Bishop Savaryn Newsletter

Transcription

1 LEADERS GROW HERE as disciples of Jesus! Bishop Savaryn Newsletter January Edition Message from the Administration Welcome January the first month of 2018! Filled with so much gratitude, we come to the end of a great year of celebrating Canada s 150 th birthday from coast to coast. When we return from our much needed Christmas break, we wonder, What does 2018 hold in store for each of us? What experiences lie ahead for our talented and creative learners at École Bishop Savaryn? As growing LEADERS, each of our students are learning to incorporate the 7 Habits into their lives to help them be in control of their own learning. They can take charge of their own behaviour so they can go forth and make a positive difference in the world, using their personal gifts and talents. Thank you to all who supported our WE CARE CHALLENGE Sign of Hope Campaign by participating in our Break the Rules Fridays and buying tickets for chances to win one of our Christmas Baskets. We were so pleased to present 19 full hampers to families at Christmas because of your generous donations to our Toonies for Turkeys and the donation of food items. After assisting families in our own school community, our Student LEADERSHIP Council delivered several hampers to Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples on behalf of our school community. We wish everyone a safe and JOYOUS Christmas season. May we, like the wisemen who followed the star, be filled with peace and joy as we encounter Jesus in each other, in our families and in our community! And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Luke 2: Meilleurs voeux pour un Joyeux Noël et une Bonne et Heureuse Année! Nous vous souhaitons la Paix et la Joie de Noël tout au long de l année. Joanne Friedt Principal/Directrice Joanne.Friedt@ecsd.net Johanne Renaud Assistant Principal/Directrice Adjointe Johanne.Renaud@ecsd.net Epiphany Celebration Bishop Savaryn Gym January 9:00 am FrancoFUN Day Gr. 5 & 6 French Immersion Students January 19 - All Day Access the full version on our website. We have a new Twitter Click here to see our feed. 1

2 Bishop Savaryn Newsletter January 2018 Sunday Monday 1 Tuesday 2 Wednesday Thursday 3 4 Friday 5 Saturday 6 Christmas Break School Resumes January 8th 7 8 Epiphany Sunday Epiphany am First Day of School SAC 6:30 pm Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off FrancoFUN Day Gr. 5 & 6 French Immersion Hot Lunch NO KINDER Early Learning Conference Gymnastics/ Mission Impossible February 1 February 2 Hot Lunch Our Mission: As a Christ-entered French & English dual track learning community, working in collaboration with our parish and community, we will strive towards Faith, Learning, Peace, and Joy. 2

3 REMINDERS ECSD TRANSPORTATION SERVICES Transportation Services offers detailed information for parents who want to know more about their child s bus route such as up-to-date bus information and delays. Click the link below to access their site: Bus Info If your child s bus is more than 10 minutes late, please contact Transportation Yellow Bus Cancellations The following radio and TV stations will announce transportation cancellations due to inclement weather. RADIO: CHED/CHQT/CISN/JOE FM/CFRN 1260/THE BEAR/CFMG/CFCW/CBC/MAGIC 99/ CKER/ CHFA (French CBC)/K-97/AM 930 (CJCA)/ SHINE FM/ MIX 96 (96X) TV: CITY TV/CFRN/GLOBAL/CBC Bus Information: Please send bus pass money to school by the 1st of each month. Place cash in a labeled envelope or ziplock bag Make cheques out to Bishop Savaryn School 10 post-dated cheques may be submitted for your convenience. Please contact the office to let us know if your child will not be taking the bus after school. Also, bus passes must be carried at all times as the bus driver randomly be asking children to show their passes during the month. Bus Fees Contact the office for information about Annual Passes Kindergarten FREE Grade 1-6 $32.00 Family Plan (3 + children) $

