masthead2014
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - Volume 17, Issue 2

WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

Message from Administration

Dear St. Benedict Families,

Greetings and blessings to you all as we embark on another exciting school year at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. I hope this message finds you well and that you have enjoyed a restful and rejuvenating summer with your families.

As we open our doors for the new academic year, I am filled with a sense of joy and anticipation for the journey ahead. Our dedicated faculty and staff have been working diligently to prepare for the return of our students, ensuring that we provide a nurturing and enriching environment where each child can thrive academically, spiritually, and socially.

At St. Benedict we are committed to fostering a community grounded in the teachings of Christ. Our mission is to educate the whole person, instilling values of faith, integrity, and service. We believe that every student is a unique gift from God, and it is our privilege to guide them in discovering their full potential.

We are also dedicated to maintaining open and transparent communication with you, our valued partners in Catholic Education. Your support and involvement are crucial to the success of our school community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have.

Let us join in prayer for a blessed and successful school year. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our endeavors, and may we continue to grow in faith, knowledge, and love. We look forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Sincerely,
Jordan Figueiredo
Principal, St. Benedict C.S.S.

Admin Team

Mr. J. Figueiredo
Principal
A

Mr. M. Anderton
Vice Principal
B-G, International

Mrs. L. Craftchick
Vice Principal
H-N

Mr. C. Kamta
Vice Principal
O-Z

Stay Connected with
St. Benedict's!

Twitter

@StBenedictCSS
Instagram
@bennies_sac_updates

NEW THIS YEAR

Lunch A: 10:40-11:20

Lunch B: 12:00-12:40

This is a reminder that your child's school will be using the SafeArrival absence reporting system starting today. Parents are encouraged to inform the school in advance if students will be absent.

Please use the toll-free number, the website, or the SchoolMessenger mobile app to report your child’s absence in advance.

The toll-free number is: 1-833-251-3283.
The website address is https://go.schoolmessenger.ca
The SchoolMessenger app is available for Android and Apple phones

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

https://www.wcdsb.ca/parents/

Bennies Buddies can't wait to see you!

The Bennies Buddies are excited to welcome students back to school! Please look for the bright yellow shirts over the next several days! Bennies Buddies can help find lockers, open lockers, find classes, and answer any questions your new or returning student might have!

News from Guidance

Who is your Guidance Counsellor?

Counsellor’s Name

Ext

Last names

Mrs. O’Toole
5190
A – Cl
Ms. Varriano Lane
5635
Co – Ha
Mrs. Novakovich
5636
He - Mc
Mr. Betik
5633
Me - R
Mrs. O’Neill
5634
S – Z
Mrs. Kot

International Students
Administrative Assistant: Mrs. McAulay-Arruda, ext. 5631
Welcome back to all our students, we look forward to seeing you again or meeting you for the first time! We hope you had a safe and restful summer and are ready for a new school year.

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Kot to our team. She will be joining us in Guidance and teaching some Geography as well. She has been at St. Benedict for over twenty years. Mrs. Kot will be working with out International students.

SAVE THE DATE - ACADEMIC AWARDS NIGHT – October 10th, 6:30pm

Invitations to award recipients will be sent out by email to parents and students. Students will be required to complete the google form to RSVP to the event. Please RSVP by Tuesday October 1st.

GUIDANCE D2L

For additional information throughout the year, please visit the Guidance D2L page. Instructions are in the article below.

POST-SECONDARY PLANNING

Ontario Universities Fair
Ontario's universities are excited to host a collection of in-person and virtual events in the fall of 2024.
Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF)
October 5-6, 2024, from 930 am to 5 pm (ET), daily
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
This event is fair style with booths from Ontario universities, and it allows you to gather information and chat with representatives one on one.

Regional Fairs
Various locations and dates, events run from September 16 to October 17, 2024
Can’t make the OUF? Ontario’s universities are coming to you this fall!
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.
Locations, dates and times are available on the OUF website

Virtual Events
September 25 5- 7 pm
November 21 5 – 7pm
Join us for any (or all!) of your virtual information sessions.

Ontario College Fair
The one-stop event for all your college information needs!

Please visit the OCF website for more information.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024
5 pm - 9 pm
Thursday, October 17, 2024
9 am - 2 pm
This free event is being held at Exhibition Place, Toronto.
The College Information Program (CIP) will make 30+ stops across Ontario.
2024 CIP Schedule

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Guidance is looking for student volunteers to assist with Academic Awards night, October 10th. We will have 2 shifts immediately after school and during the event 6pm – 8:30pm (approximately).
Sign up sheets are available in Guidance.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ms. Varriano Lane or anyone in Guidance.

