St. Patrick's Blog Week of May 25th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of May 25th, 2015

Community Clean Up

Following a community meeting this past week, an effort to “clean up the community” was introduced as part of the City’s “Clean up the Capital” initiative.  This particular effort is concentrating on the Cedarwood/Sandalwood/Baycrest area.  The Community clean up will take place on May 29th, and interested individuals are asked to meet at Sandalwood Park from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.  Please see the link to the poster below that provides some additional information.

Cedarwood/Sandalwood/Baycrest Community Clean-Up

St. Patrick’s Murder Mystery Cafe School Play

This past week St. Patrick’s Intermediate presented their school play “Murder Mystery Cafe”.  The play featured some strong performances from our students and included an interactive component that involved the audience in the murder investigation.  Congratulations to the play’s director Mr. Leury, who has been working with the students on the production for a number of months.  Great job!

School Innovation Planning for student achievement and wellness (SIPsaw)

A group of staff from St. Patrick’s participated in the Board’s SIPsaw planning date this past week.  This is an opportunity to set academic and student wellness goals for our 2015-2016 school year.  The team focused on initiatives in the areas of faith development, literacy, numeracy and diversity.  Our school is proud of our goal work this year and we look forward to the initiatives for focus next year.  

Rosary Gathering

On May 20th, Ms. Rupert’s Religion class organized a Rosary gathering for the school.  The liturgy included prayer and guided reflection on the meaning of the Rosary, and its connection to many belief traditions.  Thank you to the students who led this opportunity for others.

Arise Dance Group

St. Patrick’s Intermediate hosted the Arise Dance Group from Ottawa this past Friday.  Arise brings its message of caring for one another and respect for ourselves to students through interpretive dance.  We thank the group for their meaningful presentation and organization.  It was an extremely worthwhile way to finish a busy week!

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly

St. Patrick's Blog Week of May 19th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of May 19th, 2015

Unity Week - Oaxaca, Mexico - Student and Staff Visit

We are coming off a very busy “Unity Week” at St. Patrick’s Intermediate.  From May 8th to 15th, we had over 30 students and staff visiting from Oaxaca (pronounced w ah - h ah - k ah ), Mexico.  We began the week with a commissioning ceremony, using the Board Unity Cross as a symbol of the friendship between our two groups.  The Mexican students (all accomplished dancers!) had been working with our students on video productions over Skype since the beginning of the year.  The visit gave them the opportunity to finalize their video work collaboratively, in person.  As part of the visit, we were able to see the Oaxacan dancers perform at the Ottawa Tulip Festival and in our auditorium.  The visitors and their hosts also took part in our International Lunch, travelled to Montreal, and visited the Bytown Museum and watched Question Period in the House of Commons.  It was a exhausting but fruitful week as we learned about education in Oaxaca, and shared our experiences of school here in Ottawa.  We are looking forward to additional opportunities to collaborate with the Mexican students.

Student Success Visit

On May 12th, the students and staff at St. Patrick’s hosted a Student Success Visit at the school.  This was an opportunity for superintendents and coordinating staff from the school board to tour through classrooms to analyze student learning.  The feedback from the group was very good - we were able to share the many different initiatives happening at St. Pat’s, and a number of students shared their perspective on the strong learning opportunities with which they are provided.

Co-Curricular Success at St. Pat’s

Over the past week we have had a number of opportunities to be proud of our students’ accomplishments at the school board level.  We had two teams participate in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge last week with both groups showing up some of the larger high schools!  We also had a repeat in our success at the Chess Tournament this year.  For the second year in a row, St. Pat’s has brought home the designation of top school in the board.  Congratulations to all of the students involved, and we appreciate the support of our Staff coaches/mentors in these activities.

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly

School Climate Survey - Parent version

A positive learning and teaching environment is essential if students are to succeed in school. Research shows that there is a direct link between student success and the school environment in which learning takes place.

Students are more motivated to do well and to realize their full potential in schools that have a positive school climate, where they feel safe and supported. To this end, the Ministry of Education for Ontario has required that a school climate survey be implemented in all of our schools at a minimum every 2 years. Among other questions, these surveys must include questions on bullying/harassment related to homophobia, gender-based violence, and sexual harassment.  In Catholic schools, our Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person is the starting point for all issues of diversity. Our board theme (Restore One Another in a Spirit of Gentleness) reflects one way schools strive to create an environment where all students and staff feel safe, welcomed and valued.

