Merry Christmas!
Reminding you that school resumes on Monday, January 8, 2024. Thank you to everyone that donated to our 12 Day of Christmas Giving, it was a huge success! Have a safe and happy holiday!
Cookie Pickup
For the families that ordered Terra Cotta Cookies, they will be available to pick up in the Learning Commons tomorrow, Wednesday, December 13 from 3pm-5pm.
Dec 10th Update
Christmas Concert:
We will be hosting a Christmas Concert on December 15th and parents/guardians are invited.
- Maximum 2 persons attending per family.
- Please not park in the staff parking lot.
- If you need to use the washroom, please ask a staff member to direct you to the special parent/guardian washrooms that day.
Both the am and pm concerts are identical and we’re inviting parents to performances based on what class their child(ren) are in, in order to ensure we are in compliance with our fire code for gym capacity. Parents/guardians may arrive at 9:10 for the 9:30 concert and – 12:40 for the 1 pm start.
- Parent / guardian’s are invited to attend the AM performance is they have a child(ren) in the following classes:
- Mrs. Denison FDK
- Mrs. Guidolin’s FDK
- Mrs. Mikuljan’s Grade 2
- Mrs. Cotter’s Grade 3
- Mrs. Beska’s / LTO’s Grade 4
- Ms. Segato’s Grade 5/6
- Ms. Ko’s Grade 7
- Ms. Champoux 7/8
- Parent / guardian’s are invited to attend the PM performance is they have a child(ren) in the following classes:
- Mrs. Nicholson’s FDK
- Mr. Marshall/Mrs. Norman’s Grade 1
- Mrs. Love’s Grade 1
- Mr. DeRamos’ Grade 2
- Ms. Weltman’s Grade 3
- Ms. Brown’s Grade 4/5
- Mrs. Rocco’s Grade 6
- Mr. Sam’s 7 / 8
Lost and Found:
We have several lost and found items that have been picked up on the yard. Do any of the items in the pictures belong to you? Items will be donated to St. Vincent De Paul next week.
Greentec launches Phones4Food in support of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
Waterloo Region, Ont. | December 7, 2023 – As the need for emergency food assistance rises in Waterloo region, Greentec is launching Phones4Food, an innovative fundraiser in support of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
Starting today, people can drop off their old or unwanted smartphones, laptops, and tablets to The Food Bank at 50 Alpine Court in Kitchener, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Greentec will collect and recycle the devices and donate their end-of-life value back to The Food Bank—supporting its work of acquiring and distributing food to the Community Food Assistance Network, a system of 120+ community programs and agency partners that provide food, support, and services to people in need.
More than 58,000 people in Waterloo region are accessing food assistance each year, a number that continues to rise and isn’t expected to drop anytime soon.
To learn more about Greentec and qualifying device donations, visit phones4food.com To learn more about The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and local food insecurity, visit thefoodbank.ca.
About The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
Founded in 1984, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (The Food Bank) was the first organization of its kind in Ontario dedicated to providing emergency food. Thirty-nine years after incorporation, The Food Bank continues to evolve to meet the needs of the community, ensuring no one goes hungry. The Food Bank acquires and distributes more than five million pounds of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to 120+ community programs and agency partners throughout Waterloo region.
Christmas Spirit
This Advent season Monsignor Haller is participating in the “12 Days of Christmas Giving”. Each day between now and December 19th we will be collecting food and supplies to help support families in need. Your generosity and thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.
Hawks, are you ready for some Christmas fun? Christmas spirit week is almost here.
Dec 4-8
The First Candle of Advent is the Candle of Hope.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
33:14 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Advent is a time to joyfully prepare. The word itself means coming or arrival. We prepare our hearts and minds for celebrating Jesus’ birth at Christmas. You may want to pray more, participate in Sunday Mass, have an Advent wreath, or create family traditions. No matter what you do, remember the reason you are preparing.
Each week staff and students will engage in a virtual liturgy to celebrate the theme for that week and by lighting the Advent Candle in our classrooms and on our school altar. The first candle is the candle of HOPE. It reminds us that we are the light and can spread hope. We can shine a light in dark places by providing kind gestures or kind words to those in need.
Catholic Graduate Expectation for December: I Am a Believer
This is how I am a Discerning Believer:
- I have attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teachings and act to promote social responsibility and human solidarity.
