Sister Alphonse Academy Newsflash!
21/May/2021
Dear Sister Alphonse Academy Families!
Dear Parents/Guardians:
As we close out this week of learning, we wish all of our SAA families a safe and happy long weekend! We know that this year has had a few challenges with the pandemic, but we know that God has always been with us on this journey.
Thank you to all parents/guardians who worked so hard at supporting their child (children) during online learning! We are looking forward to seeing all of our students in K - 9 back in our building on Tuesday morning!!!
Take care, God bless and see you soon.
Christine Samson, Principal
Cindy Phillips, Vice Principal
SAA Upcoming events:
Upcoming events: Week of May 25, 2021
Monday, May 24 - Victoria Day holiday - No school
Tuesday, May 25 - Exciting day of learning: Ordinary time begins - Green
Wednesday, May 26 - Kona Ice Food Truck Fun! Exciting day of learning
Thursday, May 27 - SAA Spirit wear day! Wear your SAA clothing or blue and green!
Friday, May 28 - No Kindergarten today. Grades 1 - 9: Exciting day of learning
Looking ahead?
***Please note more dates/events may be added to the June calendar as information is finalized.
*Please see some information within the newsletter regarding the Junior High exams which was shared earlier in the year with Junior High parents.
Wednesday, June 9th - Junior High Part A Language Arts written in class exam.
Friday, June 11th - Grade nine virtual farewell! This will be available virtually for families to watch.
Grade 7 & 8: Team building afternoon activities. During the Grade nine farewell, our grade 7 and 8 students will have physical education and team building activities planned. More details regarding the Grade 9 farewell and Grades 7/8 activity afternoon will be shared in a letter to our junior high parents that will be shared soon.
Tuesday, June 15th - Marty Chan author virtual visit at SAA.
Thursday, June 17th - Junior High English Language Arts Part 2 Exam
Friday, June 18th - Junior High Math Final Exam
Last day of Kindergarten
Kindergarten report cards - Electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Monday, June 21st - Indigenous Peoples Day! No exams
Tuesday, June 22nd - Grade six celebration!
Junior High Science Exam
Wednesday, June 23rd - Junior High Social Final exam
Thursday, June 24th - Grades 1 - 6 Report Cards electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Friday, June 25th - Junior High report cards electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Sister Alphonse Academy will be offering a Pre-K Program!
As per our Superintendent's address, some of our GSACRD schools will be offering Pre-K for the 2021/2022 school year, and Sister Alphonse Academy is one of the them! Please note this program has limited spaces.
"Our Division will expand its Pre-Kindergarten programming in the 2021-2022 school year. Our Pre-Kindergarten program helps children to become confident learners and to be more prepared for Kindergarten. If your child was born in 2017 and will attend Kindergarten in Fall 2022, I encourage you to visit our website for more information about programming and eligibility.
All GSACRD schools are now accepting registrations for the 2021-22 school year. We are delighted to welcome all returning students and new families alike. Register now!"
Getting Better Together!
Online Learning pictures for the yearbook!
Junior High Options
Students were having an opportunity to rotate through the Career and Technology Foundation options such as Foods and Drafting and Design when we moved to online learning. Students were completing a short unit of 5 weeks in each of the labs, then were rotating within the semester. The group that was in Foods and Design and Drafting will be switching this week and will spend the rest of the time experiencing another unit. Normally we run each of the options for a full semester, but due to Covid and the restrictions some of our specialty options were delayed. Running these options as units this semester is enabling students to experience some of the most popular options. Thank you for your support this year!
A Message from the City of St. Albert
New Garden Bench at SAA!
We know that this took a lot of your time and we just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate this beautiful bench. We are so looking forward to using this as part of our SAA garden space. God bless you!
St. Albert Catholic Parish News!
SAA students and staff enjoy Jersey Day!
Library/Learning Commons News!
Learning Commons News:
We have Makerspace kits!
From now until June 14, students from grade 3 and up will be able to check out specially designed kits which will allow them to create and learn. Each kit contains a book, QR codes, and some materials that will help them to create and learn. The topics range from painting to chess, and anything in between. Students can put these kits on hold by going into the library catalogue and searching for "Makerspace Kits". Grade 3 students will be able to check out kits from their library cart. Feel free to send in pictures of how you used your kit to lgamache@gsacrd.ab.ca , so Miss Gamache can see what you create or learned!
Library Return Date
With June just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about bringing our library books back. Our last book exchange of the year will be during the week of June 7th and all books will need to be returned on June 14th. Overdue notices will be sent out soon afterwards for any missing books. Please help your child bring their books back. Thank you in advance for your help!
