Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School

Transcription

1 June 2017 Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School 300 Sidney Street, Belleville, Ontario Website: First Holy Communion and Confirmation We congratulate the many students in our classes who celebrated the reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation over the last few weeks at St. Michael s and other local parishes. We are so pleased to have these young people move forward in their personal faith journeys. It is wonderful to see students excited about the opportunity to participate continuously in the mass. This understanding and growth will only be enhanced and encouraged by the weekly participation of students with their families in their home parishes. Children learn what they live and they receive these messages of values best through parents as their first teachers. God bless you boys and girls. Upcoming Events- School Mass here at the school is June 16 at 9:45 a.m. Moving this summer for sure? Please let us know as we work on classes over the summer. Thanks A PRAYER FOR A SAFE SUMMER Let us put ourselves into the hands of the Lord, and pray that God will bless us and our families during the wonderful months of summer. May we all help to make our homes a place of relaxation, joy, love, peace and safety. May we be generous and considerate, not thinking only about ourselves, but helping others enjoy the blessings of the summertime. Care for My Flock- We want to offer special thanks to the team at St. Michael s parish for the year-long support of our students. To Father Whalen and Father Boby, may God continue to bless you in your work and to give you a chance for some personal rest. Your spiritual leadership guides us and restores us. To Marilyn and Sylvana, your regular work with our students is deeply appreciated. Save the Date- Graduation at Our Lady of Fatima for the Class of 2017 will be Monday, June 26 at 6: th. EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 1 of 7

2 A Time for Change- With much left to accomplish as June begins, we are also working with next year in mind. I would like to thank the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School Community for the privilege of working with you as Principal for the past six years. It was the perfect ending to a 36 year career to be able to return to one of my favourite schools for a third time and rejoin such a dynamic and passionate staff. The parent community includes such supportive and interested partners as well. Together, I have witnessed a trust and understanding develop between home and school that always has one common factor in mind---- the children. It is very difficult to begin to think about which of the many rewarding aspects of my Fatima adventures that I will miss the most. At the top of the list, would be the students and staff. There is a warmth and a genuine caring among everyone. You never know what our youngest students might have on their minds and our juniors and intermediates are creative and enthusiastic. This staff has a bond that binds us with laughter in good times and deep caring in hard times. I will truly miss our school masses with Father Whalen and Father Boby. Treasuring and celebrating our faith is very dear to me. It is our most important gift to our students and it helps them to be reflective and rich individuals in a world that is too often pushing them to deal with adult challenges and a fast paced version of childhood. They only get to be children once. Finally, I have had the honour of getting to know so many members of the parent community. Whether as small but mighty Parent Council team, during important and private family moments of support, as volunteers at Breakfast Club or on trips or during our annual Welcome to Kindergarten Meetings. It has been my pleasure to work in partnership with you in our school community. There is a spirit and a passion that is present at Fatima that should not be taken for granted. It is that same spirit that will warmly welcome your new Principal, Mrs. Anne Marie Barrett. Mrs. Barrett is currently one of the vice principals at St. Michael s Catholic School in Belleville. She and her family are very active members of the St. Joseph s Parish Community. She brings with her both elementary and secondary school experience, I could not be more pleased for our school community. Mrs. Barrett is a dedicated educator, a committed Catholic leader and she strongly celebrates family values. She is very excited about this appointment. Mrs. Barrett and I will spend considerable time together as part of the usual transition process among school administrators. She will have the opportunity to meet the students during a casual visit. Thank you for all that you have shared with me over the years and God bless you all. Anne Miller EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 2 of 7

