St. Charles November School Newsletter

Transcription

1 St. Charles November School Newsletter We are leaders of light: inspired by the examples of Jesus and blessed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. 1 P a g e

2 Dear Families October was such a busy month at St. Charles! We began with a wonderful Read-In Week and welcomed many guests who shared stories with us! Staff also enjoyed story time as Mrs. Melnyk gathered us all around to hear the story The Wonky Donkey. We loved it! In October we enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving Celebration, full of grace and gratitude for the bounty that we receive. We are so grateful for the generous food donations that your children brought in for our Food Drive. Helping others and giving to anyone who needs a helping hand (food, clothing) is what God calls us to do and we are so proud to do God s work! We ended the month with our first Leader in Me Assembly, which introduced Habit #1: Be proactive! On Halloween our amazing Grade 6 student leaders hosted the 4 th Annual Halloween Carnival We Care Challenge for Catholic Social Services Sign of Hope Campaign. Students applied their learning of Statistics and Probability to designing and building creative and engaging games for all to play! Our student leaders spent hours in our MakerSpace designing and creating games, making adaptions and accommodations for all age and ability levels, ensuring success and fun for all! We are proud to celebrate that we raised the most money for charity this year through this incredible event: $ Thank you all who joined us! On Friday, November 2 nd Edmonton Catholic Schools celebrated 130 years of Catholic Education! We are proud to celebrate 130 years of Catholic Education, and we are thankful that you have chosen to share in the journey with all of us at St. Charles school! On November 2 nd we gathered together as a faith community to celebrate the 130 th anniversary of Edmonton Catholic Schools. Afterwards in our classrooms, we talked about God s promise. 2 P a g e

3 We are proud to be part of the family at Edmonton Catholic Schools, and we are proud to walk together in God s love. What a gift it is to participate in a learning community rooted in the teachings of Christ! 3 P a g e

4 As we move into the month of November, we remember those who walked before us and who brought peace across the world in their role of peacekeepers. As we reflect on those who made sacrifices for us all to live in a world of peace, we recognize that peace is given and received. Peace is a continuous journey of kindness, and it requires us to be intentional everyday to give peace, make peace, and to be peace. Peace begins with each one of us: peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, peace in our school, peace in our world. Join us for our Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday, November 9 th at 10:15 am as we honor the peacekeepers. We invite all Sparks, Brownies, Girl Guides, Beavers, Scouts, Cubs or Military to dress in uniform for our ceremony. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5) Upcoming Event: we are proud to invite all parents of St. Charles School Community to an upcoming fundraiser event for our school. On December 2 nd from 6-9 pm Indigo is opening its doors for Christmas Shopping for parents of St. Charles School Community. This event is open to adults only, as per the store s request. As this is an after-hours event, the store is covered through insurance for adults only. A percentage of each purchase will go to St. Charles school. Happy shopping! Thank you to Mrs. Melnyk for organizing this fundraiser! We hope to see you soon! Sonja Willier, Susanna Nigro Administration Team November Events - Nov. 5: St. Charles Feast Day - Nov. 9: Remembrance Day Ceremony 10:15 am - Nov. 9: Wear Red Day, Hot Lunch - Nov.12: No school - Nov. 26: Report Cards go home - Nov. 26: Leader in Me Assembly Habit #2 11:30 am - Nov. 26: School Council Meeting 6:30 pm - Nov : Scholastic Book Fair 4 P a g e

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6 Report Cards Report Cards for our students in grades 1-6 will go home on Monday, November 26th. The purpose of the reporting period is to let you know specifically how your child is achieving in school and to encourage communication between home and school. Demonstration of Learning will take place on Wednesday, November 28th from 3-5 pm and 6-7:30 pm. We thank you parents, for all your work in supporting school learning through nutritious lunches, appropriate bedtimes and help with homework. The following are a few suggestions of how to make the most of your child s report card. * Look over the report card with your child. Talk about what you see. Highlight strengths. * Try to help your child see a link between effort and success. The report card can be one way to set individual learning goals and measure success of these goals. * Talk to your child s teacher as a partner in your child s learning, asking for clarification if you would like more information about a descriptor or comment. * Take action if your child is underachieving. It s early in the year and there is plenty of time to make changes. Together - parents, students and teachers - we begin with the end in mind to determine how we can help your child experience more success. 6 P a g e

