St. Michael Catholic School
1150 Concession Road ● Cambridge ON ● N3H 4L6
Phone (519) 653-3351 ● Fax (519) 653-3489
Website: https://stmichael.wcdsb.ca/
September 16, 2023
Good afternoon Angels,
We had a fantastic second week together at St. Michael School. Students are learning, laughing, and enjoying time together in class and outside at recess. This past week our recess cart began and it was a hit! Our junior soccer and intermediate 3-pitch teams are in the swing of things, practicing new skills and having fun. A huge thanks to our coaches and Ms. Dixon for providing these opportunities for our students.
This Week …
Tuesday, Sept 19: Meet our public health nurse: Meet Laura Baker! (Class visits in the Learning Commons)
Wednesday, Sept 20: Intermediate 3-Pitch Tournament
Wednesday, Sept 20: Wear your Blue & Gold Angels! It’s Spirit Day!
Thursday, Sept 21: Terry Fox Run (On Site, Raindate Sept 22)
Meet Laura Baker, Our Public Health Nurse Community Partner!
“Hello! My name is Laura Baker, l am a Public Health Nurse from Region of Waterloo Public Health. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with St. Michael’s School and the surrounding community. My role is to listen and learn from the staff, students, and parents/caregivers of this community, to build on school strengths and identify opportunities to work together.
Please feel free to say hello when you see me at the school. I will also be attending the Open House and I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how to strengthen this great school and community, and provide a sense of connection for all.” -Laura Baker
Laura will be hosting class visits to introduce herself and her role to students this Tuesday, September 19, in the Learning Commons. We look forward to working and learning together with Laura this year!
Terry Fox Run
St. Michael Catholic Elementary School is honoured to support the Terry Fox Run once again this year! Our date is Thursday, September 21. We are proud of this amazing tradition at our school and we are thrilled to announce that, to date, we have raised more than $10 000 for cancer research! Let’s keep it going! We are encouraging each student to donate a toonie for Terry through School CashOnline and if you would like to donate additional funds, please also follow the link below!
Donate to our school run here:
St. Michael Feast Day Liturgy (1:00 pm) & Open House – September 28th from 4:00-6:00 pm
Did you know that (the week of) September 28th is St. Michael’s Feast Day?
Join us for an Open House to celebrate together as a school community! We are welcoming families and students to visit their classes and the school.
Pizza will be available for purchase this week through School Cash Online.
This evening is a chance to meet and greet. Please come in to say “Hi,” introduce yourself, and have your child show you around their room and the school!
4:00-5:00: classes will be open to meet and greet!
5:00-6:00: Pizza will be served on the blacktop to families who have made purchases. Please bring your own drinks. Parking is available in the Langs parking lot next to the school and on the surrounding streets (watch for no parking signs).
Food Drive: We will have a drop-off bin for any non-perishable items during our Open House.
Spirit Wear Swap: Families are invited to browse the gently used spirit wear items on the night of our Open House. Thank you to our CSAC for organizing this! (More info to come!)
Liturgy (Sept 28, 1:00 pm, in our Gym): Our intermediate students have been planning and practicing for our Opening school liturgy which is also our Feast Day liturgy. Everyone Is Welcome!
PHOTO DAY
Our Photo Day is coming up on Tuesday, September 26th.
More information will be shared this week. Bring your smiles!
Catholic School Advisory Council
Our first meeting was held on Tuesday, September 12 at 6 p.m. at St. Michael School. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 3 at 6 p.m. in our Learning Commons. We will have a link available for those who would like to attend virtually. Meeting invitations and the agenda will be sent out before the meeting. Everyone is welcome!
The CSAC will be taking part in our Open House. They are organizing a Spirit Wear Swap! If you have any used spirit wear that you would like to donate or exchange for other spirit wear items, please drop these items off at the school. We will set these items out for exchange and repurposing on the night of our Open House. Everyone is welcome to take what is useful for their family.
Safety/Practice/Drills
Every year we practice a variety of drills, all of which are aimed at keeping the students and staff safe in the case of an emergency. The following is a list of drills including their purpose, frequency, and process:
- Fire drills – 6 per year; we practice safe evacuation of the school to be prepared should we ever experience a fire. The students walk quickly and quietly with staff out of the building through a designated path, out designated doors to a specific gathering spot.
This past week we completed two successful fire drills. Students improved their evacuation time and remembered all of the safety rules for these drills. Way to go Angels! We will have another fire drill this week with the hopes of continuing to improve our time while also displaying such excellent safety skills.
- Lockdown Drills – 2 per year; we practice getting students and staff into as safe a position as possible, to be prepared should there ever be a real or perceived risk to safety in our school or immediate areas. Students gather in a corner of the room with their teacher, in a way that no one is visible from the door. The door is locked.
- Tornado drills – 2 per year; we practice getting into a safe position to be prepared in case we ever experience a Tornado in the area, students sit (protecting their heads) against strong interior walls away from windows.
St. Clement’s Parish Update
Parish Letter to St Michael Catholic Elementary School (002)
D2L Parent Update: D2L Parent Information
A Few Reminders:
-
- Please be sure to return all start-up forms to the school ASAP and complete the required forms on SchoolCash.
- Please ensure you have returned the necessary medication and forms for any medical perils (anaphylaxis, asthma, diabetes, etc.) to the office.
- We are a nut-free environment. We have students with life-threatening allergies to nuts and other allergens. Nut-alternative products are also not permitted.
- Parents/Guardians are required to notify the school as soon as possible if their child(ren) will be absent. An answering machine is available outside of school hours too. Please phone the school at 519-653-3351 and leave a message providing: your child’s name, teacher’s name, grade level, day(s) absent, and reason for absence.
- Parents/guardians are asked to refrain from dropping off student lunches as our office is a very busy place! (Mrs. Best needs a lunch too!!) Please ensure that your child(ren) have a healthy lunch, two snacks, and a water bottle packed each day. This routine is also best established from the start of the school year so that our students benefit from a sense of belonging and stability. Thank you for understanding and your continued support!
- Parents/guardians are not permitted on the school grounds during the school day, including for drop-off and pick-up. Please ensure you have a pre-arranged meeting spot for your child(ren). A reminder that the Kiss & Drop is available for our JK/SK families for morning drop-off only.
***Let’s continue to be on time and use bus transportation when eligible. By doing this, we impact safety, the natural environment and make our office workplace a little less hectic. Thank you for your efforts!***
September 25 ~ Junior Soccer
September 26 ~ School PHOTO DAY!
September 28 ~ St. Michael Feast Day Liturgy (1:00) and Open House, 4-6 pm
September 28 – October 5 ~ Thanksgiving Food Drive
September 29 ~ Every Child Matters ~ Orange Shirt Day
October 5 ~ First Pizza Day
October 3 ~ CSAC Meeting, 6 pm
October 6 ~ PD Day
October 9 ~ Thanksgiving Monday
Thank you for your continued support and have a great week!
-St. Michael School Staff
#Everyone Is Welcome