2015 Two months have gone by very quickly and much learning has been done. But as we turn the calendar and we hear Mrs. Smith s music class preparing, winter will be upon us and, soon, a Christmas Concert in our Upper Elementary. Thank you to all the families that participated in our Reading Week. Students had many wonderful opportunities to listen to stories from several guest readers. We had many people from throughout the city also read with our students and we thank them all! Thank you to the many volunteers that work in our school throughout the months: our hot lunch, fundraising, etc. Without you, we would not be blessed with the many things that we receive to support our education and wellness! November is report card month and we look forward to having your child share with you all the learning that has occurred this first term. If you have a child in grades 1 through 6, please ensure that you have access to PowerSchool to view their report card as we no longer print paper copies of report cards. Letters to new users have been sent home with students already. If you are having trouble accessing your account, please go to www.powerschool.ecsd.net and click on Contact Us. Someone from our district office will get back to you to support you. Our Demonstration of Learning will occur on Thursday, 26 November 2015, from 1:30-4:30 and 5:30-7:30. Come out and support the Book Fair with a portion of all proceeds going to support the school library! Included in this issue: Report Card Information Alberta Health Information Cold Weather Policies and Practices And much, much more!
November is also a time for us to pause and remember all the men and women who have dedicated their lives to uphold the rights and freedoms that we enjoy in Canada. We will commemorate as a school family on Tuesday 10 November 2015 at 10:30 am. Sgt. Shirley Jew will be joining us once again along with our families and friends who are members of the service. Sincerely, Ms. J. Hertlein Principal Mr. D. Alba Assistant Principal Thank you to our volunteers!! A huge thank you to those Kindergarten parents who made time to come out and help with two of our special school presentations: I am Unique and the bus safety presentation! As well, thank you to those volunteers who attended with us at Prairie Gardens and our trip to Genesis Early Learning Centre. Without your support, these types of special and important presentations cannot happen. Morning Supervision Reminder Please remember that our supervision does not start until 8:15 am in the mornings. Please do not drop of your child until you see a supervisor at the front of the school. For those students walking to school, please encourage your children to time their walk so that they are arriving at school between 8:15-8:25 am. Meeting with Your Child s Teacher St. Martha values their instructional time. This means that teachers need to be in their classrooms and instructing when the bells ring. Impromptu meetings with the teachers impose on this time as well as impose on the teacher being able to prepare for his/her class. This is also not a private conversation which makes some of our students very anxious. With this reasoning in mind, we are requesting that if you would like to speak to your child s teacher, please make an appointment with the teacher at a mutually agreed upon time. If you need to give the teacher important information, please use your child s agenda book or email the teacher directly to communicate this information. Teachers check the agenda book and their email at least once per day. We have asked teachers to offer an appointment for any parents wishing to meet with them but that they not engage in conversations at unscheduled times.
Report Cards and Demonstration of Learning Our first term report card will be released on Monday, 23 November 2015 at 3:00 pm. Parents can view the report card in PowerSchool. Please ensure that you have access to PowerSchool by having your username and password. If you are having trouble accessing your account, please go to www.powerschool.ecsd.net and click on Contact Us. Someone from our district office will get back to you to help you. Our Demonstration of Learning is an opportunity for our students to share in the successes of their learning with parents. It will occur on Thursday, 23 November 2015. More information will be coming home in a couple of weeks. Please look to your child s Wednesday Mail for this information. Lunches and Cutlery We have had a number of students coming to the office to ask for forks or spoons so that they may eat their lunches and/or snacks. St. Martha does not stock disposable cutlery and it is also not environmentally friendly to be continually handing out plastic forks and spoons. Therefore, we are not able to supply our students with cutlery. Please be sure that your child has everything that they require to eat their meal or snack. St. Martha school does not the amenities to heat up lunches. Therefore, please do not send food that requires heating up or cooking. Our lunch hours are short and there is not enough time to cook for the children. This is also the only break that many of our staff have and we respect that time for our teachers and support staff. Thank you for your cooperation. Lunch with Administration Congratulations to Rebecca in Grade 1 whose name was selected from September s newsletter draw. She had the correct answer to our question: School Dismissal time for Grades 1 to 6 is now at 3:15 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Early dismissal time on Thursday is at 11:40. October s newsletter draw will take place in early November. Look to the back page for this month s question! Remembrance Day Recognition Our Grade 1A class will be hosting our Remembrance Day Ceremony. Fr. Carlos from Good Shepherd
