December 2019 Cardinal Leger Junior High School

Inside this issue

Administrators Message 1

Staff Directory 2

December Calendar 3

Open House Information 4

Satisfaction Survey 5

Sharing the Good News 6

Italian Language amp Culture 7

Extra Help Sessions 8

Christmas Activities 9

Chromebook Purchase Plan 10

Superintendentrsquos Message 11

Message from Bishop Motiuk 12

Student Wellness 13

STAY Alert 14

Administrators Message The Advent season is upon us and we have be-

gun celebrations at school Each Monday of

Advent we participate in a celebration over

broadcast which includes readings prayers

videos and the lighting of advent candles in each

classroom We look forward to our Advent Mass

which takes place at St Matthew Parish on the

morning of December 19th Please refer to the

Sharing the Good News page of this newsletter

to see the activities that are planned in this

season to help and support those in need

We had the opportunity in November for our

ParentTeacher Interviews It was a busy even-

ing with rich conversations about student learn-

ing If you did not have the opportunity to meet

with your childrsquos teachers or would like to dis-

cuss your childrsquos progress please feel free to

contact teachers by email or call the office to

leave a message

May God bless you and your family with love

hope and mercy during this Christmas season

We look forward to what 2020 will bring to our

community

Mr P Meurs Principal

Mrs K Germaine Assistant Principal

A Christmas Prayer

Lord in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us for shining star and angels song for

infants cry in lowly manger We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little

Child We behold his glory and are bathed in its radiance

Be with us as we sing the ironies of

Christmas the incomprehensible com-prehended the poetry made hard fact the helpless Babe who cracks the world

asunder We kneel before you shep-herds innkeepers wisemen Help us to

rise bigger than we are

Amen

Staff Directory

Grade 7 Homeroom Teachers

Mrs M Bruno Mr C Goueffic

Mr M Harvanka Mrs J Moore Ms K Scott

Grade 8 Homeroom Teachers

Mr G Hansen Mrs L Lakusta

Mr E Motut (Mr Motut 2) Mr F Romano

Mrs C Stagliano

Grade 9 Homeroom Teachers

Mrs P Esposito-Neri Mr M Lepore

Mrs K Rogozinski Mrs A Steeves

Mr J Villella

Additional Teachers

Mrs C Bolling - Learning Coach Mr S Mackey

Mr E Motut (Mr Motut 1)

WIN Jr Program

Mrs N Ayotte - Teacher Ms M Best - Therapeutic Assistant Ms C Millar - Educational Assistant Ms H Parwa - Therapeutic Assistant

