The Knights of Columbus are running their annual TOY DRIVE.
St. Dominic families are invited to donate new, unwrapped toys for
this annual Christmas Toy Drive. Each grade division has been assigned an
age group, it is as follows:
Kindergarten to Grades 3: Ages 0-6
Grades 4, 5 and 6: Ages 6-12
Grades 7 and 8: Ages 12-16
**Monetary donations will also be accepted through School Cash Online**
Please see the flyer below for further details ~
~ Spread LOVE everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to your without leaving happier. ~ Mother Teresa
Good morning, St. Dominic Dragon Community. It is hard to believe that we are heading into our final week of November! Advent will begin next Sunday. This is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful time to open our hearts and truly feel the joy of the season.
It was great to see so many of our families on Interview night. We hope that you had some great conversation around your child(ren)’s learning and left with a better understanding of how you can further support them. Thank you for being great partners in your child’s education.
A big thank you for your support of our Scholastic Book Fair. We raised over $4000 alone just on our Parent/Teacher Interview evening! All money will be put back into our library through the purchase of more books and resources for students to use towards their education. An extra big thank you to our Parent Council volunteers and our library teacher, Mrs. Sathiaraj, who put in many extra hours keeping our library open for parents to visit and make purchases.
Snow will be coming soon! Please check the forecast and ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather outside. The changing weather can be challenging to plan for – but students must come to school with boots and warm clothes in snowy/wet weather. This also means it is time to send extra mittens and socks. Indoor shoes that are appropriate for the gym are essential too. It’s not safe to wear outdoor shoes in the hallways and gym as they are wet and could cause someone to slip and fall. Thanks for your understanding the importance of indoor shoes!
It was an exciting week for our Intermediate sports teams! Both of our teams advanced to the Regional Championships and did amazing! Both teams played their best and represented our school fantastically! Congratulations to our boys and girls who both placed an awesome 4th place finish in the whole Board! A special thank you to the coaches for all of their help and dedication and also to our amazing parent drivers and fans!!! Well done, Dragons!!
Local Food Resources
As magical as the Christmas season is, many families struggle as this can also be a financially trying time. In an effort to support families who may need assistance but are unsure where to go, we are providing a list of agencies for consideration.
1. Affordable Food – Region of Waterloo2. Need Food? – The Food Bank of Waterloo Region3. Food Banks – Region of Waterloo4. https://food4kidswr.ca/our-programs/5. Tiny Home Takeout6. Ray of Hope Community Centre Food Program.docx7. Maycourt Food Box Program8. Nutrition for Learning9. House of Friendship Christmas Hampers10. Local Church assistance programs (i.e. St Vincent de Paul)
Adolescence is an exciting and unique time of growth. It is a time when teens go through intense emotional development and maturation. They may be questioning themselves — asking, “Am I normal?” “Do I fit in?” and “Who Am I?” Along with developing bodies, they may also experience more extreme emotional highs and lows. This may be in part because they face more responsibilities and challenges at school or at home. As teens grow older and mature, they develop the skills needed to handle new challenges. However, they still need support and guidance from parents and trusted adults in their journey towards adulthood.
Read more at https://parentandteen.com/adolescent-emotional-development/
On Thursday, December 14th, St. Dominic Savio families are invited to a Family Christmas Open House. There will be lots of fun family activities to participate in as well as draws for some great Christmas baskets. Please be sure to check your child’s D2L Class Page to see what items you can donate towards these basket prizes. Let the festivities begin!
Have a blessed week.
Did you hear? Your Parent Council is on Instagram!
Follow us at @stdomsparentcouncil to stay up to date on events and opportunities to get involved in the St. Dom’s Community!
Good morning, St. Dominic Savio families.
We look forward to a new exciting week of learning in the week ahead of us. Ontario has designated the third week of November as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week to help promote safe schools and a positive learning environment. We will focus on kindness, empathy, community, and encouraging the fostering of a positive school climate. We will have a daily focus for each day inspired by our WCDSB Pastoral theme of STRENGTHEN. Please see our plan for the week: Anti Bullying Week 2023-2024. By participating in Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, our students will be affecting positive change in their learning, achievement and well-being by promoting a safe learning environment, which is essential to their success.