Parish and some of our Canadian Forces soldiers will also be joining us. We welcome family to attend on Tuesday 10 November 2015 at 10:30 am. Poppies will also be made available to students. Our younger children will receive a poppy sticker for safety purposes. Donations are always welcome with proceeds going to the Legions Poppy Fund. No School A reminder that there are no classes on Wednesday, November 11 th as Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday. There are no Kindergarten classes on Wednesday, November 18 th due to the Kindergarten Teacher Conference Day. Winter will soon be upon us! Please remember... With the cold weather on its way, we would like to take this opportunity to remind families of two important items: All students are expected to go outside during the recess unless the temperature is 20 o C or colder (with or without a wind chill). This break is important for students as it serves to re-energize the brain and body for working in school. If a student is considered too ill to be outside at recess, the student is likely too ill to be at school. Students are always welcome to sit at the park if they are not feeling up to playing, but students will be asked to go outside during recess time. We use Environment Canada s website as our guide (http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab- 50_metric_e.html). On those days where the temperature is too cold to go outside (-20 o C or colder), students will be permitted into the school at 8:15 am and will have their recess time inside. During this time, students will have access to games and other activities in the school and be supervised with the help of our Grade 6 monitors. For our 100 Voices programs, please be reminded that your entrance will not be opened until such a time that the teachers are available to greet your child. Students also need to be dressed appropriately and come to school with winter boots, snow pants, winter jacket, mittens, scarf, etc. Students will often be lent a jacket from the lost and found should they not have the appropriate clothing or a phone call will be made home to have families bring the appropriate clothing for winter in Canada.
As we also get closer to winter and snow, we ask ALL parents and visitors to remove their footwear when entering the school. Wet floors are a danger to both our students and staff. Please be so kind to remove wet and dirty footwear at the door. Bus Cancellations Announcements There are times when our buses are not able to be on time or may be cancelled. Information can be found on the district web page by looking up the bus route number. Our main route number is Bus #461. Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will also carry announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. 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 Every effort will be made to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30 a.m. School Advisory Council Casino Our next Casino is coming up on November 5 and 6 at West Edmonton Mall Palace Casino. Currently we are struggling to fill the shifts for Thursday. If you are interested in becoming a part of this event, please contact Kim Street at 780-484-9399. We require 40 volunteers to make this event a reality. Hot Lunch Program Next Hot Lunch is on November 20, 2015 with our feature being Little Caesars. If you missed the first Hot Lunch and would like to place an order, please contact Kim Street prior to November 6 th.
Orders Due November 6, 2015 - Mundare Sausage Fundraiser Our first fundraiser of the year has now kicked off: Mundare Sausage and Politan Sausage House (Gluten Free Option). For any families selling more than 10 rings, your name will be placed in a draw for School Supplies for the 2016-2017 School year. Pick up of the sausage will be December 2, 2015 in time for Christmas. Orders are due on November 6, 2015. Operation Education with Boston Pizza Our school has been given a wonderful opportunity by Boston Pizza in the Hamptons. Through their Operation Education program, we can earn a percentage of sales from people affiliated with our school. It requires no extra effort; all you have to do is keep your receipt when you are at ANY Boston Pizza and send it with your child to school. This is an easy way to fundraise and it doesn t cost any more than your purchase of the meals. Please let your family and friends know and they can help us as well. Cobs Dough Raiser Program We would like to remind everyone that we are continuing our Dough Raiser Program at the Cobs Store in Callingwood. Please mention St. Martha School anytime you or someone you know makes a purchase and that purchase will be credited to our school. Quarterly, Cob s makes a donation to our school based on a percentage of sales during that period. Next Council Meeting Our next School Council Meeting is Monday, November 16 @ 6:30pm. All parents and staff are encouraged to attend. It is a great way to get involved with the school community, and to have fun doing it! Hope to see you there! Notes from our School Nurse Immunization All students in grade 5 have received their immunization consent(s) envelopes. Please read the information and have the consents returned to the school office before Nov 4, 2015. All grade 5 students are offered- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offered to boys and girls. Hepatitis B vaccine offered to all students who do not have a previous series of Hepatitis B or Twinrex. Students with dates of previous Hepatitis B or Twinrex that we are aware of will not receive a consent for additional Hepatitis B vaccine If we are not aware of your child s Hepatitis B series dates, please send a copy of the dates to the school. Chickenpox vaccine. Offered to all students who have no history of disease or vaccine.
