All Saints Blog Week of March 21st, 2016

Holy Week

As we return from our Spring Break, we are quickly confronted by the very rich symbolism and meaning associated with Holy Week.  We transition from the welcome that Jesus received as he entered Jerusalem, greeted with the multitude waving palm branches and singing Hosanna, through his passion, crucifixion and ultimately his resurrection at Easter.  It is easy to “hurry” through this period of time as we move from one holiday, through a short school week, to another long weekend, but I encourage all of our school community to take some time to reflect on the importance of this liturgical time and how it connects to our own lives.  We have been encouraging academic goal setting among all of our student grades this year, but the last week of Lent is a heightened opportunity to set some spiritual goals that we can nurture throughout the coming spring.  Our students and staff will have an opportunity to further reflect upon this important time at our Holy Thursday liturgies this coming week.  

Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) survey

OSTA is seeking public consultation on its proposed School Active Transportation Policy. This policy is scheduled to be presented at OSTA’s next public governance meeting on April 25, 2016. Delegations may also be heard at this time.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SAT-policy

OSTA’s School Active Transportation Program has been in development for the past two years. With our school board partners, City partners and community partners, we have been able to support the 50,000+ students who are not eligible for transportation by motorized vehicle. The SAT policy would formalize OSTA’s commitment to continuing to provide services for students who walk, bike and roll, to school every day. More information may be found on our website http://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/ under Active Transportation.

Upcoming Grade 10 Literacy Test

To all parents of Grade 10 students - the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT) will be taking place this year on March 31, 2016. This week’s literacy information focuses on writing an information paragraph and a short opinion piece.

Writing an Information Paragraph

(an objective presentation of facts and information)

• Read the list of information given. Choose at least four points that you think go together. These will become the main idea of your information paragraph.

• In your topic sentence, clearly state your main idea.

• Include at least four supporting details from the list to develop the main idea in your topic sentence.

• Provide a concluding sentence for your paragraph. This sentence summarizes your main idea.

• Be sure your paragraph informs your reader about the topic you have chosen.

Writing a Short Opinion Piece

• The short writing tasks are based only on your life experience. For example, “Name a person you admire and explain why you admire him or her. Use specific details to explain your choice.”
• There are no correct or incorrect answers, but be specific when you explain your answer.
• You will have six lines for your paragraph. Use all of the space.

Sessions for Parents:

• CSPA Math 4 Parents - Wednesday, April 20 at All Saints High School (7 - 8:45pm).  Learn more about how math is taught today in classrooms and how you can support your child's learning.  Two workshops will be offered on this evening at the same time.  Choose from Inquiry-based Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom (JK - Gr. 6) OR So Much Homework, So Little Time. Why is High School Math So Difficult? (Gr. 7 - 12)

Registration link  

Student Congratulations!

Congratulations to our own Tarun Balaraj (grade 10) who was recognized by the Ottawa Sports Awards recently at their 63rd annual presentation.  Tarun is the #1 ranked junior squash player in the Ottawa area.  He has consistently done well in regional, provincial and national tournaments.  Great work Tarun!

Communications

Check out our blog – allsaintschs.blogspot.ca and our twitter @AllSaintsCHS as well as our website ash.ocsb.ca for all that is happening at All Saints!

All Saints Blog Week of March 7th, 2016

Dominican Experience Group returns home

Our Dominican Experience group of students and staff returned home this weekend after an exhaustive trip, lending support to the local community.  I am anxious to share some specifics regarding the details of the experience in the coming weeks.  Great to have everyone home safe and sound!

Grade 6 Transition meeting at All Saints

I would like to thank all of the parents/guardians of our grade 6 elementary students who joined us for an information session this past week.  The evening began with our own grade 7&8 students running a workshop on technology and preferred electronic devices in our learning commons.  We have spent a great deal of time this year with our students and staff learning about using technology to support activities in the classroom and wanted to share this experience with our new group of grade 6’s.  Following our technology session and group tours of the school, we met with parents and students in the gym to discuss expectations and structure at the grade 7 level.  We had 2 grade 7 students recount their experience at All Saints this year, the many opportunities available, and the support they received with the transition.

A special thank you to our teacher organizers for our technology session, our curriculum leaders and student services department for being available for questions, and Ms. Gillier-Symes for her organization of our parent presentation.

