Choose Joy!
Week of January 18, 2021
January Sacred Teaching: Wisdom
3MK Rocks and Minerals
Pink Shirt Day
February 24th is Pink Shirt Day and our school will be encouraging
everyone to wear pink and Practice Kindness!!
If you already have a pink shirt in your closet that is fantastic! And if you would like to
purchase one we have the opportunity , through Staples, to order one designed
by Jeremiah Peters, a Coast Salish artist from WSÁNEĆ.
"I chose the thunderbird for their great strength and protection, the wings wrapped
around the child's face, from the biggest hearts to the smallest."
The cost of the shirt is $10 and includes shipping and taxes. Any surplus from the t-shirt
sales will be used to support OLA's Chalice Foster Child Ivo Mapunda in Tanzania.
The order form will open Monday, January 11th at 12:00 pm. Orders can be placed through your PowerSchool Account. Please sign into your account and select Student Fees. This takes you to a new screen where you will select your students name. In the "due now" section you will see an option to add T-shirt sizes to your cart. Once you have completed the order form please proceed to the cart to check out and pay for your order. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Mrs. Desaulniers at 780-998-3716 or email susande@eics.ab.ca.
Staples will be supplying the T-Shirts. Once they arrive at the school they will be distributed to those who ordered them.
Deadline for orders is January 20th at midnight.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to our 12 winners of the VIP Viewing Packages! Together the OLA Family raised $833 for Valeda House and Catholic Social Services. Thank you, abundantly, for spreading so much hope to many women and children who will find much peace because of you!
The winners were:
Luke, T/Th Kindergarten
Eurik, T/Th Kindergarten
Ethan, T/Th Kindergarten
Baron, M/W Kindergarten
Mason, T/Th Kindergarten
Emmett, Grade 1
Mateo, Grade 2
Marin, Grade 4
Mya, Grade 3
Tyler, Grade 4
Cole, Grade 3
Some Things Will Never Change
No matter what is going on around us, there are many things that will never change at OLA:
Children and families will be welcomed with joy and experience the love of Christ.
As family, we will work together to support and encourage one another.
The social, emotional and spiritual wellness of your child, OLA staff and families will continue to be priorities
Ensuring children learn and grow in a safe, caring and loving environment is an essential condition
We will laugh, love and grow together.
Joy and gratitude will keep us grounded with Grace.
Our Faith, Literacy and Numeracy are educational priorities
We will continue to grow and learn together
Decisions for optimal learning and growing will be research based
You are Loved. First, Last & Always.
Outdoor Free Play is Good for Growing Brains
Mme Gravelle, Look! There's a hidden message under the snow!
For Everyone's Safety and Wellness
At OLA, student, staff and family wellness continue to be priorities. Our many protocols and processes are in place to ensure exactly that:
- Daily Screening
- Hand Hygiene
- Respiratory Hygiene
- Enhanced Cleaning
- Cohorting
- Routines to create space (ie. Colour Groups)
- Learning space organization for distance maximization
- Closed campus
- Mask wearing
For more information please visit the EICS Re-Entry page.
Yes to Masks!
Masks must be worn to sing in our music program and singing in a large portion of the Alberta Fine Arts curriculum. Masks are also required for small group and one-on-one work with the teacher to help facilitate your child's successful learning.
Thank you for supporting your child in wearing their mask.
This week @ OLA
Week 2 of Power Options
Provincial Accountability Survey open to Grade 4 Parents
Break the Rules week!
January 18, 2021
- It's a GREAT day to Choose Joy!
- Break the Rules begins today - I wonder what the Mystery Option will be today! It changes every day!
- PM: Collaborative Team Meetings with Grade Level Teams to respond to student learning
January 19, 2021
- Let's Choose Joy together!
- Break the Rules Continues!
January 20, 2021
- Staff Morning Mass @ 8:00am
- Virtual Morning Announcements and every Wednesday
More spectacular learning and growing while we break the rules!
January 21, 2021
A great day to be in community together!
We are joyfully breaking the rules together today!
January 22, 2021
- Saffron Grade Level Presentations
- Friyay! Where will you Choose Joy today?
