masthead2014
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 - Volume 14, Issue 16

Message from Admin

As we enter the month of April, we are gradually returning to pre-COVID practices in the school building. A reminder for students to complete the daily screener and remain at home if they are feeling unwell. Masks and testing kits continue to be available at the main office.

We invite you to reach out to teachers, guidance counsellors or an administrator to support or answer any of your questions.

The Catholic School Advisory Council is in need a Bingo coordinator for the up-coming year, if you have had some experience working with the Cambridge Gaming Association or have interested in serving on council in this capacity, please let me know.

Finally, as part of the province's efforts to support learning recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new funding is being allocated for the 2021-22 school year for tutoring support programs. Stay tuned for further information via school messenger about tutoring opportunities we will be offering after school for the months of April, May, and June.

A reminder that Friday, April 8, 2022, is a PD Day. We wish all the blessings of the Easter season upon you and your families.

Admin Team

Mrs. M. Ingoldsby
Principal
A-Bl

Ms. E. Riley
Vice Principal
Bo-G & International

Mr. R. Stehlik
Vice Principal
H-N

Mr. R. Roque
Vice Principal
O-Z

Grad 2022 update

The St. Benedict CSS Grad Committee and staff are excited to be preparing for an in-person graduation ceremony for the Graduating Class of 2022. As always, we must add in the disclaimer that all plans are tentative and are based on Public Health restrictions and requirements.

Having said that, we ask you to save the date for the evening of Monday, June 27th. We are planning for an in-person ceremony at "Forward Church" in Cambridge. Much more information will be announced in the coming weeks. We will keep the most up to date information posted on our website and our Grad Webpage - https://stbenedict.wcdsb.ca/grad2022/. Please check this page every so often to see these updates.

As communicated earlier to our community, we will not be hosting a school run prom. We are instead putting our focus on our graduation celebration. There is also more information on this (as sent out through an earlier School Messenger) on the Grad web page.

We all look forward to celebrating with our 2022 St. Benedict Graduates and their families!!

Significant Days & Dates

Click here to view the most up to date calendar information.

Professional Activity Days:
Friday, April 8, 2022
Friday, June 3, 2022

Stay Connected with St. Benedict's!

Twitter

@StBenedictCSS

Instagram

@bennies_sac_updates

Bus Delay Notifications

While many families subscribe to Email Notifications for bus delays, the text notifications can actually be more reliable in terms of sharing timely information. Up to 5 numbers can be notified for each student using text notification. Please see below info and links to this "new" option. Given some current busing circumstances and the cold weather that is upon us, this potentially becomes a very helpful tool.
The subscription service allows you to receive an e-mail or text for all bus delays over 10 minutes and all cancellations that effect your bus route or school. An e-mail will be sent to your address, or a text to your phone number, as the delay or cancellation is posted to our STSWR website. The wait time on the e-mail depends on your e-mail server’s speed (how fast it gets to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc). Wait time on SMS text is determined by the volume of texts being sent. For the best results, text messaging provides the fastest response time. Please login to the STSWR website to adjust your notifications. Add your phone number under My Information, SMS.

Sign up for the subscription service or get detailed instructions on how to subscribe to all the features.
stswr

Updated WCDSB Inclement Weather Day Procedures

With the provincially mandated end of school COVID-19 restrictions, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is returning to pre-COVID bus cancellation and school closure procedures.

Winter weather can be very unpredictable. So, it’s best to be prepared. Here are some key things to remember – because not every day with snow is a “snow day”: During bad weather, schools and school board administrative sites may still be open, even if school buses are cancelled.

Between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on mornings when inclement weather has been forecast for Waterloo Region, Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) — the arm’s length body that coordinates and operates student transportation for the school boards — assesses the current weather conditions, in consultation with local bus companies, if necessary.

If a recommendation to cancel transportation (including potential closure of schools) is to be made, the local school boards are contacted, and a joint decision is made between STSWR and the boards.

All reasonable efforts are made to announce any cancellation of buses or school closures by 6:00 a.m.
Please note that public announcements will only be made if buses are cancelled and / or schools are closed.

It is recommended that parents, guardians, staff and students tune in a local Waterloo Region radio station and also monitor the following online information sources for information about potential closures or cancellations:

STSWR Website: www.stswr.ca/
STSWR Twitter Feed: @STSWR
WCDSB Website: www.wcdsb.ca/
WCDSB Twitter Feed: @WCDSBNewswire

Daily Screening

A reminder that students must complete the daily screening: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ before leaving home each day. This daily screening tool gives information on how to handle various personal/family symptoms scenarios. Should the guidance be to stay home from school, we ask that you contact the attendance office to report your student’s absence by calling the direct line 519-621-4001, or emailing SBEN.Attendance@wcdsb.ca

Attention Students:

DON'T GET LOCKED OUT!

lockedcomputer
It always happens at the worst moment: you just need to complete that essay, so you open your Chromebook or laptop, and try to connect to your school account, and.... nothing. You're locked out. And it's Friday evening, you're at home, so there is no way you can get someone to reset your password for you.