7 We are a 7 Habits School! Being a 7 Habits school is something which we are very proud of at St Charles School. For those who are new to the 7 Habits, they stem from the research of Stephen Covey who drew inspiration from scripture. By living the Habits with a Christ centered vision, we improve relationships, achieve important goals, develop good weekly habits, and focus more on the big rocks - the important aspects of our lives. Just as Jesus built our foundation on a rock (ie. the church), we focus on creating a strong foundation in our lives. Our world is very busy, and with so many changes, we must learn skills to help us be more organized, as well more successful in our interaction with others. Each month, St Charles School will be focusing on a different Habit. With the help our new friends the Inspector Habits (students playing the role of Inspector Gadget, looking for the Habit being lived out daily in our school), the students will be challenged to help make the Habit a part of their day to day lives. At the end of the month, we will come together as a school community to celebrate our accomplishments, and to kick off the next Habit of the month! For the month of November, we will be focusing on Habit 1- Be Proactive: The Habit of personal responsibility. The students will be encouraged to focus this month on how they are in control of their choices and happiness. By pausing before responding, using proactive language such as I m sorry and I will accomplish this, students will be more focused on building strong relationships and making good choices. With Jesus as our guide, it is easy for the students to make the connection of saying and doing what's right. It is that ability to think before we react, it s choosing to love as Jesus taught us. We invite you to live out the Habits in your homes along with us. Here are a few of the things you can focus on together as a family: Do we take responsibility for our actions? Do remain calm? Do we think before acting? Can we focus more on the solutions? Can we take initiative to make things happen? We look forward to keeping you updated on how the students and staff are living the Habits at school. God bless! Paul tells us to be ready for every good deed. He says, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed" (Tit. 3:1). 7 P a g e

8 Grade 3/4 Winter Wear Faith In Action Project (Donations take place during October/November 30, 2018) Dear Parents, As part of our Religious Education Program, students are learning that they have a responsibility to work for the common good. For this reason, we have partnered with a local school which requires some of the things their families need in order to live a good life, especially during our colder winter season. Some of the required items needed are not only for the elementary students, but also junior high and their families. Some suggestions for donation are: Coats: new or slightly used. Boots: new or slightly used. Winter wear of all sorts including socks and sweaters. Junior High Items: Toiletries such as toothpaste and brushes; soaps, shampoos and shower gels (new); barrettes, ear muffs, lip balm and personal items. We thank you for your consideration and generosity. Sincerely, The Grade 3/4 Team Mrs. Tremblay, Mr. Delcioppo, Ms. Chung, Mrs. Dumonceaux 8 P a g e

9 Operation Christmas Child One of our grade 5 students has invited students in our school to join her in extending an act of kindness to children overseas by participating in Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is a hands-on way for us to help struggling children in the developing world by filling shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and other items. From November 2 nd to November 14 th we will be collecting shoeboxes filled with items for struggling children in the developing world. Watch for more information and a permission form in your child s Friday Envelope. The shoe boxes and a brochure detailing this project will be sent home on Friday, November 2 nd and then must be returned on or before Wednesday, November 14 th Thank you for your kind generosity! 9 P a g e

10 MakerSpace News Our MakerSpace Facilitator, Mrs. Davidson, is currently looking for donations of Lego. If you have any Lego that you are willing to donate, please drop it off at the school. As always, donations of material, craft supplies and other reusable items are always welcome. Scholastic Book Fair St. Charles School is hosting our annual Winter Book Fair! This year, our fair includes books and novels for all ages, activity books and a selection of non-fiction material. We will also have door prizes with a chance to win Scholastic gift certificates! The Book Fair will be open to students on: Monday, Nov. 26th 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 27th - 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 28th - 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. & 6:00 7:30 p.m. We are also looking for volunteers to work the book fair. If you re interested, please call the school at We always appreciate our parent volunteers. Thank you. 10 P a g e

