Yearly Archives: 2022

Good Evening Tiger Families,

A major winter storm is expected to reach Waterloo Region overnight tonight and is expected to cause dangerous driving conditions on Friday and over the weekend.

Based on this forecast – and with the safety of all in mind – the WCDSB in collaboration with the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region, has made the proactive decision to cancel ALL student transportation and close all schools tomorrow, Friday, December 23, 2022.

• All before and after-school programs and childcare centres co-located in schools will also be closed.
• all programs and services offered by St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres are canceled and St. Louis sites will be closed.

We pray that everyone is able to remain safe during the storm. The staff at Saint Timothy would like to wish everyone a happy and blessed Christmas and all the best in 2023!

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, January 9, 2023.

Good morning Tigers.

What better way to enjoy the Polar Express than with hot chocolate, cookies (chocolate chip/and oatmeal), and popcorn.  Please see the photos attached of the products our wonderful school council will be offering tomorrow afternoon.   We will also offer alternative cookies for those who have food allergies/restrictions.  Please be sure to let your child(ren)’s teacher by tomorrow if you do not want your child(ren) to participate or if there are any restrictions.  We can also find alternatives if you would like.  Please call the school, email the teacher or write a note in the agenda.  We want to accommodate all of our students and staff

Thank you

Hello parents/guardians;

Please note the deadline to order pizza for January to March is Thursday, December 22^nd at midnight.  We know that many of you are busy, and we hope this reminder will help you plan in advance.  The pizza lunch days are posted on School Cash Online.  You must go to School-Cash-Online for ordering and payments.   We are also looking for a volunteer to help with our pizza program.  If you are interested in helping or would like more information about what this role involves, please contact the school.

We have exciting news from Pita Pit.  Beginning in January, Pita Pit will be offering smoothies.  Parents will have the option of adding a small 9oz smoothie to their pita order.  Smoothie flavours:

• Orange mango: orange juice and mango
• Strawberry Banana: orange juice and strawberry and banana
• Very berry: Cranberry juice and raspberry, strawberry and blueberry

To order from Pita Pit Lunch Program,
Step 1: Visit www.ca203.pitapitlunchprogram.ca to get started. You can also find the website link on Instagram/Facebook @pitapitstanleypark
Step 2: Click:
– Choose your child’s desired pita choice & toppings.
– Don’t forget to select the appropriate school for your child.
Step 3:
Once you have added your desired pita to the CART, click “View Cart”. You will need to add your child’s FIRST and LAST NAME, CLASSROOM # and TEACHER’s LAST NAME under the “ADD ORDER NOTES” section!

For more information regarding ordering, please visit the following link: Pita Pit Lunch Information

Thank you

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

We welcome this last week of Advent with a joyous heart, filled with love. We look forward to this last week of 2022 and celebrating the season together. Please note that our Christmas Mass will be held on Thursday, December 22^nd at St. Aloysius Church.  The mass will begin at 10:00 a.m. We are looking forward to seeing you all!

As we end 2022, I would like to thank everyone for a successful start to our year. Thank you to our families who have been committed to making this year smooth and successful. Thank you to our staff, who have gone above and beyond in re-engaging students and families back into school life. It has been a busy few months with clubs, teams, field trips, and new opportunities. We have prayed together, played together, and learned together. Cannot wait to see what the new year brings us!

As we begin a new week, listed are important information items and upcoming dates.

Thank you …

• to the whole community for your generous donations to our Angel Tree. With your support families in our community will be able to have a Merry Christmas with a little less worry!
• to our Catholic School Advisory Council for organizing our Joyful afternoon on December 22^nd by distributing hot chocolate and popcorn. We appreciate everyone’s support!
• Father Melvin and Father Sunil will be presiding over our Christmas Mass.  Thank you also to our Pastoral Committee, in particular, Mrs. Edgar, Mrs. Matesa, Ms. Kolb, and Mr. Hutfluss for their preparations involving the liturgy.
• Dan Brown will be our music minister for our Christmas mass.
• to our WCDSB Healthy Active Living Consultant, Ms. Webster, and Junior students who helped to create soccer success “contracts” by holding assemblies this past week. Students who attended the assemblies have identified they will be playing soccer this year and will follow the rules of fair play.
• to Mrs. Thorne for everything. We will miss you.  Mrs. Thorne will be taking on a new role at St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School as a Librarian Technician starting this Wednesday.
• to Mr. Caceros (CYCW) in a new role at St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School starting after the Christmas break. Thank you for everything.  We will miss you!
• for your tremendous support for our Annual Scholastic Book Fair. Books should be arriving this week ready for Christmas.

