A Message from Mr. Podilsky...

Transcription

1 A Message from Mr. Podilsky... Our April builds up with excitement, as this month we present our School Play based on Disney themes -we look forward to an exciting Spring Concert! In this month s newsletter I would like to take time to send accolades to our school community, especially our teachers, for all of the amazing new initiatives and activities that we have incorporated this year to increase student learning and engagement. It s an exciting place to be. Thank you staff and students for your extra efforts in making them come to life. Here they are: The FLEX program, cross graded guided reading, awesome cards (Hall of Awesome), Hour of Code, community open house presentations, social justice initiatives and 3D printer designs. This is all on top of the regular music, makers club, school plays, leadership, school spirit days, religious celebration and athletic clubs. Going the extra mile for our students is what makes St. Philip School special and we appreciate everybody s efforts in supporting them. Now it is time to rest staff, students and families. Enjoy Spring Break!!! Happy Easter as well. God Bless your families. Taras Podilsky Inside this issue: Ash Wednesday & Spirit Day 2 Class Host & Running Games 3 Spring Concert 4 Hot Lunch 5 Italian Language & Cultural Program 6 CPLI Italian Language School 7 Superintendent's Message 8 Religious Consultant s Message 9 Chaplain s Message 10 Parent Evening 11 April Calendar 12

2 On Wednesday, March 1st, our St. Philip family enjoyed a beautiful celebration together and we were fortunate enough to be joined by Father Paul from St. Matthew s parish. We all began our journey into Lent with Father s wise words, and were blessed to mark the season the day before, with our annual Carnevale. Wednesday, March 15th was St. Philip s first School Book Swap!! Students were asked to bring in books that they no longer wanted, and had the opportunity to exchange them with books from others! It was a great afternoon of talking, and "buzzing about books. Kids were very excited to get the chance to enjoy the experience of a new book! Thanks to everyone who participated!

3 The grade twos had the opportunity to learn about the environment and keeping our water supply safe. The treating it right puppet show complemented the science unit of exploring liquids. Through this hands on learning activity the students became stewards of our environment. On Saturday, March 18, one of our St. Philip relay girls teams advanced to compete in the Indoor Running Games quarter final relay race. They ran a very exciting race placing third in their heat with a time of 4:46. We are proud of their effort, dedication and success. Congrats!! Girls Team (Gr. 6) Jessica T Katrina D Piper W Dammy E Brigid D Britney O Hilda J Destiny N Breanna D Olivia M

4 The date for the Spring Concert will be Thursday April 27 th. The dress rehearsal is in the morning at approximately 9:00am, and evening show at 6:30pm. The students are asked to be here for 6:00pm in their classrooms for the evening show. Due to limited seating 2 tickets will be given per family for the evening show. We encourage you to invite any other friends and family to attend the morning dress rehearsal. The students and parent volunteers are sure working hard! If you know ahead of time that your child can not attend, could you please let school know as soon as possible as this would impact line-ups and groupings of the children. Outfit reminders: Kindergarten: Sunday Best 1A: Any Disney wear 2A: PJs and can bring a stuffy to hold 2/3: Sunday Best 3A: Summer wear (hat, sunglasses, flip-flops) *No bathing suits or spaghetti straps please 4A: Bring a black t-shirt by March 1 st to decorate. Wear black. 4/5B: Wear black 5A: Wear black with green, blue, and purple 6A: Wear black with orange, red and yellow 6B: Wear black Ticket Information: Each family will receive two tickets for the evening show. Tickets will be distributed Thursday April 13th. We ask that parents send any unwanted tickets back to the office. If you would like extra tickets, please notify the office. The SPARK team will once again be selling raffle tickets for front row seats and parking spots for the evening of the spring concert. Tickets will again be $1.00 each and all the proceeds will be going to achieving our "Global Goal" to provide Health Care opportunities to families in Kenya. Please keep an eye out for more information in April!

5 APRIL 21: OPA! Lunch & Crazy Hat Theme Still haven t signed up to order lot lunch online? Go to stphilipedmonton.hotlunches.net Click on Click Here to Register Enter Access Code SPHL2016 Complete the reset of the registration form. (Including your address will ensure you receive reminder s about lunch orders deadlines, and your child s lunch order for the upcoming month) Click the Register Now button on the bottom Follow the instructions to add each child in your family who attends St. Philip Once your child(ren) are registered, click on Orders Proceed to order lunch for your child Pay Pal: We only accept lunch order payments through PayPal ( No cheques or cash payments will be accepted at anytime. You can either pay with a credit card as a PayPal guest (Visa, Mastercard or Amex, or set up your own PayPal account to use your Personal Saving or Chequing Account. A big thank you to the awesome people who worked the last minute bingo in March! Rachel Tassone, Ken Muir, Ernest Manning, Udo Lehman, Maureen Gamache

