On this very special weekend, we honour all of the Mothers, Godmothers, Grandmothers, Aunts and Special Women in the lives of our St. Mary students. We know that special women model for our students what it means to be strong, self-assured and confident. This year has been particularly challenging for everyone but we thank all of the special women in the St. Mary community for:
- Always offering your unconditional love and support
- Trying to see things from your kid’s point of view.
- Having patience. And then more patience on top of that.
- Having a sense of humour.
- Trying to find balance in everything you do.
Happy Mother’s Day! Wishing you a wonderful day filled with laughter and fun!
On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, an exceptional group of Intermediate students will participate in the University of Waterloo GAUSS Math Competition. The Gauss Contests are an opportunity for students to have fun and to develop their mathematical problem solving ability. We thank our amazing teacher advisors Mrs. Ceci, Mrs. Liegghio and Mr. Conte for all of the time and dedication they have put into coaching the students. They have met virtually throughout this year to practice, review math skills and to solve extremely challenging mathematical problems. Thank you to this team of students for representing St. Mary school. We wish them the best of luck and much success.
Mental health and well being continues to be a focus for staff and students at St. Mary school. Every day, educators and students are exposed to big and small challenges that can contribute to feelings of stress. This year educators and students have risen to the challenge in innovative and creative ways. As the impact of the pandemic continues to evolve, classroom teachers continue to provide opportunities for explicit skill development to bolster positive student mental health. During the month of May, the strategy that will be discussed and practiced is distraction to help students manage stress. From time to time all of us can feel overwhelmed with feelings and situations that cause us stress. Distraction is one strategy that can help give us some space from those feelings and an opportunity to settle our mind and emotions. There are many activities that can help us refocus our mind. Often the activity we choose to distract ourselves with reflects our interests or our strengths. Understanding what we value, acknowledging our strengths, and knowing the kinds of activities we find fun can help us choose a suitable distraction. We hope your children will share this strategy with you. https://smho-smso.ca/