Post Christmas Social Thanks Yous!

Sincere thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the Christmas Social, whether they signed up for a shift, baked cookies, or stepped in when they saw there was a need for help. Simply put we can’t run this kind of community event with out many hands helping out. The Knights of Columbus are always there to help and we appreciate them so much! Thank you to Chris King at Richmond Independent Grocer for donating the hot dog buns!!!  Thanks to Tina Sul and Suzanne Easton for transforming the butterfly garden into a winter wonderland!!  Thanks to Janna Redmond for organizing the indoor craft tables!!  Thanks to Tanya Wagdin for running the hot chocolate station!!  Thanks to Lori O'Brien for organizing the horse drawn carriage rides!!

Thanks especially to Shondra McLean for being crazy enough to agree to run the event. Amazing memories made. 

And how about that Santa!!! 🎅❤️

Thank you for supporting Christmas fundraisers!

Thank you to all who supported our Gift of Reading initiative.  Together we raised $1325.00 for the Learning Commons to buy new materials!!!! Wow!!! Special thanks to council member Michelle Owen for organizing this year's Gift of Reading fundraiser.

Something new this year was our Poinsettia fundraiser benefiting French resources for the school.  The poinsettias that were delivered to us from Richie's were huge and gorgeous!!! Together we raised $502.36 for French resources for the school.  Thanks to all that purchased.  Special thanks to council member Maureen Miller for proposing and organizing this fundraiser for our school. 

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish all St. Philip families a peaceful and restful holiday season. 

Christmas blessings!

Your St. Philip School Council

What you need to know about the Christmas Social!!!

 The weather is shaping up for a perfect night for our Christmas Social this coming Thursday December 5th from 6-8PM.  We are looking forward to welcoming you to share a little Christmas cheer and get the season started.  We will be lighting up the butterfly garden with Christmas spirit starting at 6PM.

A few important reminders:

- the school bus zone will be blocked off as a no parking zone. Please help us to keep this area free of cars in case it is needed for fire truck access.

- please remember to bring a new pair of mittens or gloves to be donated to the snowsuit fund.  Boxes will be available both inside and outside the school for your donations. 

- There will be two lines forming for access to the horse drawn carriage rides.  One near the gates at the school bus loading zone and the other in the church parking lot. Don't be afraid to break out into a Christmas carol or two while you circle the block!

- in lieu of outdoor ball hockey, and due to volunteer shortage, "The Grinch's Hockey Target Practice" will be available.  Come check it out!

- the Knights of Columbus will be serving free hot dogs out of the church parking lot. While supplies last.

- the School Council will be serving free hot chocolate and nut free baking near the butterfly garden.  Also while supplies last.   If you haven't signed up but would like to bring a plate of nut free cookies/treats to share, please bring them with you to the event.

- after you've had a carriage ride, a hot dog, a cookie and some hot chocolate.... head inside to visit our craft tables and get your picture taken with Santa!  There will be local vendors with many gifts and interesting items for sale.

- pickup for Poinsettia and Under One Sun ornament orders will be available out of the Learning Commons.  Please remember that the poinsettias are sensitive to cold.  There are a very limited number of poinsettias for sale at the social if you missed out on ordering.

- Access to the gym from outside activities will be from the butterfly garden door only.  This door can also be used for washroom access.  The front door of the school will also be open.

We hope you enjoy this event and have a wonderful holiday season!  Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.  Many thanks to Shondra McLean for coordinating this amazing community event.

Hot Lunch Program Session 2 Available for Ordering

We will soon be starting the second session of our special lunch program. As in past sessions, Danby's and Jo Jo's Pizza will be offered.  It will run from January 7 until April 2.

Deadline for ordering and payment is  Friday December 13th.

Please see the "Important Forms" link at right hand side of the page for all the details.

Thanks for supporting!

Questions: St_Philip_Lunches@bell.net (Suzanne Easton)

Give the Gift of Reading this Year!

The Gift of Reading is a St. Philip Catholic School Council initiative that

supports the Learning Commons (Library). There is always an ongoing

need to add quality reading material for the students to access on their

visits. So, in lieu of or in addition to Christmas gifts, the staff of St. Philip

would be most honored to have a donation made on their behalf to the

Gift of Reading program.

