“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

It is hard to believe we enter into May this week! As we embrace the blooming spring, let’s also embrace the opportunity to finish the year strong. With determination and perseverance, let’s channel our energy into making these final months of the academic year truly memorable. Keep on the journey of growth and success to make every moment count!

Please refer to events, information, and reminders below. 

Thank you …  

  • our students and staff for their numerous efforts and opportunities to foster a sense of inclusion and equity among our students. Our commitment to these values is evident in the vibrant activities and initiatives that encourage every student to feel valued and connected.
  • our school council for all their work in organizing our University of Waterloo STEM Night. We look forward to seeing all of our families on Thursday, May 9th.
  • our staff for their preparation and planning for our Catholic Education Week events.
  • to all our amazing Grade 8 teachers and students for organizing the bake sale. Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off in raising funds for our upcoming trip and graduation. Thank you to our families for your support.
  • IBSA Basketball visited our school and provided students in Grades 4 to 8 an opportunity to develop their basketball skills and work on various fundamentals. Please see the attached flyer and link for pursuing further programs: IBSA Kitchener

School Highlights

  • Congratulations to our Grade 2 students on their First Holy Communion! We extend our heartfelt thanks to the families and friends who joined us in celebrating this significant spiritual milestone. A special appreciation goes out to the dedicated Saint Timothy staff members who took the time to attend and offer their support to these students. Your presence and encouragement have truly made this occasion even more memorable for our students. Thank you for your unwavering support and for being a part of this special day in their lives.
    Father Melvin delivered an inspiring message to families, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support for their children following the reception of the Body and Blood of Jesus during their First Holy Communion. He articulated the significance of helping children internalize this sacred experience, which marks the beginning of their spiritual journey. Families must continue nurturing and guiding their children as they grow in their faith, ensuring that this profound encounter with the divine becomes deeply ingrained in their memories and shapes their spiritual development. We are grateful for Father Melvin’s insightful guidance and encourage families to embrace their role in fostering their children’s ongoing spiritual growth.
  • On behalf of the school council, we look forward to reuniting once again for our famous Family Carnival. Please mark your calendars Wednesday, June 19th 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Please consider donating raffle prizes.  Any fundraising donation items ranging from gift cards to merchandise would be much appreciated.  If you have any questions or need additional information about the fundraising request, please contact Yvette Thorne at thorne@wcdsb.ca.  We hope to see our many families and friends here to enjoy another wonderful community event.
    We are also bringing back our popular themed basket raffle.  Each classroom will be creating a themed basket that will be raffled off.  The themes for the baskets are listed below for some of our classrooms.  We want to sincerely thank you in advance for the donations provided to your child’s classroom basket.
    Mrs. Edgar – Summer Fun Basket
    Mrs. Ferraccioli – Candy Craze Basket
    Mrs. Phillips – Sports Basket
    Mrs. Skopec – Baking Basket
    Ms. Garvey – Arts and Crafts Basket
    Mrs. Sydoryshyn and Mrs. Littman – Chocolate Delight Basket
    Mr. Carvalho – Fidgets Basket
    Mr. Hutfluss – Movie Night Basket
    Mrs. Taves and Mrs. Kilgour – Arts and Crafts Basket
  • Tim Hortons Smilie Cookie Campaign: Consider purchasing a Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie from April 29th to May 5th, 100% of the proceeds are donated directly to local charities including Nutrition For Learning. Our school has been a beneficiary of this wonderful program for many years.
  • Thinking of Moving?: Please contact the school as soon as possible as we are beginning to look at our enrolment for next year.  If you are moving, it is essential that the outgoing and incoming school as aware so we can prepare.  Thank you!
  • Our next Catholic Advisory Council Meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 14th at 6:30 p.m. in our Learning Commons.

Important Reminders

  • Saint Timothy Family STEM Night: Each year, the Ministry of Education provides funding to School Councils in Ontario known as the PRO – Parent Reach Out Grant. Council has decided to use this funding for a Science Night (University of Waterloo ESQ program) on THURSDAY, May 9th, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. They will organize hands-on and interactive activities based on the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum. Parents and children can drop in anytime between 6:30 – 8:00 pm to complete the activities. This event is open to all Saint Timothy families; no registration is required. We hope to see you there! Saint Timothy STEM Night 2024
  • EQAO Webinar for Parents and Guardians of Elementary School Students: Register for this free live webinar on April 30th or May 7th and learn about EQAO’s primary and junior Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Participants will learn about the purpose of Ontario’s large-scale assessments. EQAO staff will explain. the assessment format, highlight resources to support students and answer questions from participants. Register here: Registration
  • A reminder that as the weather improves, we have many student clothing items being left outside at recess. Our lost and found is overflowing. We encourage you to please label coats, sweatshirts and sweaters so we can return them to their rightful owners. When visiting the school during Catholic Education week we ask that you take a look for lost items.
  • Catholic Education Week May 6th to 10th: We are excited to invite our Saint Timothy Families to Catholic Education Week! Each year, the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education during Catholic Education Week. This year’s celebration is entitled, “We are called to love”. Catholic Education Week Calendar 2024.

