St. Vincent Catholic Elementary School

10530 138 Street NW

Edmonton, Alberta

780-452-4474

Administrator Message              February 2019 

O Jesus, you place on my forehead the sign of your saving Cross: “Turn from sin and be faithful

to the gospel.” How can I turn from sin

unless I turn to you? You speak, you raise your hand,

you touch my mind and call my name, “Turn to the Lord your God again.”

These days of your favor leave a blessing as you pass on me and all your people.

Turn to us, Lord God, and we shall turn to you

As we approach the season of Lent, we are reminded that this special season provides all of us with a me to prepare

for the holiest me of our faith. As in previous years, our school community will embark upon the Liturgical Season of

Lent with the distribu on of ashes and offering their own Lenten promises. These promises will be the focus for the

forty days of Lent and will be a reminder that Lent is a me to change the things in our lives which separate us from

Jesus and our faith.

We might give up things like candy, tv., or social media; each me we deny ourselves, we acknowledge the huge

sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. Likewise, we may choose to add something to our lives that will bring us closer to

Jesus. We may offer extra me for prayer or volunteer extra me in the community. Through these ac ons, we know

that keeping our resolu ons are difficult and that some mes we falter. It is a good lesson for our students to keep on

trying and not to give up. By all of us taking me from our busy schedules to develop our rela onship with God, we can

use the Lenten season to develop a greater apprecia on of the life that God is calling each of us to lead.

We begin the month with Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Conven on on Friday, March 1, so there will be no school as

teachers across the city engage in professional development. We will be holding our Pancake Lunch on Tuesday, March 

5 for all students. Please return your order forms as soon as possible. We invite you to join us for our Ash Wednesday 

Liturgy on March 6 at 10:30 am in the gym. The March School Council mee ng will take place on March 6 from            

6 – 7:30 pm. Please join us as we welcome ECSD Trustee Alene Mutala and Edmonton Police Services’ Constable Jim

Burke to our mee ng. Term 2 Report Cards will be available on PowerSchool at 3 pm on Monday, March 18.     

Demonstra on of Learning will take place on Thursday, March 21 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm. A reminder that Thursday,

March 21 is a full day of classes, and on Friday, March 22 students are dismissed at 12:00 for the start of Spring Break.

We wish you a blessed Lenten season to renew your spirit and bring you closer to Jesus.

In this Issue…

Thank you

Registration for 2019—2020

School Closure

Report cards and Demonstration of Learning

Early Dismissal switch

St. Vincent Choir

School Council meeting

Daylight Savings begins

Run Club—Running Room Indoor games

Intramurals

40 Bgs for 40 Days

Be seen in Green

News from St. John the Evangelist parish

Be the Church

Religious Education in Sperate Schools

Lent—Did you know…

Bus passes

Cancellation of Yellow Bus service

Students leaving early

Student Absence

Fire Drill and Lockdown procedures

School fees

Healthy habits—Handwashing

Illness

A Partnership

North Glenora Community League—Yoga and Relaxation

Healthy Child

Superintendent’s Message

Mark your calendars…

March 1- Teachers’ Convention No school for all

students

March 2- St. Vincent Choir sings at the Edmonton Oil Kings game 7:00 PM

March 5- Shrove Tuesday Pancake lunch

Immunizations Round 2

March 6- Ash Wednesday celebration 10:30 AM

Grades 5 and 6 Safe in Six presentation

School Council meeting 6:00 PM

March 10- Daylight Savings Time begins

March 13- EPL visits 100 Voices

March 14- Grades 5 and 6 Safe in Six presentation

March 18- Report Cards available on PowerSchool at 3:00 PM

March 19- Yoga in 100 Voices and Kindergarten

March 21- FULL DAY OF SCHOOL Dismissal at 3:07 PM

Demonstration of Learning 4:30 - 7:30 PM

March 22- EARLY DISMISSAL Dismissal at 12:00 Noon

March 25—March 29 2019

Spring Break

Classes resume 8:25 AM April 1

Thank you

February was a “love”ly month—we had lots of opportunities to

show how much we care about each other, our school and our community through special activities and events.

Thank you to our parents and families for spreading the word about our school and our Open House. We heard from many prospective new families that they learned about our school from families already here!

Thank you to everyone who donated cakes and treats for the Cake Walk. It was a fabulous assortment of goodies! Thank you as well to the parents that came to help out with running this activity.

Thank you to the Family dance organizers—Michelle Balen, Amie Dowell and Melissa Bokenfohr—and the many volunteers who helped make this night a success. The Family Dance was fun and lively evening!

Registration 2019—2020 School Year

Registrations for the upcoming 2019 - 2020 school year are now being accepted for 100 Voices, Kindergarten and Grades 1 - 6. As parents you are our best advocates! Please tell your friends, neighbours, co-workers and family about our wonderful school!

