HOLY FAMILY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2018

Transcription

1 HOLY FAMILY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2018 Mr. D. Tymchyshyn, Principal --- Mrs. S. Rozycki & Ms. V. Coulombe, Assistant Principals Holy Family Catholic School 1710 Mill Woods Road East, Edmonton, Alberta T6L 2Z1 Telephone: O dear Jesus, We humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our school. May our school be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. We beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us. O Mary, loving Mother of Jesus, pray to Jesus for our school, for all the schools of the world, to guard the cradle of the newborn, the schools of the young and their vocations. Blessed Saint Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by your prayers in all the necessities of life. Ask of Jesus that special grace to watch over our school. Amen. Message from School Administration The three school weeks in January were a quiet time focused on academic learning. Our major event in this month was the celebration of Holy Family Day on January 18. This half-day celebration involved students participating in a number of different activities, and a fun day was had by all. As well in January, basketball season began with all junior and senior teams practicing and getting ready for league and tournament play. On January 23 we had the Tien Lung Tae Kwando presentation for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5. The presentation showed students the health benefits of exercise and activity like Tae Kwando. On January 31 we hosted in Grades 6 and 7 Gordon McRae, who read from his books, told students interesting stories, and talked to students about how he writes. The author visits are part of our focus on literacy at the school. In February we look forward to report cards for grades 7 to 9, and our basketball ball pep rally on February 2, our mid-winter dance on February 9 and our Ash Wednesday liturgy on February 14.

2 A Time for Prayer and Celebration Staff and students will gather at 11:30am on February 14 for an Ash Wednesday liturgy. This liturgy is very important as it signifies the beginning of the Great Lent. The Great Lent at Holy Family The Great Lent, which begins February 14 with Ash Wednesday, is a period of penance and abstinence in preparation for the Resurrection at Easter. We will begin Lent with our Ash Wednesday liturgy at 11:30am on February 14. This year at Holy Family, as is our Catholic tradition, we are going to participate in the true spirit of the Lenten period by refraining from celebrations, class parties and other events contradictory to the period of fasting, penance, and prayer that Lent should be. Valentine s Day 2018 Superintendent Carr has requested that all schools comply with the request of Fr. Kavanagh on the issue of Valentine s Day this year. So, at Holy Family we will not have Valentine s Day activities of any type on February 14 this year. Teachers will have their classroom activities on the Monday, February 12 and Tuesday, February 13. All our junior high activities will be on February 9. Please see Fr. Kavanagh s request below: The Archdiocese has received a question regarding the celebration of Ash Wednesday as it falls on February 14, 2018, St. Valentine's Day. Ash Wednesday, a universal day of fasting and abstinence from meat, takes liturgical precedence. If your schools wish to commemorate St. Valentine's Day this year, an option, approved by Archbishop Smith, would be to commemorate the feast on Tuesday, February 13, I pray this assists in your planning. God bless you and your ministry, Fr. Paul Kavanagh, Director of Office of Divine Worship The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton Kindergarten and 100 Voices Registrations Beginning February 1, we will be accepting kindergarten and 100 Voices (pre-kindergarten) registrations for September Registrations for kindergarten and 100 Voices will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis with Catholic students and student residing in our catchment area receiving priority acceptance over non-catholics and non-resident students. All registrations must be completed in person at the school, and registrations cannot be accepted via telephone or . To be eligible for 100 Voices for two years prior to kindergarten, a child must be 3 years of age and toilet trained by September 30 th of To be eligible for one year prior to kindergarten, a child must be 4 years of age on or before March 1, 2019 and toilet trained. To attend kindergarten a child must be 5 years old by March 1, An application for 100 Voices is not an automatic guarantee into the district program. Depending on screening information, further assessments may be required to determine eligibility, and confirmation of acceptances will occur in April and May after Spring Break.