4 Parent Concerns - Protocol REMINDERS ECSD recognizes the freedom of all members of the school community (students, staff, parents, and neighbours) to voice their concerns in an appropriate manner to school personnel. The principle of First Contact needs to be followed. FranoFUN Day Gr. 5 & 6 French Immersion Students The French Immersion Department of Edmonton Catholic Schools has planned an exciting fullday event on January 19, at JH Picard School. This special day will showcase what French language and culture can offer students outside their academic environment. It will give them an opportunity to interact with fellow secondlanguage learners as well as Francophone artists and community leaders - all while having fun! The event is for all Grade 5-8 students in Edmonton Catholic Schools. 12 schools will be represented, with over 1000 students participating. A permission form will be sent home will be sent home at the beginning of January for this amazing event! This means that the person(s) who have the concern has the responsibility to begin addressing the concern directly with those persons with whom they have the concern before taking their concern elsewhere. If a solution is not found, then please do not hesitate to involve the school administration. Visitors Student safety is very important to us! For this reason we follow ECSD s VISITOR POLICY that requires ALL visitors/volunteers to report to the office and pick up a VISITOR PASS between the hours of 8:25 am to 2:55pm. Please note that visitors/volunteers INCLUDE PARENTS! With our large student population, and our many new families, parents may not always be familiar to staff Visitor passes help keep your children safe. ECSD and École Bishop Savaryn School recognize and appreciate that the many volunteers in our schools form an integral part of our school communities and provide important non-instructional services that assist teachers and staff. Whenever volunteers are working with our students, policies and regulations must be in place to ensure the safety and well-being of students and to enhance the programs being provided. If you are interested in volunteering at our school, drop by the office to fill out a VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM - this form must be filled out annually and before starting any volunteer activities in the school. 4

5 School Celebrations R DERS N I M E On Monday, January 8, 2018 we will have our Epiphany Celebration. All parents, younger siblings, grandparents, and community members are most welcome to attend to pray together with us as a school community. It is another opportunity for you to delight in the singing and prayer leadership of the students. Toonies for Turkeys Bringing Christmas Joy one food hamper at a time! Thank you to everyone for your participation in our Toonies for Turkeys Drive and for helping put together our classroom hampers It was a HUGE success! We collected $500 to provide gift cards for turkeys and put together 19 full hampers of food! 7 of those hampers went to help families in our own community and 12 were delivered to Sacred Heart of the First Nations Church by our Student Leadership Council. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! 5

6 REMINDERS Cold Weather With Fall upon us and Winter just around the corner, it is extremely important that your child be dressed appropriately for the weather! Because the weather can change quickly during the day - students are often underdressed for recesses or for their commute home. Note: Recess is only cancelled if the temperature drops BELOW -20 C. To avoid this situation, please make sure that your child has enough layers on to take some off if needed. It is easier to take off layers than to be cold. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CHILD COMES TO SCHOOL WITH: - Mitts - Toque - Warm Jacket - Winter Boots Save the date 6

7 Student Drop-off & Pick Up Traffic Safety Zone reminder Parents, we encourage you to Park and Walk or to pick up your children at the back of the school. Do not use the Staff parking lot as a drop off or pick-up zone. 7:00 am - 4:30 pm Thanks for your cooperation! Crosswalks Yeah! Hooray! Yippee! We ve got crosswalks! Please make sure to use a crosswalk when dropping off or picking up your child. PLEASE, DO NOT Jaywalk or cross between busses Kids before Convenience! Please keep in mind Bus and handicap parking zones are off limit (unless you have a permit). Do not block neighbourhood driveways! Stay away from orange pylons. Follow all School Patrol signals and instructions. 7:00-21:00 SCHOOL DAYS THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING SO COOL AND FOLLOWING THE RULES! 7

8 Hot Lunch All hot lunch orders must be made online at Healthy Hunger. Upcoming Hot Lunch Dates: Date Restaurant January 19, 2018 February 2, 2018 February 16, 2018 Boston Pizza Pita Pit Mary Browns Wondering how to sign up? Click the picture below to view this short video tutorial: iiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiii to all our AMAZING parent volunteers! The gift of your time is very much appreciated. 8