11 Congratulations Mrs. Menard! We are so proud of Mrs. Menard, who was featured recently by the Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local 54 of the Alberta Teachers Association. The following has been posted on the ATA website: Congratulations Mrs. Menard! 11 P a g e

12 Social Justice Initiatives and/or Service Projects St. Charles Grade Level Leaders/Staff Project Time Frame Responsible Grade 2 Collecting Food October 1 st to 9 th, 2018 Bank Donations for Thanksgiving Grade 6 Halloween Carnival October 31 st, 2018 Grade 3 and 4 Collecting Winter October and November Wear For All Ages and Donating to St. Alphonsus School Whole-School Operation Christmas Begin in November Child Staff Basically Babies December 6 th, 2018 Each Grade Christmas Hampers- Each Class Will Be Assigned One Hamper to Complete December Grade 5 and 6 Kindergarten, Grade 1, and 2 Serving the Homeless by Making Sandwiches and Soup Collecting Granola Bars to Be Donated to St. Alphonsus School TBD-Possibly January/February January February Miranda and Christina St. Charles Market April 12 P a g e

13 Edmonton Catholic Schools Online Financial Budget Survey YOUR CHILD! YOUR VOICE! Edmonton Catholic Schools believes it is essential to involve parents in providing input into the budget process. In preparation for the upcoming budget it is important that the district gather as much information as possible. Therefore, as a parent of Edmonton Catholic Schools, your feedback will provide a valuable contribution in the decision-making process. We would like to gather your input through an online survey. The survey can be accessed through the District Website, School Website, Powerschool or by using the URL address provided. URL Address: Click on the following link or enter the address in the web browser District Website: Go to then go to the slider indicating the Online Financial Budget Survey and follow the directions. Powerschool: Parents log on to Powerschool as you normally would to check your child's progress. Once in Powerschool, click on the tab "Financial Budget Survey". This tab will take you directly to the online survey. The survey is open from November 1st to November 16 th, We encourage all families to fill out the survey. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete. Survey results will be shared with the Edmonton Catholic School District Budget Committee in January for consideration during the budget process. 13 P a g e

14 JESUS FIVE WAYS TO LOVE ********************************** It can be helpful to summarize the teachings of Jesus about love found in the bible as follows: 1. Love God with our whole being (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) We do this best through worship, especially the Eucharist, and the prayer of praise, which is a high, mature form of prayer because the focus is on God and not on ourselves. 2. Love our neighbor (Luke 10:27-37) To love others means to trust them, try to understand them, bless and affirm them, forgive them from the heart their mistakes, listen to them, and do good to them, to live the Golden Rule do to others what we would like them to do to us. 3. Love our selves (Galatians 5:14) This may be where we are the weakest so often we can t forgive ourselves our past mistakes, we beat ourselves up, put ourselves down, reject compliments, find it hard to say thank you. Sometimes our refusal to forgive ourselves is worse than anything else we may have done. To love ourselves is one of the commandments of Jesus, perhaps the one broken most often. We must learn to love ourselves and accept ourselves as we are. 4. Love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12) This is sacrificial love, for Jesus gave his life for us. Parents especially are called to sacrifice of themselves for their children, and spouses should defer to one another, always seeking the good of the other. Winston Churchill said, We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give away. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta suggests What we would like to do for Jesus, whom we cannot see, we should do for the person next to us, whom we can see, and we will be doing it to Jesus. 5. Love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-38) This is the most challenging teaching of Jesus to forgive and do good to those who hurt us. We pray to do this every time we pray the Our Father, yet so often we don t live out our own prayer. Instead of fighting back, fleeing or freezing, the options psychology offers us, we can choose to sink deep roots of faith and forgive. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus actually teaches us how to forgive simply share our feelings with those who have hurt us without any attempt at revenge, getting even or name calling, let them know we are trying to forgive them, let it go, and be ready to do this over and over again. What Jesus is saying to Peter who asks how many times is to be a disciple of his, we can't just forgive a few times we must become forgiveness, it must become part of our DNA and must ooze out of us, because Jesus is forgiveness. Living these five levels of love can transform our lives and usher us into the kingdom of God, here and now. + Sylvain Lavoie OMI St Albert, AB. August P a g e