www.immunizealberta.ca provides vaccine information and immunization decision-making tools. Sign all immunization consents. Students immunized at school MUST HAVE parent or guardian s permission to do so. Refusing all or some vaccines in school? Write REFUSED through the consent and return it to school. Needle anxiety. School nurses work with students and staff to reduce anxiety. Techniques such as distraction, focused breathing and other measures help. We care about your kids. School nurses are experienced coaches working with students through their anxiety. Call if you have any questions or if your child did not receive an envelope. Please call, 780-342-1285. Do Bugs Need Drugs In order to stop the spread of flu germs and colds, we encourage children to cover their mouth with their arm and to wash their hands frequently. The Do Bugs Need Drugs website (http:// www.dobugsneeddrugs.org/) offers a variety of tips and information. 3 Key Messages 1. Handwashing is the best way to stop the spread of infections. 2. Not all bugs are created equal. Both bacteria and viruses cause infections but antibiotics only work against bacteria. 3. Use antibiotics wisely to stop bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotics. Healthy Eating Start Here This webpage has several ideas for interesting and novel lunch ideas for students: http:// www.albertahealthservices.ca/2925.asp.
November 2015 Archangels Michael and Gabriel God s Messengers The Feast of Saints Michael and Gabriel the Archangels and all the Heavenly Powers is celebrated on November 8. One of the very first prayer my mother taught me as a child was the Prayer to My Guardian Angel: Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God s love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. us. God created the angels to be God s servants and messengers, and God sends them to watch over Let us look more closely at the Archangel Michael the Angel of Righteousness, and Archangel Gabriel the Angel of Mercy, in order to gain a closer glimpse into the workings of God. Archangel Michael appears often in the Bible sent by God to make God s righteousness known to humankind. According to Church tradition, Archangel Michael: Appeared to the Patriarch Abraham to Hagar to announce the birth of Ishmael; Prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac, as God had commanded to test Abraham s obedience; Went before the people of Israel when they left Egypt and led them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; Came down from heaven as a prefigurement of Christ and stood in the midst of the fiery furnace with the three young men, chanting the praises of the Lord with them; Shut the mouths of the lions in the den where the Prophet Daniel had been thrown; Brought forth the Apostles from prison; Appeared to Saint Paul and comforted him in his tribulations; Interpreted the mysteries of God in the Book of Revelations concerning the end of time; and Will be present at the Last Judgement, holding the scales to weigh our deeds. God s righteousness cannot be separated from God s mercy, so let us turn now to Archangel Gabriel the Angel of Mercy. According to Church tradition, Archangel Gabriel: Brings glad tidings to the births by women, barren or past child-bearing; Appeared to Joachim and Anna to announce the birth of Mary, the Mother of God, and to Zacharias and Elizabeth to announce the birth of John the Baptist; Brought heavenly manna to Mary, the Mother of God, during her youth in the Temple; Announces to Mary the Good News awaited since the beginning of the world, namely, that she would
bring forth God by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit; Led the shepherds at the time of the Saviour s birth in Bethlehem to the cave where they worshipped the Christ-child; Warned Joseph of Herod s murderous plans and told Joseph to take the child and mother and flee into Egypt; and when the danger had passed, again appears in a dream and tells Joseph to return; Descended from heaven clad in white raiment during the holy night of the Resurrection of Christ, rolled back the stone from the grave, and reassured the myrrh-bearing women: Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He has risen from the dead. Thus, from the creation of the world and to the end of time, God sends angels to be God s servants and messengers, making known God s righteousness and mercy to humankind. On a personal note, I ve met many other angels throughout my life, and you re one of them! Let me explain. Sam Levinson writes, I believe that each newborn child arrives on earth with a message to deliver to humankind. Clenched in his little fist is some particle of yet unresolved truth, some missing clue, which may solve the enigma of man s destiny. He has a limited amount of time to fulfill his mission and he will never get a second chance, nor will we. He may be our last hope. He must be treated as top-sacred. God sends each of us into the world as servants and messengers on some special mission, each one of us revealing a bit more of God s plan for the world and for the salvation of humankind. God bless! And God couldn t do it without each of God s angels, you and me! Bishop David Motiuk Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton
The November Newsletter is now online at http://stmartha.ecsd.net. Read your copy now!! This month s question for a chance to win lunch or snack with the administration is: Report Cards are released electronically in on Monday, November 23 rd at pm. Name: Grade: