December 2015 Newsletter
St. Benedict Catholic School
80 McLaughlin Ave., Milton ON L9T 8N2
Website: http://schools.hcdsb.org/bene T: 289-851-9353
Principal: Mrs. Vicki Hogan
Vice Principal: Miss Penny Uniacke
Secretary: Mrs. Diane Reggi
Office Assistance: Mrs. Tracy Ansley
Superintendent: Ms. Toni Pinelli
Trustee: Mrs. Diane Rabenda
Upcoming Events
December 1
Extended French Parent
Information Night for Gr. 5 201617 School Year @ 6:30 pm
December 8
Gr. 6 BRAVO graduation at 1:15
PM
Administrator’s Message
The season of Advent began last Sunday. The days
become shorter and nights become longer as we await the
celebration of the birth of Christ. During this time of giving
when need is felt the most, the St. Benedict Community has
responded. We wish to thank everyone for their very generous
support of our United Way ‘Paint the Town Red’ initiative,
Operation Christmas Child and our St. Vincent de Paul food
drive. Amidst all this “business” we take the time to stop and
reflect upon the true meaning of the season – our daily prayers
and our weekly liturgies around the Advent wreath help us to
keep Christ as our focus.
10th,
This month, on December the
we will come together as a
community of believers to celebrate an Advent Mass with
Father Jim at 9:30 am here at the school. You are most
welcome to attend. We do look forward to seeing many of you
here December 10th at our family Christmas gingerbread house
making evening.
December 10
Advent Mass at 9:30 AM
December 10
Gingerbread House Making
Family Night @ 6:00 pm
December 16
Dental Screening JK/SK & Gr. 2
December 18
Christmas Sing-a-Long 10:50 AM
December 18
Christmas Break Begins. Early
Dismissal @ 2:05. Busses will arrive
90 min earlier
Vicki Hogan and Penny Uniacke
* Christmas Vacation*
Please note: There will be an Early Dismissal at 2:05 p.m. on
Friday, December 18th, 2014. A two week Christmas break will
begin on Monday, December 21st, 2015. School starts again on
Monday, January 4th, 2016. Buses will arrive 90 minutes earlier
then the scheduled time.
Follow St. Benedict on
Twitter:
@StBeneHCDSB
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St. Benedict Catholic School Council News
We have a few fundraising initiatives under
way. Thank you to the parents for supporting
our Dance-A-Thon. It was a great success
with approximately $12 000 raised to support
our School improvement Plan. Thank
you to all the volunteers who helped
organize the fundraising event!
Our next Council Meeting is February
1st at 6:30pm. All parents are welcome!
If there are any ideas or suggestions that you
wish to be considered by Council they must
be presented in writing to the Chair a
minimum of 48 hours prior to the next meeting
Safe Arrival
Thank you to all parent/guardians for calling
in their child’s absence. Just a reminder that
if your child will be absent to call the school
at (289) 851-9353 and press 1 to be directly
linked to our Safe Arrival Program.
If you need to pick up your child early for an
appointment, please send a note to your
child’s teacher indicating the time of pick up.
This will minimize interruptions to the learning
in our classrooms.
Paint the Town Red Day, November 20th
Congratulations to all students and staff who
took part in “Paint the Town Red Day” on
Friday, November 20th. A very special thank
you to the students who raised awareness
about the day through their wonderful
posters and announcements, and helped
make the day such a success. We will send
the total amount raised in next month’s
newsletter
Up-Coming Spirit Day – December 18th
On December 18th dress like an elf, or
wear red, green and white.
Advent Wreath
A popular Advent tradition in families is the
Advent wreath. The wreath is usually made
from a ring of evergreen branches, with four
candles arrayed around the circle. Three of
the candles are purple; one is pink. [The pink
one is lit during the third week, as a sign of
rejoicing that Christmas is almost here.]
Try to follow a routine of lighting the Advent
candles at one meal each day. During the
first week, only one candle is lit. During the
second week, two candles are lit every day.
In the third week, the pink candle
is lit, along with the first two. And
so on.
Focus on the growing light as the weeks pass.
By week four, the wreath is a bright symbol of
warmth and the light of love that Jesus brings
into the world and into our hearts.
A “daily countdown” Advent calendar
illustrated with scenes and characters from
the Bible can make this season of
anticipation fun and meaningful at the same
time.
Winter Weather
The weather has certainly turned colder.
Please ensure that your children come to
school dressed appropriately for outdoor
weather conditions. A warm jacket, hat and
mitts are essential. When weather conditions
present a hazard to health as reported by
Environment Canada Weather the children
will remain inside.
