St. Luke Catholic Elementary School

550 Chesapeake Dr.

Waterloo, Ontario N2K 4G5

March 2017 Newsletter

ADMINISTRATORS’ MESSAGE

February was a busy month at St. Luke, with many events happening. A huge

thank you goes out to the many parent volunteers who helped organize and

run our Dance-a-thon and Shrove Tuesday Pancake Breakfast. Without the

support of our School Council and all of the parents who give their time to the

school, we could not have run these great events.

The school assembled in the gymnasium for our Ash Wednesday Mass to

begin our Lenten journey together as a faith-filled community. A heartfelt

thank you to all the parents who were able to join us during this celebration.

We are reminded of the great sacrifice of Christ and his love for each one of us.

March promises to be an equally exciting month. We keep our Grade 8s and

their teachers in our prayers as they go to Camp Brébeuf for their Spiritual

Retreat on March 29th —March 31st. We invite you to

join us at school whenever you can for our special

celebrations and activities. May God bless all of you

and help us to keep a Holy Lent. Enjoy the March

Break! Our next school-wide mass is April 25th. All

are welcome to attend.

May our Lord bless us all on this journey ahead.

Kendra Duench and Jo Goossens

In This Issue

Prayer of St. Patrick

From the Office

Yearbook artist contest

Sports Page

Calendar

Fit Bit for March

Bishop’s Banquet

Daylight Savings

Kendra Duench—Principal

Jo Goossens—Vice-Principal

VISITOR/VOLUNTEER POLICY

All individuals, including all visitors, volunteers, parents, guests, delivery persons, and school board personnel must enter by the main door. All visitors must come to the office where you will wait to be greeted by one of our office staff, sign in if you need to enter the hallways, and get an authorized pass to wear while in the school. If you are picking up your child for an appointment or early dismissal, parents are asked to remain in the school office. Our administrative assistant will call your child to the office. Please remember to sign your child out in the appropriate book in the office. If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher, please call the school or check in at the office. We will assist you by contacting your child’s teacher to see if he/she is available to meet with you. If the teacher is not available, a meeting can be arranged by you and the teacher at a mutually convenient time. Our teachers are often occupied before and after school and may not be available for an impromptu meeting.

At no time are visitors permitted in the school’s hallways and rooms without official permission. We must insist on your strict compliance with these procedures at all times. Although these precautions may cause some minor inconvenience, it will ensure that only authorized individuals will be in the school at all times. This will assist us in ensuring the safety of the students. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Coming this spring….St. Luke year

book. Details to follow soon...

COLD AND ILLNESS

Thank you for keeping your children

home when they are sick. It is very easy

to pass on colds and flu in a school

environment. Children who do not feel

well, do not learn well. If students are

well enough to be at school then the

expectation is that they go outside for

recess. Unfortunately, we do not have

staff on duty inside

during recess

times to supervise

students who are

not well.

Healthy Active Schools

Hand washing when done correctly is the single

most effective way to prevent the spread of

infection during the winter

season.

Set a good example and

encourage your children to

wash their hands regularly.

***NOTE TO PARENTS

If you are taking your child/ren on vacation

please make sure you inform the OFFICE and

the teacher . Thank you for

your cooperation

in this matter.

3

From the Office…

Standardized Test Dates: The following dates have been reserved in our school for students to complete standardized tests. The information collected from these tests assists the school in planning and preparing instruction that meets the needs of all students. It is important that all students attend on these days and complete the assessments. Please mark your calendars accordingly, and avoid booking appointments on these dates. These dates will be confirmed again closer to the dates.

April 24– April 28, 2017 CCAT for Grade 4 students

May 8 – May 12, 2017 CAT-4 for Grade 7 students

May 23—June 5, 2017 EQAO for Grade 3 and 6 students

Families are encouraged to visit the EQAO site (http://www.eqao.com for more information and resources to assist children in preparing for the Grade 3 and 6 tests.

