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Wednesday, January 16, 2019 - Volume 11, Issue 11
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Better late than never!
By Mr. A. Milardovic, BENN Editor
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As you can tell, this Wednesday's BENN is two days late. This was due to several technical issues with our newsletter software. Many thanks to our Board's webmaster Mr. Darcy Davis for his work on getting it fixed so that we can--finally--bring you this week's BENN!
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Saints Invitational a resounding success, Senior Saints win fourth consecutive championship
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This past weekend St. Benedict was the host to 24 of the top high school boys’ basketball teams from across the province. The 31st Saints Invitational ran Friday and Saturday across four venues: St. Benedict, St. Mary’s HS, Monsignor Doyle CSS, and—new this year—Conestoga College. With many teams vying to be crowned champions in the senior and junior divisions, the pinnacle moment of the tournament was the senior boys final, held Saturday night in our gym.
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The final game, which pitted St. Benedict against a strong team from North Park in Brampton started with the Trojans going on a tear, with a nearly impenetrable defense and a strong offense. By the end of the first quarter the Saints were down 15-5. “The first quarter was a struggle”, says Coach Malnerich, “we were getting good looks just not finishing. Our defense was not the issue.” Given that the Saints were average nearly 15 points per quarter until that point in the tournament, the lack of scoring was somewhat concerning for the team.
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The second quarter saw North Park continue their attack, scoring several baskets and keeping the Saints scoreless for more than four minutes of the 8-minute quarter. The boys from Bennie’s did not let that deter them, and they started chipping away at the deficit. By the time half time rolled around the boys were down by 8, the score being 25-17 for North Park.
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“At half we reiterated that our defense must hold and be our strength,” says Malnerich. “We could not allow them to penetrate and kick out for 3's. Our offense will come. We reminded them that if we made all the easy shots we missed in the first half, the game would be tied at that point. We needed to be even tougher in the second half.”
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The North Park team played a strong third, but the Saints started their charge back. By the end of the third quarter, the deficit was down to 4 points, with the Trojans leading 36-32.
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This is the first time in tournament history that a team has “four-peted”.
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Play control started to shift in the Saints favour, and less than 4 minutes into the 4th quarter, the Saints took their first lead of the game. Still, with over four minutes to play it was anyone’s game. The North Park Trojans took the lead back, and with 3 and a half minutes remaining the Saints kicked it into high gear, scoring several consecutive baskets. With a minute and half left to play the Saints were up by 4, and the North Park team was starting to run out of steam. The Saints never looked back.
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In the fourth quarter, the Saints outscored North Park 20-11, taking the game by a score of 52-47, becoming the Saints Invitational tournament champs for the 4th consecutive year. This is the first time in tournament history that a team has “four-peted”.
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Honourable mention goes out to several Saints. Raf Llorin and Ben Mascarenhas were named to the first all-star team, and Trent Johnson was named to the second all-star team. Raf was also tournament MVP.
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On the junior side, the Ursuline Lancers beat the Assumption Crusaders 66-62 in a close game that needed to go into overtime to be decided.
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Coach Malnerich, who is also the tournament head convenor, was not only pleased with his team’s performance but with the tournament overall. “It went very well this year. The good weather enabled all the teams to show up with no cancellations or delays. It ran very smoothly and the teams all loved it. We received numerous emails about how coaches and athletes enjoyed the event.”
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“We also upped our game in several ways, we went to a colour cover for the tournament program this year which was a real hit with the fans and players. It made things look really sharp and professional. We also streamlined out social media updates for reporting scores and results and it was very effective.”
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Mr. Malnerich isn’t resting on the successes of this tournament. And he doesn’t take all the credit. “This event is not possible without the help of countless volunteers from the school staff, administration and students”, he states, “the Tournament Committee is truly thankful to everyone who helped make the tournament a success.”
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The Saints still have league play and other tournaments which will take them into February. And, of course, he is also setting his sights on Saints Invitational 32: “We are hoping to expand the Junior draw to 16 teams and possibly add a few more senior teams if we have the court space.” He is optimistic that this will come to fruition with the addition of a new venue this year. “We were able to bring Conestoga College on board as a venue for the games, and we hope that this partnership will continue into the future.”
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Celebrating Supporting Staff
On January 18 we celebrate the Educational Assistants, Personal Support Workers, and Child and Youth Care Workers with an Appreciation Day to recognize their contributions and endless efforts to support the needs of our learners. Whether the need be academic, social, emotional, or behavioural, the EAs, PSWs, and CYCWs are there to support our students. Thank you for all that you do and we ask everyone to join us in marking your appreciation for this important employee group!