Kona Ice Food Truck Fun!
Project Based Learning at work!
The 4-6 students created the inside and outside of 3D food trucks! They designed floor plans and applied the concepts of perimeter and area to make their plans come to life. Students researched and discussed practical food truck floor plans. Real-life learning took over!
Earlier this week, Mrs. Lobel was on a walk and ran into Jen Boyce, the owner of the Kona Ice truck. Jen opened up the back of her food truck, so pictures could be shared with the students. Thanks, Jen, for helping learning come to life and add to the excitement of conceptual learning! Many students saw Kona Ice in their neighborhood and even ran out during meets to buy an icy treat, meet Jen, and see her truck themselves.
The 45'ers are keeping their fingers crossed that we are back in school for when Kona Ice visits SAA.
Deadline to purchase your SAA yearbook is coming soon!
SAA Friends News!
Please see the attachment which includes the agenda for the last SAA Friends meeting for the year which is to be held on June 16, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. All parents are invited to attend this virtual meeting. Thank you!
ONGOING SAA FUNDRAISERS:
1. Campbell Park Bottle Depot - Ask for the receipt from the return of your bottles and cans to go towards 'Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy" envelope.2. FlipGive - Go to flipgive.com or get the FlipGive app. Enter code QYXC53 to earn a portion of proceeds for the school by purchasing gift cards and shopping online!
3. COBS DoughRaiser - Mention Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy at St. Albert location, and 5% of your purchase will go to Friends of SAA.
4. Oliver's Labels - http://www.oliverslabels.com/FriendsofSAA
5. Mabel's Labels - mabelslabels.ca - Click on 'Support a Fundraiser' and search for Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy (St. Albert)
Staples Orders for next year!
GSACRD Voice Parent Cafe!
Our next Parent Cafe is set for in a few weeks. Please feel free to use the following insert to share the information in regards to this event:
Please see attached the information for GSACRD Voice's next Parent Cafe on Consent Law - Thursday, May 27, 2021 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. As with all GSACRD Voice programming, this event is free and will be hosted virtually via Zoom. Please use this link to register and see attached poster for more information.
We hope to see you there!
Lauren Chow, BSc
Program Manager
Mental Health Capacity Building Initiative
GSACRD Voice
SAA Friends SPRING Plants Fundraiser
Important Message: Parent/Guardian Contact Information
Thanks!
News & Events from St. Albert Public Library
Our St Albert Public Library has many great activities and events for children and teens. The library also offers reading support for younger children through their reading buddies program. Additionally, the library staff can put together a reading collection for summer reading for your child based on their interests and reading level. You can contact the library with this link:
https://www.sapl.ca/contact-form.html
Children:
Please click on the link to read more about programs for children ages 5-10 years.
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/childrens-programs.html
Online programs:
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/online-programs.html
Teens:
The library has several events for preteens and teens (11-17 yrs) to join in.
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/teens.html
Most Fridays the hove Virtual Escape rooms. Click this link to learn more
https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3606010?hs=a
Other programs:
- For aspiring writers and creative types, Nisha's Poetry Writing workshop is on May 13th (grades 4-8): https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3606154 but she will be running other programs throughout the year if this one doesn't work out. As our Writer-In-Residence, Nisha can be contacted directly for any writing support - regionalwir@gmail.com She's amazing with young folks, so definitely encourage them to reach out!
- Summer Jobs 101 on May 29th will cover some basic info for anyone looking to get their first summer job and learn a bit about resources in the community. Would be especially interesting for anyone in grades 7-12: https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3605247
- There will be a summer reading game this year, but it will be adapted to suit public health restrictions. For the younger ages, there will be some outdoor events, and for the teens there will be virtual options with lots of prizes to win. Details will be announced on the website and calendar closer to June 2021.
SIGIS Childcare Summer Calendar!
Please note that we have SIGIS Childcare within our building at SAA! SIGIS would like to share their summer calendar with all families. Please see the attachment below for more information. Thank you!
Student Health & Safety
With students away from school during spring break, we are reminding students of the Covid-19 safety related protocols that are in place. Please help your child remember all of the expectations as this keeps all of us safe in school.
On August 4, grades 4-12 students and all staff have been asked to wear masks and mask use will be mandatory in common areas and when physical distancing of 2m is not possible. K-3 students are not required to wear masks, but mask use is encouraged as much as possible. Masks are to be worn while riding the bus as well.
Additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in every school and division office and additional hand sanitizer has been provided to schools to enable individuals to practice good hand hygiene.