3 Registrations for Grades 1 to 9 In mid-february all students in kindergarten to grade 8 will receive a registration letter to be taken home and completed by parents and returned to school by Friday, March 16 th. This letter is very important, so we ask all parents to complete it and return it to school so that we can know which students will be staying at Holy Family for the school year. Grade 9 High School Registrations In February grade 9 students will be attending presentations by St. Joseph PSDL (February 14), Jean Forest Leadership Academy (February 16), and Holy Trinity (March 13) Catholic High Schools. These presentations are very important as they will explain to students the high school registration procedures and the eligibility requirements for each high school. Holy Trinity High School Registration Thursday, March 22 nd An evening of formal registration arranged by the staff of Holy Trinity High School will take place at Holy Trinity Catholic High School. If your last name begins with A I, please arrive at 5:00 PM; if your last name begins with J Q, please arrive at 6:00 PM; if your last name begins with R Z, please arrive at 7:00 PM. Holy Trinity is looking forward to meeting with you and your child. Faith Development Day On Tuesday, February 6, the District will sponsor our annual Faith Development Day. All staff members will be involved in a district-wide Faith Development Day at the Shaw Conference Centre and there will be no instruction of students at school on that day. Our theme this year is: Rooted in Jesus... Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve. We are pleased to welcome Fr. Richard Leonard as our keynote speaker. We also welcome Bishop Gregory Bittman who will celebrate the Eucharistic Liturgy with us. Catholic education is an awesome vocation and responsibility. By being involved in the education mission of the Catholic Church, Catholic schools provide a hopeful response to the great mysteries of life in an increasingly complex world. Faith Development Day provides us, as a community of faith, with the opportunity to become more deeply aware of the faith foundation of our lives and to find inspiration to enter into our life s work with deeper conviction. We are confident that you will agree that such a day is critical to realizing our mission: to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another. Healthy Food at School At Holy Family, we continue working towards improving the nutritional habits of students as suggested by the Edmonton Catholic Schools Nutritional Policy. A healthy breakfast, lunch, and recess snack are an important part of every student s day. We have noticed that many students in grades 7 to 9 do not appear to be eating breakfast, but instead are drinking high caffeine drinks in the morning. These types of drinks contain high levels of sugar and caffeine. These types of beverages are not permitted in our school. Related to this, we ask parents not to bring cakes, candy, and soda pop to classes for celebrations of students birthdays and other events unless prior arrangements have been made directly with the classroom teacher. In the past, we have found that classroom celebrations, involving food full of sugar and dyes, to be very disruptive to learning. We thank all parents in advance for their continued support and cooperation with this nutrition initiative.

4 EISA Homework Club EISA (Edmonton Immigrant Services Association) is hosting a homework club at the school for students in grades 6 to 9 in the library every Monday from 3:00 to 4:30pm. This is a great opportunity for students to stay after school and be supervised as they work on their homework assignments or seek assistance from qualified EISA tutors, who can help students with math, science or ELA. We encourage all parents to have their children attend homework club, as it is a great resource to assist with student academic achievement. Report Cards Grade 7 to 9 Grade 7 to 9 report cards will be sent home and will be published in the PowerSchool Parent Portal at 4:00pm on February 2, With this mid-year report card, there will be no parent-teacher interviews as parents had the chance to meet with teachers in November. The next round of parent-teacher interviews will be in March. Student Health If your child is ill, your child should stay at home until he/she is healthy enough to participate in all school activities. Parents need to be aware that if a child is well enough to come to school then the child is well enough to go outside for recess. If your child needs to stay inside for medical reasons then the school needs a doctor s note stating the specific conditions or temperature for which the child needs to be kept inside. The office cannot supervise ill students during recess and lunch and so it is best that your child stay home until he/she is fully recovered from illness. We thank all parents and guardians for their cooperation with this. Lunch Time Milk Sales We want to begin encouraging students to drink milk at lunch time as this is a great alternative to sugar filled beverages that are very popular with some students. 250ml cartons of white or chocolate milk can be purchased by students at the subsidized price of 80 cents per carton at the canteen each day. In addition, we also sell milk cards for $16.00 for twenty milks. Milk purchased by milk card will be delivered to classrooms each day. Food Allergies We are concerned about students with food allergies at Holy Family. Since food allergies can be life threatening, we request that students refrain from bringing peanut or nut products to school. The safety of all students is very important, and we appreciate everyone s cooperation. If your child has a lifethreatening allergy to a specific food product please let the school know so that we can address the issue. Father Michael Mireau Faith Day On Monday, February 5 all grade 8 students will participate in the Father Michael Mireau Faith Day at the Shaw Conference Center. Students will be bused to this all-day event.

