January We have come from the East to pay homage to the king.

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1 750 Leger WAY, Edmonton, Alberta, T6R 3H4 Phone (780) (780) Fax January 2019 We have come from the East to pay homage to the king. We know little about the Magi. They come from the East and journey to Bethlehem, following an astrological sign, so we believe them to be astrologers. We assume that there were three Magi based upon the naming of their three gifts. The Gospel does not say how many Magi paid homage to Jesus. In Matthew s Gospel, they represent the Gentiles search for a savior. Because the Magi represent the entire world, they also represent our search for Jesus. We have come to consider the gifts they bring as a foreshadowing of Jesus role in salvation. We believe the meaning of the gifts to be Christological. Gold is presented as representative of Jesus kingship. Frankincense is a symbol of his divinity because priests burned the substance in the Temple. Myrrh, which was used to prepare the dead for burial, is offered in anticipation of Jesus death. The word Epiphany means manifestation or showing forth. Historically several moments in Christ s early life and ministry have been celebrated as epiphanies, including his birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the Magi, his baptism by John, and his first miracle at Cana. CLASSES RESUME Monday, JANUARY 7, 2019

2 CANTEEN at AJM Our AJM Canteen follows the ECSD Nutrition Policy in having healthy options available for JH students to purchase. The items available at the Canteen are: Ham and Turkey Sandwiches on Whole Wheat bread (Lettuce, Tomato, mayonnaise and mustard on the side), Salads: Caesar Salad (Romaine Lettuce, Croutons, and House Dressing), Tuna kits, Granola Bars, Water, Juice Boxes, Yogurt Parfaits, Yogurt Tubes, Cheese Strings, and Fruit Cups. We are focusing on Healthy Eating in Edmonton Catholic Schools in selecting items that falls in the categories of Choose Most Often Something Every Day and Choose Sometimes Three Times per Week within our school. AJM has eliminated any food items that fall under Choose Least Often. We also had two University of Alberta Nutrition Students for 6 weeks who increased the awareness among students regarding making healthy food choices.

3 ATHLETICS at AJM We would like to thank our Volleyball Coaches for their tremendous efforts in providing our students with the opportunity of gaining skills and confidence in Volleyball. Our coaches donate their personal time to build and foster character through sports for our students. A big thank you goes to Ms. Bunker, Mr. Fairfield, Mrs. Grattan, Mr. Misiaszek, Mrs. Porter, Mr. Sharkey and Mr. Shinkaruk for their time and efforts during the Volleyball season! Basketball has already begun with the Mother Margaret Mary tournament held in December. The schedule will be starting shortly. Our Sr. Boys team will be coached by Mr. Terry Schipper (parent volunteer) and sponsored by Mrs. Liogier. Our Sr. Girls team will be coached by Mrs. Danah Arnold (parent volunteer) and sponsored by Mr. Gonzalez Rico. Our Jr. Boys team will be coached by Mr. Barron, and our Jr. Girls team will be coached by Ms. Jennifer Crowley (volunteer) and sponsored by Mrs. Santos-Chaves. ELVES OF EDMONTON CHRISTMAS SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT 2018 Grade 8 students at AJM once again participated in Elves of Edmonton program. This is the ninth consecutive year that our school has partnered up with Kindergarten, Gr. 1-2 at St. Francis of Assisi School. Grade eight students receive the name of a child from Kindergarten, to Grade Three from St. Francis of Assisi and some information about him or her. Students are then asked to go out and shop for their secret buddy. During the last week of school prior to Christmas Break, Grade 8 students from AJM, all dressed in RED and GREEN along with ELF hats delivered their gifts and spent some time with their buddies. They also spent some time getting to know their buddies by sharing Christmas gifts, talking, playing and reading a Christmas story. The visit concluded with sharing hot chocolate, singing Christmas songs, and being treated to a visit from Santa. A special thank you to Mrs. Skeels, for taking the lead on this important project as well as Mrs. Nagendraraj, Mrs. Howes, Mr. Mendez and Mr. Barron for keeping our students organized.

4 SIGN OF HOPE WE CARE CHALLENGE Our We Care Challenge held on Thursday, December 20 was very successful. The students not only enjoyed the day and the activities but also raised a total of $1677 in support of the Sign of Hope Campaign. Well done AJM! THE CANADIAN RED CROSS BABYSITTING PROGRAM FOR GRADE 6 STUDENTS The Canadian Red Cross Babysitting Program will once again be offered for students in Grade 6. The price per student is $60.00 tax incl. which covers the 8-hour course. The Course dates are set for Thursdays, January 24 and February 7, 2018 from 12:00-3:00 p.m. CTBS CANADIAN TESTS OF BASIC SKILLS The Canadian Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) are to be administered to students in Grade 6 during the time period of January 7 th to 19 th.

