Lord, reawaken in us a sense of praise and gratitude for our Earth, and for everything You have created” – Pope Francis

Here…we…go! As we approach the 15-day marker of school days remaining, I pray that we continue to celebrate, acknowledge and achieve the many things that make our school community an amazing place to be. From spirit day, to grade 8 graduation we have many Blessed events on the horizon. May God and Saint Timothy watch over us and give us strength.
Please refer to events, information, and reminders below. 

Thank you …  

  • Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Hutfluss for planning the Grade 8 Graduation trip and accompanying our graduates.  Thank you also to our volunteers who joined the trip. We are so very PROUD of our students and how they conducted themselves- they are TRUE LEADERS!
  • Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Ferraccioli, for organizing the Junior Boys 3 pitch baseball team this year. Good luck on Monday, June 17th.  
  • Yvette Thorne and Mrs. Presslee helped make our pizza program run so smoothly this year. The last pizza day is Wednesday, June 26th.
  • Holly Herteis for organizing and leading our successful Pita lunch program this year. The last Pita lunch day is Tuesday, June 25th.
  • Colleen Taylor for attending our Welcome To Kindergarten Night as a representative from our school council. Colleen did a wonderful job explaining the council’s role and recruiting new members.
  • to our School Council and in particular Yvette Thorne for organizing our Family Carnival/Fun Night. It will be a great event with lots of activities, food, and prizes to be won.  Looking forward to letting everyone see what an amazing spirit this community has when we are all together!
  • for returning all library books to school. We are still missing items, so please take another look and return them to school.
  • to our Tigers Cross Country team, consisting of nearly 70 students in grades 4 to 8, had the opportunity to participate in our WCDSB Cross Country meet last week. Thank you to our coaches, Ms. Garvey, Mrs. Ferraccioli, Mrs. Coughlan and Mrs. Grebinski for supporting the students with training and attending this exciting event.
  • We want to thank the parent community for using the School Messenger App when reporting your child’s absence from school.   This is a friendly reminder that teachers are not connected to the Messenger App and have no visibility to early dismissal requests that are reported on this platform. In our effort to serve you better, we do ask that you put a courtesy note in your child’s agenda informing the teacher of your early dismissal plans so that staff can do their best to have your child ready for you when you arrive at the school.

School Highlights

  • Please click on the link for this week’s St. Aloysius Catholic Church bulletin – HERE
  • Our Grade 3 students will begin writing the EQAO assessment this week. The types of questions included in the EQAO e-assessment will be familiar to our students as they are based on the work they have been doing throughout the year. Sample assessments are available on the EQAO website for Grade 3 students. For more information please visit here. We wish our students all the best as they show what they know!
    Tips to Help Your Child:
    Maintain a Positive Attitude: Encourage a positive outlook towards the tests. Avoid putting too much pressure on your child, as this can lead to anxiety.     Ensure Rest and Nutrition: Ensure your child gets enough sleep and eats a healthy breakfast on the days of the test. Physical well-being can significantly impact performance
  • Celebration of Cultures: NEW DATE – Monday, June 24th – We look forward to celebrating the rich tapestry of the Saint Timothy community. The day will feature gallery walks where displays prepared by students about their culture will be showcased. There will also be food from different cultures so we can taste the delights from many places across the globe. We are looking forward to hosting this event.
    Please see the attached poster from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We will be teaming up with them to support those in need in other countries.  This is a wonderful opportunity for us to make a positive impact.  All items can be dropped off at school until June 14th.  Thank you for your generosity and kindness.  Pencil Case 2024
  • June is the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which for Catholics is a sign and symbol of God’s boundless and passionate love for all humanity. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is our recognition of the long-suffering love and compassion of Jesus towards humanity. It developed in the seventeenth century as the result of a series of apparitions to a Catholic nun, Mother (Saint) Margaret Mary Alacoque. Many families will enthrone a blessed picture of the Sacred Heart in their homes. Learn more: Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Institute for Catholic Education (iceont.ca)
  • Congratulations to some of our students who qualified for Track and Field Regionals. We wish them all the best this week.  They will compete at the regional meet held at Resurrection on Tuesday, June 11th.

