Monthly Archives: November 2023

From November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023, all schools within the Waterloo Catholic District are invited to raise funds to help battle homelessness in the region as part of our Sheltering Hearts: A Home for Everyone fundraiser. Tiny homes have been placed on each of our secondary school properties, allowing students to visualize the cause for which they are raising money.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to A Better Tent City (Kitchener-Waterloo) and The Bridges (Cambridge). Donations are made easily through a QR code (featured in the image above). Those interested in donating will scan the QR code and be taken directly to SchoolCash Online. Here, they can select which of the two organizations they wish to donate to and request a tax receipt for donations over $50.00.

Aside from working to provide shelter for under-housed members of our communities, these fundraising efforts will also align with our Catholic Social Teachings, which speak to charitable giving and help foster a society that reflects the principles of justice, compassion, and love for all, particularly the least fortunate among us.

Thank you for being so considerate.

Director Tyrone Dowling

ARTSHINE at our School ~ Starts this week

If you missed the registration cutoff date, it’s not too late. Go to the website or email artshine.

Register at www.artshine.ca

Please have a look at what is coming up this week:

Monday, November 27

WLU Research Team – Kindergarten to Grade 3
The Giving Tree Fundraiser Begins

Tuesday, November 28

Pita Day (if you ordered)
Artshine for those students who registered
6PM Reconciliation Class (at Church)

Wednesday, November 29

Wear your Spirit Wear! Or wear red and/or blue
Pizza Day (if you ordered)

Thursday, November 30

Lunch Lady (if you ordered)
Last day to donate to Sheltering Hearts Tiny Homes Fundraiser

Friday, December 1

Grade 5/6, 7 and 8 to “Celtics on Broadway”
“Keep Christ in Christmas” poster judging
Twenty-four more days until Christmas!

A Message From Fr. Peter & Parish News

Please have a look at this week’s Parish Bulletin here: November 26 2023

In the bulletin, you will also find some events for the adults in the community. Be sure to check them out!

Looking for students to sing at the Christmas mass
“Angel Tree” event started November 18th
Saturday, December 2nd ~ St. Teresa Christmas Dinner and Dance in the Hall (Cocktails at 6, Dinner at 6:30 pm) – A limited number of tickets can be purchased through the Parish Office, M-F, 9am-1pm, call 519-669-3387
Volunteers needed for the Christmas Dinner and Dance
Fundscrip Gift Card Fundraiser Continues
Sunday School is looking for volunteers to help. It’s about 20 minutes of your time. Please contact anna.gallipeaujakeman@wcdsb.ca
Dec. 3 – Annual Christmas Music Evening
Dec. 17 – St. Teresa of Avila Church Christmas Pageant – looking for children participants; they don’t need to know lines, just wear the provided costume and look adorable!

Other Upcoming Community Events

After-School Tutoring and Homework Help

A group of Community Organizations is working together to provide after-school tutoring and homework spaces for our community. The grade ranges from 1 to 12, but with a specific focus on students in Grades 7 to 12. Here is the link to see the full schedule and details for each site: https://www.caminowellbeing.ca/tutoring

For more information please contact Raas Siddiqui @ rsiddiqui@caminowellbeing.ca or (519) 404-2549

CAREERS at WCDSB

Did you know that WCDSB has various career opportunities? There are supply opportunities like lunch hour supervisors, supply administrative assistant positions and more. Be sure to check out https://www.wcdsb.ca/careers/ for job opportunities and how to apply.

CSAC ~ Catholic School Advisory Council

Any parent can be a part of our CSAC council, also known as Parent Council. Some of CSAC’s responsibilities include planning our fundraisers, deciding how to spend our fundraising dollars, volunteering for different initiatives and sharing your opinion about what the Council can do! To find out more, have a look at the resources below. Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 5th at 6 pm. You can attend virtually or in person. Please email paula.pizarro@wcdsb.ca if you’d like to attend in person or virtually.

Hot Lunches

When families place lunch orders, the school receives a small donation. The school receives $1 from each Pita Pit order, $1 from each Twice the Deal Pizza order, and $0.50 from the Lunch Lady. All the proceeds go towards the school and student needs.