Ms C Ricioppo - Educational Assistant Mr AJ Serafico - Therapeutic Assistant

Support Staff

Mrs M Fabiano - Admin Assistant Mrs A Bootsma - ClerkLibrarian

Mrs J Slugoski - Educational Assistant

Additional Student Supports

Ms A Lindsay - FSLW Mr D Green - STAY Advisor Mr J Pukalo - Psychologist

Ms Z Greenslade - Edm Immigration

Custodial Staff

Mr M Wondimagenehu Mr R Velasquez

Administration Mr Peter Meurs - Principal

Mrs Karen Germaine - Assistant Principal

CH

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rist

mas

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ce

Hal

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f C

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es

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dis

mis

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21

22

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Su

nd

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f A

dve

nt

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2

4

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Ch

rist

mas

Day

26

Bo

xin

g D

ay

27

2

8

29

30

3

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Eve

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Day

2

3

4

5

Jan

uar

y 6

Reg

ula

r C

lass

es R

e-

sum

e

2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

We are holding two separate information evenings to introduce you to

the programming available at our school All students and families

are invited to attend either or both evenings

ENHANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAM

INFORMATION EVENING

Tuesday January 14 2019 at 700pm

The Enhanced Academic Program (EAP) is an academic program de-

signed to challenge students by going deeper into the curriculum As-

sessments in the EAP are the same as those used in the regular pro-

gram but students have the chance to delve deeper into the topics

covered in the grade appropriate curriculums

The evening is designed to provide information to families about the

program and registration requirements The meeting will be held in

the school gymnasium and there will be no school tour

GENERAL OPEN HOUSE

February 10 2019 at 630pm

This evening is an opportunity for families to explore the school and

learn about the programming available at our school We will start

with a short program in the gym followed by self-tours of the school

and various classrooms

If you have any questions regarding junior high registration please

contact the school principal Mr Peter Meurs at 780-475-6262

Division Parent Satisfaction Survey

On Monday November 25th all students received a PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY to take home to their parents This is a survey that the school divi-sion conducts each year with students parents and staff Typically the division has a parent participation rate of approximately 25 Last year the Cardinal Leger parent participation rate was just over 23 We encourage all parents to take 10 minutes to complete the survey to provide feedback to our school and to the division Completed surveys can be returned to the school in the return envelope provided and we will then forward these unopened surveys to division monitoring Alternately parents can use the Canada Post business reply envelope to return the survey directly to division monitoring From the parent feedback we receive we believe that great things are hap-pening at Cardinal Leger and that parents are satisfied with the education and opportunities their children are receiving The parent survey is a great way to let the division know about our successes Each child received a survey so if you have more than one child attending Cardinal Leger we ask you to complete one survey for each child If you did not receive the survey from your child please let the school know by calling the main office at 780-475-6262

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

Staff Directory

Grade 7 Homeroom Teachers

Mrs M Bruno Mr C Goueffic

Mr M Harvanka Mrs J Moore Ms K Scott

Grade 8 Homeroom Teachers

Mr G Hansen Mrs L Lakusta

Mr E Motut (Mr Motut 2) Mr F Romano

Mrs C Stagliano

Grade 9 Homeroom Teachers

Mrs P Esposito-Neri Mr M Lepore

Mrs K Rogozinski Mrs A Steeves

Mr J Villella

Additional Teachers

Mrs C Bolling - Learning Coach Mr S Mackey

Mr E Motut (Mr Motut 1)

WIN Jr Program

Mrs N Ayotte - Teacher Ms M Best - Therapeutic Assistant Ms C Millar - Educational Assistant Ms H Parwa - Therapeutic Assistant

Ms C Ricioppo - Educational Assistant Mr AJ Serafico - Therapeutic Assistant

Support Staff

Mrs M Fabiano - Admin Assistant Mrs A Bootsma - ClerkLibrarian

Mrs J Slugoski - Educational Assistant

Additional Student Supports

Ms A Lindsay - FSLW Mr D Green - STAY Advisor Mr J Pukalo - Psychologist

Ms Z Greenslade - Edm Immigration

Custodial Staff

Mr M Wondimagenehu Mr R Velasquez

Administration Mr Peter Meurs - Principal

Mrs Karen Germaine - Assistant Principal

CH

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at

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ew 1

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Day

of

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sse

s

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ism

issa

l

20

Ch

rist

mas

Dan

ce

Hal

f D

ay o

f C

lass

es

11

58

dis

mis

sal

21

22

4th

Su

nd

ay o

f A

dve

nt

23

2

4

25

Ch

rist

mas

Day

26

Bo

xin

g D

ay

27

2

8

29

30

3

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Eve

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Day

2

3

4

5

Jan

uar

y 6

Reg

ula

r C

lass

es R

e-

sum

e

2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

We are holding two separate information evenings to introduce you to

the programming available at our school All students and families

are invited to attend either or both evenings

ENHANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAM

INFORMATION EVENING

Tuesday January 14 2019 at 700pm

The Enhanced Academic Program (EAP) is an academic program de-

signed to challenge students by going deeper into the curriculum As-

sessments in the EAP are the same as those used in the regular pro-

gram but students have the chance to delve deeper into the topics

covered in the grade appropriate curriculums

The evening is designed to provide information to families about the

program and registration requirements The meeting will be held in

the school gymnasium and there will be no school tour

GENERAL OPEN HOUSE

February 10 2019 at 630pm

This evening is an opportunity for families to explore the school and

learn about the programming available at our school We will start

with a short program in the gym followed by self-tours of the school

and various classrooms

If you have any questions regarding junior high registration please

contact the school principal Mr Peter Meurs at 780-475-6262

Division Parent Satisfaction Survey

On Monday November 25th all students received a PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY to take home to their parents This is a survey that the school divi-sion conducts each year with students parents and staff Typically the division has a parent participation rate of approximately 25 Last year the Cardinal Leger parent participation rate was just over 23 We encourage all parents to take 10 minutes to complete the survey to provide feedback to our school and to the division Completed surveys can be returned to the school in the return envelope provided and we will then forward these unopened surveys to division monitoring Alternately parents can use the Canada Post business reply envelope to return the survey directly to division monitoring From the parent feedback we receive we believe that great things are hap-pening at Cardinal Leger and that parents are satisfied with the education and opportunities their children are receiving The parent survey is a great way to let the division know about our successes Each child received a survey so if you have more than one child attending Cardinal Leger we ask you to complete one survey for each child If you did not receive the survey from your child please let the school know by calling the main office at 780-475-6262