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Inclement Weather Guidelines
The Halton Catholic District School Board
provides us with information, guidelines, and
specific websites to refer to regarding various
inclement weather situations. They are as
follows:
a) warmer than -15 C: students may remain
outside for all regular activities
b) between -15 and -20 C: students may
remain outside for no longer than 20 minutes
at a time
c) colder than -20 C: students remain inside
Please ensure your child(ren) come
appropriately dressed for changing
weather.
Weather Watch
Please note that for news about HCDSB school
closures and/or bus cancellations due to
inclement weather you can tune in to the
following radio stations commencing at 6:30
a.m.
CFRB TORONTO 1010 AM
CHFI TORONTO 98.1 FM
CJOY GUELPH 1460 AM
CHWO OAKVILLE 1250 AM
CHML HAMILTON 900 AM
CKOC HAMILTON 1150 AM
CKMW BRAMPTON 790 AM
CJBC (French) TORONTO 890 AM
CING BURLINGTON 108 FM
CKDS HAMILTON 95.3 FM
CKLH HAMILTON 102.9 FM
and lunches that have minimal waste. Some
examples include re-useable water bottles,
plastic containers, fruit and vegetables.
Please avoid sending snacks in wrappers or
plastic baggies.
We encourage all families attending the
Gingerbread House night on December 10th,
to bring a reusable cup for your beverages.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Grade 5 Extended French Program Parent
Meeting for 2016-2017 School Year
(Current Gr. 4 Students)
An information night for parents interested in
the Extended French Program will take place
on December 1st at 6:30 PM. It will take place
at St. Benedict School in the Gymnasium.
Here is a list of parent information nights for
other schools who offer the program:
ST. GABRIEL
Thurs, NOV 19. 6.30pm
ST. MARGUERITE
Weds, NOV 25. 6.30pm
ST. BENEDICT
Tues, DEC 1. 6.30pm
HOLY ROSARY
Thurs, DEC 3. 6.30pm
HOLY CROSS
Tues, JAN 5. 6.30pm
ST. BRIGID
Tues, JAN 5. 6.30pm
ST. BERNADETTE
Weds, JAN 6. 6.30pm
ST. JOSEPH
Thurs, JAN 7. 6.30pm
ST. MATTHEW
Thurs, JAN 14. 6.30pm
Kidssentials Hot Lunch Program
ECO News
The Eco Ravens would like your help by
participating in Litter-less lunch Wednesdays.
We encourage all students to bring in snacks
THE NEW MENU FOR January to March IS
NOW AVAILABLE, and there are several dates
still available in November and December if
you haven’t ordered yet. To place an order
and view the menu: Visit
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www.kidssentials.com/parents and create
your family account.
For more information about Kidssentials meals
and any allergy related inquiries, visit the
website at www.kidssentials.com. Kidssentials
can also be reached by phone at 905-8551914 or by e-mail at [email protected]
SEAC – Raising Awareness of Special
Education Services at HCDSB
What is SEAC? Did you know that there is a
committee in each school board or school
authority that provides important and
relevant advice on Special Education?
This committee is known as the Special
Education Advisory Committee or SEAC.
SEAC is made up of school board trustees
and representatives of local associations with
a common goal of protecting the interests
and well-being of exceptional children or
adults. Associations currently represented on
HCDSB SEAC are:
- Association for Bright Children (ABC) Ontario
- Halton Chapter Autism Ontario
- Easter Seals Ontario
- Halton Down Syndrome Association
- Learning Disabilities Association of Halton
- VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children
SEAC meetings on the last Monday of each
month at 7pm, at the Board office. We would
love to see you there!
Be sure to check in with us next month to find
out exactly “what is an exceptional student?”
Or, visit our website at
www.hcdsb.org/Community/SEAC/Pages/de
fault.aspx where you can also find more
information on HCDSB SEAC including copies
of minutes from previous meetings, and a
listing of upcoming meetings.
St. Vincent De Paul
St. Vincent De Paul has asked for our support in
doing a food drive for the Christmas season.
Each classroom will be filling a box to feed a
family in our community. Items they are looking
for are Pasta (mac & cheese, spaghetti,
penne, etc.), pasta sauce, rice, beans and
some colouring books, storybooks,
crayons/pencils and activity books. The drive
taking place the last few weeks of November
and the boxes will be picked up on December
11th. We thank you in advance for your
generosity.
St. Vincent De Paul offers assistance to the
community in a number of ways. The number
to call for assistance is 905-875-7995.