Mental Health Awareness Week

Catholic Education Week comes at the same time as Mental Health Awareness. The theme this year is “Compassion Connects – A Call to Be Kind”. Our Catholic Social Teachings guide us to be kind and compassionate to one another. We know that compassion can make a positive impact on the lives of others. As we live in a world afflicted by suffering, we must display kindness to one another for everyone’s positive mental health and well-being. This year’s Mental Health Week is centered on the healing power of compassion and connection.
Throughout the week, we will be sharing resources and tips while encouraging our community to help support mental wellness.   We will also be doing some learning in our classes about the impact of stress on our brains, at age-appropriate levels to help students understand why it is so valuable to them to practice these skills. It is important to focus on how naming, expressing, and dealing with our emotions – the ones we like and the ones we don’t are important for our mental health.   For more information please visit Mental Health Week and our school board page WCDSB Mental Health and Well Being

WCDSB Updates

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

Learning At Home:  Parents can make a big difference in their child’s learning by discussing their learning at school. Check out our WCDSB Monthly Math @Home Newsletter to better understand how students learn to apply their understanding of the relationships between shapes and measurement to develop formulas to calculate length, area, volume and more!  Issue No. 9 Spatial Sense & Measurement

Human Trafficking Prevention Education: WCDSB is pleased to present a virtual parent and guardian information evening on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Bestselling author and survivor advocate Timea Nagy will speak about digital safety awareness and human trafficking prevention education. Please note that the chat will not be open for the presentation. If you would like to ask questions ahead of the event, please fill out this form:.  Human Trafficking Prevention Education

Community Event: Grade 7 and 8 – Go CODE Girl – May 4: Conestoga’s School of Applied Computer Science & Information Technology, in partnership with the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering, will host Go CODE Girl at the Waterloo campus on May 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for girls and non-binary youth in Grades 7 to 10 to explore the worlds of coding, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and esports. Run by/at Conestoga College, Waterloo Campus.  Register to attend

Supporting the Walk To School and the Bus Stop – Bike and Scooter Rack Etiquette
Bike and scooter racks are great for keeping your ride safe all day while you are in class, but they can fill up quickly and be a little chaotic when everyone uses them at once. Please help us make sure there is enough space for everyone and no one gets hurt using the racks.

  • Place your bike or scooter neatly so all the spaces can be used.
  • Tall people use the highest slots on scooter towers, leaving low slots for little ones.
  • Keep bikes upright and straight so they don’t get damaged.
  • Don’t block others from accessing the rack.
  • Help smaller children when they are having trouble using the rack.

Promoting Health/Well-Being – How to Teach Your Child About Developmental Differences

Young children sometimes wonder aloud why someone on the playground or at the supermarket is in a wheelchair or looks or acts differently than they do. Parents often think it’s best to not call attention to differences between people. But children as young as toddlers notice and have questions, about whether or not we want them to.

When your child asks these questions, don’t dismiss it or quickly change the subject. That suggests they’ve brought up something shameful that shouldn’t be talked about. Instead, use the opportunity to provide empathetic, appropriate and accurate information about developmental differences. The details you share will be more useful than the ideas they may invent on their own or things they may hear from other kids. Through conversation, you can help your child understand we shouldn’t assume things about others, and we should recognize that people with developmental differences are individuals rather than part of a group. Your words will help to shape your child’s opinions and future interactions with people who are different than them. Read more at https://www.kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org/mental-health-resources/mental-wellness/teach-developmental-differences 

Mabel’s Label Fundraiser

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.

Upcoming Dates To Note

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

Sunday, April 28th             National Day of Mourning – remembering those who lost their lives in a work-related tragedy
Tuesday, April 30th            Pita Lunch:  Order at https://pitapitstanleypark.schoolfuel.ca
Wednesday, May 1st           Pizza Lunch (pre-ordered)    School Spirit – wear our school colours or spirit wear     Last Day for Class Placement Requests From Parents
Thursday, May 2nd              Art Shine JK-Gr. 6    Humane Society Presentations                 St. Mary SAC Extra Curricular Activities – Grades 4 and 5
Friday, May 3rd                     Popcorn (pre-ordered)   Humane Society Presentations
Sunday, May 5th                   National Day of Awareness For Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/Girls
Monday, May 6th                   Catholic Education and Mental Health Week                             Immersion Program – Welcome our Colombian friends to our school!
Tuesday, May 7th                    Pita Lunch:  Order at https://pitapitstanleypark.schoolfuel.ca
Wednesday, May 8th              Pizza Lunch (pre-ordered)               School Spirit – wear our school colours or spirit wear             Kitchener Folk Dance Festival
Thursday, May 9th                   Art Shine JK-Gr. 6                 Saint Timothy STEM Family Evening 6:30- 8:00 p.m. 
Friday, May 10th                      Popcorn (pre-ordered)

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