April Administration Team Message

March was a busy month with Numeracy Week, report cards, our Demonstration of Learning, and Lenten projects. It was great to see so many parents out to celebrate their children’s learning and successes. Please continue your superb involvement; when home and school work together, children do succeed. Your attendance is indeed your gift to your children. Thank you for your support and partnership. We are proud of our student success!

Our School Council continues to amaze us with their involvement and support. Thanks for the Hot Lunches; these treats build community. Thank you to the many volunteers who add special touches to our school programs and help to keep our students safe. Our community is blessed by your presence.

We have just completed the 40 days of Lent, and now celebrate and rejoice during the 50 days of Easter! Christ has risen, and this is evident in our lives through acts of kindness and sharing to those around us. We are renewed once again, through the promise of everlasting life, Christ's triumph over death.

We pray:

God our Father,

By raising Christ your Son you conquered the power of death

And opened for us the way to eternal life.

Let us renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you

And the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.

Amen.

With Easter comes the many symbols and reminders of new life and rebirth. Spring is here and all around us new life springs forth, the daylight lengthens, new leaves appear, and flowers return once again. The Easter Lily has become the traditional Easter flower. This beautiful, white flower has come to symbolize the spiritual values of Easter: purity, life and renewal. The flower's trumpet shape is a reminder of the heralding of Jesus, returning triumphant to Jerusalem. The more conventional symbols of the Easter egg, and the Easter bunny have their connections to new life, and resurrection as well. The Easter egg symbolizes new life, the new life we realize from Christ's resurrection. New life and renewal are all symbolized as well with the Easter Bunny, a sign of fertility.

April will bring our Easter Mass and planning for next year. You are invited to attend our Easter Mass at St. Charles on the 4th of April. We are inviting new registrations, as every day is an open house at Bishop Greschuk School. We look forward to continued success in student learning and community building. May you be blessed by the peace of the risen Christ this Easter season.

Karen Craig Leslie Zydek

Principal Assistant Principal

April 2018

…Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ~John 20: 19-21~

This passage from the Gospel of John occurs on Easter morning. The disciples of Jesus are bereft at the loss of their shepherd, and it is a time of sorrow and fear. Jesus reveals himself to his followers many times over the course of the following week, and a consistent theme is that they don’t recognize him as he walks among them. Each time that his people finally realize that their Lord has been walking beside them, their sorrow turns to joy. It is with that sense of joy that Jesus passes on his mission to the disciples, to go forth and spread the Good News of God’s love. That is the call that he also shares with each of us as we discover the magnitude of God’s love; to go forth and be missionary disciples.

Edmonton Catholic Schools has once again been named one of Alberta’s Top 70 Employers! This annual competition, which is held by Postmedia Network Inc. and Mediacorp Canada Inc., takes a comprehensive, comparative look at various aspects of operations and human re-sources practices to determine which organizations have the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. This is the third consecutive year that we have earned the designation, and we are proud to be one of the leaders in our field in creating exceptional conditions for our employees!

Each year, the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta sponsors the Excellence in Catholic Education Awards. These awards honor individuals who provide our students with exceptional learning experiences that are deeply rooted in our Catholic faith. We are de-lighted to share that 3 of our leaders are receiving this prestigious award: Floriana Bruni-Bossio, principal of St. Stanislaus Catholic Elementary School; Heather Kaup, principal of Mother Margaret Mary Catholic High School; and Hugh MacDonald, principal of St. Joseph Catholic High School.

April offers opportunities for parents and guardians to join us in learning. The last session in our Mental Health Parent Evening Series, Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health (Go-to Educator)/Program Transition, will be held on Wednesday April 18 from 6:30-8 pm. There will be two ses-sions which will focus on mental health literacy and supporting your child as they move from home to the Early Learning, Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High levels. Visit http://bit.ly/ECSD-Parent-Series for more information and to register. We are pleased to host an evening with renowned speaker and author Father Richard Leonard on Tuesday, April 24. Join our Board of Trustees for an inspiring evening titled Confessions of a Catholic Educator – What Catholic Education Can Do for Your Child and What You Can Do for Catholic Education. The event is from 6-9 pm and includes dinner. Father Leonard is a master storyteller whose ability to hold the audience’s attention through a combination of vivid work portraits, humour and song, make him a much sought-after speaker. Visit https://ecsdconfessions.eventbrite.ca to learn more and register.

In the 2018-19 school year, Edmonton Catholic Schools will be expanding dual credit offerings, in partnerships with additional post-secondary institutions and industry/business. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate with Mount Royal University to offer students two courses to explore their passions and interests in Aviation. The two dual credit Aviation courses, which are required courses within the Mount Royal University Bissett School of Business Aviation Diploma, will be offered at St. Joseph Catholic High School to interested grade 11 and 12 students who meet the pre-requisites of English 30-1, Math 30 -1, and medical clearance.

By offering the courses after school hours, it will enable students from across our District to enroll. Students will be able to develop their knowledge to achieve Transport Canada requirements respecting navigation and aviation operations, along with Basic Meteorology to interpret weather information for pilots as supplied by Atmospheric Environment Services. In partnership with WestJet, our students will be able to experi-ence flight simulation and in-flight experiences with trained pilots. WestJet will support this opportunity through personnel, simulator experiences, and site visitations at YEG. For more information, please contact cheryl.shinkaruk@ecsd.net.

The provincial budget was tabled on March 22. Our preliminary findings are that the government will continue to provide funding for enrolment growth and we will continue to receive dollars to eliminate school fees related to instructional supplies and materials, as well as to

provide transportation costs for children living 2.4 km or more from their designated school. We will receive new dollars to expand our School Nutrition Program. Overall, the rate of funding per student remains unchanged. In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to analyze the provincial budget and its implications for our District.

I wish you all a blessed Easter season, and leave you with a reflection from Pope Francis:

“Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.” (Pope Francis, Homily, 03/30/13)

Sincerely, Joan Carr

April 2018 Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Dear Friends, In my Christmas message to you, I spoke of the Light of Christ that broke through the darkness. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. During his life on earth, many came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Image now if you can, their disappointment when he died on the cross! That light which had come into the world seemed to have gone out…but we know that the light continues to shine. At the Easter Vigil, we celebrate the light of Christ through the blessing and the lighting of the Paschal Candle. From this candle, on that night of nights, the light of Christ slowly spreads through the Church. The light of Christ is alive in the Church. We also renew our baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil as a sign of our renewed commitment to live as Christian witnesses in the world. In parishes throughout the Archdiocese, many adults and children enter the Roman Catholic Church, after many months of preparation through the sacrament of Baptism. They receive the light of Christ from that same Paschal Candle and make their promise to live a Christian life. As a community of disciples, we are overwhelmed with joy at the rebirth of these newest members of the Church. The newly baptised are fully initiated through Confirmation and First Eucharist. Their presence is a sign of new life. In fact, they are called “new sprouts” or neophytes. These “new sprouts” are like the children in our Catholic Schools, who come to our schools in search of the Risen Lord. They encounter the Lord in the teachers and staff and also in each other. They encounter the Ris-en Lord in the Word of God and in the Sacraments. On their journey of faith I hope that they too will come to know and believe in Christ; to follow where He leads them. I prayer that this Easter Season be a time of growth and joy in the Risen Lord!

XRichard W. Smith Archbishop of Edmonton

Traffic Safety Thank you also to our parents who are being courteous and safe drivers around our school and neighborhood. Thank you for being a role model for our students, your children.

Attendance and Lates

Punctuality and regular attendance at school are important factors that positively affect student achievement. Parents have the responsibility to ensure that their children attend regularly and

arrive on time. If regular attendance or ongoing tardiness becomes an issue, the Attendance Board will be contacted.

When your child is going to be late or absent from school, please contact the school at 780-472-2937 (24 hour line) and leave a clear message stating your child's name, teacher, date, and the reason for the absence or late.

Drop off and Pick up of Students

Students should not arrive at school before 8:15 a.m. unless they are actively participating in Broadcast or Running Club that day. If your child needs supervision between the time that you leave for work and 8:15 a.m., we kindly ask that you find appropriate care. We are also noticing that a number of students are not being picked up on time. School dismisses at 3:03 p.m. Please make sure that your child is picked up promptly after school.

Phone Calls

We ask that you please make end of school arrangements with your child/ren before they leave for school in the morning. Our office staff often receive numerous phone calls close to 3:00 p.m. asking for messages about pick up to be communicated to students. It is difficult to guaran-tee that these messages will be received so close to the end of the day. We thank you for under-standing that we do not like to interrupt classes for messages; we value our students’ instructional time.

Education Taxes Paid to Edmonton Catholic Schools

Please check to see if your taxes are being designated to the Catholic School Board for the education portion of your taxes. If your taxes are not being paid to the Catholic Board, please contact the Taxation Department by email or call the City line 311. If you are using email the address is tax-inquiry@edmonton.ca. The form is called “School Support Declaration” and you will need your tax account number to enter on the form.

Classroom Configurations 2018-19

In the upcoming weeks, teachers will be creating class groupings for the 2018-19 school year. Classes are set up by the classroom teachers, in conjunction with the administration to meet the educational needs of the individual students. A lot of time, effort and thought go into creating classrooms, with consideration given to ability, achievement, independence, behavior and special needs. Should parents have a specific classroom request, it must be given in writing to Mrs. Craig, Principal, along with the educational reason for the request, no later than April 30th.

Dress for the Weather/Dress Code

Please ensure that your child comes to school with adequate clothing for the weather conditions. A good idea is to keep an extra toque and mitts in your child’s back pack for those cooler days. As well, as spring weather arrives, parents are reminded that this is your children’s ‘place of business’ and clothing should therefore be appropriate. Shorts, shirts and skirts that are extra short or t-shirts with inappropriate messages or pictures are not suitable for our elementary school environment. As well, spaghetti straps are not suitable attire for school. Thank you for your cooperation.