School Cash Online
The importance of SEAC is their ability to assist
the board with understanding the special
needs of exceptional children and youth,
and to advise the board in matters that apply
to the delivery of special education services
and program.
Each school board and school authority in
Ontario must establish a SEAC. The meetings
are open to the public and everyone is
encouraged to attend. HCDSB holds their
Please note that payments (field trips,
pizza, etc.) are available through our
schools Cash Online
System found at:
https://hcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/
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Eye See Eye Learn
Social Media Fitness
The Eye See...Eye Learn® (ESEL) program was
developed to raise awareness among parents
of the importance of having their children's
eyes checked upon starting school. The
program provides comprehensive eye exams
by local Doctors of Optometry to junior
kindergarten students in Ontario. The eye
exams are covered under provincial health
insurance (or OHIP). This means that there is no
out-of pocket cost for the eye exam. If the
child requires a pair of glasses, they will receive
a FREE pair donated by Nikon Lenswear, OGI
and your participating Doctor of Optometry.
The value of the glasses is estimated over $250.
For more information: www.eyeseeeyelearn.ca
St. Peter Catholic School (137 Dixon Drive) is
inviting all parents in Milton to an information
session on Social Media awareness on
Thursday, February 4th, 2016 at 7:00 PM. The
speaker will be Chris Vollum and topics will
include digital citizenship and understanding
various tools used such as Twitter, Instagram
and SnapChat.
St. Benedict Parish News
Our Christmas Masses at Saint Benedict Parish
are as follows:
Thursday December 24th - Christmas Eve
5:00 pm; 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm
Friday December 25th - Christmas Day
9:00 am and 11:00 am
ESL News
Merry Christmas from the ESL
Department!
All of our English as a Second Language teachers would like
Saturday December 26th - Boxing Day (Vigil
for the feast of the Holy Family)
5:00 pm
to say Thank You for the opportunity of working with our
wonderful ELLs (English Language Learners) at our
elementary schools throughout the Board.
Traditional English …
French
Italian
Portuguese
Arabic
Korean
Russian
Filipino
Japanese
Polish
India Hindi
Nigeria Yoruba
Spanish
Merry Christmas
Joyeux Noel
Buon Natale
Feliz Natal
Milad Mubarak
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Schastlivogo Rozhdestva
Maligayang Pasko
Merii Kurisumasu
Wesolych Swait
Krisamas Kee Badhaee
Ikini Odu Keresimesi
Feliz Navidad
…..And A Very Happy New Year Too!
Sunday December 27th - Feast of the Holy
Family
9:00 am and 11:00 am
Thursday December 31st - New Year’s Eve
5:00 pm
Friday January 1st 2016 - New Year’s Day
(Feast of Mary the Mother of God)
9:00 am and 11:00 am
Saturday January 2nd - Vigil for the Feast of
the Epiphany
5:00 pm
Sunday January 3rd - Feast of the Epiphany
9:00 am and 11:00 am
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Confessions are heard on every Saturday
from 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm in the Prayer Chapel
at Our Lady of Fatima School.
All Masses are celebrated at Our Lady of
Fatima Catholic Elementary School (709
Bolingbroke Drive in Milton. L9T 6Z3)
Please visit the St. Benedict Parish website at:
www.stbenedictparish.ca for more
information.
Student Articles
ECO TEAM
By: Daria – grade 5
This year at St. Benedict Catholic Elementary
School, there will be Eco Team meetings at
lunchtime in Mrs. Mastrangelo’s room. Our
wonderful teachers Mrs. Chiappino, Mrs.
Sampson, Mrs. Wilson, and Mrs. Mastrangelo,
have organized Eco Team because they are
excited about what they can do along with
students at St. Benedict to help the
environment. Eco team is not new to our school,
last year our school won a silver medal for
conservation of energy. Together, at St.
Benedict School, our goal for this year is to beat
our silver medal, and be the number one school
for conserving energy in Halton. Some activities
that Eco Team members take part in are
recycling for grade ones, and explaining which
bins the garbage goes in to the kindergarten
students. Eco Team members also like to
brainstorm ideas on how to conserve energy for
our school and our homes. Anyone from grades
3-8 can join Eco Team.
GO RAVENS GO!
Remembrance Day
By: Paula.J, Mia.Paj, Gloria.M
Remembrance Day is the day where we all
remember the sacrifices made by others during
times of war.
