As we head into the final stretch of the 2014-15 school year there are many exciting activities taking place at St. Stephen’s school. Please feel free to join us in our community celebrations. We are looking forward to an exciting finish to a very successful school year. Please feel free to drop by anytime if you have feedback regarding this year or any ideas for next year. Check out our June calendar for all of our important events this month.

I am very pleased to announce our new motto “Believe and Achieve” that will identify and represent what being part of the St. Stephen’s Community means to us. Students were asked by secret ballot to submit some motto options and then we voted as a school community from the top 5 choices. Look out for branding and sharing of our school motto in the new school year. We are very excited!

Goodbyes are never easy and at the end of June we will be saying good bye to our Gr.8 students. We would like wish them good luck as they close the door to their elementary education and open a new and exciting door to their second-ary educational experience. We would also like to wish any students or staff leaving St. Stephen’s school good luck in their new schools and new adventures. You will be missed.

NOTE: Our school parking lot is being re-paved. As a result all staff will be parking at the church or across the

street for approx. two weeks. This may impact parent pick up and drop off. Thank you for your patience.

I pray that all teachers and students together with their families be blessed with a safe and happy summer! May summer be for all of us a time of renewal, relaxation, and joy! A time which we rejoice in God’s presence in recreation, nature and in one another.

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can

live as if everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

• To Mr. Mancini and Miss Conway for preparing and administering the Primary and Junior EQAO tests and to all of our Primary/Junior teachers who have prepared our students for this testing.

• To Mr. Barber, Mrs. DeMelo-MacDonnell, Mrs Schaus for supporting our students and staff with EQAO testing

• To Madame Banda and the Gr. 6/7 leaders for organizing our bi-annual Jump Rope for Heart. Thank you parents we raised just under $2000.

• To Mrs. Fitzhenry and Miss D’Rozario who host-ed our JK orientation for our new students for September 2015. Thank you Mrs. De-Mac for your support!

• To Mrs. MacDonald, Mrs. Schaus, Father Wesley and all church staff for preparing our Gr.2’s for First Holy Communion

• To our fabulous lunch monitors—Mrs. Beauvais and Mrs. Whittington—who effectively supervise our students at afternoon recess. Many thanks!

Principal’s Message

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!

June 2015June 2015June 2015June 2015

NewsletterNewsletterNewsletterNewsletter

• To Mrs. Fitzhenry and Mrs. MacDonald for organizing and running this year’s Track and Field events and preparing our team

• To Mrs. Leedale for her efficiency and organization at the office with booking end of the year trips/buses, counting endless amounts of money coming in (and going out) for various things and for organizing our supply orders for September! Thank you!

• To all staff who lead some exciting and robust educational learning experiences during our Catholic Education week! Way to go!

• Mr. Burt for his hard work and dedication in making our school shine and be a place we are proud of! Many thanks!

• To Mrs Creary and Parent Council for organiz-ing our guest speaker—Paul Davis—to talk to us about Social Media. Great learning!

ZONE 2

Please call for your child’s absence: 905-772-3863

Our Stage Fundraiser is going well! A special thank you to all the volunteers and supporters of the Hanson Meat

Fundraiser, the Bottle Drive and those that have made cash donations. To date we have raised $6387.00.

We are still working toward our goal of $12 000.00. The next event will be the Twisted Lemon Dinner, Sunday June 7, 2015. There are 7 tickets left for the 2:30 PM seating. For tickets call Twisted Lemon @ 905-772-6636 or

Julia Sutor @ 905-975-6613

CATHOLIC GRADUATE EXPECTATIONS

MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS

Every month we will focus on a different Catholic Graduate Expectation and look to celebrate and highlight a

student who has exemplified the focus. May’s student focus was: “Displays their Catholic faith traditions

in the Arts and Media/Technology (Effective Communicator)

ELKP Oliver and Lincoln F.

Gr. 1/2 Cailee B.

Gr. 3/4 Gaven F.

Gr. 5 Cody D.

