Monthly Archives: November 2021

Individual student progress reports will be coming home with each student from Kindergarten to Grade Eight today. Please take some time to review the strengths, weaknesses, and next steps for your child/children. These initial reports signify progress towards the end of the year/grade expectations. There is still lots of time to reflect, set goals, and improve over the rest of the school year. It’s time to celebrate successes for the start of the year at school, especially after being away from the physical school building several times over the past year. It’s also time to review the goals for your child(ren) as we move towards the end of the first term at the end of January, and for the rest of the school year. A really good time to discuss these goals is with the classroom teacher during interviews next week. Interviews will take place on Tuesday, November 23, Wednesday November 24 and Thursday November 25. The date and time for your child/children’s interviews will be included in the report cards. If you did not submit the interview form, an interview has been set for you/your child. Please make sure to look in the progress report card envelope. One final area to look at is the attendance profile, included on the top of each student’s report card.

We look forward to continuing working with you and your child(ren) (our students!) to help each one of them learn, experience success, build relationships, and practice our faith every day!

Friday, November 19, 2021 is a Spiritual Development Day for all WCDSB staff and there is no school for students.

Have a great weekend ahead!

Please see attached flyer for more information for an upcoming event to support building resilient families.

CCFOWR Event 2 Flyer

Supporting Well-Being and Early Literacy Skills!

Did you know that reading at home with your child supports well-being and early literacy skills? During the summer of 2021, the Waterloo Region participated in a Cuddle Up and Read campaign and we think that we can keep this going! Click on this link to learn more:  Cuddle Up & Read – Advice from Dr. Jean Clinton – YouTube

Videos to Keep It Going:

Cuddle Up & Read – Tip #1 – YouTube

Cuddle Up & Read – Tip #2 – YouTube

Cuddle Up & Read -Tip #3 – YouTube

Cuddle Up & Read – Tip #4 – YouTube

Cuddle Up & Read in Any Language – YouTube

Cuddle Up Faith (alt version) – YouTube

Cuddle Up Epic Story – YouTube

Cuddle Up Bedtime Story – YouTube

How to Read At Home With Children-It’s Easier Than You Think!

Advice from Dr. Jean Clinton

1. Dr Jean Answers – YouTube
2. Dr Jean Answers – YouTube
3. Dr Jean Answers – YouTube

Looking For More Information?

• Tips For Reading at Home With Your Child
• Dialogic Reading
• Sharing Books, Building Brains 
• Reading and Writing With Your Child, Kindergarten to Grade 6-Parent Guide

Let’s Get Our Students and Their Families Connected to Their Local Library:

• Every Kid a Card

Have you ever thought about becoming a school bus driver?

School bus operators in the Region are actively looking to hire up to 20 school bus drivers immediately. Positions are part-time and perfect for stay-at-home parents, retirees, people new to the Region, shift workers, and post-secondary
students. Training is provided and no previous experience is required. A $1,000 cash bonus will be provided to new drivers.

The Record recently published this article which provides candidates with information on what it is like to drive a school bus. Interested candidates can find more information on the STSWR website.

Good morning Haller Hawk families,

Please review the following ‘News from the Nest’:

Daily Screening ~ Families are reminded to continue using the Covid-19 School Screening tool before students arrive at school, and follow the directions provided from the screener. It is very important that we continue our diligence in keeping all students, staff and families safe.

PA Day ~ Please know that Friday, November 19 is a Spiritual Development for staff, and there is no school for students.

Parent / Student / Teacher Conferences ~ Classroom teachers will be reaching out to schedule an interview (virtual or via phone call) to discuss your child’s Progress Report November 23-25. Interviews requiring Translator support will be scheduled for alternate date – more information to come. 

Kindness / Anti-Bullying Week (Nov. 15-19) ~ This week we are focussing on Kindness / Anti-Bullying Week. The following theme days have been planned to further support our efforts in promoting kindness and inclusion within our school community.

• Monday – Random Act of Kindness Day – Do Something Kind for someone else
• Tuesday- PJ Day – Put Bullying to Rest
• Wednesday – Two Different Shoes Day – Let’s Learn to Walk in someone else’s shoes
• Thursday – Backwards Shirt Day – Show that you have someone else’s back
• Friday – Wacky Hair Day – Let’s appreciate the uniqueness of others

Spirit Days ~ Every Tuesday is Spirit Day. We are anticipating Spirit wear orders to arrive in advance of Christmas holidays. Students may also wear our school colours (navy blue / gray) on Spirit Days.

Terra Cotta Cookie Dough Fundraiser is BACK! ~ We are so excited to bring back the Terra Cotta Cookie Dough Fundraiser. All orders will be done through their online ordering system. Please use the following link:

Flip Give Fundraiser ~ Our team name is Monsignor Haller CES and our team code is QH4DTB.  Please go to the website www.flipgive.com/join or download the app to create their account and use the team code to join so that a portion of their sales go to our school. The key is to check on the website or app for the company they are shopping with before finalizing any online orders. 

Another note is that everyone has three options for how their purchases show up to the rest of the team. They can go into team privacy in their account settings and set it to full, partial or hidden. Each option will show them how their account/purchases will show up to the rest of the team so they can select the option they’re most comfortable with. Sincere thanks to all for supporting our school community.

