Sister Alphonse Academy Newsflash!
14/May/2021
Dear Sister Alphonse Academy Families!
Dear Parents/Guardians:
We thank you God for the blessings of Catholic Education! We celebrate being able to practice our Catholic faith each day while learning and striving to achieve success. Thank you to all parents/legal guardians who support Catholic Education each day! Striving for academic excellence in a faith permeated environment is celebrated and appreciated as we support you and your children through their educational journey at Sister Alphonse Academy.
Thank you to all parents/guardians who are working hard at supporting their child (children) during online learning. We appreciate your support and please continue to reach out to staff if you experience any challenges or need clarification.
Take care, God bless and have a great weekend.
Christine Samson, Principal
Cindy Phillips, Vice Principal
SAA Upcoming events:
Upcoming events: Week of May 17, 2021
Monday, May 17 - Exciting day of learning
Tuesday, May 18 - Exciting day of learning
Wednesday, May 19 - JERSEY/FAVOURITE TEAM DAY! WEAR YOUR FAVOURITE JERSEY, T-SHIRT, OR TEAM COLOURS! Exciting day of learning
Thursday, May 20 - SAA Spirit wear day! Wear your SAA clothing or blue and green!
Friday, May 21- Professional Development Day - No classes for students.
Looking ahead?
Monday, May 24 - Victoria Day - No school/Holiday
Tuesday, May 25 - Ordinary time begins. Liturgy colour: Green
Wednesday, May 26 - Kona Ice Food Truck Fun!
Friday, June 11th - Grade nine virtual farewell!
Tuesday, June 22nd - Grade six celebration!
Hats on for Mental Health!
Getting Better Together!
Congratulations Mr. Brass!
Write up from the City of St. Albert: "Sean Brass is a Grade 6 teacher in St. Albert and he has made a difference for the Bourgeois family over the past year. He has been nominated as a Mental Health Hero by Jillian Bourgeois for his poignant mentorship and caring nature."
Read more in this week's City Highlights: http://ow.ly/wmZE50EHILh
St. Albert Catholic Parish News!
Kona Ice Food Truck Fun!
Project Based Learning at work!
The 4-6 students created the inside and outside of 3D food trucks! They designed floor plans and applied the concepts of perimeter and area to make their plans come to life. Students researched and discussed practical food truck floor plans. Real-life learning took over!
Earlier this week, Mrs. Lobel was on a walk and ran into Jen Boyce, the owner of the Kona Ice truck. Jen opened up the back of her food truck, so pictures could be shared with the students. Thanks, Jen, for helping learning come to life and add to the excitement of conceptual learning! Many students saw Kona Ice in their neighborhood and even ran out during meets to buy an icy treat, meet Jen, and see her truck themselves.
The 45'ers are keeping their fingers crossed that we are back in school for when Kona Ice visits SAA.
Online reading at home with siblings. Learning together as a family.
The award will honour staff members who are active and articulate witnesses to Jesus Christ by serving the needy in the most selfless manner possible. Such service exemplifies Laura Bird, a teacher in St. Albert in the 1960s and 70s who served students through a spirit of inclusion and advocacy for their needs. Please click on the link to access more information regarding this special award. Nominations are open until May 14, 2021. Thank you!
SAA PARTICIPATES in the GROW ALBERTA Initiative!
Deadline to purchase your SAA yearbook is coming soon!
Ongoing SAA Friends Fundraisers
ONGOING SAA FUNDRAISERS:
1. Campbell Park Bottle Depot - Ask for the receipt from the return of your bottles and cans to go towards 'Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy" envelope.2. FlipGive - Go to flipgive.com or get the FlipGive app. Enter code QYXC53 to earn a portion of proceeds for the school by purchasing gift cards and shopping online!
3. COBS DoughRaiser - Mention Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy at St. Albert location, and 5% of your purchase will go to Friends of SAA.
4. Oliver's Labels - http://www.oliverslabels.com/FriendsofSAA
5. Mabel's Labels - mabelslabels.ca - Click on 'Support a Fundraiser' and search for Friends of Sister Alphonse Academy (St. Albert)
Staples Orders for next year!