- Last Day to Break the Rules! Thank you for supporting Ivo in Tanzania!
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To see what is up and coming even further ahead, please visit our website calendar.
You can view our Kindergarten Calendar here.
Break the Rules - January 18 - 22, 2021
For more information, please see this slide show presentation and enjoy the video below from 4P!!
Bring in your money each day for each rule you'd like to break. Money will be received and counted following all of the EICS safety protocols.
Yes, there is also a Mystery Option that changes every day!
Thank you in advance for having some fun this week, and raising money to support our Chalice Foster Ivo in Tanzania!
Celebrating Our Present and Guiding Our Future
-
January kicks off the month when we gather your feedback in four key areas:
- Faith Formation
- Quality Teaching and Learning
- Wellness
- Engagement and Improvement
Your past feedback helped to shape our direction which is captured in our OLA Assurance Plan linked here and available on our ola.eics.ab.ca website under "About."
Where do we see an example of how these surveys and compiled data impact OLA's direction? Here are a few examples:
- 2019-2020 Student and parent feedback indicated a desire for more frequent Power Options to dig deeper in areas of interest in the curriculum and engage student learning differently. Last year Power Options were 1 hour, once per month. This year, Power Options are 1 hour, once per week! Your voice matters!
- We continually aim to grow and learn together, and have welcomed Kokum Doreen to OLA to help us learn about the Seven Sacred Teachings positively impacting the quality of our teaching and learning in Truth and Reconciliation.
- Compiling the results of standardized Numeracy Assessments have improved learning and teaching by establishing coaching and collaborative learning opportunities for high yield learning strategies in Math, namely Number Talks. This is a whole-school initiative to improve quality teaching and learning in Numeracy.
- Children's desire to come to school, to be present with each other and their teachers indicates our focus on wellness and our Faith especially relating to how we treat each other, is working well - so we continue to do our great work in these areas. Your voice matters!
Who will be completing the Surveys?
Grade 4 students will be sharing their voice at school by participating in the Provincial Accountability Survey as well as the EICS Assurance Survey.
All families are invited to share their voice in the EICS Assurance Survey which will come to your email inbox (please check your junk mail.) In addition, Grade 4 families will be invited to complete the Provincial Accountability Survey online or on paper.
Thank you in advance for your participation in these surveys and sharing your voice.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mme Gravelle at 780-998-3716.
2C Numeracy: Building Patterns
Saffron Presentation Information
Mental Health Foundation
Power Options
Be Part of OLA's Career Day!
How are we preparing OLA children for their futures? Every day we prepare children for their next stages of learning, to set them up for bright futures. This year we are also preparing them by introducing them to possible future careers with with Career Day! And we are calling for your help!
We are engaging our community to be part of OLA's Career Day!
In a normal year we would open wide our doors and welcome moms, dads and extended family to come and chat with children about their careers...As we continue to focus on what we can do, we invite you to share your career with our OLA students through video!
We are inviting family and friends to send us videos of you and your career for all OLA children to watch, discuss, research, explore and expand their knowledge of possible future careers choices. This Career Day project engages our community and brings our amazing OLA family together in new ways!
What’s in the video?
Here are ideas for your video…Thank you for including some of the following
2 - 3 minutes long
Your job title and name
Where you work and/or your workspace
Why you chose this job/career
Show uniform if you wear one / safety equipment needed
What do you do all day/responsibilities
If working from home sharing how you are working from work
What are the cool things you get to do or see
Something special or unique about your job
How long did it take you go to school for or train to do your job
Here’s a quick sample video created by Mme Gravelle:
Ready...Set...Action!!
How to get your videos to us:
IOS/Iphone Users: Please use Mail Drop to olamedia@eics.ab.ca.
Android Users: Please share by creating a link and sending it to ola@eics.ab.ca
If you have any questions or troubles, please give us a call at 780-998-3716
Thank you in advance for your videos!
Thank you for sending us your videos by January 27th.
What else is happening for Career Day?
February 1 - 3 classes will watch the videos and explore different activities connected to future careers. On Wednesday February 3, OLA’s School Spirit Day and early dismissal, students are encouraged to “Dress for Success”, and dress for a future career of their choice!
