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).

St. Pat's Intermediate Oct. 3 to 7

Terry Fox Run - Thursday, October 9th

We have been encouraging students to assist with fundraising for our Terry Fox run this coming Thursday.  In order to support our fundraising activities, we have put a number of incentives in place to get students to enlist help from friends and family.  Our goal this year is $5000. This is a great community building activity that goes to a very worthy cause.  

School Council Update

We had our first School Council meeting on Monday. I would like to congratulate all members of our School Council, being: Mr. Cees Artz (chair), Ms. Glynis Hughes (vice-chair), Mr. Dejan Roganovic (treasurer), Ms. Stephanie Anderton (secretary), Ms. Narghiza Suyunova (parent rep), Ms. Jo-Anne Saikaley Sparkes (community rep), and Ms. Tilly Corriveau (school rep). Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 26 at 7 p.m. in our Learning Commons.

Vertical Learning
A teacher competency we are working with this year is that of leveraging digital, of which vertical learning is a component. Here, students write on vertical surfaces around the class in order share ideas and solutions to problems. The photo below depicts this strategy occurring in one of Ms. Fournier's math classes.

Professional Development Day on Friday

Just a reminder that this coming Friday there is no school for students as staff will be taking part in Christian Community Day at the Shaw Centre. This day is always productive as we learn of overall Board-wide goals and set direction to meet those goals.

Progress Reports - Important Date Changes
Please note that Progress Reports will now be distributed to students on Thursday, November 3 and Parent/Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday, November 17 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and then from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause/may have caused. 

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.  Please have a look at the uOttawa event below.

Don Murphy

Principal

September-26-16 Unsubscribe | Printable Version | Send this to a friend
Go Eng Girl Event - October 15, 2016 The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ottawa would like to extend a special invitation to girls in grades 7 to 10 to participate in the Go ENG Girl day. This FREE event will give girls the opportunity to explore the exciting field of engineering through activities designed just for them! This year, the University of Ottawa is offering 2 locations to participate in this event: École Le Sommet 894 Cecile Blvd in Hawkesbury On campus, at the University, SITE building (800 Avenue King Edward, Ottawa). A pizza lunch will be included. Registration is required online at http://events.onwie.ca  You do not need to login.  Simply click on the logo above the login box. Language: This event will be bilingual, with French and English groups Grades: Grade 7-10 (Girls only) Date: October 15, 2016 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Location: The drop-off and pick-up takes place inside the main entrance of the SITE building at 800 King Edward Avenue for the on campus location. Hawkesbury location: Ecole secondaire Le Sommet, 894 Cecile Bldv, Hawkesbury, ON K6A 3R5 Cost: FREE Activities: Visit of engineering labs (on campus only), hands-on activities, 3D printing, challenges, presentation from female engineers. Registration: Please click on the link below to register.

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St. Patrick's Intermediate September 26-30

Student Verification Sheets

Student verification sheets were sent home a few weeks ago. Please have a look at this important information and make any changes necessary. The forms were due back on Friday so if you still have not returned them please do so as soon as possible.

Dress-Down Day on Friday

On Friday, for a small donation of $2 which goes to charity, students will be able to wear appropriate non-uniform clothing. This will be mentioned at our Monday Morning Assembly as well as what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate clothing items.

School Council Meeting

Please be sure to join us for our first School Council Meeting. It will take place this coming Tuesday, September 27 at 7 p.m. in our Learning Commons 1.

Pulse Event

On Wednesday, we were treated to a whole-day retreat by a group from Saskatchewan known as Pulse. Students sang, danced, and listened to stories and discussions about God and our purpose on earth. We are grateful to the Board for assisting in the funding of this event.

