Jean Vanier Catholic School
September 16 2016
"Every child, every person needs to know they are a source of joy; every child every person needs to be celebrated." Jean Vanier
JV Leadership Message
As we celebrate our 12th day at school, it was amazing to reflect on how many milestones, learning celebrations, new opportunities, problems solved, and new friendships have evolved! We recognize that many of the bumps and challenges your child sometimes faces at school can feel overwhelming and can create some anxiety for both students and parents. You are always your child's first teacher and how you model the approach to solving problems makes a big difference in building resiliency and developing positive coping tools for your child. As professional educators in a K-4 learning environment, we do not want to remove all challenges for your child but rather, support and help them develop healthy and positive coping tools so they can grow to be the amazing people God has called them to be. Please try to remember that during the school day, there are many "moments"; some great, some difficult, some overwhelming, and some amazing! As you ask your child about the day, try to focus on moments rather than days.
Carol Dweck is a leading researcher in the field of motivation and how to foster success. As we celebrate a, "Growth Mindset" with your child, here are some very positive and effective questions to ask your child about "how was school today" that can build resiliency and problem-solving skills.
PD Day Tomorrow
As we gather tomorrow to grow our brains, we thank-you for your continued support and prayers!
To review the EICS school year calendar, it can be viewed on our website, EICS website, or by clicking on the link below:
Grade 4 Leadership
Once again, we are delighted to offer our grade four leadership teams this year! It has been a huge success for the past two years and the call to continue is unanimous from staff, students, and parents! We will continue with our five teams for the 2016-2017 school year; Faith, Ukrainian, School Spirit, Healthy Living, and Young Citizens. Our supportive PSC has already set aside support for our t-shirts again, many thanks!
If you have a student in grade four this year, please talk to them about this awesome leadership opportunity. Team leaders will be presenting information to all our grade four classes and sign up will start up on Monday, September 19 and last day will be on Friday, September 23, 2016. We would love to have them develop leadership skills to share their joy, compassion, faith, culture, and stewardship with our world! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Boehm at school.
"As adults, we must raise our expectations for what youth can accomplish in the present -- as players, not spectators; as actors, not recipients. We simply cannot afford to wait for young people to grow up before they start tackling the biggest problems facing the planet -- we need them to be the leaders and the hope of today". -Steven Culbertson
Thank-you to our Grade 4 leaders last year!
Assembly Leadership!
Field Trip Consent Forms
This year, those forms are available online in your Powerschool Parent Account.
Please ensure that you have submitted the annual Field Trip consent form, as well as the Technology Consent forms by September 23rd. Students that do not have permission via these consent forms will not be permitted to attend out of school field trips.
For information on how to complete these forms, please see the box below.
Important: Data Verification Forms and Consent Forms
If you have not already logged into your Powerschool Parent Account to update Data Verification forms , and other consent forms, please do so before the end of September. For your child's safety, it is important that we have the most current contact information on file.
Once logged into your account, for each child, click on:
- Forms and Fees
- Student Forms: to fill out any data verification forms. If it says "No Forms" - that means we have already received your forms.
- Yearly Consents: Please fill out the yearly Technology Agreement, and Field Trip Consent for your children. These forms used to be sent home in paper form at the start of the year, now that are available online.
Please take a look at your Parent account as soon as you can. There was a technical issue with some of the forms this week, and a handful of forms were sent back to parents for review. Please make sure you click on your child at the top, and verify that there are no outstanding forms. Thank-you for your patience as we work through this new process.
If you have forgotten your Powerschool Parent Account login information, please contact the school office, and we can provide you with your login information.
Technology available for parents
Powerschool
All parents should have created a Powerschool parent account. Powerschool is our student database. Through Powerschool you are able to do the following:
- view and submit forms with up to date demographic information for your child.