1MW: Numeracy: Representing Numbers in a Variety of Ways
When it's -25 Degrees Celsius...
We will be playing indoors, and to do so we are asking for any donations of:
- Scrabble letter squares
- Magnetic letters
- Chalk board erasers
- Complete Board Game sets
- Decks of Cards
- Puzzles
Thank you to the families who have already donated items! They are and will be well used!
Sacramental Preparation Registration Now Open
Relationships are powerful.
Celebrating Sacraments deepens a child's relationship with our loving God.
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Parish is helping families to prepare their children for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. We welcome children in grade 2 and older.
Baptism is the first Sacrament children can receive, and in order to celebrate First Reconciliation or First Eucharist, children are to be baptized first. Not baptized - No problem! Please contact OLA Catholic Parish and 780-998-3288 and they will will happily help you.
Parents or guardians should register their children at the Parish Office. In preparation for their sacramental journey and to encourage relationships with Jesus and within our Parish family, each candidate is welcomed and encouraged to attend all classes on their sacramental journey.
We are now accepting registrations for sacramental preparation. Please email or drop off completed forms with fee to the parish.
Fee of $40.00 for the two sacraments (First Reconciliation and Eucharist). Please provide a copy of the baptism certificate if not baptized in one of our parishes.
E-mail forms to: olangels.ftsask@caedm.ca (We accept e-transfer of fees to the same email address.)
For those only registering for First Eucharist the fee is $20.00, Please provide date and parish of Reconciliation on the registration form.
Please click here for the Registration Form.
From our OLA Parish
Dear Parents,
These last number of months have posed challenges to nearly everything we want to do in our lives. The continued growth of our life of faith is no exception since gathering together is integral to the experience of faith. However, we will not let CoVid get in the way of our young people receiving the Sacraments, even if preparing and celebrating them looks different.
In the life of the Church, the effort to educate our children has always been seen as a cooperative of church-parish-home, with the primary educators in the faith always being the parents. The pandemic is pushing us to put that into practice, so this year we will be asking more from you the parents in preparing your children to receive the Sacraments, while still being supported by the parish along the way. We have set up a home-based program for Sacramental preparation, combined with online support for parents and a couple of socially distanced activities at the church.
Attached you will find a schedule of events that you will be asked to pre-register for on the parish website. Also, I would like to request that each parent sign up for “Flocknote” by texting “letuspray” to 514-900-0130. Flocknote is a texting service and allows me to send you notes and reminders during preparation. Once signed up, include yourself in the group your child belongs (i.e. “Confirmation”). You can stop the texts at any time by texting back “STOP”.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at the parish 780-998-3288 or kris.schmidt@caedm.ca.
In Christ,
Fr. Kristopher Schmidt
1st Reconciliation and 1st Communion
Registration begins: January 4, 2021
Registration closes: January 22, 2021
Pick up resource at the parish: January 25-29, 2021
1st Reconciliation
(Optional)
Parent ZOOM meeting #1: February 4 @6:30pm or February 6 @11am
Parent ZOOM meeting #2: February 18 @6:30pm or February 20 @11am
(Choice)
Teaching mass: February 11 @6:30pm or February 13 @11am
(All attend)
Reconciliation retreat and celebration: March 6, 2021 10:00-12:30pm
1st Communion
(Optional)
Parent ZOOM meeting #1: March 11 @6:30pm or March 13 @11am
Parent ZOOM meeting #2: March 25 @6:30pm or March 27 @11am
(Choice)
Kids adoration: March 18 @6:30pm or March 20 @11am
(All attend)
1st Communion Retreat: April 10, 2021 11:00-12noon
1st Communion Celebration: April 11, 2021 11:30am
Resources for parents
Home guide training video:
https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/14010/
Reconciliation home guide:
https://www.smp.org/dynamicmedia/files/3a1832cb52dabd952ca9f1712b327377/R4500RHG_Rec_HG.pdf
Eucharist home guide:
https://www.smp.org/dynamicmedia/files/6488adc35158fa59c4b7b54764fa47b0/R4500EHG_Euc_HG.pdf
Exercises for Reconciliation
Daily family prayer challenge
- if you don’t have the practice of family prayer already, pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1
Glory be, 1 thing you’re thankful for, and 1 person to pray for every night before bed.
