St. Mary's Message
June 17, 2021
"Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you"
Matthew 7:7
School News
Greetings St. Mary’s Families,
Thank you for a great school year, as unique as it was! As we finish this school year, one more friendly reminder about using the Daily Health Checklist. As well, if you are unsure about illness, symptoms or potential exposure, we invite families to call 811 for clarification.
We have several exciting things planned to celebrate this school year, including an opportunity for parents and students to wave and say "hi" for a year end "drive-by" parade - Friday, June 18. See the calendar below of some of the events!
Finally, we would like to share our congratulations to our Learning Support Coordinator, Mrs. Angie Tudor, who will be retiring after this school year. Mrs. Abbie Park will be in Learning Support next year.
Have a wonderful summer break everyone! May the Lord grant you and your family rest peace and joy. We will see you in the fall.
Blessings,
Mr. Bailey, Mrs. Gustafson & Mrs. Fox
Parent Corner
Thank you to all our parents for adapting this year. We also would like to thank all parents who attended meetings this year. We hope everyone has a restful summer. Let's continue to learn, grow, and celebrate together as a St. Mary's family!
NEXT MEETING:
- Wednesday, September 8 @ 6:30 PM
School Supplies
Summer Reading Challenge
At St. Mary’s School we pride ourselves on being a strong literacy school. We take our role of inspiring a love of reading very seriously! One thing that we notice is that students who do not read over the summer tend to decline in their reading ability. This is known as ‘summer slide’.
To combat this regression we have created the annual St. Mary’s Summer Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read, read and read some more! Then share the reading adventure with us, every entry has a chance to win some literacy prizes when we return to school in September.
National Indigenous Peoples Day - June 21
In the spirit of reconciliation, we are holding a Division-Wide Prayer Liturgy to commemorate this day from 9:00 – 9:30 AM. The Faith & First Nations, Metis & Inuit leadership teams have planned a liturgy that will be appropriate for all students in K – 12. As well, we would encourage all members to wear orange on this day.
Together let us gather as a faith community in partnership with the Indigenous peoples of Canada, to pray for guidance, healing and peace as we journey with one another in truth and reconciliation.
Calendar of Events
June 21st-23rd - Grade-Level Sports Day (limited by cohort - details TBA)
June 22 - Year End Liturgy with Father Troy (Zoom)
June 22 - Grade 6 Leaving Drive-by 3:30-5:00
June 25th - Last Day of School for Students
Stay up-to-date on all school events by viewing our calendar of events!
School Planning
Planning to move? We are in the early stages of planning for the fall. If you know you are moving please let the front office know by calling 403-938-8048.
2021-22 School Year
For your planning purposes here are some of the details regarding next school year:
August 31 - Welcome back / Meet the Teacher (2:00-4:00)
September 1 - First day of school Grade 1-6 (Last names A-K)
September 2 - First day of school Grade 1-6 (Last names L-Z)
September 3 - All students Grades 1-6 attend
September 6 - Labour Day (No School)
September 8 - Parent Council (6:30pm)
* Kindergarten Families please refer to the staggered entry information previously shared *
ST. JAMES PARISH
ST. JAMES PARISH - MASS TIMES
ST. JAMES CHURCH, OKOTOKS
Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m.
Sunday 5:00 p.m.
ST. MICHAEL CHURCH, BLACK DIAMOND
Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m
Outdoor Masses (stay in your vehicle)
Please follow these steps to join us at mass over the weekend.
* Mass times remain the same as our regular schedule
* Okotoks (5pm Saturday, 8am - 10am - 5pm Sunday)
* Black Diamond (5pm Saturday, 9am Sunday)
* When you arrive at the church, we ask that you park your vehicle (East side of the church - Okotoks); (West side of the church - Black Diamond), facing the church.
* Keep an empty space in between each vehicle. Ushers will be outside to help direct traffic.
* Tune your radio to 107.9AM to listen to mass
* During the preparation of the gifts, Ushers will walk around the lot with baskets for your offering.
* When it is time for Communion, Ministers will walk to each vehicle to distribute Communion. Please remain in your vehicle.
St. Mary's Way Creed
We use our words, hands and hearts to help others.
We ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”
We are a family.
We pray to St. Mary to watch over, guide and protect us.
Amen
Do you have a story of when you have seen the St. Mary's Way in action? Consider sharing it with us here!
About our school...
St. Mary’s School is a faith-filled environment where students recognize they are a gift from God. They develop meaningful prayer lives and serve others with generosity and love. We are a literacy school where students are encouraged to read a lot and explore multiple genres. Students are able to self-select books from the library or from their classroom library and share their reading and writing with others! Our school has high expectations for all students while ensuring mastery of foundational skills and designing lessons that are engaging and meaningful. We understand the value of multiple dimensions of learning and address this through specialist-instructed programs in Music, French, Physical Education and Outdoor learning.
Brandon Bailey | PRINCIPAL
Shari Gustafson | VICE-PRINCIPAL
Karen Fox | VICE-PRINCIPAL
Website: www.stmarysokotoks.ca
Location: 42 Cimarron Trail, Okotoks, AB, Canada
Phone: 403-938-8048
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarys.ctr