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

CH

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K

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rist

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at

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atth

ew 1

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of

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sse

s

25

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ism

issa

l

20

Ch

rist

mas

Dan

ce

Hal

f D

ay o

f C

lass

es

11

58

dis

mis

sal

21

22

4th

Su

nd

ay o

f A

dve

nt

23

2

4

25

Ch

rist

mas

Day

26

Bo

xin

g D

ay

27

2

8

29

30

3

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Eve

1

New

Yea

rrsquos

Day

2

3

4

5

Jan

uar

y 6

Reg

ula

r C

lass

es R

e-

sum

e

2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

We are holding two separate information evenings to introduce you to

the programming available at our school All students and families

are invited to attend either or both evenings

ENHANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAM

INFORMATION EVENING

Tuesday January 14 2019 at 700pm

The Enhanced Academic Program (EAP) is an academic program de-

signed to challenge students by going deeper into the curriculum As-

sessments in the EAP are the same as those used in the regular pro-

gram but students have the chance to delve deeper into the topics

covered in the grade appropriate curriculums

The evening is designed to provide information to families about the

program and registration requirements The meeting will be held in

the school gymnasium and there will be no school tour

GENERAL OPEN HOUSE

February 10 2019 at 630pm

This evening is an opportunity for families to explore the school and

learn about the programming available at our school We will start

with a short program in the gym followed by self-tours of the school

and various classrooms

If you have any questions regarding junior high registration please

contact the school principal Mr Peter Meurs at 780-475-6262

Division Parent Satisfaction Survey

On Monday November 25th all students received a PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY to take home to their parents This is a survey that the school divi-sion conducts each year with students parents and staff Typically the division has a parent participation rate of approximately 25 Last year the Cardinal Leger parent participation rate was just over 23 We encourage all parents to take 10 minutes to complete the survey to provide feedback to our school and to the division Completed surveys can be returned to the school in the return envelope provided and we will then forward these unopened surveys to division monitoring Alternately parents can use the Canada Post business reply envelope to return the survey directly to division monitoring From the parent feedback we receive we believe that great things are hap-pening at Cardinal Leger and that parents are satisfied with the education and opportunities their children are receiving The parent survey is a great way to let the division know about our successes Each child received a survey so if you have more than one child attending Cardinal Leger we ask you to complete one survey for each child If you did not receive the survey from your child please let the school know by calling the main office at 780-475-6262

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

We are holding two separate information evenings to introduce you to

the programming available at our school All students and families

are invited to attend either or both evenings

ENHANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAM

INFORMATION EVENING

Tuesday January 14 2019 at 700pm

The Enhanced Academic Program (EAP) is an academic program de-

signed to challenge students by going deeper into the curriculum As-

sessments in the EAP are the same as those used in the regular pro-

gram but students have the chance to delve deeper into the topics

covered in the grade appropriate curriculums

The evening is designed to provide information to families about the

program and registration requirements The meeting will be held in

the school gymnasium and there will be no school tour

GENERAL OPEN HOUSE

February 10 2019 at 630pm

This evening is an opportunity for families to explore the school and

learn about the programming available at our school We will start

with a short program in the gym followed by self-tours of the school

and various classrooms

If you have any questions regarding junior high registration please

contact the school principal Mr Peter Meurs at 780-475-6262

Division Parent Satisfaction Survey

On Monday November 25th all students received a PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY to take home to their parents This is a survey that the school divi-sion conducts each year with students parents and staff Typically the division has a parent participation rate of approximately 25 Last year the Cardinal Leger parent participation rate was just over 23 We encourage all parents to take 10 minutes to complete the survey to provide feedback to our school and to the division Completed surveys can be returned to the school in the return envelope provided and we will then forward these unopened surveys to division monitoring Alternately parents can use the Canada Post business reply envelope to return the survey directly to division monitoring From the parent feedback we receive we believe that great things are hap-pening at Cardinal Leger and that parents are satisfied with the education and opportunities their children are receiving The parent survey is a great way to let the division know about our successes Each child received a survey so if you have more than one child attending Cardinal Leger we ask you to complete one survey for each child If you did not receive the survey from your child please let the school know by calling the main office at 780-475-6262

