Monthly Archives: March 2022

Welcome back Monsignor Haller Hawks!

We hope you had a wonderful March break! Happy Spring! We are excited to welcome everyone back to school today, Monday March 21st!

Daily Screener Website Updated ~ The Covid-19 Screener has been updated. It may be worth a few minutes to put in several different scenarios due to the updated provincial guidelines.

https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/

Change in Provincial Masking Requirements ~ Updated provincial guidelines start today. Masks will be optional for students and staff at all schools and on the bus. Please have a discussion with your child/children about your preference for mask wearing for them before school starts today, and about the importance of respecting the decisions of other families that may differ during this new adjustment time we will be going through. Many students/staff will continue to wear masks in the school environment. Again, it’s so very important that we are respecting other families’ decisions at this time.

International Travel During March Break ~ If you have travelled out of the country during March break, this is a gentle reminder that under the current federal guidelines, individuals must wear a mask at all times when in public spaces (including schools and daycares), maintain a list of all close contacts for 14 days in Canada, and to monitor closely for symptoms of Covid-19.

Upcoming / Important Dates:

March 26 ~ Earth Hour

April 4 – 11 ~ CCAT Assessment for Gr. 4 students

April 5 ~ Virtual CSAC Meeting (6 pm)

April 8 ~ PA Day – No School

April 15 ~ Good Friday – No School

April 17 ~ Easter Sunday

April 18 ~ Easter Monday – No School

April 22 ~ Earth Day

Good afternoon Hawks!

Before we leave school for March Break, we want to provide a few updates and/or reminders:

Vaccination Clinic~ ROWPH is offering a second Vaccine Clinic for children 5-11 years old here at Monsignor Haller School tomorrow (Saturday, March 12, 2022) from 9:30 – 11:30 am in our Library.

Prayers and Intentions ~ Please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine, hoping for a return of peace. Sincere thanks to our Haller Hawk Community for supporting our ‘Change for Ukraine’ initiative as we have raised $397.05 in support of the Canadian Red Cross for Ukraine Relief.

Season of Lent ~ We began the very important liturgical season in our Catholic faith on Ash Wednesday. As we journey toward the Resurrection and Easter weekend, families are encouraged to consider practicing various acts of kindness. Please review the attached Calendar of Kindness for possible suggestions.

School Climate Survey for Families ~ This is just a quick reminder that our School Climate surveys conclude today. Families are invited to access the survey using the Parent/ Guardian Survey Link: https://wcdsb.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eA4cEYt2P7ccOW2?school=MHAL

Upcoming Changes to Covid Protocols ~ Please know there are a number of upcoming changes to some of our Health & Safety protocols following the March Break. Please review the information shared on our website earlier this week from Director Notten for specifics. Anyone feeling unwell is required to remain home until feeling better.

Upcoming / Important Dates:

March 14-18 ~ March Break – No School

March 26 ~ Earth Hour

April 4 – 11 ~ CCAT Assessment for Gr. 4 students

April 5 ~ CSAC meeting 6:00 pm

April 8 ~ PA Day – No School

April 15 ~ Good Friday – No School

April 17 ~ Easter Sunday

April 18 ~ Easter Monday – No School

April 22 ~ Earth Day

Good morning Haller Hawk Families,

It has been exactly 2 years since we sat on the cusp of the 2020 March Break and we began to receive the news that the arrival of COVID-19 was going to be changing our lives rather significantly.  We did not know then what we know now – just how dramatically our lives would change and what a seemingly long journey it would be.

Please review the attached letter as there are some critical updates about the return to school on Monday March 21st.

Sincere thanks to families for your support and partnership as we do our best to keep staff and students safe and healthy.

March School Update to WCDSB Parents March 10th 22

Hello,

Bus 176 is going to be delayed 10-20 minutes.

Thank you,

Mrs. Neves

Please see the information regarding de-streaming for grade 9.  The attached FAQ flyer is intended to assist staff and parents as grade 8 students prepare for high school.