Gr. 6/7 Ariana R.

Gr. 8 Maggie B.

Certificates were given to students

at our Student of the Month Assembly

FORTUNATO CUP

WINNERS

Congratulations to the Gr. 3/4 class who have achieved excel-lence in being LEADERS in test-ing out various math technology such as Math Prodigy and Dreambox as part of board pilot project introduced by their teach-er Mr. Mancini. Well done Gr.3/4’s and thank you for your insights and enthusiasm.

June’s focus: “Accepts accountability for one’s own actions.” (Responsible Citizen)

Lost and Found Items Please take time to look through the lost and

found items displayed in the hallway by the li-

brary. Items will be on display until Friday, June

19th. Items that are not claimed will be washed

and donated. There are some expensive items so please

have a look - in particular if your child has lost some-

thing. ALSO please look in your child(ren)’s rooms or

play areas for any clothing items, toys, or sports equip-

ment that they may have mistakenly picked up at

school. If these items do not belong to your child

please return them to school ASAP! THANK YOU!

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it ... Dad Author Unknown

THANK YOU TO ALL OURTHANK YOU TO ALL OURTHANK YOU TO ALL OURTHANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERS

St. Stephen’s Catholic School would like to thank all the volunteers who help out

in classrooms, school events, and as supervisors on school trips. Most especially

we would like to thank our School Advisory Council (Parent Council) who are

group of dynamic parents who regularly meet to discuss school goals and fund-

raising. We have been very fortunate to have such creative and energetic parents

within our school community. With all their efforts, St. Stephen’s Catholic

School continues to be a vibrant and active school. Your time and dedication is

greatly appreciated!

Parent Council Members

Chair: Penny Medeiros-Wilkins Vice Chair: Lynda Baracetti

Treasurer: Martin/Jen Kelly

Secretary: Julia Sutor Teaching Rep.: Eric Mancini Other Voting Members: Lee Creary, Sharon Shipstone, Scott Bryson,

Joanne Plaenksken, Michelle Phibbs, Erin McLean, Kelly Muller, Saby Fox

Parent Volunteers: Volunteers are always welcome. We hope you will consider helping us again next year.

Thank you!

Warmer weather is upon us. We ask parents to pay close attention to what students are wearing to

school. If the school is to be a special place where the community can expect a standard of excellence,

and where students are to develop a sense of dignity and seriousness about learning, then it follows that

our style of dress should reflect that standard. Our dress code is as follows:

1. No clothing with inappropriate logos, sayings, and/or pictures.

2. No spaghetti strapped shirts are to be worn by any student from Gr.5 to Gr.8

and girls should make sure their tops are not cut too low.

3. Midriffs should not be exposed.

4. Pants are to be worn at the WAIST-undergarments are not to be visible.

5. Shorts/skirts are to be an appropriate length for the student.

If it is extremely hot outside, recess times may be reduced. Students are encouraged to

not overexert themselves on hot days and play games where they are not running hard

all the time but taking frequent breaks in a shady spot.

School Dress Code

We welcome any and all parent and adult volunteers to St. Stephen’s School. There are al-

ways opportunities to help out at the school.

Volunteers must provide a Criminal Background Check every three years. In years when a

CBC is not required the volunteer must sign the prescribed Offence Declaration. If there

is a break in the volunteer’s service of more than one year a new CBC must be provided.

Everyone needs to provide a CBC even if volunteering for class trips. If you would like an

application please contact the office or the classroom teacher.

Volunteering and Police Checks

September Placements

Please note class placements will be inserted in your child’s June report card. Keep in

mind all placements are tentative until the September enrolment is finalized (end of

September).

Social Media Do’s and Don’ts

(According to Paul Davis—Presenter and Expert) #1. Children should not be in their room alone with their computer, laptop, ipad,

Iphone, etc. Children are naturally curious –always supervise their use of

social media

#2. You need to be 13 years of age to have a facebook or Instagram account.

Read the contract.