It is recommended that individual-sized hand sanitizer bottles be purchased for your children so that they have this with them throughout the day. If you need to purchase another one for Monday please do so. Thank you.
Students please bring your own water bottle to school and do not share them. Water fountains will remain open and be cleaned regularly.
All students are asked to wear a mask to wear upon entry at school and when riding a school bus. Teachers will provide mask breaks. Prior to the break, students needed more reminders of continuing to do this so let’s have a new start again.
Grades 4 - 9 students: Please remember to wear your mask at all times when walking in the classroom and/or hallway and continue to maintain physical distance between one another.
During the spring season we will also be conducting a few more fire drills. The procedures and protocols will be reviewed with staff and students prior to the drill. Thank you!
Covid - Health & Safety Updates: Important message
Parents/Guardians:
Please check our our Covid-19 protocol updates in our parent handbook each week. Thank you so much for your continued diligence and support.
https://www.gsacrd.ab.ca/schoolreentry/parentguidebook
The Alberta Government has established stronger mandatory province-wide public health measures to help slow down the spread of the COVID-19.
Please open the link below to see an important change in the symptoms and isolating:
Alberta Health Daily Checklist - Please continue to screen your children for any symptoms BEFORE choosing to send them to school.
Covid-19 - How long to stay home from school
Thank you so much for your support!
GSACRD Summer School
Please visit summerschool.gsacrd.ab.ca
SAFETY PROTOCOL STUDENT RE-ENTRY REMINDERS
Before coming to school each day, all staff and students must complete the Alberta government’s COVID-19 Information Screening Questionnaire, which is available in multiple languages, to determine whether they can attend or must stay home. The form does not need to be submitted to the office. If your child has any symptoms, contact your school office to let your child’s school know. Everyone who enters a school will see a sign that reminds them to complete the daily COVID-19 Information Screening Questionnaire before entering the building.
Please remember to bring with you all of your books and supplies that are needed for school on Monday morning. Monday is a regular, full day of classes.
Please remember that we have four entrances for students. When you arrive at school please report to the same school door that you were using before the Christmas break.
On August 4, grades 4-12 students and all staff have been asked to wear masks and mask use will be mandatory in common areas and when physical distancing of 2m is not possible. K-3 students are not required to wear masks, but mask use is encouraged as much as possible. Masks are to be worn while riding the bus as well.
Students with pre-existing health conditions that cause symptoms of illness should be tested for COVID-19 at least once before returning to school. A negative test will help show that symptoms are related to their pre-existing conditions, and not to COVID-19. This will establish what their baseline for being healthy looks like. Families should notify their school about any pre-existing condition and the symptoms it causes. As long as these symptoms remain the same, the student can attend school.
Additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in every school and division office and additional hand sanitizer has been provided to schools to enable individuals to practice good hand hygiene.
It is recommended that individual-sized hand sanitizer bottles be purchased for your children so that they have this with them throughout the day. If you need to purchase another one for Monday please do so. Thank you.
Students please bring your own water bottle to school and do not share them. Water fountains will remain open and be cleaned regularly.
All students are asked to wear a mask to wear upon entry at school and when riding a school bus. Teachers will provide mask breaks. Prior to the break, students needed more reminders of continuing to do this so let’s have a new start again.
Grades 4 - 9 students: Please remember to wear your mask at all times when walking in the classroom and/or hallway and continue to maintain physical distance between one another.
Approved cleaning protocols have been put in place in all Division buildings. Custodial staff have been trained to identify high touch areas and to know how to clean, sanitize, and disinfect them.
If your child becomes ill at school, your child will be placed in a safe space until you or your emergency designate picks up your child.
Lunch Hour: All students in the elementary and junior high school need to eat their lunch in their own classrooms. We have always had this guideline in place, but students needed a few reminders to adhere to this prior to the break. Students in Junior High who are leaving the building for lunch please follow all safety protocols with masks use, physical distancing and sanitization upon exit and entry.
Junior High - Nutrition break: You are to eat your snack at your desk in your classroom. If you would like to go for a short walk in the school, wear your mask and continue to maintain a physical distance of two metres while walking.
Gym use - Students will have grade cohort assigned time to use the gym. Please listen for the announcements for your day of use.
Sister Alphonse Academy!
Email: info@sisteralphonseacademy.com
Website: https://www.saa.gsacrd.ab.ca/
Location: 1 Joyal Way, Sturgeon County, AB, Canada
Phone: 7808092296
Facebook: facebook.com/sisteralphonseacademy
Twitter: @sisteralphonseacademy