Neil M. Ross Catholic School, 60 Woodlands Rd, St. Albert, AB T8N 3X3 Tel. 780-459-1244 Fax. 780-459-8711 Website: www.nmr.gsacrd.ab.ca The Ross Reporter Together we are building tomorrow with God s love. Message from the Administration We have been so blessed with the beautiful sunshine and warm weather this fall. While the mornings start off quite cool and brisk, the summer afternoons have been glorious! It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Welcome Back BBQ/Parent Orientation Evening on September 12. We hope that you had an opportunity to learn more about our programs and expectations, as it is important to support learning from home. Our Opening Celebration took place on Wednesday, September 11 with Father Mike Dechant encouraging us to bring Jesus to others as we are Fishin on a Mission and lead them to Catch the Faith through their own actions. Our grade 4 students will also be receiving their Good News Bibles on Sept 25th at the 9:00am mass at Holy Family Parish. Parents are welcome to attend this mass and we also invite you to attend any of our Monday Morning Assemblies. For those new to our school, this is a time to celebrate a new week, pray together and celebrate the gifts and talents of our students. These assemblies begin at 8:35 am and typically run for 20 minutes. We h o Page 2 September 19, 2013 Thank you for using our on-line payment system. Please be aware that parents may pay all school related fees via SchoolCash Online. Registration is simple and secure at https://gsacrd.schoolcashonline.com ICON PHOTOS Icon We would will be like picking to remind up picture parents order that school forms fees EARLY are Monday now due. If morning you are encountering and have notified financial that difficulties, there will please NOT contact be a the second office so pickup that we date. can ALL make PHOTOS alternative must arrangements. be into the office by 9 AM Monday, September 23 rd. Anyone missing ICON;s order deadline will be responsible for contacting Icon directly at 780-449-3558.
Message from the Administration Continued from page 1. and typically run for 20 minutes. We hope to see you there! NMR Eagles SOAR! That was our message this week at assembly. We will be rolling out each letter as the year progresses as part of our Positive Behavior Plan. S is for SAFETY what does it look like in the classroom, in the hallways, in the bus zone? Students can begin to earn a green SOAR ticket if they are caught following our safety rules! A reminder to all that we are endeavoring to NOT bring any nut products into the school. When packing snacks, lunches or sending in treats for birthdays, please be mindful of the safety of our students that are affected by life threatening allergies. We have instituted a new initiative for visitors to the school, including parent volunteers. When arriving at the school, please check in at the office and sign in to the guest binder as before. We now ask that you wear a NMR Guest Tag on a tear-away lanyard to identify yourself to all students as a guest. Our annual Terry Fox Run took place on Wednesday. All students put forth a great effort and raised money for a noble cause. Some of our runners will also go on to represent us at the District Cross Country meet next week. We are blessed to work with such a supportive school community and remind you that the lines of communication are always open. Together we can create the best environment for a successful year! S. Cimino and C. LaBuick QSP Discount Magazine Subscriptions Once again we are offering our parents a special staff discount program to purchase magazine subscriptions at a very reduced cost. Both online and catalogue ordering are available. To order online go to: http://faculty.qsp.ca Enter access code: 416 and Group#: teacher11. HOT LUNCH ORDERS You can place your hot lunch order on-line or by filling out a Hot Lunch form (available from the office) and returning it to the office with payment by Wednesday, October 2 nd. Please note that there are no late ORDERS. If you miss this first order you will not be able to order again until February. The Hot Lunch Committee 2
!"#$%&'()%% Friends of Neil M Ross Greetings, everyone! As you may be aware, Fr. Kazimierz Kubat, SDS and Fr. Tomasz Puslecki at Holy Family Church in St. Albert will be leaving the parish. Fr. Kaz has been re-assigned by his religious congregation, for health reasons. Fr. Tom is being transferred to Our Lady of Peace Parish in Innisfail. He will be presiding at masses this weekend, just prior to his departure. Our parish priests play a significant role in our Catholic schools. They are spiritual leaders, presiding at masses, visiting our schools, and journeying with us in faith. As Catholic educators, we strive to build a strong relationship between home, school, and parish. We are grateful for the service Fr. Kaz and Fr. Tom have provided over the last year, and we wish them all the best in their new assignments. Please welcome Fr. Maurice Okolie as pastor of Holy Family Parish, who will be arriving in the parish on September 25. Fr. Maurice was ordained fifteen years ago on August 8, 1998. Fr. Maurice arrived in the Archdiocese of Edmonton in May of 2007, coming from Nigeria. Some of you may already know Fr. Maurice, as he was an associate pastor at Holy Family Parish in St. Albert for a year, around 2007/2008. Most recently, he has been the pastor in Olds, Alberta. We look forward to working closely with Fr. Maurice and Holy Family Parish. At this time, no one else has been named as associate pastor at Holy Family Parish. Louis Kloster Religious Education & Christian Family Life Consultant Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools BUMPER STICKER Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him. Welcome Kim Pariseau - our new Kindergarten Rep on School Council this year. Kim has a daughter in Grade 1 and a son in Mrs. Rurka s Kindergarten class. have. If you have any Kindergarten questions or concerns that she could help you with, feel free to contact the school office for her contact information.!"