A translation page is included for our multilingual learners including Tigrinya, Spanish and Arabic translations.

De-Streaming FAQ.pdf

De-Streaming ML Translations (revised).pdf

While we currently find ourselves still firmly within this school year, at a school and board level, we now start to turn our attention to the 2022-2023 school year ahead.  As you may or may not be aware, the Ministry of Education has extended the possibility of a remote learning option for students for one more year.  In elementary that option remains our St Isidore school.  But for those students moving into grade 9 or currently in secondary, we have to determine interest.  We had very few secondary students who wanted the remote option this past year and we attempted to use a hybrid delivery model.  (This allowed students to remotely connect to a class and follow along synchronously.  While our best option to satisfy the requirement – not necessarily a well-liked option for staff or students)  If numbers of students who prefer remote continue to shrink, we may look at an asynchronous option for some grades/courses – which means eLearning.  (No connecting to a live class at the same time).  All to say – we are not fully sure what the delivery model will look like at the current time, and student numbers will help us to determine what makes the most sense.

It is important to note, that as was the case this past year, a choice for remote learning is a choice for the full year and for all courses.  It also means that students are not accessing the athletics and extra-curriculars at the school.  We continue to believe that in-person learning is the better option for the greater majority of students, not only in terms of the benefits for academic success, but also for social-emotional health and well-being.

If you have any questions about this survey or remote learning in secondary, please reach out to Deanna Wehrle (Principal) or St. Mary’s Guidance Department. Please note that a non-response will be taken to mean a desire to access in-person, face to face learning at the secondary school.  The deadline for returning the survey is Thursday March 10^th, 2022.

Here is the survey link:

https://wcdsb.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6x9t79VcrTehcEe

The Administrators of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our Lunch Hour Supervisors!  They are outside in the rain and the cold, they cover our classes for us and MOST importantly, they build relationships with our entire school community!  Our schools would not be the same without you and we are so thankful for you!

You are truly superheros and today we want to say THANK YOU!

https://www.redcross.ca/

At Monsignor Haller School, we are doing a ‘Loose Change for Ukraine’ initiative. Students may bring in loose change donations beginning Monday and/or throughout the week in support of the Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief efforts.

Gratitude for your generosity, care and compassion!

Hello Families,

The Catholic Parent Involvement Committee(CPIC), is pleased to present Lenten Liftoff, a series of faith formation activities to support parental engagement funded by the Ministry of Ontario Pro Grants.

We are once again excited to present the series “Formed” which will be the foundation of activities supporting our deeper understanding of the season of Lent. The subscription will feature Friday Night Faith Flicks along with resources to support family discussion. Lenten booklets will also be available shortly and more information will follow soon.  Please join us in sharing the message of these free resources and content to support our families over the winter months.

Parents who are interested in receiving a free subscription to Formed and to receiving weekly Lenten Liftoff faith activities, can sign up by registering their name and email HERE.

Thank you

Region of Waterloo Public Health is offering another opportunity to book a Covid-19 Vaccine Clinic at Monsignor Haller School on Saturday, March 12^th (9:30 – 11:30 AM). Please see attachments.

English Fact Sheet:  https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/resources/Toronto-childrens-resource/ENGLISH—COVID-19-Vaccine-Fact-Sheet-for-Children-Age-5-to-11.ACCESS.pdf

Arabic Fact Sheet: https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/resources/Toronto-childrens-resource/ARABIC—COVID-19-Vaccine-Fact-Sheet-for-Children-Age-5-to-11.pdf

Spanish: https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/resources/Toronto-childrens-resource/SPANISH—COVID-19-Vaccine-Fact-Sheet-for-Children-Age-5-to-11.pdf

Tygrinya: https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/resources/Toronto-childrens-resource/TIGRINYA—COVID-19-Vaccine-Fact-Sheet-for-Children-Age-5-to-11.pdf

Thank you.