Happy New Year you A-W-E-S-O-M-E Hurricanes!
Can you believe it's 2023? Doesn't that just sound futuristic!? In any case, a brand new opportunity to continue to learn, reflect, discover and grow! We hope all of our Hurricanes had an opportunity for some adventure. Or maybe just as important, some time to settle down a bit over the holidays and spend quiet time in nature, with family or just some moments to rest, relax and restore.
A HUGE shout-out to the students who volunteered to sing in the children's Christmas Eve Mass on December 24th at St. John the Baptist Church. There were over 30 students from both H.T. and St. John schools that combined their singing talents, and did an amazing job illuminating our faith and preparing for the coming of Jesus! Father Valentine was so happy and hopes to continue to involve the youth in the celebration of our faith, that he wants to do it again. He is calling for any students in Grades 3-8 to pick up a permission form from the office if children wish to sing in the choir for a January 29th Children's Mass at the parish. Way to go Hurricanes! Be BRAVE!
On January 31st, 2023 the Wellington Catholic District School Board will be offering a parent seminar Understanding Human Trafficking: An Information Session for Parents. Please see the attached poster for more details. To register, please follow the LINK @ https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oOhWHj_XTVayRHjqGrVPbQ
All Grade 7 students in Wellington Catholic will receive a presentation this Spring. As a parent, if you are unsure what this important topic is about, all the more reason to consider attending the workshop, as this is something really affecting many young people today.
January 27th is an Elementary PD Day, therefore there will be no school for students. Educators will be busy writing Term 1 Report Cards (Grades 1-8) and Communication of Learning (Kindergarten) following the Progress Reports you received for your children this past fall. Please see future newsletters for dates highlighting when these reports will be sent home with your child(ren) and when parent-teacher-conferences will take place.
Our parking and kiss 'n' ride program is going really well, and reflecting all of you! It can reflect urgency, impatience and individualism - however, we are so grateful that we are recognizing how mindful everyone is trying to be each morning with morning drop-offs and afterschool pick-ups. We all know, a little bit of patience and courtesy goes a really long way. But we're giving us an "A" grade because of your community spirit and teamwork, all 500+ students deserve to be safe - one accident, is one too many. To improve to A+, we ask that parents/guardians avoid using the side parking lot, especially afterschool. But again, THANK YOU - our goal is always STUDENT SAFETY over CONVENIENCE, we cannot do it without you! We appreciate your support, we really do!
We celebrate "Realistic Optimism" in the month of January as part of our Umbrella Skills Program. Please see the 2 PDF attachments to learn more. There is much research that shows how a positive psychology first, can be learned and practiced, and secondly, can have a very significant impact on our lives. In other words, we can never fully control the things that happen in our lives, especially those that are unexpected, negative or cause us stress. However, we can always choose or 'learn to choose' OUR RESPONSE! Do you want to live as a THERMOMETER or a THERMOSTAT in your life? One of these reacts to every situation and the other sets it's own temperature in response to the factors around it. That's one of our biggest goals at H.T., it comes through in our motto of WE CARE, WE CAN, WE CELEBRATE, and also through our touchstone prayer, the jokes every morning, how we deal with tough situations and how we work hard to balance work with play and fun! There are alot of ways you can help our young people learn that at home too! So have a look at these documents when you get a moment. Just remember, we always "GROW through what we GO through!"
In any case, thank you as always Hurricanes for your TOTAL SUPPORT and for always GOING BIG "with" us and "FOR" us! We feel that everyday and that love always trickles down to those that are the most important, our young people! Once again, it's a new year, a new opportunity and new book to write! Each day is the "first day of the rest of your life, not the start of your life!" Do not be afraid, our faith reminds us that God never abandons us and through Christ, all things are possible. And if that's not enough, remember what the words from Winnie the Pooh;
Happy New Year friends and have a wonderful weekend Hurricanes!