St. John Paul II Collegiate
"The Journal" - November 2021 Edition
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ!”
St. John Paul II
Dear Parents:
We invite all St. John Paul II Collegiate families to celebrate Catholic Education Sunday on Sunday, November 7th at any of the following masses!
- Okotoks - St. James Church: Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5:00 pm and Sunday, Nov. 7 at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 5:00 pm
- Black Diamond – St. Michael’s Church: Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5:00 pm and Sunday, Nov. 7 at 9:00 am
We are blessed with a vibrant Catholic education system in Alberta - let us pray for and protect this gift!
Father Vincent and Father Troy will continue visiting our school and serving us through classroom visits, offering Eucharistic Adoration, reconciliation, and joining us for liturgies and other special school events. We appreciate the support of our parish team!
Please click HERE for the St. James Parish website.
Students will honour our veterans and pray for all those affected by war during our Remembrance Day ceremony on November 10th. We will be blessed this year to have a former graduate of our school, Byron Appleby, visit and address our students. As Byron currently serves in the Canadian Forces, and having been deployed to Afghanistan, Ukraine, and various other locales, he will be a relatable model of service for our students.
I encourage parents to book Parent/Teacher Interviews via Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 25th to take advantage of the opportunity to stay connected with your child’s classes and teachers. Please see the article in this newsletter for more information on Parent/Teacher Interviews.
Mark your calendars for our next Parent Council meeting on Tues., Nov. 9th at 7:00 p.m., with a focus on social media and screen time.
Saint John Paul II, pray for us…
Saint Jean-Paul II, priez pour nous…
God Bless,
Marco Pacione
Principal
St. JPII School Council Meeting
Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00 pm
All parents welcome to attend – this meeting will be held in Zoom via this link.
Our parent education focus for this month’s meeting is on social media and screen time, with CTR’s Director of Learning, Mrs. Cheryl Kuemper presenting. Cheryl has been instrumental in implementing CTR’s #Relationships in a Digital Age initiative and will touch on these topics during her presentation:
- Overview of CTR’s #Relationships in a Digital Age initiative – updates for the 2021/2022 school year.
- Advice for parents: How to navigate and encourage positive decision-making and communicate consequences to teenagers, related to their online interactions.
- Tips on protecting children (apps and other services which can assist parents with security, etc.).
- Current statistics and research – what are the current trends related to social media and screen time which parents should be aware of?
For more information or to connect on any matter related to Parent Council, please feel free to contact Parent Council Chair, Mrs. Leslie Van der Maarel at leslie.vandermaarel@gmail.com.
Remembrance Week
During Remembrance Week (November 4 to 11), there will be a variety of information available each day for students to learn about our past, and deepen their understanding of why remembrance is important.
Poppies will be available in the front office, and we ask for a $1 donation for the poppies. All money for poppies goes to the Poppy Fund.
Our Remembrance Day Liturgy will be on Wednesday, November 10 via zoom. We look forward to celebrating together, and yet apart, as we do our readings and speeches from The Rock (at the front of the school).
We are excited to have Master Corporal Byron Appleby join us as our speaker. Master Corporal Appleby is currently serving with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, and he is a former student of CTR. We look forward to zooming our service to each classroom. Our faith and our commitment to remembrance will bring us together, even when we must celebrate apart.
Beginning this first week of November, we have a unique and amazing opportunity to form a connection with school children in the Netherlands who, each Christmas Eve, place candles on the graves of Canadian soldiers buried in Groesbeek Cemetery. We are pleased to be included in this initiative, started at St. Mary’s School, by Mrs. Boynton. At St. JPII, students, staff, and parents may adopt a grave for a $1 donation. When you adopt a grave, you will receive a prayer card with the name of a soldier buried at Groesbeek, and a prayer that you can say for that soldier, his family, and for those who currently serve our nation. We encourage you to look up the name of your adopted soldier, using the Canadian Virtual War Memorial (https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial), and finding your soldier’s burial place on the twenty-two foot poster at the front of the school. The funds raised by the schools will be donated to Candles for Remembrance, which provides candles and transportation for the students who place the candles on the graves of the fallen.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. McGeachie at amcgeachie@redeemer.ab.ca
PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held virtually this year, on the evening of Thursday, November 25th, from 12:30 - 8:30 pm. The booking system will open on November 19th at 8:00 am, and will be accessed via the Parent Portal to allow parents to book Zoom meetings with teachers. In-person meetings are still possible by special request. Please contact the teacher directly if this is your preference, after booking your time slot.
Booking instructions and further information will be posted to the Resources section of our website prior to November 20th.
To view your child's Grades and Attendance, click here to login to the Parent Portal.
NOTE:
Early Dismissal for Thursday, November 25 at 11:33am
No School on Friday, November 26th in lieu of the evening interviews.
AS WINTER APPROACHES
- Please note that students are not permitted into the school until 8:20 am, so please ensure that your children are dressed appropriately as the cold weather approaches.
- Bus delays are always possible during winter weather, click here for route status and view Inclement Weather Bus Procedures here.
A message from your Phys-Ed team!
Hey Students! Did you take a look outside this morning? Perhaps you even checked the weather app. Did you pack a jacket? Maybe a toque? Maybe a change of socks in case your feet get wet?
These are all things that you should be doing when your PE class ventures outside (which will be often). Please ensure you are prepared!
