MARY IMMACULATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL March 2016

MARY IMMACULATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL
March 2016
Trustee: Lori DiCastri Superintendent: Michael Bethune Chairs of Catholic School Council: Anne Bester & Lisa Hinsperger Principal: Valeeta Walsh
School Phone: 519-366-2731 School Secretary: Lacey Campbell Director: Jamie McKinnon
Address: 6 Ann Street Chepstow, ON
Thursday, March
3rd at 7:00PM.
N0G 1K0
Telephone #: 519-366-2731
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me…” (Mt 25:35)
MICS’S Parent Council will be
hosting a
The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board is hosting a very
for students on
special fundraising event. Mercy that welcomes – An evening
A
with Bishop Crosby to support Syrian Refugees in Bruce
flyer will be sent home closer to
Grey is scheduled for Tuesday April 19 at the Walkerton
Knights of Columbus Hall. This event is unlike any we have
the date with more information.
planned in the past. The program will include a full course dinThank you!
Group #1: 8th, & 22nd
Information about individual and group tickets for the event
will follow. We hope you will mark April 19 on your calendar and plan to attend this very worthwhile event.
Group #2: 10th, & 24th
Group#3: 1st, 15th, & 29th
Group #4: 3rd, 17th , &
SAVE YOUR BATTERIES!
MARCH:
7 Alina Schnurr
8 Mason Potts
Nathan Romphf
9 Rayanne Takken
11 Lauren O’Hagan
19 Madison Ernewein
20 Ajay Abell
Leelind Albrecht
21 Wilhem McDonald
22 Spencer Sawyer
25 Layne Biesinger
29 Terry McDonald
30 Sadie Bester
Carter Phillippi
Lauren Schmidt
ner, silent auction, raffles, student art displays and performances, and guest speakers who will share their stories related to
refugees and their experiences in our local area. All funds raised
will be distributed to the various local groups who are sponsoring refugee families in Bruce and Grey.
We require the added support of our friends in the school
and business communities to make this event a success. At
this time we are seeking donations for our silent auction.
All donations will be greatly appreciated. The auction will
begin online on April 1, and will continue as a silent auction at the event, with bidding closing at 8:30pm on April
19. All donors will be recognized for their contributions
throughout the auction and during our event. To donate,
please contact the school office.
Cooking Schedule-March:
BIRTHDAYS
Fax #: 519-366-2421
MICS has signed up for the EcoKids
Battery Busters: Spring Cleaning Contest!
Earth Day Canada and Call2Recycle will
be sending two collection boxes to the school by
March 31st for battery collection, along with a list
of guidelines (more information to be sent home
at a later date).
A cash prize will be awarded to the
school that collects the most used batteries (total
weight divided by school population), as well as a
cash prize to the school with the most creative
battery collection display and campaign.
Important Information:
 Only single-use household batteries will be
accepted.
 Not all batteries have to be bagged and/or
terminals taped. The only chemistries that
have to be bagged or taped are Lithium, Lithium-Ion and small sealed lead acid
Pb). You do not have to bag single-use alkaline, meaning AA, AAA, D, C batteries.
 Dented or powdery batteries should not be
brought to school
With your support we can ensure that this evening is a huge
success, in support of the refugees who have sought the safety
and comfort of our communities.
“Let our light shine before others, that they see our good
works” (Mt 5:16).
Mr. Turcotte’s grade 12 religion class at Sacred Heart High
School has decided to construct milk bag mats to help people
around the world. Many people are not as fortunate as us and do
not have beds to sleep in at night; they have to sleep on the
ground. Milk bags are used because they are washable, they
don't retain moisture and they are very durable. The milk bag
mats give these people something to sleep on and provide some
comfort. Not only do these bags help people globally but they
also reduce the amount of plastic we are dumping into the environment. It takes approximately 25 years for milk bags to decompose. In addition to this plastic garbage in the ocean kills
about 1 million sea creatures annually. It takes about 500 milk
bags to create 1 mat. This is why we need your help. We would
like to ask you to save your milk bags and Mr. Turcotte’s class
will be around to collect them once a week. We hope to make as
many mats as we can so your help is greatly appreciated.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mario
Turcotte at 519-881-1900 or mario_turcotte@bgcdsb.org.