- I respects the rights, responsibilities, and contributions of myself and others.
Deep Learning Transferable Skill: Learning Partnerships
Transferable skills are the skills and attributes that students need to thrive in the modern world. Based on international research, the Ontario Ministry of Education has defined seven important categories of transferable skills – sometimes referred to as “competencies” – that will help students navigate the world of work and meet with success in the future.
During December, as Catholics, we will show transferable skills through active collaboration, not just with our classmates and teachers but also with community organizations like our parish church, and even with individuals from the global community. It’s about tackling real-world challenges together, participating in engaging activities, and exchanging ideas.
Expectations with SNOW:
As the weather turns colder and the snow remains on the ground, student safety remains an important part of outdoor play. For this reason, there are snow safety tips we review with students so playing in the snow remains a fun activity.
- We CAN make snow angels!
- We CAN build snow people and snow forts!
- We CAN play on our own or with others safely!
- We CAN slide down the hills if wearing snow pants and sitting down.
- We CAN enjoy the snow as a beautiful gift from God!
- We WILL listen to the adults at school – they provide direction around being safe!
- We CANNOT throw snow or snowballs – snowballs hurt and can have dirt, rocks, or ice in the snowball which can cause serious injuries!
- No one owns the snow; it is for all to enjoy.
- The maker of a snow fort or a snow person is the breaker of their snow fort or snow person.
Have a great week Hawks!
Dec 1st Update
Christmas Eve Pageant @ Blessed Sacrament:
Breakfast Club @ Monsignor Haller:
Monsignor Haller Catholic Elementary School is seeking 2 to 4 volunteers to support their morning meal program. Volunteers would be welcomed to the school from 8:30 to 9:20 assist with preparing nutritious food items for students before class. This initiative hopes to bring community members into the school to promote supportive environment through connection and good will. Please consider donating your time to this initiative to engage with the school community and assist the nutritious program. For those interested please contact Jillian.Cotter@wcdsb.ca as soon as possible. Necessary training (Food Safety) will be provided and reimbursed for 2 applicants to assist with this initiative. Not all members need training.
Boomerang Lunch:
The Monsignor Haller Eco-team encourages every student to boomerang their lunch on the last Friday of the month. We will boomerang on December 22nd as we are not in school on the 29th. Thank you for being good stewards of the Earth and challenge yourself to boomerang your lunch more frequently.
Indoor shoes:
Snow is hear! Please check the forecast and ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather outside. The changing weather can be challenging to plan for – but students must come to school with boots and warm clothes in snowy/wet weather. This also means it is time to send extra mittens and socks. Indoor shoes that are appropriate for the gym are essential too. It’s not safe to wear outdoor shoes in the hallways and gym as they are wet and could cause someone to slip and fall. Thanks for your understanding the importance of indoor shoes!
November 21st Update
Winter Outerwear Drive
Families of Monsignor Haller Catholic Elementary School,
This year our outerwear clothing drive will take place alongside parent-teacher interviews on November 22nd and November 23rd in the school gymnasium. You are invited to shop (everything is free) the selection of winter coats, boots and mittens for children, youth or adults, plus limited children’s toys and games. The gym will be open at 3:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday, please stop by and bring a bag from home.
If you have any gently used toys/games you would like to donate, please drop them off at the school tomorrow between 8:40 am and 3:30 pm.
Welcome Mrs. Ingoldsby
Monsignor Haller is excited to welcome Mrs. Ingoldsby to the Haller Hawk family. Mrs. Ingoldsby is our new Vice Principal and has started supporting our staff and students as of November 20th.
November 20th Update
Hello Monsignor Haller Families,
Ontario has designated the third week of November as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week to help promote safe schools and a positive learning environment. We are focusing on kindness, empathy, community, and encouraging the fostering of a positive school climate. We will have a daily focus for each day inspired by our WCDSB Pastoral theme of STRENGTHEN. Please see our plan for the week: Anti Bullying Week 2023-2024. By participating in Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, our students will be affecting positive change in their learning, achievement and well-being by promoting a safe learning environment, which is essential to their success.
Progress/Kindergarten Initial Observation Reports
Today, your child came home with their Progress Report or Kindergarten Initial observation reports. We hope you will be able to recognize the strengths in learning so far and celebrate successes for the start of the year at school. These initial reports highlight progress towards the end of the year expectations. There is still lots of time to reflect on the next steps for growth in learning and set goals for the school year.
