Patriot Post
September 7 - 11 , 2020
THIS WEEK AT ST. JPII
NO SCHOOL - LABOUR DAY
Tuesday Sept. 8th
FIRST FULL DAY OF CLASSES FOR ALL STUDENTS
Wednesday Sept. 9th
VIRTUAL Meet the Staff Night 5:00pm-6:00pm
School Council Meeting - Virtual Google Meet 6:30pm
Thursday Sept. 10th
Friday Sept. 11th
Virtual School Opening Mass 9:00am - 10:00am
https://www.facebook.com/OurLadyOfTheAngelsCatholicParish/?rf=103447796405279
Upcoming Dates:
- School Photos: Sept. 28th
WELCOME BACK TO ALL OUR STUDENTS
Welcome back Patriots and a special welcome to our new students coming to our school for the first time. We hope that the staggered re-entry last week of transitioning from home to in-school learning has helped to put your minds at ease and offer your heart some encouragement. We want you to remember that while things might look and feel a little different in our new routines we are still the same folks behind our masks. We are Patriots. We are still committed to offering quality education in a safe and supportive manner. Some of our procedures and protocols have been changed, but it is only to prioritize the health of our students and staff. We will continue to keep our families updated with the ever changing COVID-19 protocols. If for some reason however you require more information please do not hesitate to reach out to us in the office.God we thank you for the new school year.
Bless and keep safe all those who are returning to school,
whether it be to our buildings or through online learning.
We pray that You will guide our staff always in the daily work they do,
and that your will be done.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Welcome Back Message From the Parish
Sacraments at OLA Parish
Information regarding Confirmation this fall: This is for students who are in Gr. 7 now (Gr. 6 candidates from last year)
- Confirmation Prep will be held on October 3rd and October 17th.
- Confirmation retreat will be held on October 24th.
- Celebration of the blessed sacrament will be held on October 25th.
Fr. Kris notes that sacramental prep for this year's Gr. 6's will not happen until the spring of 2021. He notes that information for Confirmation prep will be available some time before the end of November.
Contact Information for OLA parish:
Phone: 780-998-3288
Chaplain's Corner
Hey everyone. Welcome back and Happy New Year!! Well, in reality Happy School New Year.
It is interesting how we as individuals and society mark time. First and foremost is the changing of the year. We always look at the beginning of a new year, January 1st, with great anticipation as we have an opportunity to start things anew. For the church community, we welcome the new liturgical year with the beginning of Advent. And finally, we have the new school year which begins in September each year. No matter what we are recognizing, beginning something new gives us an opportunity to look at where we have come from and look to where we wish to go and what changes we might want to make moving forward.
This school year, our division theme is "CHOOSE JOY: The reason for our Hope!" which is based on the sacred scripture, 1 Peter 3:15. But what is joy? Many mistake joy as happiness when in fact they are quite different. Happiness is based upon happenings or whether things are going well or not. Joy on the other hand is an emotion that’s acquired by the anticipation, acquisition or even the expectation of something great or wonderful. Joy can be described as exhilaration, delight, sheer gladness, and can result from a great success or a very beautiful or wonderful experience. In fact, joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit which dwells in each of us within our Christian community. We feel joy when we are spiritually connected to God or people.
Choosing joy means that we are making a choice in how our day progresses. Many a time we heard that you choose how your day will unfold. No matter what is happening in our day, we can choose to see the negative or we can choose to find the positive in a situation. I am not saying that this is going to be easy all the time. To make that switch in our mind to choose joy, we need to find strength when we are experiencing challenges within our day. To find that strength, we search within our relationship with God and Jesus. Knowing that we have the Holy Spirit within us which has been sent from God to help guide us, we realize that there is hope in any given situation.
Hope is defined as a desire for something to happen. As a Christian community however, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised us and its strength is in His faithfulness. This is where it all comes together. We can choose joy because we KNOW that God has promised us a glorious life filled with an abundance of what we need. With this in mind, when a situation arises that challenges us and looks dismal, we just need to remember that God has our back.
So when life throws us a curve ball and we are faced with what might be seen as an insurmountable task, we need to see the positive in the situation which in turn will help us be joyful because there is hope abounding that God is there with us and that nothing is impossible when He is by our side.
Have a blessed week everyone and remember, Choose Joy each and every day.
God Bless each and everyone.
Vernon Brady
School Chaplain
AB/NWT Bishops Pastoral Letter Reopening of Schools
Please be sure to do the following each and every school day...
