Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
The Gospel is about Jesus’ appearance to the disciples after his resurrection. Thomas did not believe that Jesus was actually present among them until Thomas put his hands in Jesus’ wounds. Sometimes we are like Thomas, finding it difficult to believe in how strong God’s love is.
Let us pray…
Loving Jesus,
May we always be aware of Your love and mercy in our lives.
May we believe that You are present in us, our family, friends,
and even in our enemies.
May we become discerning believers formed in the
Catholic faith community by looking for Jesus in everyone.
Amen.
Dressing for the Weather
Just a reminder that with the spring rainy season upon us, please dress children for the weather. Warm and waterproof coats / rain jackets, gloves, rain boots and umbrellas will keep children prepared for the rain! Parents and guardians are encouraged to send extra clothing to school in the event that students need to change wet clothing.
The Great Big Crunch!
St. Mark CES is pleased to participate in the Great Big Crunch! This is an annual, Canada-wide event aimed at promoting healthy school food, which is supported by York Region Public Health through its healthy schools and nutrition initiatives.
On Wednesday, April 15th, students and staff are invited to bring in an apple to be enjoyed during first snack. As an entire school community, we will count down together, then make a loud, synchronized “crunch” into our apple!
We look forward to this special event to raise awareness of healthy snacks, including learning about apples and their nutrition!
Shake for Sharelife
A reminder that on Friday, April 17th, 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 and guardians are invited to sponsor their child a toonie to SHAKE and raise funds for ShareLife! Students will participate in divisional dances on Friday, April 17th!
If our school raises $400, students will earn a pyjama day!
If our school raises $600, each class will receive one period of free time in the gym!
Students are invited to bring in a toonie this week, April 13th-17th.
To learn more about the work of ShareLife, visit https://sharelife.org/.
Thank you for supporting ShareLife!
St. Mark Feast Day
On Friday, April 24th, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Mark (April 25th). St. Mark is the patron saint of notaries, attorneys, lawyers, barristers, captives, prisoners, imprisoned people, and stained glass workers. He is also the patron saint of lions.
St. Mark is the author of the second Gospel that appears in the Bible. Although his gospel is shorter than the others, it focuses attention on Jesus as a teacher and a person of action. The Gospel according to Mark includes many stories of Jesus doing miracles, more than any other writer in the Bible.
Throughout this week, students will learn about their patron St. Mark through a variety of activities.
As previously communicated, on April 24th, Fr. Tad will celebrate our Easter and Feast Day Mass at St. Mark’s Parish at 8:30am. We will be joined by the Knights of Columbus (4th Degree) who will provide an honour guard in recognition of St. Mark’s Feast Day.
During this week, we will pray the St. Mark Feast Day prayer.
O Glorious St. Mark,
through the grace
of God our Father,
you became a great Evangelist,
preaching the
Good News of Christ.
May you help us to know Him
well so that we may faithfully
live our lives as followers of Christ.
Amen.
As Catholics, we believe that saints can intercede on our behalf with God due to their closeness to Him. We seek to emulate their virtues and gain their guidance in living a more Christ-like life. We hope students will continue to pray to their patron St. Mark and ask for his intercession.
Finally, students and staff will enjoy a St. Mark Feast Day cake! This cake from Cakes by Robert will be peanut and nut free, and shared during last snack on April 24th. An egg-free/dairy-free/peanut-free/nut-free cupcake from Cakes by Robert will be shared as an alternate treat for students with these allergies. Please visit https://www.cakesbyrobert.com/allergens for more information. Please contact the main office if you have any questions.
We look forward to this special day. St. Mark, pray for us!
Next Week’s Activities and Events
Here is a look ahead to next week…
April 13th-17th: Pause to Play Challenge
April 13th-17th: Students are invited to bring in a toonie in support of ShareLife
Tuesday, April 14th:
– Battle of the School Blades Charity Hockey Tournament at Clippers Arena, 4:15pm; GO LIONS!!
Wednesday, April 15th:
– The Great Big Crunch!; students and staff are invited to bring in an apple for our whole school countdown and crunch during first snack!
Thursday, April 16th:
– FDK Outdoor Education Program at St. Mark CES, class sessions
– Astoria Greek Order make up day for those who placed orders on January 15th, 2026
Friday, April 17th:
– SHAKE for ShareLife! Charity Fundraiser Divisional Dance (students and supervising staff only); last day to bring in a toonie in support of ShareLife!
> Kindergarten classes, 9:00-9:20am
> Primary (Grades 1-3) classes, 10:00-10:30am
> Junior (Grades 4-6) classes, 12:30-1:15pm
Upcoming Activities and Events
April 21st: Praying with the Rosary Apostolate; FDK to Grade 6 classes
April 21st: Grade 6 (McGinnes) STREAM Centre Visit at All Saints CES, all day
April 22nd: Earth Day
April 24th: Easter & St. Mark Feast Day Mass at St. Mark Parish, 8:30am; families are welcome to attend
April 29th: Grade 4 PIRLS Testing
April 29th: TerraCotta Butterfly Cookie Delivery for orders placed; last snack
April 30th: School-Level Oral Communications Competition, 8:45am
Closing Prayer
Let us close by praying:
Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
St. Mark, pray for us.
Wishing you an amazing week!
Sincerely,
C. Quadrini, Principal