Listed below are some important items happening around the school this week:
Today, your child will be coming home with their Progress Report or Kindergarten Initial observation reports. We hope you will be able to recognize the strengths in learning so far and celebrate successes for the start of the year at school. These initial reports highlight progress towards the end of the year expectations. There is still lots of time to reflect on the next steps for growth in learning and set goals for the school year.
We know that parents have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies show that students perform better in school if their parents or guardians are involved in their education. This is the basis for the principle that students and parents should be kept fully informed about the student’s progress.” ~ Growing Success, page 8.
Parent-teacher-student conferences are scheduled for November 23rd. If you have not scheduled a time with your child’s teacher, please do so using the Microsoft Bookings link that was shared via School Messenger and your child’s D2L class site. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
St. Dominic Savio School is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from November 20th until the 24th in the library. The reason for the Book Fair is to give the whole community a chance to celebrate the JOY OF READING and earn rewards that go directly back to our students. Credit cards or debit cards are the only form of payments that can be accepted. No cash can be accepted, so please do not send in money with your child(ren). The schedule for purchasing the books is as follows:
November 20 -8:30am – 5:00pm
November 21- 8:30am – 5:00pm
November 22- 8:30am – 5:00pm
November 23- 8:30am – 8:30pm
November 24 – 8:30am – 4:00pm
Students will preview books with their class and can let parents know about any books they are interested in. The Fair will be opened on INTERVIEW NIGHT so parents are welcome to stop in to make purchases.
A big thank you to our Catholic School Advisory Council and Mrs. Sathiaraj for running this event!
Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 will take part in a Performance Assembly called Born to Be Brave … And More. This is a joyful concert which encourages children through reading and singing to be kind, give a sense of belonging, community and will celebrate that being different is good.
We wish the St. Dominic Savio Girls’ Basketball Team good luck as our players head to the finals tournament at RIM Park today! The girls have had a fabulous season and played so well together as a team. GO DRAGONS GO!!!!
Wishing you a fantastic week and we hope to see most families on Thursday!
St. Dominic Savio School is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from November 20th until the 24th in the library. The reason for the Book Fair is to give the whole community a chance to celebrate the JOY OF READING and earn rewards that go directly back to our students. Credit cards or debit cards are the only form of payments that can be accepted. No cash can be accepted, so please do not send in money with the students. The schedule for purchasing the books is as follows:
November 20 -8:30am – 5:00pm
November 21- 8:30am – 5:00pm
November 22- 8:30am – 5:00pm
November 23- 8:30am – 8:30pm
November 24 – 8:30am – 4:00pm
Students will preview books with their class and can let parents know about any books they are interested in. The Fair will be opened on INTERVIEW NIGHT so parents are welcome to stop in to make purchases.
A big thank you to our Catholic School Advisory Council and Mrs. Sathiaraj for running this event!
Good evening parents and caregivers.
There will be a Remembrance Day Service tomorrow led by our grade 6 students. We will gather in our gym at 10:40 am. Parents and/or grandparents are more than welcome to join us in the gym for the service. Any students enrolled in Cadets, Embers, Guides, or Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms. Any other service men or women attending tomorrow are welcome to proudly wear their uniform.
God bless.
Hello St. Dominic Savio Families.
Just a reminder that Monday, November 13th is a PA Day and there is no school for students. Teachers will be partaking in Faith activities around the Board pastoral theme of Strengthen.
We look forward to seeing students back at school on Tuesday, November 14th.
Hello parents and caregivers,
A reminder that the Catholic School Advisory Council is meeting tonight in the library @ 6:00 pm.
All parents are welcome to attend.
Hope to see you tonight.
Good morning, St. Dominic Savio families.
We hope everyone enjoyed an extra hour of sleep this past weekend as the clocks turned back an hour. It was a lovely weekend for raking leaves and putting away Halloween decorations and any remaining outdoor items before the snow comes.