Christmas greeting cards noting your donation (dollar amount not
included) to the Gift of Reading are available for $2.50 each. This year
donations and card orders will be done via Council’s hot lunch website
https://stphilip.hotlunches.net.  The card(s) will be sent home for you to sign and add your own
greeting. Your child may then present the card to his/her teacher(s), EA, ECE, etc.


Orders will be accepted until Wednesday, December 11th. Greeting cards will be sent home with
your child by Friday, December 13th.

Please note that this program is completely optional and all donations collected for the Gift of
Reading go directly towards purchasing books and materials for the Learning Commons.

If you have any questions please contact Michelle Owen at mprankie@hotmail.com.

Thank you!
Michelle Owen
St. Philip Catholic School Council

There's still time to place your Under One Sun ornament order!

There's still time to spread some Christmas Joy!

Ordering is open until November 25th at :https://u1sornaments.ca/products/st-philip-school-richmond 

These ornaments were super popular last year and benefits both St. Philip School and the artists in Haiti!! Thanks in advance for your support!

Christmas Social 2019 is fast approaching!! Volunteer Today!!

Volunteer Opportunities Available!!!! Sign up here: volunteersignup.org/YC8AM

Poinsettia ordering deadline extended to Nov 15 3PM

A snow day is a great day to enter your poinsettia order!!! We’ve extended the deadline until 3pm Nov 15, but enter now to avoid disappointment! All proceeds go to French resources at the school.

Please order here:  https://stphilip.hotlunches.net/admin/

2019 St. Philip Curling Funspiel a great success!!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the St Philip Curling Funspiel! 

Special thanks to Suzanne Baird for organizing, Brian Kusiewicz for sponsoring the prizes, and the many chefs who provided delicious pots of chili. Congrats to the winning team “Don’t Mock these Rocks” 🏆

Under One Sun Ornament Fundraiser

Just in time for the holidays! St Philip School Council is organizing the sale of ornaments and decorative signs from “Under one Sun”.  This is a socially responsible company working in part with Haitian artisans. A portion of the funds raised will go to the artisans and a portion is given to our school.

Our fundraiser will run from Monday November 4th to November 25.The link to order online is https://u1sornaments.ca/products/st-philip-school-richmond 

Please note that all orders and payments must be made online so we cannot receive orders or payments at the school.  Samples of the items will be available on display in the school foyer next week.

Orders will be ready for pick up at the Christmas social. For any questions  please connect with Meghan Goddard at meghangoddard@yahoo.ca

Please share this festive fundraiser with your friends and family!

Poinsettia Sales for French Resources

ST. PHILIP SCHOOL COUNCIL FUNDRAISER

POINSETTIA SALE

GET A STUNNING POINSTETTIA FOR YOUR HOME OR AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A LOVED ONE! Beautiful 8” and 10” Poinsettia potted plants with brightly coloured petals on the Poinsettia Flowers will be available for pre-order UNTIL NOVEMBER 12^TH, 2019 in either RED or WHITE or PINK colours from St. Philip’s Catholic School Council. Colours and bloom sizes may vary based on availability. All proceeds will go towards French resources for the school. 

 8” potted Poinsettias available in red/pink/white have 12 plus blooms.

10” potted Poinsettias available in red/pink/white have 18 plus blooms:    

Price List:

8”:      $17.99 or 2 for $35 or 3 for $50

10”:    $25.00 or 2 for $50

Poinsettias are available for pre-order through the Council’s hot lunch website https://stphilip.hotlunches.net until November 12^th, 2019 and pick up at the Christmas Social in the school gym on Dec 5^th.  Please contact st.philip.school.council@gmail.com with any questions.

The St. Philip School council is pleased to have partnered with our local Ritchie Feed and Seed Inc. who have offered us a special price for this fundraising initiative.

School Council Fundraising 2019/2020

A few notes on fundraising at St. Philip:

During the October council meeting, we worked towards finalizing our school council budget for this year.  Using inputs from our brainstorming sessions at the end of last year, we listed the cost and price of the things that we want to support in 2019/20.  When we organize fundraising we consider a few basic questions: do we have a specific goal that we wish to fundraise for? do we have a confirmed lead for the fundraising? will the fundraising involve direct sales with the students? is the fundraiser something that would be of interest to our parent community?  If the initiative does not mention specifically where the funds are going, it means that the funds raised will go to school council initiatives.  This covers a wide range of activities that we support: Scientists in the School, Jungle Sport, Christmas Social, Luv 2 Groove, Science Fair, outdoor recess items, teacher requests, etc.

