Choose Joy!
Week of November 23, 2020



Advent Begins This Sunday!
Got Garland?
We are asking for donations of Garland
- all kinds sparkly -
to decorate the halls and bring extra joy to our OLA students.
We will have a bin outside the front doors and we thank you for dropping off your garland donations before Friday so that it's "quarantined" before staff decorate on Monday after school and surprise the children Tuesday morning!
Thank you so much for helping us make this time of year bright and joy filled!
If you have any questions, or wish to donate other decorations, please email Mrs. Lukie at donamarie.lukie@eics.ab.ca
Thank you again for your generous donations!
Together: Your Child's Health Matters
An Apple A Day....
When children may be having growth spirts and just need a little more food, if their lunch is forgotten or something breaks in their lunch, thanks to Ricky's we happily share fresh apples with OLA children. Staff too are welcome to enjoy this tasty and healthy treat!
Children are welcome to come to the office to pick a delicious apple anytime they need a little extra healthy snack to support their growing bodies and minds.
Screen Time and Sleep
Below are common questions parents ask.
Click the button below the questions to get answers and support.
We encourage you to bookmark Common Sense Media. A great resource for parents to help them navigate all things technology.



Setting Your Child Up to Succeed
Did you know?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens needs 8-10 hours of sleep; school aged children need 9-11 hours; preschool need 10-13 hours; toddlers need 11-14 hours; infants need 12-15 hours; and newborns need 14-17. When kids and teens don’t get enough sleep, their health can be affected in many ways, including:
- More difficulties learning, listening, concentrating, and solving problems
- Feeling stressed and worried about life (depression)
- Feeling irritable with friends and family
- Unhealthy eating and weight gain
- Health problems like acne and viral illnesses
You can help!
Although media and technology are integrated into many children and teen’s daily lives, limiting their use before bed and helping promote healthy bedtime routines, can help them get the quality and quantity of sleep needed for their healthy mental and physical development. Here are several suggestions to help you guide your child’s media use:
- Limit Media Use and especially Before Bedtime
- Address "Fear of Missing Out" concerns
- Remove Screens from Children's Bedrooms
- Be a Media Role Model
Visit the Center on Media and Child Health website for more information and additional tips to set your child up for healthy growing and learning: mentally, emotionally, physically and socially.
A COVID Update from EICS Assistant Superintendent Mr. Paul Corrigan.
Some Things Will Never Change
Children and families will be welcomed with joy and experience the love of Christ.
As family, we will work together to support and encourage one another.
The physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellness of your child, OLA staff and families will continue to be priorities
Ensuring children learn and grow in a safe, caring and loving environment is an essential condition
We will laugh, love and grow together.
We will choose joy, and focus on what we can do together
Joy and gratitude will keep us grounded with Grace.
Our Faith, Literacy and Numeracy are educational priorities
We will continue to grow and learn together
We continue to value, appreciate and foster parent partnerships
Decisions for optimal learning and growing will be research based
You are Loved. First, Last & Always.
Loving our Winters


Loving our Outdoor Classroom!

This week @ OLA
School Begins at 8:45am - Thank you for your help to ensure children arrive between 8:33am and 8:45am so they ease into their day. This helps to set them up for successful learning and growing.
Monday, November 23
- Picture retake day and M/W Kindergarten photos
- Week 2 of Power Options
Choosing Joy today!
Tuesday, November 24
- A great day to learn and grow together!
Wednesday, November 25
- More spectacular learning and growing!
- Virtual Morning Announcements today - and every Wednesday!
Thursday, November 26
A great day to be in community together!
Friday, November 27
- Friyay! Where will you Choose Joy today?
- Chapel Blessing @ 2:15pm - Live Streamed on OLA Parish Facebook page
Sunday November 29
- 1st Sunday in Advent
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To see what is up and coming even further ahead, please visit our website calendar.
You can view our Kindergarten Calendar here.
1MW Power Option
Way to go 1MW for choosing OLA's Chapel as your Power Option!
Quote of the Week
Mme: "They are beautiful birds, and super unique!"
Student: "I really like the sound they make when they hit their beaks on trees to get bugs."
Mme: "It is fun to listen to, and to watch. I have always wondered how they don't get headaches!"
Student: (long pause....and an intrigued look on their face)..."Good question Mme! I wonder if they do?"
Re-Take Day - Monday Nov. 23rd
If your child was absent October 15th you will have nothing to return. Please follow up with your teacher so they know to send your child for re-takes.
M/W Kindergarten classes will have their pictures taken today.
Staff Morning Mass with Father Kris
Friendly Reminder Checklist
School Checklist:
- Completed the daily screening and answered no to all the questions
- Mask
- Mini-Hand sanitizer (optional - we have lots at the school :-)
- Warm Outdoor Clothing (if not, we can help. Contact your teacher or anyone in the office)
- Tea Towel for a picnic lunch. This helps to ensure eating and working spaces stay clean
- Arriving to school on time: Between 8:33am and 8:45am - Free play first thing in the morning helps children ease into the day, and sets them up for learning success!
- Healthy Lunch for brain food and great learning
- Smile & Choose Joy
3MK Online