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Administrative
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January Exam Schedule
We are just over a month away from the final examination period! Exams run from January 25 to the 30th, with Credit Rescue available on Thursday, January 31.
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IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER AND SCHOOL CLOSURE exams will be pushed back one day.
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An Invitation: Called to Belong
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As we launch our new WCDSB Pastoral Plan, school administrators, school council chairs, student representatives, and school pastoral teams are encouraged to attend. School trustees will be in attendance and all staff and clergy are invited as well.
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At this celebration we will introduce Called to Belong, the first theme of our new three-year Pastoral Plan.
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Following the celebration, during the reception, the System Faith Formation Council will have stations set up throughout the hall to make resources and materials available for all school pastoral team members to take back to their school communities to help guide and animate the pastoral theme.
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Bring Your Own Device and Purchase Program
Partnership with STAPLES Canada for Chromebooks and Windows 10 Cloudbooks
WCDSB has made significant investments to ensure our students and staff have access to a variety current technologies. The use of technology to support learning remains a key priority to ensure that students are equipped with the skills to flourish in an increasingly digital world. Chromebooks and Windows 10 Cloudbooks have proven to be versatile, reliable, and affordable digital tool in the classroom.
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As students have engaged more with the technology that is available in their classrooms, many families have expressed interest in purchasing a device for their child to use at school and at home. Many parents have reached out, seeking advice about which technology would best support their child’s learning, is reasonably priced, yet durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily use as it’s transported back and forth to school each day.
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Specialist High Skills Major news
SHSM students are reminded to go to the highskills.ca website and look at trips and trainings that are available so far next semester.
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Also, check your latest progress report to help you with your course planning for next year.
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Resilience
Welcome to the Umbrella Project! The Umbrella Project program is designed to help you and your family proactively build wellbeing and prepare for life's challenges. This can be done through practicing a set of skills that are known to improve our children's happiness and success. Much like an umbrella protects us from the rain, each of these skills forms a piece of an umbrella that protects us from life's rainy days and helps us learn and succeed.
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What is resilience?
Why do some people get knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever? It’s their resilience. Over time everyone will face a range of obstacles and difficulties; it’s part of life.
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Resilience allows us to adapt or even feel stronger and happier after these times. It helps us to feel less like the victim of our own story and more like the hero.
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When it comes to resilience, practicing helps. With every storm you successfully weather, your resilience gets a bit better and the more we do that, the stronger we get.
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Tip #1: Make connections
Friends and other social supports improve resilience. Much like your umbrella protects you from the rain, having many strong umbrellas around you is necessary when the rain is too much for you to handle alone.
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Does your child have multiple friend groups? Maybe one at school, one in the neighbourhood, and one with family friends.
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Help them find opportunities to make new friends and mentors and strengthen the connections they already have. This will add to the network of people they draw support from and who they in turn are able to support. Encourage them to be a friend, to get more friends.
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Tip #2: Help your child face their fears
Avoiding our fears may be the easiest road in the short term but doesn’t help us build resilience. What we actually need is small, repeated exposure to the things that scare us. Small successes over these fears help us, with time, to build our confidence when navigating adversity.
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Here’s an example from my family. My daughter is nine and does not like to be the centre of attention. This became glaringly obvious the day she wore a fancy dress to school for the first time in years, received at least five compliments in the first minute, and proceeded to burst into tears and beg me to take her home. It seemed like a small thing but it pushed a big fear button inside her. Parenting dilemma…take her home to change or make her stay in a state of clear distress.
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There is a third choice in this scenario. We had time to go home and change but only with the following condition; she was going to have to work on being the centre of attention. That was the deal.
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I explained that life will present her with many similar circumstances and I want her to have the skills to deal with these situations. While this current challenge was too big for her, we were going to choose smaller opportunities for her to practice. She agreed and we have since helped her practice this skill in many contexts until she is now more comfortable when she finds herself pushed this way.
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This is how resilience is built. Not avoidance, not full immersion, but repeated small fears faced and defeated over time.
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News from the Guidance Department
Course Selections for 2019 - 2020
Over the semester break is a great time to continue educational planning and start completing course
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selections for next year. We have visited with all student in grade 9, 10 and 11. Grade 12 students
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who are interested in returning to St. Benedict for a 5th year will be invited to attend a lunch session at a date to be determined. The decisions that students make now regarding their choices for next year are what drive the scheduling decisions that are made with regard to both the courses and the numbers of sections of each course that we offer at the school next year. The importance of making the right choices should not be underestimated as inappropriate course changes are not always easily corrected once the school year is under way.
