Greetings Dragon Nation: February 10th 2023
Learning Kit Top Ups: All Students will be receiving a Learning Kit top up with supplies that teachers have indicated students will need.Very exciting news some grades will also be receiving Microbits and kits will include any prizes won during our Valentines Friendship Fundraiser!! Pick up will again be at St. Luke Catholic Elementary School which is located at 550 Chesapeake Drive in Waterloo. All scheduling for pickups will be done through the office, please contact Michelle Coon or call 226-241-4651.
Great News for the Dragon Nation! We are delighted to share that Waterloo Catholic District School Board will continue to offer synchronous virtual learning at St. Isidore Catholic Elementary school for the 2023-24 school year. Please reach out to Michelle Coon and share your intentions to have your child(ren) remain at St. Isidore or return to in-person learning. We look forward to strengthening our already vibrant community and hope you will consider St. Isidore your child’s home school for at least one more year.
Students currently enrolled from boards outside of Waterloo Catholic are more than welcome to join us at St. Isidore for another year. Please reach out if you have any questions. Looking forward to continuing our partnership.
Report cards: Friday, February 17th Term 1 report cards will be published to Aspen and parents will be able to access this through their Aspen Parent Portal. We have almost 90% of families accessing report cards through the portal and report cards on February 17th will not be mailed out. If you need any assistance accessing or troubleshooting your Aspen account please feel free to contact Michelle Coon in the office 226-241-4651.
Valentine Friendship Fundraiser 
St. Isidore’s Friendship Fundraiser from February 1- February 14, 2023 is sadly entering its last week. Our Dragon community has been having a blast so far with daily live announcements, draws and friendship fun. We also will be having a class prize for the class with the highest donations percentage, Mrs. Levato’s JK -SK’s are currently in the lead for this as the donations are rolling in daily!! Proceeds will support experiential learning opportunities for our students (e.g. Museum, Zoo, Coding, Scientists in Schools). Our goal is to raise $1,000 through donations and pledges which is approximately $7 per student. Our Friendship Fun Fair will be held the afternoon of February 14th and will involve students rotating through various activities led by staff.
What can you do? Help your child secure pledges/donations from family and friends. There are prizes for classes with the highest average pledge amount, early-bird draws and more. Two ballots with your child(ren) names will automatically be included in the random draw bins and contributions of $25.00 and above are eligible for tax receipts.
There is a form attached on School Cash Online for each sponsor (up to 5) you will enter each donation separately, donations over $25 will automatically prompt you for an email address and a tax receipt will be sent to this email address.
Pledges and donations are being accepted until midnight on February 14th!
Umbrella Project: From Dr. Jen
Help your child face their fears
Avoiding our fears may be the easiest road in the short term but doesn’t help us build resilience. What we actually need is small, repeated exposure to the things that scare us. Over time, small successes over these fears help us slowly build the confidence to navigate adversity.
Here’s an example from my family. When my daughter was young, she didn’t like to be the centre of attention. This became glaringly obvious the day she wore a fancy dress to school for the first time in years, received at least 5 compliments in the first minute and proceeded to burst into tears and beg me to take her home. It seemed like a small thing but it pushed a big fear button inside her. Parenting dilemma…take her home to change or make her stay in a state of clear distress?
Actually there is a third choice. We had time to go home and change but only with the following condition; she was going to have to work on being the centre of attention. That was the deal.
I explained that life will present her with many similar circumstances and I want her to have the skills to deal with those situations. While this current challenge was too big for her, we were going to choose smaller opportunities for her to practice. She agreed and we have since helped her practice this skill in many contexts until she is now more comfortable when she finds herself pushed this way. In fact, last year she made it to the school finals for a speech competition. A huge change from the girl crying in the hallway over some positive attention.
This is how resilience is built. Not avoidance, not full immersion, but repeated small fears faced and defeated over time.
In this short, 2 minute video, I explain the importance of facing our fears.
You’ve got this!
Dr. Jen, The Umbrella Project