On November 8th we remember to the contributions and the sacrifices made by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in service to Canada. On November 11th, we remember the men and women who served and sacrificed for our country. We remember those we have lost and those whose lives were forever changed. We also hold their loved ones, families, and communities in our hearts. As a school community, we will gather on Friday, November 10th, and pause to give thanks and to remember. This celebration will also remind us that we have been called to be peacemakers in our school, in our family, and in our community.
We would like to also pay special tribute to our community veterans and need your help with this. If you have a family member who served our country in the past or is currently serving in our military, we would like to recognize them in our service slide show. Please send a picture of your veteran to Angela.Carroll@wcdsb.ca and include any relevant information such as their name, the war they served in, their ranking (optional) and who they are the relative to at St. Dominic Savio School. Thank you to all those who have sent in pictures to date.
On November 20th, Progress Reports will go home with students in Grades 1 to 8 and our Kindergarten students will receive a Communication of Learning: Initial Observations. The Progress Report and the Initial Observations for Kindergarten provide parents/guardians with an overview of initial observations of their child’s learning and early evidence of growth in learning related to the overall expectations of the curriculum. On November 23rd, in-person parent/teacher/student conferences will be held. More information about conferences and booking times will be shared next week.
Picture Retake Day is on Tuesday, November 7th in the MORNING only. Once proofs are delivered to the school, we will be sending them home with your child. These proofs will have a unique access code which will allow families to view photos and order pictures directly from the Pegasus website. No money or orders will be collected by the school.
Please call the school and leave a message if your child(ren) will be away or late. You can leave a message stating their name, grade, teacher name and reason for absence. If your child(ren) is/are not present during attendance time, the school will follow up as we have a duty to ensure their safety.
If you come to the school to pick up your child(ren) early or for an appointment, please state your reason for being at the school when you buzz the office. When in the office, please sign out your child(ren) in our “sign-out” book. Thank you for your co-operation!
A reminder that if you have chosen to allow your child(ren) to bring a cell phone to school, the expectation is that it remains in their bag. Unless directed by their teacher for instructional purposes, cell phones are to remain out of sight and in backpacks throughout the day. A reminder that the school is not responsible for lost, stolen or misplaced cell phones.
Cell phones are not to be out at recess or used to call/text home for pick-up. All communication about student pick-up needs to be directed through the office for student safety.
Again, thank you for your co-operation families!
Waterloo Career Discovery Event for WCDSB Students:
On behalf of Build a Dream and the WCDSB, we invite you to attend our FREE Waterloo Career Discovery Expo on the evening of Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at Bingeman’s. We will be highlighting opportunities in several careers to better assist young women in high school in making career choices. As a community, we recognize the critical role parents play in the development and education of their children, which is why we are providing this opportunity for parents to attend with their daughters and learn more about careers in the growing Sectors.
PLEASE REGISTER TO ATTEND: https://www.webuildadream.com/event/dreambigwaterloo-career-discovery-expo/Check out the FLYER or Download the event flyer! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!
November is Indigenous Awareness Month
The first week of November marks Treaties Recognition Week to recognize the importance of treaties and increase awareness of the treaty relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous, The week was launched in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to increase treaty awareness and provide students and the public with an important opportunity to learn why treaties matter.
School Traffic
With the weather changing and daylight savings time ending, meaning we will be spending more time in darkness, we need to be even more mindful of our driving habits and road safety. Inclement weather, slippery roads, and reduced visibility are all factors now and, in the weeks, ahead.
Once again, I am coming to you for assistance. We have families who are picking up or dropping off their children in the Kiss and Drop lot and stopping close to the entrance of the lot. This is not safe, and it causes car traffic on Victoria St. Please do not stop at the entrance of the lot, instead drive to the end of the lot so many cars can get in to pick up or drop off students. Thank you.
On Tuesday, November 7th @ 6:00 pm, the Catholic School Advisory Council will meet in the Library to discuss fundraising ideas and plan a Family Christmas Evening. All parents are welcome to join the group and contribute their ideas. Many hands make light work so if you can spare some time, please come out and see where you can help!
Have a super week, Dragons!
Good morning parents and caregivers ~
