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So Many Things to Celebrate!

St. Anne’s Families,

We have many exciting days ahead and so many things to celebrate. First of all, thank you for all those that contributed to the Fundraiser. We raised a total of $15834.65 for the school community. Amazing efforts Phoenix Family!

Secondly, our students are celebrating so many gains in their learning. Whether it is self-regulation skills on the yard or problem-solving in the classroom, our students have been working hard on refining their learning skills and accomplishing so much in their academics. The efforts of the staff and students cannot be understated.

Lastly, our community celebrated a pompom reward. Mr. Sullivan was able to secure a Freezie donation so it didn’t even cost the school a penny. However, our students have been working so hard that we think they have earned even more. So we are taking our Family Science Night to the next level! Next Wednesday, May 29th from 5 to 7PM  we are hosting a Family Science Night. Our friends at Wilfred Laurier are setting up all the coolest STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) experiments for our community to enjoy as a family. There will be Free Pizza and Drinks for Everyone that attends. But since our students are so amazing, we are having an ICE CREAM Truck there as well. All St. Anne’s students get free ice cream. Anyone else in attendance is welcome to purchase an ice cream treat as well. Tickets for our students’ Free Ice Cream will be distributed through their teacher prior to the event. It will be a lot of fun!

A huge thank you to our CSAC (Catholic School Advisory Team). Shout out to Amanda Smith, Leslie Di Tulio and Nina Machado. They collaborated on a grant that will be funding a huge portion of this event. The parents that are advocating for our students and working hard to put together amazing moments for our community are truly incredible people.

The Week Ahead at a Glance:

Wednesday May 22nd

• Top 8 Prize Winners from Fundraiser have lunch with Mr. Sullivan.

Thursday May 23rd

• Grade 4s at Shades Mill
• Grade 7 immunizations in the Library
• Welcome to Kindergarten Night from 6 to 8 PM

Friday May 24th

• Father Gary to meet with Grade 7 classes.

Saturday May 25th

• Clothing Closet at 9AM to 12 PM at St. Anne Cambridge. As your kids need the next size up, come check out the amazing assortment of clothes available!
• Confirmation at St. Ambrose Church starting at 1 PM

Monday May 27th

• Happy Monday! Take a Breath.

Tuesday May 28th

• Grades 4 to 8 Track and Field Meet at Doyle All Day

Wednesday May 29th

• Family Science Night from 5 to 7 PM. FREE PIZZA AND DRINKS for Everyone! Free Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Truck for St. Anne’s Students.

Thursday May 30th

• Crowning of Mary Liturgy at 10:45AM led by Ms. Schwab’s class. All are welcome to attend.

Friday May 31st

• P.D. Day for staff. Students remain at home for the day.

Important Upcoming Dates

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Reminder: Friday March 29th and Monday April 1st are Holidays. No School.

Easter reminds us that hope should never be lost for as dark the road may seem, there always lies light at the end of it. From all of us to all of you, may wonderful blessings be upon you and all your loved ones this Easter Weekend.

Some Big Events Happening This Week

Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday is February 13th. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, where we begin a season of Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. Since Ash Wednesday also falls on Valentine’s day, we have decided that Valentine’s Day will also be celebrated on Tuesday, February 13th. A voice message reminder went out last week clarifying this change.

We will celebrate the day by having a St. Valentine Spirit Day and dressing in Red, White, and Pink! AND Thanks to our Grade 7 and 8 helpers and our CSAC team, we are going to be serving Pancakes on Tuesday morning and have a community breakfast. It will be a great day.

We are able to return to some traditional card/treat exchanges for this special day. If you are sending in Valentines Cards, please try do so for the whole class.

If you are planning on bringing in Valentines Cards and/or a treat for classmates, please note that non-food items are encouraged, but any edible treats should be prepackaged and clearly labeled nut-free.

Please know that the Anaphylaxis (Life Threatening Food Allergies), Nutrition Policy and our continued focus on Equity, remind us to be extremely careful with respect to food sharing. Aside from the pancake breakfast, we will not serve the Valentine’s treats during the day, but rather send it home so that on these special occasions so that parents get to make the final decisions with their children’s best interests in mind. Thanks for your understanding!

