All Saints Blog Week of March 4th, 2019

Beginning of Lent
This week marks the beginning of the holy season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is one of the most important holy days in our liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a period of fasting and prayer. Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the administrator applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Ottawa Archdiocese Norms for Lenten Observance

Kindness Award

We are very proud of Bryson Ouellette, our master recycler, who received an award from the Ottawa Kindness Group last week. Rabbi Bulka and Cindy Smith from the Ottawa Kindness Week organization presented the award to Bryson and his mother, for Bryson’s contributions to All Saints. Bryson and his worker who provides support, recycle three days a week at All Saints, ensuring that the work is complete for our students and staff. Thanks for your continued work Bryson!


Black History Month Activities

, celebrated Black History Month with a very creative classroom door display! The door features a beautiful Black woman with a collage of prominent Black figures, including many Black Canadians. From the moment students approach the door, they are reminded of the month-long holiday intended to celebrate Black culture.
February is Black History Month, and All Saints was proud to celebrate Black culture and heritage through various initiatives. Each morning in February, following the national anthem and morning prayer, the legacy of Black Canadians past and present was honored. Their contributions to important causes impacting the Black community were highlighted. To kick off Black History Month activities at All Saints, Ms. Ann Marie Vanneste, a grade 10 teacher, extended an invitation to all Black students and staff in the school to join together for the first ASH Black community photo in the history of the school, which opened in 2002. With enthusiasm, approximately 50 students and staff gathered in the school gym for the photo! Ms. Vanneste, who hopes to make the photo an annual event, remarked “this picture has been 17 years in the making!”

To celebrate black culture and heritage, Ms. Erin Doak, a grade 9 & 10 teacher, along with Ms. Claire Bagnell, one of the guidance counsellors

Students at All Saints also celebrated Black History Month through meaningful awareness activities in the Learning Commons. Classes were invited to join Mme Linda MacKinnon, teacher librarian, and student teacher, Mlle Sanyu Bishop, to learn about the accomplishments, legacies, and influence of prominent Black persons. In small groups, student viewed biographies of well-known Black Americans throughout history and shared how they themselves could be more like these distinguished individuals. Below are excerpts of what students wrote when asked to reflect on which Black person they most admired after having viewed the biographies and why.  

“Maya Angelou because she stood up against injustice and used her voice to help others.”
“Michael Jordan”. His story inspires me to be successful in my sport”.
“Oprah Winfrey because she spreads happiness and advocates for others in need.”
“Muhammed Ali. Not only was he disciplined in his sport, he was never afraid to fight for what he believed in.”

As a final activity, students were invited to colour a piece of “kente” cloth made out of paper choosing colours which have symbolic meanings in African culture. The colours they chose related to the traits of the person they most admired. The “kente pieces” were then collected to form a kente shirt display. “Kente”, which means basket and originated in Ghana, is an iconic visual representation of African culture, heritage and pride.
To learn about black heritage, a curated mini-library of books was made available in the Learning Commons by Mme MacKinnon. As part of the collection, the award-winning novel “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas is featured. “The Hate U Give” represents the word THUG, as the book aims to provide insight into the lives of those from the black community who are perceived as “thugs” in society and therefore targeted and killed by police. The book was used for a novel study in Ms. Doak’s grade 10 English class first semester and is also currently being read in grade 10 English classes this semester.

Letters of Concern grades 9-12
Our secondary letters of concern will be delivered to parents at the end of this week. Parent-teacher interviews for students in high school will be scheduled for Thursday, March 21st. More information to follow.

Transition Guides for Parents - Ottawa Catholic School Board
Now available online! Resources to help parents and students with the transition from Grade 6 to Grade 7, as well as the transition into High School. Follow this link for more information on both, along with other available translations.

Educational Savings
Many parents wonder how much to save for their child's education. They also wonder how soon they should start. The answer is simple. Save Early, Earn More. Even small savings each year will translate into substantial savings later.
To learn more about the CESG, the CLB, RESPs and more, please visit the Government of Canada Education Savings information page.



There is a great deal of information on the CSPA website regarding information for parents and upcoming sessions. You can visit the website here.

Communications:
Check out our blog – allsaintschs.blogspot.ca and our twitter @AllSaintsOCSB (Mr. Kelly’s - @seankellyottawa) as well as our website ash.ocsb.ca for all that is happening at All Saints!

Coming Up:
March 9th to 17th: March Break