All Saints Blog Week of April 22nd, 2019

Easter Season

We celebrated, this past long weekend, the beginning of the Easter season. As Christians, we believe that following the 40 day observance of Lent, Easter brings new promise and rebirth. I have shared the Easter message from Denise Andre, our Ottawa Catholic School Board Director, below. Its emphasis on community is exactly the message of Easter that we would like to share.  

As our city sheds its winter coat (finally!) we celebrate the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday and throughout the Easter season. I know that for many, this winter has been long and at times challenging. We are now finally looking forward to actual Spring weather. Like the new life that we see as buds on trees open to green leaves, and tulips that push their way through the earth to display their beautiful colours, so do we embrace the new life that was given to us through the suffering, death and Resurrection of our Lord.
We are a people of hope, who walk in the light of Christ. Let us continue to "Be Community" for one another, supporting each other as we journey through this Easter season.

Dealing with the Teenage Brain
All Saints High School is excited to present "Dealing with the Teenage Brain: Strategies for Communication", a presentation for parents on May 21st, from 7:00 to 8:00pm in our school learning commons. The presentation will be facilitated by Wayne Ng, a Social Worker with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Wayne will discuss the characteristics of the developing student brain, including information regarding executive functioning, decision making and choices. Considerations for parents will be discussed, including strategies for communication, negotiation and support. Wayne will also answer questions on the topic. Please join us for a great evening of information presented with the support of the All Saints Catholic School Council.

OCSB Junior Math Competition Gold Medalists!!

On Tuesday, April 2, a group of grade 9 and 10 students, Nicholas Rink, Philip McMorran, Benjamin Magyar-Samoila, Sebastian Magyar-Samoila, Kiera Pozzobon, and Julia Piraszewska, led by Mr. Burchill, represented All Saints by competing in the 9 and 10 Team Mathematics Contest. The day started out strong with our team taking on the lead after the Individual Problems round. Then it was time for the final and most crucial part of the day, the Relay Round. The Relay Round required us to split up into two teams of three. Each of the three people were labelled as A, B, or C. The relay worked in a way that each person gets a math problem. Person A figures out their math problem as quickly as possible, then hands their answer to person B, who uses that number as a variable to solve their problem. Then person B hands their answer to person C. The answer from person C is known as the final answer. If the team manages to get the answer in the first two minutes, they earn extra points for their early answer. This round was definitely one of the most fun parts of the day, we collaborated well and pulled through, even managing to obtain a few early answers. After a fun, competitive day, we got 118 points, tying for first place with St. Matthew. One point away from pulling out of the tie, however, it was still a score that we were all proud of, and an amazing day we will never forget.
Written by: Julia Piraszewska and Kiera Pozzobon

Young at Art - Student Art Exhibition

Nic Rubin, an All Saints student was selected to participate in the Young at Art juried art exhibition. The exhibition represents a tremendous opportunity for the public exhibition and recognition of the creative efforts of these young artists. Nic’s artwork will be displayed at the John Mlacak Centre 2500 Campeau Drive, from April 18th to May 12th. There will also be a vernissage which will be held on the 25th of April at 6pm.

Nordik Spa - School Council Fundraiser
For Mother's Day, give someone special a day of relaxation! The All Saints School Council is selling discounted passes for Nordik Spa. Discounted passes are $64 each (including taxes). This is a savings of over $14 (at the door, you would pay $68 + Quebec taxes = $78.18).These passes are valid 7 days a week and allow you to use their facilities for a full day. You can enjoy their 10 baths (hot, cold and temperate), 9 unique saunas, infinity pool, outdoor and indoor relaxation areas as well as a restaurant, café, lounge and terraces. The site is reserved for individuals 16 years and over. This pass does not include a bathrobe. The passes are valid until April 2020, after which time they will continue to have a cash value that can be applied against the cost at the door.
To place your order, please fill out the following order form: https://forms.gle/XKbMeXozorGMVe848. The deadline for orders/payment is Friday, April 26. Your order will be available for pick-up in the Atrium of All Saints High School on Tuesday, May 7 from 6-7pm, or it can be delivered to your ASH school mailbox by May 8.

Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week takes place May 5th to 10th. The theme is "Living as Joyful Disciples". The Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association offers a variety of prayers, information and resources to support the work in our schools.