On Wednesday we will be having an Ash Wednesday liturgy. This is where we as Catholics are reminded about the purpose of Lent. We enter a time of prayer and reflection where we try to focus on serving others and we are reminded about the great love shown to us by God, as we act in loving ways towards others. It is a time of fasting, where we may choose to give up something that matters to us so we can be reminded to stay connected to God. It is a personal journey for each of us, yet we walk the path together as a community. This 40 day period culminates with our Easter Celebrations. Here is a great 3-minute Video on Lent if you are curious about some more specifics of the season.

The Week Ahead at a Glance:

Monday February 12th

• Minecraft Team Building in Library Continues at Lunches.
• OLOF playing St. Anne’s Girls Volleyball at St. Anne. Let’s Cheer on our Phoenix players!
• Boys Basketball team playing at SVDP afterschool. Let’s Cheer on our Phoenix players!

Tuesday February 13th

• Pizza Day
• Shrove Tuesday Pancake breakfast during the morning. Thank you CSAC for supporting us with this event.
• Valentine’s Day being celebrated TODAY as tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Dress in Red, White or Pink.
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Wednesday February 14th

• Ash Wednesday. Wear Purple today as we enter Lent.
• Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 9:30AM in the St. Anne Gymnasium. All are welcome to attend.
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Thursday February 15th

• Term 1 Report Cards Go Home
• St. Anne’s Girls Volleyball team playing at St. Elizabeth. Let’s Cheer on our Phoenix players!

Friday February 16th

• Happy Friday

Monday February 19th

• Family Day. No School for Students and Staff.

Important Upcoming Dates

Monday February 26 – MDI Survey Completed this Week at St. Anne.

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Tuesday March 5 – First Reconciliation for Grade 2 Students at 6:30PM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Saturday April 13 – First Communion for Grade 2 Students at 11 AM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Hi Everyone,

A huge thank you to all of our CSAC volunteers who helped this week with making cookies with Santa such a success. We love partnering with parents to create special memories for our students!

On Monday we are going to have a community Turkey dinner. It is 100% FREE because of our amazing Bingo volunteers who have raised funds to feed our school family. So you do NOT need to pack a lunch on Monday. However, it is really important that you still send some snacks for the morning and afternoon AND also send your child with a water bottle so they can bring it with them to the Turkey lunch.

Thanks so much everyone and have a wonderful weekend of peace as we head into our third week of Advent with a focus on JOY!

Our Advent Journey Continues…

Last week we began with lighting the first candle on our Advent Wreath. The first candle is lit to remind us of the Hope we have in Jesus’ coming. This week we light a candle for Peace. We are meant to bring peace to our neighbours, and also accept the peace that Jesus gives to us. In the middle of all the busy-ness this week, please take a moment for yourselves and your families. Light a candle. Reflect on the peace that comes from knowing that the God of the universe chose to come to Earth and live amongst us. He did this so we could more fully understand how deeply we are loved. He did it for the poorest of the shepherds and the wealthiest of the wise men. All of us are equal in His eyes and we are all worthy of love — no exceptions or strings attached. As that candle light shines in your home this week, let that remind you that hope and peace are the gifts God wants to be unwrapped first this advent season.

If Advent is new to you on your faith journey, or you need a reminder of all the things your children will be learning at school there is a great video that goes through advent in 2 minutes. Worth a quick watch.

Volunteers Wanted!

We have several events happening in the school to support our school family and we would love some help pulling it off. First, on Thursday, December 14th we are doing our second annual Cookies with Santa event. This is sponsored by our Catholic School Advisory Council. We need some help setting up, tearing down and helping our youngest learners with their cookie decorating.

The second opportunity to get involved is our Christmas Turkey Lunch being held on Monday December 18th. We will need help setting up, serving the meal and with clean up. Many hands make light work and it will be a lot of fun!

If you would like to help with either of these events, please reach out to Lesley Di Tullio by email at les.ditullio@gmail.com .

