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| Catholic schools are unique communities with different personal and cultural values than the corresponding communities found in public schools. |
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To celebrate the uniqueness of our schools, Catholic Schools Week has become an annual event that builds an appreciation of the educational achievements and spiritual benefits of attending a Catholic school. It acknowledges the many teachers and students who work in these schools, and celebrates the opportunities that Catholic Schools have to offer.
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The celebrations began on Tuesday afternoon with a gym assembly in preparation for the “IHMS Winter Games”. The Winter Games were a set of 10 team-based activities with half the activities taking place indoors, and the other half taking place outdoors in the playground. Every student from K-8 was assigned to a specific team with a specific team colour. So Tuesday was also a N.U.T. Day – students came to school dressed in their team colour for the Winter Games.
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| Students gathered in the gym dressed in their team colours for “Winter Fest” |
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Outdoor Activity 1
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Outdoor Activity 2
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Outdoor Activity 3
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Outdoor Activity 4
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Outdoor Activity 5
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Indoor Activity 1
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Indoor Activity 2
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Indoor Activity 3
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Indoor Activity 4
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Indoor Activity 5
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In addition to the IHMS Winter Games, Tuesday was also “100 Day” – the 100th day of the current school year. Because 100 is a large number for smaller kids, “100 Day” was only celebrated by grade 1 and 2 students. To do this, the downstairs teachers devised various activities to give their students a more concrete idea of how large 100 really is.
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| Tuesday was “100 Day”, but it was also a NUT day because every student came to school dressed in their team colours for Winter Fest. |
Thursday, February 14 was Valentine’s day. For as long as anyone can remember, Valentines’s day at IHMS has always been a NUT Day, in this case “Red,White, and Pink Day”.
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| Students and staff dressed in red, white, and pink on Valentine’s Day |
Since Thursday was Valentines’s day, some students also exchanged their own Valentine’s day cards, especially in the younger grades. IHMS is trying to promote healthier eating in the school, so passing out candies or chocolates was prohibited.
There was also another gym assembly on Thursday morning, and students were asked to bring their crayons, pencil crayons or markers with them. Each student then made an anonymous Valentine card which was later distributed to residents of Holy Family Home.
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| Students making anonymous Valentines Day cards on Thursday |
Friday, February 15, the last day of Catholic Schools Week, was an inservice day for the teachers at St. Mary’s Academy. While IHMS teachers (and teachers from other Catholic schools) were busy attending the inservice, students had a day off from school. Since the following Monday was a holiday – Louis Riel Day – it was a long 4 day weekend for the students and a great way to finish off a fun and exciting week!