Fortunately, you have the power in your hands. If you click on the graphic below, you will be taken to a PDF document which will allow you to set up your Self-Service Authentication. What this does is allow you to access a password reset function by linking your school account to your mobile phone or other email address, or by setting up security questions. Students are encouraged to complete this process so they can recover their accounts on their own should they find themselves locked out of their account.
StudentAccountReset

Chromebook Reminder for Students

Don't Just Close the Lid on your Chromebook

laptop
Make sure you actually log out at the end of the day. Logging out and then logging back in will clear the memory/cache of the device and will run software updates. The reason that Chromebooks are so quick for their entire life cycle is because they automatically clear their working memory every time you log out and log back in. Chromebooks have a limited space on them, and if they aren't cleared regularly, they do slow down and won't allow Read and Write to install as an example (not enough working memory available). Keep your Chromebook fast and DON'T JUST CLOSE THE LID!!

News from Guidance

Who is your Guidance Counsellor?

Counsellor’s Name

Ext

Last names

Mrs. O’Toole
5190
A – Dl
Ms. Arkell
5636
Do – Ki
Mr. Betik
5633
Kl – Pl
Mrs. O’Neill
5634
Po – Z
Ms. Varriano Lane
5635
International Students/ICP

Guidance Google Classrooms

Once again, the Guidance department will have google classrooms available to share information with our students. Please consider joining the classrooms:

Grade 9 and 10
https://classroom.google.com/c/Mzg1OTc4MjA0MDk1?cjc=7c3t6un

Grade 11 and 12
https://classroom.google.com/c/Mzg1OTc4MjA0MjMz?cjc=mxmohzx

Scan the code below to book an appointment with your Guidance Counsellor

GuidanceQRcode
Then click the plus sign beside your Guidance Counsellor to book an appointment.
SkilledInSTEM.Flyer-Digital

Academics

Need some extra help with LITERACY or NUMERACY?

We've got you covered!

Homework Club

is back and running

Mondays beginning at 2pm

Wednesdays at LUNCH

Room 210

See you there!

Athletics

SPRING SPORTS STARTING UP!

Watch this space in the next issue for updates from spring sports!

Sports Results

Clubs

Light’s out: Youth!

This club objective is to generate open and honest conversation, and educate about racism within the St. Benedict Community in order to create systemic change. This is a student run club launched to create a safe space for BIPOC Students to share their experiences and create awareness about racism and its effect it has on St. Benedict.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 2p7izpc
Our club meets on Tuesdays and Fridays at lunch in room 110, aka the Auto Shop!

Student Activities

Edit this to insert text.

Hey Saints!

Have a great idea?

Want it to be run by SAC?

Fill out the suggestion QR forms posted around the school and
on the Bennies SAC instagram & maybe it will flourish into an event!

Other News

News from the Library

IdeaExchange-CM-logo
Here is a reminder of our student expectations for the library for the rest of the spring semester:
  • Group study is permitted up to a maximum of FIVE (5) students per table or study room as social distancing requirements have been lifted. Please do not move chairs or tables around.
  • NO FOOD is permitted in the library during school hours. After school, simple snacks that are not messy, smelly or noisy are permitted.
  • If you can’t find a seat in the library during lunch, then we have reached our capacity. Please find another place to spend lunch hour.
  • Please be respectful of library staff.

Full operating hours

Idea Exchange are back to regular hours. A reminder that the inside library doors lock at 1:55pm. To access the library after school, please use the public entrance. Students who require study space after school please visit Idea Exchange Current Services for our regular hours of operation.

A reminder that exclusive teacher and student access remains from Monday to Friday, 8:00-10:00am.
2022 Spring Donation Bin Poster
2022 Most Needed Items Shelves
Screenshot 2022-04-06 121645

Calendar of Events

Thursday, April 7
Co-President Applications Available
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: GSA Club
10:30am: Chess Club
2:00pm: Doctor Who Club
2:00pm: ACE Robotics Team
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: Racing Saints E-car club
2:00pm: Games Club

Friday, April 8
PA Day

Sunday, April 10
Palm Sunday

Monday, April 11
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Literature Club
10:30am: Coding Club
2:00pm: Homework club
2:00pm: Debate Club

Tuesday, April 12
10:30am: Lights Out! Club
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Chess Club
10:30am: Finance Club
6:00pm: Build A Dream Event: Skilled in STEM

Wednesday, April 13
10:30am: Seams Sew Easy club
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Literature Club
10:30am: Coding Club
2:00pm: Yearbook Club Meeting
2:00pm: Racing Saints E-car club
2:00pm: Homework club
3:30pm: Virtual Workshop: Anti-Oppression and Allyship

Thursday, April 14
Holy Thursday
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: GSA Club
10:30am: Chess Club
2:00pm: Doctor Who Club
2:00pm: ACE Robotics Team
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: Racing Saints E-car club
2:00pm: Games Club
Friday, April 15
Good Friday

Saturday, April 16
Holy Saturday

Sunday, April 17
Easter Sunday

Monday, April 18
Easter Monday

Tuesday, April 19
10:30am: Lights Out! Club
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Chess Club
10:30am: Finance Club

Wednesday, April 20
Term 2 Begins - Turn Around Date for Careers/Civics
BENN Newsletter release
10:30am: Seams Sew Easy club
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Literature Club
10:30am: Coding Club
2:00pm: Yearbook Club Meeting
2:00pm: Racing Saints E-car club
2:00pm: Homework club

Thursday, April 21
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: GSA Club
10:30am: Chess Club
2:00pm: ACE Robotics Team
2:00pm: Math Club
2:00pm: Racing Saints E-car club
2:00pm: Games Club

Friday, April 22
10:30am: Lights Out! Club
10:30am: MCU Club
10:30am: Star Trek Club
2:00pm: Doctor Who Club

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

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