The Good News
Welcome Back to School! Saint John XXIII September 7, 2020
Welcome Back to School! Finding Joy in our Journeys
Welcome back to our students and their families! A very special welcome to our new families and Kindergarteners!
On behalf of all our Saint John XXIII Staff, Ms. Astalosch and I want to share our excitement and joy, and welcome you all back to school!
We also want to share our appreciation to all our parents and families for your cooperation to our Re-Entry last week. It was evident that you are all very committed to helping keep our school a safe place to grow and learn this year. Please continue to stay informed, seek clarification, and adhere to the EICS Re-Entry protocols. It is a collective responsibility we all have to keep our students and staff healthy and safe.
As shared with many parents last week, we will continue to Connect, Love and Teach, and in that order. Our students have been away from in class learning for close to six months and together, we will re-connect, find JOY in the moments and relationships, celebrate the growth and learning, and continue to invite Christ into all we do.
I continue to be completely in awe of the amazing Saint John XXIII Team we are so blessed to have. The amount of work, energy, love and care that this staff poured into the last couple of weeks to ensure that each SJXXIII child felt welcomed, safe, loved, and excited to begin this re-entry and unique year was AMAZING! You can feel assured that your littles are in good hands, creative minds, and faith-filled spirits.
It continues to be a blessing and privilege to lead this beautiful village of Saint John XXIII. Thank you for your continued trust and faith in us.
Blessings,
Mrs. Bonnie-Lynne Boehm
This week's Smore...The Good News
- Reiterating the EICS Re-Entry Guidelines
- Share pictures so you can "see" inside our school as we know it is more difficult with our now-closed campus, for parents to get a sense of your children's daily routines and experiences
Next week we will share:
- More detailed information about typical start-up aspects such as: demographic forms, consent forms, calendars, etc
- Staff information: Each week we will share a little about staff members and parish priests so you can "see" and share in our SJ village
EICS and Saint John XXIII Re-Entry Protocols
2. Screening: Parents, students and school staff must review the self-screening questionnaire each day before going to a school building. Visitors must also use this questionnaire to determine if they may enter a school. Please use the screening tool assessment on the AHS website linked here, found under Screening Measures, and choose the preferred language.
3. Meeting Spots: Please make a meeting spot with your child away from the entrance of your child's chohort door to respect distancing with other children. We are so blessed at Saint John XXIII to have so much open space and a safe field to meet our children at before and after school.
4. Masks: As per the Chief Medical Officer and Minister of Education’s direction, all grade four students must also come with a mask. We highly recommend sending two per day. Mask use for kindergarten to grade 3 students will continue to be optional but it is strongly encouraged. All students K-12 received two masks distributed last week. Please continue to make family plans on how to store and wash your masks daily.
5. Closed Campus: As we are now a closed campus which means, as per the EICS re-entry plan, parents will not be allowed to enter the school. In the event you need to pick up your child, please contact the office 780-998-7777 and Mrs. Potter will help make arrangements for you to meet at the front door.
First bell rings at 8:45 am and dismissal is 3:23 pm. Morning supervision begins at 8:30 am. Please do not drop off students earlier than 8:30 pm
Parking Lot Protocols: Safety over Convenience, Let's Keep up the Awesome Staggered Entry Parking Lot Use
Visitor parking spaces: We have 15 visitor parking stalls (identified with the Visitor parking sign). These spaces are closest to the road. These stalls are available on a first-come, first serve basis and we would like to encourage our families to try to be courteous and leave these spaces for our families with infant children or our families with children with complex needs. If these spaces are full, please do not come into the parking lot to drop off your child.
*NEW* As shared in the welcome videos, the sidewalk that runs alongside the school is now closed to allow for spacing for our bus students. Please ONLY use the other pathways and sidewalks to drop off and pick up.
Park and walk: As has been a familiar practice for most of our SJXXIII families, please make a plan with your child for a meeting spot, park down the street or around the corner. This keeps kids active and safe and greatly reduces the congestion in between the two schools. Some parking is available across the street. Please do not park in a numbered stall as these are reserved for our friends at Win Ferguson.
Walking School Bus: A fantastic practice in other schools is the Walking School Bus. Parents who live near one another make a plan to walk to school along a route, picking up kids along the way. Find out who lives by you and make a safe and active plan to walk to school!
Thank-you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our kids safe. Remember, student safety will always trump convenience.
A beautiful and safe path to bring your children to and from school
Please save the Visitor Parking Spaces for Families with Infants or Complex Needs Students. A little walk is a great way to start the day:)
There is NO Early Out Dismissal for the month of September
Happy 1st Day of Learning to all our On-Line Students-September 8th!
For our SJXXIII students on-line: On-line classes with St. Isidore begin Monday, Sept. 8th. Please know you continue to be part of our Saint John XXIII family and will receive our school and classroom communication. We will continue to pray for you and your family and look forward to the day we come back together. Be amazing! Have fun growing your brain on-line!
You can follow St. Isidore for messages and information.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/St-Isidore-Catholic-Learning-Centre-210723866538555/
Twitter: @StIsidore_EICS
Website: https://silc.eics.ab.ca/
Kindergarten-Here we Come! Thanks to Mrs. Ekdahl, Mrs. White, and our awesome parents for making the first day of Kindergarten so memorable!
Growing Brains & Sharing Smiles! It's a Great Day to be a Saint John Kid!
OLA Parish News
Our Lady of the Angels Roman Catholic Parish
Website: www.olafortsask.caedm.ca
PASTOR:
Rev. Kristopher Schmidt
Cell phone: 780-995-3930
Email: kris.schmidt@caedm.ca
Link to Fr. Kris homily: https://soundcloud.com/frkrisschmidt
https://www.youtube.com/grandinmedia
ASSOCIATE PASTOR:
Rev. Danial Dsouza
Cell phone: 780-710-3128
Email: danial.dsouzasac@caedm.ca
Sacramental Preparation:
First Eucharist Classes begin this Saturday. Father Danial sent a letter to families with children ready to begin their journey to this Sacrament. Please contact the parish if you did not receive or wish to find out more information. 780-998-3288
Our parish Pastor welcomes us back to school and shares an invitation for Sacramental Preparation and an invitation for all....please watch the video below
Saint John XXIII School Council News
Thank-you to all parents for your commitment to our SJ school community! Did you know that as a parent of our school community, you are automatically a member of the School Council? We look forward to connecting with and hearing your voice this year. Would you like to be a class representative? Please let your child's teacher know. Interested in becoming a Parent School Council Executive member? Contact Mrs. Bonnie-Lynne Boehm bonnie-lynneb@eics.ab.ca
Meetings this year will be held via Google Meet.
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