Pizza Day Update

We have heard many parents request that Pizza Day be done weekly. We have adjusted our process in the office to accommodate and Pizza Day will close on Wednesdays the previous week. This will allow everyone to purchase on a week by week basis. Thanks for your feedback and partnership.

Final 2 Weeks of 2023 at a Glance:

Monday December 11th

• Christmas Pinecone Crafts Continue in Library

Tuesday December 12th

• Pizza Day
• Advent Christmas Sale. Purchase your tickets through School Cash Online.
• Grade 8 Parent Night at Monsignor Doyle at 6PM at Doyle.

Wednesday December 13th

• Spirit Wear Day! Rock Your Spirit Wear –Especially the Golden Student of the Month Shirts!

Thursday December 14th

• Cookies with Santa Event.

Friday December 15th

• DrumFit Kits Set-Up in Library

Monday December 18th

• Free Turkey Lunch Sponsored By Our CSAC Bingo Volunteers
• Drum-Fit Begins in Library

Tuesday December 19th

• Pizza Day
• Christmas Concert at 1:15PM in gymnasium. All are welcome to attend (choose this performance or tomorrow morning, but not both, so there is room for everyone) Wear Red and Green

Wednesday December 20th

• Christmas Concert at 9:30 AM in gymnasium. All are welcome to attend (please do not attend if you already attended yesterday) Wear Red and Green

Thursday December 21st

• Sparkle and Shine Day. Dress in Silver, Gold or anything that Sparkles or Shines!

Friday December 22nd

• Last Day Before Christmas Break!
• Dress in your favourite Christmas Pajamas or Comfy Clothes.

Important Upcoming Dates

Sunday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

Monday Dec 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday Dec 26 – Boxing Day

Monday Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday Jan 8 – First Day of School in 2024

Tuesday Jan 9 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Learning Partnerships

Friday Jan 19– P.A. Day

Tuesday January 30 – Junior Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Wednesday January 31 – Primary Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday Feb 1 – Intermediate Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Friday Feb 2 – Groundhog Day

Friday Feb 2 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Feb 13 – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Wednesday Feb 14 – Ash Wednesday

Thursday Feb 15 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

Monday Feb 19– Family Day Holiday

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Tuesday March 5 – First Reconciliation for Grade 2 Students at 6:30PM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Saturday April 13 – First Communion for Grade 2 Students at 11 AM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Dear St. Anne Families,

Donations for the Christmas market have started to come in and we are so excited for December 12th! We are still in need of items in order to run the sale so please keep sending in your donations! Some of the popular items from previous years include picture frames, games, movies, jewellery and houseware items. We would like to avoid selling clothing as all items would need to be washed prior to sale. All items will be priced at $1.00. We would like to have gift bags and wrapping available for students who are purchasing items as gifts, so we would appreciate donations of these as well. We will begin to accept donations immediately. Please send in any items you have to school with your child, and his/her teacher will ensure that it gets to us.

Lots of Fun For Halloween!

We had a lot of fun and our students had their first reward from the Spirit Meter. It was a great day! We hope you enjoyed the Halloween Parade.

Congratulations to Our October Student of the Month Winners!

Well done students! Our focus for October was Digital Literacy and our focus for November will be Communication.

Friday Morning Food Market Continues…

Let’s start the weekend off with some fresh produce. For only $5, you can fill your grocery bag with excellent produce from local farmers. Fresher than the grocery store! Every Friday at 9 AM on the blacktop.

Support our Home Team…Community Challenge!

Phoenix families we have some AMAZING athletes that are in need of some Fans to attend the games. We have a grocery card challenge. Every Fan in the crowd for the home team will be entered into a draw to win a $30 grocery card from our public health partners. Thank you to Nurse Sabrina for making this happen. Come on out at 4PM today, November 6, to cheer on our Girls’ Basketball team. Our Boys’ Volleyball team is playing at St. Vincent de Paul. Let’s cheer on our student athletes!

This Week at a Glance:

Monday November 6th

• Bus Evacuation Drills in the Morning
• Boys’ Volleyball away game at 4:00PM at St. Vincent de Paul
• Girls’ Basketball Game at Home vs. Holy Spirit 4:00PM. We hope to see you out at the gym.