We appreciate your support and contributions to help us with
this project.
Sincerely,
Mr Turcotte's grade 12 religion class
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UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH:
1st
District Speech Competition– Mildmay at
9:30AM
3rd
First Reconciliation– 7:00PM
4th
School Swim Day– Hanover Pool at 1:00PM
7th
Girls All Star Basketball– Mother T. (Walkerton)
8th
Boys All Star Basketball– Mother T. (Walkerton)
9th
W.D. Girls All Star Basketball– Mother T.
(Walkerton)
- Grilled Cheese Day!
10th
W.D. Boys All Star Basketball– Mother T.
(Walkerton)
- Elmira Chicken Orders go home!
March 14th to March 18th– March Break!! (17th– St.
Patrick’s Day!)
20th
First Day of Spring!
22nd
School Science Fair
23rd
Grilled Cheese Day!
- Book Fair!
24th
Mass– Stations of the Cross at 9:15AM
- Book Fair!
25th
Good Friday– No School
27th
Easter
28th
Easter Monday– No School
29th
Staff Mtg (4PM)
- Parent Council Mtg (5:15PM)
-Book Fair!
30th
Sr. Science Fair (Gr. 7-12)
- Elmira Chicken Orders are due!
- Book Fair!
31st
Book Fair (AM Only)
- Spring Fling Turkey Dinner
Spring Scholastic Book Fair is Coming to MICS!!
Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school on
March 23, 24 from 9:30 to 3:30 and March 29, 30
(9:00- 5:00) and March 31 (9—11:00)/
The theme for this one is "Feeling Groovy Book Fair"!
General Information about Lockdown Procedures:
All Bruce-Grey CDSB schools have Emergency Response Plans.
These plans provide guidelines to ensure the safety of staff and students when an emergency occurs, and include procedures for a
Lockdown, Hold and Secure, bomb threat or severe weather.
Lockdown – A lockdown is initiated when there is a major incident,
or threat of violence within the school or in relation to the school.
Hold and Secure – is used when it is desirable to secure the school
due to an ongoing situation outside the school building. During a
Hold and Secure the exterior doors remain locked until the situation
is resolved.
During a Lockdown, the school office becomes the “command post”
and it is important to keep the phone lines clear for emergency use,
and to allow administration time work with police to manage the
incident. We ask parents to please be patient, and to refrain from
calling the school when you are notified of a Lockdown Procedure.
Also, please keep in mind that our lockdown procedure specifies that
“cell phones are not to be used unless communicating vital emergency information (excessive cell phone use in other violent incidents
has shut down access to vital communication lines). “
Information will be communicated as
quickly as possible to parents and with
as much detail as possible depending
on the circumstances. Again, please be
assured that procedures are in place,
and staff are trained to respond, to ensure the safety of your children at all
times.
MICS Parent Council will be
selling Elmira Poultry as a
spring fundraiser. Order
forms will be sent home on
Thursday, March 10th
and will be due back to the
school by Wednesday,
March 30th.
Page 3
Parent Council Corner
Your Parent Council is proud to represent the families and
students of MICS. We work in partnership with school personnel to enhance the learning experience of our children
and to contribute to the positive culture of our school community. To that end, we sponsor fundraising initiatives that
have supported the purchase of ipads and musical instruments, fun family events such as BINGO! and pumpkin carving, as well as parent engagement opportunities to assist us
in understanding literacy and numeracy curriculum.
Often, we jointly celebrate the successes of our community
school. When there is an issue or concern raised that affects
the overall school community at Mary Immaculate, it is within
the mandate of the Parent Council to provide input and work
together with the staff toward mutual problem resolution.
Should you have a specific question or concern regarding
your child, please contact your classroom teacher to discuss
strategies to resolve. If you remain concerned, you are encouraged to contact Valeeta Walsh after a preliminary conversation with your classroom teacher.
Feedback is always welcome and encouraged. Please contact your Parent Council co-chairs - Anne Bester or Lisa Hinsperger if you have any questions. We are always looking for
further parent involvement on our Council as well as volunteerism with our specific events.
