ST. BENEDICT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
345 Blind Line, Orangeville, ON L9W 4X1
(P) 519-942-5980
(F) 519-942-3849
ADVENT PRAYER
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises
and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the
Savior's coming and looks forward with longing to His return
at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness
that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which His
presence will bestow, for He is Lord forever and ever.
Amen.
SERVING OUR
COMMUNITY
Principal
L. Quick
Secretary
A. Wasyliw
Superintendent BECDM
L. Storey
905-890-1221
Trustee
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
The Advent season is upon us – a time of waiting in hope for the coming
of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. During this season in our liturgical calendar,
we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. Of course, we recognize
that Jesus comes to us when we are in trouble, when we rejoice, when
we pray, when we celebrate and when we love one another in his name.
Advent can be a difficult season to celebrate because of the
commercialism of the secular world in which we live. At this time,
focusing on how we can help others who are less fortunate is one way in
which we can celebrate the Advent season as a school community. St.
Benedict is offering 2 ways in which families may choose to give so that
others can enjoy the Christmas season. We are holding a food drive for
the St. Vincent de Paul Society or families may choose to donate to our
“Mitten and Gift Card” tree.
As a school community, we will participate in Advent activities amidst the
often frantic energy of preparing for Christmas Day. Our Advent Mass,
praying and reflecting on the readings of Advent during our morning
prayers and our school Blessing of the Christmas Tree are ways in which
we will be actively participating in our faith as a community. How
wonderful it is that we have many opportunities to focus our attention
on the true meaning of the season!
F. Di Cosola
905-951-8898
Parish
St. Timothy Catholic Church
Pastor
Fr. S Lee Lung
519-941-2424
Catholic School Advisory
Council
Chair: L. Bolzon
lbolzon68@gmail.com
Christmas Break
The last day of school before Christmas Break is
Friday December 18. Students return to school for
classes on Monday January 4th, 2016. On behalf of
the St. Benedict staff, I wish you all of the joy,
peacefulness and blessings that this wonderful
season can bring!
Make Children Better Now
During Bullying Awareness and Prevention week,
November 17-21, Ontario students and staff
participated in learning about bullying and its effect
on student well-being and learning.
Calendar of Events
December 1 Sacrament of Confession
December 1 RF Hall to visit Grade 8s
December 2 Sacrament of Confession
December 3 Sacrament of Confession
December 3 Intermediate Volleyball
Tournament – RF Hall
December 7 Orangeville A’s to visit classes
December 9 Blessing of the Christmas Tree
December 11 Advent Mass 11:00 a.m.
December 18 Last Day of School
December 18 Grades 6 – 8 to Theatre Orangeville
Thank you to our Catholic School Council for hosting
Mike Neuts from the Make Children Better Now
foundation during Bullying Awareness and
Prevention Week. Mike shared the story of his son,
Myles Neuts, who tragically died after an incident of
bullying at his elementary school, with our Grades 5
– 8 students. He also shared a message of kindness
and peace with our younger students. Students
were inspired by his message to care for others and
honour, respect and rejoice in our unique qualities.
As a school, we are committed to continuing Myles’
hope for a more peaceful world, where children are
kind to one another and look out for others. Our Safe
School Committee will be planning future follow-up
activities.
Celebrating Advent
We invite all families to join us as we gather as a
faith-filled school community during Advent. Our
Blessing of the Christmas Tree will take place on
Wednesday December 9th at 6:30
p.m. Our Catholic School Council
will be providing hot chocolate and
nut-free cookies. Our school Advent
Mass is being held on Friday December 11th at 11:00
a.m. We look forward to the gathering of our school
community during this special time of year. All are
welcome!
2016
January 4
First Day back from holidays
January 25 Kindergarten Registration
Intermediate Volleyball
Congratulations to our Intermediate Girls
Volleyball team who has made it to our
Family of Schools Tournament, being
held at RF. Hall on December 3.
We wish them the best of luck!
Personal Electronic Devices on Board Premises
and/or Board Sanctioned Events for Educational
Purposes:
As we move forward with students able to bring their
own device to school for learning purposes, we
remind parents that this is not mandatory. Should
parents wish their children be allowed to bring their
device to school and register it on the board’s WiFi
network however, they must sign and return the GF
form that went home.
Students are responsible for the safety and security
of PEDs at all times and the Board assumes no
responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen devices.
Santa Claus Parade
Some of our Youth Faith Ambassadors had the
opportunity to represent our school at the recent
Orangeville Santa Claus Parade on
Saturday November 14th. Our school
was proud to walk with other
Dufferin-Peel Catholic Schools, St.
Andrew and St. Peter. It was a
wonderful community event to
welcome the Christmas season.
Parish News
Edge nights for the upcoming month are December
11th and 18th. All students in grades 6 – 8 are invited
to attend. Please see the St. Timothy Church Bulletin
for all the upcoming events and dates!
Dressing for Winter Weather
Winter is almost upon us.
Although we have been fortunate
to experience very mild weather
thus far, it is important that
students dress appropriately for
the outdoors.
This means
students should have winter
coats, snow pants, boots, hats,
gloves and scarves. The expectation is that students
are outside during recesses. Research indicates that
fresh air helps students to refocus on their studies.
Please keep your child home if he or she is not well
enough to be outdoors. The Board, with advice from
the Peel Public Health Department, has established
the policy that states all children will be kept indoors
when the temperature outside reaches -25 degrees
Celsius (including the wind-chill factor). We will
monitor weather conditions daily and make
decisions based upon our local conditions.
Cold and Flu Season
We would like to remind parents of the need to have
a network of support to care for children especially
in case of midday illness. As we go through this
difficult time when everyone is anxious about the
spread of germs please note that Peel Health
repeatedly recommends that the best practice to
prevent the spread of viruses is:



Wash hands with soap and water thoroughly and
often
To cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue
Stay home if you are sick
When children become sick during the course of the
school day, a plan needs to be in place to care for
him/her.
Emergency Forms
Emergency forms were sent home in November,
asking for contact information in case of bus
cancellations during the day. Thank you very much
to those families who have returned the forms. If
you have not had a chance to complete the form and
return it to school, we ask that you do so before
December 11th, 2015. If you require another copy of
the form, please send a note to your child’s teacher.
Virtue of the Month: Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that you may abound in
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Rom. 15:13)
People of Hope…
 Expect the best to happen for everyone
 Hold on to their dreams
 Always count on God to help them in tough
situations
 Trust that things will work out in God’s way
 Look for something good to come out of
problems
 Are looking forward to life’s blessings
 Set and stick to their own goals
Raven of the Month – November 2015:
The Virtue of Conscience
Isabel F.
Justin W.
Garrett O.
Isabella S.
Valeria J.
Rylan B.
Vanessa S.
Corbin H.
Gabriella D.
Mrs. Gareau/Mrs. Atzori
Mrs. Marini/Mrs. McNairn
Mrs. Stevens
Mrs. Gallant
Mrs. Evans
Mrs. Strain
Mrs. Martin
Mrs. Merrick
Mrs. Sousa
Noah H.
Jamie R.
Michael P.
Isabella M.
Chase R.
Paige M.
Laura A.
Branden M.
Trent W.
Mr. Merry
Mr. Serafini
Ms. LaVieille
Mrs. Longstreet
Ms. Carson
Mr. King
Mrs. Harasiewicz
Ms. Weir
Mrs. Desbottes
“First show in deeds rather than words what is good and Holy”
St. Benedict