15 November 2018 Let us thank God for His great love in having blessed Edmonton with the gift of giving so much joy, so much care and so much love to all those who in the last 100 years in educating and preparing the young people to know, to love and to serve God. ~ Message of St. Mother Teresa to Edmonton Catholic Schools for our 100th Anniversary~ We are so fortunate in this day and age to have made connections to modern saints during their lifetimes. 30 years ago, Mother Teresa sent us congratulations on our centennial anniversary. Her message is one which endures, for the love of God remains always at the centre of all that we do. November 2, 2018 marks exactly 130 years since we opened our first Edmonton Catholic School in On that day, schools across the District will join in a special celebration of gratitude for this legacy and for our present and future. Our story is one which speaks to the ongoing tenacity and advocacy of the nuns who were our first leaders, and of the Catholic community since then. This is followed by Catholic Education Sunday on November 4, which provides us all with the opportunity to give thanks for and to advocate for publicly funded Catholic education in our Province. Visit our website to learn more. We are pleased to have entered into an agreement with St. Joseph s College at the University of Alberta to support the Certificate in Catholic Education as an excellent opportunity for pre-service teachers to focus their formation on living out their vocation to Catholic education. This partnership offers us mutual support in training our future Catholic teachers so that they are prepared to help our children grow in Christ. The end of the month of October is always very exciting for us as it is the time when several of our accountability measures are made public. We are very proud of our student achievement. There are 2 sets of results, the grade 6 Provincial Achievement Tests and the Diploma Examinations, that give us feedback on how our students are performing relative to the Province. The Accountability Pillar, October 2018, our overall report card from the Province, brought great news! Edmonton Catholic Schools had better results than the Province in 12 of 16 measures and no areas were identified as needing improvement. The high school completion 3-year (85.6%) and 5-year (89.1%) rates are 7.6 % and 5.7% above the Province respectively. Our drop-out rate (1.2%) is almost half that of the Province. Parental involvement and Diploma excellence in our District improved significantly 15 according P a g e to the Accountability Pillar. For more detail visit or click here for the Accountability Pillar and PAT and Diploma results.

16 Another measure that we use to assess our performance in many areas and to set targets for growth is our own District Satisfaction Survey. This vital survey gathers opinions from students, parents, and staff on individual schools and on District operations. Every student from grade 4-12 will complete the survey, as will all staff. Every household will receive one parent survey per child enrolled in an Edmonton Catholic School. Please respond to each survey separately from the point of view of each child's educational experience. It is so important that you let your voice be heard. You can either return your parent survey to your child s school or use the postage paid envelope and Canada Post. The District Satisfaction Survey will run from November 26 - December 7. Thank you in advance for your participation. November, which brings Remembrance Day and Holodomor Memorial Day, provides us with excellent opportunities to reflect on the injustices in the world and to examine the importance of our actions in bringing justice and peace to our communities and to the world. This is a message that our Holy Father shares, holding Saint Mother Teresa up as a model of action for us: Carry peace with you to give it to others with your life, with a smile, with works of charity. Saint Mother Teresa, pray for us! (Pope Francis, Sept. 5/18) Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent 16 P a g e

17 St. Charles Parish News Toy Auction and Supper Fundraiser On December 1 st at 6 pm, the Youth Group will be hosting a Toy Silent Auction and Supper to raise money towards a youth rally and a variety of out-of-church activities. Tickets will be on sale throughout November for: $10/adult $5/child $25/entire family Toys will be displayed to be bid upon and supper will be Build-A-Taco! There will also be a special raffle for the kids. If you d like to purchase tickets or to donate a new toy to the auction, please contact Amber Tweedy at the office ( ext. 105) or Amber.Tweedy@caedm.ca Youth Bake Sale St. Charles Youth will be hosting a bake sale after the 9 am and 11 am masses on December 2 nd in the lobby of the church. Proceeds for this fundraiser will be split between the St. Charles Parish Youth Group and Zebra Child Protection Centre. If you would like to join us, come see us after Mass! If your youth would like to bake some goodies and donate them for the sale, please contact Amber for drop-off time. 17 P a g e