6 Our Italian classes have begun practicing their Spring Concert songs. Kindergarten to Grade 3 classes will be singing, Le nuove avventure di Pinocchio. The Grades 4 to 6 classes will be singing, Pinocchio by Andrea Balestri, We are looking forward to the Spring Concert! Vocabulary La primavera (Spring) cantare (to sing) Come va? (How's it going.) Sono felice. (I'm happy.) Bene. (Good.) Andiamo. (Let's go.) Pasqua (Easter) un coniglio (a rabbit) un uovo (an egg) un cestino (a bell) del cioccolato (chocolate) un pulcino (a chick) del mughetto (lily) un nido (a nest) un agnello a lamb

7 Big day at the International and Heritage Language Association s (IHLA) 14 th Annual Mother Language Day Celebration! On Saturday, February 25 th, IHLA hosted its 14 th Annual Mother Language Day Celebration. International Mother Language Day is celebrated worldwide, typically on February 21 st of each year. All heritage language schools and organizations come together to highlight and exhibit the wonderful work by students studying their mother language and culture and perform songs, dances, reading poetry, and reciting plays. The CPLI-Italian Language School, an IHLA member school, exhibited panels displaying students work on Inverno and performed Ci vuol un fiore on stage to an incredible audience of over 300 people! Our Thursday afternoon class (K-2) students in the CPLI Italian Language School submitted written work that will Signora Eliana with Dacia M., Sofia M., Valentina K., Chiara P., Mila K. be published in the 14 th Annual Mother Language Day Book, this year s theme How do I share my language and culture with the world around me? A beautiful day to be sure! Thank you to our CPLI students! Siete stati BRAVISSIMI!

8 April 2017 The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. ~Psalm 145: 13-14~ This passage comes from a beautiful psalm titled The Greatness and the Goodness of God. It truly evokes the image of a loving Father who nurtures and supports his children in their life s journey. As we approach Holy Week and the ensuing season of Easter, we can see this greatness and goodness of our God in the saving gift of his Son, Jesus. Edmonton Catholic Schools has many reasons to celebrate this month. We are very pleased to have been named one of Alberta s Top 70 Employers 2017, our second year in a row! This special designation is organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers and recognizes Alberta employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Organizations that enter the competition are evaluated in 8 categories and then compared to other organizations. Winners are chosen for offering the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. We know that when our staff have exceptional working conditions, they can focus on providing excellent learning experiences for our students. The Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta sponsors the Excellence in Catholic Education Awards each year. We are pleased to announce that Bruno Binassi, principal of Sir John Thompson, Rena Methuen, principal of Ben Calf Robe/St. Clare, and Beth Pecson, a teacher from Monsignor Fee Otterson are recipients of this prestigious award. These three exceptional Catholic educators are being recognized for providing excellent educational experiences for their students that are deeply grounded in our Catholic faith. Congratulations! As we approach the final months of our school year, the opportunity to celebrate student achievements in a variety of forums arises. Each year Edmonton Catholic Schools showcases and celebrates fine arts education and the gifts and talents of its students and staff through its annual Celebration of the Arts Concert. This year, our event takes place on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:30 pm at the Winspear Centre. It is a truly awe-inspiring evening. The final Supporting our Diverse Learners session for parents and guardians takes place on Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30 pm, St. Anthony Meeting Centre, Avenue. This session will focus on mental health awareness, transitions, and Programs of Choice. Topics include the developing brain, common myths about mental illness, childhood and teenage stress, and promoting positive mental health in your child. Visit to learn more and to register The provincial budget was proclaimed on March 16. We are pleased to receive dollars to support the reduction in school fees that we have already put in place for next year. We are extremely pleased the government will continue to provide funding for new students. We are projecting an enrolment increase of 3.3% or 1,359 students for September Our work to analyze all the financial data will continue over the next few weeks. As the end of Lent approaches, I would like to leave you with a final thought from Pope Francis. Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments and in our neighbour. (Twitter, March 12, 2017) Many blessings of the Easter season to all of you! Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

