ST. BENEDICT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
345 Blind Line, Orangeville, ON L9W 4X1
(P) 519-942-5980
(F) 519-942-3849
PRAYER FOR A NEW YEAR
God of this New Year,
We are walking into mystery.
We face the future,
Not knowing what the days or months will bring to us or how we
will respond.
Be love in us as we journey. May we welcome all who come our
way.
Deepen our faith to see all of life through Your eyes.
Fill us with hope and an abiding trust that you dwell in us amidst all
our joys and sorrows.
Thank you for the treasure of our faith life.
Thank you for the gift of being able to rise each day with the
assurance of Your walking through the day with us.
God of this New Year, we praise you.
Amen.
SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY
Principal
L. Quick
Secretary
A. Wasyliw
Superintendent BECDM
L. Storey
905-890-1221
Trustee
F. Di Cosola
905-951-8898
Parish
St. Timothy Catholic Church
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Pastor
Welcome to another New Year! I hope that everyone in the
St. Benedict School community was able to rest and reenergize during the holiday season. It is our prayer that this
year will be blessed with good health and happiness for
everyone.
Fr. S Lee Lung
As this first term comes to a close, we ask that you continue
to encourage your children to work to the best of their ability.
As always, your support in maintaining a collaborative
relationship between home and school is much appreciated.
lbolzon68@gmail.com
I wish all of our families a very happy and prosperous New
Year in 2016.
519-941-2424
Catholic School Advisory
Council
Chair: L. Bolzon
Save the Date!
On Wednesday February 17th, 2016 from 7:00 p.m.
– 8:00 p.m. our Catholic School Council is hosting a
parent engagement evening on the topic of
Childhood Anxiety. Further information will be
forthcoming in the February newsletter.
Curling Club
Once again, St. Benedict has a team participating in
our Elementary School Curling League at the
Orangeville Curling Club. Each Monday afternoon,
our team, over eight weeks,
will learn the game of curling
and play a round robin
against other Orangeville
Elementary schools. We will
end our season with a
Curling Bonspiel on Wednesday, March 30th. This
year's team members are:
Ethan C., Abbey W.,
Skylar C., Emily H., and Aaron B. Good Luck and Good
Curling!
Calendar of Events
January 4
First Day back from holidays
January 18 PD Day – No School for students
January 20 Church Visit – Eucharistic Miracles
January 20 Ski Club
January 22 Spirit Day
January 22 Cross Country Ski Trip – Mrs.
Sousa, Mr. Serafini, Mr. Merry and Ms.
LaVieille’s classes
January 23 Knights of Columbus Free Throw St. Andrew Catholic School @ 9:00 a.m.
January 25 Kindergarten Registration Evening
FEBRUARY
February 2 Report Cards go home
February 4 Parent Teacher Interview Evening
February 5 PD Day – No School For students
Professional Activity Days
Monday January 18th and Friday February 5th are PA
Days. January 18th is for assessment and evaluation
of student progress. February 5th is for ParentTeacher Interviews. There is no school for students
on these days.
Snow Stays on the Ground
Every year about this time we need to remind
students that throwing snowballs and/or kicking
snow is prohibited on school property – before,
during or after school hours. If students are caught
throwing snow in any fashion, their behavior will be
addressed by the staff on duty and by the office.
Thanks to all for your cooperation.
Celebrating Advent
On Wednesday December 9th, our school held a
“Blessing of the Christmas Tree” event. This was a
beautiful event, despite the rain, and we had many
families join us. After the telling of the Christmas
story through song and word, families were invited
inside to join us for cookies and hot chocolate served
by our Catholic School Council.
Our school
community would like to thank Canadian Tire, Home
Hardware and Home Depot for their donation of the
lights for our Christmas Tree.
Parish News
St. Timothy Roman Catholic Church Presents:
The Vatican International Eucharistic Miracles
Exhibition
Dates: Saturday 16 January, 2016 at 9:30am-7:30pm
& Sunday 17 January, 2016 after Masses
[Closed during Weekend Mass times]
Monday thru Thursday 18-21 January, 2016
at 9:30am-3:30pm
Location: St Timothy Church Hall
For more information: www.therealpresence.org
Youth Faith Ambassadors
We would like to recognize the leadership of our
students who are involved in events which actively
demonstrates their faith in action. These Grade 8
students helped to collect and organize food for the
St. Vincent de Paul Society food drive at Christmas.
Christmas Wishes
On behalf of the teaching staff and administration
we would like to extend a heartfelt thanks for all of
the wonderful wishes at Christmas time.
We would like to extend a special thanks to those
families who provided support for others within the
community either by contributing to the food drive
or the hat and mitten tree. Thank you for sharing the
warmth of the Christmas spirit.
Student Lateness
There has been a gradual increase in the number of
students arriving just as the bell rings. Please note
that classes begin at 8:55 a.m. and that students
should arrive at school prior
to that time in order to
ensure that they are
prepared to begin work on
time. Please review the need
to be punctual with your
children – especially those
that walk to school. Once
the last of the student lines have entered the
building at the back, the doors are closed and locked.
A child who is coming in late must report to the office
for a late slip as part of the safe arrival program.
Lateness is a disruption to the class and other
students. Please try to impress upon your child the
need to be on time.
Snowbank Safety
In the event of a substantial snowfall, Student
Transportation is concerned that students may be
playing in the snowbanks and possibly creating an
unsafe pick up and/or drop off for students. When
the snowbanks are high, the appropriate location to
wait for the bus would be where the area has been
shoveled and a pathway exists. Parents are asked to
discuss this safety rule. As well, bus drivers have
been instructed to be cautious about where students
are dropped off.
Student Illness
Students who are ill should be kept home where they
are most comfortable and can get better sooner. A
child who is too ill to go out for recess is too ill to be
at school. Your cooperation in keeping your child
home when he/she is ill is appreciated. We do not
have the facilities to care for sick children at school
and we are concerned for the health of others who
may unnecessarily be exposed to the spread of
viruses and other illnesses.
Fifth Disease – Please Inform the School
Fifth disease has the potential to put staff,
volunteers and other parents who may be pregnant
at risk. As a school we are asking that if your child
shows symptoms of fifth disease please bring
him/her to your family physician to obtain an actual
diagnosis. Symptoms may include: mild usually non
febrile infection, a “slapped cheeks” rash on the face
followed by a fine lace-like rash on the trunk and
extremities, rash may be more pronounced during
exercise, stress or environmental changes (e.g.
temperature and exposure to sunlight).
In
exceptional cases, the rash can take up to 5 weeks to
disappear completely. In the event that your child
is diagnosed with fifth disease, please inform the
school.
Virtue of the Month: Self Control
Through prayer and concentration, we can get
better at controlling our reactions. We can get
better at showing self-control.
People with Self-Control…
 Are patient
 Know how to wait their turn
 Can calm themselves down and think before
reacting to situations
 Know how to avoid physical aggression
 Can think things through and do what is right
Kindergarten Registration
Junior and Senior Kindergarten registration for the 2016-2017 school year, for children not already
registered will be held at all Dufferin-Peel Catholic Elementary Schools on January 25th from 7:00 – 9:00
p.m. and January 27th – 29th from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Registration packages are currently available for pick up from the main office.