18 Who Do You Say That I Am? Dr. Eugenia Kowalczyk, Principal - Catholic Identity Identity is complex. Many of us would describe ourselves based on our personal, social, professional, or cultural characteristics. I might describe myself as being Italian, or that I am a wife, daughter, or sister. Further I share that I am an educator. Ultimately, I could articulate that I am Catholic and a person of faith. While these labels appear simple, the totality of their parts creates a kaleidoscope of what it means to be human. Catholic identity is at the heart of Catholic education. Who we are as people of God within our educational communities, our family, and our church is shaped and influenced by our life experiences and our social interactions. Catholic schools serve as the fertile soil where seeds of faith are sowed and nurtured. How blessed we are knowing that when we send our children to a Catholic school we can rest assured that their social, academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are looked after. What a precious gift we have in Catholic education. The great philosopher Thomas Groome (2002) explained how, we need a sense of identity to live humanly, without it we literally feel lost. From the Latin identitas, meaning the same, repeatedly, identity is that which holds together a continuous sense of our human being as a person or a community. It is the metaphorical glue that binds who we are as individuals and who we are in community. It is who we are and how we live...identity is the center that holds...otherwise...things fall apart. Catholic identity provides each of us to view the world using a Catholic lens. Together we strive to understand and develop a deeper relationship with Christ. According to another great philosopher Walter Feinberg (2006), religious identity is constructed systematically and formally across many landscapes; school, church, and home. It is in these different places where students learn the practices, rituals, beliefs, and commitments that distinguish their religion from others, and where they take on the identity of a specific faith community. Realizing that the faith formation of our children is central to their education, we collaborate to understand the shared responsibility between parents, educators, clergy, and community. Together we work in mutual cooperation and understanding towards a common vision of what comprises faith formation of children within the broader landscape of personal identity. Inspired by the late Sr. Annata Brockman to love tenderly, act justly, and walk humbly with our Lord, let us remain faithful to the commitment of Catholic education. Might we never forget the most precious gift of all; our students each one created in the likeness and image of God. Their Catholic identity, inspired by the Holy Spirit, calls us all to give witness to our faith and remember that Christ is the reason for Catholic schools. In answering the question, who do you say I am? the response, a child of God paves the understanding of how together, in communion, we nurture our Catholic identity. 18 P a g e

19 CHAPTER 2: TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS While Pope Francis apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate: The Call to Holiness in Today s World will take some time to digest and to unfold the gift that Pope Francis has given us, the Holy Father reminds us that we are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. In Chapter Two, Pope Francis warns us against two obstacles that may hinder our journey towards holiness: Gnosticism and Pelagianism. While these words may be difficult to understand, Gnosticism and Pelagianism were essentially two heresies that arose in the early church. They were corruptions of the real Christian message. Gnosticism claimed that only knowledge was necessary for salvation, saying that the mind was good and the body was bad and evil. Pelagianism focused on the will. It was the belief that one could be saved on the basis of their good works alone; there was no need of God s grace or mercy to help them. In his exhortation, Pope Francis states that these two distortions of the Christian message still exist in our community today and may lead us away from the true path towards holiness. We may fall into the trap of believing that our understanding of the faith is the only right way, basing what we believe on our own subjective experiences. This is present-day Gnosticism. The biggest temptation is to pick-and-choose those aspects of Christianity that we agree with and reject the rest. We love God, but we do not want to live by Christ s commandments. We love Christ, but we find the Church too burdensome. At the same time, we may fall into the trap of believing that our holiness only depends on our good works. We may feel good because we are doing so much and look down on others who do less or do not spend as much time in service to their parish or local community. This is contemporary Pelagianism. We may think we are perfect and have no need of God s grace, but we need God s presence in our lives. We cannot buy God s friendship with our good works. Rather, we recall Jesus commandment of love: love God and love neighbor. These are not two formulas but two faces; the face of God reflected in the face of our neighbor. In the end, Chapter Two provides us with advice on how we can be good Christians. The answer is clear: We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount (Pope Francis). Because the life of a Christian is a constant battle, we need God s strength and courage to reject evil and to proclaim the Gospel. Sandra Talarico, Religious Education Consultant 19 P a g e

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