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