Tuesday – Pita Pit
Wednesday – Twice The Deal Pizza
Thursday – Lunch Lady (there are some gluten-free options available NOW)
Orders may be placed weekly or in advance for the entire length of the program.

WOOLWICH COMMUNITY SERVICES & COUNSELLING

Visit https://www.woolwichcommunityservices.org for the most up-to-date information. WCA Brochure

December Deep Learning Skill: Learning Partnerships

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At St. Teresa of Avila school, we will be focusing on Learning Partnerships for the month of December.

Learning Partnerships involve active collaboration, not just with our classmates and teachers but also with community organizations like our parish church, and even with individuals from the global community. It’s about tackling real-world challenges together, participating in engaging activities, and exchanging ideas.

We encourage you to support your child’s learning partnerships at home by participating in our school Giving Tree initiative this month. You may also wish to visit our parish website for Advent Mass times, Advent resources, and community faith-based activities.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Your partner in education,

P. Pizarro

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations Themes: A Caring Family Member

How many items does your child(ren) lose yearly to the Lost and Found or, worse yet, goes in the trash? Want to save money by NOT having to replace lost items because no one knows who it belongs to? Get Mabel’s Labels!

We are happy to report that our school signed up for an ongoing fundraiser with Mabel’s Labels. Our school has the opportunity to earn 20% commission on all sales, and you have the peace of mind of knowing that your child(ren)’s items are labelled. And we are thankful that our Lost and Found does not fill up every term.

Coming Up:

December 7: Sacrament of Penance
December 14: 10 am School Advent Mass (Church)
December 18: Christmas Lunch
December 22: Christmas Concert
December 23-January 7 – Christmas Holidays
January 8 – Back to School

Congratulations to Our Concours Oratoire Winners!

Congratulations to all the courageous students in grades 7-10 who participated in the Fall 2023 French Impromptu Speech Contest!

Core French students spoke for 2 minutes and then answered questions about a photo they received 15 minutes prior to speaking.

Congratulations to Norah, who placed second in the Grade 7 Core French category, and Hannah, who placed third in the Grade 7 Core French category!

Weekly Updates ~ Nov. 20-24

“Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Right is right even if no one is doing it.” – St. Augustine

Happy Sunday, Tornado Families:

We would like to start this week’s updates with congratulations to the Intermediate Girls Basketball team, who came in first place at their tournament last week! We wish the Intermediate Boys Volleyball team all the best as they compete on Monday at their tournament.

This week is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week in Ontario. Every day at our school, a new theme will be discussed.

Monday – Strengthen New and Existing Friendships
Tuesday – Strengthen Your Capacity for Empathy
Wednesday – Strengthen Your Listening Skills
Thursday – Strengthen Our Ability to Engage in Conflict Resolution
Friday – Strengthen Relationships Through Acts of Kindness

Bullying is defined as a form of (typically) repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear and distress and/or harm to another person’s body, feelings, self-esteem, or reputation. Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance.

Bullying is when one person continually uses mean, negative, harmful and aggressive words or actions towards or about another person on purpose, while fully understanding that what they are doing is wrong and hurtful but do it anyways to make themselves feel bigger and more powerful while making the other person feel small and powerless.

A power imbalance may occur between a student and another individual based on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic status, social status, religion, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, disability or receipt of special education. Bullying usually happens when one or more students tease, threaten, spread rumours about, exclude, hit, shove, or hurt another person.

St. Teresa of Avila School recognizes the importance of teaching our students the difference between bullying, rude or mean behaviour, and conflict while respecting all actions that can be upsetting to any student. People sometimes confuse conflict with bullying, but they are different.

Nov. 22 ~ Grade 8 Night at St. David High School

CAREERS at WCDSB

Did you know that WCDSB has various career opportunities? There are supply opportunities like lunch hour supervisors, supply administrative assistant positions and more. Be sure to check out https://www.wcdsb.ca/careers/ for job opportunities and how to apply.

