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.
Hello parents.
Bus 201 has not left the school yet as it is having trouble starting. Another bus will be sent to St. Dominic Savio School to drive students home but please note students will be late getting dropped off as the other bus hasn’t arrived yet.
Good morning, St. Dominic Families!
This week is Holy Week, a time to pray and reflect on Jesus’ suffering, sacrifice, and victory over death. It starts on Palm Sunday (yesterday), a day that commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. At mass we received palms, a reminder of the Scripture telling us that people welcomed Jesus by laying down their cloaks and waving palm branches.
Holy Week includes solemn observances and joyous feasts. Holy Thursday begins the Easter Triduum – the three days leading up to Jesus’ Resurrection. We learn of the Lord’s Supper, which was the first celebration of the Eucharist.
Good Friday is the only day in the entire year in which no Mass is celebrated. It is a solemn day that calls for fasting and abstinence. Stations of the Cross are often reenacted in church on Good Friday.
Holy Saturday is the Easter Vigil and is perhaps the most important liturgy of the year. It begins the Easter celebrations and begins once the sun has set. The Liturgy of the Word begins in darkness and demonstrates the connection between the Old and new Testaments and how Jesu fulfilled Scripture and achieved salvation of all humanity. The Easter Vigil is a joyous, celebratory liturgy.
Easter Sunday is a festive Liturgy, and which continues from the Easter Vigil. Often we celebrate this day with beautiful flowers like white lilies, wear special outfits and of course eat chocolate.
Throughout this week, students will have the opportunity to participate in activities and discussions in their classrooms. These activities will focus on themes such as love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and renewal, which are central to the message of Lent and Easter. On Holy Thursday, we will come together as a school community to watch a presentation of the Stations of the Cross, led by Ms. Ruffell’s Grade 7/8 class. This solemn and reverent experience will allow students to journey alongside Jesus as he carries the cross, reflecting on each station.
Just a reminder that there is no school on Good Friday, March 29th, or Easter Monday, April 1st.
Please see attached SUMMER Flyer for Reach Ahead Courses and Head Start for Gr.8 students going into Grade 9. These awesome opportunities fill up fast.
If your family plans on taking advantage of the Extended Day program next year, then you are invited to pre-register before April 15th. The number of pre-registrations are used to determine whether the program will be offered at our school in the fall.
To pre-register, please log into your OneList Waterloo Region account. When prompted to pre-register, click Yes and your child will be added to the pre-registration list for next school year. You will receive an email in late June asking you to confirm your child’s schedule for the 2024-25 school year, this will complete your registration.
For assistance with the OneList Waterloo Region site, please contact OneHSN Support at support@onehsn.com.
Registration is still open for children who are starting Kindergarten in September 2024. These are children born in 2020 who would be eligible for Junior Kindergarten/Year 1. Children born in 2019 and who have not enrolled in Junior Kindergarten/Year 1 this year are eligible for Senior Kindergarten/Year 2. If your child is already attending JK/Year 1 for this current school year, there is no need to do anything. Please register online: Link to Register. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office at 519-740-0678. For more information please visit: The Kindergarten Program
Parents can make a big difference in their child’s learning by talking with them about what they are learning at school. While these resources are optional, they provide valuable information about what students are learning at school and ideas for supporting their learning at home: Mathematics – Elementary (wcdsb.ca)
As required by Ontario’s Immunization of Schools Pupil Act, Public Health must have a complete record of required vaccines, or a valid exemption on file, for every student attending schools in the region. The ISPA is a law and requires parents/guardians to report child immunizations to the Region of Waterloo Public Health, not to the school or school board. Parents/Guardians of students at St. Dominic Savio whose immunization records were not up to date received a letter from the Region of Waterloo Public Health. If Public Health does not have the required records as of March 27th, your child will be suspended from school. The school/school board does not issue suspension orders and cannot cancel a suspension order. Parents/Guardians of students who have been suspended are required to provide the Region of Waterloo Public Health with records for missing immunizations and/or a valid exemption. For more information, please visit Region of Waterloo Public Health ISPA .
All our welcome!
On April 11th, Pegasus will be at our school to take graduation photos of our Year 2 Kindergarten students and our Grade 8 students. Grade 8s, don’t forget to wear your white shirt! Kindergarten and Grade 8 grads, bring your smiles on Thursday, April 11th!
Have an amazing Holy Week Dragons!
Good afternoon, St. Dominic Savio Families.
Tomorrow we will recognize and celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. We look forward to seeing everyone in their most colourful or mismatched socks!
Hi Dragon Parents,
Our Lost and Found is growing! Students will be viewing these items until Wednesday, March 27th at noon. Any remaining items will be collected and donated.
Thank you Kim Upham and Shannon Mayo for sorting our Lost & Found Box.
Welcome back Dragons!
We hope you had a wonderful March Break and are feeling energized and eager for learning. Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, and it was a day to remember St Patrick, a missionary who converted many of Ireland’s inhabitants to Christianity in the 5th century. Traditionally, Canadians celebrate the Irish culture through parades, music, special foods, dances and wearing green. As a community, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day before the March Break, but we hope families were also enjoyed some festive fun this past weekend.
