Dear EICS Catholic School Community,

As announced on September 15, 2021, by Premier Kenney, Alberta has declared a state of

public health emergency and will implement new health measures to expand capacity,

increase vaccination rates and reduce transmission of COVID-19.

Within Elk Island Catholic Schools (EICS) the move to include these new restrictions which

are in effect starting September 16th will be relatively seamless since most of the

recommendations were already in place within our schools.

Highlights include:

● Stay-at-home policy for any students/staff exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19

● Daily screening following the Alberta Health Daily Checklist

● All eligible staff and students are encouraged to be fully vaccinated for respiratory

illnesses, where applicable, such as COVID-19 and influenza.

● When there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, parents and guardians are

encouraged to notify school administrators of a positive COVID-19 test result. All

reporting continues to be confidential.

● Staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate for a

minimum of 10 days.

● All students and staff in Grades K-12 are required to wear a mask in all common

areas, hallways, foyers, lunchrooms, libraries, and in areas where social distancing is

not possible. Masks may be removed in classrooms when students are seated.

● Masks are required for all students and staff on school busses.

● Enhanced cleaning protocols and disinfecting will continue.

● All school council meetings that can be done virtually/teleconference moving forward

are to be done in this manner.

● In-person parent gatherings are not to occur in our schools during the state of a

public health emergency.

A reminder for all families that the AHS Daily Assessment needs to be completed and actioned each morning prior to coming to school. If your child is experiencing symptoms please choose:

1. “Flu-like symptoms”

2. “other illness or injury” If they are experiencing symptoms that you do not deem to be flu-like, or your child has a medical appointment.

3. “parent excused.” If your child is experiencing no symptoms at all, please choose this. The parent excused absence should only be chosen if you are keeping your child home for a reason that does not pertain to a medical issue. (i.e dance competition)

4. 
   

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please try to join us virtually for our school's opening Mass.

10:00 am on Thursday, September 23rd.

Terry Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope to raise awareness, to raise funds, and to raise hope, for people battling cancer. Today, 41 years later, Canadians across the country will carry on his mission and will run, walk, and ride in Terry’s name.

Students can WEAR RED OR BLUE.

Parents, please make a donation to the Terry Fox Foundation.

This can be done online.

Please do not send money to the school.

Just go directly to the fundraising link below.

Fundraising link

http://www.terryfox.ca/MadonnaCatholic

Your personal Username: 2021AB8605

and Password: CUREAB2777

At Madonna will be doing the following activities:

Sept 27 - Trail Tail - with the book, "When I was Eight" by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Sept 28 - Virtual Assembly -- Land Acknowledgement, Residential Schools and the topic of Truth as one of the Seven Sacred Teachings.

Sept 29 - WEAR ORANGE to acknowledge that Every Child Matters

Students will be drawing chalk hearts around the school.

Sept 30 -- NO SCHOOL - the school will send home an activity that families may want to do on this new National Holliday for Truth and Reconciliation.

Please note that they are all live and recording.

The first meeting this year is on SEPTEMBER 29th @ 7 pm

Please come to the meeting all are welcome.

HERE IS THE MEETING LINK http://meet.google.com/frj-rubh-uyx

Our new member positions are as follows:

Kerstin Adamson - Chair

Erin Cholak - Treasurer

Jeness Stang - Secretary

If you have any questions, concerns, or want to volunteer, please feel free to reach out to me anytime via email.

I look forward to meeting you,

Kerstin Adamson

Madonnacses@gmail.com

Welcome back! We are very excited to invite students into their new Madonna Catholic School classes. In addition to building our classroom communities, our Grades 1-3 teachers will work with students to assess and address any potential setbacks in literacy and math learning. Each year, we use the EICS Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks to determine areas that require focussed support and set learning goals. However, the disruption to in-class learning during the Covid-19 pandemic may have resulted in some of our students not attaining the skills they would have in a regular year. As a result, targeted literacy and math assessments designed and supported by the division will be used with all students in Grades 1-3 as an extension to the classroom processes already in place to identify students who require additional intervention to develop their skills and close gaps.

