Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the 2016-2017 School year! We are both very excited to

begin this new school year in this vibrant school community. We feel

very fortunate to be part of the dedicated Holy Spirit School Team

that focuses on the development for the whole child through their

commitment to high expectations and collaboration.

A warm welcome to those families with children beginning school for

the first time, those new to our school and those who are returning.

We trust that the summer has given you time for relaxation and renewal. We look forward to a

wonderful year with many opportunities for learning and growing. We hope you will feel com-

fortable and involved with your child’s learning throughout the year. We welcome your pres-

ence at school, encourage you to become active partners in the education process, and invite

you to volunteer at the school whenever and wherever possible.

Many thanks are extended to the staff who spent countless hours getting the classrooms

ready for students on the first day. A very special thank you is also extended to our Adminis-

trative Assistants, Linda Thompson and Kathleen Lirusso, who went above and beyond to

ensure that we are ready in the office to begin this new school year. As well, a thank you to

Tony Camara and Maria Silveira who worked countless hours ensuring that our school spar-

kles and looks beautiful.

May God bless all of us who work, pray and learn together with new friendships, successful

learning, good health and happiness.

Sincerely,

Mr. Dinner and Mr. Purificato

Prayer for the Beginning of the New School Year Dear Lord, as we begin this new school year, we gather once again as your commu-

nity of believers.

We thank you for the energy and the spirit that you renewed in us through the sum-

mer months. We thank you for the time to enjoy our family and friends and to reflect

on what is important in our lives.

Let this year be marked by enthusiasm and love so that, with the inspiration of your

Spirit, we may continue to grow in our faith. Help us to fulfill Your hope for us with

honest intentions and works of faith.

Let us be gentle with ourselves and bring laughter, joy and love to others.

We ask this in Your name, Amen.”

September Newsletter

1 5 G A T E H O U S E

D R I V E

C A M B R I D G E , O N

N 1 P 1 C 7

5 1 9 - 6 2 1 - 8 9 7 3 H T T P : /

H O L Y S P I R I T . W C D S B . C A /

P R I N C I P A L : M R . J . D I N N E R

V I C E - P R I N C I P A L : M R . R . P U R I F I C A T O

Safe Ar r iva l

Program

A reminder to

please phone

in your child’s

absence or

lateness (519)

621-8973. Our

answering

service is

available 24

hours a day.

Messages are

picked up be-

tween 8:00 and

3:40 pm.

P A G E 2

Important Information

Welcome New Staff With a new school year comes some change. We would like to welcome back and

introduce the following new staff members to the Holy Spirit Community:

Early Childhood Educator: Eden Andary, Selena Gomes, Ann-Marie Kleinschmidt

Administrative Assistant: Linda Thompson and Kathleen Lirusso

Teachers: Christina Bellew (SET), Sonia Diniz (FDK), and David Amorim (Gr. 7)

Educational Assistant: Barry Wilson

Custodian: Lucille Beaudry

Welcome Back: Laura Smyth (Gr. 2), Julia Thornton (Gr. 1), Kasia Nguyen (Gr. 5)

Check the Student Transportation website at: www.stswr.ca (you can

subscribe right on their website & receive emails directly!) OR check the

board’s website at www.wcdsb.ca and click on Delays/Cancellations.

SCHOOL FORMS: The first weeks of school are hectic! We as a school

need to send home many pieces of literature for parents to read. Some

paperwork needs to be filled out and returned to school. We ask that you

please pay close attention to this request and be prompt in completing the

required information and return it to school as soon as possible. We need

to have current information on each student, so that it will facilitate matters

in keeping the lines of communication open between school and home

and when trying to contact parents in cases of emergency.

STUDENT ABSENCES: It is very important that we know where your chil-

dren are for their safety. If your child is going to be absent or late, please

call the office at 519-621-8973 and leave a message on the attendance

line, please select “1” for the attendance line and leave a message. If we

have not heard from you, we will call you at home and/or at work. If we are

unable to locate anyone in regards to the whereabouts of your child, our

next step may be to phone the police.

DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY: Dogs are NOT permitted on school

property. If you need to bring your dog to pick up or drop off a child please

ensure you do this OFF school property. Dogs must always be on leashes

and kept under control. Please consider the safety of our children at all

times.

BIKES: If your children are bringing their bikes to school, they MUST have

and use their BIKE HELMET and a LOCK to ensure their safety. The

school is not responsible for lost or stolen bicycles. Bicycles must be

walked on school property.

H O L Y S P I R I T C A T H O L I C S C H O O L

NOTICE OF INTENT TO

BE ABSENT

If your child is going to be

away for a prolonged

period of time (i.e. family

vacation) please stop into

the office to complete an

Intent to be Absent Form.

A different form will be

used for absence periods

15 days or longer.