November Sheltering Hearts Tiny Home Fundraiser

From November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023, all schools within the Waterloo Catholic District are invited to raise funds to help battle homelessness in the region as part of our Sheltering Hearts: A Home for Everyone fundraiser. Tiny homes have been placed on each of our secondary school properties, allowing students to visualize the cause for which they are raising money.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to A Better Tent City (Kitchener-Waterloo) and The Bridges (Cambridge). Donations are made easily through a QR code (featured in the image above). Those interested in donating will scan the QR code and be taken directly to SchoolCash Online. Here, they can select which of the two organizations they wish to donate to and request a tax receipt for donations over $50.00.

Aside from working to provide shelter for under-housed members of our communities, these fundraising efforts will also align with our Catholic Social Teachings, which speak to charitable giving and help foster a society that reflects the principles of justice, compassion, and love for all, particularly the least fortunate among us.

Thank you for being so considerate.

Director Tyrone Dowling

ARTSHINE at our School ~ Registration Closes Nov. 22

Register at www.artshine.ca

Please have a look at what is coming up this week:

Monday, November 20

Progress Reports go home – Interview times will be in with Progress Reports
International Children’s Day (UN)
Strengthen New and Existing Friendships
Grade 3, 4/5 on U of W Field Trip
Grade 5/6 on Field Trip
WLU Research – Kindergarten to Grade 3
PM – Intermediate Boys Volleyball Tournament

Tuesday, November 21

Pita Day (if you ordered)
Strengthen Your Capacity for Empathy
Fresh From The Farm Delivered to the School – Parents can pick up from 3 to 5 PM
6PM Reconciliation Class (at Church)

Wednesday, November 22

Wear your Spirit Wear! Or wear red and/or blue
Pizza Day (if you ordered)
Strengthen Your Listening Skills
6:30 PM Parent Night at St. David High School
Artshine Registration closes

Thursday, November 23

Lunch Lady (if you ordered)
Strengthen Our Ability to Engage in Conflict Resolution
Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
Pick up Fresh From the Farm orders if not picked up on Tuesday

Friday, November 24

Strengthen Relationships Through Acts of Kindness
“Keep Christ in Christmas” Posters due

A Message From Fr. Peter & Parish News

Please have a look at this week’s Parish Bulletin here: November 19 2023

In the bulletin, you will also find some events for the adults in the community. Be sure to check them out!

“Angel Tree” event started November 18th
Saturday, December 2nd ~ St. Teresa Christmas Dinner and Dance in the Hall (Cocktails at 6, Dinner at 6:30 pm) – A limited number of tickets can be purchased through the Parish Office, M-F, 9am-1pm, call 519-669-3387
Volunteers needed for the Christmas Dinner and Dance
Fundscrip Gift Card Fundraiser Continues
Sunday School is looking for volunteers to help. It’s about 20 minutes of your time. Please contact anna.gallipeaujakeman@wcdsb.ca
Nov. 24 – Pottery Painting Night
Dec. 3 – Annual Christmas Music Evening
Dec. 17 – St. Teresa of Avila Church Christmas Pageant – looking for children participants; they don’t need to know lines, just wear the provided costume and look adorable!

Other Upcoming Community Events

FREE Fall Programs with the University of Waterloo Engineering Outreach

There are still spaces available for the following on-campus offerings at the University of Waterloo:

STEMpowered After School Clubs for Black youth in Grades 4-6 and 7-8

After-School Tutoring and Homework Help

A group of Community Organizations is working together to provide after-school tutoring and homework spaces for our community. The grade ranges from 1 to 12, but with a specific focus on students in Grades 7 to 12. Here is the link to see the full schedule and details for each site: https://www.caminowellbeing.ca/tutoring

For more information please contact Raas Siddiqui @ rsiddiqui@caminowellbeing.ca or (519) 404-2549

CSAC ~ Catholic School Advisory Council

Any parent can be a part of our CSAC council, also known as Parent Council. Some of CSAC’s responsibilities include planning our fundraisers, deciding how to spend our fundraising dollars, volunteering for different initiatives and sharing your opinion about what the Council can do! To find out more, have a look at the resources below. Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 5th at 6 pm. You can attend virtually or in person. Please email paula.pizarro@wcdsb.ca if you’d like to attend in person or virtually.