Upcoming Grade 10 Literacy Test

To all parents of Grade 10 students - the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT) will be taking place this year on March 31, 2016. This week’s literacy information focuses on writing a summary question:

GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING:

• You must write in complete sentences in the lined space provided.

• Read the instructions carefully and do what is asked.

• Make changes to your writing as clearly as you can.

• Organize your ideas.

• Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

• The audience for your writing is always an adult. The language in your writing should be standard Canadian English and should be appropriate for an adult audience.

Writing a Summary

(a concise version of an original text)

• Highlight, underline or circle important ideas when reading the text.

• Plan your summary. Find the main idea of the text and at least two important details that support it.

• Underline, circle or use the Notes space provided to help plan.

• Reduce the number of words (use one general word instead of several specific words, use fewer examples, leave out unnecessary words).

• Do not include your personal opinion.

Sessions for Parents:

• CSPA Math 4 Parents - Wednesday, April 20 at All Saints High School (7 - 8:45pm).  Learn more about how math is taught today in classrooms and how you can support your child's learning.  Two workshops will be offered on this evening at the same time.  Choose from Inquiry-based Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom (JK - Gr. 6) OR So Much Homework, So Little Time. Why is High School Math So Difficult? (Gr. 7 - 12)

Registration link  

Communications
Check out our blog – allsaintschs.blogspot.ca and our twitter @AllSaintsCHS as well as our website ash.ocsb.ca for all that is happening at All Saints!

School Calendar 2016-17 Update

Last December we asked for input from parents and guardians regarding vacation preferences for Christmas 2016.  Thank you to everyone who completed our survey and the schools, councils and individuals who helped to share this survey with others.  We received over 6700 responses!  WOW!! As you can see below, there was an overwhelming preference for Option 2: vacation from Saturday, December 24 to Sunday, January 8.

In January, we provided these results to the OCSB Calendar Committee which collected feedback from all OCSB stakeholder groups.  There was also consultation with our co-terminus board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, with whom we share school bus transportation. Last Tuesday, the Board of Trustees approved the proposed OCSB school calendar for 2016-17.  This proposed calendar features a later Christmas break, as preferred by parents/guardians and has the OCSB elementary and secondary PA days all occurring on the same days.  The calendar dates cannot be considered final until they have been approved by the Ministry of Education.  A response from the MOE is expected in the spring. Learn more about the specific calendar dates at http://www.ocsb.ca/calendar Again, thank you to everyone for your interest and participation. CSPA Communications

All Saints Blog Week of February 29th, 2016

Dominican Experience arrives in the DR

Our Dominican group students and staff arrived at their destination this weekend and will be working at supporting those in the community.  The group attended mass in Spanish this weekend and met their family hosts.  They will be involved in several activities this week as they get to know the local residents.  If you are wondering, the weather indicates sunny with a high of 28 degrees in the Dominican . . . all week!

All Saints Boys Basketball team wins City Championship

Congratulations to our Boys Basketball team for clinching the City finals against AY Jackson this past week.  The boys won against Bell high school earlier in the week for a spot in the final.  Special congratulations and thanks to Mr. Podgorski for coaching the boys this season.  Thank you to all the parents who came out to cheer on the boys at both games.

School Council Funding supports School Groups

At the All Saints School Council meeting this past week over $3000 from fundraising efforts was approved to support school programs.  The council supported initiatives by the All Saints Robotics group, our Outdoor Education course, our grade 8 “Investigate, Invent and Innovate” initiative, school greening ideas and student mentorship activities.  All Saints students and staff continue to appreciate the support of our active School Council.  A special thank you to the fundraising sub-committee and our council Treasurer, Ms. Rink.

Upcoming Grade 10 Literacy Test

To all parents of Grade 10 students - the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT) will be taking place this year on March 31, 2016. This week’s literacy information focuses on reading strategies for graphic texts:

What is a graphic text?

• A graphic text uses words AND pictures to communicate information.

What are some examples of graphic texts?

• Posters, pamphlets, comic books, diagrams, instruction manuals, maps

Before reading:

• Look at the whole graphic text. Locate the title, headings, captions, legends and pictures.
• The title tells you what the graphic is about.
• Headings organize the information into sub-topics.
• Captions provide extra information.
• Legends help you to understand how to read the graphic text.

During reading:

• Read all the headings and examine how they are related to the graphic. Each heading has a purpose. The most important headings may be in capital letters, bold type, or a larger font.
• Follow the arrows and lines. They may be used to show movement or direction, or connect to the things they name.
• Look for the use of symbols to emphasize important words and information.

