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Wednesday, April 19, 2023 - Volume 15, Issue 17
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Message from Administration
Good afternoon SBCSS Community,
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On April 18 we were made aware of some graffiti found at the school, suggesting a threat to the school community on April 20. As always, we take all threats seriously and continue to investigate.
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We have been in contact with WRPS, they are investigating and as always are prepared to be responsive to any urgent needs.
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Writing threats of violence or statements of hate on bathroom walls is harmful and creates a negative impact to the community.
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The school is taking all necessary steps to ensure our processes for school safety are in place. Please discuss the seriousness of this situation with your child and report any relevant information to the school or call police at 519-570-9777.
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Thank you for your continued support. If your child needs additional support at this time, please reach out to school staff.
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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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Upcoming Civvies Day
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This month’s civvies day will be in support of United Way! Donate today or bring money in on the day to take part for this civvies day on Wednesday, April 26. Please follow dress code guidelines in our student handbook (found on school's website).
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What once was lost can be found...?
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The St. Benedict Lost and Found is overflowing! Starting next week, all items in the lost and found will be sorted and placed on display in the PHE Hallway for everyone to find their long-lost items. Please come down to search for your lost sweaters, shorts, uniform items, water bottles, shoes and more. Any unclaimed items at the end of the week will be donated to a local charity group.
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Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition
On Saturday April 1, 2023, 8 WCDSB secondary school students participated in the Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition at Fanshawe College in London.
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Students represented the Waterloo Catholic District School Board with tremendous efforts in the following contests: TV & Video Production, Culinary Arts, Carpentry-Individual, and Welding.
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WCDSB will see 3 students advance including Jordan Lacroix with a silver in the Culinary Arts And Nathan Rivas Perez with a bronze place finish in the same category.
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We wish both Jordan and Nathan all the best as they move on to the Provincial Competition in May.
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Grad and Prom Information
Dear grade 12 students and guardians,
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The purpose of this communication is to provide some clarity regarding prom. Like last year, a group of students and parent volunteers are organizing a Prom for St. Benedict students. This is consistent with the practice of many of our local schools for the past several years.
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To ensure that all students in grade 12 have access to the information and the opportunity to attend the event, we are working with the organizers to provide further details on the event that is being planned. Please click on this link to access information about Prom 2023.
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The school will provide further details about the graduation liturgy, breakfast, and convocation ceremony at a later date.
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Grad Fee deadline Friday
Attention graduating class of 2023! The deadline for paying convocation fees is Friday, April 21! Fees can be paid via School Cash Online and cover the cost of your cap, gown, grad breakfast and more! Be sure to get that in ASAP. Let's make Convocation 2023 the best celebration ever!
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District 8 Athletics seeking Sponsors
District 8 Athletic Association - after a ten year absence, will be hosting its annual coach appreciation event which will return in the Spring of 2023.
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The purpose of the event is to honour and thank current and past teacher-coaches and community volunteer coaches who dedicate their time working in high school athletics at the eight member schools of District 8.
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The coaches appreciation event, once run annually, ended more than ten years ago after its funding model became unsustainable. The updated version of the event will be delivered in partnership with District 8 and the Catholic Community Foundation of Waterloo Region.
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Together, the Catholic Community Foundation of Waterloo Region and District 8, with support from its member schools, will be seeking community sponsors who share the same appreciation for the opportunities that school sport can offer to students.
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If you are interested and able to donate – please contact St. Benedict athletic director – Tim Jankura (timothy.jankura@wcdsb.ca) -he can provide more details and answer any questions you may have.
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Edit this to insert text.
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Positive Parent-Teacher communication
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
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
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
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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Senior Saints soccer season starts superbly
The senior boys soccer team started off the season with an impressive win over Woodland Christian this Monday in a wintry spring battle on the field for their first game of the season.
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Rayan Emira, Ibi Khalil, Anthony Ostrun, Kyan Resendes, Eyosyas Million and Bilal Shakeel all scored goals and Jason Newton kept a clean sheet. Keep it up Boys!
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Sports Results
VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER Woodland CHS 2, St. Benedict CSS 1
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SENIOR BOYS SOCCER St. Benedict CSS 7, Woodland CHS 0
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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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Doctor Who Club this Thursday!
Due to this Friday's PD Day, our next meeting will be this THURSDAY, after school, in room 226.
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Neon Night Dance
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Hey Saints!
Our third and final dance of the year is Neon Night. It will take place on Thursday, May 4th from 6 to 9 pm and doors close at 7:30. Tickets will be available on school cash online on MONDAY!
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Are you pumped about prom?
Spring is coming and that means Prom is coming up! Did you hear tickets went on sale starting March 20th and they are on sale for the next 4 weeks?
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We can’t wait to make memories with you on June 8th at Bingemans. See you in Old Hollywood!
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From the librarian’s desk
A gentle reminder to all students that NO FOOD is allowed in the Library Learning Commons during school hours.
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Meeting Rooms: To book one of the meeting rooms, students need a valid Idea Exchange library card. Please remember to return to the membership desk at the end of your booking to pick up your library card!
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Resource Spotlight
Need a book for your ISU?
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The Idea Exchange website offers many different booklists through the new catalogue, BiblioCommons.
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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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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, April 20 Turn Around Date for Careers/Civics Term 2 Begins 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, April 21 PA Day
Monday, April 24 10:45am: Lights Out! Club 10:45am: Coding Club 10:45am: EcoClub 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, April 25 10:45am: Model UN 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, April 26 civvies day 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, April 27 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, April 28 10:45am: Star Trek Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
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Sunday, April 30 Catholic Education Week begins
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Monday, May 1 10:45am: Lights Out! Club 10:45am: Coding Club 10:45am: EcoClub 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, May 2 10:45am: Model UN 10:45am: GSA Club 10:45am: MCU Movies club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, May 3 BENN Newsletter Release 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, May 4 Midterm Report Distribution 8:30am: Beacon's of Hope Celebration 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 6:00pm: Neon Night Dance 6:00pm: Catholic School Advisory Council Meeting
Friday, May 5 10:45am: Star Trek Club 2:00pm: Weight Room Club 2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Monday, May 8 10:45am: Lights Out! Club 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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