5 Student Immunization Page 3 of 4 The second round of immunization for students in grades 5 and 9 will take place on February 13 th. Toys and Electronic Games We discourage students from bringing any toys and electronic games to school. Toys and electronic games of any type should not be brought to school as they disrupt learning and create behaviour problems in the school. We cannot be responsible for the loss or theft of these items if they are brought to school. Electronic Devices Please note we discourage students from bringing any electronic games, ipods, iphones, cell phones, and other electronic devices to school. First, these objects become very disruptive and often interfere with the learning in the classroom. Second, we cannot be responsible for the loss or theft of these items. If it is necessary that your child bring an electronic device to school, please remind him or her that it is to remain in the school bag or locker, unless being used for educational purposes with a teacher s permission. If your child needs to contact you during the day, he or she are asked to use our telephone located in the office. Student Attendance If your son or daughter is absent from school because they are ill, on vacation, at the doctor, or for some other reason, it is very important you phone the school and let us know. This will help us to keep track of student absences. If you do not phone then you will receive an automatic call from the school from our automatic system requesting you to contact the school about your child s absence. Extended Vacations Many families take their children away from school for extended vacations of two, three or more weeks. Please know that if you are planning on doing so, you must request the permission of the principal for an extended absence from school registration. In addition, if your child is going to miss multiple weeks of school, you must request work from the teacher and your child must complete the work during the absence. Since children under the age of seventeen are required to attend school by law, parents choosing to remove their children from school for extended periods are required to request permission and ensure that school work is completed prior to or during the absence. Winter Means Cold Weather We would like to remind parents to dress their children appropriately in winter. Toques, mittens and a warm coat are a necessity as students will be outside for morning and lunch recess. Decisions regarding outdoor activities at Holy Family will take into consideration that inclement weather may result from the following conditions or combination of conditions: continuous rain, extreme wind, and/or extreme cold. Please note if the temperature and wind chill are -20ºC or colder, students will remain indoors during recess. Children must be properly dressed for the cold winter weather. Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will carry announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. Every effort will be made to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30am.

6 RADIO STATIONS 630 CHED AM 930 The Light CJCA CBC CISN FM SHINE FM CHFA (CBC Fr.) FRESH FM 92.5 TSN 1260 CFCW 790 INEWS 880 AM 95.7 CRUZ FM CAPITAL FM 96.3 Kiss FM 91.7 The Bear FM K UP! 99.3 FM SONIC FM NOW! Radio HOT 107 FM VIRGIN Radio FM TV STATIONS CITYTV CTV Edmonton GLOBAL Edmonton CBC Edmonton Sacraments at Corpus Christi Parish Registrations are currently being accepted at Corpus Christi for all Sacraments for the Spring session. Registrations should be completed by March 10th, 2018 for the March 17th, 2018 start of Confirmation. Registrations should be complete by April 15th for the April 22nd, 2018 start of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. More specific dates and times are given, along with requirements and online forms at Holy Family Sports Wear If students are interested in ordering school wear, such as hoodies, t-shirts or sweat pants, with our Falcon logo, these items are available for purchase on Check this website out and see what type of Holy Family sportswear is available. Accountability Pillar Survey The Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success. The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators. Data on these indicators consists of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of education quality, student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates, and provincial assessments of student learning. From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey. In January, parents of students in grades 4 and 7 will receive a survey from Alberta Education, and students in grades 4 and 7 and all teachers will be completing their surveys online at school. All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with your school. In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Dene, Cree, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu. Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly. Survey results will be available to school authorities in May 2018 and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports.