• Understanding EQAO Assessments

Every year, Ontario students in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 10 write province-wide tests to assess their reading, writing and math skills.

This presentation will provide parents an opportunity to gain an understanding of the EQAO assessments.

Register Now:  http://bit.ly/CSPAEQAO

Tuesday, March 1, 2016; 6:45 - 8:45 PM

Saint Joseph Catholic High School; 3333 Greenbank Road, Barrhaven

Communications

Check out our blog – allsaintschs.blogspot.ca and our twitter @AllSaintsCHS as well as our website ash.ocsb.ca for all that is happening at All Saints!

{Catholic} Homeschooling through High School

Have you homeschooled through the high school years? My son is a senior this year and I have written an article of what I faced at the beginning and in retrospect, the successful experience he has had since we took on the challenge of homeschooling him through the high school years. This is our story. I would love to hear what you did different? What did you like from our experience? Please share with others as they too might be just as afraid of this journey as I was four years ago.

One of the scariest tasks I have had to endure is homeschooling our oldest child through high school.  He is currently a Senior and it is only early November and boy have we had a busy year!

One of the things that I worried most about was, ahem, the social issues.  I did not want him to miss out on Prom, and band, and any other great opportunity he might have had at the local public school.  So for the first time, my husband and I when finishing the eighth grade, offered him the opportunity to go to a brick and mortar school.  His reply was quick, short and to the point and completely convinced me that he was spot on.  He said, “why would I want to expose myself to things that would damage my soul?” and went on to list things that on a moral level, would not be healthy.  He was right and since we did give him this choice, we honored his very mature response.  I should add, at this point he had only been homeschooled for three years as he went to a Catholic School from Preschool until the fifth grade. So once I let it sink in that I had to figure out his high school curricula, I got started on researching what we wanted to do.  I had taught in the past for fifteen years but always avoided jobs at the high school level. 

Since he wanted to study music and I am not musically inclined, this was a bit of a daunting task.  In hindsight, I can tell you even an area where mom is not familiar with is definitely possible.  Through speaking with people and asking for help from those in our area we were able to supply him with ample opportunities to train, participate and perform in many areas of music he was interested in.  Here are the examples of what we did to make this happen for our son:

READ MORE

Unable to log in to my YouTube to upload or approve comments

Not sure what happened exactly, but I am unable to log in to my own YouTube account in order to upload new videos or manage my subscribers' comments. At the same time there is no problem logging in to Google, GooglePlus or Blogger. Hmmmmm. Thank you for being patient as I am looking into solutions.

The Official "Catholic Through the Year" Blog Tour

WHAT IS THIS BLOG TOUR?

Catholic Sistas is pleased to announce The Official Catholic Through The Year Blog Tour! 

This blog tour is intended to spread the word about this budget friendly downloadable and printable Catholic planner. We will be hosting a giveaway throughout the tour as well, which will include a free calendar and your choice of any/all of our available bundles {Homeschool Lesson Planner, Household Management, or Catholic Blogger}. Scroll to the bottom to see those details, and good luck! If this if your first time hearing about this amazing planning and organizing tool, you’ll want to stop by our store and our sample pages to see what all the fuss is! 

______________________________________

I'm excited to share with my reader friends, Catholic Through the Year, Catholic Planner created by CatholicSistas.  It is a wonderful planner with many options and BUDGET FRIENDLY! The neat thing is that it is not just a planner:

My favorite aspects of this planner is the versatility of it and the options it has.  For example, in the calendar/agenda area you have a monthly planner: 

Also following are weekly planners:

CALENDAR details

• 154 8.5″x11″ downloadable pages to print using your own home printer or take to a printer to have it professionally printed – your choice! {you can also adjust your printer to print it in booklet size, making it perfect for tossing in your purse}
• print in COLOR or B&W — your choice
• beautiful cover sheet
• 2015/2016 academic and 2015 traditional calendar available
• this liturgical planner was created using the standard guidelines of the Church calendar, both the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 used in the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite {the Novus Ordo} and the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope St. Pius V and reissued by Pope St. John XXIII in 1962 used in the Extraordinary Form {the Traditional Latin Mass – TLM}
• year at a glance
• 12 month at-a-glance pages {two-page spread per month for maximum use}
• weekly planners for each month, giving you plenty of customizable space to meet your family’s needs
• includes a personal information page,
• contact sheet for friends, family, & acquaintances,
• multiple pages for note taking {or doodling, if that’s what you like to do!},
• and a meaty section on prayer, including verses from Sacred Scripture, quotes from saints, & references pulled from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as a truncated list of common prayers.