SCHOOL HOURS

8:30: Office is Open

9:10: Morning Bell

11:55-12:55: Lunch

3:40: Dismissal

4:10: Office is Closed

P A G E 3 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

VOLUNTEERS IN THE SCHOOL: We welcome and encourage volunteers in our school. As a Catholic school system, we

value the additional expertise and the positive school/community partnerships fostered by volunteers. Our school requires a

police record check every year for regular volunteers. See the office for a letter to assist with the cost.

SCHOOL AGENDAS: All students from Grades 1-8 have received a Student Agenda. The cost of the agendas are $2.00 per

agenda. The student agenda enables the student to learn valuable organizational skills and it is often used as an important

communication tool between parents and teacher. It also contains our School Handbook, Dress Code, Code of Conduct

and other important information. Please review the school handbook pages at the front of you child’s student agenda so that

we can work together to promote a positive and safe school environment for all. Parents are asked to sign the first section

in the planner to indicate they have read this book with their child(ren).

PICKING UP STUDENTS EARLY: If you are picking up your child early from school, please ensure there is a note in your

child’s agenda. Your child will then meet you at the office. Remember, adults picking up children MUST sign them out of the

office.

SAFE AND SECURE SCHOOLS: To ensure the safety and well being of all students, visitors, parents, guardians and others

MUST report to the main office and obtain a Visitor’s ID badge if you wish to proceed beyond the main office. A pass can be

obtained by signing in at the office. Remember, parents and visitors, etc. are NOT permitted to be on the school yard during

recess and lunch breaks. Please report to the office.

PEANUT AND NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT: We have students and staff who suffer from anaphylaxis. We ask

that you DO NOT send any food items that contain peanuts or nut products to school OR any peanut

butter substitute. While there are products that look like peanut butter, smell and taste like peanut butter but

are not made of peanuts or nuts, we ask that you DO NOT send these products to school. We are not able to

differentiate between real and “fake” peanut butter therefore are not allowed at school.

YARD SUPERVISION: We will continue to have supervision on the yard at 8:40 am. Please have your children arrive at the

school AFTER supervision begins in the morning. The safety of your children is our prime concern.

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING - Sept. 27th

We are looking for new members to support our Council. Please

join us and learn more about our school and community!

A letter and sign-up form will be sent home on Sept. 15th. Our first meeting

will be Tuesday, September 27th at 6:30 pm. Thanks!

Please join us on Monday, Sept. 12th for our annual BBQ and meet the teacher night. Our BBQ will

be from 5:00-6:00 pm. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be available. A combo is 1 hotdog or hamburger, 1

chips, and 1 drink for $5.00. Parents/guardians and students are then invited to visit their classrooms from

6:00-7:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child's teacher and to connect with other wonderful

community members.

GRADE 8 MOUNT MARY PARENT MEETING: We look forward to this rich grade 8 experience! There will be

a meeting for parents in the library from 6:00-6:30 pm.

Holy Spirit BBQ & Meet the Teacher Night

Monday, September 12th from 5:00-7:00

School Lunch Routines - Please send your child’s lunch each morning

Please create a lunch routine with your child. Our students generally stay for lunch each day

or go home each day. With over 600 students at our school, It can be very time consuming

for all to call children to the office to pickup their lunch. As well, our students eat their

snacks in the classroom throughout the day so having their lunch ready to go each morning

is the best routine of all. If an emergency occurs at home and parents/guardians must bring

the lunch to school, it would be helpful if the child's lunch bag was labeled with their name, their teacher’s name

and room number. Thank you!

Busing, Parking and Safe Access to School Property for our Students and Families

The SAFETY of our STUDENTS is always our TOP PRIORITY! Our parking

lot and access lane continues to be a busy hub for our school. Like most schools, our

parking lot will remained closed in the morning and at the end of the day. We

currently have 4 large buses that access the school parking lot daily to start and end

our day. We also have a booked a number of specialty buses and/or taxis that are

needed to drop off students who require alternative or wheel chair transportation.

Throughout the school year, the WCDSB Health and Safety Departments, the City of

Cambridge, School Council, and our Staff Team will continue to be included in our

analysis and decision making as we maintain the safe arrival and departure of our

students. Again, thanks for your patience and the steps you take to ensure the safety of

our students each day!

For now, please consider the following strategies to ensure safety:

Walking to School - Students who live greater than 1.6 km are bused directly to

the school - all other students live within walking distance and walking to and

from school is a great healthy lifestyle habit to encourage

Bike Racks - We have bike racks to lock student’s bicycles for those who chose to ride to school

If Dropping-off and Picking-up - Create a family routine - If driving your child, Please Park or Drop off a safe

distance from the school and walk the children onto school property - this will avoid unnecessary traffic

directly in front of the school where safety is key

Crossing Guard - Our Crossing Guard ensures safe crossing at Myers Rd. and

Gatehouse - Thanks Ralph!

Kindergartens at Front Gate – Our Kindergartens will be received or picked up

at the front gate - allowing smooth flow of our students and parents walking

before and after school along the sidewalk.