1. Review the COVID-19 checklist. We recommend that parents place this document on the kitchen fridge or tape it to the back of the front door to review each day with their child(ren). This checklist must be reviewed daily Daily COVID-19 Screening Tool
2. Pack the following items in your backpack. Remember there are NO lockers:
- mask(s), as they are mandatory while riding the bus, in hallways and common areas
- lunch, snacks, filled water bottle
- binder with paper and dividers, pens, pencils, necessary textbooks
- gym clothing and shoes (if needed)
- laptop/chromebook fully charged...phones do not meet the requirements for a robust device in our EICS 1:1 technology program
3. Bring back any novels, school textbooks, and/or calculators you might have at home from last year.
4. Choose Joy!
Student Illness
Students who are at home for extended periods of time due to COVID protocols are strongly encouraged to reach out to their school for educational support during this period.
Virtual Meet the Teacher Night
Our Grade 5's teachers will be online from 5:00pm-5:15pm. Our Grade 6's from 5:15pm-5:30pm. Our Grade 7's teachers from 5:30pm-5:45pm, and finally our Grade 8's teachers from 5:45pm-6:00pm.
EICS PARENT RE-ENTRY HANDBOOK
EICS Parent Re-Entry Handbook
Please refer to this document as it is the one that continuously updates when new protocols are shared from the Alberta Government. https://www.eics.ab.ca/download/296372
School Demographic Forms
EICS Demographic Confirmation Forms are available now on your PowerSchool ParentPortal. Please take a moment to visit your PowerSchool ParentPortal account and complete this form; one for each child you have attending school with EICS.
Alberta Education requires that we obtain a detailed update of student demographics on an annual basis. School funding from Alberta Education is conditional on us receiving these updates and including them in your student’s record. More importantly, these forms ensure that we have the most current contact information if we need to reach you in event of an emergency.
We certainly appreciate you taking the time to complete these forms. Should you have any questions, or require assistance, please contact Carrie-Lynn in the office at 780-992-0889 and she will be happy to help.
Powerschool Information
To login to your Powerschool Parent Account, please click on the link below:
https://powerschool.eics.ab.ca/public
Please do not use the Powerschool App. Use the powerschool website in the link above.
Medical Forms:
If your child has a medical alert that we should be aware of, we will require a new medical form that is available in your powerschool account. If you child requires use of an epi-pen, please make sure this is filled out asap. We like to keep a student's epi-pen on hand at the office in case of emergency. We understand with the shortage right now this may not be possible. At the very least, we need to know where a student is keeping their epi-pen. If you have questions, please contact the office.
What if my child has a pre-existing medical condition with COVID-19 symptoms?
Individuals who have allergies or ongoing health issues must be tested for COVID-19 at least once according to the Alberta Health Services Guidance Document to confirm that the pre-existing condition is the source of their symptoms before entering or returning to the school. This will establish a baseline for the individual. If symptoms change (worsen, additional symptom, change in baseline), the individual must follow Stay Home When Sick Protocol.
School Council Information
Please join us for the next virtual School Council meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9th @ 6:30pm. That meeting will be taking place on the same evening as our annual Meet the Staff Night. We will be electing an executive that first meeting so therefore we welcome and encourage you all to come and join us!
This is an excellent opportunity to receive the latest school and grade level updates from our Administration and Teacher Representatives, as well as, upcoming School Council supported activities and events!
Cafeteria
Delayed Opening of ST JPII Cafeteria
With the new COVID 19 protocols coming into place our cafeteria vendor is quickly making sure all of her procedures and delivery methods are safe and offering our students great quality food. As a result we will need students to bring their own lunch and snacks for the first few weeks of the school year. Once we have confirmed that our operator is ready to open for business we will share with you all the new procedures. Thank you for your understanding during this time of transition.
Family Wellness Worker (FWW)
Service Delivery
Each school is staffed with a Family Wellness Worker (FWW), who works under the direction of their School Principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Faith & Wellness. FWW's receive clinical guidance from a Registered Psychologist.
The primary function of the Family Wellness team is to provide social and emotional support to students and families. Family Wellness Workers meet with students and parents to assess needs, set goals, identify required supports, and plan appropriate interventions.
They collaborate with school system staff and community resources to build a “village” of support around students/families who are struggling.
Referrals
Parental consent is required for FWW services.
Referrals to the Family Wellness Program may be made by students, parents/guardians, school administration, teachers, or other school staff (e.g. school counsellor or collaborative response coordinator).
Parents and guardians can access these services by speaking with the Principal or contacting the school's Family Wellness Worker directly.
Family Wellness Contact Information
Hello St. JPII School Community! My name is Lee Dube and I am so excited to be a part of your Fort Saskatchewan school community. I am here to support families and students to be successful. I am someone that parents and students can talk to and can offer connections to various resources in the community. Please do not hesitate to give me a call at the school or send me an email at lee.dube@eics.ab.ca to set up a meeting. I will be at St. JPII Monday - Friday this year!
St. John Paul II Catholic School
Email: stjp@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stjp.eics.ab.ca
Location: 9975 93 Avenue, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-992-0889
Twitter: @stjp2cs