In addition, there is a Homeschooling section, which includes Lesson plans:

An evaluation sheet to use with each child as well as a grade sheet for each subject:

A homeschool conference kit (created by yours truly, btw):

HOMESCHOOL details

•  beautiful cover sheet
• 48 pages total
• 36 pages of blank lesson plans waiting for you to get ready for the school year! Verses from Sacred Scripture, quotes from saints, and snippets from the Catechism of the Catholic Church laced throughout.
• grade sheet printable to print as many times as needed
• an evaluation sheet to monitor your kiddo/s’ work habits, as well as yourself!
• and a report card printable for you to print on card stock, making your homeschool reporting look professional!

There is also a Household Management Set which includes a Birthday & Anniversary list and a gift list:

A Monthly and Weekly Menu organizer:

Also a budget planner:

HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT details

• beautiful cover sheet
• 40 pages
• a re-usable to-do list to keep track of what needs to get done throughout the day {lamination recommended}
• 12 month of meals calendars, August 2014-July 2015
• weekly meal planner printable to print as many times as you will use it through the year
• daily cleaning list {lamination recommended}
• weekly & monthly cleaning lists {lamination recommended}
• fall & spring cleaning lists {lamination recommended}
• 23 day organizing challenge which outlines different tasks to tackle
• household tips sheet with some cool tidbits of information to make your life easier
• around the house master project list
• budget list for finances for all months of the year
• birthday & anniversary list, by month
• AND a gift list, with a breakdown to designate Christmas, birthday, or anniversary

For my friends who are bloggers, she has an additional Set just for bloggers to get organized and to build your sponsors:

CATHOLIC BLOGGER details

•  beautiful cover sheet
• 53 pages
• additional cover sheets for each blogging month
• goals sheet for each month
• daily maintenance sheet to keep track of your posts and what you’ve done with social media, did you pray?, etc.
• brainstorm sheet with room to spread out and jot down ideas, tags, categories, SEO, where to promote, time and supplies needed, and any offshoot post ideas
• guest post sheet to keep track of details for those who wish to write on your blog
• sponsor sheet to keep track of ads, $ coming in, and start/end date for the ads
• AND a month of posts sheet to jot down all the post titles for the month, as well as recording numbers for all your social media

See what I mean? This Planner has it all oganized for you.  If you are anything like me, you need this in your life!  Even if you are not a stickler for schedules and planners, this will always help keep your life glued together.  Something you can always jump back to when things haven't gone as planned. ;)  Want to see more pictures?  

THE GIVEAWAY

As part of the Catholic Through the Year Blog Tour Contest, I am lucky to be able to give away an entire “Catholic Through the Year” downloadable planner! Not only will you receive the calendar, but you will also get the home management, blogger, and the homeschooling bundles as well!

Want to enter to win? Simply leave me a comment below on why you would like to win. Want to increase your odds with extra entries? Go to Raising Little Saints Facebook page and like the page and share the link to this post on your own Facebook page (or click share below!). You will receive 2 extra entries for doing so! The contest opens today and will end next Thursday, July 30th with the winner being announced Friday, July 31st.

Want a planner but don’t want to wait for the contest to end? You can order your very own planner, or any portion of it, at the Catholic Sistas website. Not only is this a great planner, but it is extremely affordable too. Check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to leave your comment below! Good luck!

WHO’S PARTICIPATING - GO VISIT THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT CATHOLIC THROUGH THE YEAR

JULY 20 – Ashley Woleben at Between the Linens

JULY 21 – Jen Frost at Faith & Fabric

JULY 22 – Hilary Weston at Sweetness and Joy

JULY 23 – Sarah Reinhard at Snoring Scholar

JULY 24 – Michelle Fritz at Tales from the Side of the Tub

JULY 27 – Debbie Gaudino at Saints 365

JULY 28 – Erika Drain at Raising Little Saints

JULY 29 – Catholic Mom

JULY 30 – Kerri Baunach at Journal of a Nobody

JULY 31 – Barb Szyszkiewicz at Franciscan Mom