School Highlights

• The fourth candle of Advent is called the“Angel Candle” and symbolizes Love. This name comes from the fact that the angels proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. This week we are reminded that Jesus came to bring love to our hearts and to our world! For more information on celebrating Advent as a Family, visit the Hamilton Diocese website
• Grade 4-8 Online Math Tutoring – Students in Grades 4-8 can have access to free 1:1 math tutoring from an Ontario-certified teacher through TVO Mathify. Please see the email address for more information: https://www.tvomathify.com/students
• Eco Club Message – Remember to reduce, reuse and recycle during the holidays and to keep your eyes open for the beauty of nature.
• A special welcome to Ms. Shantz who will be joining our fantastic Educational Assistant team this week
• Welcome to Ms. Thomas who will be joining our wonderful team as a Lunch Hour Supervisor later this week.
• We have been asking our students to check our lost and found bin on numerous occasions. However, if families would like to come and check what is left, you are welcome to prior to Friday.  The remaining items will be donated on Friday of this week.

Important Reminders

• Hot Lunch Program Updates – Wednesday, January 18^th will be Pita Lunch Day. You can order your child(ren)’s pita by following the instruction found here: Pita Pit Lunch Information
  Wednesday, December 21st will be our next pizza day.  Our next round of pizza orders for January, February, and March is now available on School Cash Online. We do not accept cash or orders after the due date.  In case of inclement weather, pizza will be postponed until the following day.
• Online Kindergarten registration will be open in January for children who are starting Kindergarten in September 2023. These are children who are turning 4 years of age by December 31, 2023, or children turning 5 years of age by December 31, 2023, and enrolling in the Saint Timothy program for the first time. Please note: If your child already attends the JK program at Saint Timothy they will automatically be enrolled for SK the following year. No further action is required. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office at 519-748-1874 or by email at kovar@wcdsb.ca
• Thank you for monitoring your child for any symptoms of illness and keeping them home if they are unwell. Daily screening is still a requirement (updated December 9th). Please remember to call the office to report your child’s absence. https://www.ontario.ca/school-screening/
• Please Note: Saint Timothy is an allergen-reduced environment and even at Christmas, we must adhere to WCDSB protocol around foods coming into the school. Please monitor any foods coming in for snack to ensure that they comply with the information: ‘Products that contain or ‘may contain’ peanuts and tree nuts are not to be brought onto the school site.”

WCDSB Updates

Please visit our School Board Website for updates and recent information.  Here is the link: http://www.wcdsb.ca.

As winter weather is fast approaching, parents are reminded to visit our website for important information and reminders regarding our Inclement Weather Procedures https://www.wcdsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2017/03/APH008-00_InclementWeather.pdf

Looking for notifications on bus delays and cancellations?
Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (stswr.ca) provides important information for parents and students who ride the bus to and from school. Bus delays and cancellation information can be found directly on the Delays & Cancellations page.

Joy and Spirit Week

Throughout the last week of school, teachers will be creating crafts and other fun activities.  To help keep the spirit joyous, we will be having different spirit days each day. Students are invited to participate and show off their Christmas Spirit.

Polar Express Day.  We will take a trip to the north pole on the afternoon of December 22^nd.  Students will enjoy watching Polar Express in their classrooms. Popcorn and Hot chocolate will be served to each student courtesy of our school council.

Umbrella Project

Treat yourself as you would treat a good friend.

Children who are low in self-compassion are often very hard on themselves. They can feel isolated and alone in their struggles and have a hard time moving on from failures. From a parenting perspective, it can be very difficult to convince children with low self-compassion that people aren’t judging them as harshly as they are judging themselves.

One of the easiest ways to help your child practice their self-compassion is to start one step outside themselves. Ask them to think about how they would treat a good friend who is struggling and then reflect on whether they treat themselves with the same care.

