The Good News
Welcome Back to School! Saint John XXIII September 2, 2019
Leadership Message
Welcome Back to School!
It is with great joy and gratitude that I welcome you and your children to our Saint John XXIIII village for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year! I am thrilled to be back at Saint John XXIII and recognize the tremendous blessing and responsibility I have been graced with to journey with each of your children. As I walked through the classrooms and halls of Saint John XXIII this week, the dedication and commitment to your children is evident. Teachers and staff members have been preparing, praying, and planning for each of your children with enthusiasm and love.
Our EICS division theme this year, "Love-First, Last and Always" comes from scripture
1John 4:19 We love because He first loved us. This is attributed to John the evangelist (apostle John) and is written in the same manner as the Gospel of John. In this teaching letter, apostle John shares with us who God is. God is LOVE.
In our homes and schools every day, we often hear and see the wonderings of, "Does God love me?" "Am I worthy of love?" The answer is most emphatically, YES! We bridge from last year's theme of, We are all God's masterpiece, where we were reminded that each one of us is inherently loved and created in the image of God, as His own original masterpiece and called to do good works. This year, we take the love we know from God and share our response to this love by loving others. If you know love, you know God.
As we journey together this year, may each of us remember to Love-First, Last and Always. I am so excited for tomorrow and cannot wait to greet your children!
Blessings,
Mrs. Boehm
First Day of School/First Week Back...What to expect...
1. Bell rings at 8:45 am. Doors will be open at 8:30 am.
2. Dismissal is 3:23 pm.
3. Second day, Sept. 4th is Early Out. Dismissal is 2:23 pm. Rock your School Spirit Wear or our St. John colours-Blue and Yellow
3. Please see information below re: parking, drop off, pick up, bus.
4. Lunchtime: students will play first and then eat. Teachers this year will once again build in two snack breaks am and pm, prior to or after recess. We are encouraging students to have their nutritious snacks inside rather than out so they can focus on their movement and play during recess. This also assists with safety (choking and wasps) and care for our environment (less waste in our playground).
5. Welcome Back Assembly Monday, September 9th 9:00 am
Early Learning Orientations: Welcoming our Littlest Learners!
Pre-K small group orientations will be Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4. Pre-K Staff will meet and greet you and share important information for the upcoming year. These have been pre-booked. If you do not have a scheduled orientation time, please contact the school 780-998-7777. Regular am and pm classes begin Thursday, Sept. 5. AM: 8:30-11:30 am PM: 12:30-3:30 pm.
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten small group orientations will be Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4. Kindergarten staff will meet and greet you and share important information for the upcoming year. These have been pre-booked. If you do not have a scheduled orientation time, please contact the school 780-998-7777. Tues/Thurs. class will begin on Thursday, Sept. 5th and our Mon/Wed. class will begin on Friday, Sept. 6th.
School Supplies List and Information
https://stj.eics.ab.ca/home/news/post/school-supply-list-information-2019-2020
Website Changeover
Bell Schedule
Attendance Reporting Procedures-School Messenger
REPORTING ABSENCES: SAFE ARRIVAL
Please click on this link for important information on the best way to let us know that your child will be late or away from school.
It is our first priority every morning and afternoon to ensure that all students are accounted for. Using this tool helps us to expedite this process to ensure the safe arrival of all of our students. We appreciate your partnership in keeping our little people safe.
Parking, Drop off, Pick ups: Our students' safety is number one priority.
Visitor parking spaces: We have 10-12 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 parents with small children in car seats or our parents coming in to volunteer. If these spaces are full, please do not come into the parking lot to drop off your child. We do not want any students crossing the parking lot. Please use the path alongside the visitor parking spaces or the appropriate crosswalks.
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.
EICS Transportation
Transportation registration and fee payments can be accessed online through Powerschool located at EICS Powerschool
EICS Transportation can be contacted through the school year from 7 AM until 5 PM at:
Phone: (780) 449-6480 - Email transportation@eics.ab.ca
Important News from Transportation:
Elk Island Catholic School (EICS) Transportation is pleased to share with the EICS community that there is now increased awareness for parents and guardians regarding EICS bus arrivals and possible delays through our transportation software program BusPlanner. This new app will allow parents and caregivers to see the details of current routes, stops and transfers relating to their children on EICS transportation.