Throughout the month of May, we will be inviting parents to take the parent version of the school
climate survey, as it is important to understand parent perspectives of school climate to better meet the needs of all of our students.  The completion of these surveys is highly encouraged as it will allow us to obtain a complete picture of the climate of our school from the perspective of various stakeholders. There is a link to the parent version of the school climate survey below.  The survey will conclude May 22, 2015. Those of you who have registered to receive school/board emails will receive a direct email, linking you to the parent school climate survey.

Complete the School Climate Survey

St. Patrick's Blog Week of May 11th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of May 11th, 2015

Catholic Education Week - a Great Celebration

Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week across our province.  Our experience was a huge success.  We had a group in our school called Darkspark that worked with students creating lyrics and music around topical themes.  The group has recorded the songs and we are anxious to hear their finished product.  On Thursday of last week his Grace Archbishop Prendergast celebrated mass with the staff and students at St. Patrick’s Intermediate school.  This was part of the provincial Catholic Student Youth Day, celebrated across the province.  Thursday evening we had an enormously successful parent/guardian BBQ, and a presentation by our various bands and our dance group.  A thank you to the parents and guardians in our community who donated over $600 to the people of Nepal following the devastating earthquake in the region.  Those funds will be matched by the federal government and sent as aid to the Nepalese people.

Unity Week at St. Pat’s

Following Education Week, we have begun a new tradition with Unity Week being celebrated at St. Patrick’s Intermediate School from May 11th to 15th.  This week corresponds with our cultural visit by the staff and students of Blaise Pascale school in Oaxaca, Mexico.  The students are part of a dance group that performed as part of the Tulip Festival celebration in Ottawa this past weekend.  The group remains with us throughout the week, taking in classes at St. Pat’s, participating in a day trip to Montreal, and visiting Parliament Hill for Question Period on Thursday.  The students from Oaxaca, as well as their hosts and our staff will also tour the Art Gallery Thursday evening.

As part of Unity Week we are also hosting the Unity Cross, created by our school board to be shared among all our schools as a symbol of our togetherness in Catholic Education.  The cross will be used as part of a commissioning ceremony at our Monday Morning Assembly, welcoming our visitors from Oaxaca.  We are hoping that Unity Week becomes a tradition at St. Pat’s, celebrating our diversity and heritage at the school.

School Accommodation Review Update

A reminder that the next public consultation meeting regarding the St. Patrick’s Intermediate School Accommodation Review will be May 11th at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at St. Patrick’s High School.  The board has prepared an update document that will serve as additional information regarding the process.  You can access the document here.  We will be discussing the accommodation review further at our School Council meeting this Monday, May 4th at 7:00pm in our Learning Commons area.  Please join us for information on a range of topics.

Yearbook on Sale!

A reminder that our yearbook is now on sale for the same price as the last few years - $25.  We are encouraging families to purchase their yearbook online through the use of our School Cash Online program.   This web-based software allows parents to go online and pay for school excursions, sports wear, student fees etc.  Our St. Patrick’s Intermediate school yearbook will be available for purchase online this week, and student fees for our year end trips for grade 7 and 8 students can also be taken care of online.  Please visit https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com to register.  If you have any questions about the process or are having technical issues, please call 1-866-961-1803 or email parenthelp@schoolcashonline.com for the Parent Help Desk

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly

May 11th - School Accommodation Review Presentation

The Board has released the presentation to accompany the public meeting on the school accommodation review for St. Patrick's Intermediate at St. Patrick's High School on May 11th at 7:00pm.  You can view the presentation at the following link:

May 11th Accommodation Review Presentation

Student Comic Creation

Check out some of our student artwork around comic creation.  These are the winning entries:

School Climate Survey "Tell Them From Me"

Please take a moment to read about an important opportunity to survey students and parents/guardians about school life:

Student Survey

The Ottawa Catholic School Board will be implementing an anonymous online school climate survey for students called Tell Them From Me (TTFM), which will allow us to obtain the student voice on the climate in our schools. The advantage of this survey is that it enables us to receive immediate feedback from the students.

The surveys will help in-school teams determine school needs, make decisions on improving the climate of our school, as well as help to determine whether programs are effective at improving the school climate.  Over the month of May, all students in grades 7 and 8 will be given an opportunity to participate. The survey will be completed at our school and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete for most students.

The student survey measures safety, bullying, equity and inclusivity and student well being. Anonymity and confidentiality are maintained by providing each student with a random username and password which ensure that a student and his/her response can never be linked. Ensuring anonymity is important as we want the students to feel comfortable providing honest feedback regarding the climate at their school.  While all students in these grades will be encouraged to complete the survey, they have the right to choose not to if they wish.

