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Wednesday, May 31, 2023 - Volume 15, Issue 20
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Message from Administration
Tomorrow is June 1st, which means the beginning of Pride Month. You will see the Pride (rainbow) flag flying at St. Benedict for the entire month of June!
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A school climate based on the principles of equity and inclusivity is one where all members of the school community feel safe, welcomed, and accepted, regardless of ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. Students see themselves reflected in the curriculum, in a physical environment which honors diversity and respects the dignity of all individuals." (Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, 2012, p. 59)
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Raising the Pride flag on June 1st supports students and staff in creating a fully inclusive environment. We are grateful to be raising the flag, but also grateful for the work our staff continues to do in supporting our 2SLGBTQIA+ students throughout the year!
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Admin Team
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PA Day Reminder
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Looking for a quick way to navigate all things WCDSB for parents?
Check out the Board website for information and information pertaining to Aspen Portal, Brightspace, School Cash Online, Transportation updates, and other resources
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A friendly reminder
Please remember to leave accessible parking spaces available for those who need it.
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Relay for Life
at St. Benedict's on June 1st
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Who: The St. Benedict School Community
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What: An all-day event that is active in 29 countries and 6,000 communities worldwide
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When: June 1st, 2023, 9:00am-4:00pm
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Why: Nearly half of all Canadians will get cancer in their lifetime, add all those impacted by cancer and the number is even greater. We have an opportunity to make a lasting change together, Canadians need our support.
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Where: St. Benedict Football Field- games, food, Zumba, luminary ceremony, along with many other exciting activities
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How can I get involved?
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Donate to a student’s fundraising goal
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Gather donations/sponsors: Every dollar helps! We’re asking any community members if they have a company or business that is willing to sponsor our event for cancer research to contact us. If you are interested or know of anyone who is interested, email Mrs. Kreuger at Ashley.Kreuger@wcdsb.ca.
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Donation to the school relay site = tax receipt
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Donation of goods (gift cards for prizes, money to support purchase of event day needs) = promotion/recognition at event and on socials
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Our Goal is to raise $30,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society!
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We will have a luminary ceremony in gym 1 during period 3.
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There will be a special survivor's dedication and walk.
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- There are school incentives for each level of fundraising, including pie in the face, all school BBQ, water bucket challenge and more!
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PLEASE GET INVOLVED AND SUPPORT THIS AWESOME EVENT!
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Positive Parent-Teacher communication
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As always, parents/guardians are valuable partners in a child’s education. We invite you to keep the lines of communication open as you can be an effective resource to support the learning your child. As per out WCDSB Administrative Procedures Memorandum #APC001, Communication Guidelines, all public and interpersonal communications must recognize the dignity of the individual and be conducted fairly, honestly, and respectfully.
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When a parent, guardian or other board stakeholder has a concern or suggestion, it is expected that the matter will first be taken up with the staff member. The process outlined below should be followed.
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2022-2023
School Year
Bell Times
7:55 Warning Bell
8:00 - 9:15 Period 1
9:20 - 10:35 Period 2
10:40 Lunch
11:20 Warning Bell
11:25 - 12:40 Period 3
12:45 - 2:00 Period 4
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Stay Connected with
St. Benedict's!
Twitter
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Community Service Hours – for 2023 Graduates
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It is a requirement of graduation that each student complete 40 hours of community service. There are many opportunities to fulfill this requirement. Potential graduates should submit their hours to the Guidance office as soon as possible, so it can be recorded for graduation.
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Who is your Guidance Counsellor?
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Counsellor’s Name
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Ext
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Last names
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| Ms. Varriano Lane |
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Pe – Q, International students
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GUIDANCE GOOGLE CLASSROOMS
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Once again, the Guidance department will have google classrooms available to share information with our students.
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Please consider joining the classrooms:
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Financing Post-Secondary: Scholarships, Bursaries, and OSAP
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Got a ‘rich uncle’ with a bank full of cash waiting for you to cover your post-secondary costs? Well, I did not either. The reality is that post-secondary education is costly and takes planning, so we hope you’ve begun. Many students supplement their post-secondary savings through scholarships, bursaries, and loans. This article will get you pointed in the right direction to access the necessary resources for information.