Hot Lunches

When families place lunch orders, the school receives a small donation. The school receives $1 from each Pita Pit order, $1 from each Twice the Deal Pizza order, and $0.50 from the Lunch Lady. All the proceeds go towards the school and student needs.

Tuesday – Pita Pit
Wednesday – Twice The Deal Pizza
Thursday – Lunch Lady (there are some gluten-free options available NOW)
Orders may be placed weekly or in advance for the entire length of the program.

WOOLWICH COMMUNITY SERVICES & COUNSELLING

Learn how to be consistent with behaviour that lacks integrity.

Visit https://www.woolwichcommunityservices.org for the most up-to-date information. WCA Brochure

November Deep Learning Skill: Communication

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At St. Teresa of Avila school, we will focus on Communication for November. Communication is the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively in different ways, such as speaking, writing, and using media. Communication also involves listening to others, asking questions, and sharing opinions. Communication is important for learning, working together, and making friends.

We encourage you to support your child’s communication development at home by having conversations, reading books, watching videos, playing games, and exploring different media together.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Your partner in education,

P. Pizarro

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations Themes: A Responsible Citizen and Effective Communicator

Umbrella Project Theme: Integrity

Respond consistently to behaviour that lacks integrity

One of the first things I realized after becoming a parent was that it is impossible to control children’s behaviour with threats or anger but consistency goes a long way in creating the boundaries for healthy and respectful actions. Once you have established the values that matter to your child and your family, respond with consistency when reinforcing them. Dishonest and disrespectful behaviour often fall into this category. Listen and respect your child as they explain their behaviour and provide information about why this isn’t acceptable behaviour in your family, with friends or in their communities. Consequences of this type of behaviour should be clear, predictable and reinforced.

When your children are young, the consequences for not using integrity and honesty are smaller but as they get older the stakes get higher. Most children will test the boundaries of dishonesty, irresponsibility and disrespect as a normal part of learning about the world and their role in it. When we teach integrity and consistently reinforce that there are consequences of not using this important skill from an early age, it helps our children make informed choices about how to identify positive values and live in a way that matches these values.

Until next time,

Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

How many items does your child(ren) lose yearly to the Lost and Found or, worse yet, goes in the trash? Want to save money by NOT having to replace lost items because no one knows who it belongs to? Get Mabel’s Labels!

We are happy to report that our school signed up for an ongoing fundraiser with Mabel’s Labels. Our school has the opportunity to earn 20% commission on all sales, and you have the peace of mind of knowing that your child(ren)’s items are labelled. And we are thankful that our Lost and Found does not fill up every term.

Coming Up:

November 28: Artshine begins for those who registered
November 30: Grade 5/6, 7 and 8 to Play
December 7: Sacrament of Penance
December 14: 10 am School Advent Mass (Church)
December 18: Christmas Lunch
December 22: Christmas Concert

Picture Retake Day Tomorrow!

Wednesday, November 15th is picture retake day.

The photographer will be at school in the morning.

Weekly Updates ~ Nov. 13-17

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.” ~ Laurence Binyan

Happy Sunday, Tornado Families:

On Friday, November 10th, we held a sombre Remembrance Day assembly. We had a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces present to our grade 3-8 students about Remembrance Day. Madame Baldasaro and our students presented a thoughtful assembly to commemorate this special day. Thank you to Bombardier Keith Olesen for sharing with us that day.

November Tips from our School Occupational Therapist

Nov. 22 ~ Grade 8 Night at St. David High School

CAREERS at WCDSB

Did you know that WCDSB has various career opportunities? There are supply opportunities like lunch hour supervisors, supply administrative assistant positions and more. Be sure to check out https://www.wcdsb.ca/careers/ for job opportunities and how to apply.