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

Healthy StressThis session will explore what stress is and how it impacts our body and brain. We will discuss the difference between good and bad stress and why it is important to understand the difference. Practical strategies to help support children and youth develop their resiliency to deal with daily stressors as well as with more challenging situations and events.
Tuesday, April 30th
7pm - 9pm
St Peter High School
750 Charlemagne Blvd
Orleans, Ontario K4A 3M4

Introduction to Shanker's Self-Regulation
Hosted by St Bernard School Council and The MEHRIT Centre
APRIL 25TH, 2019 FROM 6PM - 8PM
St Bernard School

Connective Parenting
With renowned speaker & author Bonnie Harris
Hosted by St Dominic, St Peter, St Theresa and Convent Glen Catholic School Councils
MAY 22ND, 2019 AT 6:30PM
St Peter High School

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!

All Saints Blog Week of April 15th, 2019

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.
Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.
Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.
The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a steed in war. Our staff and students will have an opportunity to celebrate Holy Week on Holy Thursday as we gather as a community for liturgies. As we begin our journey through Holy Week, I wish you the opportunity for reflection and a Happy Easter next weekend.

7&8 Basketball Buy-In for Charity 

Last Friday marked our annual 7&8 Basketball Buy-In for Charity. This is an event that has been running for many years, and was initiated by Mr. Podgorski to support Myeloma Cancer Research at the Ottawa General Hospital. We thank students for their generous donations to fund Myeloma research. We had a great time as an All Saints community cheering our boys on to a rousing defeat of St. Paul’s. Great job boys!

Rideauwood Partnership
All Saints High School has a partnership with Rideauwood addictions services where a counsellor is at the school weekly to address general concerns while providing one on one counselling to students. Our Rideauwood representative has also visited classrooms to review a number of topics such as stages of use, healthy coping, and the different types of substances that students should be aware of. If you have any questions, please contact our Student Services Department.

EQAO Student Advisory Committee

We’re excited to announce the call for application for the 2019–2020 EQAO Student Advisory Committee. This committee will be one of our key sources for student voice in the agency’s activities. We also meet with student trustees, and staff engage student focus groups from time to time. This will be the second year of the Student Advisory Committee. The other committees within our governance structure are the EQAO Advisory Committee, the Modernization in Measurement Advisory Panel and the Equity Council.
Students are the focus of EQAO’s work, and we value learners’ perspectives on everything that we do. As EQAO seeks to continuously improve its programs, we want to ensure that students’ experiences are informing our thinking.
EQAO celebrates student diversity across the province, and our approach to open dialogue welcomes all viewpoints. When selecting committee members, we’ll ensure a diverse representation of students’ experiences and perspectives. We’ll also look for students who demonstrate a passion for effecting change in their communities and who have a desire to make a difference—either through their actions or through their ideas.
To learn more about the previous committee’s work, visit EQAO’s website.
Please find attached an invitation to students, which outlines eligibility criteria, and the application form for this opportunity. Submissions must be received by May 10, 2019, and selections will be announced by the end of May 2019.
Student application

Earth Week Activities

In celebration of Earth Week, which begins on Monday with Earth Day, All Saints will be taking up the Trashtag Challenge, the social media movement that is sweeping the globe. It promotes people to clean up their nearby green areas and post before and after photos. We want you to take this challenge by sending a DM to ASHSTUCO Instagram to enter your clean up before and after shots by May 21. Everyone who enters will have a chance to win movie ticket packages. So plan your cleaning projects and take the ASH Trashtag Challenge.

ASH Reflections

ASH Reflections | ASH Réflexions is the official SoundCloud podcast channel for the school. The main purpose is to give a voice to the All Saints community and to connect with the outside world. Here we see M. Justin Breton, an Immersion intermediate teacher at All Saints Catholic High School, interviewing three of his students: Benjamin Strongitharm, Guillermo Gago Balbi, and Jalen Flindall. In this episode, they discuss their experiences in the French Immersion program as well as communication and collaboration within the framework of global competencies. This particular podcast was created in French, and students express the importance of learning the language in the City of Ottawa and other communities. If you wish to learn more about our channel, don’t hesitate to follow us. Enjoy!
https://soundcloud.com/ash-ocsb/episode-115-limmersion-francaise-a-all-saints-et-le-cadre-des-competences-globales