3 Special News- I am pleased to share with our school community the exciting news that Miss Kristine LaHaye, our Special Education Resource Teacher, has recently been appointed the Vice Principal for St. Mary s Catholic School in Trenton beginning September We wish her well in her new adventures and know that her leadership and experience will be valued in her new role. Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School Advisory Council Special thanks from our Council this year to the many parents who supported the activities and fundraising that was carried out for our students this year. We d like to see you regularly Our commitment to our community- We work to support our children their parents and the staff in the life of the school and to create opportunities to engage parents in our school community. Engagement: We were very pleased to have started our year by hosting a free family BBQ on Meet the Teacher Night. This was a wonderful opportunity to not only see your child s new learning environment but also to begin to get to know some of the parents in our school community. This is important not only for parents new to our school, but also for parents who may find themselves more available to help out in a variety of ways throughout the year. This went so well that we will be planning this event for the fall. We can use volunteers to help and to step up for the year either on council or to support particular events. Either way, please come and meet us in September. We also held a Family Bingo Night for the sole purpose of bringing families together for some old fashioned fun, cost free. Service to our children: All year long, a small but committed group of parent and grandparent volunteers have joined in the cause of providing the option of a Hot Lunch program to our children. This is a much cherished service that gives parents a break from packing lunches and provides a little variety to our kids. We thank those who have been dedicated to this team but we are also in need of a few new faces. In a school with over 100 families, one person provides this service. We can support this more effectively with more people ready to help out. Join us next year..the time commitment is not huge and can be added into your routine with relative ease. EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 3 of 7

4 Fundraising Philosophy and Efforts This Year- Each year as we work with the school staff and Mrs. Miller, we strive to support the learning of our students through the goals that are set in the School Improvement Plan which focuses on Discipleship, Stewardship and Scholarship. We also look for ways that we can richly impact our students learning in a way that is helpful for all families. We decided to avoid having our students participate in door-to-door product selling for safety reasons. Rather, we connected student and family fun with our fundraising goals. Our primary fundraising event was the Popcorn. We raised over $ From these funds we contributed to the Graduation Class both for small gift and for their graduating event and most significantly we contributed $7.00 per child toward the cost of the curriculum trips for each class, thereby reducing family costs significantly. As mentioned above, we also hosted the Family BBQ last fall so that it was a free event to all. We Are Committed to continuing our support of this very special school community including it s families and it s staff in their mission to provide a rich and special learning community for our students. We look forward to you joining our team in the fall in whatever capacity you can. God Bless You! From- Chairs- Amy Downer and Lori Slatter Committee Members- MaryBeth McKenna, Stacey Ovenden, Tracey Golka, James and Carolyn Kirby Staff Representatives- Kristine LaHaye, Jenn Morin Administrative Representative- Anne Miller EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 4 of 7

5 With heartfelt thanks, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to every member of the Parent Council this year and to our Hot Lunch Team. Your dedication and passion have made a difference for our students. God bless you. Mrs. Miller All the best to the Graduating Class of 2017! We are so proud of you and we know that great adventures and opportunities are yours to be had: Breeanna, George, Jacob, Adam, Faith Andrew, Tyler, Madison, Alex, Peter and Parker. God bless you all! Graduation News Parents of our Grade 8 Graduates will receive a letter of specific information about our special evenings. There is a portion of the letter that needs to be returned prior to graduation. We will be able to accommodate family guests in a most welcoming way. This event is however for our school community only. We cannot and will not expect students from other schools this time. We will celebrate as a Fatima family with our eight graduates. Many families have planned private extended family and friends celebrations on an alternate day. WE NEED YOUR HELP AND COMMITMENT Parents of Grade Seven Students You too will see the invitation letter regarding Gr. 8 graduation as we have invited our Grade Seven classmates to join us for the evening. The grade sevens are welcomed to join us at the beginning of the dance which is approximately 8:30. It has long been a tradition at Fatima for the parents of the grade 7 s to contribute to the reception treats for our grads. Then you get a break next year! You will receive further information about this directly. Lost and Found- Parents are asked to direct students to review the belongings on the Lost and Found box. Hundreds of dollars worth of clothing rests unclaimed daily. Much of this clothing is almost new. Unclaimed clothing remaining over the summer will be donated. EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 5 of 7

6 Please-- Remember that helmets for all children riding bikes is the law. Be safe, be well and we ll See you in September! The first day of school is Tuesday, September 5, Remember, Every school day counts. EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 6 of 7

7 June 2017 June 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat PLEASE COME AND JOIN US FOR OUR FINAL SCHOOL MASS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 16 AT 9:45 IN THE SCHOOL GYM PIZZA HUT Board Track Day ORDERS GO HOME PIZZA HUT ORDERS DUE PIZZA HUT LUNCH 16 FINAL SCHOOL MASS 9: Father's Day 19 WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN MEETING 4:30-6:00. LAST DAY OF MILK GRADE 8 GRADUATION AT THE SCHOOL LAST DAY OF CLASSES REPORT CARDS 30 PA DAY Notes: EVERYONE MATTERS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA Page 7 of 7