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St. Mark Catholic School
2145 Upper Middle Road
Burlington, ON
L7P 4G1
@MarkLion14
Phone: 905-336-3911
Fax:
905-336-7957
Principal
Mrs. Morrissey
Superintendent
Mr. Cipriano
Temporary Secretary: Mrs. Palucci
April 2015
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
We are at the start of Holy Week and the solemn celebration of the Easter
Triduum. This Thursday through Easter Sunday, April 5, the Church remembers the
suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. These high holy days celebrate the
Paschal Mystery—God’s plan for all humankind. Jesus invites us to live God’s
plan of love in our own lives and to take up our crosses each day as we serve
others—sacrificing ourselves in love for family, neighbours and strangers.
As a school community, we are grateful for the many opportunities to show our
love and gratitude for each other, our neighbours, and the larger community—through our Lenten
promises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Thank you to the grade 8 students for organizing the
Easter Food Drive and to the intermediate division for leading the school in the Stations of the
Cross. Thank you to the members of the School Council who have been working diligently on your
behalf to organize the Annual Pasta Dinner on April 16 at Notre Dame Secondary School. Your generous donation of items for the Raffle Baskets will add to the fun and excitement of the evening.
SCHOOL HOURS (GRADES FDK-8)
Morning
9:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Afternoon
1:10 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.
Students will have the opportunity to purchase raffle
tickets in advance. As we gather this weekend to celebrate the Eucharist and to break bread with family,
friends and neighbours, may God bless you and your
homes with his abundant grace and mercy. Happy
Easter egg hunting!
SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM
Please phone the school at 905-336-3911 to report ALL absences or late arrivals.
Clearly state your child’s first & last name, grade, teacher, a brief reason & length (if known) of the absence.
Our Safe Arrival Program ensures the safety of your child.
St. Mark Catholic School
St. Gabriel Parish connection
2261 Parkway Drive, Burlington, Ontario L7P 1S9
Tel: 905-336-144
Fax: 905-336-0790
Father Piotr Machnacki SAC
Assc. Pastor: Father Luke
Mass Schedule:
Saturday: 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Sacraments for Your Child: If your child is not Baptized and you wish for her or him to receive the
Sacraments on schedule, please call the Parish Office and we will assist you. Children MUST be Baptized before receiving First Eucharist. If your child has been permitted to enter a Catholic School
without being Baptized, this is at the discretion of the school board. However, you must arrange for
them to receive the Sacrament of Baptism BEFORE they can receive any further Sacraments within
the Church, even if they are receiving preparation within their school. We are happy to
help! Please contact us as soon as possible to make arrangements.
Youth Altar Servers: We are now recruiting new altar servers. For our youth team, you are eligible if
you are in Grade 5, have received first Holy Communion and have a desire to serve the Lord with
faithfulness and enthusiasm Please contact Paula Mitton at pmitton@cogeco.ca or call her at 905319-2208 for more details. You can also call Catherine at the office to convey your interest.
Easter mass times
Good Friday, April 3rd
11:00 a.m. Children’s Dramatization of the Passion
3:00 p.m. Solemn Liturgy of the Passion
6:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross in Polish & English
7:00 p.m. Polish Good Friday Liturgy
Holy Saturday, April 4th
No Morning Mass
12:00 noon Blessing of the Easter Food
1:30 p.m. Blessing of the Easter Food
3:00 p.m. Blessing of the Easter Food
8:00 p.m. Solemn Easter Vigil (English & Polish)
Easter Sunday, April 5th
7:00 a.m. + J. Tytus ~ Holy Mass in Polish
9:00 a.m. Missa Pro Populo ~ Holy Mass in
English
11:00 a.m. (L) Carter McDonald - Thanksgiving (Radon) ~ Holy Mass in English
12:30 p.m. + Kazimierz Osiol ~ Holy Mass in
Polish
St. Mark Catholic School
Liturgical highlights
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Stations of the Cross Liturgy: Parents are welcome on Thursday, April 2 at 1:30 pm in the St.
Mark’s gym for the Stations of the Cross presented by our grade 7 students. Hope you can join
us.
St. Mark Feast Day Mass (Volunteer Appreciation): Please join us on Thursday, April 23 in the
gym at 1:30 p.m. as we celebrate our Patron Saint and show our appreciation to the volunteers in our school.
First Communion Enrolment Masses (grade 2): Will take place on April 25 and 26 at all parish
masses at St. Gabriel’s.
12th annual pasta dinner
St. Mark School Council presents….
12th Annual Pasta Dinner
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Notre Dame High School
2333 Headon Forest Drive
Start: 6:30pm
Please join us in celebration of our school community for a delicious lasagna or plain pasta
dinner accompanied with
salad, bread and dessert and hot and cold beverages.
Plus family-friendly entertainment!
Tickets: $10 per adult / $5 per child
Please purchase tickets through School Cash Online from April 1 to April 10 or by cheque on the order forms
that went home with your child.
Orders due by Friday, April 10, 2015.
Notre Dame High School’s cafeteria capacity and fire regulations limit the event to 300 people. Orders will be
processed on a first come first serve basis. Your family name will be recorded on a list by the door of Notre
Dame’s cafeteria’s main entrance. No tickets will be issued at the door.
St. Mark Catholic School
Desserts & Donations needed!!
Dessert & Raffle Prize Donations Needed!
Nut-free desserts are needed for our pasta dinner! If you are able to bring a nut-free dessert, please contact
Heidi Hartmann at heidihartmann@gmail.com.