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As has been the practice for the past number of years, students will be choosing their courses on-line. However, our software has changed and we are now using myBlueprint.
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All students should have received detailed instructions regarding the process for choosing
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their classes during presentations. The site can be accessed as follows:
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- Go myBlueprint
- Login using your school login or GAFE account login
Please note that course selections must be submitted to the school and signed by a parent, by
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Thursday, February 28. Students are encouraged to consult the course calendar on the website, as well as subject specific teachers and guidance counsellors for help making the correct decisions. In addition to before school, after school and during the school day, guidance counsellors will also be available in room 111 during lunch on specific days leading up to the deadline date.
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Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) and Course Selection
All students who are registered in one of the Specialist High Skills Major programs will receive a report
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which indicates their progress in their sector of choice. Students should use this report to make sure that they choose courses for next year which will allow them to complete the SHSM academic requirements.
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K-W Legacy Scholarship
The Legacy Scholarship Program was established to provide exemplary students with meaningful financial assistance for their pursuit of post-secondary education. Recipients of a Legacy scholarship will be leaders who create footprints, citizens who pay tribute to others, and individuals who enjoy fellowship with other members of the community.
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Legacy Scholarship requirements
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In order to qualify for a Legacy Scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
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- Attend a post-secondary institution that is approved by the Ontario Student Assistance Program
- Have a minimum cumulative average of 70% in their top six 12 M/U courses
- Demonstrate financial need
Student wishing to apply for the KW Legacy Scholarship should speak to their Guidance counsellor.
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Applications should be received in Guidance by February 16th.
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University of Waterloo Grade 10 Family Night
The University of Waterloo will be hosting an evening for Grade 10 students and their parents on Thursday February 21 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. This is a great opportunity for grade 10 students who are thinking about attending any of Ontario’s universities. Information covered will include finding a program that is a good fit, navigating the application process, and financing post-secondary education. Register to attend www.uwaterloo.ca/future/grade-10
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Community Service Hours
It is a requirement of graduation that each student complete 40 hours of community service. There are
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many opportunities to fulfill this requirement. If you have already registered for Hour Republic check out the
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guidelines on the website www.hourrepublic.com. This website can also be used to track your hours and
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see volunteer opportunities.
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Support Catholic Education
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Enriching the Lives of Students
There many opportunities for students to enhance their learning experience: Enrichment courses, LEAP, OYAP, UCEP, Co-op, Home Build, SHSM, and Skills Canada. Visit the Enrichment blog for information on all these opportunities. The Blogroll contains a plethora of learning enhancements. To learn more about what we offer, click on Enrichment@St.Benedict.
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English Corner
To receive an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) each student must obtain four credits in English (one credit per grade). Visit the English blog to read the course offerings provided by the Saint Benedict English Department. The Blogroll has great resources for both students and parents. Enjoy! English@St.Benedict blog.
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Advanced Placement at St. Benedict
Advanced Placement (AP) is an internationally recognized program that allows students to enrich the Ontario Curriculum with the goal of achieving university accreditation.
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What does the research say about AP students?
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Research shows that the best predictor of whether or not a student completes a university degree is not their high school grades or standardized tests. Rather, the best predictor is how many challenging courses a student has taken in high school. Students who challenge themselves with AP courses and exams are much more likely to complete a university degree in four years or less.
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The Grade 9s had Cookies 'n' Cram, what about the rest of the students?
Coffee 'n' Cram
Monday, January 21
2:15pm - 3:15 pm
Cafeteria
Drop in and join study sessions for all your courses, and have some coffee!
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Students! Need a space to help prepare for final exams?
Come to Room 212 after school on Wednesdays and Thursday for extra support!
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Homework Club will run from 2:15-3:30
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Grade 9s EQAO Math Testing
All grade 9 applied, academic, and pre-AP math students this semester will be taking part in the provincial Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics created by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) next week. The assessment will take place during periods 1 and 2 on Tuesday, January 22 and periods 3 and 4 on Wednesday, January 23. All students will be writing in the cafeteria unless they have been notified they are writing in an alternate location by their math teacher. After the students have completed their assessment each day they are expected to attend class.
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The assessment will count for 30% of your child's final mark.