Tuesday November 7th

• Pizza Day

Wednesday November 8th

• Spirit Wear Day! Rock Your Spirit Wear –Especially the Golden Student of the Month Shirts!
• Rocket League Team Game 5 at 6PM

Thursday November 9th

• Grades 5 to 8 are Tree-Trekking. Thanks to Mrs. Ringwald for organizing this opportunity for our Junior and Intermediate students.

Friday November 10th

• Friday Morning Food Market.
• Remembrance Day Liturgy Led by Ms. Haas and Mrs. Haas-Craig’s classes. All are welcome. It starts at 10:45AM in the Gym.
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Important Upcoming Dates

Tuesday Nov 14 – Diabetes Awareness Day (Wear Blue)

Monday Nov 19 to 25 – Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Monday Nov 20  – Progress Reports Go Home

Thursday November 23– Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

Friday December 1– Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Communication

Thursday December 7– Grade 7 Immunizations

Friday Dec 22 – Last Day of School before Winter Break

Sunday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

Monday Dec 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday Dec 26 – Boxing Day

Monday Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday Jan 8 – First Day of School in 2024

Tuesday Jan 9 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Learning Partnerships

Friday Jan 19– P.A. Day

Tuesday January 30 – Primary Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Wednesday January 31 – Junior Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday Feb 1 – Intermediate Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Friday Feb 2 – Groundhog Day

Friday Feb 2 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Feb 13 – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Wednesday Feb 14 – Ash Wednesday

Thursday Feb 15 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

Monday Feb 19– Family Day Holiday

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Tuesday March 5 – First Reconciliation for Grade 2 Students at 6:30PM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Saturday April 13 – First Communion for Grade 2 Students at 11 AM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Picture Day is This Wednesday

Looking forward to seeing everyone dressed in a way that they want photographed. It is nice to see everyone put their best foot forward for this special day –whatever style works best for your child and family. In order to accommodate the students that prefer to dress up a little bit, we are putting our Spirit Wear Day on Thursday this week.

Halloween Reminders for October 31st:

We will recognize Halloween on Tuesday, October 31st. Students are invited to wear a costume or dress in black or orange if preferred. Costume considerations to be safe at school have some important Do’s and Don’ts. To be honest, our community does a FANTASTIC job at choosing appropriate costumes. However, I need to be clear about some specifics because everyone deserves to celebrate this day without experiencing harm because of a poor costume decision.

Costumes must not:

• Impair vision or breathing. Masks can be part of the JK to Gr 3 Parade but must not be worn throughout the day for safety purposes.
• Present a trip hazard to the wearer or the bystander; Represent disfiguring injury or, to put it bluntly, “blood and guts”
• Include weapons or replica weapons;
• Be revealing in a way that violates the standards of our dress code.
• Require staff to apply or remove costume pieces and/or make-up.
• Promote themes or activities inappropriate for a Catholic elementary school.
• We are an inclusive Catholic community. That means that we think about the impact of our costumes choices and avoid some costumes altogether. Specifically:
  • No Costumes that celebrate a controversial historical figure that has caused harm to a group.
  • No Costumes that glorify violence against women.
  • Identities are NOT costumes.
  • Do not dress as a Trans person if you are not Trans.
  • Do not dress as a Gay character if you are not Gay.
  • Cultures are NOT costumes.
  • No Hijabs, Blackface, Indigenous Headdresses, Gypsy costumes etc.

Please Ensure That Costumes:

• Allow the student to wear sufficiently warm clothing over or under the costume as weather/temperature dictates for outdoor recess.
• Allow the student easy, independent access to the washroom. This is especially important for students from FDK to grade 3
• JKs to Grade 3s will be doing the costume parade at the end of the day. The costume should be simple so each child can feel successful wearing it the whole day. More details to follow about the parade route and where you can stand prior to pick up if you want to see some of the great costumes.

