June 2021

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.

Father's Day

June 20th, 2021

Grade 8 Graduation

Our Grade 8 Graduation will be celebrated in June 23rd, 2021. When we have concrete plans which follow the safety guidelines we will notify families through School Messenger.

Special thanks to the Grad Committee members and Mr. Russell and Mrs. Carey for organizing what promises to be a memorable and enjoyable time for the graduates. On behalf of Ms. Spadafora, Mrs. Turcotte and the Staff of St. Anthony Catholic School, we wish our graduates the best of luck in all their future endeavors and we look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments!

Farewell...

We would like to thank our staff who are not return to us in September.

Thank you to Mrs. DeProphetis, Madame DeLuca (FSL) and Madame Scricca(FSL), Mr. Burkholder, Mrs. Shewfelt for all their hard work at our school. We wish you every success as you continue on your teaching journey.

Mrs. DeProphetis thank you for welcoming our newest students and engaging them in so many wonderful and creative ways of exploring and learning.

Thank you to our Grade 5/6 dynamic duo; Mr. Burkholder & Mrs. Shewfelt for stepping into our class and engaging our students in their learning.

Madames thank you for inspiring the love of a second language to our students.

God Bless and take care.

Chrome books and Student Items

We will be sending out inforation through School Messenger in mid June to inform all families (both in school and Virtual school learners) of when we will be expecting all technology ie chrome books, chargers, Webcams, library books to be returned to school. As well we will have your child's belongings bagged for them to pick up on the same day. Your child's teacher as well as Ms. Spadafora & Mrs. Turcotte will be greeting them and this will be a time for your child to say their goodbyes and end the year with us face to face.

We will continue to follow the safety guidelines so we will send all inforation to families through School Messenger. As we do our best to accomoadate all our in school and virtual students- we will be setting up days for classes to attend with specific information on where to drive up to to receive your items and give technology back to the school.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we end our school year together.

Achievement Reports

June report cards will be sent home electronically at the week of June 28th through the Parent Portal.

CSC Updates

We would like to thank all of our St. Anthony families for all of your continued support to help make the year a very successful one. As this year soon comes to an end, we remind those interested in being part of council, that nomination forms will be sent home with students in September.

Thank you to our current Catholic School Council members:

Julie Sestili (Chair), Lori Spadafora (Secretary/Treasurer-Principal), Melissa Turcotte (Recording Secretary - Vice-Principal), Amy Tiller (Teacher Representative), Cindy Marcheterre (Non-Teaching Representative), Susan Pingue (Parish and OAPCE Representative), Dayna Downes-Berry, Cecilia Hardy, Patricia Misiura, Carri Oresar, Michelle Winsor, Myles Belding, Tia Belding, Ronald Weekes and Ferney Detouche-Weekes. Special thanks to our additional staff member Maria Brgan.

Special thank you to Sue Pingue, as she graduates for our CSC as her last child is also graduating from St. Anthony. We would like to extend a very big thank you for Mrs. Pingue detication to our CSC for over 15 years. She has contributed to the well being of all our students. Thank you for your generosity of time and love you have given our students, staff and school community.

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION

2021-2022

We are in the planning stages of the 2020—2021 school year and the specific organization of the school is tentative dependent upon any changes to our enrollment numbers. As well, due to our enrollment numbers and covid protocols (should they impact classes and staff), we know that combined classes are a reality for certain grades. We will be informing families of class placements in late August/early Septemeber. We will do our best to minimize distrubptions once school begins but with the many changing guidelines this may not be avoided.

As the experts in education, we will base all student placement decisions on what is in the best interest of the entire student community at St. Anthony Catholic School. These decisions are made in good faith and based on, but not necessarily limited to, the following considerations: individual needs of students; academic strengths and needs; social and emotional needs of students; resource support requirements and personnel allocation; and classroom teacher strengths.

How Parents can help with the transition to a different grade...

Talk positively to your child about next year.

If your child is with a different group of students discuss relationships and the excitement of making new friends.

Dress Code

As we prepare and begin to organize for next year, the dress code policy will be in place. Please know that the expectation is that students will arrive to school wearing appropriate dress code attire following the guidelines. Please refer to our NCDSB website for more information. Spirit wear is available through Big Bear.

Spirit Wear

If you are looking to purchase St. Anthony Catholic School spirit wear.

Please visit the Big Bear website at www.bigbearspiritwear.com

Orders will be delivered directly to the school and sent home with your child.

Library

What a Year We Had!