5 AJM will be accepting Kindergarten registrations for the 2018/19 school year beginning on January 14, If you have a child who will be five on or before March 1, 2019, he/she is eligible for registration. Please bring your child's birth certificate, Alberta Health Care Number, and Baptismal certificate to the office, as well as your registration form which may be printed off from the school website. You are invited to attend the. Archbishop Joseph MacNeil Kindergarten Open House 6:30 p.m., Thursday, January 31 st, 2018 (in the library) Future students are welcome to come explore the school. Childcare will be provided. For more information or to register please contact the school at

6 Parents: Let s Talk Literacy Bring Writing into the Home Your child(ren) work hard at school! We certainly do not want to give our children more work, but we can bring real writing experiences into the home. How? Ask your child to: write down the grocery list as you dictate it write the menu for Christmas dinner make place cards for guests who are coming to dinner make cards or write s to thank those that gave them gifts over the holiday season Let young children, especially, use phonetic spelling, sounding out the words as best they can. Limit the amount of corrections you do with all ages. We want the writing experience to be purposeful and positive! Parents: Let s Talk Numeracy Patrick JMT - Similar to #2 Khan Academy, this top math website has clear math videos on tons of topics. Arcademics - Games are free, multi-player, and educational. And they even designed these games while conscious about online safety. Private games can be set up with a password, so a student and his/her friends could organize games to play against each other in a private game! Public games can be joined by anyone at any time but there is no contact between the outside players and the student. They also monitor player names and block inappropriate ones.

7 Grade 7, 8 & 9 EVENING OF FINE ARTS Mark your calendar! January 29, 2019 Join us for an interactive evening as grade 7-9 students and clubs demonstrate their talents and abilities through art, drama, and music! Events will take place in the library, gathering area, and various classrooms. CANCELLATION of YELLOW BUS SERVICE due to INCLEMENT WEATHER The information below outlines radio and TV stations that families can access in order to receive information on District wide Yellow bus cancellations (includes Regular routes, Curb (Special Needs), Noon Hour and 100 Voices). Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will carry announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. RADIO STATIONS 630 CHED AM 930 The Light CJCA CBC CISN FM SHINE FM CHFA (CBC Fr.) FRESH FM 92.5 TSN 1260 CFCW 840 INEWS 880 AM 95.7 CRUZ FM CAPITAL FM 96.3 The Bounce FM 91.7 The Bear FM K UP! 99.3 FM SONIC FM NOW! Radio HOT 107 FM VIRGIN Radio

8 TV STATIONS CITY TV CTV Edmonton GLOBAL Edmonton CBC TV Every effort will be made to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30 a.m.

9 PARKING LOT AND CROSS WALK SAFETY As an entire school staff, we need your support in working together to make certain that our children are safe before and after school. Please do not drive or walk through the staff parking lot as we encourage parents to use the sidewalks when dropping off or picking up their kids. Here are a few reminders that we ask your help in abiding: There is no drop-off, pick-up, or parking of cars in the bus zone in front of the school. There have been some close incidents of drivers jeopardizing the safety for our children. Do not block or obscure pedestrian crosswalks, school patrollers, corner intersections, or any points of entry or exit to the school. Park to allow for a clear view around any obstacles including snow drifts. Look out for children who may be playing on snow piles next to roadways as they could slip and fall into traffic. Be careful when crossing the roads or climbing over snow windrows. No Jay Walking in front of the school. Please use the cross walk. Remember, parents are role models for our children. Do not park in the staff parking lot as students are walking through the parking lot and it is not safe to do so.

10 SAVE THE DATE Please check our calendar for updates. Jan 7-19 CTBS test - Grade 6 Jan Tell Them from Me student survey Jan 16 School Advisory Council Meeting all parents welcome - 7:00 p.m. in the library Jan 17 Father Michael Mireau Grade Six Volleyball Tournament Jan 18 Grade Six Ski Trip to Rabbit Hill Jan 24 Babysitting course Grade 6 12:00-3:00 in Rm. 2-7 Jan 25 Elementary Fun Lunch Jan 29 JH Fine Arts night Jan 30 Junior High Healthy Hunger Hot Lunch (Booster Juice) Jan 31 Grade Six Volleyball Tournament (St. John XXIII School) Jan 31 Junior High report cards Jan 31 Kindergarten Open House 6:30 p.m. in the library

