Welcome to the month of May! In this month we honour and celebrate Mary, the Mother of God.
In honour of the month of Mary, we invite families to participate in our Rosary Campaign.
For the Month of May to offer
1 000 Rosaries
For PEACE in the World,
that faith may grow,
for an end to poverty,
hunger and violence,
and for love and unity
among all the
Nations of the World!
May is Asian Heritage Month, an opportunity for all Canadians to learn more about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent who, throughout our history, have done so much to make Canada the wonderful country we all share today. We look forward to learning more about the achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent.
This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week!
Let us pray this special prayer…
Good and gracious God,
Guide us with your light.
Lead us so that we may inspire hope in others through our words and deeds.
We are your people, a people of hope.
Help us to bring light to others through our love and caring.
Bless us and send your Spirit upon us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
This week is also Children’s Mental Health Week This is an annual national event that takes place every year during the first week in May to encourage people to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health. This year’s theme is “A Call to Be Kind.”
Shake for Sharelife
On May 16th, St. Mark CES will host a SHAKE for SHARELIFE dance!
ShareLife is the official charitable arm of the Archdiocese of Toronto, raising funds to support more than 40 Catholic agencies and grant recipients serving the poor and marginalized in the Archdiocese of Toronto and beyond.
Parents, guardians, family and friends are invited to sponsor students to dance to raise funds for Sharelife!
Students will earn tickets for sponsorship received…
– $5 sponsorship via https://www.school-day.com/ = 3 tickets earned
– $10 sponsorship via https://www.school-day.com/ = 10 tickets earned
– $20 donated via https://sharelife.org/donate/ = 30 tickets earned and tax receipt from Sharelife; please be sure to add the following information in the Notes or Direction section: My child is participating in the SHAKE for SHARELIFE dance at St. Mark Catholic Elementary School in Stouffville on May 16th, 2024.
Students will enter their tickets to win one or more prizes!
We are also excited to offer students the opportunity to purchase glow accessories for our Shake for Sharelife Dance! All funds raised will be donated to Sharelife.
To learn more about the work of Sharelife, visit https://sharelife.org/.
Thank you for supporting Sharelife!
Catholic School Council (CSC)
Terra Cotta Cookie Fundraiser
Thank you to parents, guardians, family and friends for supporting our Terra Cotta frozen cookie dough fundraiser!
An information letter with draw tickets will be sent home with students by Wednesday, May 8th, 2024. Students will have the opportunity to enter their draw tickets on May 9th and 10th. Individual winners as well as our class winner, will be announced on Monday, May 13th.
Terra Cotta frozen cookie dough and gift box purchases will be available for pick up on Thursday, May 16th, 2024 from 2:00-5:00pm. Older students or parents/guardians can pick up orders in the front foyer using the front entrance of the school. Frozen cookie dough must be placed in the freezer as soon as possible!
We look forward to sharing the results of our fundraiser, including funds raised, in the upcoming weeks.
Meeting
Our next Catholic School Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 at 6:30pm in the school library. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend.
St. Mark CES BBQ
Join us for St. Mark CES’ BBQ, sponsored by our Catholic School Council!
Sports and Dance…GO LIONS!!!
Basketball
We wish our Junior girls and boys basketball teams the best of luck for their upcoming tournaments. We thank our coaches and team members for their hard work in preparation for these tournaments.
Track and Field
We look forward to junior students participating in our school track and field day on Monday, May 13th. We thank our staff for their hard work to prepare students for the various track events, and students for their commitment and dedication to their training. We wish all students the best of luck!
Love of Dance Showcase
We wish St. Mark’s dance team much success at the Love of Dance Showcase at St. Elizabeth CHS on Friday, May 17th where they will present their beautiful and graceful dance choreographed by St. Mark’s own staff and student dancers.
Next Week’s Activities and Events
Here is a look ahead to next week…
Monday, May 6th:
– Catholic Education Week opening virtual Liturgy, 8:30am
– We Are Called to Love presentation by Deacons Gordon and Wayne from St. Mark’s Parish for Grades 3/4-6 classes, 10:00am
Tuesday, May 7th:
– Catholic Education Week Book Read Alouds for Kindergarten and Primary (Grades 1-3) classes
– Travelling Stage Dance Program Workshop, Grades 1-3 classes
– Junior Boys Basketball Tournament at St. Brendan CES, all day
Wednesday, May 8th:
– Catholic Education Week province-wide virtual Mass, 12:30pm; parents and guardians are invited to participate using the Livestream Link
– Junior Girls Basketball Tournament at St. Brendan CES, all day
Thursday, May 9th:
– Junior (Grades 3/4 to 6 classes) music performance, 12:30pm
– Junior (Grades 3/4 to 6 classes) dance performance, 1:55pm
All parents and guardians are invited to attend!
Friday, May 10th:
– Primary (Grades 1-3 classes) classes dance performance, 12:30pm
All parents and guardians are invited to attend!
Upcoming Activities and Events
May 13th: St. Mark CES Track and Field Day for Junior students
May 13th: FDK Mother’s Day Celebration, 12:30pm
May 15th: Rosary Apostolate
May 15th: Catholic School Council Meeting, 6:30pm
May 16th: Shake for Sharelife Dance, all day
May 16th: Pick up of Terra Cotta cookie orders in front foyer, 2:00-5:00pm
May 17th: Love of Dance Showcase at St. Elizabeth CHS, morning only
May 20th: Victoria Day (no school)
May 22nd: Rosary Apostolate May Celebration, morning
May 28th: FDK Trip to Willowgrove Centre, all day
May 28th: Grade 2 Trip to Kortright Centre, all day
May 28th, 30th, June 3rd, 6th: Grades 3 and 6 EQAO
(back up dates: June 10th and 11th)
June 4th: Grade 6 Family of Schools Farewell Mass at St. Mark Parish, 10:00am
June 7th: PA Day (no school)
June 12th: End of Year Mass at St. Mark Parish, 10:00am; parents and guardians are invited to attend
June 12th: End of Year BBQ, 5:00-7:00pm; sponsored by CSC
June 13th: FDK Fire Hall Visit
June 21st: Grade 6 End of Year Trip at Timber Creek, all day
June 21st: FDK End of Year Celebration in gym, 12:30pm
June 24th: Junior Track and Field Area Meet at St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS, all day
June 26th: Grade 6 Celebration in gym, 12:30pm
June 28th: PA Day
June 28th: Reports cards available via Parent Portal at 4:00pm
Closing Prayer
In this month devoted to Mary we pray the Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
St. Mark, pray for us.
Wishing you a fantastic week!
Sincerely,
C. Quadrini, Principal