As the first month of the school year comes to a close we find ourselves fully immersed in the school year. With all our "firsts" done we now look to support all our students as they experience the full course load of academic courses.
A special thanks to the parents who were able to participate in our first School Council meeting last week. I look forward to working with you for many years to come and sharing in the abundance of talent and willingness to make All Saints a great place to learn. 

THIS WEEK:
Monday: All our students are invited to wear an orange shirt on Monday in remembrance of the thousands of indigenous youth who were systematically separated from their homes and communities and placed into residential schools. We wear an orange shirt because it symbolizes the struggle of one indigenous youth (Phyllis Webstad) who was not allowed to wear her favourite shirt upon entering the residential school. Click HERE to access more information about the meaning behind the action of wearing the orange shirt. 
- We will offer a viewing of The Secret Path at lunch in our chapel for any student who would like to see the amazing story of Chanie Wenjack as told through the words and music of the late Gord Downie.

Tuesday: our Grade 12's will participate in "Inspiration Day", a half-day program where our graduating students are provided with the opportunity to define their class legacy, hear strategies for mindfulness during a pressure-packed year, listen to All Saints Alumni who will offer feedback on having successfully walked through their graduating year and build community as a larger group.

Friday: our Grade 7's and 8's will (hopefully!!!) participate in the Terry Fox Run on Friday. Same plan as last week, hopefully more accommodating weather!

ACTION ITEMS:

Please remember to check your closets and storage trunks for used linens. We have partnered with Shepherds of Good Hope to provide them with as many bed linens as possible. The service is in dire need of bedding to serve the growing homeless and working-poor population in Ottawa. Thank you in advance for considering this opportunity to give. Students are asked to drop off any donations in the chapel. 

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY:

Saturday Learning Club - Click HERE to access information about a free program designed to support students learning English as well as students who can use extra support in gaining literacy skills.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Many thanks for your support and presence in attending our Meet the Staff event last week. It was great to see so many parents actively involved in supporting our students.

On Thursday night I spoke about the importance of having every student connect to our school. By participating in an extra-curricular activity, your child will learn the responsibilities of commitment, manage time, and learn new social skills. The learning that takes place on the field or in a club transfer to the classroom and hopefully academic performance. Please continue to encourage your young person to try out for a team and/or join a club.

In addition to all the learning activities happening in our classrooms this week also has:
HS Leadership Camp
7/8 Girls and Boys Volleyball
HS Girls Basketball
7/8 Girls and Boys Soccer Tournament
7/8 Ultimate Tournament
HS Co-ed Touch Football
7/8 Girls and Boys Flag Rugby
Sr. Boys Volleyball Tournament

This week we'll see the last of the opening activities for the new school year.

Catholic School Council
Please consider joining us for our first Catholic School Council meeting on Monday evening at 7:00pm in our Learning Commons. The council is a community of adults connected to All Saints either by a student, or, in some cases community members who like to be involved. The first meeting includes elections for the upcoming school year as well as information about the start up of our school year.

Opening Liturgies
We will gather as a community this week for our opening liturgies to celebrate the start of the new school year. All students and staff will gather on Wednesday morning in one of two liturgies organized by our Chaplaincy Leader, Paul Kozak. The Ottawa Catholic School Board theme for this year is "Love kindness and mercy". Throughout the year we will create learning opportunities for our students to understand the that love is indeed a verb and that we are called to action in being kind and showing mercy to others. 

September 15

This week we will gather as a staff to provide parents with a brief opportunity to meet the teachers they hear about at home. We will open our doors for you to join us on Thursday evening for our annual Meet the Staff Event. 

It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through September! I am amazed to see and hear about all the amazing opportunities our educators create for your young people both in and outside of the classroom.

Last week we met with our Grade 12 students to share important information and timelines for applying to post-secondary programs, we welcomed our Grade 9's to high school with a series of presentations and group-building exercises in our Amazing Race, we invited Grade 7&8 classes into our chapel to meet our Chaplain and communicate the opportunities for faith development outside of the classroom and we began running practices for many fall teams.

Important Action Items for this week:

Student Council Spirit Week:
- Monday - Beach Day: think Hawaiian shirts and ukeleles!
- Tuesday - Sports Day: think of that vintage jersey hidden somewhere in the basement!
- Wednesday - Disney Day: Who is your favourite character????
- Thursday - Twin Day: Same hair, same clothes, same shoes...
                                                      - Friday - Grade Colour Day -

Meet the Staff Event:
Will will host a BBQ ($6.00=Burger, Chips and a Drink) starting at 4:30. A quick formal address at 5:00 and then meeting the teachers from 5:15-6:30. Click HERE to access a detailed timeline for the event.
Please ask your child to provide you with a list of teachers to visit for this event.



Looking Ahead:

School Council Meeting #1: Monday, September 23 

Week 1 - September 3

And so it begins...
I am happy to share with you that the first day of the 2019-2020 school year is now complete. With the year started, there is so much opportunity for your young person to grow and learn at All Saints. I hope your dinner tables were filled with conversations about the year to come.
I am blessed to be the Principal of All Saints and am proud of the teachers and support staff who choose to work with the young people in your community.
The start-up procedures for the school year likely include course information coming home to you for review as well as other technical pieces that require your active parent participation. Please be sure to ask your young person if there is any paperwork you should be reviewing.

A few action items for you:
- School Cash Online - Please create an account with All Saints. Paying online helps our community and saves finding cash or cheques at the last minute. 
- School Photo Day - Friday, September 6
- Meet the Staff Evening - Thursday, September 19 @4:30-6:30

New Date for School Council
- The first meeting of our School Council will take place on September 23 at 7:00pm in the Learning Commons. The date was changed to allow parents to attend the Meet the Staff event the week earlier.

Back to School Supply Drive
The DREX Team is collecting school supplies to bring to the Dominican Republic in February. There will be a collection box in the main office where students can drop off items.
Thanks for considering helping scholars in the Dominican Republic when our students visit this year.