9 Life in the Learning Commons There s been a flurry of activity in the Learning Commons, more than usual from mid-november to the first week of December. Our French Book Fair was immediately followed by the English Book Fair, with more amazing results. Our total sales in the English Book Fair were $ , net sales (minus tax) came to $ Our school was given 60% of net sales in product. The higher the sales, the higher our percentage! Teachers book wishes amounted to $ worth of product put into classroom libraries. In addition, $ worth of books was contributed to our Library shelves! We are processing those books now to get them onto the shelves as quickly as possible for students to enjoy. We are waiting for confirmation of the numbers, but if we have any rewards left it will go towards more materials for our Learning Commons. Several students were excited to win the various contests we had running. Lynn C. from 6C won the draw for $25.00 worth of books for herself, and her teacher, Mme Melinda received her pick of $25.00 worth of books for her classroom library. We had 2 tied winners of the candy cane guessing game. They could choose between sharing the candy canes or getting a poster. Na-Ekua and Jayden from 4/5C, M. Brandan s class, after learning they each won with an exact guess of 48, both decided to share the 48 candy canes equally between them. Excellent estimating skills, Na-Ekua and Jayden! Did you notice the jar stuffed with 3D foamie geometric shapes at the book fair? Nathan F. from 3A, Mrs. Huang s class, guessed the exact number of shapes, at 181! Nathan was thrilled to choose a book from the fair for his prize. What an amazing number sense you have, Nathan! Congratulations to all our contest winners! Both the French and English Book Fairs in November and December produced more sales and profits than any book fair we ve had previously. Thank you so much to all the volunteers who helped make this happen! And thank you to all the families who purchased gifts for their child s classroom library in support of literacy! To everyone who contributed to the sales, including teachers who personally purchased resources and Christmas gifts for their students and their own families, we could not have done all this without you! It is so gratifying to be a part of this amazing, supportive educational community! Our Learning Commons team is looking forward to working together to support our students in the new year! 9

10 January 2018 École Bishop Savaryn School Council News Our next meeting will be January 17th at 6:30 pm. All parents are welcome to attend! Childcare will be available. Please RSVP by Jan.15 th to: - if you will need childcare. New Year, New Hot Lunch Line-up: January 19 Boston Pizza (order by Jan.14) February 2 Pita Pit (order by Jan.28) February 16 Mary Brown s (order by Feb.11) 10

11 St. Charles Parish News ADVENT & CHRISTMAS Celebration Date Time Reconciliation Celebration Fourth Sunday of Advent / Christmas Eve Fourth Sunday of Advent / Christmas Eve Christmas Day Holy Family / New Year s Eve Holy Family / New Year s Eve New Year s Day Wednesday December 13, 2017 Saturday December 23, 2017 Sunday December 24, 2017 Monday December 25, 2017 Saturday December 30, 2017 Sunday December 31, 2017 Monday January 1, :00 pm 4:30 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am 6:00 pm 9:00 pm Midnight 9:00 am 11:00 4:30 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am 4:30 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am 11

12 St. Charles Parish News Upcoming Events: Confirmation Classes Thursday, January 25, 12:00-6:00 pm Saturday, January 27, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Baptism Certificates: Please bring a copy of your child s Baptism certificate when you register. Cost: There is a suggested donation of $30 for books, retreat, and materials. For more information: Please call Linda Boire at or check for dates on our website 12

13 St. Charles Parish News Get your tickets for the St. Charles Pasta Dinner & Silent Auction Saturday, January 27 th, 2018 Doors open at 5:30 p.m. (St. Charles Activity Centre Street) - Silent Auction will run 5:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. - Dinner to start at 6:15 p.m. Tickets: $10 per person or $5 for children 12 years & younger - Tickets sold individually (by table number), to a maximum of 8 per table Only 200 tickets/25 tables available for purchase. Purchase your tickets after all weekend masses December 16/17 in time for Christmas giving. Tickets also available from the Parish office during business hours. Drop off of Silent Auction items* for this great family event will commence in January, 2018 *Donations of BRAND NEW ITEMS ONLY will be accepted. Your donation is eligible for a tax receipt for the value of the winning bid. Be sure to complete the bid sheet detail form (available on our website, or when dropping off items) with your name & item* 13