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Most scholarships for first year students are ‘entrance’ scholarships and are automatically awarded based on marks. Some awards, called bursaries, are based on financial need, but may also include other components such as volunteer service, leadership, or being associated with a service group, employer, or union. These are very individual, and you can search these out using the resources set out below.
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The following sites are Canadian websites where you can register and search online for a variety of scholarships, bursaries, and contests to help fund post-secondary education.
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The Scholarship Report is a service Guidance subscribes to at Bennies. It is a wonderful resource that you can use to search for scholarship opportunities by the month. It also provides a great deal of post-secondary information for all pathway opportunities. As the Scholarship Report is a proprietary service, access to it must be for the St. Benedict Community. In order, to view the report, go to the Scholarship page on the website and hit the link to the report. You will need a PASSWORD that is for St. Benedict students only. The password can be obtained through guidance.
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What can you do now?
- Determine your post- secondary costs including tuition, books, room and board, travel, etc.
- Check parents’ places of employment/ your place of employment or service groups for scholarships or bursaries
- Check with the schools in which you are going to apply
- Check Bennies website, through the Students Services tab, AND the Guidance Google Classroom (code – MXMOHZX)
- Create a scholarship/bursary resume where you collect all of your accomplishments, achievements, involvements, and potential barriers overcame in chronological order; you should line up references from teachers, community members and coaches who can speak to your involvement and character
- Talk seriously, with your family about your plan to fund post-secondary which may include applying for OSAP
OSAP - The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a financial aid program that can help you pay for college or university. Applying, for OSAP is done individually and one may be eligible for grants (free money!) and/or loans. OSAP applications will open in April or May 2023 for the 2023-2024 school year. Check out the OSAP website OSAP for more information. In order to plan, you can use the OSAP Estimator tool for a quick guide to see if you eligible for loans or grants. This can be completed anytime.
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Post-secondary education is an investment in yourself. Planning, as best as possible, will help reduce stress and strain, and is certainly more reliable than finding a ‘rich uncle’.
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Active Students work in school garden
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On Monday May 25 students in grade 9 science and Active Living Life Skills class celebrated Rogation Day in our school food garden. Rogation Day is an old tradition of blessing the crops and praying for a good harvest. It occurs in the days leading up to the Jesus’ ascension.
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Our Chaplain and students led us in prayer, the students from the Active Living program planted the crosses they made, and then grade 9 science students weeded, tended and planted in the garden.
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Our school food garden provides food to the hospitality program and the local food bank. The garden is tended in the summer months by community members (Youth in Food Systems) and coop students.
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Please pray for a healthy growing season!
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Saints Garage Spring Tech Tip!
Most drivers have already swapped their winter tires for summer ones, or will very soon. Did you know there's another step to the process that lots of people forget - taking the vehicle back later to get the wheels re-torqued.
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Although it’s rare for a wheel to fall off, if it does, it can cause major damage and be extremely dangerous. It is important to have your wheels re-torqued after approximately 50-100kms, and even more important on softer aluminum rims where lug nuts can loosen off more easily.
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“Ultimately, drivers have a responsibility to make sure their vehicles are safe. If they aren’t careful and a wheel comes off, the consequences could be tragic. When you lose a wheel at highway speed, it’s a cannonball. It’s dangerous for you and potentially deadly for someone else.”
- Andrew Davidson, Road safety manager at the MTO
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Luckily, the process is quick. But if you aren’t sure how to do this yourself, please connect with your local garage or Transportation Tech teacher.
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Interested in a construction career?
WCDSB is offering an exciting new centralized Accelerated OYAP construction program starting in Sept 2023 open to any Gr. 12 or returning Gr. 12 students. The program is a 4 credit co-op package through LIUNA and it local contractors.
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Program Details
Successful student applicants will be signed on as an apprentice in Sept 2023 then enrolled in Level 1 Construction Craft Worker trade school through LIUNA Local 837 in Cambridge . Once trade school is completed (7-8 weeks) a co-op placement with a LIUNA contractor will follow leading to employment.