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

Division Parent Satisfaction Survey

On Monday November 25th all students received a PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY to take home to their parents This is a survey that the school divi-sion conducts each year with students parents and staff Typically the division has a parent participation rate of approximately 25 Last year the Cardinal Leger parent participation rate was just over 23 We encourage all parents to take 10 minutes to complete the survey to provide feedback to our school and to the division Completed surveys can be returned to the school in the return envelope provided and we will then forward these unopened surveys to division monitoring Alternately parents can use the Canada Post business reply envelope to return the survey directly to division monitoring From the parent feedback we receive we believe that great things are hap-pening at Cardinal Leger and that parents are satisfied with the education and opportunities their children are receiving The parent survey is a great way to let the division know about our successes Each child received a survey so if you have more than one child attending Cardinal Leger we ask you to complete one survey for each child If you did not receive the survey from your child please let the school know by calling the main office at 780-475-6262

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

Sharing the Good News hellip Chaplainrsquos Message

In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission that the hope within might be the song we sing and the melody of our lives In this Advent of ex-

pectation draw us together in service that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity

Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign

As we begin this season of Advent our Annual Christmas Hamper Campaign gets underway on Wednesday December 4 Our Leadership class is hard at work organizing the food drive and your student will be asked to sign up to bring in a Christmas Hamper item by December 13th We are challenging each homeroom and the teachers to donate the items to make 15 Christmas Hampers The food hampers will be delivered by our Social Justice Club and the school staff to families in our local community Donations of perishable food items can be

brought to the school as late as December 17th If itrsquos easier cash donations are also needed to purchase perishable items for the hampers

Find out more at httpwwwedmontonsfoodbankcom

The Season of Advent

Students at Cardinal Leacuteger will participate in multiple celebrations this Christmas season

Every Monday during Advent we will be having a celebration over our schoolrsquos broadcast

system Each homeroom has an advent wreath that they will light as together we celebrate

the coming of the birth of Jesus Christ On Thursday December 19 beginning at 1000am

we will be having a Christmas mass at St Matthewrsquos Parish All parents and family are invit-

ed to join us

Novelle

This month our grade 8 and 9 students began exploring the themes of fashion

shopping and the city Whether asking for directions or buying some of their fa-

vorite things theyrsquove had the opportunity to practice their speaking skills and

are ready for the shopping districts of Rome and Milan Our grade 7 students

explored the restaurant and school themes where they participated in dia-

logues and skits The students also viewed the Italian film IL Gobbo di Notre

Dame and learned Italian references Recently the students researched Italian

artists and inventors and will participate in a worldview project that represents

Galileo Galilei Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo as well as others that have

contributed to a worldview perspective

In Cucina

Our chefs in training tried their hands at some classic Italian dishes this month

The grade 7rsquos made a delicious bean soup and tasty rigatoni aglio e olio con

Parmigiano Our 8s and 9s a classic Spaghetti Carbonara and everyonersquos fa-

Students seeking extra help with Math are encouraged to visit either Mrs Steeves or Mr Lepore during their WEEKLY Math

Help sessions

Mrs Steeves Mondays in Portable from 300-345

Mr Lepore

Tuesdays in Room 203 from 1147-1227

Math Help

Students seeking extra help with Science are encouraged to visit Mrs Rogozinski during her WEEKLY Science Help sessions

Tuesdays in Room 101 from 1147-1227

Science Help STARTING IN JANUARY

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Thursday December 19th

Full Day

Advent Mass at St Matthew Parish

13131 - 86 Street

1000 AM

Regular Classes and Locker Clean Up

For the afternoon

Friday December 20th

Noon Dismissal

Christmas Dance

930 - 1145

Permission forms for the Advent Mass are due by

Tuesday December 17

If your child will be absent for either of these days

please contact the school office in advance

CHROMEBOOKS AND LAPTOPS Please note that students are permitted the use of personal Chromebooks and laptops should they wish to use these in class We do have a laptop cart as well as a 3 Chromebook carts that students can use for in-class work when teachers book the carts for class use Students who bring their own devices will simply be able to use these devices to complete their work There is no expectation for students to provide their own devices it is simply an option for those students who own their own tablet or laptop devices The district currently has a purchase program agreement with Compugen and families can purchase Chromebooks with a protection plan To learn more about this program parents can visit

Chromebook Parent Purchase Program

httpsemergecompugencomemergedaasRequest

Students seeking extra help with Math are encouraged to visit either Mrs Steeves or Mr Lepore during their WEEKLY Math

Help sessions

Mrs Steeves Mondays in Portable from 300-345

Mr Lepore

Tuesdays in Room 203 from 1147-1227

Math Help

Students seeking extra help with Science are encouraged to visit Mrs Rogozinski during her WEEKLY Science Help sessions