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Please ensure your student brings a pencil, eraser, calculator, and a ruler to the assessment each day. Cell phones are prohibited and their calculator function cannot be used during the assessment.
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Service Learning Program Seeks Your Support
This school year, Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School will be piloting a new Service Learning Program for the WCDSB. Students will be taking courses and participating in local community learning experiences to better understand social justice and equity issues from a personal level all the way to a global level. As part of the Service Learning Program students will be partnering with the Me to We organization and will be part of a build project in Kenya in May 2019.
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The students and staff involved are planning fundraising during the school year leading up to the trip. They are hosting a major fundraiser in March. The event will be a dinner and silent auction to support the cost of the trip and work with WE. We are asking for your help, in the form of a donation, to provide an extensive array of items for the silent auction. We would ask you to include a business card with your donation, which will give your business the exposure it deserves. In addition, we will be acknowledging our supporters during the year in various ways through the schools. We would ask that if possible all donations be received by March 1, 2019.
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We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity, if you are able to make a donation or have a question please contact: Anne.Denomme@wcdsb.ca Marisa.Rocha@wcdsb.ca Erin.Riley@wcdsb.ca or Lisa.Mackay@wcdsb.ca
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Arrangements can be made to pick up your donation if you wish donations could be dropped off at:
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Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School
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St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
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If your company does not have items to donate but still would like to contribute to the Service Learning Program with a cash donation you may contact Jody Fritz at the Waterloo Region Catholic School Foundation office at 519-578-3660 ex 2373 or email at jody.fritz@wcdsb.ca. A charitable donation can be arranged for cash donations. When you contact the WRCSF office please indicate that you would like your donation directed to the Service Learning Program at Msgr. Doyle and St. Benedict.
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Thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
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Marisa Rocha and Anne Denomme (Service Learning Program teachers)
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Erin Riley and Lisa Mackay (Vice-Principals)
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2019 Literacy Prep News
Literacy test prep is well under way! Grade 10 students have completed mini-mock and mock Literacy Tests in semester 1. Feedback will be provided to both students and their parents by the end of semester 1.
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Semester 2 roll out of Literacy Test prep will begin on February 6. Stay tuned for more details.
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All grade 10 students and previously eligible students have access to a specialized D2L OSSLT page which they can access by logging in to their D2L account.
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The OSSLT is scheduled for March 27, 2019. Please check out our resources on our updated webpage on the school website. Go to Student Services » Student Success » Literacy Test Preparation.
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Sports
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Junior Girls Volleyball
Please congratulate the Junior Girls Volleyball team on their 3rd place finish at Cameron Heights last Friday. The girls played well against some very strong competition and finished pool play undefeated including a straight-sets defeat of the very strong host school Cameron Heights. The girls drew a very tough opponent SJAM in the semifinals and lost a very close game 25-20, 25-19.
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The girls managed to draw attention from fans, coaches, and other teams as the tournament wore on with strong play against top schools in the region.
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Shoutout to Elyse Hutchinson and Gemma Piraino for their dominating play throughout the tournament and a great team effort all day from the girls!
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Sports Results
St. Benedict CSS 2, Monsignor Doyle CSS 1
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St. Mary's HS 3, St. Benedict CSS 2
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Resurrection CSS 3, St. Benedict CSS 0
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MIDGET BOYS BASKETBALL St. Benedict CSS 51, Resurrection CSS 27
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St. Benedict CSS 53, Woodland Christian HS 32
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St. Benedict CSS 53, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 25
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Resurrection CSS 55, St. Benedict CSS 42
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St. Benedict CSS 47, St. David CSS 43
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St. Benedict CSS 89, Woodland Christian HS 11
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St. Benedict CSS 69, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 24
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Resurrection CSS 63, St. Benedict CSS 61
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St. Benedict CSS 68, St. David CSS 36
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Woodland Christian HS 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Rockway MC 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, ES Pere-Rene-de-Galinee 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Woodland Christian HS 1
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Rockway MC 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, ES Pere-Rene-de-Galinee 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Resurrection CSS 2
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St. Benedict CSS 1, St. Mary's HS 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, St. David CSS 2
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Midget Boys Basketball
Congratulations goes out to a very determined group of young men who took first place away from Resurrection last night with a very strong performance of defence and discipline!
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The Saints took the lead right from the tip, played impressive defensive and owned the court the entire game ending with a solid win, 51-27.
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The very tired Saints, having to play back to back games, then took on St. Mary’s. Although held lead the entire game, they had a slow start. With bouts of energy they were able to continue their strong defensive court play and beat St. Mary’s 44-21.
