Bishop Roborecki School

First Student Bus Hot Line – 343-3300. Please feel free to phone this number anytime there is severe weather, and check if your child’s bus is running

I would like to thank the students, staff and parents for a wonderful start to the school year! Students and staff are settling into their new routines and are picking up where they left off in June. With activities like Cross-Country running, Soccer and Choir we have some great opportunities for staff and students to work together. Thanks to all involved.

Staff and students will be continuing with the activities of “Understanding Catholic Education” this year. We began the journey three years ago, and have come to the theme “growing in knowledge”. This theme continues to focus on the Gospel Values and provides us with key messages for the theme. We begin this year with the key message – “We strive to have each student attain academic excellence, based on each one’s God-given talents.” I am very pleased with this message. In the time that I have been at Bishop Rob, I have come to know that our staff has believed in this message. And we will continue with this focus as well as all staff in our School Division. It is reassuring to us all, that this key message is a visible part of the Greater Catholic School’s mission. We believe that Catholic Education helps all children as they seek to reach their potential spiritually, academically, physically, socially and emotionally. Academic excellence is pursued while maintaining a concern about the development of the whole child.

As I mentioned in the first memo of the school year; we will be using the virtue of Respect this year. We will be using it to develop our activities in our school community. It will also help us as we interact with each other, identify issues and solve problems. We will be using our school newsletter to share more about this topic. I hope you can support us as we develop this virtue in our school in the months to come.

I would like to thank everyone who joined us for our Annual Pancake Breakfast last Friday. It was great to see you come out and meet new friends and old. Our breakfast is always a success and your presence is very much appreciated. This success is a product of the leadership and service provided by Ms. Dutka, our Community School coordinator, and Mrs. Turcotte, our Home School Liaison Worker. We also benefit from all of the contributions of our staff. This is truly a wonderful group of individuals to work with and I appreciate their presence a lot.

Our School Division has provided our school with Hand Sanitizer and the appropriate dispenser. They are not provided for each classroom but for areas where lots of individuals move in and out of. This is part of the preparations for the H1N1 - Flu Pandemic. The Saskatoon Health region, “stresses that hand sanitizer is not a replacement for proper hand washing”. We will continue to stress the importance of proper hand washing and teachers will provide students with the opportunity to wash their hands.

Our School Community Council Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 5^th at 7:00 p.m. At that time we hope to add new members to the Executive. There are 3 spots that one could be nominated for; they include Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Members-at-Large. All parents are invited to attend the AGM even if you are hesitant about being involved in the Executive. The activities of the School Community Council benefit all children at our school and help to provide opportunities that we cannot afford to provide. Yes, some of the roles help to manage the fundraising that is planned, but there are other roles that are available to help make a difference for our school. Please give it some thought. We have had and do have great leadership with our Executive and your presence can help this continue. If you have other questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Eremondi, President of the Council, myself or Ms. Dutka, our Community School Coordinator.

Please be reminded of the reduced speed (3km/h maximum) in school zones on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. We appreciate your cooperation with this bylaw. The few extra seconds can save a child from serious injury. It has been the practice that Saskatoon Police Services will be monitoring school zones.

We operate student Safety Patrols on the corner of Diefenbaker Drive and Pearson Place. The patrols are working during morning arrivals and 3:15 dismissals. I would like to thank those students who volunteered and were selected to be part of this year’s team. The students are trained and monitored by two fantastic staff members. Mrs. Laczynski and Ms. Maurice continue to provide great service and leadership with this program. Thank you. Please remind your child(ren) of how to cross the street safely. We also expect our students to cooperate with the patrollers; we hope you can support us with this expectation.

Please call Mrs. Talbot if your child - will not be attending or will be late for school. You can leave a message on the answering machine at 659-7180.

There is an effort to prepare for the flu pandemic that has been predicted. If your child is ill, please let us know that. And if it is not too difficult, mentioning that have the flu or are not feeling well with aches and pains will help our Health Care providers.

We do not have staff in place to run the After School Program. We have been advertising to replace these staff, and plan to interview this week and select the staff that will be running this program. We are planning to have the program up and running on Wednesday of next week. WE WILL BE SENDING HOME A MEMO TO OUTLINE THE PROGRAM AND ROUTINES FOR THIS YEAR. YOU CAN EXPECT THE MEMO EARLY NEXT WEEK. Thanks for your patience.

With today’s newsletter, each family will receive a copy of the GSCS Foundation 2009-10 School calendar. Included in the calendar are photos of special projects that are funded through the actions of the Foundation as well as important dates in our Catholic community for this year. If yours goes missing please call the office, we have a few extra copies on hand.

Accident Insurance forms have been sent home with students today. This insurance plan offers protection for school age children as well as for the entire family. Parents and other family members over 19 are eligible for coverage under the Adult Plan. Payment can be made by either; including credit card information, cheque or money order made payable to Industrial Alliance Pacific.

In the next few days and weeks, staff and students will participate in a number of evacuation drills in order to prepare the students should an emergency occur? Classroom teachers have reviewed the procedures with the students before the first practice drill. Students and staff will have advance warning for the first few drills and then the drills will be signaled through the fire alarm. We are also expected to rehearse “Lockdown Procedures”; we will advise families and students when we plan to schedule these.

