Our Lady of Mount Carmel School

Transcription

1 Our Lady of Mount Carmel School Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6E 1L3 Phone: (780) Fax: (780) Website: January 2018 Newsletter Administrators Message We extend a Happy New Year and a warm welcome back to our entire Mount Carmel Family! As we enter into 2018, we wish you joy, peace, and good health. As a family of learners Rooted in Jesus who reflect God s divine love through our actions and words, we ve been blessed to see daily examples of this since the beginning of the year. The elementary students have had a wonderful first four months of their academic year and worked hard to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. The Junior High students were also reaching for the stars and, like you, we were encouraging them every step of the way! School spirit was on full display when we supported social justice programs such as Terry Fox, We Scare Hunger, Toys for Tots, etc. Thank you for your ongoing generosity! With our Open House set for Wednesday Feb 7:00 p.m., we are already planning for the school year. Your support is so important as we continue to spread the good word about Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the wonderful faith-based learning that is happening! Together, we are building a great school that promotes continual growth in body, mind, and spirit. Kindly note that we are welcoming applications for all grades for the school year and that complete registration information will soon be available in the office and of course on our website. In the meantime, if you or anyone you know is interested in joining one of our Academies in the fall, or our Elite Athlete Program, the contact information is below: Performing Arts Academy Anna Paquin; Anna.Paquin@ecsd.net Soccer Academy Dawn Poulin-Biro; Dawn.Poulin-Biro@ecsd.net Hockey Academy Andrew Zvonkovic or Bil La Forge; Andrew.Zvonkovic@ecsd.net Recreation Academy Jen Belous; Jennifer.Belous@ecsd.net Elite Athlete Program Melissa Belter; Melissa.Belter@ecsd.net On behalf of the entire staff, we wish you the very best in 2018! Mr. Kevin S. McGoey Mrs. Diane Bowers-O Neill Principal Assistant Principal

2 School Motto: We Are Family! Should any member of our school community be experiencing financial hardship, please contact Principal McGoey and he may be able to provide some assistance. Book Fair and Library News Our November Book Fair had another tremendous year and we would like to thank you for your strong support. This year our total sales were $4471 and our school library will receive approximately $2000 in new books as a result! A special thank you and recognition to our volunteers who generously donated their gifts and time to help organize and work at our Book Fair: Cathy Ehm, Stacey Furlong, Geneva Sopchyshyn, Julie Kusiek, Carolyn Cush-Nieminen, Nadine Seed, Courtney Dias, Erin Blazey, and Colleen Newby. Another thank you is extended to students Camila, Sydney, Hailee, Ceilidh, Paten, Allison, and Kristine who helped keep the inventory organized and Aiden, Zane, and Jacob who came in to help with the stickers! School Advisory Council So many exciting events are happening in SC during 2018! We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the families and friends who volunteered for our casino in December. A special acknowledgement to Stacey for the many weeks of work she dedicated in organizing this critical fundraiser! We hope to see you at our next meeting which will be held on Tuesday, January 16 at 6:30pm in the Library. All are welcome to attend, both old and new faces! A Pizza Hot Lunch will take place on Friday, January 19th. We are looking for extra helpers to sort and serve from 11:40am to 12:20pm. Please olmcsac@gmail.com if you are able to join us. Parents can place orders through healthyhunger.ca up to 5 days before the 19th of January. School Council is organizing a Silent Auction for our Annual Family Dance, which will be taking place on Friday, February 2nd. If you run a Home Based Business or work for a company/corporation and would be able to make a donation of products or services for the Silent Auction, please contact Stacey at olmcsac@gmail.com. This event has traditionally been very popular for our Mount Carmel families and we hope for another successful and fun Family Dance. Lent starts early this year, and Shrove Tuesday is on February 13th. We need many volunteers to help purchase groceries, cook sausages, and serve breakfast that morning. Please olmcsac@gmail.com for more details and to let us know if you can help. We wish you a very Happy New Year! Our Lady of Mount Carmel School Council

3 A Charlie Brown Christmas Concert Our students did a wonderful job performing and singing in the Dec 6 Charlie Brown Christmas concert. We have such an incredible depth of talent in our school! A special thank you to Leslie Harbin for her leadership with the music and to Anna Paquin for her awesome work!.

