Virtually Together @ OLA
Learning & Faith - April 26, 2020
From the Gospel for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, April 25th
Love. First, Last & Always!
What if a dog behaved badly in a candy store?
-A story created one sentence at a time with 2C, April 23/20
A dog behaved badly in a candy store.
He was running really fast through the aisles.
He barked so loudly a child cried.
The child’s name was Raisin
He scared everyone out of the store.
And when the dog went out of the candy store, everyone went back in and bought candy.
After, they called the animal patrol.
And then the dog broke out of the cage from the animal patrol.
He went back to the candy store and he knocked all the candy over.
The dog did a backflip.
He threw candy at the lights.
Everyone in the candy store ran out and went to a hot dog store because they were sick of how the dog was behaving in the candy store.
Then the dog had a sad face because everyone left for the hotdog store. So he went to the hotdog store.
Then a monkey came in and knocked over all the shelves.
Then the dog got very terrified at the hotdog store because he thought he would be turned into a hotdog.
The End
Pope Francis quotes to reflect upon from Laudato Si
Pope Francis calls us to prayer
Pope Francis has composed prayers for the end of the pandemic to be recited after the rosary during the month of May. Read the story from Grandin Media below.
Digital Classrooms - Staying Virtually Connected
1Oi Sporting their Masks
Frog Faces in Pre-K/Kinder
Crazy Hat Day in 3K & 1/2KS
This week's focus...
Learning and Connecting
Events & Connects will be updated daily.
This week:
Send us your pictures to the OLA Facebook Page or email them to us at ola@eics.ab.ca
Stay healthy. Stay safe! And smile!
Monday, April 27
- Happy Birthday Cooper in 1/2KS
- OLA Teacher Google Meet @ 9:00am
- 4E Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 1/2KS Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 2C Google Meet @ 11:00am
- 3/4V Google Meet 11:30am
- OLA Staff Connect Google Meet @ 1:00pm
- 1Oi Google Meet @ 2:30pm
Tuesday, April 28
- OLA Teacher Google Meet @ 9:00am
- Pre-K AM Google Meet @ 9:00am
- 4E Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 1/2KS Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 2C Google Meet @ 11:00am
- M/W Kinder Google Meet @ 11:00am
- OLA Staff Collaborative Response (Pre-K & Kinder) Connect @ 1:00pm
- Pre-K AM Google Meet @ 2:00pm
- 1Oi Google Meet @ 2:30pm
- OLA School Council Virtual Meeting @ 7:00pm - please watch your email 20 minutes prior for the link to the Google Meet
Wednesday, April 29
- Teachers Google Meet 9:00am
- 4E Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 1/2KS Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 2C Google Meet @ 11:00am
- 3/4V Google Meet 11:30am
- OLA Staff Collaborative Response (Grade 1 & 2) Connect @ 1:00pm
- 1Oi Google Meet @ 2:30pm
Thursday, April 30
- OLA Teacher Google Meet 9:00am
- 4E Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Sing Along @ 10:15am
- 1/2KS Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 2C Google Meet @ 11:00am
- M/W Kinder Google Meet @ 11:00am
- SLS Faith Team Google Meet 11:30am
- OLA Staff Connect @ 1:00pm
- T/Th Pre-K/Kinder Google Meet @ 2:00pm
- 1Oi Google Meet @ 2:30pm
Friday, May 1
- Hats of for Mental Health - please send us your photos!
- Teachers Google Meet 9:00am
- 4E Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 3K Google Meet @ 10:00am
- 1/2KS Google Meet @ 10:00am
- T/Th Pre-K/Kinder Google Meet @ 10:30am
- 2C Google Meet @ 11:00am
- 3/4V Google Meet 11:30am
- SLS Wellness Team Google Meet @ 12:30pm - stay tuned for invite
- OLA Staff Collaborative Response (Grade 3 & 4) Connect @ 1:00pm
- 1Oi Google Meet @ 2:30pm
Mark Your Calendars:
OLA Virtual School Council meeting Tuesday April 28th at 7:00pm. Google meet link, will be sent to your email at approximately 6:40pm on Tuesday April 28th. Looking forward to reconnecting our OLA Parent Community!