Our first Mass is Tuesday, September 15 at St. Patrick’s Parish at 9:30 in the morning. We will be joining three other schools – Father Vachon, St. Mark and St. Marguerite. Fr. Kevin will be celebrating with us. This is a marvelous way to begin our school year. There will be about 1000 students participating. Each hearing the Gospel and bringing the message back to school to help them become successful. A special thank you to Mrs. Turcotte for coordinating this activity with the other schools.

Please join us on the evening of Tuesday, September 15^th at 6:30 for our annual Meet the Teacher Program. There will be classroom presentations at 6:30 and 6:50. At 7:10 everyone is invited back to the gym for a short presentation and staff introductions. We will then be serving food and refreshments. Hope to see you there.

Welcome back! Thanks for joining us at our pancake breakfast on September 4^th, it was a wonderful day. The Boy’s and Girl’s Clubhouse will be opening on September 14^th after school and will be running daily. The program is free to all community members. Deadline to sign up is tomorrow (September 10^th). Call 384-4500 for more information. Watch for more information about Bishop Roborecki After School Programs which will be beginning soon! Congratulations to all the students who read during the summer for our summer reading program! If you need any information about the community or programs please call me; Danielle Dutka 659-7817.

The Clubhouse will be opening September 14th at the Confederation Clubhouse. Programs are open for anyone ages 5&up each day after school, Monday – Friday 3:15 – 5:30 pm and Monday, Tuesday & Thursday nights from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Join us Monday, September 14^th at the Club and let us hear your creative ideas, we will be painting a wall mural inside the Club.

This year’s activities include a wide variety of art classes, crafts, special events, special guests, games, music, sports and quality time with friends. The best part, membership are FREE for the year - includes a Boys & Girls Clubs of Saskatoon t-shirt. Make sure to complete and return the registration to join in all the great activities.
The Club is located at 24 Pearson Place. Registration forms are available at the Clubhouse, come and check us out!!!

The Boys and Girls Clubhouse in Confederation wants to hear from you, would you like your child to experience the benefits of yoga?

WHY teach yoga to youth?
The practices of yoga give young people an opportunity to experience for themselves the truth of their own existence. Yoga teaches youth to be friendly, compassionate, and disciplined with their bodies. Through yoga, youth learn to love their bodies back to life by paying attention to their bodies and attending to their bodies with love and care.

For more information on getting your child involved please contact Laura Hosaluk at 384-4500

Diefenbaker Drive Community Church, 3710 Diefenbaker Drive will be having a community "Care and Share" event on Saturday, September 26th

2009 from 10 am to 1 pm. Come and increase your wardrobe with free clothing for the whole family. Admission by silver collection is greatly appreciated.

Dance - Music By “The Road Pirates” With Old Time Country Classics, Rock And Modern Day Music.

Tickets: Available Before And After Weekend Masses Or From The Parish Office (384-1100)

Adult: $10 Child $5 Preschool Free (But Need A Ticket For Seating.) Dance Only $5

Each Family Is Reminded To Pick Up A Colored Ribbon From The Table In The Welcome Area. Please Print Your Family Name And Add The Names Of Your Family Members. These Ribbons Will Be Used At Our 25th Celebration.

The ORCA Synchro Club is accepting registrations for Fall Synchronized Swimming Programs. Classes range from 1-2 hours. Come and TRY SYNCHRO FREE Contact Crystal Meakin for details @ 651-1581 or orcasynch@yahoo.ca Kid Sport Funding Available.

German Language School Saskatoon - Evening High School Credit Classes German 10, 20 & 30

Thursdays, 6:00-9:00 PM at Aden Bowman Collegiate, September – June. $ 180.00 for the year. Exam classes for A2 + B1 offered.

Irish Dance Lessons - River City School of Irish Dance offers dance instruction to youth ages 5 and up. Please visit www.rivercityirishdance.com for more info.

French for Parents classes in Saskatoon! Offered by Canadian Parents for French – Saskatchewan. French Level 1 is designed for beginners, French Level 2 is focused on communication. Level 1 will begin September 22 / September 24. Level 2 will begin October 27 / October 29. Each class runs for five weeks from 7pm to 9pm. at École St Matthew School - 1508 Arlington Avenue. Cost is $85 per level, or $125 for both levels. The texts are included in the price. In order to take French for Parents classes you must be a CPF-SK member. Membership is $25 for one year or $60 for three years. To find out dates and locations, please contact the CPF-SK office at 244-6151 or visit the website at cpfsask.com.

Neighbourhood Safety Fair – Saturday, September 12 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Sonnenschein Way (South of the Farmer’s Market.) The fair brings together information on crime prevention activities as well as safety practices and programs available in Saskatoon.Join us in celebrating the positive actions of groups & individuals that make our neighbourhoods safe! Highlights will include: safety-related information, home-safety product prizes, children’s activities with prizes, and self-defense demonstrations.

HEADS UP! Every 4 days a pedestrian is injured or killed on Saskatoon streets. Heads Up Campaign partners remind you to stay safe on Saskatoon streets by practising these important traffic tips: