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Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - Volume 15, Issue 15
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Message from Administraion
We hope you are enjoying the signs of spring! It is a season of new beginnings, including some changes in our main office. Mr. Stehlik will be embarking on new step in his leadership journey and a great opportunity for new challenges and growth. We are grateful for the passion, dedication, and student-focused leadership Mr. Stehlik has shared with our community. We wish him all the best as he embarks on his new assignment as VP at Monsignor Doyle CSS.
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At this time, we are pleased to welcome Ms. Carrie Kamta to the Administrative team. Ms. Kamta is currently the Program Head of History & Geography in our school. We look forward to the gifts she will continue to bring and share with our community as a Vice-Principal.
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Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews are taking place this Wednesday, April 5th between 2:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon and 5:30 and 7:30 in the evening.
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NEW this year – interview bookings will not be posted on the school website – Teachers will be emailing booking links by the end of the day on Wednesday, March 29th.
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If you are experiencing any difficulties booking an interview, please contact the office 519-621-4050 ext. 5601.
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Looking for a quick way to navigate all things WCDSB for parents?
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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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IMPORTANT!! Immunization Catch-up School Clinics
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As the School Immunization program was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Region of Waterloo is collaborating with schools to provide secondary school students easy access to catch up on their publicly funded vaccines at their schools. Please read the attached letter for more important information.
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Important Dates
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IEP Distribution – Monday, March 27 in homerooms
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Progress Report Distribution – Monday, March 27 and Tuesday, March 28 on encompass
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Immunization Catch-Up School Clinics @ St. Benedict – Wednesday, March 29 and Thursday, March 30
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PA Day – Friday, March 31
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P/S/T Interviews – Wednesday, April 5
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Easter Weekend – Friday, April 7 and Monday, April 10 - no school
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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. 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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Bennies will be conducting a spring food drive to support the important work of The Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. The food drive will take place from Monday, March 30 – Thursday April 6. The Food Bank is short of breakfast items and so the focus of our food drive will be breakfast cereal. Students are encouraged to bring in cereal items on more than one day. We know our current economic times are putting pressure on many people. We invite to as generous as you have been in the past. Together we can care for and support members of our Cambridge community.
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Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test information
Parents should have received an email as notification that your child will be writing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 in person. For students not writing the OSSLT, this will be an asynchronous learning day.
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The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) must be successfully completed for a student to receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). As this is the only opportunity for a student to write the test this spring, please reschedule any appointments that will conflict with this test schedule. Results will be released after the open-response questions have been scored. An Individual Student Report will be generated for each student after the scoring of the assessment.
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If you believe this information is inaccurate, or if you have questions, please contact Mrs. Andreia Borba, OSSLT Lead at 519-621-4050 (ext. 5231) or email at andreia.borba@wcdsb.ca. You may also contact your child’s administrator.
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All busses will run as scheduled in the morning. For return, students will be dismissed by 11:30am and return to their respective busses to arrive home. The schedule and bus details for the day is listed below.
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This schedule and bus details can also be found the school website under: Student Services > Student Success > Literacy Test Preparation
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Test Preparation for Students
We recognize that some students find testing stressful, and we will provide students with support leading up to the test. Classroom visits are occurring in grade 10 classes. Grade 10 teachers will also be including literacy activities in weeks leading up to the test. Furthermore, we are providing students with literacy support in small group sessions during school hours. Below is listed the information of additional supports available to students at lunch or outside school hours.
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Literacy Support: Wednesday 10:35-11:15 (lunch) in room 206 (beginning March 29)
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Google Classroom: z3cnkya
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Accommodations
All students are eligible to receive extra time if required. As per past practice, additional accommodations are available to students with special program needs who have an IEP (Individual Education Plan). Those accommodations are listed on your child’s Individual Education Plan. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the accommodations your child will receive, please contact Andreia Borba at the information listed above or your child’s IEP Monitor.
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We wish all our students the best of luck as they participate in the Ontario Secondary Literacy Test.
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Thank you for your continued support.
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Positive Parent-Teacher communication
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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
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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
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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
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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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Coming Math Contests
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On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the Gr. 11 and 12 students will be taking part in the University of Waterloo Euclid Math Contest. Cost per participant - $18. Please, register through SchoolCashOnline. This event is open to Gr.11 and 12 students!
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The deadline for the registration is Thursday, March 9. Don't miss it!
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On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Gr. 9, 10 and 11 students will be taking part in the University of Waterloo Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Math Contests. Cost per participant - $12. Please, register through SchoolCashOnline. This event is open to all students!
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The deadline for the registration is Thursday, March 9. Don't miss it!
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Sports Results
We are between seasons... watch for spring sport start-up soon!
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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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Did you know that the average Canadian uses 335L of water per day - that's 670 standard water bottles! This week is water week so remember to bring your reusable water bottles and participate in the Big Gulp challenge this Wednesday! Let's do our part, Bennies!
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Bennie's Brain Bee club
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Are you interested in learning about the brain? Join Bennies Brain Bee club and meet weekly to prepare for the University of Waterloo's Brain Bree Neuroscience competition! Our first meeting will be Thursday, March 9th at the start of lunch in room A2 in the Annex.
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Other News
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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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STUDENTS! Need a Social Insurance Number?
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Are you looking for a job but don’t have a Social Insurance Number? Visit the Learning Commons this Thursday, March 23 between 9am and 4pm to speak with a Client Service Specialist to help you apply for your Social Insurance Number.
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Calendar of Events
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Thursday, March 23
9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Plant-Based Eating for Disease Prevention (ALL)
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, March 24
10:45am: Star Trek Club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
2:15pm: Doctor Who Club
Monday, March 27
Progress Report Distribution Date
IEP Distribution
10:45am: Lights Out! Club
10:45am: Coding Club
10:45am: EcoClub
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, March 28
9:30am: SHSM Workshop: Personal Training
10:45am: Model UN
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
6:00pm: Catholic School Advisory Council Meeting
Wednesday, March 29
Civvies day
Immunization Catch-up School Clinics
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
3:30pm: SHSM Workshop: Working with Individuals with Disabilities
Thursday, March 30
Immunization Catch-up School Clinics
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
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Friday, March 31
PA Day
Sunday, April 2
Palm Sunday
Monday, April 3
CoPrez apps out
10:45am: Lights Out! Club
10:45am: Coding Club
10:45am: EcoClub
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Tuesday, April 4
10:45am: Model UN
10:45am: GSA Club
10:45am: MCU Movies club
2:00pm: Weight Room Club
Wednesday, April 5
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
2:30pm: Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
Thursday, April 6
Holy Thursday
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 7
Good Friday (no school)
Saturday, April 8
Holy Saturday
Sunday, April 9
Easter Sunday
Monday, April 10
Easter Monday (no school)
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Be sure to check out the calendar on the school website for updates!
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