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Important! Program interviews are being held on Monday, June 5. Students who are interested in this program must complete a co-op form. Link to the form: lf.wcdsb.ca/Forms/EXPLRN002F . In the form select Accelerated OYAP then Union then Construction Craft Worker – LIUNA Local 837.
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Deadline? No later than June 1st.
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Track and Field Success
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Please congratulate the Track and Field Team on their performance at CWOSSA last week. Several athletes will be moving on to OFFSA West this Friday and Saturday, they include M. Porto in 300 M hurdles and pole vault, M. Olatundun in long jump and the 4x100m relay, T. Riodan in shotput, B. Jolley in Discus, M. Harris in 200M and 400M, M. Holman in the 200M, R. Buckley in pole vault and D. Senc, N. Crawford, K. Channer in the 4x100M relay. Please wish them luck!
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Softball D8 Champs
Congratulate to the girls softball team for their big win in Waterloo defeating St. David's 17-9 and winning the girls softball D8 championships for the first time ever.
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The girls are off to CWOSSA in Kitchener tomorrow.
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Sports Results
St. Benedict CSS 11, St. David CSS 6
St. Benedict CSS 20, Pere-Rene-de-Galinee 4
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St. Benedict CSS 20, Resurrection CSS 2
St. Benedict CSS 9, St. Mary's HS 8
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St. Benedict CSS 17, Monsignor Doyle CSS 2
St. Benedict CSS 17, St. David CSS 9
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St. Mary's HS 17, St. Benedict CSS 8
Resurrection CSS 20, St. Benedict CSS 2
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St. Benedict CSS 3, St. Mary's HS 1
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Check out the calendar on the bottom of the newsletter and on the school website for up-to-date information about game times for all your St. Benedict teams!
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Soccer Boys D8 champs
For the first time in 25 years the Senior Boys Soccer Team brought home the gold on Wednesday, May 24th. The boys played against the St. Mary's Eagles in an exciting match up that finished with a score of 3-1 for the St. Benedict Saints. Winning goals were shot by Camilo Vasconcelos and Kyan Resendes. It was a great moment for not only the team but Coaches Andreia Borba, Michael Jansen and Kylie Sousa. The boys had an incredible season with 4 wins, 1 tie and 1 loss.
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The 2023 Sr. Boys Team consisted of; Adrian Andrasic, Andy Carroll, Anthony Ostrun, Camilo Vasconcelos, Kyan Resendes, Damian Paul, Logan Todoroff, Aiden Borges, Malachi Dompreh, Jason Newton, Jonathon Reis, Eyosyas Million, Brayden French, Mateo Cordeiro, Michael Pires, Taha Khan, Nathan Maciel, Bilal Shakeel, Daniel De Sousa, Luciano Jardim, Rayan Emira, Daniel Martinez, Ibi Khalil.
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The St. Benedict Soccer Saints should determination and skill in every game; through injuries, many never gave up. It has been a long journey, but the goal has finally been achieved! Congratulations Boys! Next up CWOSSA!
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CWOSSA Semi Final update
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The Sr. Boys Soccer team played against Guelph this morning. Down 3-0 at half time, they came back to win in extra time, advancing to the finals. It was an outstanding second half and a true testament to not giving up.
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The finals are today at 3:00pm against Grand River at RBJ Schlegel Park in Kitchener. If you can find the time to make it out it would be great to have the support!
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First Ever Girls' Garage Clinic
On May 29th, the Girls' Garage Club hosted their first ever clinic to teach staff members how to change a tire, check tire pressure, and share their knowledge. We are excited for future clinics where they will be given the opportunity to teach more skills such as checking and changing fluids or oils. The staff at Bennies left the clinic feeling empowered to change their own tires if they ever encounter a flat on the road (if and when it's safe to do so). Thank you so much for teaching the staff these important practical skills!
Does this look like something you want to get involved in? Do you want to learn auto skills? This club could be for you! Contact Mr. Dutto for more information.