#3. Parents should approve any picture/post their children post.

#4. Check security settings monthly

#5. To delete an account go to www.deleteyouraccount.ca

#6. Strong passwords are important (10 characters or longer including Upper

Case Letters, Lower Case Letters, Numbers, Symbols)

#7. Never click links in emails

#8. If you are ‘cyberbullied’ NEVER respond - print evidence and show an adult

#9. Turn on ‘privacy’ settings for all your social media

#10. Double check “Snapchat” and “KEK” - not reputable and high risk social media

Preparation for the Next Grade

You can find some important information for how to prepare your child for the next

grade in your child(ren)’s final report card. Your existing child(ren)’s teacher can also

provide you with other specific ways to help your child be well prepared for their next

year. Here are some general suggestions for your child(ren).

Have your child(ren):

- read throughout the summer (try different types of books)

- keep a journal outlining their summer adventures

- practice typing skills on the computer

- email a family member

- purchase some educational computer software (eg. Reader Rabbit)

- visit museums, art galleries, parks, grocery stores, etc.

- participate/volunteer in community activities or go to the library

- research someone they admire and prepare a report

- read about current events in the paper

- bake/cook or go grocery shopping

School Supplies

Included in your child’s report card will be a list of supplies that he/she will need to

start the new school year in September. Please refer to the list when you are shopping.

Hopefully providing the list early, you will be able to take advantage of some of the

sales this August!

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Day 1

2 Day 2

EQAO –Gr. 3 /Gr.6

continues

3 Day 3

Blessing Liturgy

for Nolan’s Gar-

den at 9:30 a.m.

4 Day 4

EQAO –Gr. 3 /Gr.6

ends

5 P.A. Day No School

6 Mass @ 5 pm

7 Twisted Lemon

Fundraising

Event

2:30/5:00 Thank you!

8 Day 5

Gr.8’s return from Camp Celtic @

4:30 pm

9 Day 1

Volunteer Tea at

10a.m.

FAITH FAIR AND

TRAVELLING

ART SHOW

All welcome!

10 Day 2

Track & Field

Meet at Holy Trinity

(Simcoe)

11 Day 3

RAIN DATE for

Track & Field

Meet at Holy Trinity (Simcoe)

12 Day 4

Class Mass Gr.

ELKP and Gr.1/2

13

Mass @ 5 pm

14

Mass

8:30 & 10:30

15 Day 5

Parent Council Meeting 4:15

16 Day 1

Gr. 1/2 Tree Plant-

ing (Dunnville)

@ 9:00 am

17 Day 2

Year End BBQ

ELKP to Gr.4

18 Day 3

ELKP Graduation

at 1:30

19 Day 4

Gr, 7 Techxplora-

tion Trip to HT

Robert Munsch Perfor-

mance ELKP-Gr.4

20

Mass @ 5 pm

21 Mass

8:30 & 10:30

22 Day 5

23 Day 1

Gr, 7 Techxplora-

tion Trip to HT

Gr.8 Graduation at

6 p.m. (church)

24 Day 2

Whole School Mass TALENT SHOW/

Lip Sync Battle

(11:30 - 1p.m)

Report Cards Go

Home

25 Day 3

Last Day of School

(3:10 dismissal)

HAVE A GREAT

SUMMER!

26

P.A. Day No School

27

Mass @ 5 pm

28

Mass

8:30 & 10:30

St. Stephen’s School

June 2015

www.ststephencayuga.ca

Parents/Guardians: Please contact the office if you are moving out of the area. This is very important infor-mation as it impacts our overall school organization. The school organization for 2015-16 is as follows:

ELKP Gr.1/2 Gr.2/3 Gr.4/5 Gr. 6 Gr. 7/8

*French as a Second Language to all Grades 1 to Grade 8 (new for Gr. 1 to Gr.3 for 2015-16)

Gr. 8 Camp Celtic Trip

School Resumes

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 @ 8:50 a.m.

Have a safe & restful summer!