God, thank you for Spring and the hope of warmer, longer, brighter days. Thank you for the coming of growth and life and birth. Thank you that things are coming awake in the world. Amen
On Tuesday March 19th, we officially welcome Spring. Spring often means lots of mud on our playground so please be sure your child(ren) have extra clothing in the event that mud happens to find them!
Almsgiving is an outward sign of love for others.
Giving alms is essential to fostering a deep spiritual life because it allows us to step outside of ourselves and focus on the needs of others. More than simply giving money, almsgiving is an act of love that can deepen our prayer life and bring a greater sense of meaning to fasting. Almsgiving incorporates the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting in a way that manifests itself by caring for our neighbours in need. It can deepen our prayer as we are brought into contact with those who live in poverty and give us a greater understanding of what it means to go without while fasting.
School Highlights
Thursday, March 21st we will be celebrating “Rock Your Socks” day at school in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day! Students are encouraged to wear brightly coloured or mismatched socks to represent diversity and uniqueness.
Saturday, March 23rd at 8:30 p.m. is Earth Hour. The purpose of Earth Hour is to unite everyone in the world towards a common goal of protecting the planet. Earth Hour started in 2007 as a lights-off event to raise awareness about climate change. It has grown to engage more than 162 countries and territories worldwide. At school we will observe Earth Hour together on Friday after the last recess.
On Tuesday, March 26 it is Epilepsy Awareness Day, or Purple Day, which was created to increase the public’s understanding of this brain disorder and to eliminate the fear and stigma surrounding it. Please wear purple to show your support.
The ECLIPSE is coming! We have moved our PD Day from Friday, April 19th to Monday, April 8th, 2024. There will be no school for students on Monday, April 8th, 2024. This is because of the timing of the total Eclipse. It is expected to peak during “travel time” for the students when they cannot be adequately supervised and when their safety cannot be guaranteed. This is between 2:30 – 4:00pm. As such, we have moved our PD Day so that we can get your help in ensuring the safety of all.
Cell Phones: We have a cell phone policy that is very simple. No cell phones at school. If we see a cell phone out during the day, the teacher will ask that it be placed on their desk or in the office for the day. The student can pick it up at the end of the day. If it is seen at the end of the day, the student will be able to pick it up at the end of the next day. Parents are always welcome to come pick up student cell phones. Please help us to eliminate this as a distraction for your children. Keep the conversation going!
Safe Footwear For Students: We ask that students wear closed-toe and closed-heel shoes to school. Wearing ‘Crocs’ or ‘slides’ is not safe for running and playing at recess.
Spirit Wear Wednesdays! Just a reminder that every Wednesday, we encourage all staff and students to wear Spirit Wear or school colours! It is great to see how many students participate each week!
Personal Items: At times, students bring personal belongings to the school (electronic devices, footballs, hats, ball gloves, knapsacks, special clothing). They are responsible for these possessions. Their names should be clearly labelled on these articles. Please note that the school is not responsible for the loss of personal items. If a child has lost or misplaced an article of clothing, please have them check the Lost and Found area. We also ask that the children NOT bring anything to school that has monetary or sentimental value.
Upcoming Testing:
CCAT Grade 4 March 20th to 27thCAT-4 Grade 7 April 10th to 17thEQAO Grade 3 and 6 May 8th to June 12th
Summer Learning Programs: In July and August, several FREE learning options are available for elementary students that will ignite, support, and challenge them toward success and preparation for the next grade. REGISTRATION will open on Tuesday, March 19th. Find the programs listed by date and grade that best suit your student’s needs. Visit https://www.wcdsb.ca/summer-learning/ for program details, dates, and registration links.
Engagement Evening: WCDSB is pleased to present a virtual parent and guardian information evening on Cyber safety, digital literacy, and esports gaming on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Matthew Johnson, the Director of Education from Media Smarts, will speak about online safety and digital literacy and discuss resources available to families from Media Smarts. Katina Papulkas is the Senior Education Strategist at Dell Technologies and will provide guidance on online gaming and how parents and guardians can support their children’s passions, explore career opportunities, and appreciate the engagement it provides. Register:
D2L Parent and Guardian Portal App: Video tutorials in Arabic, English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Tigrinyan have been created to guide our families in getting connected to their students’ D2L classrooms. Videos are housed on the WCDSB Parent and Guardian Page (scroll to the bottom). Parents only need to go through the steps once and all their students who attend WCDSB schools will populate in the app.PLEASE NOTE: you must have an updated email on file with your child’s school in order to access your child’s D2L page. Please contact the main office if you are having difficulty signing up for the parent portal.D2L Webinar Recording: to introduce families to D2L Brightspace Parent & Guardian access by web browser or app.
Have a fabulous week, Dragons!
The staff and students of St. Dominic Savio School would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our Lunch Hour Supervisors! They are outside in the rain and the cold, they cover our classes for us, they support in classrooms when we are short, but MOST importantly, they build relationships with our entire school community! Our schools would not be the same without you and we are so thankful for you! You are truly superheroes and today we want to say THANK YOU!