14 St. Charles Parish ministries/childrens-programs/ ext105 F.I.R.E. Ministries at St. Charles Parish FAITHFUL, INCLUSIVE, READY, EMPOWERING that is what our youth here at St. Charles Parish stand for, and we welcome you to join us! St. Charles offers several groups to meet the diverse needs of our school families and parishioners. Everyone is welcome, and you can come consistently or as a drop-in visitor. GLOW Kids Program is for grades 1-6 and runs on the Fourth Sunday of the month. Registration forms are available on our website. IGNITE Youth for grades 5-8 meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7PM. ABLAZE Youth for grades 9-12 meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 7PM. SOUL Sisters for teen girls between grades 9 and 12 meets on the first Friday of the month at 7PM. If you have any questions, please contact Amber Tweedy. 14

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16 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Ward 71 (Chair) TERRY HARRIS Cell: terence.harris@ecsd.net The advent season is upon us as the Board of Trustees closes out a busy 2017 with the last meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 12. The Trustees wish all our Edmonton Catholic Schools family a joyous Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Ward 72 (Vice-Chair) SANDRA PALAZZO Cell: sandra.palazzo@ecsd.net Ward 73 CARLA SMILEY Home: carla.smiley@ecsd.net Ward 74 DEBBIE ENGEL Cell: debbie.engel@ecsd.net Ward 75 ALENE MUTALA Cell: alene.mutala@ecsd.net Ward 76 LISA TURCHANSKY Cell: lisa.turchansky@ecsd.net Ward 77 LAURA THIBERT Cell: laura.thibert@ecsd.net An Essential Partnership: The School Resource Officer Program The Board welcomed Sergeants Chan and Parr from the Edmonton Police Service, who provided a wonderful presentation on the School Resource Officer (SRO) program currently operating in 12 Junior and Senior Edmonton Catholic schools. The SRO program has been a pillar in the District for over 35 years and the partnership between Edmonton Catholic Schools and the Edmonton Police Service continues to be one of mutual and positive cooperation, respect and dedication to improving the lives of our students, families and communities. To learn more about the program, click here. The School Resource Officer has become an essential component in our District and we hope to continue the partnership for many years to come. 16

17 Faith Formation Opportunities at Edmonton Catholic Schools Our mission to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and serve God in one another begins primarily with the incredible, passionate staff in our District. During the meeting, the Board received a report on the Faith Formation Plan, which highlights faith formation opportunities for District staff members. The District provides many opportunities for our staff to engage in ongoing faith formation, which include both large group and individualized opportunities. ECSD s multipronged approach to providing faith formation opportunities for all staff is integral to our mission and the Board continues to support the opportunities to cultivate spiritual formation. Request to Change the Modernization of Ben Calf Robe/St. Clare School to a Replacement School The Board unanimously approved a motion to write a letter to the Minister of Education David Eggen and request that the modernization/addition of Ben Calf Robe/St. Clare school be changed to a replacement school, which will be located on the east parcel of the current Ben Calf Robe/St. Clare School site. Upon further review of the pre-planning study, administration concluded that several aspects favoured a replacement school including the following: o o Shorter timeline of 36 months for the building of a replacement school vs. 60 months for a modernization Replacement school would result in minimal disruption to students o Approximate cost difference of only $6 million from modernization to replacement school The Board also approved an expenditure of up to $2 million from District Capital Reserves for a cultural space and server pending the approval of this change. Ben Calf Robe is home to the District s Nehiyaw Pimatisiwin Cree Language and Culture Program and combines a cultural framework in heritage and teaching as an FNMI school with the Catholic traditions that complement each other to maximize our students potential. 17

18 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 7. 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 18

19 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 19

20 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

21 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 21

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