Tuesdays in Room 101 from 1147-1227

Science Help STARTING IN JANUARY

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Thursday December 19th

Full Day

Advent Mass at St Matthew Parish

13131 - 86 Street

1000 AM

Regular Classes and Locker Clean Up

For the afternoon

Friday December 20th

Noon Dismissal

Christmas Dance

930 - 1145

Permission forms for the Advent Mass are due by

Tuesday December 17

If your child will be absent for either of these days

please contact the school office in advance

CHROMEBOOKS AND LAPTOPS Please note that students are permitted the use of personal Chromebooks and laptops should they wish to use these in class We do have a laptop cart as well as a 3 Chromebook carts that students can use for in-class work when teachers book the carts for class use Students who bring their own devices will simply be able to use these devices to complete their work There is no expectation for students to provide their own devices it is simply an option for those students who own their own tablet or laptop devices The district currently has a purchase program agreement with Compugen and families can purchase Chromebooks with a protection plan To learn more about this program parents can visit

Chromebook Parent Purchase Program

httpsemergecompugencomemergedaasRequest

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Thursday December 19th

Full Day

Advent Mass at St Matthew Parish

13131 - 86 Street

1000 AM

Regular Classes and Locker Clean Up

For the afternoon

Friday December 20th

Noon Dismissal

Christmas Dance

930 - 1145

Permission forms for the Advent Mass are due by

Tuesday December 17

If your child will be absent for either of these days

please contact the school office in advance

CHROMEBOOKS AND LAPTOPS Please note that students are permitted the use of personal Chromebooks and laptops should they wish to use these in class We do have a laptop cart as well as a 3 Chromebook carts that students can use for in-class work when teachers book the carts for class use Students who bring their own devices will simply be able to use these devices to complete their work There is no expectation for students to provide their own devices it is simply an option for those students who own their own tablet or laptop devices The district currently has a purchase program agreement with Compugen and families can purchase Chromebooks with a protection plan To learn more about this program parents can visit

Chromebook Parent Purchase Program

httpsemergecompugencomemergedaasRequest

CHROMEBOOKS AND LAPTOPS Please note that students are permitted the use of personal Chromebooks and laptops should they wish to use these in class We do have a laptop cart as well as a 3 Chromebook carts that students can use for in-class work when teachers book the carts for class use Students who bring their own devices will simply be able to use these devices to complete their work There is no expectation for students to provide their own devices it is simply an option for those students who own their own tablet or laptop devices The district currently has a purchase program agreement with Compugen and families can purchase Chromebooks with a protection plan To learn more about this program parents can visit

Chromebook Parent Purchase Program

httpsemergecompugencomemergedaasRequest

SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS MESSAGE

December 2019

Wersquore waiting for Jesus like Mary Wersquore waiting for Jesus the Lord

Come down Lord Jesus Come quickly Lord Jesus

The whole world is waiting for Love The whole world is waiting for Love

(Misetich The Whole World is Waiting for Love)

The lyrics of this beautiful hymn capture the essence of the Advent season Just like our Holy Mother who said

ldquoyesrdquo to God we are excitedly waiting for the birth of Jesus our Saviour We will spend the upcoming weeks

preparing our hearts to welcome that greatest of gifts Godrsquos love made flesh in the form of a tiny babe in a

humble manger It is a time for us to gaze inward and find some silence and peace in the busyness of our days

and the noise of the world around us to focus on this love This is truly the grace of getting ready for Christmas

The Division Satisfaction Survey will run from November 25 - December 6 Every household will receive one

parent survey per child enrolled in an Edmonton Catholic School Please respond to each survey separately from

the point of view of each childs educational experience You can either return your parent survey to your childrsquos

school or use the postage paid envelope and Canada Post If you donrsquot receive your survey or if you would like

more information about a question as it relates to your school please phone the principal The voice of our par-

ents is so important to us

The recent provincial budget is a difficult one Edmonton Catholic Schools is committed to keeping services to

classrooms intact for the rest of this school year and to strategically and thoughtfully managing decreased pro-

vincial funding for the 2020-21 year This will require us to draw on our reserves as an interim measure and to

scrutinize all non-essential spending for the remainder of the year We are grateful to have due to prudent long

-term financial management the emergency resources in place to allow us to provide uninterrupted educational

services to our students for the remainder of the school year We are in the process of determining the impact

that the current budget will have on transportation user fees and will report our findings as soon as possible to

give families time to budget accordingly

Our Board will approve our Budget at the December 17 2019 Public Meeting of the Board and they will contin-

ue to advocate for appropriate per pupil funding to meet student needs and address enrolment growth

