Sacred Heart Academy Newsletter

Sacred Heart Academy is participating in a Breakfast Blitz, to help fill our KES Cupboards, on Thursday, February 27, 2025. We are asking you to please send along a donation to support our school’s Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Club. If you wish, you may make your donation online at www.kidseatsmart.ca and designate Sacred Heart Academy to receive your gift. Remember $20 is breakfast for a child for one month! It’s important that we fill our KES cupboards to ensure our children start their days well-nourished and ready to learn.

Students need as much opportunity as possible to go outside for lunch hour play. This is a vital part of the school day. It is a time for students to burn off some of that “energy” they have stored all morning, get some exercise, and simply socialize with their peers. When the weather is appropriate for outdoor days, students must have appropriate winter clothing. This means heavier jackets, boots, hats and gloves. We will continue to go outside daily during lunch time when the weather conditions permit us to do so. Families should ensure that their children are dressed for the elements prior to sending them to school each morning so they can take advantage of outdoor play opportunities.

Parents and guardians need to be active participants in their child’s online activities and we encourage families to take this as an opportunity to have intentional conversations with their children about what they encounter online. These discussions could include:

• Reminding children to never contact strangers online, on any platform;
• Reminding children to only be friends online with people they actually know;
• Encourage children to share any worries or concerns with you;
• Ensure children understand the importance of not giving personal information to anyone they do not know;
• Tell children no-one has the right to make them do anything they do not want to do;
• Set privacy systems on devices with your child as a way to have the conversation about safety.

You are the best defense for your children and their online experiences. It is important for parents to know what children can access online. We have the following suggestions for families:

• Set privacy settings for all social media and gaming applications;
• Keep video games and YouTube watching in shared family spaces;
• Set up video game restrictions to friends only;
• Set up “restricted” mode on YouTube for your child’s account so inappropriate content is not available to them.

• Other resources can be found at
  • prevnet.ca
  • commonsensemedia.org
  • protectchildren.ca

We encourage you to have this important conversation with your child, remain an active participant in your child’s online activities.

The Provincial Government is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the program of studies for students in grades 7 to 9. The program of studies determines what subjects are mandatory and optional for students, and how much time is spent learning those subjects.

The changes aim to increase student engagement, address attendance concerns, improve educational outcomes, and make school more meaningful.

The proposed changes include:

• Combining certain subjects,

• Offering some subjects through a modular delivery format,

• Adjusting the amount of time devoted to some subjects, and

• Making some subjects fully or partially optional.

Further details on the proposed changes and what they mean for teachers and students are available on the K-12 Professional Learning website.

School communities, including parents/guardians, teachers, administrators and students, can share feedback using the online platform. Families are encouraged to review the proposed changes and share your feedback, which will be accepted until February 28, 2025.

🗓️ Mid Winter Break: Friday, February 21st and Monday, February 24th. No classes.

🗓️ Staff Professional Learning Day: Friday, March 7th. No classes for students.

🗓️ Kindergarten Cap & Gown Photographs: Monday, March 10th.

🗓️ Spring Photographs (Grades 1-7): Monday, March 10th and Tuesday, March 11th.

🗓️ St. Patrick's Day Holiday: Monday, March 17th. No classes.

🗓️ Education Week/Winter Carnival: Monday, March 24th to Friday, March 28th.