SILC News

Prayer for the Second Sunday's Advent Wreath Lighting

On Sunday, please take a special moment as a family to light the second candle in your Advent wreath. This is a special and holy time for your family. You may use the prayer below inspired by a quote by Saint Josemaría Escrivá, or another prayer of your choosing:

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus... Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word.” Then the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:30-31; 38a).

"Our mother is a model of correspondence to grace. If we contemplate her life, our Lord will give us the light we need to divinize our everyday existence … First, let us imitate her love. Charity cannot be content with just nice feelings; it must find its way into our conversations and, above all, into our deeds. The Virgin did not merely pronounce her fiat; in every moment she fulfilled that firm and irrevocable decision. So should we."

In Mary, we see the true power of one 'yes.' May we use this Advent season to prepare our hearts to give God our 'yes' as well.

Amen.

Setting aside time to be together as a family strengthens our love for each other and for God, especially at this busy time of the year. This activity calendar offers a suggested simple family activity for each day, Sunday, November 27, the first day of Advent, through Monday, January 9, The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Basket of Blessings

This advent EICS is continuing to partner with Catholic Social Services to support women and children in Lurana Shelter.

Lurana is a 21 day domestic abuse emergency shelter. The women and children who stay there have nowhere else to go. Their home is unsafe. They may have left their home with only the clothes on their back. They need the staff in CSS’ Lurana shelter to help them heal.

When they arrive at Lurana CSS staff will give them a bedroom to stay in. Staff will also provide them with a Basket of Blessings purchased by the students, teachers and parents of Elk Island Catholic School Division.

With your donations staff will purchase an adult basket and/or a children’s basket(s). Each basket will be tailored to the specific needs of women and children as they enter Lurana shelter.

Our SILC Goal is $300 (3 baskets)

St. Isidore (SILC) Team link

https://www.canadahelps.org/s/naRknJ

SILC's 3rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest

Our St. Isidore Learning Centre (SILC) family is spread across numerous cities and towns! So we wanted to have some fun despite being far apart.

Ready for a little friendly competition? Join our 3rd Annual GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION!

TOP submission in each grade category will be recognized (Prizes to be determined!)

***PICTURES MUST BE EMAILED BY 4 PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16TH****

JUDGING TO BE DONE BY THE SILC TEACHERS ON MONDAY DECEMBER 19TH

Category #1: Grades 1- 3

Category #2: Grades 4-6

Category #3: Grades 7- 9

Category #4: Grades 10- 12

SEND pictures to Mrs. Oikonen christyo@eics.ab.ca. Please have name and Grade in email

Check out out site for cool inspiration, recipes, and of course... the rules :)

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/silcgingerbreadhouse/home?pli=1

SILC Junior High ENGAGEMENT DAY!!!

The SILC Junior High teachers are inviting you to the drop-in centre on December 15th! Starting at 9am, we will be offering pastries, hot chocolate, and teacher support for you to get engaged with your courses! We will also take a break for some board games before lunch. RSVP to brandon.geiger@eics.ab.ca and please remember to bring headphones if you plan to work independently.

Semester 1 Deadline Fast Approaching

Are you hoping to finish your high school course for semester one? Are you taking another course semester two? If so, these deadlines are IMPORTANT for you!

All students who are wishing to complete their course in Semester 1 so they can have the necessary prerequisite for Semester 2 MUST complete course work by January 17/23.

Again, this is ONLY for high school students who are working in Semesters.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your teachers.

Diploma Exams begin Thursday, January 12th and your Semester 1 marks are due this week!

See the calendar at the end of the newsletter and write your Diploma Exam Dates down!

Please check PowerSchool to keep tabs on your marks. Teachers will place a temporary "0%" in when your work has not been handed in and is overdue. It is so important to attend to your learning on a regular basis.

It's never too early to prepare for your Math 30 Diploma Exams in January!

Here you will find some local Math 30 Diploma Prep courses. Everything you need to know to prepare yourselves for the Diploma Exam.

Math 30-1 Online Diploma Preparation

https://mathpqjq.com/diploma-preparation-math-30-1/

Math 30-2 Online Diploma Preparation

https://mathpqjq.com/diploma-prep-math-30-2/

Elementary Classroom

Hello from Mrs.Oikonen!

Welcome to Week 14 of online learning! Please encourage and help your child with their Christmas Concert submission. Many hands make for a great Christmas concert! Check out the poster for more details or if you have any questions, please email me.

We also have a SILC Gingerbread Contest starting this week. Click the link below to check out the details!

Silc Gingerbread Contest

We will be having individual meets for the next 2 weeks. You can sign up now! There are links in the newsletters and on our December calendar. Just a reminder that there will be no google meets on Thursday as I will be at a curriculum meeting all day.

Here is what we will be doing this week.

GrACE Newsletter for November

Blessings of Advent!

Attached please find the most recent GrACE newsletter highlighting news and events in Catholic education across Alberta and NWT this past month. Please read, share and distribute to all stakeholders in Catholic schools.

November GrACE Newsletter: GrACE News - Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta (ccssa.ca)

Your support and prayers make a difference. Thank you!

Alberta Education Engagement on Grades 7-12 Career Education Programming

I am pleased to assist the Career Education Task Force in announcing engagement opportunities for Albertans to provide input on career education programming for students in grades 7 to 12. Led by Shane Getson, parliamentary secretary for Economic Corridors, the task force is listening to Albertans across the province to determine how to innovate and strengthen career education programming for students and employers.

From now until December 9, 2022, the task force would like to hear from students in grades 7 to 12, parents, teachers, career counsellors, post-secondary educators, employers and young adults. Albertans can share ideas at online and in- person engagement sessions in 11 communities across the province. They are encouraged to participate in their region or

they have the flexibility to attend any session that works best for them. During the sessions, participants will be able to provide local insights on career education programming and hear the unique perspectives of others.

There are also online surveys for the public and students in grade 7 to 12 to provide feedback on career education programming. Albertans can register for an engagement session, take the survey and sign up for career education updates

at alberta.ca/career-education-task-force.

On behalf of the Alberta government, thank you for your support as we continue our work to build better connections between schools and employers. Your feedback will help the task force ensure that Alberta’s future career education programming prepares students for new opportunities in our increasingly diversified labour market.

Sincerely,

Adriana LaGrange

Minister of Education

Alberta Health Services (AHS) Survey - Childhood Immunizations

Alberta Health Services understands that there is a lot of information available to Albertans about immunization. This can be stressful and confusing for parents and guardians.

AHS would like to hear from Alberta families about routine childhood immunization for children newborn to age 15 years. We want to talk to you about your thoughts, ideas, concerns, and opinions on immunizations, particularly for your children. Please share your thoughts by completing the survey below by December 31, 2022.

https://together4health.albertahealthservices.ca/childhood-immunization