March 31, 2020
Please read the letter below from our Director of Education, regarding the Ontario government’s decision to extend the closure of all schools to Friday, May 1, 2020.
Letter to Parents School Closure COVID 19 Mar31 20
March 30, 2020
Over the past few days, each classroom teacher has been reaching out to their students and their families using their current communication method (i.e. Google Classroom/D2L/Class website) to share some initial learning resources and to assess student technology needs (i.e. device & internet access). Where internet communication is not possible, they have been calling families.
If you have not yet made contact with your child’s teacher, please use the email addresses on the staff list page to send them a message.
The Board and our school are currently working on a plan to distribute Chromebooks based on student need (generally 1 device per household). The hope is to be able to distribute the devices by the end of this week, so students are prepared for the academic programming that will be in place on April 6. For the most part, the online learning will use the Google Classroom or D2L platform and be asynchronous (i.e. not in real-time with the teacher), which will permit different students to use the same device to complete learning activities assigned by their teacher.
The school will be contacting you in the next couple of days to set up a time to pickup your Chromebook (as identified in our learning needs assessment survey). In coordination with Public Health, the Board has created a safety protocol by which devices will be retrieved and distributed – and this needs to be strictly adhered to.
The Board has also launched a WCDSBLearn @ Home website to keep everyone up to date on the latest developments.
Dear St. Paul Families,
As you know, schools are now closed and it would appear that this will stretch beyond the Easter weekend, although exactly when we might return to face to face learning is not yet clear. Just a quick note to say we are all thinking of all of your families during this difficult time and are hoping all of you are keeping everyone well and safe. A special thank-you to those who are working in essential services right now as you are keeping our community going. In the coming days, each classroom teacher will be reaching out to their students and their families using their current communication method (i.e. Google Classroom/D2L/Class website) to share the resources below and to assess student technology needs (i.e. device & internet access). Where internet communication is not possible, they will be calling families.
As directed by the Ministry and the Board we are providing you with a few resources you may find helpful at this point. Please understand that you are not expected to engage in all of the activities provided but rather to use the resources as you see fit for your family and their needs. Additional learning programs are being developed by the Ministry over the next couple of weeks.
WCDSB STEAM Days + Learn At Home (Ministry of Education)
Prayer – For the Sick
Loving God, we believe that you desire only wholeness and goodness for us, and so we lift up to you all who are ill in any way. Grant them comfort and strength in their affliction, O God, and please restore them to good health.
We also ask that you bless all those who work with the sick, that they will be strengthened in their Ministry. Help them know how vitally important their challenging roles are as they seek to be signs of your compassion in the world.
Help those who are sick to trust in you, God, as they journey toward recovery. Grant peace to the families of those who are ill, Lord, as they wait in hope for their loved one’s healing.
Loving God, we ask your very special blessing on those who are dying and are soon to see you face to face. Give them peace, Lord, and surround them with the knowledge of your presence and love.
We also pray for our Health Care system, that it may always function for the good of those who are sick. We lift up to you those who cannot afford health insurance or proper Medical Care, and ask that we may be especially mindful of their needs.
We pray these things in the name of your Son, our Lord. Amen.
(source: Let’s Begin With A Prayer, Sally Macke)
How to support student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (suggestions for parents and families)
Hello Panther Community.
Please see the letter below from the Minister of Education.
March 13, 2020
As a result of the Government of Ontario’s order for all publicly funded schools in Ontario to remain closed from March 14, 2020 to April 5, 2020 (https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/title.html), the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is taking the following actions to further assist in limiting the spread of COVID-19:
The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we will continue working with local Public Health staff to ensure our schools remain clean, safe and welcoming in anticipation of the resumption of school in April. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant regarding hand hygiene and cough / sneeze etiquette and to follow all Public Health guidance and directives.
We ask all WCDSB stakeholders to continue monitoring our special COVID-19 web page for up-to-date information (https://www.wcdsb.ca/covid-19-coronavirus-updates/) — and our prayers continue for all those around the world who have been or will be affected by COVID-19.
The government’s order for all publicly funded schools in Ontario to remain closed from March 14, 2020 to April 5, 2020 will remove a lot of student and staff uncertainty about COVID-19 and concern about implications for schools. We believe this action is in the best interests of the health of Ontarians.
The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we will continue working with local Public Health staff to ensure our schools remain clean, safe and welcoming in anticipation of the resumption of school in April. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant regarding hand hygiene and cough / sneeze etiquette and to follow all Public Health guidance and directives.
In the meantime, we ask all WCDSB stakeholders to continue monitoring our special COVID-19 web page for up-to-date information (https://www.wcdsb.ca/covid-19-coronavirus-updates/) — and our prayers continue for all those around the world who have been or will be affected by COVID-19.