Parking Lot Reminder: We would like to extend our thanks to all the families that are adhering to our parking lot policy - together we can keep all of our children safe. As a reminder—please be mindful of the parking signs - do not park in areas designated as “no stopping” or “no parking”. There is absolutely no idling, parking or stopping in the fire routes, or bus drop off loading zone. Unfortunately if there is no parking space available, you will need to move your vehicle to a side street. Thank you very much for your support in this matter.

JK Registration : continues for children born in 2013. You need the following information to register your child:

- a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate - or a copy of the Baptismal Certificate of the Roman Catholic parent.

- a copy of your child’s Birth Certificate

If you know of a family in our school boundary who may not have a child currently in school, please share this information with them.

~We are happy to register ALL students new to St. Luke as well at any time, regardless of age/grade~

.

4

Dance-a-Thon Plus!

What an incredible success! This year’s Dance-a-thon raised $10,487.30. Thank

you to all in our community who helped support our school. All money raised will be used

to support our students. Thank you to all our parent volunteers who helped make the day

successful: Beth F, Ann C, Brenda W, Kris T, George L, Ryan S, Bernadette R, Lydia W,

Andrea S, Shari C, Teresa S, Lizette M, Laurie P, Lori S, Jackie T, Tara D, Kristen K and

many more!

Congratulations to the following students and classes for winning prizes at the Dance-a-

thon:

Principal for the morning– Evan S.

Whole school earned: Extra Recess, Gum Day, Games Day, No Homework for Family Day weekend

AND an Ice Cream Treat

Top Classes

Top Intermediate class winner – Beesley

Top Junior Class Winner – Ennis

Top Primary Class Winner - DeGasperis/Potvin

Top student winners (Gift Cards)

Top Intermediate Winner – John C. (Ms Earle)

Top Junior Winner - Tyler M. (Ennis)

Top Primary Winner – Wade T. (DeGasperis/Potvin)

Students who donated over $100 and will have the option to throw a pie in a teachers face:

Olivia F., Wade T., Rennison K., Kinsley R., Jonah T., Brooklyn M., Isabel T., Sierra B., Tyler M.,

John C,. Megan S., Same W., Matthew N., Julia S., Amanda T.

A Big Thank you

Goes out to the Bridge Street

Kitchen for making crepes for

Ms. Gies and Ms. Dietrich’s classes

to celebrate la chandeleur, the

purification of Mary and

presentation of Jesus. The staff

also enjoyed some delicious

crepes during their recess break.

Thank you Bridge Street

Kitchen for your generosity.

373 Bridge St. W.

Waterloo, Ontario

N2K 3K3

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Calling all ARTISTS!!!

Do you have an interest or talent for art?

We are looking for artwork that reflects the SPIRIT of ST. LUKE

SCHOOL.

The artwork will be for an inside and back cover of our new yearbook.

Artwork should be submitted on a page no bigger than 8 1/2 x 11.

Artwork must include—school name and the current school year date

(2016-2017).

Remember the most important item is to autograph your artwork.

Please submit your artwork/drawing/painting to the

office by:

Friday, March 10, 2017

YEARBOOK ARTWORK CONTEST

World Wednesdays

Beginning in March, St. Luke School will be

participating in, “World Wednesdays” with a focus on

creating a school that is eco-friendly.

Students will be invited to walk, bike or scooter to

school or to their bus stop.

We are also inviting students to bring a litterless lunch to school on

Wednesdays. Students are encouraged to use refillable water bottles and

reusable containers.

Our goal is to make students more aware of how they can make small

changes in their everyday life to create a better world.

The St. Luke Lightning boys basketball team travelled to RIM Park to compete in the Regional championships. They were seeded number three for the tournament. Their first game was against St. Teresa Calcutta from Cambridge. The Lightning started off with a bang and ran up a 23-2 lead by half time. They cruised to a victory and were heading to the semis.

In the semis the Lightning were matched up against a very tough Pere Rene school. The Lightning boys got off to great start once again and were up 22-5 at half time and finished strong to pave their way to the finals.

In the finals the Lightning met a tough St. Margaret's team from Cambridge. The boys were ready and wanted to bring home the championship. Well as the day had dictated the boys got off to another great start, leading 25-7 by half. The Lightning cruised once again to a huge victory. The lightning won their second AAAA championship in four years.

