Monthly Archives: June 2023

Thank you again for your patience, all students have been released and the buses have left the school.

All student dismissal have been delayed due to a medical emergency that occurred right before dismissal time.

We thank all parents and families for demonstrating patience and respect for our little student.

Dear Families,

Our 2022/2023 school year comes to a close this week as Thursday, June 29th marks the official last day of school. Together, we have journeyed through another wonderful school year! There has been so much learning, growth and achievement to celebrate!

We would like to express a heartfelt thank you to our parents and families for your support and kindness this year. Being new to St. Al’s, it has been a rewarding and most enjoyable year for us to have the opportunity to work with you and your child(ren). We are truly grateful for your partnership together with us!

Sincere appreciation is extended to all staff for their dedicated efforts, each and every day. From planning engaging tasks in the classroom, to running intramurals and co-curricular teams/activities, to sharing fun together in year end excursions, our St. Al’s staff are truly committed to our students, their success, growth and achievement!

A big shout out to our amazing student STARS. We want each of you to know how proud we are of all your accomplishments. You have worked hard and showed such resiliency and determination through this year. Each of your smiling faces has motivated us every day to be better and to embrace the day with joy and hope! Thank you!

Finally, a special thank you to our Grade 8 Graduates of 2023. For many of you, St. Al’s has been home for many years. It has been a pleasure for the staff to watch you grow, and we wish you success as you begin your journey through secondary school. May God bless and guide you always. Congratulations!

Farewell and Good Luck!

The end of the school year inevitably means saying farewell to both some of our staff and students. Sincere gratitude goes out to some of our permanent staff who have journeyed alongside our students and will be finishing their time at St. Al’s: Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Batista, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Kerry, Mrs. Lasarevich, Mrs. Munroe, Ms. Restoule, Mrs. Santarossa, and Mrs. Tenorio. We thank all of them for their hard work, dedication, and support during their time at St. Aloysius. You will all be truly missed and wish you all the best in your new school communities!

Welcome!

We are pleased to announce that, while Mrs. Sabo and Ms. Tait will be returning to their retirement after the last day of school, Ms. Rellinger has been named the new principal of St. Gregory School in Cambridge! We are thankful to Ms. Rellinger for sharing her time, energy and talents in service of our St. Al’s students, staff and community. She truly leads from her heart and we just know she will be a great principal!

Beginning in September 2023, your new administrator team will be Mr. Ben McKinnon (principal) and Mrs, Carla FundakBonsma (vice principal). Please join us in welcoming them as they join this amazing school community!

Finally, there are a few outstanding projects to watch out for that may get completed over the summer – we are adding a new basketball net in the junior-intermediate zone on the playground as well as a second soccer pitch! The blacktop will also get updated with new painted games & activities! We know our students will enjoy these elements at recess! Who knows? Maybe we will come back to visit next year and show the students our four-square and bball skills!

Thank you…

We would like to wish all of our STARS families a very safe and happy summer, one that is filled with God’s blessings of peace, health and happiness!

It has been our sincere honour and privilege to be part of this incredible school community. Thank you for sharing the wonderful gift of your children with us.

Fondly,

Ms. Rellinger, Mrs. Sabo and Ms. Tait

Dear Families,

Today we recognize all of our Dads, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, and all who provide a Father’s love in our lives!  We give thanks and show our appreciation for these caring people who love us and are with us today, and also those we hold close in our hearts. May your day be filled with peace, love, and sunshine!

World Cup of Soccer

Last week was just incredible as we celebrated teamwork, student leadership, friendship and FUN as we continued a long-standing St. Al’s tradition of the World Cup of Soccer! Students from across grades and classes joined each other on teams to represent several different countries! For a week that looked like it was calling for rain every day, it could not have worked out better! Two of the three championship games ended in a shoot out too! So exciting! Special thanks to Mrs. Kuepfer for leading the organization and to all of our staff who helped to plan, coach and referee! It was AWESOME!!!

STEAM Fair

On Friday, we also celebrated our student innovators in our STEAM fair! Students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 wondered about our world and asked questions that led to personal inquiry projects. Their findings were on display in our gymnasium as they shared their learning with our students and staff! Thanks to Ms. Steiner and Mr. Nicholas for organizing the event. “Learning begins with an idea”!!!

