The Bison Bugle
January 22nd - 26th
MISSION STATEMENT
At St. Kateri Tekakwitha Academy, we are a spiritual, Christ - centred community that nurtures resilient, responsible, lifelong learners through love and service.
Connect - Inspire - Achieve
UPCOMING EVENTS at SKT!
Jan 22 - Student Assembly
Jan 23 - THEME DAY "Winter Whiteout!" (WEAR WHITE)
Jan 23 - Academy & Gr 4 & 5 Options (Tues/Thurs)
Jan 23 - Gr 1-3 Reading Groups (Tues/Wed/Thurs)
Jan 23 - RAINBOWS Div I & Div II group with Mrs. Palidwar
Jan 23 - Gr 3-5 Mrs. P's Club @ lunch recess
Jan 23 - Gr 3 & 4 Team Games @ lunch recess with Mrs. Zadunayski
Jan 23 - Gr 5 Leadership Club with Mrs. Zazulak
Jan 24 - 8:45am Gr 4 & 5 BISON Breakfast
Jan 24 - Grade 4 & 5 Running Club begins! (lunch recess)
Jan 24 - Gr 2 Mindful Club with Mrs. Zazulak
Jan 25 - Gr 3 & 4 Team Games @ lunch recess with Mrs. Zadunayski
Jan 25 - 6:30pm Pre-K & Kindergarten Expo at MCHS (Tell your neighbours to check us out!)
Jan 26 - NO KINDERGARTEN classes
Jan 26 - Gr 1 Games Club @ lunch recess with Mrs. Miller
Jan 26 - 12:40pm Gr 1-5 BISON McDonald's Lunch Winners
Jan 31 - GSACRD Faith & Wellness PD Day - NO CLASSES for all students
Pre-K and Kindergarten Expo - COME CHECK US OUT!
Join our community where everyone knows your name!
Our annual Pre-K and Kinder EXPO is an opportunity for parents/legal guardians and families to learn about our Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten programming.
When is the upcoming expo?
Morinville Expo: Thursday, January 25, 2024- 6:30 p.m. Morinville Community High School
New Student Registration - NOW OPEN
New Student Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is NOW OPEN! Current GSACRD students will be emailed a notification email the following week with instructions to register via their PowerSchool Parent Portal.
GSACRD Assurance Survey
Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools values your opinion. As part of our Assurance process, we ask that you share your perspective through our Division Assurance Survey at the link or QR code below. Results from this survey will be used to inform planning and make decisions at both the school and divisional level for the 2024/2025 school year.
All parents and staff, as well as students in grades 4-12, will be given the opportunity to complete the survey. Surveys are completely anonymous.
Families with children at more than one GSACRD school are asked to complete a survey for each site.
The survey will remain open from January 11, 2024 to Friday, February 2, 2024.
Please note: If you have a child in grade 4, 7, or 10, you may receive a similar survey from Alberta Education at a later date. If so, we would encourage you to complete both surveys.
We thank you in advance for sharing your feedback; your time is appreciated.
LINK HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SKTParent2024
Alberta Education - NEW LEARN ALBERTA for Parents
Checkout the parent information on Learn Alberta (CLICK HERE) to be provided with a better understanding of Alberta’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum, this site will help you discover what your child is learning, and provide related information.
SKTA YEARBOOK!
YEARBOOKS are available to PRE-ORDER for only $20.00 on your PARENT PORTAL!
Don't miss out on your child's memories for 2023-2024 as there are only LIMITED COPIES AVAILABLE!
Parent Council & Friends of SKTA
Thank you to all parents and guardians who joined us at our last Parent Council meeting last week. We have such a great group of engaged parents. OUR NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15th. Parent Council & Friends of SKTA are both wonderful ways for parents & guardians to get involved and support our school and it's initiatives. All parents & guardians with children registered at SKTA are welcome to join! Participating in Parent Council will allow individuals to share their voice and their talents with the school community and serve our students. Any families who would like to review the Agenda's and Minutes can access them on our SKTA website (CLICK HERE)
Join a Great Community of Parents on our ST. KATERI ACADEMY PARENTS facebook page!
SKTA FUNDRAISING
Mabel's Labels
You can buy Mabel’s Labels for your child's items - they are waterproof, durable labels to help reduce classroom mix-ups and keep your items coming home! CLICK HERE for more information on how to order. This fundraiser is ongoing and doesn't have a deadline to order.