Stickers, pencils, crayons are great Halloween treats to bring to share but not necessary. If you are thinking of bringing food treats to share, they must be store bought, wrapped, peanut, nut, sesame seed, walnut, pecan, cashew, pumpkin seed FREE snacks. We do have multiple food allergies throughout the school, including those mentioned. Homemade treats cannot be passed out and will be sent back home. Thank you very much for your understanding! We look forward to marking this Halloween with some of our annual fun traditions.

This Week at a Glance:

Monday October 23rd

• Boys’ Volleyball away game at 4:00PM at P.R.

Tuesday October 24th

• Pizza Day
• CSAC Meeting at 6:00PM in the Library. All are welcome to attend.

Wednesday October 25th

• Picture Day Today. Bring your best smile. Spirit Wear Day Moved to Tomorrow.
• Boys’ Volleyball Homegame at St. Anne’s.
• Rocket League Team Game 3 at 6PM

Thursday October 26th

• Spirit Wear Day! Rock Your Spirit Wear –Especially the Golden Student of the Month Shirts!

Friday October 27th

Important Upcoming Dates

Tuesday Oct 31 – Happy Halloween

Friday November 3 – Student of the Month Assembly at 9:30AM in the Gym: Focus is celebrating Digital Literacy

Sunday Nov 5 – ‘Fall back’ Daylight Savings Time Ends

Friday Nov 10 – Remembrance Day Liturgy

Saturday Nov 11 – Remembrance Day

Tuesday Nov 14 – Diabetes Awareness Day (Wear Blue)

Monday Nov 19 to 25 – Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Monday Nov 20  – Progress Reports Go Home

Thursday November 23– Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

Friday December 1– Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Communication

Thursday December 7– Grade 7 Immunizations

Friday Dec 22 – Last Day of School before Winter Break

Sunday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

Monday Dec 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday Dec 26 – Boxing Day

Monday Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday Jan 8 – First Day of School in 2024

Tuesday Jan 9 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Learning Partnerships

Friday Jan 19– P.A. Day

Tuesday January 30 – Primary Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Wednesday January 31 – Junior Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday Feb 1 – Intermediate Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Friday Feb 2 – Groundhog Day

Friday Feb 2 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Feb 13 – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Wednesday Feb 14 – Ash Wednesday

Thursday Feb 15 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

Monday Feb 19– Family Day Holiday

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Tuesday March 5 – First Reconciliation for Grade 2 Students at 6:30PM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Saturday April 13 – First Communion for Grade 2 Students at 11 AM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Last Chance to Order Spirit Wear Until Spring!

Phoenix families, if you are excited about getting some amazing Spirit Wear we are excited to share this season’s gear! The company is a local company and their customer service is FANTASTIC! I have worked with them in the past and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Check it out and purchase some Spirit Wear Today. The store officially closed this past Friday, but it is still online and operational. Take an opportunity today to get it before they shut the site down. Also, all the packages come sealed so if you were thinking of a gift for under the tree, your child will be very much surprised.

All orders can be made at https://www.finditatcameo.com/st-annes

First Student of the Month Assembly Was a Blast!

There were so many excited families who joined us to see the Pie in the Face for exceeding our Terry Fox goal and to celebrate our Student of the Month winners. We look forward to you joining us next month on November 3rd.

Thank You to Ms. Beck’s Class for Leading us in our Thanksgiving Liturgy

Thank you to all involved in celebrating our faith as a community. One way we share our faith is by being generous to those in need. Thank you to everyone who supported our Thanksgiving Food Drive! Well done Phoenix Family!

CSAC was off to a great start!

A HUGE THANK YOU to those who expressed interest and those that participated in our first CSAC meeting. Our next meeting is October 24th at 6PM. All are welcome to attend.

Safety Drills Throughout This Week

This week we will hold several drills to ensure we are prepared to evacuate in an emergency. Please let your children know that they will hear the fire alarm and that it is normal practice to be ready if we needed to evacuate the building in the event of a real fire. We will also hold lockdown and tornado drills. Thank you for your support as we keep safety top of mind.

