masthead2014
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - Volume 14, Issue 11

Message from Administration

It was great to welcome all students and staff back to the building for in person learning this week. Parents who wish to move your student to remote learning for the remainder of Quad 2, should have already contacted your student’s Guidance Counsellor to discuss next steps. Please reach out to the school if you have any further questions.

Please know that we will support in any way we can and contact information for administrators and guidance counsellors can be found on the school website.

Our connection with our families is so important to us and we thank you for your partnership. We continue to be incredibly impressed by the resilience and grit of our staff and students and their ability to persevere through the ever-changing climate.

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

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

Masks

A reminder to all students to continue to arrive in full uniform and wearing masks that cover the mouth and nose. Students were provided with new masks on Tuesday will receive another later in the week. We encourage students to wear the new masks provided and to wash these masks frequently.

Rapid Antigen Testing

We will begin to distribute government provided rapid tests for students as they become available. They are to be used when an individual feels symptomatic. No student should attend school after a positive result. Instructions on the use of test can be found on School Cash online.
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Bell Let's Talk day

Bell Let's Talk Day is held this year on Wednesday January 26, 2022. As a school community this year starting on Wednesday January 19 and leading up to Bell Let's Talk Day, we will be encouraging students to participate in a number of planned activities.

Our goal is to educate, engage and empower our students to break the mental health stigma; and this starts with a conversation. Each discussion ends with a daily challenge for the students to take on, kindly encourage for their participation in these (you are more than welcome do so as well).

People struggle with mental illness every day; and with COVID-19, our mental health suffers even more. That's why now More Than Ever, Every Kind Action Counts...

SAC will be engaging students in meaningful content/discussion through their own social media platforms throughout the week.

#BenniesBKind
#BellLetsTalk

In hopes of promoting self-care, we encourage students to participate in the Self Care Bingo Challenge. They are to date and time each activity as they are completed. See card below.

Completed Self-Care Bingo Cards (ensuring their full name, grade and homeroom teacher are indicated on the card) can be dropped off to our Youth Care Workers: Melanie Malcolm-Pando, Shannon Doyle, and Shelby Wild.

These will be collected until the end of the January 25 school day. We will draw the winners and give prizes on Wednesday January 26.

BenniesBKind Challenge

Another opportunity to win prizes is through performing random acts of kindness.​ Staff will fill out a ballot when they catch a student simply doing something kind, praise and affirm them and reward them with a ballot.

In supporting Bell Let's Talk Day, we are also asking staff and students to wear blue shirt on January 26th. Students will still need to wear their uniform pants.

Thank you in advance for being a part of Bell Let's Talk!
BellLetsTalk Bingo

Positive Parent-Teacher communication

As always parents/ guardians are valuable partners in their 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, we ask that all public and interpersonal communications must recognize the dignity of the individual and be conducted fairly, honestly, and with respect.

When a parent, guardian or other board stakeholder has a concern or suggestion, it is expected that the concern/suggestion will first be taken up with the staff member with whom the parent / guardian / stakeholder has the concern/suggestion. Therefore, the process outlined below should be followed.
communication
calendar

Semester 2 has been confirmed

To view important dates, pleaser refer to the calendar on our school's website.

Click here

Do you want to advocate for change in the student community?

The role of Student Trustee may be for you!

Each year two Student Trustees are elected to represent the student body at the board level. Students from all five high schools can apply!
Watch this video to learn more about what the role of Student Trustee entails and how to apply. Reach out to @_sarahsimoes or @sarah.wilsxn on Instagram with any questions or for more information.
Good luck with applying and we hope to meet all our amazing WCDSB leaders soon!!
Maroon and Gold Geometric Lines Glamorous Party Invitation

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's 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.
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Online Pre-registration for Kindergarten is Open: It’s Time to Sign Up for School!!

It’s time to sign up for the 2022-23 school year – and registering to attend one of Waterloo Region’s 43 Catholic elementary schools has never been easier.
  • Children born in 2018 are eligible for Year 1 Kindergarten (JK).
  • Children born in 2017 are eligible for Year 2 Kindergarten (SK).
Parents can access the Online Pre-Registration form by clicking on the Register for School link on the WCDSB Homepage and then choosing Kindergarten Registration.

To finalize your child’s registration, please contact your local Catholic school directly, for individual registration dates and times.
gradcap

HEY GRADS!