Course Change Requests

Students must follow their existing schedule.
To make a request requires 2 steps – students fill out and complete the Google form for their counsellor and then have parent / guardian email to approve request. Only those who complete the 2-step process will receive follow-up.

Students and families please recognize change is not always possible to make to existing schedules. Some courses are full or conflict with another course making it impossible to take them this school year. Students requesting a course change must fill out their appropriate guidance counselor's form.

There have been changes to guidance counsellor assignments.

Please read alpha assignment carefully - Guidance google forms are linked on the school's Guidance page.

STEP 1
Complete an online request form for your guidance counsellor (assigned based on your last name). To access and complete the form, go to the Guidance page on the school's website, and click on the booking icon beside your counsellor's name.

STEP 2
Have your parent/guardian email your Guidance Counsellor that they approve of the request for course change (this is not a guarantee the course change can be made).

Guidance will then contact students via phone, email or call into their existing classes once the form has been filled out  and  we have heard from a parent/guardian.

Please be aware that guidance is prioritizing "Essential Changes" according to the criteria below:

ESSENTIAL CHANGES
  1. In grade 9, 10 or 11 and do not have 8 courses on their timetable.
  2. Failed a course last year or last semester and no longer have the prerequisite for a course on their timetable.
  3. In grade 12 or year 5 and do not have enough courses on their schedule to reach 30 credits/graduate by the end of this year.
  4. Level changes (for example moving from academic to applied).
  5. Missing a prerequisite course for entry into a post-secondary institution.
  6. Have a course in their schedule in which a credit was already earned.
Please understand that we cannot accommodate teacher requests or requests to be in classes with friends.

We want to thank you for following the course request change process and for your understanding and patience while we work together to support students and families in a successful school year.

Want to be better informed?

Welcome to Guidance D2L!

The Guidance Team would like to communicate regularly with students and parents about:
  • college and university visits - and bursary and scholarship opportunities
  • volunteer and exchange opportunities
  • available academic supports including homework club
  • convocation etc.
We have now moved to D2L and would like to make sure all students are able to access this important information.
When students sign in to D2L (through My Apps), they should land on the Bennies D2L page (see logo in yellow).
If, when students log in, they land on the WCDSB D2L page (see logo in yellow), scroll down the page until you see My Schools on the left and choose St. Benedict.
Next, are you taking an elearning course from another board? Please be sure to scroll down to My Courses In Other Orgs on the left - as this is where your elearning course(s) will be found.
Lastly, please be sure to turn your notifications on so you do not miss any announcements!

Academics

Athletics

Junior Boys Soccer

All grade 9 and 10 boys interested in trying out for the junior boys soccer team please come to an important meeting in portable 7 on Thursday, September 5th at he start of Lunch B. If you cannot make the meeting you must let either Mr. Dufresne or Mr. Radic in the PHE office know. All athletes need to pick up and submit a signed waiver in order to tryout. Tryouts will begin on Monday, September 9th at 2:15 on the back field. Don’t forget your cleats, shin guards and water bottles.

SENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL MEETING

Attention all boys interested in trying out for the senior boys volleyball team. There will be a MANDATORY meeting on Wednesday, September 4 in room 315 at the beginning of lunch A. You will need to attend this meeting to get all the information for tryouts that begin Thursday after school. Please see Mrs. Edwards or Ms. Kreuger if you are unable to attend.

Junior girls basketball

Tryouts are Monday at 2:10 PM and Tuesday at 6:30 AM.

See Ms. Roche for details.

Water Sport Opportunities for 2024-2025 School Year!

Opportunités de sports nautiques pour l’année scolaire 2024-2025!

Students at St Benedict have the opportunity to engage in many activities outdoors and on the water! These are open to students in all grades 9-12, and include:



Rowing Club/Team

  • Learn a new sport rowing on the Grand River!
  • No experience required!
  • You can try this out THIS FALL (late September) in “Try Rowing” days. Look out for more information coming soon!
  • And, if you have a competitive spirit, you can choose to compete in races across Ontario in the Spring, and even indoor rowing machine competitions in the Winter months!

Outers Club

  • Hike trails in Ontario, canoe on the Grand River, and sign up for overnight camping trips throughout the year!

