ABJ Scots Week at a Glance (SWAG)
June 6 - 10, 2022
Happy Pentecost Sunday to All of our ABJ Families
On this Solemnity of Pentecost, which concludes our Easter celebration, we are given a ‘Gift of Life’ so that we can faithfully take up Jesus’ saving mission. However, taking up Jesus’ mission does not mean we will never feel fear, tension, uncertainty, hesitation, and sometimes discouragement. Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit with his gifts of enduring, inner peace and commitment, so as good Christian stewards we can become able to live and practice the gospel values in face of today’s many challenges. Just as the disciples on that first Easter evening received peace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, wonder and awe - so do we receive the Holy Spirit and the same gift of peace at our baptism.
St. Paul reminds that all of our gifts have their source in the Holy Spirit and that those gifts are given “for the common good.” The Holy Spirit will move us to share our unique God-given gifts with our family, parish and community.
Pentecost is an invitation to choose to share our love, to choose to move into action, and to choose to be a risen Presence to others. This weekend’s “Good News” is that the same Spirit of the Lord, which came to the first disciples at Pentecost, is still at work in the Church today. Jesus Christ promised to the apostles the Holy Spirit, a paraclete and he fulfilled his promise. He filled them with the Holy Spirit so they could go forth to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. As good stewards we are also called to inspire others by sharing our talents, gifts and treasures. We thank God for His gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives us grace and the way to salvation.
by Deacon Modesto Cordero
Important Dates
June 6
- Environmental Club an lunch time in room 219
June 7
- Final Student Council meeting
- Grad Committee Meeting lunch in room 221
- ABJ Band and Choir Spring Concert at Festival Place beginning at 7:00 pm
June 8
- Pride Events
- PEP Day. ALL teachers are running sessions as we lead up to final exams. Ask your teachers what is available this coming Wednesday.
- Grade 9 and New to ABJ Parent Info Night. Presentations at 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
- Crafty Cards for Seniors / Senior Pen Pals at lunch time in room 149
- Games Club at lunch time in room 215
- Music Club at lunch time in room 184
June 9
- Rubik's Cube Club at lunch time in room 151. Bring your own cube!
June 10
- Prayer for all students and staff in the chapel at 8:10 am
- Student Council wind-up
Games at ABJ will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSgf0GxNMoj1sf0l9rnceMw. You can also access games through the ABJ Athletics page on FaceBook.
Upcoming events...
June 14
- Parent Advisory Council Meeting
June 15
- ABJ Colour Awards
June 16
- Last day of semester 2 classes
June 21
- Indigenous Peoples' Day. No exams.
Parent and Student News
Grad Update
Over the past week, our ABJ Grads have been immersed in a number of events to celebrate their accomplishments. On May 29, we celebrated a full mass and commencement followed by an evening program and dance at the Edmonton Convention Centre. It was an emotional and joyous day for all!
Celebrations continued this past weekend with the Ukrainian 4-8-12 event Saturday afternoon at St. Theresa where all students in the Ukrainian Programs of our division were honoured as they transition between schools and onto post-high school adventures.
French Grad at ABJ took place on Saturday evening. Students of the graduating class showcased their talents and were individually treated to a special gift and personal recognition presented by teachers of our French Immersion program. It was an intimate event that highlighted our family of French immersion students at ABJ.
Grad 2022 was an amazing return to festivities in celebration of our grade 12s and there are many thanks to give.
Thank you to all the staff that supported students in their academic, spiritual, social, emotional, and physical lives in their time at ABJ. The relationships formed and the learning acquired (and sometimes endured) will last a lifetime.
To the committees that made the grad events this year possible, sincere thanks for the additional time on top of teaching, coaching, and your own family lives that you put into planning, communicating, and sweating your hearts out.
To the parents, we have been blessed to be partners with you in educating your child. We wish the grads of 2022 all the best on their journeys in life and we look forward to the updates and visits to come!
To the grade 12s, it has been the greatest honour having you grace our halls. You are a tremendous group. Remember to love- first, last, and always; choose joy; and answer thecall to more in your lives ahead. And don't forget that you will always be a Scot!
Supporting Karynna On Her Road to Recovery
Your prayers and support are greatly needed and most appreciated!
Nitza's Pizza along with the Cattail Crossing Golf & Country Club is proud to host the 3rd Annual Golf Tournament in support of a family near and dear to our hearts 💜- The Chwok Family! ⛳
Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2022
8AM Shotgun Texas Scramble
Price: $150/GOLFER, $600/FOURSOME
Place: Cattail Crossing Golf & Winter Club
PRIZES, SILENT AUCTION & DINNER
To register, sponsor a hole or donate an auction item or for more information, please call 780 417 6666. Hope to see you there!
To learn more about Karynna Chwok and her family or to donate please visit https://gofund.me/86973da6
ABJ Spring Music Concert
Honouring Diversity at ABJ
Parent Advisory Council
AP Bio Students Destined for Amazing Things!
Jeff Madro and Aislinn Johnston were selected for the HYRS (High School Youth Researcher) program at the University of Alberta where they will be employed from July 4-August 12, 2022.
Jeff will work under the supervision of a University of Alberta researcher in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine/Physical Therapy. He will be working on a project aiming to develop an artificial intelligence approach to find treatments for musculoskeletal conditions.
Aislinn will work under the supervision of a University of Alberta researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD), in the Department of Medicine, and Division of Geriatric Medicine where she will be assisting with a literature review on the topic of incontinence in people living with dementia.