Get ready to SAY CHEESE!

Grad photo appointments for February will be available soon! Put yourself on the waiting list to be notified when bookings reopen.

Click here to get started.
SCHOOL CODE: TBO

COVID-19 Screening

Just a reminder to complete the screening tool before you arrive at school. Any individual who fails the screener or who is symptomatic in any way should not be reporting to school. That is part of our collective responsibility to one another. https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/

Significant Days & Dates

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

Start of semester 2:
Thursday, February 3, 2022

March Break:
March 14, 2022 to March 18, 2022

Professional Activity Days:
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Friday, April 8, 2022
Friday, June 3, 2022

Stay Connected with St. Benedict's!

Twitter

@StBenedictCSS

Instagram

@bennies_sac_updates

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.

Academics

Interested in learning more about the Specialist High Skills Major program?

Please go to highskills.ca or drop by the coop office on the second floor to speak with Mrs. Crowell

SHSM Logo
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Course Selection is coming in February!

As you start thinking about what courses to take next year, here is a bit of a highlight of some of the course St. Benedict has to offer. To see the complete course offering, check out myBlueprint, and the Academic Program Area pages on our school website.

Which computer course is which?

As the time approaches for students to start picking courses for next year, grade 10 and 11 students can often be overwhelmed by the number of choices available to them. Today we want to look specifically at courses relating to computer technology.

Computers are a part of our everyday life, and students are so familiar and comfortable using them, that they often take for granted all of the skills involved in developing the hardware and software that make them work. Thankfully St Benedict offers two sets of courses that allows students to explore computer technology and focus on the types of skills and knowledge that they would like to develop. Computer science and computer engineering are two related but very unique streams of study that students can choose from, and by combining both, can work towards their Specialist High Skills Major certification.

In computer science courses, students will learn to program, design software using industry-standard programming tools and applying the software development life-cycle model. They will also write and use subprograms within computer programs. Students will develop creative solutions for various types of problems as their understanding of the computing environment grows.
The grade 10 course focuses on essential computer basics, with some coding in Scratch and Python. In the grade 11 course, the focus is on developing strong program development fundamentals using Python. The grade 12 course focuses on object oriented programming in Java.
More details about all these courses can be found on the Computer Studies page on the school website.
CompStudies2022
Click on the image to go to the course catalogue section for Computer Studies on the school website.
By contrast, in computer engineering courses, students will have the opportunity to examine the inner workings of computer technology through the creation of circuits and logic sequences, as well as program physically devices such as Arduino microcontrollers and robots. Skills in problem solving and design are applied in hands on projects geared towards university preparation are at the core of these M level courses.
Computer engineering pathway
Click on the image to go to the course catalogue section for Computer Engineering on the school website.
Students also have the opportunity in grades 11 and 12 to take emphasis courses specifically in robotics. When the traditional computer engineering and robotics courses are combined, they lead to our University of Waterloo recognized Engineering Certificate.
There is no shortage of great things to learn when it comes to computers and computer technology and St Benedict is here to support students in exploring their interests. Hopefully this brief overview of these two streams can help making course choices for next year a little clearer. If you would like to talk about computer science please contact Mr. Milardovic or if you would like to talk about computer engineering and robotics please contact Mr. Strassburger; and as always, reach out to your guidance counsellor to discuss all of your course options.
GirlsAutoAdvert2022_23

Interested in Engineering?

Then the Engineering Certificate Program is for you!

The ECP is designed to provide students with the hands on, practical skills needed to be successful in several fields of engineering. By emphasizing academic achievement in science and mathematics, along with courses in technology to practice and apply the theory, and participation in robotics and/or e-car competitions, students will leave high school fully prepared for their post-secondary challenges.

See the Engineering Certificate page on the school website, or contact Mr. Castela for more information.

Considering a career in health care?

Consider grade 11 health care – TPJ3M and grade 12 health care TPJ4M.

These courses offer good background information for anyone interested in entering the health care profession. They provide an overview of the anatomy and function of various body systems, an introduction to the health care system including conventional and complementary methods of disease prevention and treatment, some basic health care skills (such as taking vital signs) and an overview of healthy lifestyle choices.