Raffle Prize donations are also needed - if you are able to donate a new item to be raffled off, please drop it
off at the school office no later than
Friday, April 10, 2015.
Battle of the books
Good luck to our Junior and Senior St. Mark’s teams who
have been busy preparing and reading for their upcoming
Battle of the Books competitions!

On Wednesday, April 8, the Junior Battle of the Books
Team will be competing at the Burlington Central
Library, 1 p.m.

On Wednesday, April 15, again at 1 p.m. the Senior
Battle of the Books Team will be competing.
Author visit
Award winning author David Skuy coming to visit our grade 4-8
classes on April 17 in the library.
Grade 7-8’s will be from 9:30-10:25 am and grades 4-6 will be from 10:50-12:10
pm.
St. Mark Catholic School
First nations workshop
All students from grades 1 to 8 will be participating in a hands-on First Nations
Drumming and Dance Workshop here at the school on April 22.
The workshop will be presented by a talented First Nations performer and educator. Students will have an opportunity to use First Nations drums, sing and
chant as they learn about traditional music and dances.
The interaction between early settlers and First Nations people will be demonstrated by students. At the conclusion of the workshop students will also have
time for a Q & A session with the presenter.
Seussical is fast approaching!
Our production of Seussical is fast approaching!!
The main cast and all Grade 1-8 students are hard at work rehearsing and cannot wait to perform for you. We know it will be
a fantastic show.
Performances will take place on Tuesday, May 12th and Thursday, May 14th at 7:00pm.
Below is a list of which classes will be performing on which night.
In order to purchase tickets for the musical, please fill out the
ticket form sent home with your child and return it to his or her
homeroom teacher by Friday April 17th. Looking forward to seeing you at Seussical!
Tuesday, May 12 - 7:00pm:
Mrs. Buffone, Mrs. Garchinkski, Ms. Anton, Mrs. Dreith, Mrs. Sheldrick, and Mrs. Barker
Thursday May 14- 7:00pm:
Ms. Zrinscak, Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Tracey, Mr. Schneberk, Mr. Hawken, and Mrs. Schroeder.
St. Mark Catholic School
Uniform compliance
The majority of the parents at St. Mark School had voted in favour of a school uniform. The
expectation is that all students are wearing their full school uniform including tops and bottoms purchased from McCarthy’s, the Board’s official uniform supplier.
Teachers will be sending home notices if students are consistently out of uniform. If any parents/guardians need support to purchase or replace uniform items, please contact the
main office to obtain uniform assistance. Thank you for reinforcing the uniform policy at St.
Mark School by sending your children to school daily in their full school uniform.
Fundscrip
We are excited to announce a new fundraiser for our school to help support the Intermediate end of the year trip to Bark Lake. FundScrip is an online website that allows members to purchase gift cards from various retailers like Walmart, Home Depot and Fortinos to
name a few. The gift cards are purchased at face value, and in return, our school receives a percentage of the sale.
To participate, simply log on the website Fundscrip.com, click on “Support a Group” and
follow the prompts to registers to support St. Mark School. Our group code is A4BW6T. Gift
cards are mailed directly to your own home for a small shipping fee of .89 cents.
We hope you find this fundraiser easy and convenient. Thank you for your support!
Moving?
We are in the early stages of our school organization plan for the 2015/2016 school year. If
you know that you will be moving before September and that your chidren will not be attending St. Mark in September, please contact the office.
Also, it is important that we have all of your updated information, including changes to
your address, phone numbers (home, work and cell), email and other contact information
needed in case of an emergency. Please call the school with any such changes so we
can update our records.
St. Mark Catholic School
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Ethan B. for winning the Burlington Public Speaking Contest. What a
great accomplishment and we are very proud!
Other news & highlights
Daytime Marital Arts at St. Mark School
Beginning April 1, Mr. Paterson, The Karate Guy, will be resuming his 12 week, age-appropriate marital arts
program for students in grades 1 to 8 during the lunch hour break once a week.
Specifically, students will learn:
Balance and coordination
Flexibility and stretching
Many kicks, blocks, and strikes and how to combine them
Body language and tone of voice
Appropriate ways to deal with confrontation
Strength and endurance
In addition, Mr. Paterson also combines the lesson with different themes each week that focus on the character development qualities inherent in the marital arts.
Free Yoga Thursdays at Lunch!
Beginning Thursday, April 9 students from grade 1 to 8 will have an opportunity to attend free
yoga classes in the gym during our lunch hours. The classes will be run by a qualified yoga
instructor. More details will be sent home with interested students.
Girls Night In!
Notre Dame is hosting its annual Girls Night In for grade 8 girls on April 30 with a focus on peer
relationships, enhancing self-esteem, and body image. Students will be accompanied by
staff members from each of the elementary feeder schools.
Head Lice
Head Lice are always present in the community. By checking your child’s head once a week for head lice,
you will catch it early and treat it before it has a chance to spread. It is also important to do a check after
school breaks, ‘sleep-overs,’ or after any group activities in the community. Information regarding the spread
and treatment of head lice can be found on the Halton Regional Municipality website.
http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=70872
Should you find that your child has head lice, please notify the school prior to returning to school.
Your child must be readmitted to school with a note from a medical practitioner or from We Care
Home Health Services. You can contact them at 905-507-6562 to find the nearest school where the
nurse is working and take your child there to be re-checked.
St. Mark Catholic School
St. Mark Catholic School