GSACRD Voice Parent Cafe!
Our next Parent Cafe is set for in a few weeks. Please feel free to use the following insert to share the information in regards to this event:
Please see attached the information for GSACRD Voice's next Parent Cafe on Consent Law - Thursday, May 27, 2021 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. As with all GSACRD Voice programming, this event is free and will be hosted virtually via Zoom. Please use this link to register and see attached poster for more information.
We hope to see you there!
Lauren Chow, BSc
Program Manager
Mental Health Capacity Building Initiative
GSACRD Voice
SAA Friends SPRING Plant Pick up!
PICK UP FOR ANY FAMILIES WHO ORDERED PLANTS THROUGH THE SPRING PLANT FUNDRAISER, PICK UP IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, MAY 19TH BETWEEN 3 AND 5 P.M., AT SAA. PARENTS/VOLUNTEERS PLEASE Email friendsofsaa@gmail.com IF YOU CAN ASSIST WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PLANTS. THANK YOU!
Important Message: Parent/Guardian Contact Information
Thanks!
News & Events from St. Albert Public Library
Our St Albert Public Library has many great activities and events for children and teens. The library also offers reading support for younger children through their reading buddies program. Additionally, the library staff can put together a reading collection for summer reading for your child based on their interests and reading level. You can contact the library with this link:
https://www.sapl.ca/contact-form.html
Children:
Please click on the link to read more about programs for children ages 5-10 years.
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/childrens-programs.html
Online programs:
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/online-programs.html
Teens:
The library has several events for preteens and teens (11-17 yrs) to join in.
https://www.sapl.ca/programs-events/programs/teens.html
Most Fridays the hove Virtual Escape rooms. Click this link to learn more
https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3606010?hs=a
Other programs:
- For aspiring writers and creative types, Nisha's Poetry Writing workshop is on May 13th (grades 4-8): https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3606154 but she will be running other programs throughout the year if this one doesn't work out. As our Writer-In-Residence, Nisha can be contacted directly for any writing support - regionalwir@gmail.com She's amazing with young folks, so definitely encourage them to reach out!
- Summer Jobs 101 on May 29th will cover some basic info for anyone looking to get their first summer job and learn a bit about resources in the community. Would be especially interesting for anyone in grades 7-12: https://sapl.libcal.com/event/3605247
- There will be a summer reading game this year, but it will be adapted to suit public health restrictions. For the younger ages, there will be some outdoor events, and for the teens there will be virtual options with lots of prizes to win. Details will be announced on the website and calendar closer to June 2021.
Thank you to our SAA Families!
SIGIS Childcare Summer Calendar!
Please note that we have SIGIS Childcare within our building at SAA! SIGIS would like to share their summer calendar with all families. Please see the attachment below for more information. Thank you!
Student Health & Safety
With students away from school during spring break, we are reminding students of the Covid-19 safety related protocols that are in place. Please help your child remember all of the expectations as this keeps all of us safe in school.
On August 4, grades 4-12 students and all staff have been asked to wear masks and mask use will be mandatory in common areas and when physical distancing of 2m is not possible. K-3 students are not required to wear masks, but mask use is encouraged as much as possible. Masks are to be worn while riding the bus as well.
Additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in every school and division office and additional hand sanitizer has been provided to schools to enable individuals to practice good hand hygiene.
It is recommended that individual-sized hand sanitizer bottles be purchased for your children so that they have this with them throughout the day. If you need to purchase another one for Monday please do so. Thank you.
Students please bring your own water bottle to school and do not share them. Water fountains will remain open and be cleaned regularly.
All students are asked to wear a mask to wear upon entry at school and when riding a school bus. Teachers will provide mask breaks. Prior to the break, students needed more reminders of continuing to do this so let’s have a new start again.
Grades 4 - 9 students: Please remember to wear your mask at all times when walking in the classroom and/or hallway and continue to maintain physical distance between one another.