This exercise is beneficial for everyone and most people are quite surprised when they take a moment to listen to what they say to themselves. The phrase “we are our own worst enemy” rings true here.

Here are a few simple steps to follow when you notice your child’s self-criticism is becoming detrimental to their well-being:

1. Have them bring to mind a good friend or someone they care about and imagine it is their friend, and not them, experiencing the struggle.
2. Ask your child these questions:
   What would you say to your friend in this situation? How would you treat them?
   What do you think would happen if you said the same things to your friend that you are saying to yourself? Would it help them?
3. Help your child remember that they can be a good friend to themselves. Remind your child they should offer themselves the same amount of love, compassion, forgiveness and respect as they offer everyone else.

Health & Happiness,
Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

Enjoy this month’s collection of resources filled with practical ideas and actions you take as a parent: UP_Parenting-Dr_Jens_Top5_2022-12-Dec

Upcoming Dates To Note
https://sttimothy.wcdsb.ca/calendar/ (please use this address to access our school calendar)

Monday, December 19^th                 Advent Week #4     Christmas Bulletin Board Judging           Christmas Sweater Day
Tuesday, December 20^th                Dress Like Christmas / Christmas Outfit Day
Wednesday, December 21^st          Pizza Day    Red and Green Day
Thursday, December 22^nd              Christmas Mass at St. Aloysius 10:00 a.m.       Christmas Hat Day     Polar Express movie in the afternoon
Friday, December 23^rd                    Christmas Comfy Clothes Day               Last Day of School for 2022 (regular 3:30 p.m. dismissal)
Monday, January 9^th                        Welcome Back to School – regular 9:00 a.m. arrival              Liturgical Ordinary Time until February 21^st.
Wednesday, January 11^th              School Spirit Wear Day – show your pride               Pizza Lunch Day

Have a wonderful week! Stay safe and be well.  Please follow us on Twitter @sttimothy3 to see all the amazing happenings at Saint Timothy throughout the week.

Respectfully yours,
Albert Simoes
Principal

Final Thought  
We would like to extend our warmest wishes to our community for the Christmas Season. We wish you many blessings as you spend this time with your family. We will see you in the New Year on January 9th, 2023!

Due to the current weather conditions, ALL SCHOOL BUSES, TAXIS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION ROUTES operated by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and Waterloo Region District School Board are cancelled. All Public and Catholic Schools are OPEN. All St. Louis online, daytime, and evening classes are open at all locations. All Extended Day Childcare Programs are OPEN.

What does this mean?  We are NOT learning from home today, we are open for business!  If your child is on the bus and they will be absent, you do NOT need to call them in.  We will mark them appropriately in our system.  We look forward to seeing everyone who can safely get to school at the regular time. If you choose to drive your child to school, you are responsible for their transportation at the end of the day.

Please drive with extra caution today.  We want everyone to be safe during their travels – to school, to work, to get through your day.  Give yourselves some extra time and drive with a little extra patience.  Your safety and the safety of others depend on it!

Good morning TIGERS Community,

Our phone system is still not working properly at Saint Timothy.  Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this.

Thanks.

Please note Bus 089 is delayed 10 to 20 minutes and not 200 minutes.  Sorry for the confusion.

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” ~ Luke 2:10-11

This weekend we light the third candle on the Advent Wreath. Happiness is an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it rises to the surface. Joy, however, is a choice. We have a choice. God gives us a joy that is unconquerable. Joy is trusting when you want to doubt. As Christ’s followers, we aren’t pressured to do it all for everyone. We trust in Jesus to do the heavy lifting. The key is trust. Joy is receiving what you want to reject. Joy is celebrating when you want to fear.  What are some small things that we can do to bring joy to our lives and the lives of others?  For more information on celebrating Advent as a Family, visit the Hamilton Diocese website.

As we begin a new week, listed are important information items and upcoming dates.