- Warm jacket
- Hat
- Gloves
- Change of socks
- Shoes that can get wet
Backpack Campaign Update
As many of you know, we at St. JPII have been supporting our local communities through our annual Backpack Campaign for the past 15 + years. Due to COVID and all the protocols in place to keep the members of our JPII community safe, our Backpack Campaign will look much different this year. We plan to continue supporting our local community during the season of giving by assisting The Magic Of Christmas Campaign with gift cards. In the near future, we will be sending out another email with details as to how you and your family can help out. If by chance, you have already purchased items to donate to the Backpack Campaign, we will happily accept them and put them into storage until next year.
Stacey MacNeil & Jennifer Quinlan
STUDENT INFORMATION UPDATE FORMS
Student Information Update forms have been sent out from School Engage. Please watch for this notification and submit the form promptly.
These forms are used to collect updated parent and emergency contacts, in addition to medical information for your children. The more accurate information we have, the safer your children are in our care!
If you require assistance with your Parent Portal username or password, or you have general questions, please contact Genelle Garagan at 403-938-4600 or ggaragan@redeemer.ab.ca .
ONLINE PERMISSION FORMS
If you have not yet registered for School Cash online please do so today. Registration is easy! Click here to sign in or register if you have not yet done so.
For assistance please contact Jan Marie Naccarato at 403-938-4600, or by email at jnaccarato@redeemer.ab.ca.
THE ST. JPII YEARBOOK IS BACK FOR 2021-22!!
This year's full-colour yearbook is now available to order via School Cash Online! Take advantage of the early bird price of $30 by ordering before November 30th. After November 30th, yearbooks will be the full price of $35 until ordering closes on January 31st.
COVID SYMPTOMS AND PROCEDURES
KEEPING IT HEALTHY AT ST. JPII!
FAMILY SCHOOL LIAISON
November is Family Violence Prevention month, click here for available supports offered by the Alberta Government.
Our Family School Liaison Worker, Cindy Zarn, is here to support students in working on various barriers to their success at school. She offers one-on-one meetings with students who might want guidance for struggles at home, mental health issues, navigating peer relationships, bullying, coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and related stresses. Cindy can also offer information and referrals to community supports.
Please call or email if you have any questions or concerns. We will work together to support your child to be successful this year!
Phone: 403-938-4600
Email: czarn@redeemer.ab.ca
PARENT COUNCIL
St. JPII School Council Meeting
Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00 pm
All parents welcome to attend – this meeting will be held in Zoom via this link.
Our parent education focus for this month’s meeting is on social media and screen time, with CTR’s Director of Learning, Mrs. Cheryl Kuemper presenting. Cheryl has been instrumental in implementing CTR’s #Relationships in a Digital Age initiative and will touch on these topics during her presentation:
- Overview of CTR’s #Relationships in a Digital Age initiative – updates for the 2021/2022 school year.
- Advice for parents: How to navigate and encourage positive decision-making and communicate consequences to teenagers, related to their online interactions.
- Tips on protecting children (apps and other services which can assist parents with security, etc.).
- Current statistics and research – what are the current trends related to social media and screen time which parents should be aware of?
For more information or to connect on any matter related to Parent Council, please feel free to contact Parent Council Chair, Mrs. Leslie Van der Maarel at leslie.vandermaarel@gmail.com.
STUDENT PICKUP AND OFFICE DELIVERIES
- If it is necessary to pickup your child during the school day for appointments or illness please call the office ahead of time, 403-938-4600, and we will send your child out to meet you when you arrive. (as much notice as possible is appreciated as it takes time to locate students in certain classes)
- Absences/lates can be reported 24 hours a day at jp2-attendance@redeemer.ab.ca.
- We are trying our best to minimize the number of people coming into the building and discourage office deliveries during the school day. We do understand that there are occurrences where it cannot be avoided and ask that you call the office to make arrangements in these cases.
General office inquiries can be sent to jp2-office@redeemer.ab.ca.
Thanks for your help with this!
CAFETERIA REMAINS TEMPORARILY CLOSED
We had planned on opening our school cafeteria this November, but in partnership with our cafeteria small-business contractor, have made a decision to postpone that opening until the New Year as we continue to monitor the community health situation.
Looking for resources to support your French Immersion children?
**Click on the links below to access some great resource websites**
PEANUT & TREE NUT / SHELLFISH AWARENESS
We have students with severe allergies to nuts (peanuts and tree nuts) and shellfish. We will endeavor to ensure that tree nut or peanut products are not served through the school's Cafeteria Services, or used in the Foods classes. St. John Paul II Collegiate additionally requests the assistance and cooperation of staff, students and parents by asking you to please refrain from bringing into the school, peanuts, tree nuts (or products containing peanuts, tree nuts) and shellfish. We realize that it is impossible to guarantee an allergen-free environment, but it is our hope that if we can raise awareness of the issue and receive the cooperation of all parties to this policy, the likelihood of an allergic reaction occurring or someone becoming ill can be significantly reduced.
St. John Paul II Collegiate
Email: jp2-office@redeemer.ab.ca
Website: http://www.stjohnpaul2collegiate.ca/
Location: 53 Cimarron Drive, Okotoks, AB, Canada
Phone: (403) 938-4600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StJPII/