Grade 11 Course Codes: TPJ 3M

Prerequisites: none
SHSM: This course can be taken as part of the Health and Wellness SHSM.
Who can apply? Any student who is in grade 11 or 12, college or university stream is eligible to take the grade 11 course.
healthcare
For more information, please contact Mrs. Taylor in the Tech. office or make an appointment with your guidance counsellor.

Something NEW Baking up in Hospitality

This coming school year, 2022-2023 will be the inaugural year for our technology emphasis programs: TFB 3EI and TFB 4EI, grade 11 and 12 emphasis baking.

Each program is designed to focus on industry standard techniques and professional practices while giving the student a step up before entering the baking industry or applying their knowledge to a post-secondary institution.

Students may enter directly into the grade 11 program or they can continue from the grade 10 Hospitality and Tourism program. Those that attend the grade 11 program will focus on the principles of baking and presentation through the production of various basic breads, pastries and other confections. While the grade 12 program will focus on developing an understanding of Artisan Breads, Cake Decorating, Pastry and Confectionary work.

All of our students, both in the Hospitality and Tourism Cooking focused program and baking focused program are an integral part of our community partnership with the Cambridge Food Bank. Catering sales from each program allow us to donate both food and funds to support and strengthen our local community.

If your child has a special knack for baking or likes to surprise you with a fresh batch of baked cookies or a loaf of bread for a fancy weekend dinner, then the baking emphasis course is for them: TFB 3EI - Grade 11 emphasis baking and TFB 4EI - Grade 12 emphasis baking.

Athletics

Clubs

Doctor Who back in Semester 2

DOCTOR WHO CLUB will resume on February 4th, the first Friday of second semester. We will hold our delayed Christmas giveaway bash as a welcome back. Join us Friday February 4th, after school in room 226 for goodies & adventures in time and space.

ATTENTION PROGRAMMERS

Canadian Computing Competition coming!

The University of Waterloo's Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) is a fun challenge for students with an interest in programming. Designed to be both accessible to students with some programming experience and to challenge the keenest programmers at the secondary-school level, the CCC helps students build confidence and grow their ability to design, understand and implement algorithms.

This contest is recommended to anyone pursuing computer studies at the post-secondary level.

More information about the CCC--including past contests--can be found on their page on the University of Waterloo website.

This year, the competition is held on Wednesday, February 16. Students who have taken computer programming or computer engineering, or members of the Coding Club who have been doing the Project Euler challenge questions are invited to contact Mr. Milardovic. Students have until Monday, February 7 to let Mr. Milardovic know if they are interested in participating.

Games Club

Games Club will continue every Thursday in room 227 after school starting this week. New members are welcome to join us.

Student Activities

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
From the Librarian’s Desk:

The St. Bennies Library Learning Commons welcomes students back to in-person learning.
Students on spare are reminded that the library is open for reference help, hold pickup, reader’s advisory and independent study only.

Proper masking (mask must cover your nose, mouth and chin) and a maximum of two students per table will be enforced. No food or spillable drinks allowed.

As the end of the quadmester approaches and students finish final assignments, they are reminded that their school library not only carries print materials but a wide range of online resources as well.
Students can access these resources from the school Library Learning Commons website both in the school and remotely at home. The library’s online databases and ebooks can be accessed from the Online Resources page. Remote access does require a log-in. If you do not know the log-in please contact your teacher or reach out to your school librarian, Ms. Pilon at ppilon@ideaexchange.org.

Calendar of Events

Monday, January 10
Student Trustee Applications Available (until January 21)

Wednesday, January 19
BENN Newsletter release
3:30pm: Virtual Workshop: Art Therapy

Thursday, January 20
2:30pm:
Games Club

Tuesday, January 25
6:00pm: Catholic School Advisory Council Meeting

Wednesday, January 26
3:30pm: Virtual Workshop: Anti-Oppression and Allyship

Thursday, January 27
Quiet Days begin

Friday, January 28
Bell Let's Talk Day

Monday, January 31
8:00am: Evaluation Day - Quad 2 Period 3

Tuesday, February 1
8:00am: Evaluation Day - Quad 2 Period 4
Wednesday, February 2
SHSM Workshop: Plant-Based Eating for Athletes
Groundhog Day
BENN Newsletter release
PA Day

Thursday, February 3
Semester 2 Begins
2:30pm: Games Club

Friday, February 4
1:45pm: Doctor Who Club

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

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