9 Amoris Laetitia Chapter 7: TOWARDS A BETTER EDUCATION OF CHILDREN This chapter is particularly relevant for those who have been called to serve in the field of Catholic education. It is clear that the synod participants, under the leadership of Pope Francis, believe that the primary educators of children are the child s parents. The importance of this message is reflected in the second paragraph of this chapter which explains how essential it is for parents to spend quality time with their children: Only if we devote time to our children, speaking of important things with simplicity and concern, and finding healthy ways for them to spend their time, will we be able to shield them from harm. (260) This devoted time is seen as a gift to be shared by both parents and children. The document underlines the importance of helping children to see the parental relationship as a positive experience when it says, Obsession, however, is not education (261). The focus is on encouraging children to develop habits of love and trust, not controlling them with fear of punishment. While it is true that inappropriate behavior must be corrected, the key is to do so with love and in a way that the children understand and learn from the situation. It is interesting to note the understanding of the real world that comes through in this chapter. There is no illusion that all families are perfect and all adolescents listen to and respect their parents. This is reflected in the quotation: adolescents should be helped to draw analogies: to appreciate that values are best embodied in a few exemplary persons, but also realized imperfectly and to different degrees in others (272). This gives parents permission to turn to others for assistance. His Holiness invites and encourages all parents to seek faithful assistance; this is especially true concerning the gift of Catholic education. One of the most influential partners that parents can count on to assist them in the education of their children is the Catholic school systems available in many countries around the world. The education of children involves teaching of morality, Scripture study, and theology, as well as education on human sexuality. In speaking specifically about this area, the document gives several guiding statements which educators can look to for inspiration: It can only be seen within the broader framework of an education for love, for mutual self-giving (280). The important thing is to teach them sensitivity to different expressions of love, mutual concern and care, loving respect and deeply meaningful communication (283). While these statements are not a how to teach human sexuality, they give a clear direction and focus for the development of human sexuality education programs in Catholic schools. In concluding the chapter, Pope Francis returns to the importance of the role of parents in raising their children. Handing on the faith presumes that parents themselves genuinely trust God, seek him and sense their need for him, for only in this way does one generation laud your works to another, and declare your mighty acts [Ps 144:4] and fathers make known to children your faithfulness [Is 38:19] (287). The education of children is a daunting challenge and a glorious calling for all of us. We, as educators and members of the Church, are a source of support for the parents of the children we serve. Ed Jean, Secondary Religious Education Consultant

10 April 2017 We are a people who love messages. Did you get my letter? My ? Text? Indeed, we all like to have something to tell. A message is defined as a verbal, written, or recorded communication sent to or left for a recipient. In turn, a message is intended to be heard, heeded, and likely succeeded on to another. Consequently, the content of the message is very important, both by what it is and how it is conveyed. For us as Catholics and Christians, Easter has a most powerful message: Christ is Risen! The fullness and importance of the message is that Jesus intimately knew our human experience, and through being God, was able to conquer sin and destroy death. When taken together, this is why the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ define our identity as the Catholic Church. This is also why our recognition of our identity in the Mass is to be a communal celebration: together we experience Christ in the social community which gathers to worship as God s people through what was accomplished during the Triduum. Such becomes the value in having all its members present, each and every Sunday, for where the whole Church is joined in unity, Christ is most present. And where all are gathered, all will receive the one same clear communication of good news. The greatest message of the Church began with a few who saw, would believe, and then pursue the gift that was offered to them. The gift of their Faith is what we and those many before us would then receive. In these modern times, the Catholic Church, our District, and the community of Edmonton gathered together for Easter continues our identity of who we are and what we can achieve for Christ. This is the incredible power of good news, the purpose of Truth, and all received through the announcement of great joy. It is the fundamental message I pray and hope all will remember as we go forth: that Christ IS Risen and then to share it by text, or one-to-one with everyone in an excited Happy Easter! Very sincerely your servant in Christ, Fr. Dean Dowle Edmonton Catholic School District Chaplain Foundational to our belief as Catholics is that life is a gift from God. Our District Chaplains, Father Dean Dowle and Father Julian Bilyj would like to invite all of our staff and our parents to join them on Thursday, May 11, 2017 for the Alberta March for Life, which honors that All Lives Matter From Beginning to End. This is a family friendly event which allows participants to bear witness to our belief of the sanctity of life. This pro-life event begins at Churchill Square at noon. There will be a formal program followed by a march to the Alberta Legislature. Visit to learn more about the event and to view the detailed brochure on the March for Life events. Father Dean shares Together, we walk in happiness to live and give the love that was so generously shared with each of us.

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12 APRIL 2017 SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT Classes Resume 4 5 Kindergarten No School School Spirit 2pm Flex #11 13 Stations of the 14 Good Friday 15 Spark Team to Father Leo Green No School 16 Easter Sunday 17 Easter Monday No School Easter 20 District Wide Professional Development 21 Hot Lunch Flex #12 Spring 6:30pm Father Paul Visits Gr. 4/5 & Gr IMPORTANT DATES IN MAY May 5 Family Dance May 19 Hot Lunch May 22 Victoria Day NO SCHOOL