We know that parents have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies show that students perform better in school if their parents or guardians are involved in their education. This is the basis for the principle that students and parents should be kept fully informed about the student’s progress.” ~ Growing Success, page 8.
Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences
Parent-teacher-student conferences are scheduled for November 23rd 3:30 pm – 8 pm. Your child brought home your scheduled interview time in their progress report today. If you have not received a scheduled a time, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.
November 23
Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 will take part in a Performance Assembly called Born to Be Brave … And More. This is a joyful concert which encourages children through reading and singing to be kind, give a sense of belonging, community and will celebrate that being different is good.
Save the Date: December 15th!
On December 15th, Monsignor Haller is hosting a Christmas concert. The theme this year is a, “Haller Country Christmas”. There will be two shows where everyone performs the same act two times; one concert in the morning at 9:30 am and another concert in the afternoon at 1 pm. The 2 concert times are to split up the volume of parents attending the concert. If you have children in both the AM & PM groups, you are invited to attend the concert with your eldest child’s class.
Parent/guardians are invited to attend the AM performance if they have a child(ren) in the following classes:
- Mrs. Denison FDK
- Mrs. Guidolin’s FDK
- Mrs. Mikuljan’s Grade 2
- Mrs. Cotter’s Grade 3
- Mrs. Beska’s / LTO’s Grade 4
- Ms. Segato’s Grade 5/6
- Ms. Ko’s Grade 7
- Ms. Champoux 7/8
All other parent/guardians are invited to the afternoon performance. Both am and pm performances are exactly the same.
November 17th Update
Winter Outerwear Drive
Families of Monsignor Haller Catholic Elementary School,
This year our outerwear clothing drive will take place alongside parent-teacher interviews on November 22nd and November 23rd in the school gymnasium. You are invited to shop (everything is free) the selection of winter coats, boots and mittens for children, youth or adults, plus limited children’s toys and games. The gym will be open at 3:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday, please stop by and bring a bag from home.
Parent Conference:
Progress reports go home on Monday, November 20th and we are very proud of our students’ accomplishments. Parent Conferences have been scheduled for November 23rd from 3:30-8pm and interview times will come home with the oldest or only child’s progress report. Looking forward to discussing your child’s progress.
Terra Cotta Cookie Fundraiser
Our school will be running a cookie dough fundraiser through Terra Cotta Cookies, from November 8 to November 29, 2023. The money raised will be used to host our Family Fun Night in June, assist our Grade 8s with their excursion to Mount Mary, and other fun activities within the school. Please help your child with our campaign by sending our custom link to as many people as you can! Sell to friends, family, neighbours and people at work! Please read the following on how to order online
1. Visit our custom site: https://fundraising.terracottacookies.com/current-fundraisers/monsignor-haller-ces/ OR find Monsignor Haller in the Current Fundraisers section of the Terra Cotta website.
2. Shop online. Fill your cart up! Add or remove products as you need to. Dough drops are $15.00 and Baked Shortbread are $10.00, no sales tax. What is a dough drop? Dough that is pre-portioned and packed to go straight from your freezer to your oven. Bake as few or as many as you like at a time. You get 40 cookie dough drops in each 800g box.
3. All products are nut free and there is a selection of gluten-free products.
4. At checkout fill in the form. Must include: seller name (name of the student you are buying on behalf of) and name of the school, Monsignor Haller Catholic Elementary School.
5. Agree to website Terms and Conditions. Place order.
6. Delivery of the cookie dough will be organized by the school and the company.
Important pick-up information:
All orders will be ready for pick up on Wednesday, December 13 from 3:00-5:00pm. Please ensure your order is picked up ASAP and goes back into a freezer as quickly as possible. Due to the frozen nature of the product this is very important to ensure the quality of the products. We appreciate your help in this matter. Thank you!
Monsignor Haller School Council
Photo Retake Day November 16- PM
Monsignor Haller photo retakes will be on Thursday, November 16 in the afternoon.
These will be for students that were absent on original photo day to have their picture taken or students needing a new picture for package purposes.
Retake proofs will be sent approximately two weeks after photo day for distribution. Families will receive a new proof sheet with a new online code to view the student’s retake images.