Weekly Update
We will Remember...
This Week at John Paul I
Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle, the strength to be forgiving, the patience to be understanding and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding onto what we believe to be right. May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. We pray for the vision to see and faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence. We pray for a new world where fear shall no longer lead us to commit injustice. Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace. Praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we were all created. The destiny as expressed through your words:
“Love your enemies. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”
Luke Ch.6 Ver.31
The month of October has flown by with our students busy learning and growing. We had a fabulous Read-in Week with many amazing online guest readers. We are so proud of the reading everyone engaged in during the month of October. Keep reading John Paul I community!
In October we celebrated our many blessings with thanks to God for his goodness. We are so thankful to live in a country as blessed and as free as Canada. We are forever indebted to the countless brave men and women who have served in Canada’s armed forces, many of whom have lost their life in battle.
November is a special time to reflect on the sacrifice’s others have made for us so that we can enjoy peace and freedom in Canada. We are especially reminded this month of our role in helping to keep Canada a safe and peace-filled country. Our words, actions and attitudes all affect the peace in our homes, community and country. We teach our students that “peace” begins here…in our hearts and in our daily interactions with one another in the classroom, hallways and on the playground. Watching our students model compassion, understanding and forgiveness encourages us to have hope in the present and our future.
A Newborn Psalm of Praise By Fr. Glenn McDonald, CSB
Have you ever read a word or phrase that seemed to speak directly to you? Over the past few weeks, I have had several people draw my attention to these words: “We have no one to tell us how long it will last.”
This phrase comes from The Psalms, which is a book in the Bible. The Psalms are 150 short hymns that speak about human experience in relationship with God. There are two major categories of psalms: praise and lament. Psalms of praise articulate the joy of being happy or thankful to God. Psalms of lament capture the experience of sorrow or disappointment, and ask for God’s help.
“We have no one to tell us how long it will last,” comes from Psalm 74. When you read this line, what do you think of?
I immediately thought of COVID-19 and the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. I found the words of Psalm 74 to be strangely comforting, not because they offered a solution to the pandemic that we all face, but because they give me a way to succinctly describe what the experience is like. I guess it is like going to a doctor with a list of mysterious pains and symptoms. Having the doctor give me a diagnosis may not cure my disease, but being able to name it is comforting.
When I ponder Psalm 74 and ask for God’s help, the Holy Spirit draws my mind to an unexpected image — parents and guardians. In particular, my mind recalls a baptism I did for one of our high school teachers who recently had a baby girl. Despite the challenges of
COVID-19, the family gathered together to celebrate the gift of everlasting life. Masks and social distancing could not suppress the psalm of praise and love that radiated from the parents and the newborn’s two older brothers during this beautiful moment.
I find this memory very comforting. Raising a child is inherently mysterious, open-ended, and challenging. Despite these uncertainties, people still choose to become parents and guardians, because they have an instinct that their love will find a way.
We have no one to tell us how long the pandemic will last, but the example of parents and guardians reminds us that love will overcome.
Parent Council Meeting - November 4th
JPI School Advisory Council
The next meeting will take place on November 4th @ 5:30 PM. We hope to see you there!
Here is the link to join the TEAMS meeting.
Cold Weather
As it always happens, the cold weather is sneaking up on us very quickly. Please ensure that your child has the appropriate clothing for the weather. In the morning, students are expected to wait outside until the bell rings at their designated time. As a reminder, supervision of students outside in the mornings begins at 8:10 am. During extremely cold days (below -20°C) or on rainy days students will be asked to come inside the school where they will be supervised in their classrooms.
Happy Halloween!
Grade 1A Ghosts - Spooky?
Pumpkin Art - Grade 2/3
Grade 4B - Jack O'Lanterns!
Halloween Writing - Grade 3B
3B
Dia De Los Muertos - Sunday November 1st
Read-Alouds at Bedtime
It is important for your children to read daily. It is equally important that we, as parents, read to our children regularly! Bedtime is the perfect opportunity to read aloud to your children.
What are the benefits of reading aloud?
There are so many! Here are just a few:
- Children hear effective reading.
- Children learn the structure of story.
- Books spark conversation.
- Young children develop book sense (direction of print, recognition that letters represent sounds and that words hold meaning).
- Children realize that books are fun!
- The routine of bedtime stories creates time to connect with your child(ren).
Tips for Reading Aloud:
- Read the title and look at the cover. Ask your child(ren) to make predictions about the book.
- Read with expression.
- Encourage your child to look closely and talk about the pictures.
- Ask questions and talk about the book before, during, or after reading!
- Reread books: children love to hear their favourites again and again!
- Don’t stop reading aloud to your child(ren) just because they are readers themselves!
If you want your child to love reading, read great books aloud to them daily!