November Sheltering Hearts Tiny Home Fundraiser

From November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023, all schools within the Waterloo Catholic District are invited to raise funds to help battle homelessness in the region as part of our Sheltering Hearts: A Home for Everyone fundraiser. Tiny homes have been placed on each of our secondary school properties, allowing students to visualize the cause for which they are raising money.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to A Better Tent City (Kitchener-Waterloo) and The Bridges (Cambridge). Donations are made easily through a QR code (featured in the image above). Those interested in donating will scan the QR code and be taken directly to SchoolCash Online. Here, they can select which of the two organizations they wish to donate to and request a tax receipt for donations over $50.00.

Aside from working to provide shelter for under-housed members of our communities, these fundraising efforts will also align with our Catholic Social Teachings, which speak to charitable giving and help foster a society that reflects the principles of justice, compassion, and love for all, particularly the least fortunate among us.

Thank you for being so considerate.

Director Tyrone Dowling

ARTSHINE at our School ~ Registration Now Open

Register at www.artshine.ca

Please have a look at what is coming up this week:

Monday, November 13

P.A. Day – No School for Students

Tuesday, November 14

Pita Day (if you ordered)

Wednesday, November 15

Wear your Spirit Wear! Or wear red and/or blue
Pizza Day (if you ordered)
8:40 AM – Picture Retake Day
Grade 5/6 Field Trip

Thursday, November 16

Lunch Lady (if you ordered)
PM – Intermediate Girls Basketball Tournament

Friday, November 17

Concours Oratoire
Evening – Knights of Columbus Fish Fry at the Church

A Message From Fr. Peter & Parish News

Please have a look at this week’s Parish Bulletin here: November 12 2023

In the bulletin, you will also find some events for the adults in the community. Be sure to check them out!

Friday, November 17: Knights of Columbus Fish Fry
Save the Date!: Saturday, December 2nd ~ St. Teresa Christmas Dinner in the Hall (Cocktails at 6, Dinner at 6:30 pm)
Volunteers are needed for the November 17th Fish Fry
Fundscrip Gift Card Fundraiser Continues
Sunday School is looking for volunteers to help. It’s about 20 minutes of your time. Please contact anna.gallipeaujakeman@wcdsb.ca

Other Upcoming Community Events

FREE Fall Programs with the University of Waterloo Engineering Outreach

There are still spaces available for the following on-campus offerings at the University of Waterloo:

STEMpowered After School Clubs for Black youth in Grades 4-6 and 7-8
Women in Engineering (WiE) for girls and non-binary youth in Grade 2-3 and 4-6 in one-off workshops, Grades 5-7 and 8-10 After School Clubs, and Grades 8-10 Go Eng Girl event on Saturday, November 18^th
HiveMind free tutoring for grade 10-12 students needing support with science and math courses

After-School Tutoring and Homework Help

A group of Community Organizations is working together to provide after-school tutoring and homework spaces for our community. The grade ranges from 1 to 12, but with a specific focus on students in Grades 7 to 12. Here is the link to see the full schedule and details for each site: https://www.caminowellbeing.ca/tutoring

For more information please contact Raas Siddiqui @ rsiddiqui@caminowellbeing.ca or (519) 404-2549

CSAC ~ Catholic School Advisory Council

Any parent can be a part of our CSAC council, also known as Parent Council. Some of CSAC’s responsibilities include planning our fundraisers, deciding how to spend our fundraising dollars, volunteering for different initiatives and sharing your opinion about what the Council can do! To find out more, have a look at the resources below. Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 5th at 6 pm. You can attend virtually or in person. Please email paula.pizarro@wcdsb.ca if you’d like to attend in person or virtually.

Hot Lunches

When families place lunch orders, the school receives a small donation. The school receives $1 from each Pita Pit order, $1 from each Twice the Deal Pizza order, and $0.50 from the Lunch Lady. All the proceeds go towards the school and student needs.

Tuesday – Pita Pit
Wednesday – Twice The Deal Pizza
Thursday – Lunch Lady (there are some gluten-free options available NOW)
Orders may be placed weekly or in advance for the entire length of the program.

WOOLWICH COMMUNITY SERVICES & COUNSELLING

Learn how to create your own set of family values.

Visit https://www.woolwichcommunityservices.org for the most up-to-date information. WCA Brochure

November Deep Learning Skill: Communication

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At St. Teresa of Avila school, we will focus on Communication for November. Communication is the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively in different ways, such as speaking, writing, and using media. Communication also involves listening to others, asking questions, and sharing opinions. Communication is important for learning, working together, and making friends.

We encourage you to support your child’s communication development at home by having conversations, reading books, watching videos, playing games, and exploring different media together.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Your partner in education,

P. Pizarro

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations Themes: A Responsible Citizen and Effective Communicator

Umbrella Project Theme: Integrity

Create a set of family values.

What are your family values? Can your child discuss and defend them? Having a set of family values has a huge impact on the well-being of our children. It helps them to feel part of something bigger than themselves and identify healthy ways to behave and build their self-esteem. It also creates a set of guidelines that we can align our actions with to build and sustain integrity of thought and action, creating meaning and purpose in our lives. Living with purpose and feeling strong doesn’t have to be about achieving specific goals. How we show up everyday for our friends, colleagues and family can make us feel that we are living purposefully every day.

Start by brainstorming as a family all of the experiences and values that are most important to you. This exercise should be done as a family so that everyone has a say in creating and sharing what matters most to them. Discuss each point that comes up and why it is important to the person who suggested it and to the larger group. Select the values that define your family and display them somewhere you can see them often.

When your child displays these values, try to notice and point them out to your child.

Here are some of the ideas that came up in my family: generosity, honesty, sharing experiences and travel to broaden our minds, friendship, connecting with nature, giving back, a family that supports each other.

Health & Happiness,

Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

How many items does your child(ren) lose yearly to the Lost and Found or, worse yet, goes in the trash? Want to save money by NOT having to replace lost items because no one knows who it belongs to? Get Mabel’s Labels!

We are happy to report that our school signed up for an ongoing fundraiser with Mabel’s Labels. Our school has the opportunity to earn 20% commission on all sales, and you have the peace of mind of knowing that your child(ren)’s items are labelled. And we are thankful that our Lost and Found does not fill up every term.

Coming Up:

November 20-24: Bullying Awareness Week
November 20: International Children’s Day; Progress Reports go home
November 22: 6:30 pm Parent Night at St. David’s High School
November 23: Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
November 24: Knights of Columbus Poster contest submissions are due
December 7: Sacrament of Penance
December 14: 10 am School Advent Mass (Church)
December 18: Christmas Lunch
December 22: Christmas Concert (To be confirmed)

P.A. Day Monday, November 13th ~ No School for Students

A reminder that Monday, November 13th is a Professional Activities Day and there is no school for students. Staff will be engaged in Spiritual Development at St. David’s High School and Saint Teresa of Avila all day.

Weekly Updates ~ Nov. 6-10

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.” ~ Laurence Binyan

Happy Sunday, Tornado Families:

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Fall Food Drive this year! We collected over 3000 items for the Woolwich Food Bank!! Thank you to Mrs. Langlois’ class for organizing and counting all the donations this year. And thank you to Dreisinger Funeral Home for all the treats and prizes they provided for our students. Miss Bauer’s class won the extra recess, Mrs. Langlois’ class won the cupcake party, and Miss Tassone’s class won the pizza and movie party.

Monday, November 13th, is a P.A. Day; the students have no school that day.

Parent and School Partnerships ~ We are Grateful

Our partnership with parents is a very important one. It takes a village to raise a child, and we could not do this work alone if not for our wonderful parents. Whenever there is an issue that a teacher brings forward to a parent, our hope is to work together to help our students take ownership and grow. One of the greatest life lessons is to know that it’s okay to make mistakes; they help us to learn. When we blame other students for a child’s behaviour, this diminishes the work we do to teach our students – students do not take ownership of their behaviour and have difficulty reflecting on their actions. We are very grateful for the support we receive from our parents and the mutual respect we share.

