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OUR VIRTUE FOCUS FOR FEBRUARY—EMPATHY
This month, teachers are working with their students to help them understand the important virtue of empathy. At our assembly yesterday, we heard our Grade 1 students speak about empathy as taking the
time to listen when others are speaking and noticing when someone is upset and trying to help.
Empathy means being able to name your own feelings and also being able to see a situation from another person’s point of view. It means being able to accept that others have different perspectives and feelings and that you are able to understand and care about how someone else is feeling. An empathetic person is able to imagine exactly how someone feels and then treat them the way Jesus taught us to.
This month we challenge ourselves to show empathy for everyone in our school community, for all people young and old, for all races and abilities and, finally, to show empathy for ourselves by doing our best to build God’s kingdom on earth.
OUR PRAYER THIS MONTH
Dear God, I believe that You always listen to me lovingly and for this I praise You. Teach me to be like You and listen with my ears and my heart to understand others. Guide me to commit myself to resolve the suffering of others. Help me to walk in the Spirit of Jesus as I learn about and respond to the many needs of our world. Amen.
GRADE 2 MASS ON SUNDAY
A reminder to parents of students preparing for First Holy Communion that there will be a special Enrollment Mass this
Sunday, February 23rdat 8:30 am.
MARDI GRAS – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24th 5:00 - 7:30pm
Enjoy fun activities including
cake walk, bouncy castle, ice cream sundaes, crafts, candy jar game, face painting and
carnival games with lots of prizes to be won! Food available for dinner like OPA, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and sushi rolls.
Passport play cards are available at the door for $5 and $10. Avoid the line at the door and buy your play card before at the office. Dress up and wear a costume - Prizes for best boy and girl costumes.
We ask each
primary student (Grade K-3) to bring in a cake for the Cake Walk Game and each
intermediate student (Grade 4-7) to bring in a candy jar for the Candy Jar Game. The class that brings in the most cakes for primary and candy jars for intermediate will
win a non-uniform day and a free play is given for each donation.
All items can be dropped off in the school kitchen or in your child’s classroom the day of Mardi Gras. Candies may be packaged in any type of container...be creative.
Everyone sincerely appreciates your support...especially the kids!
SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST: FEBRUARY 25TH
A reminder that the Parents’ Association will be serving the entire school a pancake breakfast next
Tuesday, February 25th. This is served during the morning hours before lunch. You may want to feed your child a small breakfast and pack a lunch just in case!
TEAM AND CLASS PHOTOS
Team and class photos will be taken on
Thursday, February 27th. Weather permitting, the school panorama photo will be taken as well.
SCHOLASTIC FLYERS
Scholastic Flyers will be distributed this week. Please note that orders are due Friday, February 28th!
I READ CANADIAN DAY
Yesterday, our students participated in the first-ever national “I Read Canadian Day”. The purpose of this event was to raise awareness of Canadian books and to celebrate the excellence of Canadian literature.
Students all had extra library time and were thrilled to see the large collection of Canadian books which Mrs. Tantongco had pulled from the shelves for their reading pleasure.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!
It’s time for the St. Michael’s Chicken Sale! This year, we are fundraising for the
Brain 1st program, which will benefit all our students with brain-based exercises to strengthen a wide range of skills. Get your delicious fresh or frozen Hallmark poultry just in time for Spring Break!
Orders are due
Friday March 6, and pickup of chicken is
Friday March 13 from 1:30-3:30pm in the lower parking lot. Barbecues across town are sure to ignite with joy! Look for an order form in your child’s backpack on Friday or pick one up from the office.
SPELLING BEE UPDATE
A big round of applause goes to all our students who participated in the Written Spelling Bee earlier this week. The students have worked extremely hard for the last few months, studying 450 words to prepare for this Bee! We will celebrate the success of all students with some treats at this morning's Spelling Bee practice. For students who made it to the next round, the Verbal Bee will be held on
Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00pm.
LITERACY WEEK
Plans are underway for our annual Literacy Week held
March 9-13. We have an exciting Jungle Theme this year and information about the family project will be sent home this week.
Stay tuned for more details!
ENGINEERING FOR GIRLS
Is your daughter interested in the field of engineering? If so, you may wish to check out a UBC Engineering event for girls ages 10-18 called “
Technovation Girls” on March 6 or April 17
th. Participants will be challenged to build an app to solve a problem they identify within their community. This program is offered through UBC Geering Up. To RSVP or learn more go to: women.engineering.ubc.ca/events.
ANNUAL PARENT INFORMATION MEETING
The Annual Parent Information Meeting for St. Michael’s School will be held on
Thursday, February 27th, at 7:00 pm in the school gym. Two participation hours will be given to each family in attendance.
Re-registration packages for returning students and 2019 Tuition Tax receipts will be distributed at this meeting. If you have a child entering Kindergarten in September 2020, registration forms will be included in the re-registration package. If you
do not receive forms for your Kindergarten child, please speak with Mrs. Bird
ASAP. Re-registration packages, including tax receipts, for those not attending the meeting will be sent home on Friday, February 28
th.
There will also be two presentations for parents. One will be given by representatives from “Classmates” who are contracted by St. Michael’s School to assist with technology infrastructure and help teachers learn how to use technology as a valuable tool in their classrooms for creating, collaborating and problem solving to provide students with better learning experiences.
The second presenter is Peter Nation, one of the coordinators of Catholic Voices Canada.
Peter has an Honours BA in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Religious Education. He was a high school teacher for 28 years, most of them at St. Thomas Aquinas in North Vancouver where he taught Grade 11 and 12 students and was the Head of the Religion Department. He has also taught RCIA and Adult Faith Development for 25 years. His topic will be related to
How would you answer someone who asked the question, “Where does the Church stand on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity?”
STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
Student-Led Conferences will be held on
Thursday, March 5th, between
11:00 am and 7:00 pm. No regular classes are scheduled for that day. Students are required to come to school with their parents at their scheduled conference time only and are to wear their St. Michael’s School Uniform to the conference.
Conferences will last approximately 30 minutes. Your positive comments, encouragement and questions about your child’s work, will help your child feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in what he/she has done this term.
Three or four students and their parents will be involved in conferences at the same time. Each family will have a separate area in the classroom. After this conference time is over, you may make an appointment with the teacher if you have further concerns or questions which you would like to discuss at an individual Parent/Teacher Conference.
This is a very special time between you and your child, and we would request that a parent be present on this day and not send a substitute. Please use the “School Appointments On-Line” (see below) to schedule your appointments.
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE -- ONLINE APPOINTMENTS PARENT INSTRUCTIONS
On-line appointments open and will close at
10:00 pm next Thursday, February 27th. Register early to get your best time!
- Go to our school appointments web site: stmichaels.schoolappointments.com
- Register for an account by clicking the "REGISTER" menu tab and filling in the on-line form. Choose a user id and password for yourself and then click the "Register Now" button. If you registered last term, you shouldn’t need to create a new account this term.
- Add your children into the system by clicking the "Add a Student" button. If you have more than one child, click "Insert New" to add siblings.
- Click the "date" icon beside each child's name to schedule appointments. Select the teacher you wish to book appointments with and the "View Calendars" button.
- Click on available time slots to book your appointments and then click the "Book Appointments" button to save your bookings. Repeat for each child.
- Print your schedule of appointments when you have completed booking all your appointments.
- When you have completed your entries – click to “LOG OUT”
Thought of the week…
“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can-
there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.”
~Sarah Caldwell