School closed on the following dates:

March 1 - Teachers’ Convention

March 25 - 29 Spring Break

Report Cards and Demonstration of Learning

Student report cards will be available on PowerSchool at 3:00

PM on Monday, March 18.

The Demonstration of Learning will take place on Thursday, March 21 from 4:30—7:30 PM. Parents are invited to come and visit their child’s classroom. Your child will lead you through recent assignments and projects. This is a great time to celebrate your child’s learning!

Early Dismissal Switch

As always, Edmonton Catholic Schools flips the Thursday/Friday

hours before Spring Break. Students will attend classes all day on Thursday, March 21 and dismiss at noon on Friday, March 22. The 100 Voices and Kindergarten students will attend school on Thursday, March 21 at the regular class times and will not attend school on Friday, March 22. These changes have been communicated to the Transportation Department and buses will pick the students up according to the revised times.

St. Vincent Choir

The St. Vincent choir is excited to be heading to the Oil Kings

game on March 2 with an ensemble of other choirs from the Edmonton area. They will take part in singing the National Anthem in addition to some fun springtime songs during the intermissions. Go Oil Kings Go!

School Council Meeting

The next School Council meeting will be on Wednesday, March 6 at

6:00 PM. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend this very important component of school planning. If you would like to contact the SC members please email them at stvinicentpacsac@gmail.com .

Daylight Savings Begins!

Daylight Savings time begins at 2:00 AM on March 10. Please remember to set your clocks

forward by one hour. This is also a good time to remember to replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.

Run Club—Running Room Indoor Games

Congratulations to our Run Club! They participated in the Running Room Indoor Games events on February 19. They ran fantastically and did St. Vincent School proud! Congratulations to all our runners on a great season! Thank you to Miss Taylor and Mrs. Irlbacher-Jurjew for supervising, working with our students and in preparing them for this event.

Intramurals

Intramurals will continue in Grades 4, 5 and 6 for the

month of March. The students will play on Mondays and Wednesdays at the lunch recess. Thank you to Miss Ciezki, Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Corbitt Gibb for supervising! We congratulate all the stu-dents for their good sportsmanship and commitment to their teams.

40 Bags for 40 Days… We continue to do more

St. Vincent community will once again participate in the

“40 Bags for 40 Days” social justice initiative. This project will help our students experience gratitude, the satisfaction of giving and understanding their calling to reach out and help those who are less fortunate.

Starting on March 6 we will be collecting the following items for the St. Vincent de Paul Society:

Cutlery

Towels

Bed linens

Pillows

Small household appliances such as toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.

Please note that the items can be used, but please ensure that they are clean, not stained and in good repair. The last day to bring in donated items is April 17.

Help us reach our goal of 40 bags in 40 days! Thank you very much in advance for your support.

Be seen in GREEN on March 15!

This year we will show our spirit for St. Patrick’s Day on

Friday, March 15. Everyone is encouraged to dress in green!

St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church Day of Confessions: Tuesday March 12 The Day of Confessions is one day a year when priests across the Archdiocese devote themselves to celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Drop by the church and experience the grace of God — you are welcome no matter how long it's been since you have been to Confession, and no matter what you want or need to confess.

If it's been a while since you have experienced the grace that comes with the sacrament, check out our Confessions page for some helpful information. In the Greater Edmonton Area, the Day of Confessions will be hosted at the following 'hub parishes,' rather than at each individual parish. This will allow confessions to be heard from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a larger number of priests available at each site:

St. Joseph Basilica Corpus Christi Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sherwood Park St. Albert St. Thomas More

Confession at St. John the Evangelist Our Lenten Reconciliation Service will be on Wednesday March 20 at 6 pm for a Family Service, and at 7 pm for an adult service. There is a 10 - 15 minute service of readings and homily, then private Confession. There will be two priests for the 6 pm service, and 6 priests for the 7 pm service. Please check our Parish website for further information, and the Archdiocese link above for information about confession that is especially helpful if it has been a while since your last confession.

Ash Wednesday Two of our Parish Schools, St. Paul and Our Lady of Victories, will be joining us for the 9 am Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 6. Representatives from our other schools will come to the Church to get ashes blessed at this Mass to distribute at celebrations in their schools. You are welcome to join us at the 9 am, 1 pm or 7 pm Masses to receive ashes.

Baptism Preparation Are you expecting a new baby? Our next Baptism preparation class is on March 13, 7-9 pm, in the upper hall. Please call the Parish Office to let us know you are planning to come. Parents are required to take a course to help understand what it means to be baptized, and what they are committing themselves and their child to in this sacrament. We walk through the ritual of Baptism in the Church so you will know what to expect. Godparents are welcome and encouraged to come to the class too. Please check our Parish website under the Sacraments tab for more information, and call us if you have any questions, especially about baptizing older children. Marriage

Would you like your civil marriage to be blessed, or are you in a common-law relationship and would like to get married? Please contact us to see how we can help you prepare for the sacrament of Matrimony. Please check our Parish website under the Sacraments tab for more information.