We've had an awesome year of in-class and virtual Library storytime visits and another successful r Blue Spruce Reading program. The reading fun doesn't have to end, check out the St. Catharines Public Library (https://www.myscpl.ca/) and their TD Summer Reading program.

The TD Summer Reading Club at the St. Catharines Public Library is designed for kids age 0 to 9 to encourage life-long reading habits. Starting, June 14th, register at myscpl.readsquared.com or download the READsquared app. For every 2 books read, earn a virtual badge, points for prizes and 2 beads for your reading necklace. Use your reading points to buy raffle tickets for some great prizes! The club runs until Tuesday, August 31, 2021.

As our school year comes to end, please return any overdue library books to the school.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Flynn

#KnightsRead #SummerReading

The Sun is Back!

The sun is shining and it’s time to get outside to play! But before you run outside, make sure you remember your 5 S’s…

Slip: on some clothes that will protect your skin from the sun (loose-fitting and tightly woven are best).

Slop: on some sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 and filters UVA & UVB rays (broad-spectrum). Put sunscreen on 20 minutes BEFORE you go outside, so it can soak in. Don’t forget your ears, nose and feet if you are wearing sandals! Lips should also be protected with SPF 30 lip balm.

Slap: on a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, ears and neck

Seek: shade when outside between 11am-4pm

Slide: on some sunglasses that have 100% UVA & UVB filters.

Attention moms, dads, coaches and caregivers: sun damage can happen quickly, so make sure youth remember sunscreen for lunch break, gym class, track and field and other outdoor activities.

For more information, talk to your school nurse.

Important Reminders:

Please make sure that your child(ren) wear sunscreen and hats to school as the weather changes from day to day and they need to be prepared for outdoor recesses.

A reminder that every student must be in dress code every day—shirts must have sleeves and collars and be white or navy and pants, shorts and skirts must be navy or dark denim, appropriate length and in good repair.

Bike Safety

As the nicer weather approaches and more students walk and/or ride their bicycles to school, I would like to remind everyone of some important safety rules.

1. Always walk on the sidewalk, never on the road.

2. Always cross with a crossing guard or at a green light, never cross in the middle of a road.

3. Always look both ways to ensure that there is no traffic before crossing a road.

4. Always wear your helmet when riding a bicycle, scooter, or skateboard.

5. Always obey the traffic rules when riding your bicycle, scooter, or skateboard.

6. Always pay attention when walking or riding in your community.

It is everyone’s responsibility to teach safety practices to our children. Parents share this responsibility with teachers and other community agencies.

By working together as a Catholic school community, we can create safe environments and safe practices to benefit our children.

TICK TALK

Niagara Region Pubic Health

For Parents:

COVID-19 Update

As Public Health continues to ramp up vaccinations to eligible groups and individuals, please remember to follow the safety measures in place to protect you, your family, friends and our community.

Check out Public Health’s Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine to answer questions or concerns you may have.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and vaccine eligibility, please visit the Niagara Region Public Health’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Identifying Ticks During COVID-19

Now that the warmer weather has arrived, so has tick season in Ontario. Regional Public Health offices are currently closed to public access, but if you remove a tick you can have it identified by:

Downloading a free app and uploading photos of the tick for identification

Take a picture of the tick and submit it to inspect@niagararegion.ca

If more information is required once the tick has been identified, individuals can contact a Duty Officer directly at 905-688-8248 ext. 7590. Tick identification services will resume when our offices reopen to the public.

Sun Safety

When enjoying the outdoors and getting some natural Vitamin D, Public Health would like remind kids and adults to use proper protection from the sun.

For sun safety tips and information, visit Niagara Region Public Health’s website.

Supporting Parents During the Summer

Niagara Parents continues to offer free programs and services to support parents and families.

· Connect with a Public Health Nurse Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. through phone, live chat, video call, or email. Live chat is available in 90 different languages.

· Niagara Parents hosts monthly Facebook Live events on a variety of topics such as parenting in a pandemic, breastfeeding, mental health, introducing solids and more. To see which event is coming up this month, visit our Facebook page under the “Events” section.

· Find Niagara Parents on Facebook or Twitter for different activities you can do with your kids, relevant resources and virtual events for parents.

Celebrating the End of School

This school year has been one for the history books, and students have had to adapt to many changes this year. The Niagara Region Public Health School Health team reminds parents and caregivers to recognize and celebrate the successes students have achieved. From completing a new grade, graduating grade eight or graduating high school, milestones and transitions matter for children and youth. Below are some tips for safe celebrations. Remember to follow provincial guidelines on gatherings.

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