Newsletter 8405 175 Street │Edmonton, AB T5T 0G9│Phone: 780 487-2264 │ Fax: 780 487-2284│www.stjustin.ecsd.net

December 2017 Newsletter #4

Inside you will find: Important Dates

• Demonstration of Learning • Fundraising Initiatives • Social Justice Initiatives • Christmas Concerts • Knights of Columbus Christmas

dinner for students/staff • Advent Celebrations • District messages

And more ….

That night, some shepherds were in their fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them and the

landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.

“Don’t be afraid,” the angel said. “I bring the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born

tonight in Bethlehem!”

Dear Parents and Guardians: He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Luke 1: 14-15 As we journey through the season of Advent we are called to await the rebirth of Jesus Christ in our hearts. With hope and anticipation, we prepare to celebrate the Savior’s arrival. As a Catholic school community, we mark each week of Advent with a celebration to acknowledge our journey of awaiting the birth of Christ. Through prayer, song, and symbols, we are reminded of the great gift of Jesus in our lives. We invite you to attend the third week of Advent Celebration to be held on December 21 at 11:15 am in our gym. Fr. Jose, from Good Shepherd Parish, will be leading the celebration along with our students. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend. In addition, please read the Newsletter for more important information about our upcoming Christmas Concerts. As we share the joy of the season with family and friends may be act as a light of hope for others this Christmas. The staff of St. Justin school sends warm wishes to each of our school families. May your Christmas be filled with peace, joy and happiness. Mrs. Laurie Pollitt Mr. John Gosse Principal Assistant Principal

DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING and FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES Approximately 150 of our families celebrated the learning of their child(ren) in the classrooms during our recent Demonstration of Learning. Thanks to Mrs. Lynch, 15 families learned how to pay fees on line and access report cards, and thanks to Nancy from Edmonton Public Library, 12 new families now have access to free library materials with their new library cards. Our school leadership team (the G.O.D. Squad - Giving of Ourselves to Do good) are very excited to report that $405.00 were collected from our Christmas Card sales event. Due to popular request, Christmas cards will again be on sale prior to the Christmas concerts for 100 voices through to Grade 6. Thanks to each of you who helped to support our two important fundraising initiatives:

1. The Edmonton Catholic School Foundation (the organization whose generous funds make our Healthy Snack Program possible)

2. Learning Commons Project (the transformation of our dated library into a rich new 21st century learning environment for all students and staff to enjoy!)

If you have missed your opportunity to purchase your child’s artwork on Christmas cards during our Demonstration of Learning, the G.O.D. Squad leadership team will continue selling Christmas Cards on Wednesday, December 6 and Friday, December 8 in the Learning Commons from 12:20-12:40 pm. They will also be selling cards 10 minutes before the start of each Christmas Concert, including dress rehearsals. Those wishing to purchase Christmas cards, the cost is one card for $2.00, and three cards for $5.00 Your contributions are greatly appreciated and help to further benefit the Edmonton Catholic School Foundation as well as St. Justin Learning Commons enhancement. CHRISTMAS CONCERTS This year our students will be sharing the gift of music to celebrate the joy of the Christmas season. In the recent past, our students and families have gathered at Good Shepherd Church for this special event. This year, under the leadership of our Music teacher, Mrs. Allen, the students will have a Christmas Concert in our school gym. The challenge with organizing a special event such as this is to adhere to the fire regulations and ensure that we do not go above the capacity of people allowed in our gym at any one time. As a result, all students have been given 2 tickets for family members to attend the concert. Any person, including infants in your arm or in a carriage, require a ticket to gain entrance to the gym for the concert. The children who are preforming in the concert do not require a ticket. Students who will not be attending the concert have been asked to return their tickets to the office. These tickets will then be available to be redistributed to those who request an additional ticket. If you wish to have an additional ticket, please contact Mrs. Lynch at 780-487-2264 to have your name put on a list. As tickets become available, you will be contacted. There is no guarantee that you will get additional tickets as fire regulations will dictate our numbers attending. We encourage families who do not have enough tickets to attend the evening event to join us during the afternoon for the dress rehearsal. Tickets are not required for this event. Tuesday, December 12 Dress Rehearsal for Gr. 4-6 (no tickets required) 1:30 p.m. Christmas Concert for Gr. 4-6 (MUST HAVE A RED TICKET TO ATTEND THIS CONCERT) 7:00 p.m.- Gym Wednesday, December 13 Dress Rehearsal for Kindergarten – Gr. 3 (no tickets required) 1:30 p.m. Christmas Concert for Kindergarten-Gr. 3 (MUST HAVE A GREEN TICKET TO ATTEND THIS CONCERT) 7:00 p.m.- Gym 100 VOICES CHRISTMAS CONCERT Our morning and afternoon 100 Voices classes will be coming together to celebrate Christmas with their gift of song. Parents and families of these students are welcome to come and experience the joy of this event on Tuesday, December 12 in our school gym. As this event involves a small number of students, tickets are not required. We look forward to having you join us. Tuesday, December 12 100 Voices morning and afternoon classes combined at 1:00 p.m. in the gym (NO TICKETS REQUIRED)