Grade 12 Prom Details
Our Prom will take place on Friday, May 31st at the National Arts Centre, downtown, beginning a social at 5:30 p.m., a dinner at 6:30 p.m. and a dance. Students are being visited during their period one class this week by an administrator who is reviewing with them the Prom expectations and the Prom Contract which must be completed and signed (by the student and their parent) and returned to Ms. DeLuca




Tread Softly, Walk Humbly Art Exhibit
Last weekend was the culmination of a great deal of work on the part of Ms. Dyer’s art students. 30 individuals created an exhibit of Canadian landscapes with the support of award winning artist Gordon Harrison. The students auctioned off their work to further support eco and green initiatives designed to protect our landscapes and communities. Two of the students involved have shared their experiences as part of our blog:

Good Stress Vs Bad Stress: Do you know the difference?

Aurora Rink (grade 12):
Art is meaningful. I always heard growing up that art wasn’t an important job, but it really is. With these paintings we’ve made a difference, in the painters' lives, in some of you, the buyers lives and even in the environment. We used it as a tool to share a beautiful message and by contributing to a very important cause.
I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re very grateful to have had this opportunity. We’ve grown up living in Canada, some of us our whole lives, but we’ve never really given back. Making these paintings with Gordon was a way to show gratitude to the environment that we were raised in and that we love so much. I think it’s imperative, especially now with issues like climate change that we think about our impact on the environment and that we truly appreciate it. These paintings have a distinctly Canadian voice to that cause which we are all proud to be a part of. Thank you, for listening to that call to action and helping us in giving back through the auction. It feels amazing to be agents for change on this cause; I hope these paintings can continue to engage your thinking and learning about the Canadian landscape and the importance of preserving it.

Jessica Ormondroyd (grade 10):
This has been an amazing experience for me. I really enjoyed learning about new forms of painting and exploring with colour. This project has allowed me to become more free with my art and less of a perfectionist with it.
It feels amazing to have my artwork hanging in this gallery. I am so thankful for this opportunity and I would like to thank Gordon and Phil for letting us use the gallery and for teaching us your art skill. I would also like to thank Ms. Dyer for organizing this special opportunity!



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

Parent information session: Tech Tools in the Classroom
Are you curious about how your child is using technology in school? The Catholic School Parents’ Association is presenting a FREE evening of interactive workshops where parents will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the tools that students are using, and the tech resources available both at school and at home. The evening will begin with an overview of the Board’s philosophy of technology in our schools, followed by two sessions of 45-minute workshops. Parents will have a choice of workshops in each session. View the workshop descriptions and then register to attend.
Monday, April 15
6:30 - 9:00 PM
Notre Dame High School,
710 Broadview Ave

Healthy Stress
This session will explore what stress is and how it impacts our body and brain. We will discuss the difference between good and bad stress and why it is important to understand the difference. Practical strategies to help support children and youth develop their resiliency to deal with daily stressors as well as with more challenging situations and events.
Tuesday, April 30th
7pm - 9pm
St Peter High School
750 Charlemagne Blvd
Orleans, Ontario K4A 3M4

Introduction to Shanker's Self-Regulation
Hosted by St Bernard School Council and The MEHRIT Centre
APRIL 25TH, 2019 FROM 6PM - 8PM
St Bernard School

Connective Parenting
With renowned speaker & author Bonnie Harris
Hosted by St Dominic, St Peter, St Theresa and Convent Glen Catholic School Councils
MAY 22ND, 2019 AT 6:30PM
St Peter High School

14th Annual CEFO Gala Benefit Dinner
Join us on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at the new Infinity Convention Centre in Nepean, for our 14th Annual Gala Dinner, Cabaret & Auction, with all proceeds directed to helping alleviate poverty in our Ottawa Catholic School Board schools.
This unique social event welcomes parents, employees and Trustees of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, corporate sponsors, educational partners, social service agencies, the Archdiocese, and other community members. Guests will enjoy a live and silent auction, along with balloon and raffle sales -- all for a great cause. Staff and students involved in the Ottawa Catholic School Board's Children's Theatre Workshop will entertain guests with delightful songs!
This event sells out fast. Book your table today at cefottawa.org/fundraising.
Wednesday, May 1
6:00 PM
Infinity Convention Centre,

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:

April 22nd - Easter Monday