St. Thomas More Friday News January 12, 2018

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1 St. Thomas More Friday News January 12, 2018 School Fees Payable online Invoices have been Mailed Sold on MONDAY January 8-11! BUS PASSES Knight Leadership The Put a Lid On It fundraiser where a $2 donation allows a student to wear a hat on a Thursday or $5 donation to wear a hat for 4 Thursdays, is continuing this January with its proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association because Wed, January 31 is Bell's Let' Talk event where their programs are aimed to break the silence around mental illness and support mental health all across Canada. Also, Friday, Jan. 26 is Retro Day, where students can sport the fashions of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. 1

2 The student s in the soccer Academy have continued to excel and maintain a high level of intensity during training. They continue to challenge each other to improve and their level of dedication is great to see. In addition to their on-field hard work, they have also dedicated themselves during fitness with Dan. It is great to see them red-faced and exhausted after a great work out. The student s will enjoy an afternoon of bowling at WEM along with some fitness and mental training at The Base this month. Our student athletes of the month are: Hannah, Evan, Darien and Maddison. All athlete s have excellent work ethics and are great examples of hard work and dedication. I would like to once again acknowledge the outstanding work Coach Lindsay, Coach Forestier and Coach Lafuente are doing with the kids! It is a busy month for Band! STM's Winter Concert will be held next Thursday (January 18th) at 6:30pm in the gym Grade 7-9 Band Students will be attending an open rehearsal of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on Friday, January 19th. Grade 8/9 Band Students will be attending Band Share Day at Blessed Oscar Romero High School on Wednesday, January 31st 2

3 This week s learner profile focus at St. Thomas More is centered on the importance of reflection in our lives. Often times we get so caught up in rushing to meet deadlines and objectives that we fail to look at the processes we use to create our products, or identify what we do well and what we can improve upon. The process of analyzing ourselves and our work is called reflection, and it is an important trait to possess in order to become a life-long learner. Reflection is the act of giving serious thought or consideration to something. In school, we expect our students to reflect upon their learning, think critically about how to learn, and analyze the validity of their material. Reflection is an ongoing and arduous process. However, if we do not reflect, we continue to make the same mistakes in our work without identifying ways to address or correct them. Moreover, without reflection we blindly believe what we hear in the news or online, which can produce very negative or misleading results. One of the biggest reasons that people do not take risks is due to their fear of failure. We need to change the way that failure is perceived in our lives. Failure is both common and necessary, and its negative stigma is often undeserved. Without failure we don t experience opportunities to learn from our actions. Of course, we must teach our youth to be mindful and take calculated risks, but when we fail we learn how to improve ourselves, our development stalls and we repeat past mistakes. Reflection is important in fostering interpersonal relationships, as well as identifying our preferred learning and working styles. Reflection needs to be promoted by all stake holders in the lives of our students in order to help them to identify their strengths and reach their full potential. For the rest of the year, every day at lunch all students will have access to the Success Center. Students can use the computers, study, do homework or read. 3

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6 The Wondrous Gift of Epiphany During the Christmas season we celebrate with our families and friends with the giving and receiving of various gifts. Perhaps the greatest gift we receive, as Christians, takes place during Epiphany, when our Lord makes his first public appearance. Throughout the ages, Christians have celebrated Christmas, including the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, which falls on January 6. The season begins with the Nativity of our Lord, and ends with the celebration of His baptism, and His manifestation ("Epiphany") as Messiah of Israel and Son of God. This extraordinary gift calls for us to open our hearts and minds to God through His son, Jesus, who came to us as man, to live and suffer in the same way His lay people would. Another one of the extraordinary gifts we receive is our ability to praise and worship the Father through the Holy Spirit, as a result of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Knowing Jesus is the Body of Christ, we, through our Baptism, enter the Body of Christ as members of our faith community. Through this union, we are able to share in the cleansing of sins, and essentially, our re-birth. The gifts of the eastern Magi, allow us to remember that they offered what little they had (Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh), and in return, Christ gave them Himself. This exchange of gifts takes place for us whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, by the glorious power of the Holy Spirit! Throughout the holy Christmas season, God fills us with joy and hope! By celebrating Epiphany and these wondrous gifts bestowed upon us by the Christ-child, may we, inturn, use them to take a step closer to the Kingdom of God, in unity with His one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. Susanna Kaup and Kathleen Nguyen Religious Education Consultants 6