Arabic:
لقد اتخذت حكومة أونتاريو قرارا بإغلاق كافة المدارس لمدة أسبوعين بعد عطلة الربيع في شهر مارس كإجراء احترازي في إطار إجراءات الحد من انتشار فيروس كورونا المستجد. وعليه، سيتم إغلاق المدارس في الفترة من ١٤ مارس إلى ٥ إبريل. للحصول على آخر المستجدات بهذا الشأن، يرجى متابعة موقع مجلس الإدارة التعليمية على: www.wcdsb.ca
TIGRIGNA
መንግስቲ ኦንቴርዮ፡ ንምክልኻል ናይ 2019 ሓዲሽ ኮሮና ቪረስ (COVID-2019) ፡ ድሕሪ ዕረፍቲ ናይ ማርች (March Break )፡ ንኽልተ ሰሙን፡ ኩለን ቤት ትምህርታት ካብ ዕለት14 ማርች፡ 2020 ክሳብ ዕለት 5 ኤፕሪል- 2020 ተዓጽየን ክጸንሓ ወሲኑ ኣሎ።
AMHARIC
የኦንቴርዮ መንግስት፡ የ2019 ኣዲሱ ኮሮና ቪሩስ (covid-2019) ለመከላከል ያኽል፡ ከማርች ብሬክ ቀጥሎ፡ ለሁለት ሳምንታት፡ ከ ማርች14- 2020፡ እስከ ኤፕሪል 5፡2020: ትምህርት ቤቶች በሙሉ ተዘግትወ እንዲቆዩ ወስነዋል።
Hello Panther Community,
Please read the important memorandum linked below from the Public Health and Emergency Services department of the Region of Waterloo regarding immunization and the rescinding of suspension orders.
2020_-_Rescindment_of_suspension_orders_for_elementary_students
Hello Panther Community,
Below is a link to an important letter from the Medical Officer of Health from the Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services department in advance of March Break, especially if you plan on travelling anywhere.
Public Health – COVID-19_PARENT_LETTER_2020_03_06
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) has established a special COVID-19 page on the WCDSB main website. The page contains links to important COVID-19 information and resources. The page will be updated on an ongoing basis and will be their primary mode of public communication as the situation evolves.
Are you keen to see your child performing more acts of kindness? Research says that ‘attribution’ plays a role in encouraging this.
Learn how you can use attribution to build kindness in week’s video tip with Dr. Jen!
Kindness Quote of the week: Be the reason someone smiles today.
All of us need to be reconciled: to God, to one another, and to ourselves. God knows the needs of our hearts and wants to bring wholeness and healing to us. All we have to do is come before the Lord with an open and sincere heart, and the Lord will respond to our desire for forgiveness.
(source: Let’s Begin With A Prayer, Sally Macke).
We are very proud of our partnership with St Francis Parish. In order to continue to build on this relationship, each week we will be providing our community with a link to access the Church Bulletin so you may keep yourself up to date on the many events at the Parish.
St. Francis Bulletin March 8, 2020
At this time of year, we invite you to reflect on your child’s progress at school. This is also a reminder to take a look at the top right hand corner of their most recent report card and the number of absences and lates that your child has.
We know that children who attend school on a regular basis are more successful in many areas of their lives. Regular attendance at school increases opportunities for growth. Please be in touch with us if you need support in improving your child’s attendance.
There are 194 school days in a given year. Missing a “few” might not seem like a big deal, but “a day here and a day there” can add up to a substantial amount of opportunity lost. We encourage you and your child to stay on the path to success. See why Attendance Matters.
The Ministry of Education has launched Ontario’s survey on bullying. The survey will be used to gather information from students, parents/guardians, and school staff so that we can better understand this complex issue and help find new ways to make schools safer and more inclusive.
The survey can be accessed at https://www.ontario.ca/page/consultation-bullying-ontario-schools and will close by March 31, 2020. This survey is one of the five measures to prevent and combat bullying in Ontario schools announced by the Minister on November 27, 2019.
The ministry is committed to ensuring online safety, consent and the privacy of students. Students under 16 years of age who wish to participate in the survey will be asked to seek permission from a parent or guardian. The survey is also open to parents/guardians and school staff because we know they are
committed partners in education and may want to offer feedback.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to support their children in taking the survey. Participation in the survey provides an opportunity for parents/guardians and students to talk about bullying. To support this, Information for Parents/Guardians about Ontario’s Survey on Bullying is available online.
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Friday:
If you were absent for graduation picture day, you can go to the Lifetouch studio 9-907 Frederick Street, Kitchener on Friday, March 27 to have your picture taken. Please call 519-744-1146 ext 2 to book your appointment. Please note that photos taken after March 27 will not be added to the class composite – no exceptions.
Have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing March Break Panthers!
