SPRING 2025 NEWSLETTER

Dear Families,

As we enter the month of March, I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your continued support and engagement in our school community. The dedication of our students, staff, and families makes this school a truly special place to learn and grow.

With March Break right around the corner, I encourage all of you to take this time to rest, relax, and recharge. Whether you're traveling or staying close to home, I hope you enjoy this well-deserved break and return refreshed and ready for the remaining months of the school year. Most importantly, I wish for each of you to have a safe and happy March Break, filled with joy and precious time together.

Today, March 5th we also enter into the sacred season of Lent - a time of reflection, renewal, and spiritual growth for our faith community. During Lent, we are invited to reflect on the teachings of Jesus, deepen our prayer life, and extend acts of kindness and service to others. Together, as a school community, we will walk this sacred journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, growing closer in faith and unity.

Let us hold each other in prayer during this season, trusting that God’s grace will guide us through this holy time.

Wishing you all peace, joy, and blessings in the days ahead.

Warm regards,

Mary-Kate Bridson
Principal

Pink Shirt Day was recognized on February 26th. Staff and students were encouraged to wear pink for this annual anti-bullying initiative which aims to raise awareness and put an end to bullying in schools, workplaces, and on the internet and to remember our Christian call to care for others spreading kindness and compassion throughout our CDSBEO community.

Students and staff will be attending Lenten Liturgies during the month of March in the school gym. Families are welcome to attend. Father Cyprian will attend both our Ash Wednesday Celebration and our Lenten Liturgy on March 31st.

Ash Wednesday Celebration - March 5th; 12:30 pm

Lenten Liturgy Week #2 - March 20th; 12.45 pm

Lenten Liturgy Week #3 - March 25th; 9:45 am

Lenten Liturgy Week #4 - March 31st; 12:45 pm

As we embrace the changing seasons, we want to ensure that our students can continue to enjoy their outdoor playtime, even in wet and muddy conditions. Outdoor play is an essential part of our daily routine, providing children with valuable opportunities for physical activity, exploration, and social interaction.

To help your child stay comfortable and make the most of their outdoor experiences, we kindly ask that you send them to school prepared for the weather. Here are a few suggestions:

Waterproof Clothing: A waterproof jacket and pants will help keep your child dry and warm.

Footwear: Waterproof boots are ideal for navigating muddy areas and keeping feet dry.

Extra Clothing: Packing an extra set of clothes, including socks, can be helpful in case your child gets wet or muddy.

We appreciate your support in ensuring that our students can continue to enjoy the benefits of outdoor play, regardless of the weather.

Our Student Council has been busy bringing fun and school spirit to our hallways at HNOM! With January Spirit Week and February Fiesta Week, students enjoyed a variety of themed days like Beach Day, PJ/Cozy Clothes Day, Hat Day, and Brighten up the Winter Blues Day. The weeks were filled with exciting activities, including a school dance, bringing smiles and energy to our school community.

As we shift our focus to Lent activities, Student Council will be taking a break during the month of March but are looking forward to planning another fun spirit week in April.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to our Student Council members for their hard work and dedication, and to our families and staff for their enthusiastic participation and support!

Holy Name of Mary School is currently accepting registrations for the 2025/2026 school year. If you have a child who will be 4 years old by December 31, 2025, and you would like to enroll them in Kindergarten, please visit our school website www.hnom.cdsbeo.on.ca for information on registering your child on-line. We encourage families to register soon as we are currently planning for the upcoming school year.

Our Catholic School Council will hold their next meeting on April 2nd at 5:00 pm in the school library. If you wish to attend but are unable to in person, please contact the school office by April 1st to request a TEAMS invitation and link to the meeting.

We have noticed an increase in the number of cars utilizing our Kiss & Ride both at the start and end of the day. To ensure that this process runs smoothly, we remind parents/grandparents using Kiss & Ride to remain in their cars and pull up to the front of the school as the cars in front of them move forward. Not following this process is contributing to a backup of cars onto Paterson Street and slowing down the busses accessing/leaving school property. Staying in your cars and moving forward ensures that the process runs smoothly and efficiently.

If you choose to pick up your child rather than be in the Kiss & Ride line, we ask that you park your car in the parking lot and meet your child outside the front door. If you are coming into the school office, please park your car in the parking lot and not leave your car unattended in the Kiss & Ride lineup.

Holy Name of Mary students have been enjoying their weekly skating excursions to the Almonte Arena this winter. These sessions have been a great opportunity for students to develop and improve upon their skating skills and to enjoy time spent with their friends and classmates. Thank you to all the volunteers who have been able to come tie skates and spend some time on the ice with us!

Our school will be closed for March Break during the week of March 10 - 14. We hope our students and their families have a relaxing and enjoyable break.

The HNOM Swiftie Club meets biweekly and has participated in various fun and community building activities. The club is open to all students in Grades 1 - 8. We have made friendship bracelets, created positive message posters and had a few dance parties!

LEGO TEAM:

The Holy Name of Mary F.I.R.S.T. Lego Team continues to meet each Monday morning. Although the competition for this season took place in December, our most dedicated members have chosen to start preparing for next year’s competition right away. Our team is trying new robot designs and strategies based on what we learned at the tournament last December.