7 January 2018 To celebrate Mary as Mother of God and our mother at the beginning of the new year means recalling a certainty that will accompany our days: we are a people with a Mother; we are not orphans. (Pope Francis, Homily, January 1, 2017) Each year, January 1 marks the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. As Pope Francis shared, turning our gazes to Mary as the new year begins fills our vision of the horizon in front of us with a model of perfect love. We see the example of faithful love for God when we think of her yes in response to His call. We see the example of parental love in the mother who tenderly nurtured her Son, walking alongside Him through His life and to His death. We see the example of selfless, humble love in her willingness to be the instrument of bearing Salvation into the world. As we contemplate our plans and aspirations for the new year, let us take inspiration from Mary! We are always so excited to spread the great news of the amazing things that take place daily in our schools. We want everyone to know that Catholic education offers rich and vibrant opportunities for students to learn and grow in a Christ centred environment. We have launched a new hashtag, #ECSDfaithinspires, which beautifully portrays how our Catholic faith guides every aspect of our schools as we live out our District vision to learn together, work together and pray together in answering the call to a faith-filled life of service. We encourage all our staff, students, and ECSD families to use this new hashtag and help us share the good news of how faith inspires our daily lives at Edmonton Catholic Schools! We are so pleased with the participation in our Hour of Code Week last month. This week, which saw 25,804 of our students engage in a variety of coding based activities, brought so much excitement and creativity into our classrooms. Special thanks to our EmTech team for their drive and passion in ensuring that our students have the skills that they need to navigate our digital world. The month of January brings the end of the semester for our high schools. One of the enhanced services that we are pleased to offer our students who will be writing Diploma Examinations is Diploma Prep courses. These courses provide an excellent structure for students to review the content of their exam courses so that they can approach them with greater confidence. Visit and click on the Diploma Prep banner for more information. 7

8 The new year brings much new information and opportunity for our students and families. This is always reflected on our District website. Watch for our new Guide to Schools as well as information on registration for , Open Houses, and our upcoming session on Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety from our Mental Health Caregiver series. The newest information is always highlighted in the rotating banner at for your convenience. The Government of Alberta is seeking the input of Albertans as they begin to shape their upcoming provincial budget. You can complete a brief online survey at This is an excellent opportunity for your voice to be heard! The week of January is the Week of Prayer For Christian Unity. I will leave you with a thought from Pope Francis: unity is achieved by journeying, to recall that when we journey together, that is, when we encounter each other when we pray together and collaborate together in proclaiming the Gospel and in the service of others, we are already united. (Papal Audience, 10/11/2016) Many blessings as you begin the journey of a new year! Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent 8

9 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 9

10 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 10

11 STAY Alert January 2018 Be Aware Welcome back to school after the amazing Christmas break. I hope everyone had an enjoyable time away from school. This addition of the STAY Alert is about being aware about how we use our devices: 1. The new Christmas device is brighter, sounds better, and works faster than the old. The device can be so good it attracts all your attention. This is okay at home when lounging around but when you are walking to school this can become a disaster. Walking into the path of a stationary sign really gets one s attention. Walking into a standing person causes conflict. Walking into the path of a moving car is a trip to the hospital. Be aware when you are moving from place to place, and try to keep your head up. 2. Students want to share their holiday adventures with their friends. Messages and pictures being sent are relaying every detail. Be aware that messages and pictures are never private. Remember when you send a message it is to everyone, not just the intended recipient. 3. Finally, be aware Christmas 2018 is only 12 months away! Your STAY team welcomes you back to school. We wish you all the best in 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. 11

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13 PowerTeacherPro Gradebook Explained video for parents: In this revised gradebook, when a teacher creates an assignment, they attach at least one key learner outcome to that assignment. Along with the numerical grade of the assignment, a teacher also assesses the connected learner outcome(s) chosen in terms of levels of achievement (beginning, approaching, proficient and exemplary). In the quick-look ups on PowerSchool, which can be accessed at any time, the achievement of each student is expressed numerically as well as through levels of achievement on the learner outcomes chosen. This visual representation clearly leads parents, student and teachers into dialogue about next steps in learning. At the November and March parent/student/teacher interviews, the PowerTeacherPro gradebook along with student work will be excellent resources to engage in dialogue about each student s learning to date and to set goals for continued progress and success. The homeroom teacher will follow up through with parents of students who show signs of struggle who did not attend an interview. The January 31th and June 28th progress reports will include an assessment of student learner skills, a percentage grade in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion and Physical Education as well as a summary level of achievement (beginning, approaching, proficient, exemplary) for each curricular learner outcome assessed during the term. Parent user name and passwords will be shared with parents at the school office, at the Meet the Teacher evening in September, at the Demonstration of Learning/Interview time in November and through home. This ongoing outcomes-based assessment and reporting structure gives parents, students and teachers clear information about student achievement which informs next steps in teaching and learning for the continued progress and success of each student. 13

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