Fundraising in progress or coming up:

1. Curling Funspiel: a fun night for parents to meet and socialize while raising funds for the school.  Benefits: general school council initiatives. 

2. Under One Sun: ornament sales that benefit both the school and Haitian artists.  Benefits: general school council initiatives.

3. Poinsettia Sales: new this year! Poinsettias will be available for pre-order and delivered to school in time for the holiday season.  Benefits: French resources in the school.

4. Gift of Reading: a long running St. Philip tradition where Christmas cards can be purchased for the teachers in lieu of Christmas gifts. Benefits: the Learning Commons/library for new books and resources.

As always, participation in these fundraisers is optional.  If you would like to participate in a particular fundraiser, we appreciate your support! It has been a busy fall with many parents stepping up to organize events and fundraisers to benefit our school community.  For those wondering, we do also plan to run our Little Caesar's Pizza fundraiser in the winter/early spring as our only "direct sales" fundraiser with the kids.  I hope this helps to clarify and please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions <danakean@gmail.com>.

Sincerely, Dana Kean (Council Co-chair)

Donations needed: not a curler?

Donations needed! Not a curler?????? With our bonspiel approaching on November 9, 2019 we are looking for your best chili recipe for others to enjoy. Or if you are not a crock pot chili master please consider donating other items.   This is such a fun night of community and School spirit please help us with an amazing dinner.  Please drop Chili or other offerings off at the curling club 30 minutes prior to the event :) You do not have to be participating in the event to donate.  Thank you in advance for your help and support of school community initiatives. If you have any questions with respect to the dinner please contact Tina Sul tjohnston23@hotmail.com.  

Sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/TRACJ

Save the Date: St. Philip Christmas Social - Thursday December 5th 6-8PM

Planning for our St. Philip Christmas Social is underway.  

Please save the date on your calendar.  

Thursday December 5th 6-8PM.  

If you would like to volunteer to help out with this super fun event, 

please contact Shondra McLean: shondramclean@gmail.com

School Spirit Wear is now available for pre-order!!!!

The St. Philip School Council is pleased to offer School Spirit Wear again this year for our school community.   

There will be three separate designs to choose from along with additional colour options.  Logos include: SPS Falcon Logo, Go Be Kind Falcons Logo, and Be the “I” in Kind Logo.  Colour options this year are: Green, Blue, Pink, and Orange.

Additionally, we are happy to offer a two t-shirts for $20 option which is a cost effective way to outfit the whole family. 

Clothing orders will be done through our lunch program site.  Follow these simple steps to order:

1.       Go to: https://stphilip.hotlunches.net/admin/

2.       Log in using your user name and password

3.       Pick the clothing options you want along with the size.

4.       Add to cart

5.       Pay

Orders are due by November 1, 2019. Order turn around is between 8-10 business days.  Orders will be going home with the children when they are received and sorted.  Watch the school news letter and council blog (http://stphilipschoolcouncil.blogspot.com/) for details. 

On October 28, 2019 from 6:00pm-7:00pm clothing size samples will be available if you wish to try items on your child and/or look at samples of the garments. 

Gildan T-shirt	Youth (XS-XL) $12.00	Adult (S-2XL) $13.00	3 logo options, 4 colours
Gildan Long Sleeve T-Shirt	Youth (XS-XL) $14.00	Adult (S-2XL) $15.00	3 logo options, 4 colours
Gildan Sweatpants	Youth (S-XL) $20.00	Adult (S-XL) $25.00	Falcon only, grey only
Gildan Zip-up hoodie	Youth (S-XL) $20.00	Adult (S-XL) $25.00	Falcon only, grey only
Shorts	Youth (S-XL) $20.00	Adult (S-XL) $25.00	Falcon only, black only
Moisture Wicking Hoodie	Youth (S-XL) $40.00	Adult (S-XL) $45.00	3 logo options, 4 colours
Toque	One size youth $20

If you have any questions please contact Tina Sul tjohnston23@hotmail.com .  Thank you in advance for your support.  Go be kind falcons!

Sincerely,

St. Philip School Council

Meeting Agenda for School Council Meeting #2

ST. PHILIP SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE DELAYED ONE WEEK TO ENABLE ALL OUR MEMBERS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE!!


Please find the meeting agenda for our October St. Philip School Council meeting to be held Monday October 28th at 6:30PM in the Learning Commons here:

Meeting #2 Agenda

The meeting minutes will be made available following this meeting.  They can be accessed by clicking on the "Council Meeting Minutes" Links on the right hand side of this page.

