This week marks Bullying Prevention and Intervention Week at St. Mary. Please review our spirit day plan with your children. The theme this year is, “One Kind Word”. To continue to create a culture of inclusivity and acceptance at St. Mary, teachers will be doing many activities with students to promote bullying prevention and intervention. All classes JK/SK-Grade 8 will continue to review the strategies introduced last week in their BRAVE workshops on how to deal with conflict – TALK AWAY, WALK AWAY, BLOCK AWAY.
COVID-19 Update
The custodial staff continue to disinfect and clean classrooms thoroughly each night. We have two custodians at St. Mary throughout the day and they will continue to disinfect high-touch surfaces a minimum of twice daily (e.g. door handles, water filling stations, washroom faucets and handles, etc). The health and safety of all of our students and staff is the underlying principle of all of our COVID-19 related procedures and practices. Please take some time to review the importance for your child(ren) to continue to maintain physical distancing, to wash/sanitize their hands throughout the day and to wear their masks at all times unless eating, drinking or outside at recess.
Parents, as per the YCDSB Re-Entry Plan, please do not congregate outside on the sidewalk when picking up students after school. Physical distancing must be maintained at all times. Please do not drop off student belongings throughout the day. Ensure that students have all of their belongings including lunch, water bottles, school work, winter outdoor clothing, etc.
If students are remaining home for this week to quarantine, they can participate in remote learning by accessing the Google Meet link on their Google Classroom. We pray for everyone’s continued good health and safety.
Progress Reports
On Tuesday, November 16th, students in JK/SK will receive their Communication of Learning Report and students in Gr. 1 to 8 will receive their Progress Report electronically after 4:00pm via the Parent Portal. . The Progress Report will focus on student work habits and their attitude towards learning.
Parents are encouraged to sign-on to the Parent Portal in advance of November 16th to ensure your username and password will allow access. To access this portal, please visit our school’s website smy.ycdsb.ca and click on the parents link in the top banner. From the Parents page, you will find a link to “Maplewood Parent Portal ConnectEd” on the right hand side.
During this week, teachers will host parent/teacher interviews through Google Meets or phone calls. Information on interview times will be shared with parents by classroom teachers.
A reminder that Friday, November 19th is a PA day. There will be no school for students.
Grade 8 Confirmation
During the week of November 16-19, Grade 8 students will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Mary Church. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit dwell in their hearts and keep them strong, faithful and joyful in their lifelong walk with the Lord.
Cardinal Carter Catholic High School Virtual Open House
All Grade 8 students and their parents/guardians are invited to Cardinal Carter CHS Virtual Open House on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7 p.m. This is an opportunity for prospective students to learn about Cardinal Carter CHS. The link to watch the open house will be available on the Cardinal Carter Catholic High School – Pax et Lux, Peace and Light website prior to the start of the open house.
Mark Your Calendars – A message from Teacher-Librarian Ms. Schmidt
St. Mary’s will be hosting a Virtual Scholastic Book Fair from Monday November 29th – Sunday December 5th. During these dates, you can shop from the comfort of your home and explore over 450 items that are available any time on our Virtual Book Fair website, which can be found here: https://virtual book fairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5169674
Until the fair opens, you can still visit this link, bookmark it, and view some of the featured books that will be available to you. On Monday November 29th, a “Shop Now” button will appear on this link, allowing you to begin making your purchases. The link will be live until midnight on Sunday December 5th. All orders will be shipped directly to our school, which means no shipping fees for our families! Best of all, purchases still support our school for more learning resources which will continue to enhance our students’ learning experiences at St. Mary. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to our Book Fair dates!”