ESPORTS:

We are excited to announce the inaugural season for Esports at Holy Name of Mary. Over the next two weeks school wide gaming competitions will be held for students in Grades 4 - 8. Students will be given the opportunity to compete in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Rocket League. Students who are successful in these competitions and who display important traits like sportsmanship and empathy will be chosen to represent our school in a board wide tournament to be announced in March.

Families interested in volunteering with their child's class for potential field trips this Spring must have a valid Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) on file at the school. Please contact the school office to obtain a letter from the principal if you would like to request a VSC through the OPP. The process of obtaining a VSC can take several weeks.

NOTE: As mentioned in prior school emails and updates, a VSC is for the current school year and not a year from the date received; a change from previous school years.

On December 16th our 7/8 Boys' A team defeated all the big schools CPHS, ND, and ADHS in the finals to win 1st place. Way to go Wolves!

Holy Name of Mary's Junior and Intermediate Hockey teams travelled to Carleton Place for tournaments during the month of February. Our Junior Team put on an impressive display of hard work, teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship. Their dedication paid off as they battled through tough competition and walked away with a 1st place finish against St. Mary’s. Way to go, Wolves! Our Intermediate Team once again showed their value, defeating the two teams from Notre Dame and narrowly missing out on the finals against St. John.

Intramurals continue at Holy Name. The volleyball champs are pictured below. The floor hockey champions will be crowned in early March.

This Spring, we will gather each month as a whole school community to celebrate our students' achievements with a particular emphasis on the "Umbrella Project" skill of the month. February's skill was Resiliency.

Holy Name of Mary's Resiliency Assembly will take place tomorrow morning at 9:45 am. At the assembly, staff will recognize one student from each homeroom who demonstrated resiliency this past month. These eighteen students will be acknowledged and celebrated during the assembly. Families are welcomed to attend.

"Resilience is our ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens. It is our ability to adjust or recover from change and difficulty".

The "Umbrella Project" are lessons to help students recognize that throughout our lives we will face challenges, obstacles and difficulties. Perfection is not normal, but challenges are, and we can expect that in life, there will be rainy days. These days are unavoidable, but we can prepare ourselves by building a strong umbrella. Our umbrella is made up of skills and strategies that get stronger the more we practice them. The upcoming skill for the month of March is Autonomy.

HNOM celebrated Family Literacy Day on January 27th with school-wide Reading Buddies in our cozy clothes. Families participated by helping students complete a line on a literacy choice board at home over the following three days helping students earn a ballot to win a brand-new book. One winner was chosen from each of our eighteen homeroom classes. A photo of the winners is below.

A reminder to families that food items provided to a classroom to celebrate your child's birthday or for other special occasions should be pre-packed, peanut-free, store-bought food items. As we have students with various allergies at our school, such as peanut, flour, dairy, etc., it is very important that this guideline is followed. Timbits or donuts from HFT are always welcomed. All food items will be handed out to the students by the teachers so as to limit the amount of contact.

Holy Name of Mary's Grade 7/8 students once again organized a food drive leading up to Christmas. The annual food drive this year was bigger and better than ever. Our Grade 7/8 students collected more than 3 pick-up trucks full of donations from our generous neighbours.

Our Grade 7/8 Immersion students read a short story about two friends lost in the woods during a severe snowstorm who had to build a quinzhee survival shelter to make it through the night. To bring the story to life, the students participated in building their own quinzhees, using snowshoes to reenact scenes from the story. Unfortunately, mild temperatures and rain brought our project to an early end.

Did you know that when you purchase books online from Scholastic Canada, you can now earn rewards towards our school library? If you are buying books online at Scholastics Book Clubs Canada, https://bookclubs.scholastic.ca/en/home, simply enter the classroom code, RC231376 when checking out. This is linked to our school librarian, Mrs. Reid, and will be used to purchase new books for Holy Name of Mary's library.

If you have any books that are in like-new condition, you can donate them to our library. We will be holding our annual USED BOOKS sale in the Spring, so you can also save up your books for when we are collecting them.

Thanks, and happy reading!

Members of the Almonte/Carleton Place Branch of the Knights of Columbus visited our school on February 18th to oversee a free throw basketball and hockey target competition. Participation in these fun and exciting competitions were voluntary and open to students in Grades 3 - 8. Students had several tries to make as many baskets as they could from the free throw line. All students received a Participation Certificate and those that placed in the top three in their age and gender category will receive a medal at our Resiliency Assembly taking place tomorrow morning. Winning students ages 9 - 17 had the opportunity of representing Carleton Place & Almonte in the regional Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition which was held on March 1st at Lester Pearson Catholic High School. The hockey competition was to add to the fun atmosphere of the morning.

"Request for Administration of Medication Forms" are required for any short-term (3 - 7 days) medication that your child may need while at school. The front office requires these forms for our records and before medication can be dispensed. In addition, these forms are required by our Board Office and must remain on file until the end of the current school year.

NOTE: For the safety of all children, your child's medication is to be brought to the front office when they arrive in the morning.

As always, our lost and found has collected many items this winter. Please remind your child to check the items to see if any belong to them. Parents are also encouraged to drop by the school to check as well. We have collected winter clothing (jackets, snow pants, boots, etc) that students may wish to have over the March Break. All items remaining at the end of March will be packaged up and delivered to the Hub to help support our community.

Emily W., a former HNOM student who now attends Notre Dame, gave an excellent presentation to the Grade 4 Immersion class last week on space, the solar system, the planets and different types of telescopes. The students thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and even completed a review quiz at the end of her visit.