Principal’s New School Year Update – September 6th, 2024
The first week of school was nothing short of incredible! The energy in the building was contagious as students and families brought an overwhelming sense of excitement and anticipation. It was heartwarming to see the hallways buzzing with smiles, laughter, and eager faces ready to dive into a new school year. Our amazing students have already shown their enthusiasm for learning, and we couldn’t be prouder of them.
Our teachers came into the week exceptionally well-prepared, creating engaging and welcoming classrooms that set the perfect foundation for a successful year ahead. Their hard work and dedication were clear from day one, ensuring that every student felt supported and excited about the journey ahead.
Friday’s BBQ was the perfect way to wrap up the week, bringing families, students, and staff together to celebrate the beginning of this exciting chapter. The positive energy and sense of community were undeniable, and it’s clear that we are in for an unforgettable year! Thank you to our organizers Nicole Klassen and Meg Gifford and to all the volunteers who helped in many different ways. Thank you to our sponsors Foodfare-Lilac and Silver Heights, John and Karen Albrechtsen-Grandparents of Oliver and August Gifford, Evan Duncan-City Councillor and Canadian Tire-Unicity. It is truly appreciated.
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK …
- Tuesday was an Inservice Day for all staff members. We spent the day as a staff preparing for an amazing year. It was so nice to be together as a group again planning and organizing the year ahead.
- Wednesday was the first day of school for Grades 1 to 8, while Kinders had their Meet the Teacher sessions! Staff have been waiting to see everyone and feel the energy in the building and it was delivered in a very big way! A huge WELCOME goes out to all our new families! We are so happy that you are a part of our school community!
- Wednesday morning, we had our “First Day of School – Welcome Back” Assembly and our Middle Years students also had their own assembly in the afternoon.
- Kinders began their staggered start with Kinder Blue and Kinder Gold groups this week and this will continue until all Kinders are in their classes at the same time next Friday! How exciting!
- Today we had our 3rd annual Welcome Back BBQ complete with hot dogs, chips & drinks, a photo booth, a bubble station, a bouncy house, a craft table, a live band, and chocolate and raffle tickets pick up. Thank you to Nicole Klassen and Meg Gifford for organizing the event. Thank you to everyone who helped to make our Welcome Back BBQ a huge success and to all the families that attend. What an amazing community!
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK …
- Chocolate and raffle ticket pickup will happen again on Monday, September 9 from 315-530 pm.
- Kinder Gold and Blue staggered starts continue until Friday when all Kinders will come together for the first time this school year in their respective classrooms.
- Our Parent Advisory Council (PAC) will be hosting their first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year on Wednesday, September 11 from 630-8 pm in our cafeteria. All are welcome!
- On Friday, September 13 all Kinder parents are invited to a Kinder Meet and Greet at 830-9am. After you drop off your child, please head to the cafeteria for coffee and community!
LOOK WHAT’S COMING UP …
- Monday, September 16 is Lifetouch Picture Day!
- Private Music Lessons (PML) begin the week of September 16 for those students who have registered.
- Our Terry Fox Assembly and Run will be held on Friday, September 20th. We welcome families to join us for the assembly at 12:30 P.M. which will be followed by the Terry Fox Run/walk. We would love to have you join us in celebrating Terry’s unwavering strength and perseverance in his aim to raise money for cancer research.
CATECHISM
If any of your children would like to join our First Communion or Confirmation preparation classes, please reach out to me for registration. Classes will begin on October 20th, following the 9:30 a.m. Mass, and will be held at St. Charles School.
Joceline Chase, Catechism Coordinator at St. Charles Parish
Email: jocyrf@gmail.com
Cell: 204-797-0611
CELL PHONE USE IN SCHOOLS
The Manitoba Government and the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning have introduced new guidelines for cell phone use in schools, effective September 1, 2024, stating: “Manitoba students have the right to learn in environments with limited distractions and where the potential harmful impacts of online platforms and cell phone use are minimized. Students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 are banned from using cell phones during school hours inclusive of breaks and lunch.”
At St. Charles, cell phones are prohibited at all times. If a student brings a phone to school, they will be instructed by their teacher to store it either in their backpack inside their locker or in a secure location in the classroom. Any violations will be addressed according to our Student Code of Conduct and Standards of Behaviour, which can be found on page 11 of your child’s agenda. Teachers have already reviewed these guidelines and the cell phone policy with students this week.
IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION
What did you think of our new parking flow and safety protocols? Please let us know! Overall, parking went very well this week. Thank you to an amazing group of volunteers. Remember, these are fellow parents who are volunteering their time to keep all our students safe. Next week, please consider volunteering! If you would like to be a part of this initiative and give some of your time or are unsure, please email me and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. FREE BASC is being offered. Here is the link to sign-up! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED | PARKING LOT & LOADING ZONE PATROL Monday to Friday 8AM to 8:45AM
VIP HOURS
The expectation is that each family contribute 20 hours to the betterment of the school & SCCS Community. Here are some ways you can reach this expectation over the school year:
- Volunteer for, or coordinate a fundraising event
- Connect with teachers to do prep work or other duties to ease their load
- Attending the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) meetings (yes, this counts & any parent can attend!)
- Assist with parking/driving patrol
- Provide carpooling for school events
- Volunteer for school events such as concerts, field trips, BBQ, Spruce up the School, etc.
- Take time to clean up the surrounding community
- Donate items towards fundraisers, each item valued at $30 will be honored for 1 hour toward VIP
- Think outside the box…if you see a need that is not being met and can be done through the heart and soul of the SCCS volunteer community please contact us.