9830 – 148 Street Edmonton, AB. T5N 3E8 780.452.3988 stjohnevangelist.edm@caedm.ca

www.stjohnevangelist.edm.caedm.ca

Facebook St. John the Evangelist

Sophie Ogle, Pastoral Assistant sophie.ogle@caedm.ca

BE THE CHURCH The Church is more than a building that we come to each and every Sunday. The Church is people; believing people, baptized people, confirmed people, surrendered people, people in whom Christ dwells, people who listen to the voice of God, people who abide by the commandments of the Lord, people who have truly committed their lives to Him as Lord, people who have a personal relationship to Him, people who obey His voice. Bishop Demetrius wrote "the Church is the company of those who have put on Christ by being baptized in Him, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, forgiven of their sins in the Sacrament of Reconcilia-tion, and nurtured by the Heavenly Food in the Holy Mystery of His Body and Blood. ... The Church is a divinely instituted unity of people, united by the Catholic Faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the Holy Sacraments. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ." One of the holiest moments of the Eucharistic Liturgy is the moment when the Church - God's people, strengthened by the Word of God and nourished by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, go out the church door into the world to be the Church. We don't just go to church; we are the Church. A student was telling his parish priest about a conversation he had with a fellow student in the school. The fellow student did not believe in God. The student said to his pastor, "How can I get this fellow to church, so he can get some help?" The pastor replied, "Don't try to get him to come to church. He'll probably refuse anyway. You must be the Church to him where you are ... in the classroom, in the locker room, in the cafeteria, on the soc-cer field, on the bus. You are the Church to that fellow student." The reason we come to church every Sunday is to listen to Christ, to praise Him, to receive Him within us that we may go out into the world and be the Church for the rest of the week. This Lent let us be the Church to everyone we meet. Resources: “A Byzantine Rite. Liturgical Year.” Julian J. Katrij, OSBM. Basilian Fathers Publication. De-troit, 1983. "Daily Vitamins for Spiritual Growth." Anthony M. Coniaris. Light and Life Publishing. Minneapolis Min-nesota, 1994. Fr. Julian Bilyj District Chaplain

Religious Education in Separate Schools

Did you know that the Religious Education curriculum has been, and continues to be, updated? Grades 1—5 have been updated. More information can be found by clicking the link “Religious Education in Sperate School” at:

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning

Lent—Did you know…

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is the six week period leading up to Easter Sunday.

The actual number of days between these dates is 46 days, but Sundays are not counted. This is because Sundays represent a “mini– Easter”.

Lent is seen as a time of solemn observance and preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The 40 days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness.

Lent is a traditional time to give something up, meaning to mirror the experience of Jesus and his fasting in the desert.

Many people give up something they enjoy eating like chocolate, or doing like social media.

Many others observe Lent by trying to doing something positive each day such as donating to a worthy cause, doing an act of service - like cleaning up after dinner - or letting someone ahead of you in line.

Pretzels were first baked during Lent because they can be made with only water, flour and salt. The shape came from a posture of prayer, with arms crossed and hands on opposite shoulders.

Bus Passes

Bothe ETS and Yellow Bus passes are available to the school office during the first week of the month.

Please contact Mrs. Selwood in the school office if you require a bus pass.

Please note that bus pass payments are due on the 1st of each month. If you require alternate payment arrangements please contact Mrs. Selwood in the school office. Bus passes are not distributed until payment has been received or alternate arrangements made.

Students who take the yellow bus will be sent home on the bus unless a change has been previously arranged by parents and the office informed.

Cancellation of Yellow Bus Service

Please be advised that the following Radio and TV Stations will carry

announcements with respect to transportation cancellations due to inclement weather conditions:

RADIO STATIONS:

630 CHED AM 930 CJCA CBC

CISN FM 103.9 Shine 105.9 FM CHFA (CBC Fr)

CHUCK FM 92.5 TSN 1260 CFCW 840

INEWS 880 AM 95.7 CRUZ FM 96.3 FM CAPITAL

Kiss FM 91.7 The Bear 100.3 K97 97.3

Up! 99.3 SONIC 102.9 HOT 107 FM

Hot 107 FM 104.9 VIRGIN Radio FM

TV STATIONS:

CITY TV CTV Edmonton

GLOBAL Edmonton

CBC TV

Every effort will be made to have messages broadcast commencing no later than 6:30 AM.

Students leaving early

If you are picking up your child early please meet him/her in the

office and sign them out. Parents are also required to sign their child in when they return. This process ensures that the student has safely left and returned to school.

