Dragon Nation Update May 24th 
Greeting Dragons: We are well into the month of May and our Dragons have committed to finishing the year as strong as we started. Our Virtual Paint was a glowing success and we thank all of you for your unwavering support.
Student of the Month: Last month’s theme was Self-Compassion and we would like to recognize the following students for exemplary leadership:
Marvin A Nicholas O David R Payton B Martina A Abby A
Gabriella B Sophia R Donatello A L Amelia C Mabel V Chris V
Lachlan B Mikki V Evangeline F Marie M Munera S Yotam Y
Bela H Mia G Brianna D L Olivia H Carter N Sarah V
Tzuriel N Mattia C Daniel F Nenos P DeMarcus C
Beacon of Hope: Congratulations to Danara D.L., who was the recipient of this year’s Beacon of Hope award. Please note an excerpt from the staff nomination letter.
Danara is also a person who truly believes that all things are possible with hard work, focus, and determination and always tries to do her best even when at first it seems quite challenging. She creates fun in all situations and can encourage her peers to do the same. Her perseverance is exemplified by her willingness to try new things such as making contributions to our Umbrella Project assembly as well as our Advent and Lenten celebrations for the whole school to see! She is always willing to give a new experience her best shot.
It is Danara’s smile, her compassion, understanding and her innate eagerness to create and maintain a positive environment for all around her, that makes her more than deserving to be acknowledged as St. Isidore’s Beacon of Hope for this year. It is so natural for Danara to approach everyone, every day, and everything that she does with her kind spirit and joy. Danara, you truly are a Beacon of Hope in our school community. Thank you for showing us the way!
Parent Survey: How did Virtual Learning Go this Year?
Your child(ren) attend St Isidore Virtual Elementary School and we are inviting you to provide feedback related to how things went during virtual learning. Your feedback will be very important for helping us make sure that we are providing the needed supports for students, staff, parents and community members. If you have multiple children, please respond to each question as an overall response/sense for all of your children.
Your participation is ANONYMOUS and VOLUNTARY. You will not be asked to provide your or your child(ren)’s name, contact information, student number, or any information that can identify you or your child(ren). As well, no identifying information (e.g., email address, IP address) will be automatically collected through the online tool.
Please note the Parent Survey
WCDSB Elementary Remote Learning Partnership for 2023-24: We continue to accept registrations from within and out of Region and ask you to help spread the word in your respective areas that remote learning is alive and well as an option in Waterloo Catholics for the upcoming year. To date, we have over 114 students who have expressed an interest in remaining remote for the 2023-24 school year. We welcome students from Niagara and Windsor-Essex school boards who have recently joined the WCDB Elementary Remote Learning Consortium.
Asian Heritage Month: May is designated as Asian Heritage Month and an opportunity for us to learn more about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage who, throughout our history, have done so much to make Canada the country we know and love. Over the last two centuries, immigrants have journeyed to Canada from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western and Southeast Asia, bringing our society a rich cultural heritage representing many languages, ethnicities and religious traditions. This month, we recognize the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to the growth and prosperity of our country. The theme for Asian Heritage Month 2023 is, “Continuing a legacy of greatness”. This month is a reminder for all Canadians to come together to combat anti-Asian racism and discrimination in all its forms.
Umbrella Theme: Integrity
Create a set of family values.
What are your family values? Can your child discuss and defend them? Having a set of family values has a huge impact on the well-being of our children. It helps them to feel part of something bigger than themselves and identify healthy ways to behave and build their self-esteem. It also creates a set of guidelines that we can align our actions with to build and sustain integrity of thought and action, creating meaning and purpose in our lives. Living with purpose and feeling strong doesn’t have to be about achieving specific goals. How we show up everyday for our friends, colleagues and family can make us feel that we are living purposefully every day.
Start by brainstorming as a family all of the experiences and values that are most important to you. This exercise should be done as a family so that everyone has a say in creating and sharing what matters most to them. Discuss each point that comes up and why it is important to the person who suggested it and to the larger group. Select the values that define your family and display them somewhere you can see them often.
When your child displays these values, try to notice and point them out to your child.
Here are some of the ideas that came up in my family: generosity, honesty, sharing experiences and travel to broaden our minds, friendship, connecting with nature, giving back, a family that supports each other.
Learn how to create your own set of family values.
Health & Happiness,
Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project