#$%&''()%*+,%-'.%'-%)*/,%0'+%123%,*456%%70% 8'9%:'-;<%5*=,%*-%'+:,+%0'+>?%<5,+,%*+,%,@<+*%A-%<5,%'00A4,6%%$/,*),%-'<,%<5*<%>'&A/,% *BB)%*+,%CD#%&,A-E%)'/:%<5A)%8,*+6 % D9+%45*+A<*&/,%:'-*<A'-)%4*>B*AE-%&,EA-)% D4<6%F)<666.*<45%0'+%:,<*A/)%4'>A-E%)''-6 % D9+%G+A,-:)%D0%C,A/%H%I'))%JKH%A)% #59+):*8?%!,B<,>&,+%2L<5%*<%MB>%A-%<5,% )45''/%)<*00%+''>6%%N=,+8'-,%A)%.,/4'>,%<'% *<<,-:6 Welcome back to hard work and homework. Don t worry, in ten months you will, again, be on vacation!! Just as Jesus was with you on your travels and while you were at rest this summer, He will still be walking with you and helping you through your studies. Jesus loves you and is your friend. Talk to Him and He will guide you. I wish blessings on you, your families, the teachers and all the staff at the schools. I ask that you keep me and the parishioners of my new parish, in your prayers. Stay warm and I hope I will see you soon. God bless, Fr. Tom 3
Holy Family Parish s preparation classes for your child to receive the sacraments of First Holy Communion and First Reconciliation are beginning the second week of October. We are aware that families have busy schedules, so we are offering TWO options for the above sacraments. First option: Weekly Catechism Classes - Fridays from 4:30pm to 5:30pm September 13 to May 2, at Holy Family Parish. This includes sacramental preparation and addition catechism education. Attendance will be taken and children must try to attend every week to ensure that they have a solid understanding of the concepts taught throughout the year. Second option: Monthly Preparation Classes - 6:00pm-7:00pm in the Parish Hall. Classes are held the second week of every month from Oct. to May. You may choose: Monday, Tuesday OR Thursday to attend consistently. Attendance will be taken and is required in order for your child to receive the sacrament. If an absence is unavoidable, please contact the parish office (780-459-3694). ALL children who attend either option of preparation will need to attend a First Communion and Reconciliation Retreat in the spring (May). The date is to be announced. A registration form for First Communion and Reconciliation were sent home on Thursday, September 19 th. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the parish office. Dates to Remember Yours in Christ, Catechetical Team and Pastors of Holy Family Parish September 25 September 26 September 27 October 7 October 9 Grade 4 Bible Presentations at HFP @ 9:00 AM Mass District Cross Country Run - Kingswood Citizenship Celebration at 7:00 PM Hat Day Picture RE-takes One Day ONLY Thanksgiving Celebration @ 9:45 AM The Friends of Neil M. Ross Needs YOU!! Our Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 7:00 pm in the staffroom at Neil M. Ross School. We are in desperate need of new members. Many of our current executive members will no longer have children in our school over the next year or two and we are very concerned about the future of the group. For the safety of our school community all visitors and guests are asked to sign in at the office. At that time, a lanyard will be provided that identifies them in our building.
Sturgeon County Bounty, Sep 28 It s a crisp fall day on the farm, the sky is big and blue, red and yellow leaves tremble and fall and all around you are round fat orange pumpkins. Now add gourmet locally-grown food, pumpkin picking and a spooky Halloween festival. That s a fun day in the country let s break it down.. Fill your tummy with food grown here It s called Sturgeon County Bounty and it s on at Prairie Gardens on Saturday, Sep 28 from 11 am 3 pm. The Barr winery will be there with their two yummy fruit wines, Cajun Angus in Bon Accord will cook up their smokies with red chili jelly and mozza and Morinville s new Bistro Di Madre Piccola will bring you pumpkin soup and truffle mac and cheese with boar bacon. Holy moley are you lucky. Plus, Chelsea s Pub from Bon Accord, an info booth for Morinville Farmer s Market and tickets for the Sturgeon Valley Wine and Food Fest, Oct 5 in St Albert. You ll also find local artists with their paintings and handcrafted jewelry. Food tickets are $1 each and most of the items cost between three and six tickets. Run, play and scream at the Haunted Pumpkin Fest This weekend, Prairie Gardens also celebrates their Haunted Pumpkin Fest grand opening too. This month-long festival of spookiness runs all the way to the end of October scaring the pants off kids just like it has for over 50 years.. The haunted house is open and three corn mazes too (although the big one is really big and more like four in one itself). You can watch a magician, balloon artist and a live band. Make a scarecrow and take a wagon ride. And check out the blacksmith making cool metal things using fire and a big hammer and there ll be knightly games for brave 5