As well, if you are dropping off something for your child - forgotten homework, lunch, etc., please leave it in the office and we will make sure that the items gets to your child.

Thank you!

Student Absence

Please ensure that you inform the school if your child is going to be

absent for any reason—illness, appointments, vacation, etc. Please try to coordinate appointments and vacations with early dismissal and school breaks. Absences of four or more consecutive days are proven to have a negative impact on student learning.

Fire Drills and Lockdown Practices

As part of our District's safety practices for our students, we will be conducting fire drills and lockdown drills throughout the year. This drill is done to ensure our students know what to do in case of an emergency. Teachers will review the procedures with their classes to ensure that students feel confident and at ease.

School Fees

School fees are now due. The fee for students in Kindergarten is $30.00, and the fee for students in grades 1 - 6 is $50.00.

Payment may be made online.

Healthy Habits—Hand Washing

With the cold and flu season now upon us it is very important that we

all do our part to keep ourselves healthy and stop the spread of infection. At St. Vincent we have had the Public Health Nurse do an in-service with our staff about proper handwashing techniques. Teachers have shared this with our students and will continue to guide them on the importance of this healthy habit.

Illness

If your child isn’t well, the best place for him or her to recuperate is

at home, or with a caregiver. If your child has had a fever, or has experienced vomiting or diarrhea, please ensure that these symptoms have been absent for at least 24 hours before their return to school.

Children who are healthy enough to attend school are expected to go outdoors during breaks. There may be rare occasions when a child is returning to school from an extended illness when he or she will need to be accommodated indoors during the recess breaks upon doctor’s orders

A Partnership

All of us recognize that our role is one of service and that the school

exists for students. Our school is a place where parents are recognized as partners and they are welcome at all times. A special on-going invitation is extended to all parents to attend assemblies, liturgies or special celebrations. Participating on the School Council (SC) is another way of being involved. Thank you to all the parents who give so generously of their time and talents

Healthy Children

March 2019 Parent Newsletter

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter visit www.ahs.ca/csh

Nutrition Math: Are “treats” adding up? How Much Shut-eye Do Children Need?

$10,000

1000

30%

Health advice is as easy as 8-1-1

Nutrition Math: Are “treats” adding up?

March 2019 Parent Newsletter

Healthy Children

To find an electronic copy of this newsletter, visit www.ahs.ca/csh

How Much Shut-eye

Do Children Need?

March 2019

Come back to the Lord with all your heart; leave the past in ashes, And turn to God with tears and fasting, for he is slow to anger and ready to forgive.

(Cf. Joel 2:13) This beautiful antiphon is often sung on Ash Wednesday during the blessing and imposition of the ashes. It is a wonderful reminder for us as we begin the season of Lent that God loves us unconditionally. In our humanity we make mistakes, but all we need to do is ask and he is ready to forgive. He even sent us the ultimate loving gift in Jesus whose death was the greatest act of forgiveness. Edmonton Catholic Schools is very proud to have been named one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers! This is the fourth year that we have received this designation. Maintaining this designation over time is a significant accomplishment for our District. It affirms that we are able to provide an excellent work environment for all of our employee groups on a consistent basis. When our employees have great working environments, our students benefit as well. Our District is part of the Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education, GrACE, network. The mission of GrACE is to inspire, invigorate and embolden the spirit of Catholic education in order to unite, engage, educate and communicate with one voice on its behalf. GrACE is a partnership of stakeholders resolutely committed to Catholic education within Alberta. Each Catholic jurisdiction in the province has assembled a highly committed team whose members include Trustees, Superintendents, clergy, parish staff, parents, members of the Catholic Women’s League and Knights of Columbus. Every day is a celebration of Catholic education. Let us be grateful for our blessings and commit our support to sharing the great work of our schools. Dual credit opportunities allow students to earn high school and post-secondary credits simultaneously. Edmonton Catholic Schools is working on a dual credit opportunity with MacEwan University in Police Studies. This unique program would provide a foundational experience that could lead to multiple career pathways for students ranging from community policing to social work to legal services. We will share more details as this new program for fall 2019 unfolds. Spring Break for our year-round schools begins on March 18, and for our regular calendar schools it begins on March 25. It provides a wonderful opportunity for families and for our staff to rejuvenate and spend time with loved ones.

Pope Francis provides a message for Lent each year. You can find them, and so many more of his writings on the Vatican website, www.vatican.va. In his message last year, our Holy Father shared the following:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Once again, the Pasch of the Lord draws near! In our preparation for Easter, God in his providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a “sacramental sign of our conversion”. Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and in every aspect of our life.

I wish you a spiritually uplifting, sacramental Lenten experience and a refreshing Spring Break! Yours in Christ, Joan Carr Superintendent