District Satisfaction Survey We will be gathering feedback from families in our annual District Satisfaction Survey. Information will be sent to all parents and guardians at the beginning of April. The survey will take place from April 3-20. Please take a few moments to share your opinions with us.

Student Teachers

We are pleased to welcome three student teachers to our school, Miss. Lazarenko, from Concordia University, who will be working in Grade 4C, Ms. Boehres, from Concordia University, who will be working in Kindergarten AB, and also Ms. Hermary, from the University of Alberta who will be working in Grade 5/6.

Scholastic Book Fair Thank you to all the students and their families who supported our Scholastic Book Fair. A very special thanks to Mrs. Iwasykiw, Mrs. Aitkens and their volunteers, Maria S., Maria B., Mary K., Christine T., Trina J., Athena M and Robin T. for working this event. The total sales were $5301.10, which gives our school a profit of $3525.22 to use towards new books for our library and classrooms. Congratulations to Ayden in 2B who won the Book Fair draw for $25 of books for himself and $25 of books for his classroom.

Easter Mass

Please join us on April 4th, at 10:00 a.m., at St. Charles Church for our Easter mass. As a faith community, we look forward to rejoicing and celebrating the most important day of the Church year. Father Jack will celebrate with us, as we rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. A special thank you to our Grade 5 students and their teachers, Ms. Morrissette, Ms. Lemay and Ms. Wyllie, for organizing this special Mass. As well, we thank school council for generously providing funding for bussing on this day.

Numeracy Week Comes to Bishop Greschuk

It was a week of spatial thinking, math problem solving and a whole lot of fun at Bishop Greschuk for Numeracy Week. Each day our broadcast team showcased different ideas looking at our district theme of “Taking Shape”. The highlight of the week was the stacking cup challenge, where classes were asked to make the tallest tower possible using the school stacking cups. The winning classes were Grade 3C and Grade 5B. The week ended off with an afternoon of math games with our buddy classes. It was a great way to celebrate this week of mathematical thinking and learning.

2.47m tall 2.87m tall

Our Lenten Journey

At Bishop Greschuk, our Lenten journey continues with a focus on Lent as a time to prepare our hearts for the Risen Lord. Students experienced the three pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving. On March 20th, our Grade 4 to 6 students participated in a Hunger Lunch as part of their Lenten journey. Our students raised $238.25 as part of their almsgiving for Development and Peace. As a way of almsgiving, our Grade 6 Leadership Team raised $321.10 from their hot chocolate sales during Demonstration of Learning, which will also be donated to Development and Peace. Each day on broadcast, students were led through a prayerful Lenten Journey, in which students heard the story of Jesus. Students also travelled through the hallways of Bishop Greschuk School, learning about and praying at the Stations of the Cross. Our Lenten Journey concluded with a re-enactment of Palm Sunday, and a solemn Holy Thursday celebration.

Active Students

Our school offers an array of opportunities for students to be physically active. Throughout the year, we offer a running club, intramurals, volleyball, a dance club, a golfing club, basketball free-throw, ski trips, and indoor recess active games, just to name a few. We thank all of our teachers who generously volunteer their time to provide these opportunities, as well as, our School Advisory Council, who regularly provide funding for purchases to run many of these activities, which directly benefit the students at Bishop Greschuk School.

Ski Trip

Thank you to Ms. Lemay, and all of our staff and parent volunteers for taking the Grade 4-6 students to Rabbit Hill for skiing and snowboarding. Everyone had a great time and it was great to see how well the students progressed in their skiing ability. Thank you also, to our School Advisory Council for their support in funding the cost of both ski trips. Both days were excellent experiences for Bishop Greschuk students.

School Council Meeting

Our next School Council meeting is on April 16th at 7:00 PM in the music room. All parents are welcome to attend.

St. Charles Parish Lent and Easter Celebrations

PALM SUNDAY MASSES

Saturday, March 24 - 4:30PM

Sunday, March 25 -

9AM, 11:30AM, 7PM

HOLY THURSDAY

Thursday, March 29 - 7PM

GOOD FRIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Friday, March 30 - 11AM & 3PM

HOLY SATURDAY

Morning Prayer & Blessing of the Food

Saturday, March 31 -10AM

EASTER VIGIL

Saturday, March 31 - 9PM

EASTER SUNDAY

Sunday, April 1—9AM, 11:30AM, 7PM

FEEDBACK FORM

Please take a few moments to return this sheet and have your child’s name entered to win a book. All sheets must be returned by April 23, 2018. Please send in your sheets and you may win the monthly prize! Last months winners were: Railyn 5A, Max 2C, James KD, Violet 1B, Lily 5A. ___Yes, we have read the April Bishop Greschuk Newsletter. General Comments: ————————————————————–—————————— ———————————————————————————–——— ——————————————————————————–———— ——————————————————————————–———— ——————————————————————————–———— ——————————————————————————————– Student(s) name and grade (please print) ________________________ ______________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature ______________________________ ______________________________