Extracurriculars
At
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School

Overview
In our efforts to provide students with opportunities to develop in multiple disciplines, we are very happy to be involved in activities which extend beyond the confines of the classroom. To that end, we actively engage students in two areas of activity which are most commonly referred to as extracurricular activity and intramural activity. The main difference between the two types of activities is that extracurricular activities frequently involve interaction and/or competition with other schools. Intramural activities essentially involve interaction/competition within our own school. Extracurricular activities frequently involve student commitments for extended periods of practice prior to the activity whereas intramural activities require commitment to the event but there is no extensive practice leading up to the particular event.
Both extracurricular and intramural activities focus on developing student skills in working together as a team and on developing a sense of discipline and commitment.
Both activities require a sense of playing within the specified rules or expectations.
Both activities are strictly optional activities which are provided to enhance student experiences.

Extracurriculars
Within the field of extracurriculars, many (but not all) of the activities are athletically-based. As well, many of the extracurriculars are designed for students in Grade Six, Seven, and Eight. However, there are some exceptions there as well. Extracurriculars are available for both female and male students. In the ensuing information, an outline of the various extracurricular activities will be provided. In each area, an indication will be made as to the age groups for which the activity is designed.
Extracurricular activities are organized by staff members who volunteer their time to coach the various activities. For each activity, coaches identify expectations to the students prior to the beginning of the activity. In all extracurricular athletic activities, there is a series of tryouts for the team. Once a team has been selected, the coach(es) will provide the team members with both expectations and with a schedule for practices and games. All coaches involved in extracurriculars do meet with school administration to verify basic expectations for players. It is a clear school expectation that students who participate in extracurriculars must be able to maintain a standard of performance within the classroom in order to participate on a school team. As a member of a school team, every player is made very aware of the responsibility she/he has as a representative of our school community. Inappropriate behaviour or attitudes could result in the immediate removal of the player from the team. Review of the offensive behaviours would be conducted by the coach and the administration of the school and with the parents of the affected student.
Clarification of any of the expectations regarding extracurriculars is always possible by contacting the school office or by contacting the coach directly.

Outline of Extracurricular Activities

Soccer: Our school soccer teams are selected in early September. Both girls’ and boys’ teams compete in the inter-school tournaments. The soccer season typically operates in September/October.
These teams are open to students in Grade Six, Seven, and Eight.

Volleyball: School volleyball teams begin tryouts and practices in early October. Again, both the girls’ team and the boys’ team compete in the inter-school tournaments. These teams are for students in Grade Six, Seven, and Eight. This season operates primarily in October/November.
Boys' Volleyball Regional Champions - November 2006
Girls' Volleyball Regional Champions - November 2006

Basketball: Basketball teams operate in exactly the same manner as the volleyball teams. These teams are open to Grade Six, Seven, and Eight students as well. The basketball season is usually December/January/February.

Swimming: At Our Lady of Sorrows, there is a huge commitment to our
Swim Team. This team is made up of boys and girls from age 8. The culmination of practice for this team is a large swim meet which is most often held at the Etobicoke Olympium in early April. Practices usually run through late January. February. Swim Team Calendar


Cross Country: This is one of the largest teams in the school. This team is open to students from age 8. Both girls and boys participate on this team. Typically, our school will field a team of approximately 80 competitors for the initial meet. After the initial meet, runners who qualify do return for a second meet. Qualifiers from Meet Two then continue to the third meet.
The season for Cross Country is usually March/April.
The Cross Country season has begun in preparation for the first meet on April 20, 2004. Practices will be held in the gym or, weather permitting, outdoors. It is imperative that your child attend all practices, and that he/she be dressed to run.

Track&Field: This team is very similar to the Cross Country team in composition. This team is open to students again from age 8.
The format for this team’s competitions is exactly like the format for Cross Country.
The season for Track and Field is usually April/May/June.

Jr. Volleyball: These teams (girls and boys) are quite similar to the volleyball teams described earlier. The main difference is that players on these teams must come from Grade Four, Five, Six.
This season is usually in March.

Primary Soccer: These teams (girls and boys) are fairly similar to the soccer
teams described earlier. The differences are that these players must come from Grade One, Two, and Three. This soccer is indoor soccer, played in a gym.
The season for these teams is January/February.

The Arts: We are very proud to offer an Arts programme (drama)
for those students who prefer arts to athletics. This programme is operated by an outside group known as
Arts Express. Students are required to pay for this ten week programme which runs mainly after school. Details and registration information are provided by Arts Express.

Academics: For both Junior and Intermediate students, our school is
(W5H) very actively involved in a general knowledge competition with other schools. This activity is referred to as the W5H competition. Tryouts for these teams occur in early January for the Junior students (Gr. 4, 5, 6) and in February for Gr. 7&8 students. These competitions are fast-paced general knowledge challenges. Buzzer boards are used as students compete against other schools.
The season for Junior W5H is January/February while the season for Intermediate students is February/March/April.

Chess Club:The school library has become very busy during the lunch hours at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School - more that 50 junior and intermediate students have joined the Chess Club this year! Students meet informally in the library at lunch, have fun, and play chess together.The intent of Chess Club is to introduce new players to the wonderful game of chess, and to provide more advanced players a place to practice and play with friends. A Chess Ladder has been created and is updated weekly to keep track of games played and won. Through playing chess, students improve their logic, reasoning and problem solving skills, memory and concentration and good sportsmanship - and have fun too!
All students from grades 4 to 8 are welcome to join anytime
Chess Notes - For those interested, there are some very good websites with information for the beginning chess player. The Chess Federation of Canada at www.chess.ca has a downloadable booklet under its 'Resources' section, outlining all the basic rules of the game.

Outline of Intramural Activities

Our intramural activities are run at lunch time. These intramurals usually involve the Junior Division students as players. The Intermediate students are organized as referees and as coaches. There are no tryouts for these teams. All interested students sign up for an activity. The students are then put on a team to compete against other teams in the school. These activities are much more relaxed than the formal extracurricular activities. These intramurals run through several weeks. All games are held in our own school gym.