Back by popular demand! The St Philip Curling Funspiel, a parents only event! Nov 9th

St. Philip

Curling Funspiel

Enjoy a fun sport with friends, meet

other St. Philip's parents, & raise funds

for future school initiatives

HOSTED BY St. Philip Parent Council

No curling experience required!!

A Parent Only Event!!

Entry Fee: $100 per team ($25/individual- 4 players per team) –FIRST 16 teams accepted

Entry fee includes: Two 4-end curling games, chilli supper, snacks and good times!

Closing date for entries:  october 26th

DATE OF EVENT: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9TH

1^st Draw: Game #1 4:00 pm, Dinner 5:30pm, Game #2 7:00pm

2^nd Draw: Game #1 5:30pm, Dinner 7:00pm, Game #2 8:30pm

Bar Open until 1am!

See link on sidebar under "Important Forms" for complete details.  Teams fill quickly, so don't delay in submitting your registration!

School Council Meeting #1 Minutes are posted!

The minutes from our First School Council meeting held September 23, 2019 have been posted.
See the link on the right hand side of this page to access.

Meeting Agenda for School Council Meeting #1

Please find the meeting agenda for our first St. Philip School Council meeting to be held Monday September 23rd at 6:30PM in the Learning Commons here:

Meeting #1 Agenda

The meeting minutes will be made available following this meeting.  They can be accessed by clicking on the "Council Meeting Minutes" Links on the right hand side of this page.

Session 1 Hot Lunch Forms due on Thursday Sept 19

The St. Philip School Hot Lunch program is run as a fundraiser for various School Council initiatives.  Danby's and JoJos Pizza options are both available.

Please see the right hand side of this page for Session 1 forms and complete details on our Hot Lunch Program.

Welcome to a new school year at St. Philip Catholic School!

Please mark your calendars for the very first St. Philip Catholic School Council meeting of the year!

Monday September 23rd at 6:30PM 
(in the Learning Commons)

All interested parents are invited to attend. At this meeting we will elect a new St. Philip Catholic School Council for the 2019-2020 school year.

Each Catholic School Council functions as an advisory body to the School Principal

and the Board and can make recommendations to the Principal or the Board on any matter.  

All Elected Catholic School Council members will:

●   participate in C.S.C. meetings, vote on issues as required

●   be committed to the improvement of the school

●   act as a link between the C.S.C. and the community

●   encourage the participation of parents from all groups and of other people

within the school community

All parents are welcome to attend meetings throughout the school year.

Only elected members of a school council have voting privileges.

Please see the 2019/20 self nomination form located on the right hand side of this page
under "Important Forms" for more details. Forms can be submitted electronically to danakean@gmail.com or printed out and handed in at the meeting.

2018/2019 School Council Summary

The St. Philip School Council would like to thank the teachers, staff, and parent community
for your support of our council initiatives over the past year.  
Our goal as a council is to enhance our children’s educational opportunities.

2018/2019 activities supported:

·         Scientists in the School program

·         Jungle Sports (indoor mobile climbing gym)

·         Artist Kate Ryckman classroom art workshops

·         Rock the Arts Puppet Show

·         St. Philip 2019 Science Fair

·         Outdoor recess toys and outdoor paint station

·         New school yard benches

·         Inspirational artwork at school

·         Teacher requests

2018/2019 Fundraising activities organized:

·         Hot Lunch Program

·         St Philip Spirit Wear sales

·         Under One Sun ornament sales

·         Little Caesar Pizza sales

·         Cake and Silent Auction

·         St. Philip Fun Fair

Planning is already underway for next year’s projects.  
Our big project tentatively planned for next year is the installation of an outdoor classroom!

Please consider joining our team of fun and dedicated parents.  
We meet once a month in the St. Philip Learning Commons.
All parents are encouraged and welcome to attend our meetings.  
For up to date council news, please subscribe to http://stphilipschoolcouncil.blogspot.ca/!

2018/2019 School Council Executive

Erica Leveque, Co-Chair

Dana Kean, Co-Chair

Fiona Bassett Cram, Secretary

Lori O'Brien, Co-Treasurer

Suzanne Easton, Co-Treasurer

Heidi Pierunek, Parish Rep

Shondra McLean, CSPA Rep

Jodi Eady, Community Rep