4 Performing Arts/Music/Christmas Concert On the night of December 6, the Performing Arts Academy performed a Charlie Brown Christmas! The performance was well attended with standing room only! Later in December, PA students brought Christmas joy to some local seniors by sharing the gift of carols at their residential facility. We are looking forward to the upcoming Willy Wonka and Heart of Glee performances and will be spending a significant amount of time in January preparing for these events.; there is never a dull moment! A special thank you to all our P.A. family for their ongoing support and contribution to our program. You truly made 2017 a memorable year for all! We hope all Mount Carmel families had a joyful and peaceful Christmas and we wish everyone a wonderful New Year! If you or anyone you know are interested in having your child be part of the Performing Arts Academy, contact me by anna.paquin@ecsd.net or call the school at Recreation Academy The Recreation Academy students have been participating in a lot of fun activities like Cross Fit, Water Polo, Underwater Hockey, and Skating. The kids have been working really hard at improving their personal fitness and setting goals for themselves in these activities. In January, we will be going Speed skating, playing basketball, going scuba diving, and working on our curling skills. Congrats to the November Recreation Students of the month: Matthew Caron & Samantha Palichuk!

5 Mount Carmel s 13th Annual Hockey Classic Coach Bil LaForge Coach Andrew Zvonkovic The 13th Mount Carmel Classic had everyone on the edge of their seats right until the buzzer. The teams were evenly matched though, in the end, the Black Team with Coach Mr. LaForge won. The final score was 7-5 (empty netter). Students, parents, and staff greatly enjoyed the event and many wonderful prizes were awarded! We extend a massive thank you for all your donations and very much look forward to the rematch next year!

6 Soccer Academy Our soccer academy has now had two excellent months at the indoor centre. Our Junior High academy competed in the annual STM tournament in December. They put forth a commendable effort, both as individuals and team members. Unlike other academies with oversized numbers on the bench, our players were able to put in many minutes of play in every game. A huge congratulations from our coaching staff to the players for their compete levels which they prominently displayed. They many not have had all the wins, but they were all winners and did us proud! Our elementary academy has also shown excellent growth and development. They continue to put forth excellent efforts on a daily basis. In January, we will begin to process new academy registrations for the school year. If you know anyone who is interested, please forward them my way: Dawn.Poulin-Biro@ecsd.net or Dawn Poulin-Biro Mount Carmel Soccer Academy Director-Instructor Ave. Edmonton, Alberta Phone: (780) Fax: (780) Hockey Academy We sincerely thank everyone who helped out with the 13th annual MTC Classic and made it another great success! We hope you had a well-deserved break and are as excited as we are for a New Year of hockey. Please note that on Friday January 12th, there will be no academy for our G4-9 students as they will be skiing at Rabbit Hill. Grade 3 students will still be participating in their Hockey Academy activities that day. We are now scheduling shadow days for prospective Grade 3-9 Hockey Academy students for the school year. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please have them contact me by Andrew.Zvonkovic@ecsd.net Thank you, Andrew Zvonkovic Mount Carmel Hockey Academy Program Coordinator-Head Instructor Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta Phone: (780) Fax: (780)

7 Remembrance Day Essay Competition The Knights of Columbus from St. Anthony Parish challenged the students to write an essay on the topic: What Remembrance Day Means to Me. Our 9A students made a commendable effort with their writing skills and provided some very insightful thoughts. The top three essay awards were to: 1st - Julian B., 2nd - Zachary L., 3rd - Paula M. Excellent work!

8 The Chaplain s Corner Blessings Mount Carmel Families! During December, the Mount Carmel community diligently and excitedly prepared for Christmas. On Wednesday, December 6 we were greatly entertained and impressed with all of our students' performances in the Charlie Brown Christmas concert. Special recognition is most graciously extended to everyone who performed so wonderfully and of course, we are very proud of them! We also wish to thank Ms. Harbin and Ms. Paquin as well as the rest of our staff for all of their hard work and dedication that made this evening such a huge success! Throughout the month of December, Mount Carmel students have also been celebrating Advent. While Advent is a time for quiet and joyful preparation for the celebration of Jesus' birth, it is also a time to remember that we wait for Christ to come again. It is an opportunity to enjoy the hope that Christ's resurrection points to. I hope your Christmas, was a time of discovery and an occasion to gather with family and friends to share the spirit of the season. Going forward, we wish you joy and peace and that God showers His Blessings upon you in 2018! From Your Chaplain, Mr. Cormier Christmas Prayer "Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance. Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, Wiseman. Help us to rise bigger than we are." Amen.

