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Wednesday, November 16, 2022 - Volume 15, Issue 7
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A Message from Administration
It has been an exciting couple of weeks at Bennies, we have welcomed the Grade 8’s from our feeder schools, celebrated championships in Volleyball and Basketball. Best of luck to the teams that are participating in CWOSSA this week.
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Next week mid-term reports will be sent home with you child. We encourage you to take the opportunity to discuss the progress report and to look at what is needed to do to continue down a successful path towards the completion of the semester. Of note, please look at the student's lates and absences to see if there is any concern that needs to be address. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact your son's or daughter's teachers, guidance counsellor or administrator.
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Continue to visit our website for updates, if you are not receiving our school messenger messages, please contact the school to update your information. As well, some of you may be receiving messages to complete forms on School Cash online (SCOL), these forms are required to ensure that we have the necessary information on file for students.
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Thank you for your continued support of our community.
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Admin Team
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Important Dates to Remember
Professional Activity Day
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Midterm Report Distribution in Period 1 class
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Update on Masking in WCDSB Schools
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On Monday, November 14, 2022, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), Dr. Kieran Moore, shared information with Ontarians concerning the rise of cases of influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 across the province.
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Dr. Moore has strongly recommended that Ontarians use the protective strategies available to them, including wearing masks indoors.
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There is no provincial mask mandate.
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Even prior to the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, it has been the practice of Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools to follow the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer -- as well as that of our own Region of Waterloo Public Health officials -- when it comes to dealing with communicable diseases in schools.
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While masking is not mandated, our schools are now, and will remain, mask-friendly spaces, and we encourage students and staff to wear masks indoors during the rise in cases we are currently experiencing.
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The decision to wear a mask remains a personal choice. However, as Dr. Moore notes, it is a way to support partners in our health care system as they respond to an increase in pressures caused by the current increase in respiratory illnesses in our communities.
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As we move into the winter months, please keep in mind:
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- Parents, students, and staff are reminded to stay home if feeling unwell and only return when symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours if you are experiencing nausea, vomiting, or have diarrhea). Those recovering from illness or with symptoms should continue to mask for ten days from onset of symptoms. Please review the daily Ontario School Screening Tool for common symptoms and specific guidance when responding to your individual circumstances. https://www.ontario.ca/school-screening/
- Students and staff are encouraged to wear a mask when indoors – particularly when in close contact with others -- to reduce the opportunity to spread respiratory illness. The decision to mask remains a personal choice, and all individuals will be afforded the same respect in our classrooms and workspaces.
- Staff will continue to have access to personal protective equipment at school.
- Masks continue to be available to all students upon request.
- Students and staff are asked to continue practicing good hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing, sanitizing) and be sure to cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing (e.g., cough/sneeze into your elbow).
- Dr. Moore has also suggested that Ontarians consider getting their flu shot and COVID vaccine / booster.
Thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping our schools and communities safe and healthy.
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COVID Test Kits Available
Any students/families interested in picking up free COVID test kits, they are available inside the main office. Please help yourself.
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Chaplain's Chat
Christmas is just around the corner. There are families in Cambridge who will struggle financially this Christmas. We are joining together with the Cambridge Fire Fighter Basket Fund to provide toys for Cambridge children.
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From November 21 to December 2 we are encouraging St. Benedict students to donate new (unwrapped) toys in their first period classrooms. We will then forward the toys to the Basket Fund. Our November Civvies Day donations will also support the Basket Fund.
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If you would like to donate financially to this important cause, make your way to School Cash Online and then find the heading “November Civvies Day – Toy Drive for Cambridge Fire Fighter Basket Fund”. Cash donations will help fund food hampers.
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School Cash Online will be open from November 21 to December 2. Thank you for your support and generous donations.
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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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The Catholic School Advisory Council is in need of Bingo volunteers, if you have had some experience working with the Cambridge Gaming Association or have interest in serving on council in this capacity, please email Melanie.Baker@wcdsb.ca.
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News from Guidance
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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
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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Ontario Universities Virtual Fair
Ontario's universities are excited to host a collection of in-person and virtual events in the fall of 2022.
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Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF)
Regional Fairs Various locations and dates throughout September and October (TBD)
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Can’t make the OUF? Ontario’s universities are coming to you this fall!
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The Regional Fairs travel across the province, offering fair-style events that allow you to gather information about Ontario’s universities. Learn about programs, campus life and anything else that may help you decide which Ontario university to choose.
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Locations, dates and times TBD.
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Join us for any (or all!) of your virtual information sessions.
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Each event is divided into 6 time slots where students can learn about the universities of their choice and ask questions.
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Financing Post-Secondary: Scholarships, Bursaries, and OSAP
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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Academics
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Junior Girls D8 Champs!
Congratulations to our junior girls' basketball team on their home-court, D8 Championship win Tuesday night versus Resurrection! The final score was 43-26. Our highest scorers were Tori Riordon with 21 points and Stacy Tran with 12 points. Thank you to all those who came out to support the team all season!