11 The Feast of the Epiphany The feast of manifestation, or EPIPHANY, is traditionally celebrated the 12 th day after Christmas, January 6 th. For many years in the English-speaking world the feast of Epiphany has been overshadowed by that of Christmas. After contemplating the staggering fact that God has become a human child, we turn to look at this mystery from the opposite angle and realize that this seemingly helpless Child is, in fact, the omnipotent God, the King and Ruler of the universe. The feast of Christ's divinity completes the feast of His humanity. It fulfills all our Advent longing for the King "who is come with great power and majesty." We see that whereas Christmas is the family feast of Christianity, Epiphany is the great "world feast of the Catholic Church." The Epiphany takes its name from the Greek epiphania, which denotes the visit of a god to earth. The feast unites three events in the life of Christ when His divinity shines through His humanity: the adoration of the Magi; the baptism of Christ in the Jordan; and the first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. Moreover, at Epiphany the Church looks forward to the majestic coming of Christ on the "youngest day" when His manifestation as God will be complete. The Gospels of the baptism and the marriage at Cana are read on the Octave Day and the Second Sunday after Epiphany, and later Sunday masses in the Epiphany season continue to show the divine power of our Lord in some of His most striking miracles. A second important idea in Epiphany is the extension of Christ's kingship to the whole world. The revelation of Christ to the three kings at Bethlehem is a symbol of His revelation to the whole of the Gentile world. Closely linked to both these themes of divine manifestation and world kingship is a third idea running through the Epiphany feast: that of light. During Advent, the world was in darkness, and we prayed and waited in the spirit of the Jewish nation which lived in expectation of the Coming Light during thousands of years. At Christmas the Light shone forth, but dimly, seen only by a few around the crib: Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. But at Epiphany the Light bursts forth to all nations and the prophecy is fulfilled: Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.(isaiah 60:3) One ritual Catholics observe is marking the formula 20 ( for the years beginning 20) +C+M+B+(last two digits if the current year) with chalk/sign above the door of the house. For example, 20+C+M+B+14 for the year The C,M and B represent the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. These initials also stand for the Latin prayer Christus mansionem benedicat or Christ bless this house. The ritual represents the wish on the part of those who dwell there that all who enter their house during this year will find the newborn king within. It is also a reminder to welcome all visitors with hospitality.

12 January 2019 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ~Isaiah 43:18-19~ The new year brings new beginnings and new opportunities. In this passage from Isaiah, the prophet is telling the people that God s great acts in their lives are so wonderful that they need not dwell in the past but look forward to their new path. Essentially, he is telling us not to focus on things of old, but to look forward with excitement to the new journey ahead. This is a great way to start 2019; move forward to positive places with enthusiasm, joy, and peace knowing that God is with you! As always, January marks the time when we start to plan for the next school year. It is a time for families to look at registering for Early Learning, Junior, or Senior High. It is extremely important for those families who have students who will need to transition to a new level or program in the upcoming school year to research their options with Edmonton Catholic Schools and to go out and visit the sites that they are interested in. Our website has a wealth of information for families. Beginning the third week of January, when you click on the Open House Information link on our homepage you will find our 2019 Guide to Schools and Open House dates. You will also find many useful tools including our School Locator and Kindergarten Calculator. Edmonton Catholic Schools has developed a new resource to support self-regulation both at home and in the classroom. Our children need the ability to self-regulate in order to be ready. Children need to be ready to attend and inhibit impulses. They need support and time to understand how to regulate so that they can build skills, learn, participate and socialize. Learn the special FOCUS Sequence that integrates research-based strategies into a single sequence of regulating activities that can be done with any age, across any environment and all in about 5 minutes! We will be hosting a Parent Night on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 6:30-8:00pm at St. Anthony Centre ( Avenue). To register, please visit or Yvonne.Casey@ecsd.net.... 2

13 Our annual Faith Development Day for staff will take place on Tuesday, February 5, All our schools and sites will be closed so that our staff may gather together to continue our lifelong journey of faith formation and to celebrate Eucharist together. As you contemplate all that the new year holds for you and establish your dreams and goals, I leave you with an encouragement from Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad: "The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts." (Rejoice and Be Glad, 11) Have a wonderful 2019! Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