Cyber Safety and Digital Citizenship Presentation for Grade 6 to 8 Students

As part of our Digital Literacy month, Waterloo Regional Police will be coming to St. Anne’s on Thursday to speak with our Grade 6 to 8 students about Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship. Many of our Tweens and Teens bring devices. At times they don’t always appreciate or understand the significance of their online choices and actions they take while behind a screen. Part of our work at St. Anne’s is to support you as you guide your child and help them learn to navigate the online world. This presentation is another tool we are using to support you and your children in proactive ways as we build our school family up together.

This Week at a Glance:

Monday October 10th

Tuesday October 11th

• Pizza Day

Wednesday October 12th

• Spirit Wear Day! Rock Your Spirit Wear –Especially the Golden Student of the Month Shirts!

Thursday October 13th

• Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship Presentation from Waterloo Regional Police for Grades 6 to 8

Friday October 14th

Important Upcoming Dates

Tuesday Oct 25 – Picture Day

Tuesday Oct 31 – Happy Halloween

Friday November 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Digital Literacy

Sunday Nov 5 – ‘Fall back’ Daylight Savings Time Ends

Friday Nov 10 – Remembrance Day Liturgy

Saturday Nov 11 – Remembrance Day

Tuesday Nov 14 – Diabetes Awareness Day (Wear Blue)

Monday Nov 19 to 25 – Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Monday Nov 20  – Progress Reports Go Home

Thursday November 23– Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

Friday December 1– Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Communication

Thursday December 7– Grade 7 Immunizations

Friday Dec 22 – Last Day of School before Winter Break

Sunday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

Monday Dec 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday Dec 26 – Boxing Day

Monday Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday Jan 8 – First Day of School in 2024

Tuesday Jan 9 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Learning Partnerships

Friday Jan 19– P.A. Day

Tuesday January 30 – Primary Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Wednesday January 31 – Junior Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday Feb 1 – Intermediate Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Friday Feb 2 – Groundhog Day

Friday Feb 2 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Feb 13 – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Wednesday Feb 14 – Ash Wednesday

Thursday Feb 15 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

Monday Feb 19– Family Day Holiday

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Tuesday March 5 – First Reconciliation for Grade 2 Students at 6:30PM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Saturday April 13 – First Communion for Grade 2 Students at 11 AM at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day

Meet the Staff Community BBQ & Book Fair Was a Huge Success

Thank you so much to all the families who joined us for the BBQ and had a chance to meet the staff. It was wonderful to have everyone out and making connections within our school family. We deeply appreciate the partnership we have with our parent community and look forward to many great days ahead together! Also, we haven’t counted all the Cash yet, but things are looking pretty good in terms of Mr. Hunt and Mr. Sullivan getting a pie to the face. If you would like to see that live, please plan on attending our School assembly on Monday October 2nd at 9:30 AM right after drop off. We will reveal the final fundraising amount before we get pies in the face.

Spirit Wear Store Is Open!

Phoenix families, if you are excited about getting some amazing Spirit Wear we are excited to share this season’s gear! The company is a local company and their customer service is FANTASTIC! I have worked with them in the past and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Check it out and purchase some Spirit Wear Today. The store is only open until October 6th so we can get the initial run out to families. We may open it back up in the Spring, but do not miss this opportunity to get your Spirit Wear for the Fall and Winter. Also, all the packages come sealed so if you were thinking of a gift for under the tree, your child will be very much surprised.

All orders can be made at https://www.finditatcameo.com/st-annes

First Student of the Month Assembly on Monday, October 2nd at 9:30AM

When you are on our Spirit wear store, you will notice there is one colour that you cannot buy. Our Golden Spirit wear Shirts cannot be purchased, but can only be earned by being Student of the Month. You cannot put a price on excellence, but we can certainly celebrate it. Staff members will be reaching out to you in advance if your child has won Student of the Month so that you will have the option to attend the assembly where this coveted prize is awarded. These aren’t 1 size fits all. The shirt will fit your child so they can wear it proudly on Spirit Wear Wednesdays. We have such amazing kids in this community and we are excited to celebrate them with you. The focus of the first assembly is the skill of collaboration. We have been learning about it and demonstrating it as a school family and there are so many students we need to honour for doing a great job on this skill in September! This will also be where Mr. Hunt gets his Pie in the Face 🙂 for all the amazing fundraising our students did for Terry Fox.