7 Students Council Our Students Council has been very active this year meeting every Monday at lunch and planning a number of school events. They are very excited about their upcoming Basketball Pep Rally on February 2 and Mid- Winter Dance and Photo Booth on February 9. School Council The School Council met on Wednesday, January 24. You do not need to be a member of the executive to attend these meetings and we look forward to new members joining us for the next meeting at 7:00pm on Wednesday, March 14, School News Communication between home and school is essential. On the first Friday of every month, your elementary child will bring home the school newsletter. We also encourage you to visit our website at for important updates throughout the school year, and check your Power School account at February PD Day -- No School On Tuesday, February 6 th we will be having a full-day PD Day and there will be no school on this day. Newsletter Attachments Trustee s Message Stay Alert February and March Calendars Visit our website at to view an electronic copy of our newsletter Please fill out the form below indicating that you have read the February Newsletter. Have your child return this form by Friday, February 16 th. His/her name will be entered into a draw to win pizza lunch with the principal or assistant principals. Student Name Grade Parent Signature

8 Februar y 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 2 Feast of the Presentation Grade 8 Youth Day 5 6 Faith Development Day 7 8 PM - Junior High Mid-Winter Dance 9 NO SCHOOL Shrove Tuesday Round 2 Grade 5 & 9 Immunization 14 Ash Wednesday Great Lent Begins Liturgy 11:00am Family Day NO SCHOOL MAR 1 Teachers Convention NO SCHOOL Teachers Convention NO SCHOOL MAR 2

9 March 2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 2 Teachers Convention NO SCHOOL Teachers Convention NO SCHOOL 5 6 Band Share Day Grade 8/ We Stand Gr Heart of Glee 7pm (Meyer Horowitz) 16 Report Cards Sent Home & Published on Parent Portal Report Cards Published Scholastic Book Fair (Library) Demo of Learning & Parent Teacher Interviews 6:00-8:00pm :00noon Early Dismissal for Spring Break Passion Play Spring Break- March 26 to 30 Palm Sunday Good Friday

10 Message from Trustee Laura Thibert Ward 77 January 2018 Happy New Year everyone! May God bless you and your family in It is exciting to start the New Year with the newly elected Board of Trustees. We have been working hard as a new Board to prepare for the important work that you have entrusted us with. This Board is committed to serving you with integrity, honesty, and concern for your children. Many initiatives are in progress. The Board is currently developing strategies to advocate for educational and transportation needs as well as the continuation of publicly funded Catholic education. Our budget process for is well under way. To set the stage for 2018, the Board has begun the New Year with Strategic Planning Sessions with our Senior Administration. Another initiative is the Student Senate comprised of students from each of our high schools who were selected by their schools to serve the Board in an advisory capacity. Parent engagement is important to this Board and we are planning a District-Wide School Council Meeting in April of More information will follow in the next few weeks. Two other parent engagement opportunities scheduled for the New Year that may be of interest to you are: February 21, 2018: Parent Evening Series Mental Health Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety a Step by Step Approach (K-12), and April 18, 2018: Parent Evening Series Mental Health, Supporting Your Child s Mental Health Go to Educator/Program Transition. For further information on the time and location, please go to our website: I would be happy to attend one of your school council meetings to update you on these and other Board initiatives and to answer any questions or concerns you may have. As I enter my third term as an Edmonton Catholic School Trustee representing Ward 77, I want to thank you for your continued support. My role as a trustee is very important to me. I encourage open communication and welcome your input on educational matters. You can reach me at or by - laura.thibert@ecsd.net. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter (@Laura Thibert).