Way to go Lightning!

Steve Ennis

PLEASE NOTE

Mark on your calendars the date for our “Welcome to Kindergarten night”! It

will be held on Tuesday May 9, 2017 from 6:00—7:00 pm at St. Luke School.

Invitation for Parents of all students currently in Grade Four

Tuesday March 28th - 6:00pm

In the Library at St Luke Catholic Elementary School

In the fall of 2017, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board will offer a unique opportunity to students entering grade

five at St Luke Catholic Elementary School. The Intensive French Program is designed to increase the fluency of Core French students and give them a strong head start in a world where global communication, travel, and

employment opportunities frequently require a firm grasp of Canada’s two official languages.

Intensive French is a second language learning approach based on authentic communication and the development of literacy skills. It is open to students of all achievement levels.

Registration for this program is limited to grade 5 students attending St

Luke Catholic Elementary School. Students will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please consider

attending the Intensive French Parent Information Meeting on March 28th at 6:00pm.

March 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

Ash

Wednesday

Mass 1:30pm

2 3

Winter Play Day

- am

Intermediate

Dance—pm

4

5 6 7 8 9

Grade 6

teaching

masses at St.

Agnes

10

Early St.

Patrick’s Day:

wear green,

gold and

shamrocks

11

12 13

March

Break

14 15 16 17

St. Patrick’s

Day

18

19 20 21 22

23

Lenten

Reconciliation

Grade 2-8

24 25

26 27 28

Intensive

French

parent

meeting 6-

7 pm

Gr. 3 to

Elora Pizza

Perfect

29

Gr. 8 Camp

Brebeuf

retreat

30

Gr. 8 Camp

Brebeuf

retreat

31

Gr. 8 Camp

Brebeuf

retreat

Fit Bit March 2017 – 10 Ways to Eat More Vegetables and Fruit

1. Boost Your Breakfast: Add berries, dried fruit or sliced banana to your cereal, yogurt or oatmeal. Try peppers, mushrooms,

onions or chopped greens in a delicious omelette.

2. Double the Veggies: Add extra vegetables into your soups, stir-fries, casseroles and pasta dishes. Load up on veggie

toppings for pizzas and sandwiches.

3. Salute the Snack: Revolve snack time around vegetables and fruit. Pre-cut or peel fruit like oranges to make it more

appealing and easier to eat quickly during snack breaks.

4. Take a Smoothie Break: Whip up large batches, freeze in single portions and take on the go when needed! Try adding a

handful of greens with fruit, yogurt, milk and ice.

5. Dig the Dip: Dip apples, pears or bananas in yogurt or one to two tablespoons of peanut butter. Veggies are great paired with

hummus, salsa or low fat sour cream. Try the easy dip recipe below, you can flavour it however you like!*

6. Reinvent the Chip: Bake thinly sliced sweet potatoes, beets, torn kale or collard greens to satisfy that crunch! Toss bite-

sized pieces in a small amount of vegetable oil and your choice of spices before baking until crispy.

7. Weekly Featured Vegetable: Give everyone in the family their own week to choose a feature vegetable to cook with. Try to

choose vegetables that are in season.

8. Use Frozen Veggies (and Fruit!): Over the winter buy more affordable frozen vegetables and then steam them, puree into

soups and sauces or bake them in a casserole. Frozen fruit is great on cereal or in smoothies.

9. Delight in Dessert: Frozen grapes or bananas make a delightful dessert. Other simple ideas include fresh fruit, a baked

apple, fruit salad or fruit kabobs with yogurt for dipping!

10. Half Your Plate Twice a Day: Meet your recommended number of servings in a flash by making half of your plate

vegetables at lunch and at dinner!

Garlic & Dill Veggie Dip

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) light sour cream or plain yogurt (1% M.F. or fat-free) 3 Tbsp (45 ml) light mayonnaise 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice 1 tsp (5 ml) minced garlic ¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh dill or parsley

Directions: Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl and chill until ready to serve. Prepare up to one day in advance for even more

flavour.

Recipe adapted from 500 Best Healthy Recipes by Lynn Roblin, MSc., RD