November 2017 "In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below."
Principal s Message The MAC community continues to be a vibrant setting for our students! October was a busy month that has our school collecting an amazing amount of MACaroni for the food bank. Good luck to our Volleyball players as they head into the playoffs. Other highlights include: PLT presentations, Thanksgiving celebration band trips, cross country provincials, awards night, student vote, university presentations, pumpkin carving, and Halloween festivities that culminated in a school dance where students had a chance to celebrate together! November also proves to be a busy month as we plan for our schools SAC meeting on November 1, Remembrance Day celebration, music concerts, Art Shows, Taste of Mac, and our annual Junior High Invitational Volleyball Tournament! Please note that school is closed on November 10 for Remembrance Day and not on November 13. LEST WE FORGET! Sincerely, Mr. John Fiacco Principal
November Events Nov. 1 Nov. 2 Nov. 3 SAC Meeting 6:30 p.m. in Conference Room Art Show in the Atrium Vic Lewis Music Festival- Canmore Alberta Post-Secondary Fair will be at MAC in the afternoon from 1-3 pm Nov. 6 Marmot Ski Trip Parent Meeting Monday, November 6 @ 7:00 Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 10 Nov. 16-18 Nov. 23 Nov. 29 Nov. 30 Remembrance Day Celebration-PLT PD DAY ALL DAY-NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS Remembrance Day In Lieu- School Closed Junior High Volleyball Tournament Music Department Concert 7pm Senior Girls Basketball Tournament in Chilliwack BC Music Department Concert 7pm
ATTENTION PARENTS/GUARDIANS: We recently sent home with your child a Verification of Student Registration form. Please ensure that you go through the verification and make any corrections if needed. Whether there are corrections or not, we ask that you return the form, signed and dated on the last page and return it to the office as soon as possible. On the back page under Student Responsible Use Agreement, please read the use agreement (see below). Failure to agree may block your child s use of our school computers, internet and Wifi. Also, under Using and Disclosing Personal information. Failure to agree with it will set in motion to have ALL information and photos not usable. Therefore, their picture and name will be removed from the Yearbook, school calendar, newsletter, graduation book, any class, club or team pictures or videos for school purposes, as well as student s names on lists such as the honor roll, scholarship or other awards within the school or district. (link below) Please see links below for full policy information. Student Responsible Use Agreement https://www.ecsd.net/parentsstudents/parentresources/documents/responsible_use_agreement.pdf Using and Disclosing Personal Information https://www.ecsd.net/aboutus/annual_reports/policies-and- Regulations/Regulations/Using%20and%20Disclosing%20Personal%20Information%20Regulation.pdf PLEASE NOTE: It is very important that we have correct information. If there is a change of citizenship, please send in a copy of the new paperwork, front and back. ** If at any time there is a change of address and/or phone numbers, please contact the main office as soon as possible with the updated information. Grad Information Grad formals the week of Nov. 27 in the LRC. Sitting schedules will be posted early November for student s information. Fees have already been collected for these so no additional monies need to be collected for the initial sitting and proofs. Please see more info on our website, click on Grad Info Tab.
Athletics Our volleyball season is wrapping up with our senior girls making a strong playoff run. Good luck girls! They've had a great season which included a successful tournament with our senior boys in Kelowna, BC. On October 30 we hosted "Senior's Night" during which we recognized our grade 12 volleyball players and presented them with a keepsake to show our appreciation. Congratulations to them! We also had four cross country runners represent MAC at provincials this year at Rundle Park, who all finished in the top 40 runners in Alberta. We have students playing football at other Catholic high schools in Edmonton who are well into playoffs. Best of luck to them as they vie for the city championship held at Commonwealth Stadium in the beginning of November! Mac has three curling teams this year who have just started their seasons at Jasper Place Curling Rink and we're looking forward to their success. Basketball try-outs start November 1st and the pre-season seeding rounds are soon to follow. You can stay up-to-date with morning announcements and posted try-out schedules around the gym if your child is interested in trying out for either the senior or junior teams. Thank you for your continued support!
November Physical Education News In October, our PE 20 & 30 Students experienced many out of school field trips to meet our curriculum needs. Some of these trips included, squash at the U of A, curling at Jasper Place Curling Club, scuba class at Peter Hemmingway Pool, Fitness training at World Health Club, and Wall Climbing at both Vertically Inclined & Rock Jungle. Our PE 10 Wellness Classes, started to complete their Calm assignments including attending many Calm Guest Speaker Presentations during our PLT sessions. As you can see, October was a busy month for our PE classes! Stay Active MAC Mr. Marauder will have a tip in staying active and eating healthy for our MAC community each month. This Month, Mr. Marauder recommends that families or students take classes together. For example, a yoga or spin class. For lunch sandwiches, try a little mashed avocado instead of butter or mayonnaise.