11 SOUTHWOOD COMMUNITY LEAGUE WINTER 2018 COMMUNITY RINKS CRAWFORD PLAINS AVENUE FAMILY FUN ACTIVITIES FEBRUARY TO MID-MARCH o LEARN TO SKATE AND PLAY HOCKEY LESSONS o REGULAR PUBLIC SKATING ON BOTH RINKS 6 DAYS PER WEEK o FUTURE SPORT HOCKEY LEAGUE SEASON #14 o TUESDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHTS FOR AGES 6 TO 66 Every skater must wear a helmet at all times on both rinks regardless of age for all activities for safety reasons. CONCESSION WILL BE OPEN ALL 6 DAYS PER WEEK. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER -WE NEED VOLUNTEERS OR NEED MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SOUTHWOOD OFFICE WEB-SITE southwoodcl.ca or RANDY BLAKE RINKS DIRECTOR

12 STAY Alert February 2018 Having a Plan Whether it is at school, at the bus stop or at the library, our children have or will be exposed to unwanted conversations or relationships both in person and online. To help your teenager manage these growing social challenges, it is important to engage them in a discussion that will provide them with options on how to get out of these uncomfortable situations. A direct response approach could be providing them with statements like, I don t want to or No thanks. An indirect response may simply be blaming parents such as, My mom checks my computer and phone randomly and she would ground me. In addition to these responses your teenager could/should end all contact by not responding to follow-up contact. This could include deleting or blocking that person as a contact. This will provide a starting point for your teens to make positive decisions and choices regarding their conversation and relationships, both online and in person. School Team Advisors for Youth (STAY) Junior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District each have School Team Advisors for Youth (STAY) which are comprised of retired Police Officers. The STAY role involves: Educating, mentoring, and empowering students. Educating and mentoring parents on the realities their children face each day by raising parent awareness on these issues. Educating and mentoring staff on the realities that students face each day. Working in partnership with the administration of the school to develop action plans for safety and health of all students. Stay Advisors in our junior high schools make a difference in the lives of our youth by encouraging them to STAY in school. The STAY teams work hard to ensure our youth succeed in life.

13 Putting the Word of God into Practice A Reflection In Archbishop Richard Smith s Pastoral Letter: Living in the Word of God: A Call to the Clergy and the Lay Faithful of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, His Grace asks us to consider what it means to follow Jesus. Here, the question can be answered rather simply. It is a matter of listening and doing; an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ is one who first listens to his Word and then puts it into practice. Throughout the history of the Church, the Christian response to God s love revealed in Christ has been threefold: worship, witness and service. Worship In all of Scripture, the words of Jesus likely most familiar to Catholics ears are these: Do this in memory of me. Spoken by the Lord at the Last Supper, these words have always been understood by the Church as his command to repeat in his memory what he did with his disciples the night prior to his crucifixion. This is why we gather for Sunday mass, the sacrament of the Eucharist, and why the Church insists that doing so is a sacred obligation. At mass, enabled by the Holy Spirit we offer our lives to God the Father, through Jesus his Son, as an act of joyful praise and heartfelt thanksgiving for God s saving love (Archbishop Richard Smith). From our awareness of this wondrous gift that is the Eucharist, and of the Lord s command that is celebrated in his memory: Do we consciously make the Eucharist the heart of our lives? Witness Saint John writes these beautiful words at the beginning of his first letter: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete (1 John 1:1-4). Here St. John is expressing what we know from experience to be true. When we have encountered Jesus Christ and been transformed by his mercy and love, we naturally want to tell others about it and invite them to be one with us in a community of joy (Archbishop Richard Smith). We give witness by making known to others what God has done for the world in Jesus Christ, and for each of us in our own individual lives. The most effective way we can put the Word of God into practice is by the way we live our lives: What message do we communicate to others by our way of living, patterns of thought and speech, and modes of behavior? Service On the night of the Last Supper, after Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he taught that by this action he was giving us an example to follow, and then spoke this command: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). Putting the Word of God into practice means serving our brothers and sisters in love. To love as Jesus loved means that we make sacrifices daily for the good of the other (Archbishop Richard Smith). We serve others by using God s gifts according to his purpose and in keeping with our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ. We consider: What use do I make of time? Do I set aside time for prayer, for Sunday mass, for the enjoyment of family? Am I able to dedicate some time to volunteer in the parish, our schools, hospitals or charitable organizations? The call to give of ourselves relates not just to the direct support of our parishes and Catholic organizations, it pertains also to the embrace of our baptismal call to be missionary disciples. Each of us is sent into the world in service so that it be transformed with the power of the Gospel of our Lord. Sandra Talarico, Religious Education Consultant