I leave you with a beautiful Advent message from Pope Francis during an Address last year ldquoWe Christians are

called upon to preserve and spread the joy of waiting we await God Who loves us infinitely and at the same

time we are awaited by Him In this way life becomes a great period of betrothal We are not left to ourselves

we are not alone We are visited now alreadyrdquo (120118)

Have a blessed December and a wonderful Christmas Break enjoying the love of your family and friends and

the love of our God

Sincerely

Joan Carr

Superintendent

A Message from Bishop David Motiuk

Storytelling and the Wisdom of Time

Over the summer I read a new book by Pope Francis Sharing the Wisdom of Time

When Pope Francis was praying one day he received an inspiration to shed light on the role grandpar-ents and seniors play in the lives of their children and grandchildren He began to preach about the need for the world to pay attention to the wisdom we gain from them Then another idea began to take shape Over 250 elderly people worldwide were interviewed their stories shared with Pope Francis and together with his personal reflections all was captured in a book on the gift of wisdom

One such story is that of Maria Gabriella Perin a mother and grandmother from Italy Maria was only nine months old when her dad died shortly after the end of World War II She grew up wondering what it would have been like to have a father As a young woman she met a young man and over a number of years broke up and reunited with him at least a hundred times she says While they never married a child was born a boy named David Now much older himself David awaits the birth of his first born Maria eventually found new love and married

Maria looks back at her life and ponders about different paths and courses that could have shaped her life otherwise

In her own words she writes ldquoWhat I know is that God makes stories In his genius and mercy he takes our triumphs and our failures and weaves beautiful tapestries that are full of irony The reverse of the fabric may look messy with its tangled threads ndash the events of our lives ndash and maybe this is the side we dwell on when we doubt But the right side of the tapestry displays a magnificent story and this is the side that God seesrdquo

In Pope Francisrsquo response to Mariarsquos story he writes ldquoWhat complicated stories we live Threads are woven And sometimes we understand and sometimes we do not understand what we are experienc-ing But God looks at us with the eyes of a creator and of an artist who is capable of organizing our mistakes our sins and the good things as if they were all parts of a tapestry On that tapestry there is good and bad death and life If I look at my life I like to think that the Lord would say with a smile lsquoLook what I did with all your mistakesrsquo When older people gaze on life often they know instinc-tively what lies behind the tangled threads They can sense the shaperdquo

The Holy Father then adds his own wisdom ldquoOften mistakes are the raw material of miracles Pe-terrsquos mistake of denying Jesus led him to the miracle of tears The mistake of the prodigal son showed the mercy of the father The mistake of the lost sheep revealed Godrsquos care and desire to bring each sheep homerdquo

May we truly appreciate the gift of our grandparents and all elders May their stories inspire younger generations with wisdom

As we begin our preparations for Christmas take some time to sit and listen to the elderly in your fam-ily Invite them to reflect on what the Christmas Story and the birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ means to them In some sense they are the Magi of today the Three Wise Persons who have come to lead us to adore and worship Emmanuel ndash God With Us

God bless Bishop David

Junior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District each have lsquoSchool Team Advisors for Youthrsquo (STAY) which are comprised of retired Police Officers The STAY role involves bull Educating mentoring and empowering students bull Educating and mentoring parents on the realities their children face each day by raising parent awareness of

these issues bull Educating and mentoring staff on the realities that students face each day Working in partnership with the ad-

ministration 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 ldquoSTAYrdquo in school The STAY teams work hard to ensure our youth succeed in life

December 2019

Assertiveness Training for Our Children We want children to be able to stand up for themselves and learn to interact well with their peers Teaching them to be asser-tive and self-confident as opposed to aggressive or submissive contributes to their social and emotional development Children who are aggressive blame name call threaten or fight with their peers They are combative because they often lack social skills These children need to learn better ways to interact with others or they will continually have difficulty developing positive relationships If children are submissive they may become targets for bullies These children need to be taught that it is okay to say ldquonordquo if a child or adult attempts to harm them with words or deeds They need to be able to identify their feelings learn how to express themselves and believe that they have rights The more children trust and value themselves the more likely they will be able to avoid bullying 1 Teach the difference among aggressive submissive and assertive remarks For example

bull Aggressive (being mean) ldquoGive me that book or yoursquore going to get itrdquo

bull Submissive (being weak) ldquoYou can have my book I donrsquot need itrdquo Assertive (being strong) ldquoIrsquom reading this book now You may have it when Irsquom finishedrdquo