All volunteer hours are logged in with Permission Click through the SCCS website parent portal. Please note: If you have signed up through Sign Up Genius to volunteer for an event or to donate items, you MUST log your hours through Permission Click. The Permission Click portal will close on June 24th, 2025, at 12:00 pm. Entries will not be accepted after that time.
Completed hours WILL NOT be accepted via email. If you have any issues with logging volunteer hours, we ask that you email vip@stccs.ca directly.
Starting Oct 1st, you can view how many hours you have completed on the Parent Portal under the VIP section. Please keep in mind this information is updated monthly and has not been verified.
BASC
DROP OFF (7-8:15am) buzz the school and we will let you in. Do not text Kim.
PICKUP (3:45-6pm) use your fob to open the doors. Do not text Kim.
If your child attends BASC you must have a fob. Forms are available from the front office. Posted beside the BASC bulletin board is a sign with the location of where your child is in the building or whether we are outside.
- Tuesday Glendale Golf starts, and the program is full. Thank you!
- Thursday Blumberg Golf, registration is due and there is still room in the program.
- There are still spots in BLINE.
Any questions or concerns contact 204-880-8245 or email kfurutani@stccs.ca
CROSS COUNTRY
We are excited to kick off the cross-country season this year! Students in Grades 4-8 will have the opportunity to join our Run Club, which will meet once a week during lunch. The group will run in the neighborhood around St. Charles Catholic School, with teacher supervisors providing support. An email will be sent out to all families to sign up.
Participants in the Run Club will also have the option to take part in the Manitoba Catholic Schools Cross Country Meet. More details, including the event date, will be shared closer to the time. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Mrs. Chliboyko and Ms. Copeland
PAC
On behalf of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), I’d like to extend a warm welcome back to St. Charles! I hope everyone enjoyed a restful summer, and I wish you all an exciting and successful school year ahead.
Our first PAC meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11th, at 6:30 PM in the school cafeteria. All parents are welcome to attend—we’d love to have you there! It’s a great opportunity to learn more about PAC’s role, explore VIP hour opportunities, ask questions, and strengthen our St. Charles community.
Nikki Robert-PAC Chair
PML
Registration is up on the website under Parent Zone. Please contact Melissa Gingrich at mgingrich@stccs.ca
FRONT OFFICE
PUFFERS / EPI-PENS / MEDICATIONS: If your child has an asthma puffer or an epi-pen or any other medication that needs to be here at school and is outlined on your child’s Medical Form, please ensure that you send your child with that puffer/epi-pen/other medication. Epi-pens MUST be always carried by the child in a fanny-pack/cross-body pack during his/her time at school; there are no exceptions. Asthma puffers must either be carried on the child in a fanny-pack/cross-body pack during his/her time at school or be left in the Front Office Medical Cupboard to be kept here during the school year should your child need to have it administered at some point. Puffers/epi-pens/other medications should not be held in backpacks/lockers/desks because should the medication be needed in an emergency; all school staff must have quick knowledge of whereabouts and access (on person or in Front Office) to your child’s medication for quick administration. If you would like to have an extra puffer/epi-pen at school for your child over and above what they are carrying on their person in their fanny-pack/cross-body pack, you are welcome to keep an extra here in the Front Office Medical Cabinet. There are times when fanny-packs/cross-body packs for puffers and epi-pens are forgotten at home or taken off at school and misplaced, and having a back-up in the Front Office Medical Cabinet can be lifesaving.
Should your child need medication administered at random times during the school year (anti-biotics for example), medications are to be brought to the Front Office by a parent/guardian, the child’s Medical Form is to be noted by a parent/guardian, and the Front Office will administer the medication as per the instructions left. Children should not have any oral medications (for example Tylenol, Advil, anti-biotics, medicinal throat lozenges, etc.) on their person or in their backpacks/lockers/desks; these medications should be brought to the Front Office to be administered.
HOW DOES THE CHILD ABUSE REGISTRY CHECK PROCESS WORK? When the school year begins, if you plan to volunteer with our school, it is the policy of the archdiocese that all volunteers have a cleared Child Abuse Registry Check (CARC) on file with our school. Families must apply each school year at St. Charles Catholic School; there is no cost to you. You must submit a CARC application complete with current and valid IDs to the Front Office if you plan to volunteer with us; there are no exceptions. Applications are collected, reviewed, and verified in the Front Office by Ms. Jaremowich and then the bulk of the applications are submitted to the CAR office in downtown Winnipeg some time in October, with the trailing submissions sent after that as they come into the Front Office. The process for the CAR office to do their checks and verifying takes anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. Once the applications with them are completed, they are returned to us here at SCCS. Once the cleared applications are back at SCCS, a list of cleared and eligible parents is made, and those parents are now permitted to volunteer with us. If you are a new parent here at our school, you are unable to volunteer with us until your CARC is submitted, processed, cleared, returned, and on file with the Front Office. Existing families who have cleared CARC on file with us from the previous school year and a new CARC application submitted for the current school year, are able to volunteer right away as there is a short time of carry over from one school year to the next. It is important to submit your CARC application as soon as possible at the beginning of each school year so as not to delay your volunteering efforts.
CARC APPLICATIONS WERE already SENT HOME WITH all STUDENTS THIS WEEK.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” — Psalm 133:1
This verse beautifully reflects the sense of community, togetherness, and joy that was felt throughout the first week. The unity of students, families, and teachers working together to create a positive and exciting environment is truly a blessing! Thank you to everyone for making the first week so special. Have a great weekend!
Aneta Prettie PRINCIPAL
St. Charles Catholic School
Phone: 204-837-1520 ext. 222