At St. Teresa, we will work on the Deep Learning Skill Communication this month. The Umbrella Skill we will focus on is Integrity and the Grandfather Teaching of honesty.

November Sheltering Hearts Tiny Home Fundraiser

From November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023, all schools within the Waterloo Catholic District are invited to raise funds to help battle homelessness in the region as part of our Sheltering Hearts: A Home for Everyone fundraiser. Tiny homes have been placed on each of our secondary school properties, allowing students to visualize the cause for which they are raising money.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to A Better Tent City (Kitchener-Waterloo) and The Bridges (Cambridge). Donations are made easily through a QR code (featured in the image above). Those interested in donating will scan the QR code and be taken directly to SchoolCash Online. Here, they can select which of the two organizations they wish to donate to and request a tax receipt for donations over $50.00.

Aside from working to provide shelter for under-housed members of our communities, these fundraising efforts will also align with our Catholic Social Teachings, which speak to charitable giving and help foster a society that reflects the principles of justice, compassion, and love for all, particularly the least fortunate among us.

Thank you for being so considerate.

Director Tyrone Dowling

Remembrance Day Poppies

There are donation boxes in the office if you would like a poppy. All donations go directly to the Legion in Elmira.

ARTSHINE at our School ~ Registration Now Open

Register at www.artshine.ca

Please have a look at what is coming up this week:

Monday, November 6

Treaty Education Week (Nov. 5-11)

Tuesday, November 7

Pita Day (if you ordered)
6-8 PM CSAC Meeting (All parents are welcome to join ~ email paula.pizarro@wcdsb.ca)
6 PM Reconciliation Class

Wednesday, November 8

Wear your Spirit Wear! Or wear red and/or blue
Pizza Day (if you ordered)
Indigenous Veterans Day

Thursday, November 9

Lunch Lady (if you ordered)
AM Schoolwide Bus Safety Training

Friday, November 10

10:30 AM Remembrance Day Assembly

Saturday, November 11 ~ Remembrance Day

A Message From Fr. Peter & Parish News

Please have a look at this week’s Parish Bulletin here: November 5 2023

In the bulletin, you will also find some events for the adults in the community. Be sure to check them out!

Sunday, November 12: Stewardship Sunday
Friday, November 17: Knights of Columbus Fish Fry
Save the Date!: Saturday, December 2nd ~ St. Teresa Christmas Dinner in the Hall (Cocktails at 6, Dinner at 6:30 pm)
Volunteers are needed for the November 17th Fish Fry
Fundscrip Gift Card Fundraiser Continues
Sunday School is looking for volunteers to help. It’s about 20 minutes of your time. Please contact anna.gallipeaujakeman@wcdsb.ca

Other Upcoming Community Events

FREE Fall Programs with the University of Waterloo Engineering Outreach

There are still spaces available for the following on-campus offerings at the University of Waterloo:

STEMpowered After School Clubs for Black youth in Grades 4-6 and 7-8
Women in Engineering (WiE) for girls and non-binary youth in Grade 2-3 and 4-6 in one-off workshops, Grades 5-7 and 8-10 After School Clubs, and Grades 8-10 Go Eng Girl event on Saturday, November 18^th
HiveMind free tutoring for grade 10-12 students needing support with science and math courses

After-School Tutoring and Homework Help

A group of Community Organizations is working together to provide after-school tutoring and homework spaces for our community. The grade ranges from 1 to 12, but with a specific focus on students in Grades 7 to 12. Here is the link to see the full schedule and details for each site: https://www.caminowellbeing.ca/tutoring

For more information please contact Raas Siddiqui @ rsiddiqui@caminowellbeing.ca or (519) 404-2549

Student Personal Items Coming To School

Please ensure that your child(ren) is/are not bringing in special personal items from home. Desks are becoming cluttered, and items are becoming distractions. If someone’s personal item becomes lost, stolen, “roofed” (ends up on the roof) or broken, we have to manage a lot of tears and disappointment, which takes up a lot of class time and trickles home. Classrooms have a supply of recess equipment, so no sporting equipment should be coming from home to school.