CSAC is This Tuesday at 6PM in the Library. All Are Welcome!

Community BBQs would NOT be possible without the support of our parents on CSAC. CSAC stands for Catholic School Advisory Council aka Parent Council. They help our community use the fundraising money we raise to improve our school based on the needs that arise. They also share input and provide a voice for parents on things like the parking lot, student dress code or other challenging conversations that matter to our whole community. Whether it is sponsoring a community garden, supporting field trips, organizing community events or sharing thoughts and ideas with the principal, CSAC is open to all parents in the school. If you have any questions about being a part of this awesome group, please reach out to myself at ej.hunt@wcdsb.ca . Our first meeting is September 26th at 6PM at the school in the Library. After that we will adjust the time, date and format (in person or virtual) to meet the needs of the group. We would love for you to be involved if you are able.

FREE Pizza Day THIS Tuesday, September 26th

We are changing pizza providers to maximize the value that pizza day fundraising brings to our community. In order for every student to get a chance to try the new pizza, we are going to make sure there is at least 1 piece available for each student. We are going to have extras of both Only Cheese and Turkey Pepperoni & Cheese so each student should have their choice. We will give the additional pizza to our intermediate and junior students after each class has had a choice. You will still need to pack a lunch for snacks and if your child can eat more than one slice, please pack additional food. This is completely FREE because wanted all of our students to be able to sample the pizza before the Cashonline closes for October’s orders. As a Thank You to our school community, Gino’s is subsidizing the cost of this event. Remember to get your orders completed in Cashonline! If you do NOT want your child to have pizza for any reason, please communicate with your child’s classroom teacher.

Rowan’s Law Day THIS Wednesday. Wear Purple!

The last Wednesday of every September is designated as Rowan’s Law Day to honour Rowan Stringer’s memory and raise awareness about concussion safety.

Rowan Stringer loved rugby; she was a competitive and keen athlete and captain of John McCrae Secondary School’s team. Tragically in May 2013, 17-year old Rowan died as the result of head injuries she sustained while playing rugby. In the week before her last game, Rowan was previously hit twice while playing, likely sustaining a concussion after each hit. Rowan’s concussions went unreported, and she continued to play. Rowan suspected something wasn’t right—she texted a friend about her condition and used Google to search for information about concussions. When she was hit again, in her final game, Rowan suffered what is known as Second Impact Syndrome—catastrophic swelling caused by a second injury to a brain still healing from previous trauma. Rowan collapsed on the field on May 8, 2013 and died four days later.

In 2018, the Ontario Legislature passed legislation creating Rowan’s Law and one key component of this legislation is the declaration of Rowan’s Law Day. The day is dedicated to promoting awareness of concussions and the importance of having strategies to prevent, identify, and manage them.

Thursday Hot Lunch Program on Pause Until we Gather Parent Feedback

We had a hot lunch that was pre-planned in June delivered to the school on Thursday. To be honest, it arrived 25 minutes late and the prices were a LOT higher than the weekly pizza days we will be having on Tuesdays beginning in October. The sad part is that many families at every school struggle to invest in the hot lunches because they feel that it is important to support the school through the Lunchbox program. They make the sacrifice because they care about our community. However, very little goes to the school through this program relative to the cost of the food items. The trade off is convenience. Everything is done for us through LunchBox, and that service is expensive. Before we move forward with this approach, we will be gathering feedback and deciding what is right for our school family once we have heard from our school family. Stay tuned about Thursday hot lunch and how you can have a voice in whether we re-start it in the future. For now it has been paused and all prepaid items have been refunded. Each week we will have Pizza Lunch on Tuesdays, where we work directly with our local pizza vendor who is less than 5 minutes from the school. They are able to provide exceptional service and value to our community. Our kids and families deserve nothing less. Please look for a survey to be released to gather feedback about the hot lunch program in the coming weeks.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day This Friday. Wear Orange!