Swim Team

  • Represent our school at D8 and at other swim meets in our region and across the province!
Les étudiants de St Benedict ont la possibilité de participer à de nombreuses activités en plein air et sur l'eau ! Ceux-ci sont ouvert aux élèves de toutes les années, de la 9e à la 12e année, et comprend :

Club/équipe d'aviron

  • Apprenez un nouveau sport d'aviron sur la rivière Grand!
  • Pas d'expérience requise!
  • Et si vous avez un esprit de compétition, vous pouvez choisir de participer à des courses partout en Ontario au printemps, et même à des compétitions de rameur en salle pendant les mois d'hiver !

Club des extérieurs

  • Parcourez les sentiers de randonnée en Ontario, faites du canoë sur la rivière Grand et inscrivez-vous à des séjours de camping d'une nuit tout au long de l'année !

Équipe de natation

  • Représentez notre école au D8 et à d'autres compétitions de natation dans notre région et à travers la province !

INFORMATION MEETING

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6th
Lunch A: room 308
Lunch B: room 310
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Both lunches: SkyBox (across from room 300)
Before you can engage in any of the above water-related activities, you must complete a swim test first. However, we know that not everyone has the same level of comfort in the water, so we’ve created an opportunity for you to improve your swimming confidence, too!

Skills you’ll need to demonstrate on the swim test:

Students must successfully complete the following swim test in its entirety, in sequence and without any aids or stops:
  • rolling entry (backwards or forward) into deep water at 2.75m (9’) minimum depth
  • tread water for 1 minute
  • swim 50m (164’) continuously any stroke
  • demonstrate the ability to put on a personal flotation device (P.F.D.) while in the water
Students confident in the above skills should MARK THEIR CALENDARS and plan to attend:
Swim Test for Confident Swimmers:
Students who are unsure about their ability to complete the swim test successfully are invited to read on about the “SWIM TO SURVIVE” program!

Improve Your Swimming Confidence and Learn to “Swim to Survive!”

Do you wish you felt more comfortable in the water?
Do you hope to try rowing or get involved with the outers club, but worry that you might not be able to pass the swim test that’s required?
Then this opportunity is for you!
AND THIS PROGRAM IS FREE!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
On Thursday, September 12th, 2024 and Monday, September 16th, 2024, we are offering a “Swim to Survive” program through the City of Cambridge at John Dolson Pool after school (from 2:30 - 3:30 on each date). Lifeguards from John Dolson will run the program and teach you to be more comfortable in the water, and help you develop the skills you would need in order to survive in the water if you fell in unexpectedly.

At the end of the program (at the end of the Monday session), you will attempt the swim test described above. If you pass, you can participate in water-related activities with St Benedict in the 2024-2025 school year! For example, you can join the Rowing Team! Or you can go on Outers Club trips!

Complete this form to let us know you plan to attend! https://forms.gle/UNjXa9bU5GNg4bt37

This opportunity and the Rowing Club and related rowing activities are partially supported by a Community Support for All Initiative grant. It’s important to acknowledge these sponsors at every opportunity – they truly make these programs possible!
Avant de pouvoir participer à l’une des activités nautiques ci-dessus, vous devez d’abord passer un test de natation. Cependant, nous savons que tout le monde n’a pas le même niveau de confort dans l’eau, c’est pourquoi nous avons créé pour vous une opportunité d’améliorer également votre confiance en vous en natation !

Compétences que vous devrez démontrer lors du test de natation :

Les élèves doivent réussir le test de natation suivant dans son intégralité, en séquence et sans aucune aide ni arrêt :
  • entrée roulante (en arrière ou en avant) dans les eaux profondes à une profondeur minimale de 2,75 m (9 pi)
  • faire du surplace pendant 1 minute
  • nager 50 m (164’) en continu, n’importe quelle nage
  • démontrer la capacité d’enfiler un vêtement de flottaison individuel (VFI) dans l’eau
Les étudiants confiants dans les compétences ci-dessus doivent MARQUER LEURS CALENDRIERS et prévoir d'assister à :
Test de natation pour les nageurs confiants :
  • Piscine John Dolson
  • mercredi 11 septembre 2024
  • 14h30 - 15h30
  • Remplissez ce formulaire pour nous faire savoir votre intention d'y assister ! https://forms.gle/UNjXa9bU5GNg4bt37
Les étudiants qui ne sont pas sûrs de leur capacité à réussir le test de natation sont invités à poursuivre leur lecture sur le programme « NAGER POUR SURVIVRE » !