Important Reminders

  • For students who already have a Student Plan of Care due to life-threatening medical conditions, the current plan will be coming home. Please review, and verify, the information found on these forms and revise ANY pertinent information directly on the form. Please ensure the revised plan is returned before the end of the school year.
  • For those families that were not able to attend our Welcome To Kindergarten presentation, please contact presslee@wcdsb.ca  office to arrange a time to pick up the Welcome to Kindergarten bag.  Our families are also welcome to come back on Thursday, June 20th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. for a library orientation from our librarian technician Ms. Huie.
  • Graduation Update – as previously communicated to families our school has been preparing for our graduation ceremony for the last several weeks and extensive planning and work have already been undertaken to create a memorable celebration to honour our Grade 8 Graduates. Our Grade 8 Graduate Mass and Saint Timothy Year End Mass will both take place on Tuesday, June 18th beginning at 10:30 a.m. in our school gymnasium.
    The actual ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 25th beginning at 5:30 p.m. in our school gym.  Diplomas will be distributed, speeches will be read and awards will be presented.  Following the ceremony will be light refreshments (cake, coffee, etc.).  At 7:30 p.m., parents will then be asked to leave, and the graduates will then have a party until 9:30 p.m. Please arrange a way home for your child.   For more details, or questions or if you would like to help, please reach to phillips@wcdsb.ca and/or nick.hutfluss@wcdsb.ca.  We are so very proud of the young adults they have become and we wish them all the success the world can offer.  We are excited to have been part of their elementary school journey over the last 10 years. 
  • Saint Timothy Talent Show: Our talent show will be held on Friday, June 21st. in the morning.  Parents as well as family members are more than welcome to come and support our students.
  • Our Grade 8 students will be leading our end-of-the-year liturgy at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18th. Father Sunil will be joining us in the celebration of the closing of our school year and our Grade 8 graduation.  We will also be presenting school-wide awards following the mass.  Parents are welcome to join us.

WCDSB Updates

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

Safe Arrival Absence Reporting: The School Messenger SafeArrival Attendance Program started this week. Thank you for your support and patience as we worked through our first few days! Moving forward, please report absences in advance using SafeArrival instead of sending notes or calling/emailing the school.  Please follow the link for more information: SchoolMessenger – SafeArrival (wcdsb.ca)
Looking for some guidance – Check out these helpful videos

  1. Video – School Messenger App (What it is & What it Offers):  https://vimeo.com/180768415
  2. YouTube – How to Create a Safe Arrival Account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkk-Fmp0bWU
  3. YouTube – How to Use SafeArrival to report Absences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VCMBirmjg0

Did You Get a Phone Call Indicating Your Child is Absent? Not a problem! Just listen and follow along with the prompts given in the message.

Supporting Math At Home Parent Survey: Schools offer a variety of opportunities for parents to learn more about how to support their children: for example, events related to mathematics may be held at the school (e.g., family math nights); teachers may provide newsletters or communicate with parents through apps or social media; and school or board websites may provide helpful tips about how parents can engage in their child’s mathematics learning outside of school and may even provide links where they can learn more or enjoy math activities together.
The following brief survey will assist our school district in gathering data about how parents/families feel in terms of being informed about what their children are learning in math, how parents/families feel about supporting their children’s learning in math, and about parental access to math learning resources at home.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and participation:  https://bit.ly/SupportingMathAtHomeSurvey2024 
This survey will remain open until June 14th, 2024.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the collection of this information please contact K-12 Mathematics Coordinator, Board Math Lead, Petra LeDuc at petra.leduc@wcdsb.ca , 519-578-3660.  Please refer to www.wcdsb.ca for the most up-to-date news.

Nurturing Love and Inclusion Across Our Saint Timothy Community

The month of June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which for Catholics is a symbol of God’s boundless and passionate love for all humanity. Drawing on the example of Christ, who preached a message of love and inclusion throughout His ministry, our Catholic schools are called to ensure we are nurturing safe and inclusive learning environments, where every student and every member of the community is welcomed, valued, and respected.  It is most fitting that June is also designated National Indigenous History Month as well as Pride Month in Canada.

