School Day Timing and Walk Zone review at St. Patrick's

Following a city-wide review of school start times and walking zones, St. Patrick's school time will not be changed for next year.  There will be, however, some changes next year to the zone within which students are expected to walk to school.  Please review the accompanying document for additional information.

School Walk Zone Review

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher for a Capital Educators’ Award!

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher for a Capital Educators’ Award!

Teachers play a critical role in our children’s lives, and yet, we rarely get the chance to let them know just how much we appreciate them. You now have a chance to show your gratitude and make a teachers day (or year!) by nominating them for a 2015 Capital Educators’ Award.  The Ottawa Network for Education will recognize the achievements of outstanding educators and celebrate public education at the 14th annual Capital Educators’ Awards on May 21, 2015.  Award recipients are announced at the gala dinner aptly called EduGala.  All educators who have classroom teaching responsibilities at one of the 10 partner institutions in Ottawa are eligible to be nominated.  Anyone can submit a nomination form!

To nominate your favorite educator today visit www.edugala.ca! Nominations close February 27th.

St. Patrick's Intermediate's Ms. Joan Sweeney was not only a nominee, but a winner of the award last year!

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School Council Meeting Update February 3rd, 2015

School Council Meeting Update February 3rd, 2015

Our School Council met last night and reviewed a number of school activities and provided the following updates:

School Cash Online

St. Patrick’s Intermediate is currently working through a process whereby school excursions and fee collections will be offered for completion online.  We are currently tailoring the approach to our school and community, and will provide additional information once we have set up the system.

Social Media Use by Students

We spent some time at our council meeting speaking about the proactive steps our students and staff  take around the encouragement of appropriate social media use.  The highlights included our Digital Samaritans program, which integrates engaging online learning with appropriate choices on the internet.  We also discussed the Gospel Value media presentations that each of our homebases create to encourage respect, honesty and integrity among our community.   

Student Mental Health

Over the past few months, members of our staff as well as a large group of students, have been working on a presentation on the topic of Mental Wellness.  The video highlights a number of statistics related to mental health, as well as a positive message of hope.

You may view the video here:

Mental Wellness Video

Catholic School Parent Association Updates

from: January, 28th, 2015

Main Topic : ​Safe Schools

● Peter Atkinson (Superintendent) began the evening going over the events of October 22, 2014. He started to describe in detail the actions in which the school board took: At 10:25 that morning, Peter received a text from the police with an advisory of the events that were enfolding downtown and recommended that all schools be placed in some sort of lock down. Our schools were placed in " Secure Schools"

Things we should know :

● The boards number one priority is our children's safety at all times

● Both students and staff are trained on all stages of lockdown procedures

● During these procedures cell phones will be turned off if police require it also, police will indicate if kids can text parents to let them know they are ok

● In case of emergency, ensure schools have all forms of contact information so that they or your children can contact you if possible

Next CSPA meeting and Topic:

Wednesday, February,26th,2015. 7:30 pm

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

Learning French in the Ottawa Catholic School Board - options

Please review the following poster advertising an evening of information regarding French instruction in the Ottawa Catholic School Board

Pathway to French Information session

Kids and Mental Health

Please review this Ottawa Public Health information on mental health and our kids:

One in five children in Ontario has a mental health problem. Changes to your child’s mental health may not be obvious.

Warning signs to look for:

 Mood swings and changes in eating habits.

 Headaches and sore stomach.

 Low energy and not sleeping well.

 Missing school and/or having trouble at school.

 Spending less time with friends and family.

 Wanting to be left alone.

 Feelings of anger and rage.

Remember:

 Listen to your child and trust your judgment.

 You are the best person to notice changes.

 Talk to your child’s teacher, he or she may have seen some changes too.

 It’s okay to ask for help and talk to your family doctor.

For more information on kids and mental health please visit www.kidsmentalhealth.ca ,

www.cheo.on.ca/en/cheomentalhealth, or Ottawa Public Health at 613 580-6744,

www.ottawa.ca/health.

Family Services Ottawa - Courses for Parents/Guardians

Information on courses for parents and guardians - please visit their website for more information.

Did you know…

that you don’t have to have problems with your kids to take a parenting course

that lots of dads come to our parenting programs

that lots of couples come to our parenting programs

Join us for  Effective Parenting through Positive Discipline SEMINAR  on Thursday January 22.  There are a few spots available but they’re filling up fast!

FRIENDS for Life (an anxiety prevention program for children 10-12 years with mild to moderate anxiety) starts Wednesday January 28. (Offered only once a year!!)

Parenting through HIGH CONFLICT Separation and Divorce starts Tuesday February 3.

  

For information and registration, please contact us at 613-725-3601 ext. 207 or visit us atwww.familyservicesottawa.org to register online.