Friends of SKT thanks you so much for supporting our school and our students.
PLEASE Dress For the Weather!
As we move into the new year, outdoor temperatures are set to drop. Families are encouraged to review GSACRD's Inclement Weather Policy AP 132 & AP 133 linked below. Please note that it is Board Policy that students will be participating in outdoor activities when the the temperature (including windchill) is warmer than - 25 degrees Celsius.
Students are expected to come to school prepared for outdoor activities daily. Students should arrive at school with warm coats, snow pants, winter boots, warm mitts/gloves and headwear. Students will be going outside for all recess breaks unless temperatures are below -24 (including windchill).
When conditions are deemed too cold (-25 and cooler) students will be staying indoors for all activities.
Arrival Procedures:
On days when the temperature is below -25 at the start of the day & busses are running, all boot room doors will be open by 8:15 AM for students to enter the school. Students are to enter the school via their regular boot room doors. A supervisor will be present at all doors to ensure students enter the school.
On days when the temperature is below -25 at the start of the day and busses are NOT running, students will be able to enter the school via the front doors or the east entrance boot room (kindergarten entrance).
On all day's when the temperature is below -25, the office will be open and accessible via the front doors by 8:00 AM
Dismissal Procedures:
At the end of the day, students will exit the school via their specific boot-rooms and head directly to either the 'Parent Pick Up' area or to their respective bus line ups. If a student is unable to find their guardian for pick up, they will be directed to wait inside at the office and a staff member will assist them.
All students have been informed that at anytime they are outside during inclement weather and they are unsure of where to go or are waiting on a parent our guardian, they are to make their way directly to the front office for support.
As always, should you have any questions, please contact the office.
GSACRD Voice
Get LOUD! Day
Our GSACRD schools will be celebrating Get LOUD! Day in place of Bell Let's Talk Day this Wednesday, January 24. The reason for this change is to not be associated with a media company and to pave our own way of promoting positive mental health. Get LOUD! Day is a day for us to help end the stigma, create awareness, start the conversation and take action surrounding mental health and mental illness. Here are 5 important strategies we can use to take positive action:
LISTEN AND ASK.
Sometimes, just being there for people you care about is all they need, or it may even be the first step towards seeking help and recovery. Ask non-judgemental questions such as “Is everything okay?”, or “How can I help?”
BE KIND.
Reach out to others, smile, or simply listen with an open heart and mind. These small acts of kindness can be an easy way to show you are there for someone. Avoid using phrases such as “You’ll get over it”, or “Just relax and shake it off”. Instead, say “I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well”, or “What can I do to help?”
TALK ABOUT IT.
Many people experiencing mental health issues fear judgement, which prevents them from reaching out. Be open to a conversation with others. This can help eliminate stigma.
USE PERSON-FIRST LANGUAGE.
The words you use can make a difference. Choose words that help rather than hurt. For example, say “a person with a mental illness”, rather than “that person is crazy”.
EDUCATE YOURSELF AND OTHERS.
Exploring and understanding information surrounding mental health and mental illness can help challenge stigma.
Kara Meloche: kmeloche@gsacrd.ab.ca (END & GHP)
Caitlin Josey: cjosey@gsacrd.ab.ca (SKT & Legal)
Marina Casavant: mcasavant@gsacrd.ab.ca (MCHS & Communications)
Methods for Recording Student Attendance
Dear Parents,
Ensuring your child's attendance is accurately recorded is essential for us to provide the best educational experience. Please visit our website (Click HERE) for detailed instructions under the MENU.
Ongoing Reporting - Viewing your students marks
We encourage all parents to use PowerSchool as a tool to remain informed about student progress. Questions or concerns about student assessments should be directed to your child's homeroom teacher. Interviews to discuss student progress will continue to be a valuable opportunity for collaboration between home and school. In addition to this, reciprocal emails and phone calls will also be essential to maintaining a solid relationship that is focused on student success.
Please watch video on our website (Click HERE) for a step by step on how to access.
St. Jean Baptiste Parish
As partners in faith with our local St. Jean Baptiste Parish, please see the link below to find out mass times and locations, upcoming parish events and more.
Please note, if you are interested in learning more about having your child participate in Sacramental Preparation, please see the following link: https://www.sjbp.ca/sacraments.htm