- submit annual consent forms, such as Field Trip Agreements, Technology Use Agreement
- School fees can be paid online through Powerschool
- When report cards are issued, you will be able to view them in Powerschool
- As your children move to Middle School, and High School, Powerschool will be the tool used to view student marks throughout the year.
The website for Powerschool is:
https://powerschool.eics.ab.ca/public/home.html
Safe Arrival
Our first priority every morning and afternoon is to ensure that all of our students are accounted for. To report your child's absence, use Safe Arrival. To report your child's absence you can:
- Call 1-877-246-9970
- Download the Safe Arrival App from the App Store or Google Play Store. This is a convenient way to report any absences
- Online: https://parent.schoolconnectsweb.com/parentportal33/login/default.aspx? ElkIslandCSD41
Please note: You are only able to report absences for the current day until 8:41 am. This is the cut off as it is the start of first period. If you need to report an absence after this time, you are welcome to call or email the school directly.
You should have received an email from Elk Island Catholic Schools with information to create an account with Safe Arrival. Please call or email the school office, and we can resend your login information to you.
Synervoice:
We use Synervoice to send all of our communication to our JV families via email. All families need to "opt-in" to receive emails from the school. Families that have opted in previously do not need to opt in again. Elk Island Catholic Schools routinely sends out emails to parents that have not yet opted in to receive our emails. Please follow the links in the email to opt in to receive our emails if you have not previously done so.
EICS has a link on their website if you have not yet subscribed to receive emails:
https://www.eics.ab.ca/parents-and-students/email-subscription-management
EICS App
EICS has a new App available on the App Store, or Google Play Store. All of the EICS news and applications are available on one mobile app.
Terry Fox Run
Volunteers in the classroom
We would like to remind parents and visitors to the school to respect the confidentiality of students, staff, and other parents/guardians while in the school. We ask that you keep conversations, both in and out of school, related to your child so that the confidentiality to which all students, families, and staff members are entitled can be maintained.
If you are volunteering in your child's classroom more than once or twice a year, we ask that you please complete the following Volunteer Confidentiality Form and return to your child's homeroom teacher:
Transportation Update
The Transportation Office is requesting that parents refrain from sending a note giving permission to their child to ride another child's school bus. The buses within the Hamlet of Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan and Camrose are almost at capacity and your child may not be permitted to board their friends bus. Thank you.
School Fees / Fee Waivers
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, EICS is offering a Fee Waiver Program again this year.
Please visit: https://www.eics.ab.ca/download/77800 to download a copy of the forms to fill out.
Please not that all applications must be received at EICS by December 12th, 2016.
Meet the Staff / Cyberbullying Presentation
Altar Servers at OLPH Parish
For more information, please fill out the form below and email it to ryuzyk@olph.ca
AHS information for Kindergarten families
Coupon Book Reminder
Families of Jean Vanier:
We are approaching the last week of the Admazing Saving Coupon Book fundraiser, set to close by Thursday September 22nd. Each family was sent home with a coupon book the first week in September.
To date we have only heard back from half the families, by way purchasing/selling their book, OR returning it if uninterested. Please respond either way to this fundraiser with your interest (via the white collection envelope, to the childs homeroom teacher).
Following the close date, entries for the draw prizes will take place.
BUCPS Fundraising Committee
There's an App for that!
Upcoming Events at JV
September 16th: PD Day - No School for students
September 19th: BUCPS Meeting
September 21st: Ukrainian Opening Liturgy at St. Basil's
September 21st: PSC Meeting 6:30 pm - library
September 22nd: Coupon Book orders due
September 23rd: School pictures
September 23rd: Breaking bread together (gym lunch)
September 27th: Picture retakes
September 28th: Meet the staff evening
October 5th: Early dismissal 2:13
October 7th: PD Day - No school
Jean Vanier Catholic School
Email: jv@eics.ab.ca
Website: www.jv.eics.ab.ca
Location: 109 Georgian Way, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-467-3633
Twitter: @jvcatholic