2 Have them practice looking a bully in the eye and saying ldquoNordquo with a strong voice (see Teaching Children Refusal Skills) They could also state what they want For example ldquoNo I want you to leave me alonerdquo or ldquoNo I need to do my workrdquo 3 Explain that they have a choice of how to respond to another personrsquos comments or to situations (see Making Choic-es Activity) 4 Teach children how to ask for something (see 24 Ideas for Instilling Manners in Children) For example ldquoMay I have that book when yoursquore finishedrdquo and how to respond to requests in a polite manner ldquoYou may have it after merdquo Teach children that if they are physically threatened or feel afraid they need to tell an adult (see Tattling Versus Report-ing) However encourage them to work out other relationship problems themselves Explain that the use of ldquoI messagerdquo helps children deal with their difficulties in an assertive way ldquoI messagerdquo format

bull I feel (state the feeling)

bull when you (describe the action) because I (say why) - A child is left out of play (ldquoI feel unhappy when you wonrsquot let me play because I let you play when you ask I want to play with yourdquo)

- A child is told heshe must give up his snack or be beaten up (ldquoI feel angry when you threaten me because thatrsquos not how we are supposed to act at schoolrdquo)

A Message from Bishop David Motiuk

Storytelling and the Wisdom of Time

Over the summer I read a new book by Pope Francis Sharing the Wisdom of Time

When Pope Francis was praying one day he received an inspiration to shed light on the role grandpar-ents and seniors play in the lives of their children and grandchildren He began to preach about the need for the world to pay attention to the wisdom we gain from them Then another idea began to take shape Over 250 elderly people worldwide were interviewed their stories shared with Pope Francis and together with his personal reflections all was captured in a book on the gift of wisdom

One such story is that of Maria Gabriella Perin a mother and grandmother from Italy Maria was only nine months old when her dad died shortly after the end of World War II She grew up wondering what it would have been like to have a father As a young woman she met a young man and over a number of years broke up and reunited with him at least a hundred times she says While they never married a child was born a boy named David Now much older himself David awaits the birth of his first born Maria eventually found new love and married

Maria looks back at her life and ponders about different paths and courses that could have shaped her life otherwise

In her own words she writes ldquoWhat I know is that God makes stories In his genius and mercy he takes our triumphs and our failures and weaves beautiful tapestries that are full of irony The reverse of the fabric may look messy with its tangled threads ndash the events of our lives ndash and maybe this is the side we dwell on when we doubt But the right side of the tapestry displays a magnificent story and this is the side that God seesrdquo

In Pope Francisrsquo response to Mariarsquos story he writes ldquoWhat complicated stories we live Threads are woven And sometimes we understand and sometimes we do not understand what we are experienc-ing But God looks at us with the eyes of a creator and of an artist who is capable of organizing our mistakes our sins and the good things as if they were all parts of a tapestry On that tapestry there is good and bad death and life If I look at my life I like to think that the Lord would say with a smile lsquoLook what I did with all your mistakesrsquo When older people gaze on life often they know instinc-tively what lies behind the tangled threads They can sense the shaperdquo

The Holy Father then adds his own wisdom ldquoOften mistakes are the raw material of miracles Pe-terrsquos mistake of denying Jesus led him to the miracle of tears The mistake of the prodigal son showed the mercy of the father The mistake of the lost sheep revealed Godrsquos care and desire to bring each sheep homerdquo

May we truly appreciate the gift of our grandparents and all elders May their stories inspire younger generations with wisdom

As we begin our preparations for Christmas take some time to sit and listen to the elderly in your fam-ily Invite them to reflect on what the Christmas Story and the birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ means to them In some sense they are the Magi of today the Three Wise Persons who have come to lead us to adore and worship Emmanuel ndash God With Us

God bless Bishop David

Junior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District each have lsquoSchool Team Advisors for Youthrsquo (STAY) which are comprised of retired Police Officers The STAY role involves bull Educating mentoring and empowering students bull Educating and mentoring parents on the realities their children face each day by raising parent awareness of

these issues bull Educating and mentoring staff on the realities that students face each day Working in partnership with the ad-

ministration 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 ldquoSTAYrdquo in school The STAY teams work hard to ensure our youth succeed in life