2017 Archbishop MacDonald Edmonton Municipal Election During PLT, Friday Oct 13 the Social Studies Department, with the help Social 30 IB Students organized and ran Student Vote at Archbishop MacDonald. The following were the results. As in past years, the results of Mac s Student Vote mirrored actual results. One difference was Ward 6. The incumbent Scott McKeen won it. Student Vote Results Mayor Name Votes Don Iveson 303 Carla Frost 22 Justin Thomas 19 Mike Bulter 16 Bob Robert Ligerrtwood 12 Fahad Mughal 12 Taz Boucher 10 Gordon Nikolic 10 Don Koziak 9 Henry Mak 8 Ron Cousineau 4 Steven Charles Shewchuck 4 Neil Stephens 2 *Spoiled Ballots = 1 City Councillor Ward 6 Name Votes Bill Knight 197 Scott McKeen 125 Adil Pirhai 50
Tish George Prouse 50 Catholic School Trustee Ward 71 Name Votes Terry Harris 205 Mara Jan Suchy 134
In CALM class, students will receive a login and password for the www.myblueprints.com - online program. The program follows a comprehensive education and career planning process that meets the learning needs, interests, and aspirations of all students. Students will be able to: Actively learn about their interests, skills, passions, and feelings, and document what they discover about themselves in pictures, videos, and journals. Explore their opportunities in school, the community, or in post-secondary, and the world of work, rooted in their own self-knowledge. Reflect on who they want to become and set goals for their education, leisure, community life, and work that will keep them engaged and happy. Create an individualized plan to help them achieve their goals, transition to secondary school and postsecondary, and successfully shape their future. MAC encourages families to review the program with their child. Students and Social Media Parents and educators are constantly trying to teach young people about the dangers of social media. What may seem like common sense precautions to the older generation is largely forgotten by today s teens. MacLean s magazine recently published an article that warns about some of the common pitfalls of social media and how it can influence how our students are seen in the future. The article speaks of rescinded admission offers from post-secondary institutions, employers using social media to screen potential candidates, and the fact that your online presence can follow you well into the future. So what are some potential hazards to avoid? - Incriminating or embarrassing photos or videos - Profanity, defamatory or racist comments - Politically charged attacks - Spelling and grammar issues - Complaining or bad mouthing Social media can be a powerful tool and can also work in someone s favour if students remember to make sure it represents their true self. Posting positive supportive comments, showing involvement in community or social organizations and making sure your profile picture and other photos are in good taste can actually assist young people in the future when they are looking for that dream job or applying for that great scholarship. Bottom line: Would you want a future boss or an admissions officer to read or see it? If not, don t post it. If you already have, delete it. (Excerpts taken from MacLean s article Dear Students, what you post can wreck your life. Full article can be read at http://www.macleans.ca/education/dear-students-what-you-post-can-wreck-your-life/ )
Spirits, Saints, and Souls. The early days of November within the Catholic Church mark the month for which we commemorate the memory of all the faithfully departed. While All Hallow s Eve spurs the popular imagination with Spirits, this is really intended to prime the mind and heart to focus on the Saints and Souls who have lived and passed. These Saints and Souls are the faithfully departed - our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. Initially it may be emotionally difficult to let go of them due to their physical absence; however, eventually we come to realize their spiritual presence remains which both offers and reminds us of a different form of human connection. This is why we need to remember them in prayer and also request they pray for us too. Contrary to a popular misconception, we pray not to them, but rather for and through them. Together we help comprise what is such a central element to our Christian Faith: the Communion of Saints. In so doing, we understand how there is continuity between this world and that of the next. This is a long standing tradition in the Church which shows how life in Christ is indeed eternal and our relationship with Him extends into a community. Those who have died in the peace of Christ are still alive in and with Him because of their Faith and ours which continues. To help ensure this, it is the work of every member of the Church, which includes all the baptized believers - both living and deceased - to help bring people into a relationship with Christ and an intimacy with God. And so each time we celebrate Mass in School or on Sundays, we remember that the entire mystical Body of Christ is present, together. Effectively, because our departed have already arrived at the place to which we are also seeking to be, they can therefore offer the inspiration, insight, and guidance we need, in response to the prayers we make for ourselves and for them. Though death can be hard, it is a part of this life, and which also leads to the next. And so November is a gift to recognize and remember those good souls who have died & are yet still very much in spirit with us. Most sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Dean Dowle
LISTENING AND DAILY ATTENTIVENESS TO THE WORD OF GOD On September 14, 2017, Archbishop Richard Smith issued his Pastoral Letter - Living in the Word of God to the clergy and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Edmonton. In his message, the Archbishop recalled his baptism: On May 10th, 1959, at just two weeks of age, I was taken by my parents to our parish church to be baptized. It is without question the best and most important action my mother and father ever undertook on my behalf. By the sacrament of Baptism, I was washed with the mercy of God the Father and given the gift of new life through a communion of love and friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it brought me into the community of people who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and united me to them by the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within all the baptized. With the passage of time my gratitude for being a member of the Church has steadily deepened. It is truly beautiful to be a Catholic. What begins at Baptism is a way of life that is shaped by sacred teachings, strengthened by sacramental celebration, and marked by loving service of neighbor (Archbishop Richard Smith). It is true that at Baptism, our life in Christ begins. Baptism makes us disciples; to respond to his call to follow him. Yet what does it mean to follow Jesus? 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. In the Archbishop s Pastoral Letter, we are offered insight as to how we can listen carefully to the Word of God and, in a shared commitment, put it into practice. Saint Paul teaches that faith comes from what is heard, meaning that the first act of the disciple is to listen carefully to what God is saying in the words of Jesus. The hearing of Christ's Word demands a silent and attentive listening. Yet, we live in a world surrounded by noise and confusion, thus we must work particularly hard to cultivate that inner stillness to hear and to be transformed by the Word of God. On the Archbishop s part, he suggests that we take as little as ten minutes each day to read a few lines of the Bible; to pray together at mealtime; and to create a prayer space in the home: I encourage families, too, to listen together to the Word of God. Through a careful listening to this Word, families encounter the Lord in their very midst and hear within the depths of their hearts his assurance of love and call to holiness and service. Here I suggest three simple ways by which our families can make the Word of God central to their daily living and draw from it guidance and peace: Grace at mealtime, creation of a prayer space in the home, and family discussion of the Sunday Homily (Archbishop Richard Smith). As families, it is especially important to gather and to reflect deeply upon the Word of God. In this way we will not only support one another as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, but we will also encourage one another to embrace the common mission that is ours in virtue of our Baptism into his Church. Sandra Talarico Religious Education Consultant