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

St. Pat's Intermediate September 19-23

School Photo Day

Students will be called down during the day for school photos on Friday, September 23.  There is no need to send money ahead of time as students will receive picture proofs and parents can make decisions about ordering later on. For helpful hints from Edge Imaging, simply click here:  

Photo Day Information

Math Homework Help

Homework Help is a valuable math resource for students in grades 7 to 10, as it allows them to access live, anonymous tutor chat sessions with certified Ontario teachers. In these sessions, the tutors will guide students to solve math questions after school hours. The live Homework Help chat room service will re-open for students on Sunday, September 11, 2016 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. Access at: Homework Help

Intramurals
For intramural information and for an explanation of t-shirt costs, please access:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=18SlWdjIZXRaFSvTT16LWP_JvkwAsJ_WMq5EQAauu-9U

Bootcamp News
Our "bootcamp" continued this week with a focus on mental health and awareness and goal setting using my BluePrint.  Part of these activities are directly related and relevant to our School Improvement Plan.   The use of the career-planning tool my BluePrint will continue on a monthly basis.

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 rereachedmark.mullan@ocsb.ca

Have a great week.

Don Murphy
Principal

Coming Up

Tues. Sept. 27:  School Council Meeting at 7 p.m., Learning Commons 1

St. Pat's Intermediate September 12 to 16

Opening Week

We had a great opening week at St. Patrick’s Intermediate.  Our first Boot Camp session gave us an opportunity to speak to students about being kind to each other and steps to take if bullied or if a witness to bullying.  We have a strong tradition at St. Patrick’s of demonstrating care and concern for each other.  This doesn’t happen by accident - we need to continually review our approaches and make sure we are all content both in and outside the classroom.  

Meet the Staff Night

On Thursday we had a great turnout for our annual Meet the Staff Night. Despite the incredible heat that evening, parents/guardians were able to walk from building to building in order to connect with our staff. Feedback from this night was extremely positive and it is something that we will continue annually.

Monday Morning Assembly

For our grade 7 students, our weekly Monday Morning Assembly will be a new experience in organization and in building spirit.  We gather Monday mornings as a full community to listen to pray and reflect, and to review the weekly agenda.  Another part of our assemblies include student presentations that shine light on learning skills, gospel values and our Catholic Graduate Expectations.

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

Tues. Sept. 27:  School Council Meeting at 7 p.m., Learning Commons 1

St. Pat's Intermediate September 5-9

Welcome Back to School!

I would like to extend a very warm return to our grade 8 students and families, and an enthusiastic welcome to our grade 7's.  We are excited to begin the learning process within our school community this year.

On Tuesday, we will have a special schedule providing some additional time in homebase so that teachers can provide students with information about the school year, and distribute a number of forms that we are asking students to bring home to their parents/guardians.  Included in this package is a welcoming letter from me.  

Our staff met last week for a liturgy and to review directions for the school year, and I had the opportunity to thank a number of people at that time.  I would also like to share with our entire community my appreciation of the custodial staff, led by Mr. Joanisse, as well as our office administrators Ms. Clarke and Ms. Foley for their extensive work preparing for the start of this year.  

Our Welcome BBQ for new students and families last Wednesday was a huge success. The weather was perfect, giving everyone the opportunity to remain outdoors and meet. I'd like to thank our School Council for all their hard work and effort. The first School Council meeting is Tuesday, September 27 at 7 p.m. in Learning Commons 1. I encourage those interested to come out and get involved.

It is exciting to start another school year. One initiative that I will continue will be to keep students, parents and guardians up to date with school news through this blog.  There are other modes of communicating with the school found on the welcoming letter from me that your son/daughter will bring home on Tuesday.  Please review this and feel free to contact the school anytime.

Meet the Staff Evening
Our Meet the Staff Evening is this Thursday, Sept. 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. We look forward to meeting our community at this casual meet-and-greet event. We will start the evening by gathering together in the cafeteria. Hope to see you there!

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 first week back.

Don Murphy

Principal



Coming Up
Tues. Sept. 27:  School Council Meeting at 7 p.m., Learning Commons 1