Thank you …

• to those families and staff members who have already generously supported our Angel Tree. This is a reminder that Wednesday, December 14th is the final day to submit gift cards. Please note the change in date from the original communication. If you are not familiar with the Angel tree, the idea is to purchase a Christmas gift for a child who would otherwise not receive one. All donations will be supporting families within our own community. Once you have purchased a gift please return it to the school unwrapped.
• Ms. Segato and students who will be leading our school tomorrow with the third week Advent celebration.
• Mrs. Taves, Mrs. Bebenek, and students who led our Umbrella Assembly, introducing self-compassion. It was great to be back in the gym!
• Mrs. Ferraccioli for her spirit and tenacity when she offered to be taped against a wall as part of our Terry Fox incentive.
• Strong Start volunteer coaches for engaging our young learners with literacy. It is great to see volunteers back in our building.
• our Catholic Advisory School Council for all their preparations for our Joyful afternoon on December 22^nd.
• staff for providing a variety of activities for our students to enjoy during recess such as volleyball, board games, reading, crafts and so much more. We do have a dedicated group here at our school.
• staff who have made a donation to wear denim in December to support specific families in need in our community.

School Highlights

• It’s that time of year again and the Scholastic Book Fair is back!  Our Virtual Fair will run from December 2^nd to December 16^th. If you chose to order books online through our Virtual Fair, the link is:Campaign page for Virtual Bookfair (scholastic.ca).  These online orders will be shipped to our school and then distributed to the students just in time for Christmas.
• Our school Christmas mass will be held at St. Aloysius Catholic Church on Thursday, December 22^nd at 10:00 a.m. A permission form has been sent home with each student.  We ask that you please complete the form and return it back to school.  Every student will require written permission to attend the mass.  Parents, guardians, and friends are welcome to join us.
  December 22nd Christmas Mass 2022
  Transportation Permission Form
• The last week of school before the break begins is December 19^th to 23^rd. During that week, we will be celebrating Christmas Spirit Week.  Students and staff will be invited to participate each day in a fun and festive attire.  A full schedule of each day for Spirit Week can be found here: Christmas Spirit Week
• On Friday, December 16th, students are encouraged to dress as The Grinch or as one of their favourite Christmas characters.
• Ms. Costa, Mr. Hutfluss, and the Grade 8s will be on a residential retreat at Mount Mary in Ancaster, Ontario from December 12^th to 14^th. Let’s keep them in our thoughts, and prayers and wish them a joyful experience. Ms. Correa will be our Grade 7 teacher for the three days.
• Teachers will continue to communicate about special classroom events and charitable initiatives happening during the week. We are so thankful to be part of a generous and supportive school community and look forward to counting down to Christmas!
• Eco Club Message – The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) hierarchy prioritizes our actions to reduce our overall impact on the environment. Always start with reducing, followed by reusing, and then recycling. By reducing first, we avoid making waste in the first place.  Boomerang lunches and using GOOS paper (Good On One Side Paper) encourage us to decrease the amount of waste we create. Do you reuse paper at school and at home if it is good on one side? Can you use reusable containers in your lunch? These actions are part of reducing our waste by reusing materials.

Important Reminders

• Hot Lunch Program Updates – Wednesday, December 14^th will be Pita Lunch Day. You can order your child(ren)’s pita by following the instruction found here: Pita Pit Lunch Information
  Wednesday, December 21st will be our next pizza day. Our next round of pizza orders for January, February and March is now available on School Cash Online. We do not accept cash nor orders after the due date.  In case of inclement weather, pizza will be postponed until the following day.
• Online Kindergarten registration will be open in January for children who are starting Kindergarten in September 2023. These are children who are turning 4 years of age by December 31, 2023 or children turning 5 years of age by December 31, 2023 and enrolling in Saint Timothy program for the first time. Please note: If your child already attends the JK program at Saint Timothy they will automatically be enrolled for SK the following year.No further action is required.If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office at 519-748-1874 or by email at kovar@wcdsb.ca
• Please note Saint Timothy is an allergen reduced environment and even at Christmas, we must adhere to WCDSB protocol around foods coming into the school. Please monitor any foods coming in for snack to ensure that they comply with the information: Products that contain or ‘may contain’ peanuts and tree nuts are not to be brought onto school site.
• All students are responsible for using personally owned technology for curriculum related, educational purposes, only when on WCDSB property (i.e., classrooms or instructional time) with staff permission. Students must demonstrate digital citizenship through the appropriate use of technology, as outlined in the school’s code of conduct. In the interest of student safety, students are not permitted to use electronic communication devices in the school unless approved by their teacher for educational purposes. Should these devices arrive at school, they must be turned off while you are on school property, and they must remain stored in your backpack. Any unauthorized use of photographic, video, audio or other electronic communication devices is strictly prohibited on school property and during school related events.
• St. Aloysius Parish – please visit https://staloysius.on.ca for information regarding our parish.
  CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES 2022
  Christmas Eve: 5:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
  Christmas Day: 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
  St. Aloysius will be having Advent Reconciliation on Wednesday, December 14^th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Other Confession opportunities during Advent include Tuesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and Saturdays from 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Sharing the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist at Mass on a regular basis, is a valuable part of your faith development. We are blessed to benefit from the relationship with the Pastoral Team at St. Aloysius.
  Mass Times
  Saturday: 5:00 p.m.                            Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