9 Idling By-Law The City of Edmonton Idling Bylaw prevents vehicles from idling in designated areas near schools and hospitals. The Bylaw only applies when the temperatures rise above zero degrees Celsius. Drivers cannot idle for more than three minutes within any 30 -minute period when parked in an area designated as no idling. Bylaw exemptions apply to vehicles licensed to provide public transport including school busses, taxis; emergency vehicles, and vehicles transporting medically fragile people. To learn more about the Idling Bylaw visit

10 The Gift of the 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, in-turn, 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

11 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

12 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. 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

13 STAY Alert January 2018 Be Aware Welcome back to school after the amazing Christmas break. We 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, or worse! Be aware when you are moving from place to place and 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 in reality being sent 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 and wishes you all the best in 2018! 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.

14 Message of Self Help and Wellness Adapting in the face of Adversity RESILIENCE IS NOT A PASSIVE QUALITY BUT AN ACTIVE PROCESS You can learn to boost your own ability to cope, thrive, and flourish when the going gets tough. GROW AND STRENGTHEN YOUR SUPPORT NETWORK Many studies show that the primary factor in resilience is having caring and supportive relationships. BE MINDFUL You can t change the fact that stressful events happen, but you can learn to change your response to them. REFRAME YOUR THOUGHTS Think of challenges as opportunities, learn how to make stress your friend and train yourself to experience your thoughts and feelings as they occur. PRACTICE SELF-CARE In order to take care of others, you must take care of yourself, first. Find some activities that make you feel good, give you energy or simply put a smile on your face. REACH OUT Registered psychologists and other health professionals can assist you in developing appropriate strategies, no matter what life brings you.

15 Important Dates Key Dates Jan 8 Classes Resume Jan 9 Christmas St. Anthony 9:30 a.m. Jan 12 Rabbit Hill Ski Trip G4-9* Jan 16 School Council Meeting in 6:30 Jan 18 Elem VB Tournament Jan 19 School Council Hot Lunch Jan 24 No Kinders Jan 24 G9 Options - Semester 1 Ends Jan 29 G9 Options - Semester 2 Begins Jan 31 JH Report Card #1 Online - 3:00 p.m. Feb 1 No Kinders Feb 2 G5 & 9 Immunizations Feb 2 Family 6:30 Feb 5 Fr. Michael Mireau Day Grade 8 s only Feb 6 District Faith Development Day No School Feb 7 Mount Carmel Open 7:00 p.m. Feb 9 Rabbit Hill Ski Trip G4-6 Feb 13 Shrove Tuesday Pancake Bfast Feb 14 Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Anthony s 9:30 a.m. Feb 16 St. Valentine s Day JH Dance in p.m. Feb 19 Family Day No School Feb 26 School Council Hot Lunch Feb 28 JH Marmot Ski Trip March 1 & 2 Teacher s Convention No School March 6 School Council Meeting in 6:30 March 8 G7&8 Options - Trimester 2 Ends March 9 Elementary Report Card #2 Online 3:00 p.m. March 13 G7&8 Options - Trimester 3 Begins March 16 ECSD Heart of UofA March 16 School Council Hot Lunch March 21 Performing Arts Spring Play Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory March 22 Full Day March 23 Half Day Mar 24-Apr 2 Spring Break

16 January 2018 Calendar OLMC Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Classes Resume Christmas St. Anthony 9:30 a.m. Rabbit Hill Ski Trip G School Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. Elem VB Tourney School Council Hot Lunch No Kindergarten G9 Option Semester 1 Ends G9 Option Semester 2 Begins JH Report Cards Available Online 3:00 p.m. We Are Family