BUS PASSES All December bus passes must be paid for by December 8th as we have reports due prior to the Christmas break. You may pay for bus passes with cash, check or online through our parent portal (please contact the office if you have not yet signed up). Please note that bus passes will not be given out without payment. Thank you for your assistance! ETS Bus Passes for January will be available for purchase at the office starting on December 15, 2017. Please note that students must have a January ETS bus pass if they want to use ETS service between January 1 – 7th (before school starts). ETS is not identifying January 8th as a grace day. Students must have a January ETS bus pass to access the bus for the first day back to school on January 8th. SCHOOL FEES A friendly reminder for anyone who has not yet paid their child’s School Fees for this year. The School Fees of $30 for Kindergarten students and $50 for students in grades 1-6 includes the cost of items and events key to your child’s learning. Such as: Student Agenda, Technology (Mathletics and RAZ Kids), Presentations (Jack and the Beanstalk, Alberta Opera, Love of Reading and Saints come Marching In) as well as a six-day writing Residency for students. CHRISTMAS LUNCH What a gift! The Knights of Columbus will once again be hosting a traditional Canadian Christmas meal for our St. Justin family on Friday, December 15, 2017. The gym will be set up for all classes to gather and eat lunch in groupings (to allow for seating) to celebrate Christmas as a school family. The meal will be a traditional turkey dinner. We are very grateful to many hearts and hands from the Knights of Columbus of Good Shepherd Parish for their gift of time, talent and food to make this event possible. MEDICAL INFORMATION To ensure the safety of all, our students, the school office must be informed of any students with medical concerns who require some form of medication during school hours, whether it be a prescribed medication EpiPen’s, inhalers, etc. or an over-the-counter medication (headache, insect bites, seasonal allergies). It is imperative that the appropriate up to date forms be completed in full and submitted to the school office together with the medication. In the case of prescription medication, the child’s doctor will also need to complete and sign the form. Medication will be administered by the office staff. Please contact Mrs. Lynch in the main office for forms. Students are not allowed to have over-the-counter medication (cream, pills, etc.) on them or in their back-pack. For the safety of each member in our school community, these items must be kept secured in the office and administered by the office staff only. **Please note that in the case of fieldtrips, communication must be provided to the teacher supervisor to ensure that she/he is aware of the necessary medication and information required for the safety and wellbeing of your child. EpiPens - Capital Health recommends that children who have severe allergies and require an EpiPen carry these EpiPens with them at all times. Many children carry an EpiPen with them in a “fanny pack”. We recommend that all children carry their EpiPens with them. ***If your child will not carry his/her EpiPen, we ask that you provide two EpiPens: one for the office and one for the classroom. If you are only supplying one EpiPen, please submit a letter indicating this. Inhalers - Students may carry their inhalers in their backpacks or store in the office. KEEPING OUR SCHOOL CLEAN Guests that enter St. Justin School often comment on how clean our school is. A special thank you to parents, students, guests and of course staff, who respectfully remove their boots and shoes at the entrance of the school. Your conscientious effort to remove outdoor footwear greatly assists Mr. Giron in keeping the floors clean and our environment clean and safe for all, as we travel through our halls each day. SCHOOL COUNCIL We invite all St. Justin parents to attend our A.G.M (Annual General Meeting), on Wednesday, January 10 at 5:30 pm. Please confirm your attendance with Mr. Lynch at 780-487-2264 by January 9th.

SCHOOL ENTRANCES Your child’s safety is of the highest priority. To ensure security within the building, all entrance doors are locked. To enter the building during the day, all visitors will need to come to the front door and ring the buzzer. Office staff will open the door. Students are to enter and leave the building through their designated entrances. We ask that parents/guardians meeting their child(ren) please meet at their assigned entrances or a meeting spot that has been predetermined. Meeting your child in the office after school creates safety issues due to congestion and lack of supervision. Your cooperation in using the assigned school entrances is greatly appreciated. CHANGE IN DISMISSAL TIMES Just a reminder that Thursday, December 21 will be a full day of school for students, with dismissal at 2:57 pm. Students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm on Friday, December 22 for Christmas Vacation. Classes will resume on Monday, January 8, 2018.

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.

INCLEMENT WEATHER Did You Know? ♦ Snow forts and tunnels can collapse and suffocate a child. ♦ When children are outside they often do not realize how cold they are becoming. ♦ Bright sun during the winter can cause a sunburn. What Can Parents Do? ♦ Signs of frost bite are slight pain and whitening of the affected area e.g. tips of the ears turn white. Warm the affected area by breathing on it or warming it with your hands but do not rub. Do not apply snow or water. ♦ Supervise children when they play outside. ♦ Choose play areas with warm shelters nearby. ♦ Provide children with a neck warmer instead of a scarf to prevent strangulation on playground equipment. What Can Kids Do? ♦ Dress in layers. If you get too warm take off one layer at a time. ♦ If you feel pain in your fingers, toes, ears, cheeks, nose or chin, get inside to warm up. ♦ Wear sunscreen on exposed skin on sunny days. Yes – even in the winter our skin can burn! ♦ DON’T EVER put your tongue on cold metal. If you can only remember one thing: ♦ Most of our body heat is lost through our heads, so always wear a hat or toque in cold weather. Winter is indeed here to stay! Parents please help your child to dress children appropriately for the cold weather. Toques, mittens, warm coats, scarves, and boots, are a necessity for all of us as we experience the Canadian outdoors before school and during recess breaks. Decisions regarding outdoor activities, including recess, will take into consideration the weather conditions. The suggested guideline is that students go outside if the temperature is -20°C or colder, or if the wind-chill factor is -20°C or colder.

• Students will be welcomed into the school by 8:10 a.m. through their assigned entrances during inclement weather. Adult supervisors as well as a green sign system will notify students when they are allowed to come into the school due to weather conditions. A posted green sign means that students can enter immediately.

• Recesses will be indoors only during extreme weather conditions. Please have students dressed appropriately for outdoor recess always. If you need assistance in providing warm clothing to your children, please contact the office.

• Please remember that if a child is too sick to go outside for recess, they are too sick to attend school and should remain at home and rest. Refraining from sending sick children to school will help to decrease the spread of germs within our classrooms.

Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will carry announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. Every effort will be made to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30 a.m.