Students and Parents accessing or leaving the school yard – Please cross at the walk-way or side walk where our staff wait each morning and end of day - this

leads to the sidewalk where parents can drop off Kindergartens at the front

gate and/or walk students safely to the back school yard – OR – Use the long walkway that runs along our

parking lot directly to the sidewalk on Gatehouse Dr. – Note: We want to maintain safety and have “safe access points” so that we can avoid walking through the parking lot or between buses arriving

or departing

Please observe Parking Signs to avoid ticketing - there are some side streets nearby that have

one side clear for parking or dropping off (if absolutely needed) but there are some areas where

you cannot pull over at all and/or stop or drop off - please observe these zones and signs …

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

Holy Spirit TERRY FOX Cancer Walk/Run- Sept. 30th (PM) … Rain Date Oct. 3rd (PM)

Cancer has touched our lives and we stand together as a community to support those we love and

fight for a cure. On Friday, Sept. 30th, we will walk/run as a whole school community to show our

support for a cure and show how AWESOME our school community is- putting our faith into

action. As well, we will come to know and honour such a wonderful Canadian Hero - Terry Fox.

His legacy of courage and compassion will live forever.

Our challenge is $2.00 per student/staff/volunteer.

We plan to raise over $1,200.00 for this great cause! Way to go Flames!

Holy Spirit School COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

1. Sign up for Newswire at our school website – the link is https://newswire.wcdsb.ca/HolySpirit.html to allow you to receive monthly newsletters, updates from Council, reminders about what is happening at the school (e.g., hot lunch days, pizza days, spirit wear deadlines, etc.). Signing up is EASY! Enter your email and you will receive a confirmation that you are connected! We are trying to reduce our ecological footprint by reducing paper and copying - but if a paper copy is needed, just send your child or stop by the office. Thanks!

2. Register for School Cash Online at http://wcdsb.schoolcashonline.com. There are many updates, permissions forms and opportunities for you to pay online securely with a credit card or an e-cheque. If you are hesitant about paying online, we would ask that you register to receive the updates and information. We are shooting for 100% participation! CASH is also accepted for any school events.

3. Follow us on Twitter! @HSFlames

We often post pictures or news items “in the moment” or as soon as possible - to keep you up to date with what is happening in and around our school community! We have an AWESOME COMMUNITY and we want to share great moments as they happen.

L U N C H O R D E R I N G P R O G R A M S F O R S T U D E N T S

Our students and parents appreciate occasional food ordering days to add variety and conveniences to school lunches. We are fortunate to have our Fridays be “PIZZA DAY”. Pizza can be ordered for only $2.00 per slide and will begin on Friday, Sept. 30th. Remember, you must order in advance - and the order form will be sent home prior to each new month.

As well, we will offer the LUNCHBOX ORDERS Program that supports a number of local franchises

… these dates will be the 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of each month. Simply Order on line directly with

this service. MILK can be ordered daily too …

HOW TO ORDER … (NOTE: This program will be available on line Monday, Sept. 12th)

Go online at www.lunchboxorders.com and click on “ORDER LUNCH”.

Click on the green “sign up” button to register your family account.

Add your child to your account.

Click “Order Now” to access the school’s ordering calendar.

Proceed with ordering your child’s lunch by clicking on the blue order date.

If you have any questions, please contact the Lunchbox Orders customer service team at 1.877.426.6860 or by e-mail at info@lunchboxorders.com.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 Holiday -

Labour Day

6 First Day of

School for all

Gr. 1-8’s

JK Visits

7 First Day of

School for

ALL SK’s

8 9 10 IL Program

Begins soon...

11 12 Opening

School Year

BBQ and

Teacher Night

5-7 PM

13 14 Grade 8’s

at Mt. Mary

Sept. 14-16

15 16 Our Gr. 8’s

return home

from Mt. Mary

17 Holy Spirit will

host the wonderful

IL Program again

this year …

Saturday Morning

18 19 20 21 SCHOOL

PICTURE

DAY

Lunchbox Day

22 Opening

School Year

Mass 10:45 in

the GYM

23 PD DAY

No School Today

24

25 26

Fire Drill Week

27 School

Council

Meeting 6:30

PM

28

Lunchbox Day

29 30 Terry Fox

Walk/Run (PM)

PIZZA DAY

1 October

September 2016

FLAMES SPIRIT WEAR - October

Spirit Wear Order Forms will

go home in October - samples will be available and a

sizing display will be set-up prior to the ordering due

date. More information will be coming soon …

EVERY WEDNESDAY is a Spirit Wear Day - wear our

awesome school spirit wear clothing OR regular clothing

that celebrates our school colours - RED, YELLOW &

BLACK!

PIZZA DAYS - $2.00/slice - Starts Friday,

Sept. 30th

We are happy to announce that Pizza

Days at Holy Spirit School take place on

Fridays. Please complete the order form that is sent home

with each student, and return it to the classroom teacher

with the appropriate cash for the month. Or pay on line

through School Cashnet. Our pizza supplier this year will

be PIZZA PIZZA!