During the spring season we will also be conducting a few more fire drills. The procedures and protocols will be reviewed with staff and students prior to the drill. Thank you!
Covid - Health & Safety Updates: Important message
Parents/Guardians:
Please check our our Covid-19 protocol updates in our parent handbook each week. Thank you so much for your continued diligence and support.
https://www.gsacrd.ab.ca/schoolreentry/parentguidebook
The Alberta Government has established stronger mandatory province-wide public health measures to help slow down the spread of the COVID-19.
Please open the link below to see an important change in the symptoms and isolating:
Alberta Health Daily Checklist - Please continue to screen your children for any symptoms BEFORE choosing to send them to school.
Covid-19 - How long to stay home from school
Thank you so much for your support!
GSACRD Summer School
Please visit summerschool.gsacrd.ab.ca
SAFETY PROTOCOL STUDENT RE-ENTRY REMINDERS
Before coming to school each day, all staff and students must complete the Alberta government’s COVID-19 Information Screening Questionnaire, which is available in multiple languages, to determine whether they can attend or must stay home. The form does not need to be submitted to the office. If your child has any symptoms, contact your school office to let your child’s school know. Everyone who enters a school will see a sign that reminds them to complete the daily COVID-19 Information Screening Questionnaire before entering the building.
Please remember to bring with you all of your books and supplies that are needed for school on Monday morning. Monday is a regular, full day of classes.
Please remember that we have four entrances for students. When you arrive at school please report to the same school door that you were using before the Christmas break.
On August 4, grades 4-12 students and all staff have been asked to wear masks and mask use will be mandatory in common areas and when physical distancing of 2m is not possible. K-3 students are not required to wear masks, but mask use is encouraged as much as possible. Masks are to be worn while riding the bus as well.
Students with pre-existing health conditions that cause symptoms of illness should be tested for COVID-19 at least once before returning to school. A negative test will help show that symptoms are related to their pre-existing conditions, and not to COVID-19. This will establish what their baseline for being healthy looks like. Families should notify their school about any pre-existing condition and the symptoms it causes. As long as these symptoms remain the same, the student can attend school.
Additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in every school and division office and additional hand sanitizer has been provided to schools to enable individuals to practice good hand hygiene.
It is recommended that individual-sized hand sanitizer bottles be purchased for your children so that they have this with them throughout the day. If you need to purchase another one for Monday please do so. Thank you.
Students please bring your own water bottle to school and do not share them. Water fountains will remain open and be cleaned regularly.
All students are asked to wear a mask to wear upon entry at school and when riding a school bus. Teachers will provide mask breaks. Prior to the break, students needed more reminders of continuing to do this so let’s have a new start again.
Grades 4 - 9 students: Please remember to wear your mask at all times when walking in the classroom and/or hallway and continue to maintain physical distance between one another.
Approved cleaning protocols have been put in place in all Division buildings. Custodial staff have been trained to identify high touch areas and to know how to clean, sanitize, and disinfect them.
If your child becomes ill at school, your child will be placed in a safe space until you or your emergency designate picks up your child.
Lunch Hour: All students in the elementary and junior high school need to eat their lunch in their own classrooms. We have always had this guideline in place, but students needed a few reminders to adhere to this prior to the break. Students in Junior High who are leaving the building for lunch please follow all safety protocols with masks use, physical distancing and sanitization upon exit and entry.
Junior High - Nutrition break: You are to eat your snack at your desk in your classroom. If you would like to go for a short walk in the school, wear your mask and continue to maintain a physical distance of two metres while walking.
Gym use - Students will have grade cohort assigned time to use the gym. Please listen for the announcements for your day of use.
Sister Alphonse Academy!
Email: info@sisteralphonseacademy.com
Website: https://www.saa.gsacrd.ab.ca/
Location: 1 Joyal Way, Sturgeon County, AB, Canada
Phone: 7808092296
Facebook: facebook.com/sisteralphonseacademy
Twitter: @sisteralphonseacademy