December 2019

Assertiveness Training for Our Children We want children to be able to stand up for themselves and learn to interact well with their peers Teaching them to be asser-tive and self-confident as opposed to aggressive or submissive contributes to their social and emotional development Children who are aggressive blame name call threaten or fight with their peers They are combative because they often lack social skills These children need to learn better ways to interact with others or they will continually have difficulty developing positive relationships If children are submissive they may become targets for bullies These children need to be taught that it is okay to say ldquonordquo if a child or adult attempts to harm them with words or deeds They need to be able to identify their feelings learn how to express themselves and believe that they have rights The more children trust and value themselves the more likely they will be able to avoid bullying 1 Teach the difference among aggressive submissive and assertive remarks For example

bull Aggressive (being mean) ldquoGive me that book or yoursquore going to get itrdquo

bull Submissive (being weak) ldquoYou can have my book I donrsquot need itrdquo Assertive (being strong) ldquoIrsquom reading this book now You may have it when Irsquom finishedrdquo

2 Have them practice looking a bully in the eye and saying ldquoNordquo with a strong voice (see Teaching Children Refusal Skills) They could also state what they want For example ldquoNo I want you to leave me alonerdquo or ldquoNo I need to do my workrdquo 3 Explain that they have a choice of how to respond to another personrsquos comments or to situations (see Making Choic-es Activity) 4 Teach children how to ask for something (see 24 Ideas for Instilling Manners in Children) For example ldquoMay I have that book when yoursquore finishedrdquo and how to respond to requests in a polite manner ldquoYou may have it after merdquo Teach children that if they are physically threatened or feel afraid they need to tell an adult (see Tattling Versus Report-ing) However encourage them to work out other relationship problems themselves Explain that the use of ldquoI messagerdquo helps children deal with their difficulties in an assertive way ldquoI messagerdquo format

bull I feel (state the feeling)

bull when you (describe the action) because I (say why) - A child is left out of play (ldquoI feel unhappy when you wonrsquot let me play because I let you play when you ask I want to play with yourdquo)

- A child is told heshe must give up his snack or be beaten up (ldquoI feel angry when you threaten me because thatrsquos not how we are supposed to act at schoolrdquo)

Junior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District each have lsquoSchool Team Advisors for Youthrsquo (STAY) which are comprised of retired Police Officers The STAY role involves bull Educating mentoring and empowering students bull Educating and mentoring parents on the realities their children face each day by raising parent awareness of

these issues bull Educating and mentoring staff on the realities that students face each day Working in partnership with the ad-

ministration 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 ldquoSTAYrdquo in school The STAY teams work hard to ensure our youth succeed in life

December 2019

Assertiveness Training for Our Children We want children to be able to stand up for themselves and learn to interact well with their peers Teaching them to be asser-tive and self-confident as opposed to aggressive or submissive contributes to their social and emotional development Children who are aggressive blame name call threaten or fight with their peers They are combative because they often lack social skills These children need to learn better ways to interact with others or they will continually have difficulty developing positive relationships If children are submissive they may become targets for bullies These children need to be taught that it is okay to say ldquonordquo if a child or adult attempts to harm them with words or deeds They need to be able to identify their feelings learn how to express themselves and believe that they have rights The more children trust and value themselves the more likely they will be able to avoid bullying 1 Teach the difference among aggressive submissive and assertive remarks For example

bull Aggressive (being mean) ldquoGive me that book or yoursquore going to get itrdquo

bull Submissive (being weak) ldquoYou can have my book I donrsquot need itrdquo Assertive (being strong) ldquoIrsquom reading this book now You may have it when Irsquom finishedrdquo

2 Have them practice looking a bully in the eye and saying ldquoNordquo with a strong voice (see Teaching Children Refusal Skills) They could also state what they want For example ldquoNo I want you to leave me alonerdquo or ldquoNo I need to do my workrdquo 3 Explain that they have a choice of how to respond to another personrsquos comments or to situations (see Making Choic-es Activity) 4 Teach children how to ask for something (see 24 Ideas for Instilling Manners in Children) For example ldquoMay I have that book when yoursquore finishedrdquo and how to respond to requests in a polite manner ldquoYou may have it after merdquo Teach children that if they are physically threatened or feel afraid they need to tell an adult (see Tattling Versus Report-ing) However encourage them to work out other relationship problems themselves Explain that the use of ldquoI messagerdquo helps children deal with their difficulties in an assertive way ldquoI messagerdquo format

bull I feel (state the feeling)

bull when you (describe the action) because I (say why) - A child is left out of play (ldquoI feel unhappy when you wonrsquot let me play because I let you play when you ask I want to play with yourdquo)

- A child is told heshe must give up his snack or be beaten up (ldquoI feel angry when you threaten me because thatrsquos not how we are supposed to act at schoolrdquo)