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

As a school community, we will wear orange on Friday, September 29th.

This Week at a Glance:

Monday September 25th

• Have you done your School Cashonline Forms? Considered Donating for Terry Fox? Please visit CashOnline Today!
• Junior Soccer Tournament today. Thank you to Coach Brown and Coach Beitz for volunteering your leadership and time.

Tuesday September 26th

• Free Pizza for the whole school. Remember to send snacks and a water bottle still.
• CSAC Meeting at 6PM in Library. All are welcome to attend.

Wednesday September 27th

• Rowan’s Law Day. Wear Purple

Thursday September 28st

• Early Years Visiting Brantwood Farms. Have fun everyone. Thank you to Mrs. Haas Craig for organizing.

Friday September 29th

• National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt day Tomorrow. We will honour that day today. Please wear an orange shirt.
• Finish your Cashonline Order for October Pizza Days. Every Tuesday going forward.

Important Upcoming Dates

Saturday Sept 30– Every Child Matters (Wear Orange in the Community)

Monday Oct 2 – Student of the Month Assembly at 9:30AM in the Gymnasium: Focus is celebrating Collaboration

Thursday Oct 5 – Thanksgiving Liturgy at 2:15PM at St. Anne’s Gymnasium. All are welcome to attend.

Friday Oct 6 – P.A. Day No School

Monday Oct 9– Thanksgiving Holiday

Tuesday Oct 25 – Picture Day

Tuesday Oct 31 – Happy Halloween

Friday November 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Digital Literacy

Sunday Nov 5 – ‘Fall back’ Daylight Savings Time Ends

Friday Nov 10 – Remembrance Day Liturgy

Saturday Nov 11 – Remembrance Day

Tuesday Nov 14 – Diabetes Awareness Day (Wear Blue)

Monday Nov 19 to 25 – Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Monday Nov 20  – Progress Reports Go Home

Thursday November 23– Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

Friday December 1– Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Communication

Thursday December 7– Grade 7 Immunizations

Friday Dec 22 – Last Day of School before Winter Break

Sunday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

Monday Dec 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday Dec 26 – Boxing Day

Monday Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday Jan 8 – First Day of School in 2024

Tuesday Jan 9 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Learning Partnerships

Friday Jan 19– P.A. Day

Tuesday January 30 – Primary Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Wednesday January 31 – Junior Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Thursday Feb 1 – Intermediate Mass and Field Trip at St. Ambrose Church

Friday Feb 2 – Groundhog Day

Friday Feb 2 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Feb 13 – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Wednesday Feb 14 – Ash Wednesday

Thursday Feb 15 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

Monday Feb 19– Family Day Holiday

Friday March 1 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Thursday March 7 – Last day of school before March Break

March 8-15 – March Break

Monday March 18 – First day of school after March Break

Tuesday March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day Wear Purple

Thursday March 28 – Holy Thursday

Friday March 29 – Good Friday

Monday April 1– Easter Monday

Wednesday April 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Discerning Believers

Thursday April 18 – Easter Mass at St. Ambrose Church at 10 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Friday April 19– P.A. Day

Friday May 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Global Citizenship and Sustainability

May 5-10 – Catholic Education Week

Sunday May 12 – Mother’s Day

Thursday May 16 – Crowning of Mary Liturgy at St. Anne’s at 10:45 AM. All are welcome to attend.

Monday May 20 – Victoria Day

Thursday May 23– Grade 7 Immunizations

Saturday May 25 at 11AM at St. Ambrose Parish– Confirmation

Friday May 31 – PA Day

Monday June 3 – Student of the Month Assembly: Focus is celebrating Inclusion and Belonging

Sunday June 16– Father’s Day

Thursday June 20 – Closing School Mass at 10AM at St. Ambrose Parish. All are Welcome to Attend.

Friday June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day

Tuesday June 25 – Term 2 Report Cards Go Home

Wednesday June 26 – Closing Assembly in St. Anne’s Gym: Focus is celebrating Self-Directed Learning

Thursday June 27 – Last Day of School for Students

Friday June 28 – PD Day