With this new system parents gain access to the following:
The BusPlanner Parent Portal, located here: Bus Planner Link which allows parents to view details of the routes, stops and transfers for their children.
The BusPlanner Notification System for email alerts to parents for issues which impact transportation on a route by route or school by school basis.
The BusPlanner Delays app which both parents and students can install on a mobile (hand-held) device and allows them to subscribe to and receive BusPlanner notifications through push notifications.
We are Healthy Champions at Saint John XXIII
In accordance with our EICS Nutrition AP, our school will:
- Ensure strategies are in place to foster the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote healthy eating.
- Using the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines, distribution of food in our elementary school will align with the Choose Most Often and Choose Sometimes categories.
- Special events will incorporate the principles outlines in the Alberta Nutrition Guideline for Children and Youth.
- Hot Lunch Programs will provide healthy choices from the Choose Most Often and Choose Sometimes categories, and will phase out foods from the Choose Least Often categories.
- Schools will use non-food rewards to provide incentives.
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So what, now what? What does this mean for students, staff, and families of Saint John XXIII?
- We recognize that nutrition is fundamentally a parental decision and we acknowledge parents as the first teacher of their child.
- Staff will continue to share information and ideas about the categories with students and families.
- We will not be able to distribute any birthday "treats" or food that is brought in. If your child would really like to share on their birthday, there are many non-food options available such as: a book donation or pencils.
- Administration will continue to work jointly with our Hot Lunch Coordinators to ensure nutritious choices are made available.
Learning and Growing Together: What will we learn this year?
As Catholic educators, we commit to providing learning opportunities in the context of Gospel values, where each student is celebrated and nurtured. Every day at Saint John XXIII, your child will connect with and experience how much God loves them through relationships with staff, peers, and parish members. In addition to our connection to Christ, staff will work with your child to achieve specific learning outcomes as outlined by Alberta Education.
As you may know, the Alberta Curriculum will be changing. We are waiting word from the new government as to the implementation timeline. To be partners on your child's learning journey, we invite you to click on the links below:
We are READY for our St. John XXIII Kids!
OLA Parish News
Our Lady of the Angels’ Parish
10004 - 101 Street
Fort Saskatchewan, AB, T8L 1V9
Phone: 780-998-3288
FAX: 780-998-1868
Pastor: Rev. Kristopher Schmidt
(c)780-995-3930
Deacon: Stan Kroetsch
Office Administrator: Deb Hume (Notary Public)
Church Office Hours: Monday—Friday 8:30 am—12:00 pm; 1:00 pm—4:30 pm
Website: www.olafortsask.caedm.ca
Email: olangels.ftsask@caedm.ca
Facebook: Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Parish
Link to Fr. Kris homily: https://soundcloud.com/frkrisschmidt
https://www.youtube.com/grandinmedia
Weekly Schedule: Fort Saskatchewan Masses
Monday, 9:00am, Tuesday, 6:30pm, Wednesday, 9:00am, Thursday, 9:00am, Friday, 9:00am
Saturday, 9:00am and 5:15pm, Sunday, 9:00am and 11:00am
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. Meetings are held once a month in the Collab Room at school.
Our 2019-2020 School Council Executive:
Chair: Leslie-Anne Oshust
Co-Chair: Vanessa Gillis
Vice-Chair: Alana Seymour
Treasurer: Nikki Rowe
Secretary: Corrine Hill
LOOKING AHEAD...
Sept. 3: First Day of School
Sept. 4: Early Out Dismissal 2:23 pm Rock your School Spirit" School clothing or school colours (Blue and/or Yellow)
Sept. 9: Monday assembly 9 am
Sept. 12: Meet the Staff evening 6-7:30 pm
Sept. 23: Monday Assembly 9 am
Sept. 27: Alberta Heritage Day-Elder Doreen Wabasca visit
Terry Fox Run afternoon
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