National Indigenous Peoples Day – June 21st

This is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated as National Aboriginal Day in 1996 and is to be celebrated annually on June 21st.  This date was chosen for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the Summer Solstice, and the fact that it is a day on which many Indigenous peoples and communities traditionally celebrate their heritage. It was renamed National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2017.

Let’s wear orange on Wednesday to celebrate as a school community!

End of School Year Mass

We will be joining together as a whole school community for our end of school year mass on Wednesday, June 21st. Father Melvin will welcome our Stars to St. Aloysius Church at 1:00 pm. The partnership of school and parish supports the faith life of our students. We are blessed.

Let’s #FinishStrong

As we head into our final weeks of the 2022-23 school year, we celebrate the many gifts and talents of our amazing students, staff and school community! Over the next two weeks, we have some final class excursions, Play Day, Rock Band performances, our year end assembly and Graduation for our Grade 8s and our Year 2 (Senior) Kindergarten students!

Our dedicated staff are working hard to plan tasks and activities that will support our students not only as they complete the year together, but also to help build the foundation for next year. Our students have worked hard and have learned SO MUCH! Let’s keep it up, Stars, and finish strong!

Have a wonderful week!

Dear Families,

As we move through June, many activities are planned for our school community!

Coming this week, it’s….

St. Al’s World Cup of Soccer

A special year end St. Al’s tradition has returned – it’s the World Cup of Soccer! Our Opening Ceremonies will be held tomorrow (Monday) morning and games will be played throughout the week ahead! This will be an opportunity to not only celebrate the year and have some fun, but also to continue to work together as team, showing care, respect, and fair play!

Please note: We will monitor the air quality index daily as well as the weather. The start to our week looks rainy at this point and we hope to reschedule any missed games. Stay tuned for details from the tournament!

Track & Field – Regional Meet

A huge congratulations goes out to our student athletes and coaches (Mrs. Hollohan and Ms. Weltman) for the amazing work at the Regional Track and Field Meet last week. Our students represented our school so well and we are very proud of each member of the team!

Moving or Changing Schools for September?

If you are aware that you will not be returning to St. Aloysius School in September, please let the office know (519-893-5830). We are currently planning for next year and having the most updated information is very helpful.

Have a wonderful week ahead, Stars!!

Dear Families,

Welcome to a new week and a new month! Your St. Al’s staff are busy planning learning activities and special events that will celebrate this year and our time together. One event to note is that we are bringing back the tradition of our St. Al’s World Cup of Soccer next week! Students and staff are so excited! Stay tuned for additional details and updates to come.

National Indigenous History Month

WCDSB and St. Aloysius School continue to celebrate and honor the history, heritage, and diversity of Indigenous peoples in our country, and in our local community, throughout the month of June. Specifically, June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, is a moment for all Canadians to come together and celebrate with Indigenous Peoples. As a community, we continue to deepen our understanding of the role we must take in recognizing our impact on our Indigenous brothers and sisters and our part in promoting truth and reconciliation.

2023-24 Extended Day Program

The WCDSB Extended Day Program will continue at St. Aloysius School for the 2023-24 school year!

Registration for this before/after school program will open on June 19, 2023. Please login or create an account with OneList Waterloo Region and follow the steps. Make sure you have indicated a start date of September 5, 2023 (or later if preferred) to ensure you are enrolling in the 2023-2024 school year.

All Extended Day programs across WCDSB will begin on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, however, families may choose a later start date. Please be reminded that Kindergarten students will participate in the staggered entry process and the Extended Day Program will only be available to children in attendance on their scheduled day.

To confirm and manage your child(ren)’s registrations and schedules throughout the school year, simply log onto your account with OneList Waterloo Region.

For assistance with the OneList Waterloo Region site, please contact OneHSN support at:

Phone: 1-888-722-1540 or Email: support@onehsn.com

Spring Safety Drills

We ran two safety drills at our school last week – a fire drill and a lockdown drill. Our staff and students were so wonderful once again in following all protocols and policies in place to ensure the safety of our entire community! Well done, Stars!

Warmer Weather Conditions

As we are having more summer-like days with beautiful sunshine and higher temperatures, we extend our thanks to our parents and families for sending your child(ren) to school prepared for this warm weather. This includes bringing a reusable water bottle and wearing sunscreen, a hat, and closed-toe shoes for outdoor play.

Have a wonderful week, Stars!