Class allocation letters due to Mme Gravelle by May 7, 2020. Please see your email for details.
OLA's Outdoor Challenge!
Earth Day Art
Earth Day Heroes!
Routine is Key to Success!
Today’s world has changed so much in such a little time and so many of us are currently facing challenges in our lives that are producing a lot of stress and uncertainty right now. We understand that keeping our children on track with their learning can be quite difficult when we are all trying to manage so many other things at the same time. Having a predictable routine can help both adults and children find peace and purpose to their days and can set us up for success with online learning and all of the other tasks that other family members need to attend to during the day. It's all for Family Wellness.
Here are some ideas that can help you create and establish a predictable routine so that your child will be ready for learning each day.
Check out these examples of daily schedules!
confessionsofahomeschooler.com
ttps://activeforlife.com/content/uploads/2020/04/AfL-kids-day-planner.pdf
Our OLA Family
Deadline Today, Sunday April 26th
GrACE Contest - A Celebraton of Catholic Education
2019-2020 Theme: Love - First, Last and Always
GrACE exists to inspire, invigorate and embolden the spirit of Catholic education in order
to unite, engage, educate and communicate with one voice on its behalf. GrACE, in partnership with the REAL Foundation, is happy to present this contest to our EICS students.
This is our second annual GrACE Contest: A Celebration of Catholic Education.
We invite EICS students of all grade levels to submit work reflecting the importance of, and their experience with or contribution to Catholic education. This year our theme is Love - First, Last and Always. How have students shown love, or how have they contributed to the great message that God is Love?
Student Submissions could include such things as (but not limited to):
A work of art
A student poster
A formal or informal essay
Original music
Poetry
A presentation (video or otherwise) of social justice work
etc
Please encourage students to create a submission at home.
All these submissions will need to be in digital format.
Please send all submissions to:
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School Chaplain,
Mrs. Weller via email sandyw@eicsa.ab.ca
Prizes
Prizes will be presented at a later date. There will be 14 prizes!
KIndergarten - Grade 8 students = $50 prize
Grade 9-12 students = $100 prize
Prizes will be granted by grade level and community:
- Kindergarten - Grade 4 Fort Satchewan = $50
- Grade 5-8 Fort Satchewan = $50
- Grade 9-12 Fort Satchewan = $100
From Mrs. Heesing our Family Wellness Worker
EICS Shares Mental Health and Wellness Resources During the Pandemic
Your EICS Wellness Team has created a huge array of resources and links that may be helpful during this challenging time. Please follow the link below to find assistance in any of the following areas:
Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute
Please follow the link below for some valuable information from the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute on supporting your family during COVID-19.
Should I feel guilty about the screen time my kid is getting right now?
From Common Sense Media
Our lives have changed quickly since shelter-in-place orders started. For parents like me (I have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old)—who are suddenly assuming multiple roles as caregivers, teachers, and playmates—the same questions are on repeat: What in the world am I going to do with my kids all day from now until who knows when? And … how many movies is it OK for them to watch in one day?
Mike Robb, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Research, Father of two
Parents tend to think of screen use guidelines as a daily maximum amount that's acceptable. But if you look closely at popular recommendations, such as the ones from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the message—even before the coronavirus pandemic—is much more nuanced, and much less focused on time.
For a while now, media researchers have been advocating for a shift from screen quantity to content quality. If kids are engaged with high-quality content that stokes curiosity and fuels imagination, who's to say that should end when they've hit their screen limit? Research has also uncovered the importance of kids' experience with media, based on who uses media with kids (siblings? parents?), the purpose of the content (school? entertainment?), and who's talking with kids about what they're watching (Daniel Tiger and Tiger King both make for great mealtime conversation). In other words: Context matters, too.