14 THEOPHANY - CHRIST'S BAPTISM - FEAST OF LIGHTS Jesus came as a "great light" to those who languished in darkness. No other word describes Christ as accurately as the word light. He comes as a light to those who sit in the darkness of despair. He lights candles of love, joy, forgiveness, peace, and meaning in the lives of people today. In the early Church, Theophany - the day of Christ's baptism - became the day on which the converts to Christianity were received into the Church through baptism. Each newly baptized person held the baptismal candle during the liturgy. Christians who had already been baptized brought their baptismal candles to church on this day to renew their baptismal vows; to renew the commitment to Christ which they had made at baptism. The Baptism of our Lord, Jesus Christ As a result, everyone in the congregation held a lighted candle on the feast of Theophany. The churches became the sea of lights. For this reason, this day came to be called the Feast of Lights. The baptismal candle, in the early Church, was a symbol that the one who was baptized had received Christ who is the Light of the world. The candle would be kept by the one baptized and then brought to Church on the anniversary of one's baptism, the feast of Theophany and for the Easter Vigil liturgy. If the person was married, the same candle was used at the wedding. If he was ordained, he would light the candle at his ordination. When the final hour of life approached, it was lit again as the soul went forth to meet the Lord. The baptismal candle was a constant reminder for the Christian to live and die by the light of Christ. The baptismal candle may be compared to the lamps used in the story of the maidens who awaited the arrival of Christ the Bridegroom in the darkness of the night. When the newly baptized person was given the lighted candle, she was urged to keep it to meet Christ at his return, like the wise maidens who kept their lamps burning for the coming of the Bridegroom. Thus the candle becomes a symbol of the perseverance of the baptized soul until Christ's return. Among the ancient Greeks the runner who had won the race was not the one who crossed the line in the shortest time, but the one who crossed it in the least time with his candle still burning. Our goal as Christians is that we may cross the line into eternity with the light of our baptismal faith still shining brightly. Christ Himself is the light. His light shines today proclaiming to all of us: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). The light that God gives us for our present darkness was expressed so well by Louise Haskins: I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied: "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." Resources: A Byzantine Rite. Liturgical Year. Julian J. Katrij, OSBM. Basilian Fathers Publication. Detroit, Christ is Baptized! In the River Jordan! Fr. Julian Bilyj District Chaplain

15 REJOICE AND BE GLAD: CHAPTER 4: SIGNS OF HOLINESS IN TODAY'S WORLD In Chapter Four, Pope Francis speaks of the signs of holiness in the world. He calls them five great expressions of love for God and neighbour that he considers of particular importance in the light of certain dangers and limitations present in today's culture. [111] These five expressions of love for God and neighbour are: perseverance, patience, and meekness; joy and a sense of humor; boldness and passion; involvement in community; and constant prayer. Francis insists on the need for holiness in all parts of our lives, including online: "Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication." "Even in Catholic media," he says, "limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned."[115] One sign of holiness, Francis says, is "joy and a sense of humor." "This is not the joy held out by today s individualistic and consumerist culture. Consumerism only bloats the heart. It can offer occasional and passing pleasures, but not joy." Pope Francis speaks here "of a joy lived in communion, which shares and is shared, since 'there is more happiness in giving than in receiving' (Acts 20:35) and 'God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Cor 9:7)."[128] Another sign of holiness consists in "boldness and passion," in an "impulse to evangelize and to leave a mark in this world" and in not allowing oneself to be paralyzed by fear. He told believers that "God impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond. He takes us to where humanity is most wounded...god is not afraid! He is fearless! He is always greater than our plans and schemes. Unafraid of the fringes, he himself became a fringe. So, if we dare to go to the fringes, we will find him there; indeed, he is already there."[135] "When we live apart from others, it is very difficult to fight against concupiscence, the snares and temptations of the devil and the selfishness of the world. Bombarded as we are by so many enticements, we can grow too isolated, lose our sense of reality and inner clarity, and easily succumb." Francis writes, "a community that cherishes the little details of love, whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father s plan."[145] "Contrary to the growing consumerist individualism that tends to isolate us in a quest for well-being apart from others, our path to holiness can only make us identify all the more with Jesus prayer 'that all may be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you' "(Jn 17:21).[146] The final sign of holiness is "constant prayer," the pope writes, describing holiness as "a habitual openness to the transcendent, expressed in prayer and adoration." Francis says, "I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotions."[147] "If we realize that God exists, we cannot help but worship him, at times in quiet wonder, and praise him in festive song. We thus share in the experience of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who said: 'As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could do nothing other than to live for him'."[155] Pope Francis tells us that "meeting Jesus in the Scriptures leads us to the Eucharist, where the written word attains its greatest efficacy, for there the living Word is truly present. In the Eucharist, the one true God receives the greatest worship the world can give him, for it is Christ himself who is offered. When we receive him in Holy Communion, we renew our covenant with him and allow him to carry out ever more fully his work of transforming our lives."[157] Fr. Julian Bilyj District Chaplain