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The Saints will go on to play St. David’s on home court in the semi finals on February 7th. Come out and cheer on your Saints as they battle for their place in the finals!
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St Benedict Learning Commons Clemens Mill Library
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Your Learning Commons will be offering various activities from Monday January 21 to Thursday January 24 to help you de-stress before exams begin on January 25.
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On Tuesday, January 22, come visit with several dog teams from Cambridge Therapy Dogs. Janette with her dog friend Scarlett, Bruce with Minka and Pat with her dog friend Vimy will be in the library during lunch at 10:30am.
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On Thursday, January 24, come visit with another set of dog teams that include Janette and Scarlett, Wendy and her dog friend Chance, and Colleen with Sadie during lunch hour in the library.
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Volunteer Opportunities: On Monday February 4th, Shannon Markle, Volunteer Co-ordinator for Idea Exchange will be at the library during lunch from 10:30am to 11:30am and after school from 2:00pm to 3:00pm to interview those students interested in volunteering for the library Mini-Makerspace and the Virtual Reality Lab.
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We wish all students a successful, productive exam period.
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Teen Lounge at the Library
St. Benedict CSS and the Cambridge Public Library have been working together in offering the students a safe supervised place to hang out called “Teen Lounge”. “Teen Lounge” is located within the library between 2:15 – 3:30pm Monday to Friday. There is a calendar schedule posted outside the “Teen Lounge” of any dates where “Teen Lounge” would be unavailable, an announcement would also be made. The “Teen Lounge” is supervised by two Youth Care Workers and a library staff who drops in on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
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Students will have access to activities such as video games, table ping pong, puzzles, board games etc.. – (provided by the public library), healthy snacks (provided by Nutrient for Learning) and the opportunity in making healthy social connections.
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A place where all is welcome!
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If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call St. Benedict CSS: Lorrie Temple, Principal or Melanie Malcolm-Pando, YCW at 519-621-4050.
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Youth Job Connection Program - Cambridge
NOW RECRUITING FOR JANUARY 28th START DATE
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Volunteer Tip
Find volunteer positions at www.volunteerwr.ca/youth! Search by Events to find short term, special event positions or Search by Interests to discover a wide variety of opportunities!
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Calendar of Events
Be sure to visit our school website for an updated calendar with detailed information links for most calendar entries.
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Friday, January 18 Graduation Photos 10:35am: Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Club 10:35am: Star Trek Club 2:00pm: Doctor Who Club Monday, January 21 10:35am: Eco Club 10:35am: E-car meeting 10:35am: Finance Club 3:00pm: Jr. Boys Basketball @ Monsignor Doyle CSS 3:30pm: Jr. Girls Volleyball @ St. Mary's HS 3:30pm: Sr. Girls Volleyball @ St. Mary's HS 4:30pm: Sr. Boys Basketball @ Monsignor Doyle CSS Tuesday, January 22 EQAO Gr. 9 Math Assessment 10:35am: Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Club 10:35am: Arts Council 10:35am: E-car meeting 10:35am: DECA Business Club 10:35am: Reach for the Top club 10:35am: Champions for Change club Wednesday, January 23 EQAO Gr. 9 Math Assessment 10:35am: Guitar Club 10:35am: E-car meeting 10:35am: Model UN Club 10:35am: Anime Club 2:00pm: Rock Orchestra practice 2:00pm: Games Club 2:15pm: Homework Club
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Thursday, January 24 10:35am: E-car meeting 10:35am: Giving Back Club 10:35am: Mario Kart club 10:35am: DECA Business Club 10:35am: Praise Choir 2:00pm: Math Club 2:15pm: Homework Club 7:00pm: School Council Meeting Friday, January 25 Final Evaluation Day Monday, January 28 Final Evaluation Day Tuesday, January 29 Final Evaluation Day Wednesday, January 30 Final Evaluation Day Thursday, January 31 Final Evaluation Day (Credit Rescue) Friday, February 1 Professional Activity Day Monday, February 4 8:00am: Semester 2 starts 10:35am: Eco Club 10:35am: E-car meeting 10:35am: Finance Club 3:00pm: Sr. Girls Volleyball @ Msgr Doyle CSS 3:00pm: Jr. Girls Volleyball @ Msgr Doyle CSS 3:00pm: Jr. Boys Basketball vs St. Mary's HS 4:30pm: Sr. Boys Basketball vs St. Mary's HS
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