Key to this nuance is understanding that all screens are not equal. We shouldn't act as though one hour of old DuckTales cartoons is the same as one hour of Zooming with a family member, or one hour of playing Fortnite with a friend, or one hour of drawing tutorials on YouTube. What a kid gets out of each is totally different, and satisfies different needs—and that's OK.
One of the things the current crisis has really brought home is how unbelievably social kids are, and want to be. In some ways, our adaptations to staying at home have made us use technology in ways that are great for children: in service of relationships. Kids may be watching more Netflix and playing more video games than usual. But they're also video-chatting more, playing games with schoolmates, and even enjoying online playdates. Though nothing will ever replace in-person interaction for children, using tech to strengthen relationships is more important than ever.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations when it comes to using screens during this time:
- Don't feel guilty. We are living through a massive cultural shock. Families have enough stress to deal with, and counting screen minutes should be very low on the list of concerns for any of us.
- Not all screens are created equal. Worried that the online classroom is adding to your kid's screen time? Don't be. Screen activities shouldn't be lumped together. Some are educational; some are just for fun. Some are high-quality; some are a guilty pleasure. What we do on screens and how we do it is more important than time spent.
- Good content is key. Choose age-appropriate, high-quality media and tech for your kids. Use our reviews to find good content.
- Get creative. Let kids use your phone to shoot photos and videos and then go to town with stickers, slo-mo, and other editing tools. Give them a prompt like, "Take ten pictures of something round, and then write a story connecting each thing." Have them make their own memes, record a song, choreograph a dance video—anything that gets them using screens to fulfill their imaginations.
- Use tech to bond. Relationships are critical to kids' healthy development. Tech can and should help kids connect to friends and family, collaborate with each other, play, and share stories, pictures, and videos.
- Talk about it. We're in a unique position where kids are likely using screens more, and we may have more opportunities to join them—or at least engage with them about what they're watching and playing. Ask questions about their favorite games, shows, and characters. Discuss ideas and issues they read about or learn about through a TV show or a game. This is an opportunity for learning about each other and sharing your values.
- Balance still matters. We should aim for a balance throughout the week. So, more screens? Fine. But also find time to be outside, to be active (indoors or outdoors, with or without screens), eat well, and talk to friends and family (on the phone, on social media, or on video chat).
Invitation from Fort Saskatchewan Family and Community Support Services
FCSS new support line now open! The goal of the Support Line is to support anyone who needs help navigating the COVD-19 benefits, connecting to local resources, and for those who just need to be heard and share their story. Individual counselling services will be available if needed.
Fort Saskatchewan Community Supports Resource List
Please visit our school webpage for a complete list of resources in our community - including counselling, family and youth support, grocery and pharmacy delivery services, food supports, tax services and subsidy programs.
World Catholic Education Day May 21, 2020
That you may know Him better
Every year, 40 days after Easter on Ascension Thursday, Catholics across the globe give thanks for the gift that is Catholic education through the celebration of World Catholic Education Day. World Catholic Education Day is on May 21, 2020.
Catholic education has served nations for centuries through teaching students in their faith. Throughout Canada, provinces, territories, and dioceses dedicate special days or weeks to celebrate Catholic education. In keeping with these celebrations, World Catholic Education Day is a time for Catholics around the world to take a moment to pause, reflect and pray on the gift that is Catholic education.
We are wearing blue!
Everyone is encouraged to wear blue in support of Catholic education. Blue signifies constancy, fidelity, genuineness and aspiration and is especially associated with the Blessed Virgin. This is very appropriate as we celebrate Mary during the month of May.
"We pray today for teachers who have to work so hard to take lessons via the internet and other media channels, and we also pray for students who have to take exams in a way they are not used to. Let us accompany them with prayer."
Pope Francis
via Twitter, April 24, 2020
Our Lady of the Angels School
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
T8L 1W7
Email: ola@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://ola.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9622 Sherridon Drive, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-3716
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/OLASchoolFtSask/photos/?ref=page_internal
Twitter: @OLAFortSask