Poppies symbolize the loss of life suffered
during the war. In Flanders Field is a poem
about the poppies that grew in the battlefields
where men had died because of the war. All
grade 6 classes ran the Remembrance Day
liturgy this year. The grade 1 and 6 French
immersion classes sang a French song called, “A
Pittance of Time” in the liturgy. We all had a
moment of silence at 11:00 to remember those
who fought for our country. Each class was
asked to prepare a wreath to take down to the
front of the liturgy. They were placed on the
altar after the moment of silence. During the
liturgy we felt thankful for the people who
fought in the war and who made our country a
safe and free place to live.
Halloween Dance-a-Thon
By: Erin and Justin
At St. Benedict School, We had a Halloween
Dance-a-thon! We raised about $12 000.00!
One of the best teacher costumes was Mrs.
D’Alonzo who dressed as Emmett, the Lego man
from the Lego movie. Erin interviewed Sofia a
student in grade 5 who saw somebody dressed
as a cowboy riding an ostrich.
Parent volunteers served juice boxes after the
dance-a-thon. There were so many parent
volunteers handing them out. The purpose of
the dance-a-thon was to raise money for St.
Benedict School so we could have a better
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school. Kids were having fun because of the cool
songs they played at the dance-a-thon like the
Watch Me Whip/Nae Nae and Hit The Quan.
When I was dancing the Whip\Nae Nae
everyone was dancing too!
Some prizes included Tech Packs (headphones,
phone cases etc.), Darth Vader toaster, Vixen
Nails and Spa gift card, a subway lunch for 4 and
a Playdium gift card! There were golden tickets
that you could put in for certain prizes. Those
prizes were: Raptors tickets, Leaf tickets and a
Pebble watch!
In conclusion the Halloween dance –a-thon was
a huge success!
Operation Christmas Child
By Abigale L.
This school year during Operation Christmas
Child (OCC), we raised about 420 shoeboxes!
That’s a lot. OCC provides an opportunity for
people of all ages to be involved in a simple
hands-on project of Samaritan’s Purse that
focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus
Christ, and God’s greatest gift. OCC was started
in 1990. OCC was adopted by Samaritan’s Purse,
a Christian organization run by Franklin Graham.
We are providing gifts for children who might
not otherwise receive a gift because their family
does not have enough money. This is for needy
children in other parts of the world. The parent
council came to the staff and had an amazing
idea, they thought that the school should
participate in OCC. It’s a way to spread joy at
Christmas time. I got a quote from Mme.
Johnston saying, “I hope they will feel excited
when they receive their gifts and that somebody
else cares about them and thinks they are
special”. When you receive a shoebox you fill it
up with toys, school supplies, and items that you
think a boy or girl of any age will enjoy. “We
were really thrilled with the amount of families
that participated in Operation Christmas Child
this year. We also hope we will do it again next
year!” says Mme. Johnston. There was a girl in
grade 5 named Sofia M. who brought in more
than 40 boxes, she is a very giving person. You
can make a difference!!!
The New St. Benedict Choir
By: Ale C., Mary G., Coco P., and Kristen W.
This month we will be focusing on the choir. We
have interviewed choir students and the
teachers who run it, Mrs. Park and Mrs. CostaDaMaia.
Our first question was, “Why did you start a
choir when we already have School of Rock?”
We started a choir because we wanted a group
to focus on religious faith that represents our
school. It is also so cool that Mrs. Costa-DaMaia
is able to assist. They have known each other
for 10/11 years and Mrs. Park likes her positive
influence. We also asked if she thought there
would be any challenges for the choir. Her
concerns were time to prepare and she also
needs a piano player. Our questions for Mrs.
Costa-DaMaia was, “Would you rather be the
lead teacher in choir or keep being the helper”?
Her answer is she enjoys helping because she
can learn from Mrs. Park. If Mrs. Park happens
to get sick or can’t be there then she will be able
to lead. We also learned that Mrs. CostaDaMaia loves the choir and is very serious about
it because singing religious songs are almost like
a prayer to her.
Brand New School
By: Hannah A and Kloe V
Many new students have come to St. Benedict
this year. We interviewed a variety of students
and here are some thoughts on our Brand New
School.
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How does your child like St. Benedict?
Alexander in grade 5 said that St. Benedict is a
nice school. He feels very safe and trusts the
teachers and staff. Does he/she like how we do
things here? Yes. It is very organized. The bell is
different here, but things run smoothly. Have
they met new friends? Eilish in grade 6 said yes!
I have made new friends by communicating and
playing games. Do they like their uniforms? I
like the look of the uniforms, but I just don’t like
wearing them every day said a student in grade
1. Are you ready to take a BIG STEP and explore
and have fun at your new school? All of these
questions come to mind.
Hope your child has a great year at St. Benedict!
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