Parent Survey

In addition, throughout the month of May, we will be inviting parents to take the parent version of the school climate survey, as it is important to understand parent perspectives of school climate to better meet the needs of all of our students.  The completion of these surveys is highly encouraged as it will allow us to obtain a

complete picture of the climate of our school from the perspective of various stakeholders. You can access this survey by clicking the link at the bottom of this message.  The survey will conclude May 22, 2015. Those of you who have registered to receive school/board emails will receive a direct email, linking you to the parent school climate survey.  

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the school administration. We look forward to hearing you and your child’s feedback regarding our school climate.

Parent Survey

St. Patrick's Blog Week of May 4th, 2015

St. Patrick's Blog

Week of May 4th, 2015

Catholic Education Week

May 4th to 8th is Catholic Education Week across our province.  There is a great deal going on across the board, as well as at our school.  We have published a pamphlet that highlights the activities taking place at St. Patrick’s Intermediate this week.  As part of our celebrations, we are honoured to have Archbishop Prendergast saying mass at the school on Thursday, May 7th at 10:00 am.  This Thursday we will also be having an open house (2:30 to 6:30) with a BBQ at 4:00 and a Music and Dance Showcase at 5:50.  Our parents and guardians are welcome to join us.  Please see our brochure for other details on our activities.

Board Events:

Catholic Education Week Mass – Celebrated by Archbishop Terrance Prendergast & Director of Education Awards & Stephen H. Richardson Memorial Award

·      Tuesday, May 5 | 7:30 p.m. | Notre Dame Cathedral |

“Step Up by Stepping Back” Dance Showcases

·         Tuesday, May 5 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | St. Paul High School

·         Wednesday, May 6 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Notre Dame High School |

·         Thursday, May 7 | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Sacred Heart High School |

Choral Celebration – Friday, May 8 | 12 noon – 2:00 p.m.  Massed Choir of  600 students from 17 schools sing together about 1:15 p.m.  | Notre Dame High School |

School Accommodation Review Update

A reminder that the next public consultation meeting regarding the St. Patrick’s Intermediate School Accommodation Review will be May 11th at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at St. Patrick’s High School.  The board has prepared an update document that will serve as additional information regarding the process.  You can access the document here.  We will be discussing the accommodation review further at our School Council meeting this Monday, May 4th at 7:00pm in our Learning Commons area.  Please join us for information on a range of topics.

St. Patrick’s French Excursion to Quebec City

We welcome our students and staff back from their Quebec City trip this past week.  The group was involved in a French language and cultural experience that included a visit to Sainte Anne de Beaupre Basilica, a guided sightseeing tour of the city, and an exploration of the history surrounding the Plains of Abraham.  There was also a little time for shopping and, I hear, some great meals!  Thank you to our parent community for supporting this activity.

Parent / Guardian Survey for the Board

Our Board, in collaboration with the Ottawa Catholic Schools’ Parent Association (CSPA) are conducting a survey of school families, to find out what information families would like to receive from OCSB schools and how you wish to receive it.  Good communication between home and school allows parents/guardians & school staff to work together to help our children succeed.  With many communication tools now in use, we believe it is important to understand how families currently view communication.  WE NEED YOUR HELP.  Your opinions are important to us.

The survey is available both online and in printed form (from your school); in English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.  Participation is voluntary and completely anonymous.   We plan to use the survey results to work together with school councils and our school board to put in place communications plans and strategies taking into account parent preferences.  Please access the surveys in different langauges at the following link:

Parent Surveys

School Exchange - Oaxaca, Mexico

Students and staff at St. Patrick’s Intermediate will be hosting visiting students and teachers from a school in Oaxaca, Mexico beginning this Friday, May 8th.  The Mexican students are dancers who will be participating in next weekend’s Tulip Festival as well as participating in cultural activities with their billeted families.  I look forward to providing you with additional details in next week’s Blog.

School Cash Online

We are actively encouraging our parent and guardian community to sign up for our School Cash online program.  This web-based software allows parents to go online and pay for school excursions, sports wear, student fees etc.  Our St. Patrick’s Intermediate school yearbook will be available for purchase online this week, and student fees for our year end trips for grade 7 and 8 students can also be taken care of online.  Please visit https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com to register.  If you have any questions about the process or are having technical issues, please call 1-866-961-1803 or email parenthelp@schoolcashonline.com for the Parent Help Desk

Have a great week;

Sean Kelly