In this Advent season, we take time to slow down the rush towards Christmas and focus on hope, peace, joy, and love in our lives. This can be such a busy time with all the preparations and expectations for Christmas. The Advent message to lay straight the path and smooth the road are calls for us to take some time to focus on the blessings we have in our lives and how they can be shared with others. I love the season of Advent in a school where students are working on poems, stories, art, songs, and projects that celebrate the season. The story of Mary and Joseph making their way to Bethlehem and ending up in a stable for the birth of Jesus is shared and explored in many ways. It is great to view this season through the eyes of our students.

As always, prior to a break, we will be flipping our Thursday and Friday Schedules.

Thursday, December 16 will be a full day of instruction for students in grades 1-6 and a half day for all Kindergarten students.

Friday, December 17th will be a half day for all students in Grades 1-6 and there is no school for our littlest students in Kindergarten.

Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 4th.

Each year our families join together, demonstrating the true meaning of Christmas. This year, there were 70 children on our Giving Tree. It is a true testament to the presence of Jesus in our families as every child on our tree will receive a gift to open on Christmas morning. We wish to express how grateful we are for you, the parents of JPI who are here to support all members of our school community. We are blessed.!

The staff and students were lead by our amazing team of Behaviour Specialist to take a moment to reflect on what brings us joy. Students responses included: Family, my mom, my brother, Jesus, my dad, playing games with my sister, Christmas, food and friends.

Ask your child what they would write or did write on our "What Brings You Joy," bulletin board.

As we head into the Christmas break, Edmonton Catholic Schools is committed to keeping our families in the know about COVID-19 cases. We understand this information is important as you plan and prepare for the holidays. Alberta Health Services has assured us it will continue to notify our Division of the cases involving students or staff who were infectious while at school even after the final day of classes on December 17. We will share this information on the COVID-19 Notifications page on our website. This means if AHS determines there was a potential exposure at our school, the school's name, the cohort, and the date that the case was reported to us will be listed. We will also include the guidance and recommendations from AHS about monitoring your child for any COVID-19 symptoms. The website is updated every weekday around 5 pm, excluding holidays.

JPI Families: we have a Casino Fundraiser on March 30-31, 2022 at Pure Casino on Argyll Road and we need volunteers! We really need your help to fill these slots. The Casino is a very important fundraiser for our school! Grandparents, friends, or other family members are welcome to volunteer as well. Please be advised that all volunteers must have proof of full vaccination to volunteer at the casino. Thank you in advance for supporting your child and John Paul I Catholic Elementary School.

Here is an update on your School Councils' Fundraising Efforts:

FunScript raised a profit of 489.04, Healthy Hunger raised a profit of 544.98 from the sale of Poinsettias! Thank you for supporting the fundraising efforts of your Parent Council.

Our next School Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 12 at 6:00 pm. It will be done virtually via Teams. Please click on the link below to join us!

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Y2I5NGJmYjctYzhhMy00YTdjLWJhNjMtYzM0MmNhMmM0YzI3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b18d9f6f-0743-460d-a19b-0b3297eeeb89%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%226da56be9-dfe7-49a3-a03f-090ab6c585b8%22%7d