Alberta Education has provided funding to support schools with staffing and resources for these supplementary interventions. Students in Grades 2-3 will complete specialized assessments in September and students in Grade 1 will be assessed later in the school year. Interventions in both groupings will begin shortly afterward the assessments are complete. Students identified as requiring additional support will receive 30 hours of supplementary programming in literacy and between 20-30 hours of support in math in small group formats from specialized intervention teachers. During and after the intervention period, student progress will be monitored and communicated with classroom teachers and parents. A final communication of gains will also be provided to Alberta Education.

More information will be shared through your child’s teacher.

Maligayang pagbabalik! Kami ay nasasabik na mag-imbita ng mga mag-aaral sa kanilang bagong Madonna Catholic School na mga klase. Bilang karagdagan sa pagbuo ng aming mga pamayanan sa silid-aralan, ang aming mga guro sa Grado 1-3 ay gagana sa mga mag-aaral upang masuri at matugunan ang anumang mga potensyal na sagabal sa pag-aaral ng literasiya at matematika. Bawat taon, ginagamit namin ang EICS Literacy at Numeracy Frameworks upang matukoy ang mga lugar na nangangailangan ng pokus na suporta at itakda ang mga layunin sa pag-aaral. Gayunpaman, ang pagkagambala sa pag-aaral sa loob ng klase sa panahon ng Covid-19 pandemya ay maaaring nagresulta sa ilan sa aming mga mag-aaral na hindi nakamit ang mga kasanayang mayroon sila sa isang regular na taon. Bilang isang resulta, ang naka-target na mga pagtatasa sa literacy at matematika na dinisenyo at sinusuportahan ng dibisyon ay gagamitin sa lahat ng mga mag-aaral sa Baitang 1-3 bilang isang extension sa proseso ng silid-aralan na nasa lugar upang makilala ang mga mag-aaral na nangangailangan ng karagdagang interbensyon upang paunlarin ang kanilang mga kasanayan at malapit na mga puwang .

Nagbigay ang Edukasyon ng Alberta ng pagpopondo upang suportahan ang mga paaralan na may mga tauhan at mapagkukunan para sa mga pandagdag na interbensyon. Ang mga mag-aaral sa Baitang 2-3 ay makukumpleto ang mga dalubhasang pagtatasa sa Setyembre at ang mga mag-aaral sa Baitang 1 ay tasahin sa paglaon sa taon ng pag-aaral. Ang mga interbensyon sa parehong pagpapangkat ay magsisimula sandali pagkatapos ay kumpleto ang mga pagtatasa. Ang mga mag-aaral na kinilala bilang nangangailangan ng karagdagang suporta ay makakatanggap ng 30 oras ng karagdagang programa sa pagbasa at pagbasa sa pagitan ng 20-30 na oras ng suporta sa matematika sa mga maliit na pangkat na format mula sa mga dalubhasang guro ng interbensyon. Sa panahon at pagkatapos ng panahon ng interbensyon, ang pag-unlad ng mag-aaral ay susubaybayan at maikakilala sa mga guro sa silid aralan at magulang. Ang isang pangwakas na komunikasyon ng mga nadagdag ay ibibigay din sa Alberta Education.

September

20 - The Federal election is in the gym. Students WILL NOT be interacting with the public.

21- Gr. 4 Retreat

23 - Virtual -- Opening School Mass at 10:00 am live-streamed from OLPH

24 - Terry Fox Run - Wear Blue or Red - Students and staff only

27 - School Pictures

27 -29 - Indigenous Week

29 - Every Child Matters Wear Orange

29 - School Council Mtg 7 pm

30 - NO SCHOOL National Truth and Reconciliation Day

October

6 - Early Dismissal school is out at 2:15 pm

7 - Crazy Hair Day

11- NO School Thanksgiving Weekend

14 - Photo Retakes

18- Professional Development Day - No School for Students

22 - Bend the Rules Day

29 - Halloween

November

2,3 & 4 - Book Fair