The Good News
Saint John XXIII December 6, 2019
Leadership Message
Advent: Prepare Him Room...
“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill be made low.” Isaiah 40:3-4
As we journey through our Advent season at Saint John XXIII, we are "preparing Him room" everyday through prayer, scripture, and song. Students are also inviting us to share our abundance with others. Perhaps we can take a page or two from the light of children who, without reservation, share their gifts, pray with their whole hearts, sing with joy, and dance with grace during Advent. It is a blessing to see the wonder and awe that our students show as we travel the road to the Bethlehem and await the gift of Jesus. If ever it gets too "noisy" or "gloomy" or you need to pause this Advent season, join us in the library at 9 am and share in the joy that comes from preparing Him room.
As you enter our school, you will encounter our nativity. Mrs. Cormartin, Chaplain, shares below the special way we are preparing Him room through a whole school Advent project. Please watch the video below.
Blessings,
Mrs. Boehm
We LOVE to Read...Who was it? Who will it be?
See if you can guess next week's reader?
Grade 3 HomeGrown Book Fair was a HUGE Success!
They raised $404 dollars today for Valeda House! Thanks to our family volunteers and all our families for supporting this event! Way to go!
Elder Wilson Bearhead came to share his knowledge of Sharing Circles with us!
The Spirit of Christmas Concert: Thursday, December 12
Our K-4 Christmas concert, The Spirit of Christmas, is fast approaching! There will be an afternoon performance on Thursday, December 12th at 1:30 pm and an evening performance at 7:00 pm. To stay within fire regulations, there will be tickets issued for the evening performance. Any available additional tickets that have been requested will be sent home on Tuesday, December 10th. Siblings attending the evening performance will require a ticket. Students will remain in their homeroom classrooms until their class time to perform. Please send an extra snack with them for the evening. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
VIP Tickets: We are holding a: VIP Front Row seats and Prime Parking, to raise funds for our Chalice Foster children and Valeda House. The deadline to purchase tickets is Tuesday, December 10th. You will be notified by phone if you are one of the lucky winners. Please note that VIP tkts replace your original tkts, they are not in addition to them.
Advent at Saint John XXIII: Sharing and Praying
Please consider sharing your gifts with any of our Advent projects below. There are no expectations, only invitations....
Food Bank Drive: Grade 4 Servant Leaders-School Spirit & Young Citizen Teams are leading a Food Bank Drive for the month of December. If your family would like to donate either non-perishable food items or monetary donations, please send these in with your child who will take these items to the drop boxes in their classrooms.
Giving Tree: Grade 4 Servant Leaders-School Spirit & Young Citizen Teams have set up a Giving Tree. Students are hoping to collect as many *new pairs of mittens, toques, and socks as they can to donate to the Families First organization in our city. If your family would like to donate any of these items, please consider adding to our Giving Tree.
Prayer Pals: Our grade 4 Faith Leadership Squad are handing out My Prayer Pall cards to each student on Wednesday. Each student will be given a name of another SJXXIII student and invited to pray for them every day from now until Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2020.We encourage you to ask your child who their Prayer Pal is and include them in your home prayers.
Loonies for Love: At our Christmas Concerts this year (afternoon and evening) we will have a collection for Valeda House and our Chalice Foster Children. If you and your family wish to donate, please bring along a loonie.
Please ensure that your child comes dressed for outside play. Packing extra pants, socks, and underwear is a great idea
Families in need: It Takes a Village
Thank you to our December Apple Sponsors: Doderai Dental Group!
Tis' the Season: Health information and links for Parents & Guardians
1. Please report any cases of chickenpox to our school and to Health Link Alberta at 811.
2. Important health information can be found at:
3. Reliable information about common minor illnesses and injuries can be found at:
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page12422.aspx
4. Reliable information on immunization can be found at:
5. Current information on the treatment and management of head lice can be accessed through:
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/how-to-treat-head-lice.aspx
An EXCELLENT video tutorial can be accessed through:
OLA Parish News
Angel Tree Gifts: Our OLA Parish’s Angel Tree is an invitation for you and your family to share the gift giving joys of Christmas with a less fortunate child in our community. Our sturdy little tree at the parish is adorned with paper angels marked with the age, group and gender of a child or youth. Please take a tag, purchase a gift and help a needy child or youth celebrate Christmas. Please return the gift, along with the paper angel, in an unsealed gift bag, or unwrapped. Please leave your gift under the tree by Monday, December 16th.
Saint John XXIII School Council News
Poinsettia/Holiday Plant Sale: Thanks to everyone who ordered! It was a huge success! Many thanks to Shannon Dahlseide and Leslie-Anne Oshust for all their planning and organization!
Next school council meeting: Monday, January 13, 2020 7 pm Collaboration Room.
LOOKING AHEAD...
Dec. 9: Advent Assembly 9 am (gym)
Dec. 11: Staff Mass 7:55 am, Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal
Dec. 12: Christmas Concert: The Spirit of Christmas 1:30 & 7:00 pm
Dec. 16: Assembly 9 am
Dec. 20: Last day before Christmas Break:
Students can come in their cozy clothes today. (PJs included)
Advent Celebration 11 am
Christmas Carols Sing-a Long 2:19-3:00 pm All welcome
Christmas Break Dec.21-Jan. 6
Jan. 6: Assembly 9 am
It's a Great Day to be a Saint John XXIII Kid!
Saint John XXIII Catholic School
Email: stj@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stj.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9526 89 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-7777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnXXIII
Twitter: @St_JohnXXIII