Music with Mrs. Lukie


Grade 3 Power Options
School Fees
School fees have now been added to your PowerSchool ParentPortal and are now due. Payment can be made by debit or credit card by visiting your PowerSchool account.
Field trip: to date all field trips involving bussing are cancelled. Virtual field trips and walking trips may still occur. Once these have been finalized we will share the field trip fee for payment
If the paying of fees is a financial difficulty you may be eligible for the EICS Fee Waiver Program. A fee waiver form can be found here or on the EICS website. The deadline for applications is December 13, 2020.
All unpaid fees by March 1, 2021 may be sent to a collections agency. Please reach out if you have difficulty paying your child's school fees before December 1, 2020.
Grade 4E & Fukahara
First Communion and Reconciliation
If you would like your child to receive their First Communion this year and they have not yet celebrated their First Reconciliation, please contact the OLA Parish office at 780-998-3288 to make an appointment to meet with Father Kris.
First Eucharist Registration Form & First Eucharist Brochure
3MK
1 & 2 M Exploring Liquids in Science
OLA is Searching For...
Looking to purge a little? Doing a little winter cleaning?
OLA is in search of shelving units like the one on the right for our children to put boots on. If you happen to have one that is sturdy (it doesn't have to be pretty) that casters can be put on - please connect with Mme Gravelle at pamgr@eics.ab.ca.
We continue to welcome donations such as:
- Scrabble letter squares
- Magnetic letters
- Chalk board erasers
- Books for our Grade 4 Classroom Library
- Decodable Books
- Complete Board Game sets
- Decks of Cards
- Puzzles


OLA School Council News
See you at our next meeting, on Tuesday, December 8th@ 11:00am.
Google Meet link will be shared with you that day.
Thank you for checking your email inbox or spam/junk folder.
To connect with your OLA School Council, please email schoolcouncil.ola@gmail.com.

Click below to order your OLA Spirit Wear!
Poinsettia Fundraiser
Our Lady of the Angels School Council
3rd Annual Poinsettia Sale 2020
Thank you for placing your Christmas fundraiser order. With your support we have raised approximately $1200!
We still have 1 Red, 1 White and 3 Pink Poinsettias available for $15 each. Please email Samledrew1@gmail.com for more info on those.
Pick up:
Pick up will be Thursday, December 3rd, at the glass doors directly to the right of the main doors. This will allow us to avoid contact with students and ensure their safety.
Please write down your chosen time slot and arrive wearing a mask within that 10 minute time frame. This time slot can be found in your confirmation email. If there are other people at the door please keep your distance until they have left.
When you arrive let us know the name the order is under, we will have orders gathered and ready to hand to you. If you placed an order for multiple people who will be picking up their own please send me an email so we can have the order gathered and waiting under their name.
For any questions or concerns please email samledrew1@gmail.com
We thank you for your continued support and God’s Blessings this holiday season.
OLA School Council
For Everyone's Safety and Wellness
- Daily Screening
- Hand Hygiene
- Respiratory Hygiene
- Enhanced Cleaning
- Cohorting
- Routines to create space (ie. Colour Groups)
- Learning space organization for distance maximization
- Closed campus
- Mask wearing
Student Illness and your Child's Learning
- Fever, Cough, Shortness of Breath or difficulty breathing, Runny Nose, Sore Throat, Chills Painful swallowing, Stuffy Nose, Headache, Muscle or joint aches, Feeling unwell, fatigue or severe exhaustion, Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or unexplained loss of appetite), Loss of sense of smell or taste, Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.
Please email Mrs. Desaulniers, susande@eics.ab.ca and cc: your child's homeroom teacher to share what symptoms your child is experiencing as well as an approximate date for your child's return so we can plan for your child's learning and growing in Literacy and Numeracy while away.
Updated Alberta Health Documents
Merci!
We appreciate how challenging it is for you to keep your child at home when they experience symptoms, and keep them home until symptoms resolve and Covid tests results have been returned. We understand that having children stay home has impacts that are far reaching and sometimes complicated - many OLA staff are parents too, navigating the same guidelines. We also understand how much we want to cheat.
Thank you for keeping us informed as to how your child is progressing while at home. Many Grade 1 - 4 teacher have or are working towards creating Google Classrooms for your child, complete with classroom communication and learning activities to do at home. Thank you for connecting with your child for help to access your child's Google Classroom or connect with their teacher via email by clicking here.
We are in this together!
Masks @ OLA
To assist in your child's learning, teachers have the opportunity to work in small groups with your child. Additionally, in music class, signing is a large part of the program, and when children wear their masks, they can engage in this brain-stimulating activity.
During these sacred times, its important that masks be worn to mitigate transmission risks. Thank you for working with your child to ensure they bring their masks to school and wear them during the day, especially during music class and during small group learning time. We will continue to encourage your child to do the same while they are at school.
Together, we've got this!
Looking Ahead...
December 2, 2020
- Early Dismissal - 2:19 p.m.
- School Spirit - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
December 3, 2020
- Poinsettia Order Pick ups
December 6, 2020
- 2nd Sunday in Advent
December 13, 2020
- 3rd Sunday in Advent
December 20, 2020
- 4th Sunday in Advent
December 23, 2020 - January 5, 2021
- Christmas Break
December 25, 2020
- Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
January 6, 2021
- Early Dismissal - 2:19 p.m.
- School Spirit - Pajama Day
Advent and Christmas continue to be very important in our Liturgical year and in our lives as Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be celebrating it with the children and including you in the celebrations! It will look a little differently this year, so stay tuned for details on how we will be celebrating this important time in our faith and sharing Christ's joy and love with you!
Boys and Girls Club
Our Lady of the Angels School
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
T8L 1W7