The month of November will soon be upon us. Throughout this month, we will be reflecting on the virtue of justice: justice in our lives, in our communities, and all around the world.
On November 1st, we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, or All Saints Day. On this day we celebrate all the saints of the people of God. We give thanks for the good example of the lives of the saints and all good people who are models for us of compassion, love and justice. We pray for the courage and the willingness to follow in the footsteps of the saints, today and every day.
The feast of All Souls, or All Souls Day is November 2nd. On the feast of All Souls, and throughout the month of November, we remember in a special way our relatives, friends and all the faithful departed who are in God’s great love.
Let us take a moment to recall in our hearts anyone who has died, family or friends.
May all the dearly departed members of the St. Mark CES community rest in peace.
Cross Country
Congratulations to St. Mark CES’ cross country team members who competed in the area cross-country meet on October 9th! Students worked hard to prepare for this meet and many team members ran their personal best! Great job LIONS!! We thank all of our coaches who supported students in their training for the meet.
Congratulations to Dean C. and Michael R. who represented St. Mark CES at the YCDSB Cross Country Board Finals on October 18th! Dean C. placed 3rd overall in the Grade 4 race, and Michael R. placed 20th overall in the Grade 5 race. Well done LIONS!!
Catholic School Council (CSC)
Hot Lunch Orders
Don’t forget to visit www.school-day.com to place your order for pizza Tuesdays! Please see the information below, including deadline, for Order #1.
ORDER #1: Pizza orders to be place from October 21-30, 2024
DEADLINE TO PLACE ORDERS VIA SCHOOL DAY IS OCTOBER 30TH at 11:59pm
Pizza Tuesdays from November 5th to January 21st
A reminder that the deadline is FINAL. No exceptions will be made.
We thank our CSC’s Hot Lunch Committee and parent volunteers for their hard work to provide this program to our students!
Seeking Volunteers
Do you have a green thumb and/or have a knack for keeping things moving with a smile? If yes, the CSC needs you! We are seeking parent volunteers who are interested in helping to care for our front flower and plant gardens, as well as helping to keep vehicles moving through the drop off loop in the morning. Parents/guardians are invited to contact the office to communicate their interest.
Thank you for considering these volunteer opportunities!
Morning and After School Routines
We continue to be grateful to parents, guardians and caregivers who are parking their vehicle in the church parking lot so that they can accompany their child(ren) to school. Please continue to walk your child(ren) to the threshold of the Kindergarten pen / school yard. Please continue to refrain from entering the school yard and Kindergarten pen.
Please do not bring pets on the school property.
These efforts will continue to support the safety of our students as well as develop their independence.
We thank all parents, guardians and caregivers for using the pick up / drop off loop appropriately. As this is a fire route, we appreciate that vehicles are not parked along this route, in particular during morning drop off and after school pick up.
Please refrain from dropping off and picking up students using the bus lane in front of the school entrance. This area is reserved for buses only and needs to remain clear of vehicles so that buses can safely drop off and pick up students.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation!
Halloween Costumes
As we approach Halloween this year, we look forward to students celebrating this occasion in costume!
Students are reminded to wear costumes that honour the dignity of each human person. When in doubt, think saint!
Masks should not be worn to school, as they present a safety risk, and some masks may even scare our younger students.
We ask that costume props, and/or replica weapons including, but not limited to, toy guns, knives, axes, swords, etc., remain at home. These are not to be brought to school.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Halloween Spirit Week and Dance
We look forward to an exciting and fun Halloween Spirit week that takes place this week!
On October 31st, St. Mark CES will be having our Halloween Dance! We anticipate a fun and enjoyable dance for students, and look forward to seeing them dress to impress!
Please see the dance schedule below.
FDK (JK/SK): 8:45 – 9:30am
Primary (Grades 1-3): 10:00 – 10:45 am
Junior (Grades 4-6): 12:30 – 1:30pm
To ensure the safety of all students, attendance at the dance will be limited to students and staff supervisors.
Halloween glow accessories (rings and bracelets) and snacks (popcorn and juice) purchased through School Day will be distributed on Halloween day, with glow accessories before the dance and snacks after the dance for students to enjoy. Thank you to parents and guardians for supporting this fundraiser. More information regarding the results of our fundraiser will be shared in our next weekly update.
Dental Screening
A reminder that York Regional Public Health dental screening will be conducted at St. Mark CES on Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 by a Registered Dental Hygienist. All students in grades JK, SK, and 2 will be screened as well as others as requested by parents/guardians.
Please see the attached letter for more information, including how you will receive your child’s screening results, and steps to follow if you do not wish for your child to participate in the screening.
YRPH Dental Screening Parent Letter_ 2024 2025Questions? Please contact the dental program at 1-877-464-9675 ext. 74388. For more information about York Region Public Health dental programs and services you can also visit york.ca/dental .
Scholastic Book Fair
St. Mark CES will host its Scholastic Book Fair from November 12-15, 2024 in the library, including extended hours on November 14th during parent-teacher interviews.
Book fairs are a great way to build your home library or choose a book or two to spark (or maintain) your child’s love of reading. They also make great Christmas gifts! Students will have a chance to preview the fair before they make purchases.
If any books sell out during Book Fair, they may still be ordered (and prepaid) by students. These books will be re-ordered at the end of the book fair and delivered when book fair materials are picked up (approximately one week after the fair). The Book Fair will close at 10:30am on Friday, November 15.
Proceeds from the Book Fair will go to support new library resources.
Thank you for supporting our Scholastic Book Fair!
Next Week’s Activities and Events
Here is a look ahead to next week…
Halloween Spirit Week: October 28th to 31st
Thursday, October 31st
– Halloween Dance
– Distribution of glow accessories and snacks previously purchased through School-Day
Friday, November 1st
– All Saints Day
Saturday, November 2nd
– All Souls Day
Upcoming Activities and Events
November 11th: Remembrance Day Service in the gymnasium, 10:30am
November 12th to 15th: Book Fair
November 12th: Dental Screening for JK, SK and Grade 2 students, and others as requested by parents/guardians
November 12th: St. Mark Parish Youth Minister Visit, 11:30am
November 12th: Progress reports available via parent portal at 4:00pm
November 13th: CSC Meeting in the library, 6:30pm
November 14th: Dairy Farmer Class Presentations
November 14th: Parent-Teacher Interviews (evening)
November 15th: Parent-Teacher Interviews (morning)
Closing Prayer
During the month of October, we continue to pray to our Blessed Mother Mary.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are 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.
St. Mark, pray for us.
Wishing you a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
C. Quadrini, Principal