Améliorez votre confiance en vous en matière de natation et apprenez à « nager pour survivre ! »

Est-ce que tu j'aimerais que tu te sentes plus à l'aise dans l'eau?
Vous espérez essayer l’aviron ou vous impliquer dans le club des extérieurs, mais vous craignez de ne pas réussir le test de natation requis ?
Alors cette opportunité est pour toi!
ET CE PROGRAMME EST GRATUIT!

MARQUEZ VOS CALENDRIERS :
Le jeudi 12 septembre 2024 et le lundi 16 septembre 2024, nous proposons un programme « Nager pour survivre » dans la ville de Cambridge à la piscine John Dolson après l'école (de 14h30 à 15h30 à chaque date). Les sauveteurs de John Dolson dirigeront le programme et vous enseigner être plus à l'aise dans l'eau, et vous aider à développer les compétences vous auriez besoin pour survivre dans l'eau si vous tombiez de manière inattendue.

À la fin du programme (à la fin de la séance du lundi), vous tenterez le test de natation décrit ci-dessus. En cas de réussite, vous pourrez participer à des activités nautiques avec Saint Benoît pour l'année scolaire 2024-2025 ! Vous pouvez par exemple rejoindre la Team Rowing ! Ou vous pouvez participer à des voyages Outers Club !

Remplissez ce formulaire pour nous faire savoir votre intention d'y assister ! https://forms.gle/UNjXa9bU5GNg4bt37

Cette opportunité est partiellement soutenue par une subvention de l’Initiative de soutien communautaire pour tous.

Clubs

DOCTOR WHO CLUB RETURNS!

Doctor Who Club returns this Friday, after school in room 226.

Join us for pizza, raffle prizes, and a weekly gathering of friends and fans to watch episodes of the longest running science fiction/fantasy series in history.
All new members are welcome, so join us for another year of travels through time and space with the world's most famous Time Lord.

More information is available on our school club page.

Other News

News from the Library

From the librarian’s desk

Hey Bennies! My name is Ryan, and I’m the school librarian. My job is to support students and teachers by making sure everyone has the resources and information skills they need to succeed.
If you need help navigating a database, citing a source, or just finding your next favourite book, come talk to me! You can reach me anytime at rorr@ideaexchange.org.
Visit me in my office in the library from 2-3pm on Thursdays for drop-in research help, or come in anytime the door is open!

Get a Library Card

Idea Exchange is now the Cambridge Public Library, and your school library is also a Cambridge Public Library branch! This means you can access any of CPL’s amazing resources from your school library using your library card. Visit the library service desk with your ID or Aspen profile to update your card or get a new one.
Please remember that our library space is open to both Bennies students and members of the public, and that the front parking lot is intended for library patrons.

Bennies Book Club

We have something fun going on in the library every day after school in the library classroom, including the inaugural meeting of our new Bennies Book Club on 16 September at 2pm. Drop by to chat about books, meet new friends, and pick our next group read!
Keep an eye on this space for future library events!

For your virtual library needs, visit the St Benedict Library Learning Commons site here or the Idea Exchange site here.

Calendar of Events

Thursday, September 5
12:00pm: Jr. Boys Soccer meeting
2:00pm: Sr. Boys Football tryouts
2:00pm: Sr. Boys Volleyball tryouts
2:30pm: FOOTLOOSE auditions

Friday, September 6
10:40am: Water sport info meeting
12:00pm: Water sport info meeting
2:00pm: Jr. Boys Volleyball meeting
2:00pm: Sr. Boys Football tryouts
2:00pm: Sr. Boys Volleyball tryouts
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
2:30pm: FOOTLOOSE auditions

Monday, September 9
School Photo Day
2:00pm: Jr. Girls Basketball tryouts
3:30pm: Jr. Boys Volleyball tryouts

Tuesday, September 10
6:30am: Jr. Girls Basketball tryouts
10:40am: Water sport info meeting
12:00pm: Water sport info meeting

Wednesday, September 11
3:00pm: Course change request deadline
Thursday, September 12
3:00pm: Grade 9 Dance

Friday, September 13
Student Info Verification forms due!
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club

Wednesday, September 18
BENN Newsletter release

Friday, September 20
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club

Tuesday, September 24
6:00pm: Catholic School Advisory Council

Be sure to check out the calendar on the school website for updates!

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