HOT LUNCH IS BACK! ~ All orders will be completed through School Cash Online (make sure you sign up!). Mrs. Neves will not be able to accept any cash in the office. Please see attached flyer for hot lunch information.

Saturday Skills Builder ~ is a FREE literacy and numeracy support program for Gr. 7 and 8 students. If your child/student needs help to get through this transitional time and grades or study habits are suffering, encourage them to get the extra help they need. Taught by Certified Intermediate teachers, Skills Builder will provide additional instruction and resources to assist with the skills and tasks that follow this year’s curriculum.

Skills Builder is intended to help students who need:

• more time and attention outside of school hours
• a different approach to learning
• to hear, see, and apply new knowledge more than once

Dates:

• Saturdays, 9:00am to 12:00pm ONLINE (until in-person learning permitted),
• October to June (regular attendance is not required, yet strongly encouraged)

CLICK HERE to register online

For more information:

https://stlouis.wcdsb.ca/programsandcourses/gr-7-10-support/skills-builder/ 

Umbrella Project ~ This month our focus is to build a growth mindset. To briefly summarize, in a fixed mindset we believe that our intelligence and talent are something we are born with and can’t change. This leads us to the false assumption that talent alone, without hard work, will lead to success. Extensive research has shown that children with this mindset give up easily and often avoid challenges.

In a growth mindset, we see ourselves as growing and developing. We believe we can build any skill with effort and this can help us create a love of learning and an excitement around new challenges. We see the brain like a muscle, the more effort we put in, the bigger it grows.

Praise Your Child For Effort Instead of Talent

The most important thing we can work towards as parents is to praise our children for effort, not talent. Our words tell children how to think about themselves and with best intentions when we say things like, ‘Great job, you got perfect without even trying. You’re so smart!’ we send our child the message that trying hard means you aren’t as smart. 

Research shows that children praised for outcome will choose easier tasks to prove they are smart and gain our approval. Praising children for effort on the other hand, is what leads them to choose harder tasks because they know we value effort. This is why children with a growth mindset ultimately reach higher levels of success. 

To support the growth mindset of our school community, please give praise freely for these growth mindset builders:

• Things accomplished through practice: studying, use of effective strategies, perseverance, and concentration
• Choosing challenging projects
• Trying different strategies
• Making improvements
• Passion

When your child does something very quickly and easily, recognize that the task didn’t challenge them and say, “Sorry about that. I guess that was too easy. Next time let’s choose something that will really help you grow.” 

Try to avoid praise that judges their intellect, talent and speed rather than effort. Praising these qualities unintentionally has an adverse effect when our child faces difficult tasks, as it can create a fear of failure, increased procrastination and cause our children to quit when things get difficult. 

Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project

Upcoming / Important Dates: Please visit our school calendar regularly for updates.

Nov. 18 ~ Progress Report Cards sent home

Nov. 19 ~ PA Day / No School for students

Nov. 23-25 ~ Parent / Student / Teacher Conferences

Hello Hawks!

We are so excited to bring back the Terra Cotta Cookie Dough Fundraiser. All orders will be done through their online ordering system please use the following link – https://fundraising.terracottacookies.com/current-fundraisers/monsignorhallercs/

Please see the attached letter for more information regarding order deadlines and pickup dates and times. Paper flyers will be sent home with students on Monday November 15, 2020

If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Neves 519-579-1230.

Online Ordering Letter- Monsignor Haller CS

Thank you,

Mrs. Neves

Hello Hawks,

Our hot lunch is back but it is going to be a little different! ALL orders will need to be done through School Cash Online (make sure you sign up!) Mrs. Neves will not be able to accept any cash in the office. Please see the attached flyer for hot lunch information. LBSCO Program Intro Letter – Monsignor Haller CES Kitchener 2021-22

If you have any questions please feel free to call the school or email Mrs. Neves Ashey.Neves@wcdsb.ca.

Thank you,

Mrs. Neves

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Progress Report Cards are being sent home on Thursday, November 18, 2021. Parent, Teacher, Student Conferences will be held the week of November 22 – 26. A specific date will be scheduled for interviews requiring translation support – more information coming.

We will continue to hold our Parent, Teacher, Student Conferences virtually via Microsoft Teams / Google Meet and or a phone call. All conferences will be 10-15 minutes in length. Students are encouraged to attend the virtual conference and participate in the conversation regarding their learning. All families with students from FDK to Grade 8 are requested to attend a Parent, Teacher Student Conference.

The Initial Observation Report (FDK) is designed to communicate growth in learning and next steps in relation to the overall expectations in the Kindergarten Program. The Progress Report (Gr. 1-8) is designed to show a student’s development outlining growth in learning and next steps in relation to learning skills and work habits and curriculum expectations.

All parents/guardians are requested to sign up with their child(ren)’s teacher for an interview date / time. Classroom teachers will send a confirmation of your scheduled appointment home in the Progress
Report Card / Initial Observation envelope. Teachers may be connecting by a phone interview or a video conference.

We look forward to speaking with you regarding your child(ren)’s progress. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Yours in partnership,

Cathy Kuntz

Principal

The Catholic Community Foundation of Waterloo Region is sponsoring once again a Speaker Series for WCDSB parents and staff. This virtual event is free for any attendees.

Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

CCFOWR Event 2 Flyer