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Best of luck to all players as they head to CWOSSA this Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th at Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph.
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Sports Results
St. Benedict CSS 67, Resurrection CSS 31
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St. Benedict CSS 43, Resurrection CSS 26
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St. Benedict CSS 38, Resurrection CSS 29
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St. Benedict CSS 10, Rockway MC 0
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St. Benedict CSS 53, Resurrection CSS 31
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Resurrection CSS 2
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Our Lady of Mount Carmel 1
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St. Benedict CSS 3, ES Pere-Rene-de-Galinee 2
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Resurrection CSS 0
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St. Benedict CSS 3, Woodland Christian HS 0
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ES Pere-Rene-de-Galinee 3, St. Benedict CSS 1
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Winter sports start soon!
Students, make sure you are listening for sign-up and tryout information!
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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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Spirit Wear design results
The results are finally in for the winners of the Spirit Wear design competition… congratulations to Victoria Pedro, Nabhan Ahmad, and Olivia Sousa for your amazing creations. The winning designs will be available in our next spiritwear store, and you can check them out on the SAC instagram! This store will be open until Friday Nov. 25th! Get your orders in!
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Remembrance Day Doors @ Bennie's
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From the librarian’s desk
As we move into the colder weather a few reminders are in order regarding school library policies.
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Students wishing to book a meeting room need their Idea Exchange library card to do so. The student booking the room must remain in the room as they are responsible for the room during the booking. They cannot book a room for a friend.
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Issues with your chrome book? A school library tech is available every Monday in the school library from 7:30 to 11:30 am.
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The library offers device chargers that can be signed out with an Idea Exchange library card. These chargers have a 2 hour loan period but must be used in the library space. They cannot be taken to a classroom in the school. We ask students please respect this policy.
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With the return of colder weather, more students are working in the library during lunch hour. A reminder that FOOD IS NOT ALLOWED in the library until after school. After 2pm students are welcome to bring in light snacks such as granola bars, muffins, or cookies. No meals or containers of food are allowed. We ask you to respect this policy as it helps us keep our library space clean not only for St. Bennies students but also for members of the public.
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Are you looking for background information on a topic for an ISU assignment? Gale In-Context Global Issues and Gale In-Context Opposing Viewpoints offer a wide selection of topics to explore. You can search these two databases together or separately. Access them and other resources from the school library’s Online Resources webpage by selecting Gale Online Resources.
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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 to register.
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Teen Lounge runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Visit the Lounge after school on these days for snacks, board games, and video games.
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Gingerbread House Contest
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When: November 28th to December 16th, 2022 Send us a photo of your Gingerbread House for a chance to win a prize! Happy Building!
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Rules: All components must be edible.
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To Register: Go to: https://ideaexchange.readsquared.com/
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Once you have registered, select your age category under "Missions" to submit your photo.
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Submissions will be judged in the following categories: Child (6 and under); Youth (7-12); Teen (13-17); Adult (18+).
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Entries will be evaluated based on Overall Appearance, Originality, and Use of Food Design.
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Thursday, November 17 SHSM Workshop: Infection Control 10:45am: Clubs Fair at lunch in the caf/atrium 10:45am: Writing Skills Society 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: E-car Racing Saints 2:15pm: Games Club 2:15pm: BoulderDash Club 2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council 2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Friday, November 18 PA Day
Monday, November 21 Bullying Awareness Week 10:45am: Coding Club 10:45am: EcoClub 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, November 22 9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Plant-Based Eating for Athletes 10:45am: Model UN 10:45am: Lights Out! Club 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 6:00pm: Catholic School Advisory Council Meeting
Wednesday, November 23 Midterm Report Distribution 9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Big Data 10:45am: Writing Skills Society 10:45am: Coding Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: E-car Racing Saints 2:15pm: Graphic Novels Club
Thursday, November 24 8:30am: SHSM Workshop: Working at Heights 10:45am: Writing Skills Society 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: E-car Racing Saints 2:15pm: Games Club 2:15pm: BoulderDash Club 2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council
Friday, November 25 10:45am: Star Trek Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
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Monday, November 28 10:45am: Coding Club 10:45am: EcoClub 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
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Tuesday, November 29 9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Communication & Incident Management 10:45am: Model UN 10:45am: Lights Out! Club 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, November 30 Civvies Day BENN Newsletter Release 9:30am: ICE Challenge Day (WCDSB) Research Institute for Aging 10:45am: Writing Skills Society 10:45am: Coding Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: E-car Racing Saints 2:15pm: Graphic Novels Club 3:30pm: SHSM Workshop: Storytelling
Thursday, December 1 9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Introduction to ASL 10:45am: Writing Skills Society 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: E-car Racing Saints 2:15pm: Games Club 2:15pm: BoulderDash Club 2:15pm: Student Equity and Engagement Council
Friday, December 2 10:45am: Star Trek Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Monday, December 5 Grad Photos Session 1/2 10:45am: Coding Club 10:45am: EcoClub 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
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Be sure to check out the calendar on the school website for updates!
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