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Saints and Mustangs join to bring Thrift shop
Hey Saints! The Saint Benedict SAC is joining together with the Monsignor Doyle SAC to bring you our school’s first thrift initiative. Do you have old clothes that you don’t wear anymore or that don’t fit? Bring the washed items in to the SAC office every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch. All items from both schools will be collected and then sorted for a big thrift event taking place at St. Benedicts on Tuesday June 13th! And bringing in items will give you credit that can be redeemed at the event. All proceeds and unsold items from the event will be donated to charity, so bring in those clothing items Saints, and help us to create a more sustainable environment.
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Watch the announcements for collection days for clothing items for our thrift shop taking place on June 13th. Bring in clothes that you don’t wear anymore or that don’t fit to the SAC office at lunch every Tuesday and Thursday until June 6th. When you bring in items you can get redeemable tickets for the event. Donate to a good cause, and clear up your wardrobe!
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From the Librarian’s desk
Warm weather is here and with it, almost the end of another school year! Here are just a few of the activities that will be happening during the month of June.
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Thursday June 8: Cambridge Therapy Dogs Return!
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On Thursday, June 8th, our fabulous trio of dog teams return for a final visit before the end of the school year.
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Deb and her dog Bruno, Pat and her dog Minka, and Stefanie with her dog Foxy will be visiting in the Library Learning Commons during lunch (10:30AM to 11:30AM) that day. Come visit and enjoy some time with the dogs before the end of the school year. All are welcome!
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Featured Idea Exchange Programs
Note: The following events are hosted by Idea Exchange and are not affiliated with St. Benedict or the WCDSB. Please visit ideaexchange.org for more activities in June and during the summer months!
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Friday June 16: DIY Father’s Day Card pop-up
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For St. Bennies students only! Friday June 16th (Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18th) In the Library Learning Commons during LUNCH and AFTER SCHOOL! Create a card that celebrates your dad or the people who have played a guiding role in your life!
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Friday June 30th: Kick-Off To Summer
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Kick off the summer with water games, relay races, beach bowling, and more!
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Outside Clemens Mill Library: 10AM to 2PM
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Summer treats will be provided.
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Hey, teen chess enthusiasts and beginners! Want another chance to learn chess or practice your skills?
We are running a Chess Club, Tuesdays, 3:00PM to 4:00PM in the library!!
Drop-in.
Snacks, boards, and clocks will be provided.
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Calendar of Events
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Thursday, June 1
9:00am: Relay For Life
10:45am: Brain Bee Club
10:45am: HOSA Club
10:45am: Seams Sew Easy
10:45am: Chess Club
10:45am: Writing Skills Society
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Concert Band
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: E-car Racing Saints
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Games Club
2:15pm: BoulderDash Club
2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Friday, June 2
PA Day
Monday, June 5
10:45am: Lights Out! Club
10:45am: Coding Club
10:45am: EcoClub
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, June 6
10:45am: Model UN
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, June 7
10:40am: The Social Justice Council Multicultural Talent and Fashion Show
10:45am: Guitar Club
10:45am: Writing Skills Society
10:45am: Coding Club
2:00pm: E-car Racing Saints
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Graphic Novels Club
Thursday, June 8
10:45am: Brain Bee Club
10:45am: HOSA Club
10:45am: Seams Sew Easy
10:45am: Chess Club
10:45am: Writing Skills Society
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Concert Band
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: E-car Racing Saints
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Games Club
2:15pm: BoulderDash Club
2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council
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Friday, June 9
10:45am: Star Trek Club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
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Monday, June 12
10:45am: Lights Out! Club
10:45am: Coding Club
10:45am: EcoClub
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, June 13
10:45am: Model UN
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, June 14
BENN Newsletter Release
8:00am: Grad Liturgy and Breakfast
10:45am: Guitar Club
10:45am: Writing Skills Society
10:45am: Coding Club
2:00pm: E-car Racing Saints
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Graphic Novels Club
Thursday, June 15
10:45am: Brain Bee Club
10:45am: HOSA Club
10:45am: Seams Sew Easy
10:45am: Chess Club
10:45am: Writing Skills Society
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Concert Band
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: E-car Racing Saints
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Games Club
2:15pm: BoulderDash Club
2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council
Friday, June 16
year end assembly
10:45am: Star Trek Club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Monday, June 19
GR 9 EQAO
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Be sure to check out the calendar on the school website for updates!
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