Photo Retake Day
Picture retakes for students who missed their first opportunity or who would like a second sitting will occur this Friday, October 28. There is no additional work for parents who would like a retake except to remind their son/daughter to listen for the PA announcement on Friday. The photography team will make a point to review the original and the re-take image with students to ensure that they are getting the exact portrait they want.

Mental Wellness Sessions

In our commitment to the mental well-being of all our students, on Wednesday, October 19, we held some sessions for our grade 8 population (the grade 7's will partake in this opportunity at a later date). Students were able to choose from a variety of life-balancing sessions including running, walking, yoga, baking, hacky sack, visual arts, and dance. This was very successful last year and this year was no different. Here are some photos from some of the morning's activities:

Important Contact Information

Our School Council chair is Cees Artz and can be reached at 

chair@StPatsInt-council.ca

Our Trustee is Mark Mullan and can be reached at mark.mullan@ocsb.ca

Have a great week.

Don Murphy

Principal

Coming Up
Wednesday, Oct. 26: School Council meeting at 7 p.m. in Learning Commons 1.

Thursday, Nov. 3:  CSPA presents Intro to Self-Regulation - Stress Behaviour vs. Misbehaviour with Dr. Stuart Shanker, 7-8:45 p.m., St. Paul Catholic High School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

Monday, Nov. 7:  CSPA presents Boot Camp for School Councils, 7-8:45 p.m., Thomas Darcy McGee Catholic School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

Tuesday, Nov. 15:  Connection is Key: A Presentation by Dr. Jean Clinton, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Frank Ryan Senior Elementary School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

St. Pat's Intermediate October 17 to 21

Mental Wellness Sessions

In our commitment to the mental well-being of all our students, on Wednesday, October 19, we will hold some sessions for our grade 8 population (the grade 7's will partake in this opportunity at a later date). Students will be able to choose from a variety of life-balancing sessions including running, walking, yoga, baking, hacky sack, visual arts, and dance. This was very successful last year and we are looking forward to continued success this year as well.

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

On Tuesday, IEP's will be sent home. If your son or daughter has an IEP, please have a look at this very important "live" document. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Resource Department and they will be able to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have.

Homework Club

Our Homework Club is now up and running. For those not familiar with this, on most Tuesdays and Thursdays after-school, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., students can go to Learning Commons 1 to work on homework and to receive help on anything they are struggling with academically. This is a great way to meet new friends and to get work done at the same time.

Dress-Down Day and Dance

This Friday, October 21 will be a dress-down day as there is also a dance that afternoon, after lunch. This means that there will be NO dress-down day on Friday, October 28. I will be making verbal announcements all week so students are aware of this change.

EQAO Grade 10 Literacy Test

On Thursday, October 20, grade 10's in the province (and 11's and 12's who have not yet written) will write a new, completely online version of the Literacy Test. In order to not overtax the wifi system at St. Pat's High School, some of their students will come over to us to write. A schedule has been devised so as not to disrupt nor mix with our students. We are happy to be able to help out the high school in this endeavour.

Don't Forget to Check Our Website

Just a reminder to remember to check our website (spe.ocsb.ca) often, especially on the HomePage under School News and Announcements. In this area, I place notices for important upcoming events that may be of interest to parents, such as topics on drug awareness, concussions, test-taking strategies, etc. I try to post events as quickly as I receive them so please check back often.

Important Contact Information

Our School Council chair is Cees Artz and can be reached at 

chair@StPatsInt-council.ca

Our Trustee is Mark Mullan and can be reached at mark.mullan@ocsb.ca

Have a great week.

Don Murphy

Principal

Coming Up

Wednesday, Oct. 26: School Council meeting at 7 p.m. in Learning Commons 1.

Thursday, Nov. 3:  CSPA presents Intro to Self-Regulation - Stress Behaviour vs. Misbehaviour with Dr. Stuart Shanker, 7-8:45 p.m., St. Paul Catholic High School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

Monday, Nov. 7:  CSPA presents Boot Camp for School Councils, 7-8:45 p.m., Thomas Darcy McGee Catholic School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register)

St. Pat's Intermediate October 10-14

Dr. Eva Olsson
On Tuesday we listened to Holocaust survivor Dr. Eva Olsson.  You could hear a pin drop in the cafeteria as the students were so tuned-in to her riveting talk. Her message of hope and to avoid being by-standers in the world touched us all.

Terry Fox Run

Our community did another fantastic job fundraising for the Terry Fox Foundation as we exceeded our goal of $6000 by collecting almost $7000.  Students and staff raised money to help support the Foundation as they continue their work to support cancer research. Our run/walk culminated with a high energy assembly that saw each of our homebases decked out in their Catholic Values T-shirts.  Our top-fundraising students took turns throwing sponges at our staff members. Thanks to all those who helped organize and support this very important event. Here is a courtyard photo of students preparing to run:

Christian Community Day
On Friday staff gathered at the Shaw Centre for Christian Community Day. This year we listened to our Director of Education, Denise Andre, set direction by reviewing our Board's deep learning strategies as well as heard Steve Pemberton, author of A Chance in the World, and then celebrated mass with our most Reverend Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J.  As in years' past, it was a very fulfilling day and experience.
Clubs and Sports 
Our many clubs and sports are up and running at St. Pat's Intermediate, thanks to the time and dedication of staff.  I always tell students at our Monday Morning Assembly to get involved with extra-curricular activities as academics are important but so, too, are clubs and sports as not all learning happens solely inside of the classroom.  As an example, here is a photo of our after-school Computer Coding Club:  

Happy Thanksgiving
As we enter October, I do not know where September went. Things really do move quickly in this wonderful St. Pat's Intermediate family of ours. That said, I wish everyone in our community a very joyous and happy Thanksgiving.  We live in one of the best countries in the world and have much to be thankful for. 

Important Contact Information

Our School Council chair is Cees Artz and can be reached at 
chair@StPatsInt-council.ca

Our Trustee is Mark Mullan and can be reached at mark.mullan@ocsb.ca

Don Murphy

Principal

Coming Up

Thursday, Nov. 3:  CSPA presents Intro to Self-Regulation - Stress Behaviour vs. Misbehaviour with Dr. Stuart Shanker, 7-8:45 p.m., St. Paul Catholic High School (see spe.ocsb.ca for more information and to register).