ST. CATHERINE S NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 Mrs. K. MacGregor Principal --- Mrs. R. Marcelo Assistant Principal www.stcatherine.ecsd.net St. Catherine Catholic School 10915-110 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5H 3E3 Telephone: 780-426-6933 Dear Lord, We pray that this New Year will bring us closer to You. May we take the time to get to know You. Help us to truly celebrate the gifts You have graciously given us and use them to serve You and spread Your word, May we also see and love you in all the people we meet, so that in turn, they can see You in us. We know that all human relations take time if they are to grow and deepen. This is also true of our relations with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit, which must grow over the course of our lives. In this new year, let us realise that every action of ours no matter how great or small enables us to be in touch with You. Let us accept You in our lives, in the way it pleases You, as Truth, to be spoken, as Life, to be lived, as Light, to be lighted, as Love, to be followed, as Joy, to be given, as Peace, to be spread about, as Sacrifice, to be offered among our relatives, friends, neighbours and all people. Amen.
Homework Club Every Tuesday after school from 3:00 4:30pm we have the Homework Club in the school library for students in grades 6 9. Homework Club is sponsored by the Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA) and it is a time when students can seek academic help from professional tutors from EISA and the University of Alberta in subjects like math and science. Teachers often recommend students for Homework Club but if you would like your child to participate in Homework Club please complete the form and send it to school. 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. Please note that this year we are using the SwiftReach telephone contact system, which will automatically contact you via telephone if your child has an unexcused absence in the morning or from a specific class. Student After-School Pick-Up This year we have had many instances of parents not picking up students in kindergarten and grade 1 after school, either at the school or at the bus stop. It is very important that parents understand that the school and bus drivers will not release students in kindergarten and grade 1 to anyone but a parent. As well we request that students younger than grade 7 go straight home after school. Parents need to arrive promptly to pick up children after school so that all children are gone home by 3:00 pm. Now that the winter cold weather is here, these requests are for safety purposes.
Extended Vacations Many families take their children away from school for extended vacations of two, three or more weeks. These types of vacations are very disruptive to student learning. 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. 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 everyone for their cooperation with this. Students Dressing Independently We are at the time of the school year when all students regardless of age (except 100 Voices) should be able to dress themselves for recess and at the end of the day. We want to foster student independence and one of the first ways for this to happen is for students to put on their own winter clothing before going out for recess and at the end of the day before going home. While teachers and EA s will assist students with doing zippers or finding mittens, all students by this time of the year should be able to dress themselves. If this is not the case then parents need to work with their children at home so that they can foster independent dressing habits for school. Winter Means Cold Weather We would like to remind parents to dress students appropriately for winter weather. Toques, hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, and a warm coat are a necessity as students will be outside for morning and lunch recess. Decisions regarding outdoor activities at St. Catherine will take into consideration that inclement weather may result from the following conditions: continuous rain or snow, extreme wind, and extreme cold. Please note if the temperature and wind chill are -20ºC or colder, students will remain indoors during recess. If you need assistance with providing winter clothing for your children please see Mrs. Sheehan or Mrs. Stewart at the office as they can assist you with winter clothing. Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will carry announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. The school district will make every effort to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30am.
RADIO STATIONS 630 CHED AM 930 The Light CJCA CBC CISN FM 103.9 SHINE 105.9 FM CHFA (CBC Fr.) FRESH FM 92.5 TSN 1260 CFCW 840 INEWS 880 AM 95.7 CRUZ FM CAPITAL FM 96.3 The Bounce FM 91.7 The Bear 100.3 FM K97 97.3 UP! 99.3 FM SONIC 102.9 FM 102.3 NOW! Radio HOT 107 FM 104.9 VIRGIN Radio FM TV STATIONS CITYTV CTV Edmonton GLOBAL Edmonton CBC TV ETS and Yellow Bus Passes For students who ride the ETS bus, we ask that parents make cash payments on a monthly basis or pay the entire amount in full to cover the purchase of bus passes throughout the year. This procedure greatly assists Ms. Stewart with her record keeping. The monthly cost of bus passes this year is: Single Bus Pass Elementary $32.00 Single Bus Pass Junior High $52.00 Family Plan Elementary $28.00 Family Plan Junior High $46.00 Students who take the yellow school busses do not pay for a bus pass and will receive one bus pass for the whole year. However, if you wish to have your child ride the yellow school bus you must provide the school with proof of your address and complete forms requesting the yellow bus. Yellow bussing is provided only for students living in our catchment area. Kindergarten and 100 Voices Registrations Beginning February 1, 2018 we will be accepting kindergarten and 100 Voices (pre-kindergarten) registrations for August 2018. Registrations for kindergarten and 100 Voices will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis with Catholic getting priority acceptance over non-catholics. All registrations must be completed in person at the school, and registrations cannot be accepted via telephone or e-mail. In order to be eligible for 100 Voices a child must turn 4 years old before March 1, 2019 and to attend kindergarten a child must turn 5 years old by March 1, 2019. First day back from Christmas vacation is January 8 th, 2018 January PD DAY On Thursday, January 25 th, we will be having a full-day PD Day and there will be no school on this day. February PD Day On Tuesday, February 6 th, we will be having a full-day PD and there will be no school on this day.
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 www.ecsd.net 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 2018-2019, 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 www.ecsd.net for your convenience.... 2
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 https://www.alberta.ca/budget-consultations.aspx. This is an excellent opportunity for your voice to be heard! The week of January 18-25 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
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
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, 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
STAY Alert April 2015 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 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.
St. Catherine January 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CTBS 6 8th-19th 8 First day back after Christmas break Christmas Break No School 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 No Kindergarten 28 29 30 31 Report Cards Issued 25 No School PD Day 26 Last day of CTF Term #1 27
St. Catherine February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 No Kindergarten 2 1st class of CTF Term #2 3 4 5 6 Faith Development Day No School 11 12 13 Shrove Tuesday 18 19 Family Day - No School 7 Gr. 5 Immunization 14 Ash Wednesday and Valentine s Day 15 Gr. 9 Immunization 8 9 10 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 25 CCAT s 26- Mar. 6 Gr. 3 26 27 28