14 Ash Wednesday The Journey to Lent Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. It is the day many Christians mark as the first day of Lent; the 40-day period of reflection, fasting, abstinence, and penitence leading up to Easter Sunday, reminding us that God is gracious and merciful. This year we mark Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, February the 14 th. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting which includes the wearing of ashes on the forehead; ashes made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year they are burned, christened with Holy Water, and scented by exposure to incense. Historically, the distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance, and on Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms of the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins and they did not enter the church again until Holy Thursday after having won reconciliation by their forty days of penance. In time, all Christians came to receive ashes out of devotion. In his Lenten message from last year, the Pope wrote that Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments, and in our neighbor. A right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognizing their value. Even the poor person at the door is not a nuisance, but a summons to conversion and to change. In this way, Lent is a particularly fitting time to open our door to all those in need. Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love. Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience. Describing this phenomenon he called the globalization of indifference, Francis continued: whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else s responsibility and not our own. But when we fast from this indifference, we can begin to feast on love. In fact, Lent is the perfect time to learn how to love again. Jesus the great protagonist of this holy season certainly showed us the way. In him, God descends all the way down to bring everyone up. In his life and his ministry, no one is excluded. As we start the journey of Lent, with its emphasis on fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, we have an opportunity at a new beginning in our own lives. As the Pope affirmed, this season urgently calls us to conversion. We are asked to return to God with all our hearts, to refuse to settle for mediocrity, and to grow in friendship with the Lord. During this Lenten Season, let us pray for one another so that, by sharing in the victory of Christ, we too may open our doors to the weak and to the poor. Sandra Talarico, Religious Education Consultant

15 February 2018 Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Joel 2:13) This passage from the book of Joel is part of the first reading for Ash Wednesday, and is a good reminder for us as we begin our Lenten journey. It assures us that even though we wander away from God as part of our human frailty, He never abandons us. As we begin the solemn 40-day period leading up to Easter, we can direct our reflection upon God s enduring gift of mercy and love in the form of His Son, Jesus. February brings two exceptional faith formation opportunities to Edmonton Catholic Schools. On February 5, our grade 8 students will gather together for an opportunity to explore our faith more deeply through witness and through celebrating the Eucharist. The day begins with presenter Steve Angrisano, who will help to unfold the theme Serve Like a Superhero, and will culminate in a Mass. It is always an energizing, inspiring day for all! On February 6, our schools will be closed for our annual Staff Faith Development Day. This day provides us, as faith-filled people, with the opportunity to become more deeply aware of the faith foundation of our lives and to enter into our life s work with renewed conviction. We are pleased to welcome Fr. Richard Leonard as our keynote speaker. We also welcome Bishop Gregory Bittman, Bishop David Motiuk, and the priests of the Archdiocese and Eparchy who will celebrate the Eucharistic Liturgy with us. The Alberta Education Accountability Pillar Survey is an extremely important measurement and stakeholder feedback tool for all school districts. Responses from parents, students, and staff help each school to evaluate their strengths and areas for growth. All our students from grades 4-12 will complete their surveys at school. You should have received your parent survey in the mail from Alberta Education in mid to late January. If you need more information about your school to complete the survey, or if you do not receive a survey, please call your school principal. They will be happy to assist you. Parental voice is so important, and every response counts! I am pleased to share with you that I will continue to serve as Superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools until the end of August, Guided by the words of Micah (6:8) in my leadership role - to act justly, to love faithfully and to walk humbly with our God, I am honored to continue to live out my mission as Superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools to empower students, staff and parents to experience the joy and fulfillment of a truly Catholic education, striving for excellence in all areas while sharing in the vision of our risen Lord Jesus Christ! I would like to leave you with a few words from our Holy Father, Pope Francis: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ s victory over death Christians are asked to return to God with all their hearts (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord. Jesus is the faithful friend who never abandons us. (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis For Lent 2017) Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

16