Congratulations goes out to our Mary Immaculate Chess
Team and Mr. Lantz for their stellar performance at the
Board Wide Chess Tournament that was held at Mother Teresa in Walkerton on Feb. 18th. Members of the team were
Tyson Brown, Zach Muir, Antoine Weert, Luke Schmidt, Emma O'Hagan, Kyle Romphf, Clara Kraemer, Spencer Sawyer, Nathan Romphf. Special mention goes out to our Junior
Team of Clara, Spencer and Nathan who brought home Silver in their category. Mr. Lantz commented on how Mary
Immaculate was well represented not only by their good
sportsmanship but by their great behavior and manners.
Congratulations and well done. Chess Club has resumed
with 40 keen players who will be sharpening their chess
skills over the lunch hour. Juniors will be playing Monday/
Wednesday and Friday and Intermediate and Senior players
will be Tuesday and Thursday. See you in the library.
Mary Immaculate Grades 4 to 8 students were thrilled with
their visit by local author, Doug Archer on February 23rd
in the library. He did an author reading from his book,
Ghoul's Gold, a mystery story set at the Chantry Island
Lighthouse in Southampton, Ontario. It was an amazing
learning experience with Mr. Archer explaining the process of writing and publishing a book starting with a story
board, the writing process, editing, editing, editing, and
then finding a publisher. He amazed staff and students
with his word choices and how he was able to let us visualize his writing. Special appreciation goes out to Sonya
Spitzig, Jessica Eddyvean and Willow Brindley for their
introduction, thank you and gift of maple syrup. We will be
eagerly awaiting the second book in the series, Cold Case
Kids and looking forward to giving him feedback on his
next visit.
Page 4
“Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you
a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we
see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in
reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40)
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are actions we can perform which extend God’s compassion and mercy to those in need.
During this Year of Mercy, we will reflect on one of the Corporal or
Spiritual Works of Mercy each month, thinking about how we can be
agents of God’s mercy in our schools, our families and our communities.
March Spotlight ~ Corporal Works of Mercy ~ Clothe the Naked
What are some of the ways our family already ‘clothes the naked’?
Do we regularly go through our closets, donating those items which
we no longer wear or don’t fit to an organization like St. Vincent de
Paul or the Salvation Army?
During this Year of Mercy, can we add those in our world who suffer
pain or ridicule because of the clothes they wear, or those who work
in sweatshops to make clothing, to our prayer list?
As a family, could we ‘give up’ something during the remaining weeks
of Lent and then use the money to buy needed items like warm hats
and mitts, socks or shoes for a homeless shelter or crisis centre?
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, how can I be an agent of God’s
mercy by clothing the naked?
Want to find out more?
Hamilton Diocese Website for the Year of Mercy: http://
hamiltondiocese.com/year-of-mercy/
Congratulations to Kate Bester for
placing first and Jessica Eddyvean
for placing second at the zone level
speeches in Harriston on Saturday,
February 27th.
MONDAY
7
Girls All Star Basketball– Mother T.
14
21
28
Easter Monday– No
School
SUNDAY
6
13
20
27
District Speech
Comp.-Mildmay at
9:30AM
Staff Mtg (4PM)
-Parent Council Mtg
(5:15PM)
-Book Fair
29
22
School Science Fair
15
8
Boys All Star Basketball– Mother T.
1
TUESDAY
24
Mass– Stations of
the Cross (9:15AM)
- Book Fair
31
Spring Fling Turkey
Dinner
- Book Fair (AM
ONLY)
30 Sr. Science Fair
(Gr. 7-12)
-Elmira Chicken
Orders are due
- Book Fair
17
10
W.D. Boys All Star
Basketball– Mother
T.
3
First Reconciliation
– 7PM
THURSDAY
23
Grilled Cheese Day
- Book Fair
16
9
W.D. Girls All Star
Basketball– Mother
T.
-Grilled Cheese Day
2
WEDNESDAY
25
Good Friday– No
School
18
11
4
School Swim Trip–
Hanover Pool (1PM)
FRIDAY
MARCH 2015
Group #2: 10th, & 24th
Group #1: 8th, & 22nd
Cooking Schedule-March:
26
19
12
5
SATURDAY
Group #4: 3rd, 17th , & 31st
Group#3: 1st, 15th, & 29th
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