If students are having a special day at school, and they bring a stuffy, for example, it needs to stay in their backpacks for recess, and their backpacks must be zipped up. This will still not guarantee it will not go missing.

If parents are sending fidgets for their child, this needs to be pre-arranged with the educator, as some fidgets become distractions if not used appropriately. Again, if it gets lost, stolen, broken or roofed, we are not responsible.

We kindly ask you to please label clothing as our lost and found bin is almost full. We will have a table of items on display on our Parent/Teacher/Student Conference Night in November for you to reclaim some of your child’s items. (Link to Mabel’s Labels.)

Thank you for being so supportive in this endeavour.

CSAC ~ Catholic School Advisory Council

Any parent can be a part of our CSAC council, also known as Parent Council. Some of CSAC’s responsibilities include planning our fundraisers, deciding how to spend our fundraising dollars, volunteering for different initiatives and sharing your opinion about what the Council can do! To find out more, have a look at the resources below. Our next meeting is Tuesday, November 7th at 6 pm. You can attend virtually or in person. Please email paula.pizarro@wcdsb.ca if you’d like to attend in person or virtually.

Hot Lunches

When families place lunch orders, the school receives a small donation. The school receives $1 from each Pita Pit order, $1 from each Twice the Deal Pizza order, and $0.50 from the Lunch Lady. All the proceeds go towards the school and student needs.

Tuesday – Pita Pit
Wednesday – Twice The Deal Pizza
Thursday – Lunch Lady (there are some gluten-free options available NOW)
Orders may be placed weekly or in advance for the entire length of the program.

WOOLWICH COMMUNITY SERVICES & COUNSELLING

Here is today’s short video about integrity.

Visit https://www.woolwichcommunityservices.org for the most up-to-date information. WCA Brochure

November Deep Learning Skill: Communication

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At St. Teresa of Avila school, we will focus on Communication for November. Communication is the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively in different ways, such as speaking, writing, and using media. Communication also involves listening to others, asking questions, and sharing opinions. Communication is important for learning, working together, and making friends.

We encourage you to support your child’s communication development at home by having conversations, reading books, watching videos, playing games, and exploring different media together.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Your partner in education,

P. Pizarro

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations Themes: A Responsible Citizen and Effective Communicator

Umbrella Project Theme: Integrity

Ask, how did you add value to someone else’s life today?

One of the biggest contributors to low integrity is over-focusing on our own success at all costs. Students will often lie, cheat, put friends down and behave in ways that don’t match their values because they feel the need to compete with peers and win no matter what. Unfortunately, when we look at the research we see that having integrity and strong relationships is actually a much better way to cultivate long term success. If others don’t trust us, they are much less likely to support us and help us to be successful. One way to foster integrity in your child is to challenge them to add value to the lives of others on a daily basis. Talk about and celebrate these experiences as a family and add intention to giving back regularly.

By asking your children, “how did you add value to someone else’s life today?” you can remind them to keep perspective on a bigger picture of success and build their integrity.

You’ve got this!

Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

How many items does your child(ren) lose yearly to the Lost and Found or, worse yet, goes in the trash? Want to save money by NOT having to replace lost items because no one knows who it belongs to? Get Mabel’s Labels!

We are happy to report that our school signed up for an ongoing fundraiser with Mabel’s Labels. Our school has the opportunity to earn 20% commission on all sales, and you have the peace of mind of knowing that your child(ren)’s items are labelled. And we are thankful that our Lost and Found does not fill up every term.

Coming Up:

November 11: Remembrance Day
November 13: PA Day (Monday) – No school for students
November 15: Picture Retake Day
November 20-24: Bullying Awareness Week
November 20: International Children’s Day; Progress Reports go home
November 22: 6:30 pm Parent Night at St. David’s High School
November 23: Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
November 24: Knights of Columbus Poster contest submissions are due

Artshine Program Coming to St. Teresa of Avila!

StTeresa_Elmira_Winter1_SALE Revised

WCDSB Tiny Homes Fundraising