Newsletter - St Clair CDS Board

St. Matthew Catholic School
http://www.st-clair.net
Director: D. Parr Principal: C. Kehoe Board Chair: C. Bryden
Superintendent: A. Sutton Vice-Principal: B. Armstrong Trustee: M. Parks and L. Ward
School Secretaries: Paula Goodall and Julie MacDonald
ZONE 2
January 2014 – Happy New Year
Principal’s Message
Happy New Year! We have been blessed with the gift
of another year to grow and learn in Catholic
Education. Let’s make the most of all of the
opportunities given to us and take many moments to
pause and thank God for our blessings.
We ask God to be with us always and so I offer you
this prayer:
“Loving God, as we continue to celebrate this New
Year, grant us:
• the hope to envision new dreams;
• the strength to rise above our limitations, our
fears and whatever holds us down;
• the courage to stand on our own, to stretch
our imagination and to experience being
fully human, fully alive;
• the faith to live our lives in your image and
likeness.
Guide us, O Lord, this new year, every way, every
day. Amen.”
Mr. C. Kehoe
Terrcycle – Tassimo Coffee Machines
Parents who have Tassimo coffee machines at
home or at work! St. Matthew School is
participating in a Tassimo coffee puck recycling
program. (Terracycle)
Any coffee pucks that are sent to Terracycle
Recycling are awarded points which translate into
dollars. This money will be directed toward the
school. We are looking for coffee pucks to be sent
into the school with attention to Mrs. Armstrong.
These pucks will be sent to Terracycle for credit.
At this point Tassimo is the only coffee puck that is
accepted. Thank you in advance for your help!
Important Dates
January 9 Epiphany Mass 9:00 am – St. Matthew
gym
January 15 School Council 6:30 – Library
January 16 St. Patrick’s Parent Open House –
6:00 pm – 8:15pm
January 20 Faith formation – Terry Nelson
Johnson – Ursuline College Theatre –
Chatham
January 31 PD Day
Family Faith Formation
Raising children in the faith is a BIG task!! You don't have
to feel alone...Come join other families with children of all
ages that support each other in living and learning about
our Catholic faith. We offer catechism classes to all ages of
children as well as adults on Sat. mornings from 10:30 am
‐ 12:30 pm at St. Patrick's high school starting on Oct. 19
and then on the following dates: Nov. 9 and 23, Dec.7,
Jan 4 and 18, Feb. 1 and 15, March 1,15, 29, April 12 and
26.
Parents are the primary educators of their children in the
ways of faith. We are thankful for the help that educators
provide, but this delicate task of teaching the faith must
occur in the heart of the home first! We follow an
approved program and our Chaplain is Fr. Vince Gulikers.
For questions or to register please call or email Tara and
Terry Costain at taracostain1@gmail.com or 519‐542‐
3253.
Our Catholic School Community
St. Matthew Catholic School
720 Elm Ave. Sarnia, N7T 4H3
519-332-4300
St. Patrick’s High School
281 East Street North, Sarnia, N7T 6X8
519-332-3976

Helping Your Child to Succeed at School
Each month in this space, look for tips on ways in which parents can help keep their children safe when
using online tools and social media.
For January, I will highlight some specific examples of cyber bullying.
Dan Parr
Director of Education
Source: Ontario Provincial Police
Cyber Bullying
Although there are different definitions regarding the topic of cyber bullying, it can generally be defined as
sending or posting harmful or cruel text messages or images using the internet or other digital
communication devices.
Some Specific Examples of Cyber Bullying Would Include:
Sending cruel, vicious and sometimes threatening messages;
Creating websites that have stories, cartoons, pictures and jokes ridiculing others;
Posting pictures of classmates online with intent to embarrass them;
Breaking into an email account and sending vicious or embarrassing material to others;
Engaging someone in IM (instant messaging), tricking that person into revealing sensitive personal
information and then forwarding that information to others;
Taking a picture of a person using a digital phone camera and sending that picture to others
without consent.
Trustee Corner
Happy New Year from the Board of Trustees for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board!
As you may know, St. Clair Catholic, along with the Diocese of London and the Huron Perth, London and Brant
Haldimand Norfolk Catholic district school boards, have worked to organize an evening with Terry Nelson‐
Johnson. The event for St. Clair Catholic is at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 20 th at the Ursuline College
theatre in Chatham.
Dr. Terry Nelson‐Johnson is the Animating and Creative Partner of Soul Play, an experiential, theological and
education enterprise serving congregations families and adults. His art is the written and spoken word.
Through storytelling, poetry and humour, he connects our life stories to the story of the birth, life, death and
resurrection of Jesus.
Ten seats have been reserved for each elementary school; and 25 seats for each secondary school; however,
more seats can be made available. Please contact your principal if you would like to attend.
The event is free and is made available through a Ministry of Education “Parents Reaching Out” grant.
I hope you are able to attend.
Yours in Catholic education,
Carol Bryden, Chair of the Board; John Van Heck; Vice Chair of the Board
Trustees – John Fontaine, Anita Labadie, Michelle Parks, Brenda Rumble and Linda Ward.
Important Notice: St. Matthew Catholic School does not have a teacher on yard duty until 8:35 am. Please do not
drop your children off until 8:35 am or later because they will not be supervised.

The Community of St. Patrick’s Catholic High School
Invites Parents and Grade 8 Students from all
Sarnia-Lambton Catholic Elementary Schools to our Annual
OPEN HOUSE
at
St. Patrick’s Catholic High School
281 East Street North, Sarnia
Learn more about our exciting move to our newly renovated school
opening in September 2014
Thursday, January 16 th
Student Open House
10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Parent Open House
6:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Guest Speaker
Activities
Lunch to be Provided
6:00 p.m. – Self-Guided Tours
7:00 p.m. – Information Session in
Main Gymnasium
Students in our Catholic elementary partner schools will receive additional information in
their home schools. Other interested parents and students should contact:
Lori Gray
Student Services Secretary,
St. Patrick’s Catholic High School
519-332-3976, Ext. 4010
lori.gray@sccdsb.net

for all children 18 months to 4 years...
kinderSTARt
Let your light shine. (Matthew 5:16)
Registration for Junior Kindergarten
is a NEW and IMPROVED experience this year!
Monday, February 10th
any time between 12:00‐7:00 pm
Parents are asked to bring their child that will be starting JK in the fall of
2014, and any siblings between 18 months and 3 years to participate in
this registration event.
Enjoy a variety of activities in the gym:
● ·meet some of the partners in your child’s education: staff , Parent
Council, Parish
● learn about the Full Day Kindergarten program and our school
● learn about your child’s development through the Ages and Stages
information tool in partnership with the local Health Unit
All participating families will receive a free children’s book, resources and
enter a draw for a door prize. Snacks will be provided.
Please bring the following documentation to this event: child’s birth
certificate, proof of Catholicity, Immunization Record and Health
Card (optional)