Canadian Multiculturalism Day- June 27, 2024: June 27th is Canadian Multiculturalism Day, an opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and learn about the importance of multiculturalism to the Department of National Defence (DND), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and to the country. Canada has long been recognized around the world as a role model for multiculturalism and our society is known as a mosaic of many cultures. In fact, Canada’s 2021 Census reported over 450 ethnic or cultural origins by participants. In 2002, the Government of Canada enacted Multiculturalism Day as a day to celebrate the vast and important contributions that Canadians of different cultural backgrounds have made to our society. This day is also a great time to highlight other cultural celebrations happening in June, like National Indigenous History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Portuguese Heritage Month and Filipino Heritage Month. Canadian Multiculturalism Day is about embracing and recognizing the rich, vibrant, and diverse cultures that make up this great country

Saint Timothy Family Carnival

Our annual family carnival is next week.  It is Wednesday, June 19th starting at 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. here at Saint Timothy! We hope to see our many families and friends here to enjoy another wonderful community event with us.  There will be tons of awesome activities and fantastic food.  Here is a list of items already booked: Pawley’s Reptile Show, Food Trucks, Conestoga Karate, Big Kahuna water bucket, carnival games, face painting, guessing jars and so much more!  If you would like more information or would like to donate goods or services, or volunteer please contact yvette.thorne@wcdsb.ca  Thank you and we will see you there!
Please order your tickets on the School Cash On Line until Thursday, June 13th.  … tickets pre-ordered will be sent home with your child(ren).  Cash will only be accepted for the food trucks.  Everything else will have to be purchased through School Cash On-Line.  A POS (point of sale) machine will be onsite if needed.

Promoting Health/Well-Being:   Celebrating The First International Day of Play

This year, the first-ever International Day of Play will be observed and celebrated on June 11. For children, this is big news. Honouring and celebrating play recognizes it as an essential part of a child’s well-being and development. It’s been considered so important, in fact, that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has made play a fundamental right of every child.
As the United Nations states, play “fosters resilience, creativity, and innovation in individuals. For children in particular, play helps build relationships and improves control, overcome trauma, and problem-solving.”  We’ve long felt that play, in all its forms, has countless benefits and is a very important part of childhood development.   Read more at https://activeforlife.com/international-day-of-play/

Mabel’s Label Fundraiser

Our school is fundraising with Mabel’s Labels! If you’re not familiar with Mabel’s Labels, they are personalized, durable, waterproof labels. They are great for everything from shoes, clothing tags, water bottles and backpacks. You can customize them with your name and a design, and they are dishwasher, laundry and microwave safe.   Mabel’s Labels also offers clothing stamps, silicone bands for water bottles and medical alert labels. This is a great way to ensure your items don’t end up in the lost and found or mixed up. To reduce the spread of germs, we highly recommend labelling but they are also useful for everyday life.
Click HERE and enter “St. Timothy Catholic Elementary School (Kitchener)” from the drop-down list to support our school when you buy labels through MABEL’S LABELS.  Our fundraiser will continue throughout the summer months, giving you the perfect opportunity to purchase labels as you get ready for the new school year.  Thank you for supporting us!

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

Monday, June 10th               Bingeman Excursion:  Grade 5/6 and Grade 7          Grade 3 EQAO
Tuesday, June 11th               AA Track and Field Meet at Resurrection High School                Grade 3 EQAO           Pita Lunch:  Order at https://pitapitstanleypark.schoolfuel.ca
Wednesday, June 12th        School Spirit – wear our school colours or spirit wear                    Pizza (pre-ordered)            Grade 3 EQAO
Thursday, June 13th            Last Day for Ticket Safes – Family Fun Night/Carnival
Friday, June 14th                  Grade 8 Treat Cart             Popcorn (pre-ordered)          St. Vincent DePaul Pencil Case Due Date
Sunday, June 16th               Happy Father’s Day
Monday, June 17th               Junior Boys 3 Pitch Tournament
Tuesday, June 18th             Year End and Grade 8 Graduation Mass at 10:30 a.m.               Pita Lunch:  Order at https://pitapitstanleypark.schoolfuel.ca
Wednesday, June 19th        School Spirit – wear our school colours or spirit wear                Pizza (pre-ordered)             Family Carnival/Family Fun Night  4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Grades 1 to 3  Waterloo Park Excursion
Thursday, June 20th            School Spirit Day – Hat Day                Library Visit For New Kindergarten Families  10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Friday, June 21st                  Father Melvin Silver Jubilee at 5:00 p.m. St. Aloysius Church              Popcorn (pre-ordered)              Talent Show        National Indigenous Day

Wishing you a blessed and wonderful week.  Please follow us on X formerly known as Twitter @sttimothy3 to see all the amazing happenings at Saint Timothy.
Respectfully yours,
Albert Simoes, Principal

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
O most holy heart of Jesus, a fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you,
and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.
Amen.