WCDSB Updates

Please visit our School Board Website for updates and recent information.  Here is the link: http://www.wcdsb.ca.

Umbrella Project

Stop judging yourself as a parent so harshly!

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world. Children don’t come with step-by-step instructions and there is a reason that millions of parenting books exist, all with different solutions to the same problems. Just like snowflakes, each child is completely unique and therefore responds differently to the world and our attempts to guide them. How many times has an idea worked brilliantly for one of your children and not at all for the next? Ever feel like one day you have this parenting thing nailed and the next day want to give up completely? Such is the nature of raising another human with their own agenda and parents deserve to treat themselves with a high level of compassion on the tough days.

Unfortunately, research and experience show us that this is not the case. As parents, we are terrible critics of our own best efforts to raise our children and we now know that the more we judge our own parenting, the more likely it is that our child will develop symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The solution? Less self-blame and more non-judgemental acceptance of our own parenting skills. In other words, show our children what self-compassion looks like in action. None of us are perfect parents, you will make mistakes and that’s OK!

It sounds simple but remember that most of us have a very vocal inner critic, evaluating our every move. Start by noticing your own self-judgement and then try to think of what you might say to a good friend who was in the same situation. Say these words to yourself and remember, beating yourself up in an effort to be a better parent is having the opposite effect on your child’s wellbeing. Instead, take ownership of your feelings and choices, recognize when you make mistakes, apologize, keep learning and move on.

You’ve got this!
Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

Upcoming Dates To Note
https://sttimothy.wcdsb.ca/calendar/ (please use this address to access our school calendar)

Monday, December 12^th                 Advent Week #3            Grade 8s Mount Mary Retreat
Tuesday, December 13^th                Grade 8s Mount Mary Retreat
Wednesday, December 14^th          Pita School Lunch      Grade 8s Mount Mary Retreat   Angel Tree – last day for donations           School Spirit Wear Day – show your pride
Thursday, December 15^th               Registration for Confirmation and First Communion Ends Today:  Confirmation brochure 2022-2023 First Communion Brochure – 2022 – 2023
Friday, December 16^th                    Book Fair Ends Today    Grinch Day – dress like Grinch
Monday, December 19^th                 Christmas Bulletin Board Judging Day       Christmas Sweater Day
Tuesday, December 20^th                Dress Like Christmas – Christmas Outfit Day
Wednesday, December 21^st          Pizza Day      Red and Green Day
Thursday, December 22^nd              Christmas Mass at St. Aloysius 10:00 a.m.        Christmas Hat Day     Joy Day – movie in the afternoon
Friday, December 23^rd                    Christmas Comfy Clothes Day       Last Day of School for 2022 (regular 3:30 p.m. dismissal)

Have a wonderful week! Stay safe and be well.  Please follow us on twitter @sttimothy3 to see all the amazing happenings at Saint Timothy throughout the week.

Respectfully yours,
Albert Simoes
Principal

Final Thought
“Advent is a moment of grace to take off our masks and line up with those who are humble, to be liberated from the presumption of the belief of being self-sufficient, to go to confess our sins and to welcome God’s pardon, to ask forgiveness from those whom we have offended. Jesus awaits us and never gets tired of us. Advent offers us a special time of grace to return to the Lord, praying that Mary may help us to meet Him and our brothers and sisters on the way to humility.’’ – Pope Francis

Good afternoon,

We have received notification from transportation that Bus 089 is delayed by up to 10 to 20 minutes late due to the driver’s absence.

We apologize for the inconvenience