Hello Parents/Guardians,

During Education Week the students have the opportunity to take part in our annual Scholastic Book Fair.  Wednesday students will have the opportunity to look at what is available (i.e. book titles, posters, book marks, pencils, etc.) and write down prices, etc.  On Thursday and Friday morning, parents and students will have the chance to make purchases.  The Learning Commons receives a portion of sales to buy more books for the students to use! 

Please come out and see all the wonderful books. posters  etc  There are books for all ages from  1 year and up

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students, 

Each year, the Catholic community engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education during Catholic Education Week. This year’s celebration is entitled, “Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One” and will be celebrated during the week of April 30 to May 5, 2023.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR SCHOOL LITURGY ON THURSDAY MAY 04 @ 11:00AM

Catholic Education Week celebrates the ongoing gift of publicly-funded Catholic education. Publicly funded Catholic education has existed in Ontario since 1841 and its graduates have served Ontario and Canada very well. The current generation of students in our publicly funded Catholic schools will serve with the same spirit and generosity as their previous generations.

As a Catholic community, our theme of "We are Many, We are one" is a wonderful opportunity to share the gift of resilience that is borne of our faith.

We are Many, We are One Twitter Challenge #CathEdWeek

During Catholic Education Week, we invite you to share messages, photos, videos or drawings of “We are Many, We are One” related to these daily themes:

Monday

When we see / En voyant: We see with more than our eyes alone. Our perspectives also reflect what feeds our hearts and souls. Seeing the face of Jesus Christ in the faces of my friends and loved ones is often not all that challenging. Finding this in the awesomeness of the majesty of creation is also more obvious. Generally speaking, the love, joy and gratitude shared with these people and in nature is enough to find the presence of Christ there.

The real challenge is seeing the face of Jesus Christ in the faces of those we do not know as well or in places that we would call ordinary. Yet, that is what we are called to do – to look at each person and situation we encounter and to see the face of Christ there.  So the challenge for all on this day is this: please see for the face of Christ in the ordinary and extraordinary in all you encounter today. Capture by video or photo something that embraces the wonder of the face of Christ of When we see. It can be a scene of nature, the wonder of a child, and/or the joys of charity and service.  Be sure to share it using the hashtag #ocsbJoy and #CathEdWeek.

Tuesday

When we listen / En écoutant: Listening is a Divine art and disciplined practice of acknowledging others and their needs to be heard, listened to, and understood ahead of our own.  Let us create a world where each of us does this. To put others in the center, focused on their uniqueness and to give everyone what all of us desire. This is to be valued and appreciated for just being who we are. Even though we are but one person, together we are part of a large community of faith through which we can collaborate to promote unity and community everywhere we go.  We are all different, but special and we are all loved by God. We need each other and we need to encourage each other in order to build up God’s kingdom.

For this challenge, we encourage you to practice your listening skills as you play, collaborate, and interact with others. You can share examples of problem solving, play, and Deep Learning that require listening skills with your family, students and staff. Capture by video or photo of your collaborative When we Listen. Be sure to share it using the hashtag #ocsbJoy and #CathEdWeek.

Wednesday

When we reflect / En réfléchissant: Christian Meditation is an active, meditative, restorative and reflective prayer practice.  The practice is a physical and spiritual reminder of the importance of prayer and meditation. Christian Meditation is a prayer of the heart, not of the mind. It allows the individual to reflect on the day, week, month and/or year you have had. It allows the opportunity to focus on blessings in your life.  We will have an opportunity during Catholic Education Week to learn more about Christian Meditation.  As well, Prayer, Liturgy and Mass are also times for reflection.

From your classroom or school community, please amplify, highlight and share some amazing opportunities for reflection. Capture by video or photo of your REFLECTIVE practice. Be sure to share it using the hashtag #ocsbJoy and #CathEdWeek.

Thursday

When we learn / En apprenant: Many of our school communities are named after a Saint.  These Patron Saints help to establish the personality of their school.  Each lived lives that were unique, faithful and amazing. Some of our schools are not named after Saints, but their communities embrace all of the characteristics of the Saints. Throughout this week, however, you are encouraged to do so all year, share stories and activities about your patron Saint, connect the Saint’s life to the themes of your classes, and spend time learning about them. Eventually your community will have a stronger relationship with the Saint.

Please amplify and share your experiences with the OCSB Community. Please Capture by video or photo you practising your LEARNING about the Saints.  Be sure to share your message using the hashtag #ocsbJoy and #CathEdWeek.

Friday

When we act / En agissant: Social action is about people in a community coming together to help improve the lives of those in need and relieve the challenges in their community. This action can be local and/or local.  We have Advent and Lenten projects, as well as full year activities. These can include volunteering, collecting specific items for those in need, Parish and community action or simple neighbourly acts and clean-up projects. These acts have so many benefits to both the giver and receiver. This is an opportunity to share these acts to shine a light on the amazing acts of love and charity. Capture by video or photo of you ACTing in JOY.   Be sure to share your message using the hashtag #ocsbJoy and #CathEdWeek.

We look forward to celebrating Catholic Education Week with your messages and images of Joy in our community!

Sincerely, 

Sean Crookshank

Principal

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members, one of another.” (Romans 12:5)

 «Nous qui sommes plusieurs, nous sommes un seul corps dans le Christ, et membres les uns des autres.» (Romains 12, 5)

We would like to invite you come into the school to go through the  Lost and Found items--  We have many items of clothing, jackets boots, water bottle, show, hat, mitts, snow pants etc  We would love to get these items back to the children who own them.  Please come to the school  on Thursday and Friday of this week to look through lost and found to see if you see any of your child's lost items    Next week the remaining items will be donated to Value Village 

Age altering filters mislead victims – blog post with information for parents/caregivers

On March 30th, C3P released a new blog post on our ProtectKidsOnline.ca website that includes information about face-altering filters, as well as tips for parents and caregivers to have conversations with their tweens/teens. To help schools share this information with families, we have created a ready-to-use social media post: https://www.kidsintheknow.ca/app/en/social_media.

Online Risks and Trends – video

In support of schools looking for online safety information to share with parents/caregivers, we have created short video titled Safeguarding Children and Youth: Online Risks and Trends. Some schools have shared this information with caregivers in newsletters, by email, or on social media. We also have designed web images that can be used to link directly from school websites.

Intervention and Support Services – videos, resources, support

C3P offers support services to those who have been victimized online. Our new survivor and family support services webpage provides information, resources, and specialized help when a youth has been victimized through the use of technology.

·         Staff and families can contact Cybertip.ca to consult – this may include instances where unsolicited and unwanted sexual actions and behaviours are directed towards youth online or where a nude or sexual image or video of a youth is online or circulating via technology

·         Youth and families can also seek support through NeedhelpNow.ca to connect with a member of our support services