Exercises for 1st Communion
Daily family prayer challenge
- if you don’t have the practice of family prayer already, pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1
Glory be, 1 thing you’re thankful for, and 1 person to pray for every night before bed.
1MW in the Gym
See you Tuesday, March 2nd @ 11:00 am.
See you at our next meeting, on Tuesday, March 2nd @ 11:00am
Google Meet link will be shared with you that day.
Thank you for checking your email inbox or spam/junk folder.
To connect with your OLA School Council, please email schoolcouncil.ola@gmail.com.
Playground Society Meeting Minutes January 6, 2021
Click below to order your OLA Spirit Wear!
When We Work Hard, We Can Play Hard
Student Illness and your Child's Learning
- Fever, Cough, Shortness of Breath or difficulty breathing, Runny Nose, Sore Throat, Chills Painful swallowing, Stuffy Nose, Headache, Muscle or joint aches, Feeling unwell, fatigue or severe exhaustion, Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or unexplained loss of appetite), Loss of sense of smell or taste, Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.
Please email Mrs. Desaulniers, susande@eics.ab.ca and cc: your child's homeroom teacher to share what symptoms your child is experiencing as well as an approximate date for your child's return so we can plan for your child's learning and growing in Literacy and Numeracy while away.
Thank you for continuing to connect with us with your child's test results.
Alberta Health Documents
Looking Ahead...
January 25-29, 2021
- Adoration @OLA
- Parents Pick up Sacramental Preparation resource at OLA Parish this week
- EICS Assurance Survey Begins - Please check your email inbox or junk mail
- Career Day Videos due to OLA - Thank you for your participation!
January 28, 2021
- Saffron Parent Presentation for OLA - Internet Safety via Zoom
January 29, 2021
- In School Staff Learning Day - No School
- Kindergarten and Grade 1-4 Registration opens for 2021-2022 School Year
- Djembes Drums arrive @ OLA!
- Career Week Begins
February 3, 2021
- School Spirit Day - Career Day
- Early Dismissal - 2:19pm
- Progress Reports available on PowerSchool
February 4 - 5, 2021
- Teachers' Convention - No School
February 8, 2021
- Cohort Assemblies
February 15, 2021
- Family Day - No School
February 16, 2021
- Shrove Tuesday
February 17, 2021
- Ash Wednesday
- Lent begins
- I Read Canada Day
KINDERGARTEN IN EICS
Independence, initiative, decision making, creativity, the ability to learn, relationships and feelings of self-worth - all have their beginnings in early childhood. We believe that each child is unique and, together with parents as our partners, we build upon children's natural curiosity and spontaneity, encouraging and supporting them as they take their first step into school.
Please note that Kindergarten registration for the 2021-2022 school year will be available online on Saturday, February 1st, 2021.
Eligibility Starting Date for Kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year:
To register for Kindergarten in the 2021-2022 school year, your child must be five years old on or before December 31, 2021.
Preschool Registraion
Telus Internet for Good
In the current landscape of physical distancing, access to fast, reliable connectivity has never been more essential. TELUS Internet for Good helps low-income families stay connected, empowering youth to safely learn from home.
School Fees
School fees have now been added to your PowerSchool ParentPortal and are now due. Payment can be made by debit or credit card by visiting your PowerSchool account.
If you require assistance signing into your account please call Mrs. Desaulniers at 780-998-3716 or email susande@eics.ab.ca.
Field trip: to date all field trips involving bussing are cancelled. Virtual field trips and walking trips may still occur. Once these have been finalized we will share the field trip fee for payment
All unpaid fees by March 1, 2021 may be sent to a collections agency.
Free Workshop for Parents!
Our Lady of the Angels School
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
T8L 1W7
Email: ola@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://ola.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9622 Sherridon Drive, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: (780)998-3716
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/OLASchoolFtSask/photos/?ref=page_internal
Twitter: @OLAFortSask