Keegan Kirchen was selected for the WISEST (Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology) program at the University of Alberta where Keegan will be employed from July 4 - August 12, 2022.
Keegan will work under the supervision of a University of Alberta researcher in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences where they will be studying clubroot disease on canola (B.napus), which is a prevalent plant disease impacting Canadian farmers in the prairies. Through this project, Keegan will be able to gain hands-on experience in a laboratory setting learning different molecular and microbiological techniques, such as cloning and culturing.
We wish these students well as they embark on these wonderful opportunities!
Congratulations to Skills Alberta Hairstyling Champion
Final Exams
ECampus Update
Did you start an online course with SILC (St. Isidore Learning Centre) this school year?
Please note that your course must be completed by early June - only days to go!! Also note that most courses have exams. See Mrs. McGhan to arrange supervised exams.
Do you have questions about your online course? Please contact your SILC teacher or stop by the E Campus to chat with Mrs McGhan (or email - karrym@eics.ab.ca)
Ukrainian News and Information
Faith News and Development
Return to Mass: COVID Dispensation Lifted
Learning Spotlight
Grade 9 Leadership Students at Holy Redeemer
ELA 10-1 Poetry
Animal Sciences 9
Last Wednesday, the Animal Sciences 9 students took a ‘Safari Around the City’ and enjoyed a day touring around the Zoo and a behind-the-scenes look at the aquarium at West Edmonton Mall. Students learned about terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate diversity and had a great day applying their knowledge with real life specimens. Thank you to Mrs. Pilipchuk for this hands-on day of learning and adventure at the zoo!
ABJ Athletics
Senior Boys' Soccer
Senior Girls' Soccer
Summer Basketball Camp at Legacy Athletics
Below is a link to the sign up for the summer basketball I will be running in August at Legacy. The dates will be the 15th and 16th with a 2hr morning and a 2hr afternoon session on each day. Cost for the camp will be $150 per athlete. I will be donating the coaching and some of the gym time costs if we get a high number of registrants I may be looking for some coaching help, all of the proceeds will go towards ABJ boys' basket ball. I have opened the camp to both boys and girls in grades 9,10,11 and 12 up to 30 athletes in total.
See here for more information and to register:
Student Services, Wellness & Counselling Supports
Mental Health Moment: Staying Mentally Well in a Digitized World
How do we maintain our best mental wellness in an increasingly digitized world? There is no doubt that the pandemic has increased our reliance on virtual connectivity and social media and while there are some positives, we can't be blind to the very real pitfalls that have especially adverse effects on the wellness of teens - especially teen girls.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Our brains tend to believe what we can see. Intellectually, we might understand that a photo is filtered, altered, retouched, a waist nipped in, eyes made bigger, our brain doesn't really make the distinction. We’re also reeled in by the hit of dopamine, the feel-good hormone that kicks in when we’re using a medium that offers us easy wins. Likes, hearts, shares, and comments give us bite-sized endorphin rushes, without requiring much in the way of effort.
We don’t need to feel good while we’re actively engaging on social media. That activity might make us feel less-than, unattractive, not-good-enough. But interestingly, when we shut down our phones, we start to feel good again.
Most of our teens don't even consciously decide to check social media. In a moment of boredom, quietness, or loneliness they automatically reach for their phones and start scrolling. And there goes an hour... And then the comparisons begin...
THE ALGORITHM
Once you’ve shown an interest in a certain kind of content, algorithms designed to snag your attention quickly respond with reinforcing information. Suddenly, a single search like “How to lose five pounds” becomes a tsunami of diet content. If you weren’t convinced you needed to slim down before that innocuous search, you’re suddenly inundated with the message that you absolutely do.
And therein lies the danger of being a passive consumer...
But if you sense that the algorithm has turned against you (when #HowToLoseFivePounds is all the content you see), turn the algorithm to your advantage. Start searching for what makes you happy. When you find it, make sure you like, follow, subscribe, and comment — any action you can take to engage with it. It won’t take long for the algorithm to pick up on where your new interests lie and start pushing you in that direction.”
Education is the most powerful tool we have — especially for parents of young people. Learn about social media and openly discuss the content your children are seeking, teaching them from an early age how to be critical consumers. “Having them ask, ‘What is the purpose of this image?’ And then, ‘How does it make me feel?’ gives them an opportunity to see if their thoughts are being distorted by unhealthy, unrealistic standards of beauty or accomplishment, for example.”
And most importantly as we head into the summer months, let's ALL try to back away from our screens and enjoy as much of a break from our ties to social media as possible.
How to Apply for the ALEXANDER RUTHERFORD SCHOLARSHIP!
Attention Grade 12’s that are planning on attending post- secondary THIS FALL! I would encourage you all to apply for the Rutherford, which provides funds up to $2500 for academic averages in two separate categories; there is an amount given for averages above 75% from Grades 10 through 12 and another amount for averages exceeding 80%. I would encourage you all to apply, as partial scholarships can be awarded even if you didn’t attain the academic threshold for all 3 years.
How to Apply:
The online application can be completed on Student Aid Alberta
When to Apply:
Applications will be open mid August 2022, so check back then! By this point, your official high school transcript marks are available and you will be enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies for the fall.
More information can be found here.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Glass if you had any questions or needed any additional information.
* Women in STEM Scholarship Information
Planning on attending U of A in the fall?
The U of A is VERY excited to once again offer in-person University of Alberta campus tours starting May 11! Our in-person tours led by UAlberta Ambassadors are the perfect way for your students to get an inside look at our vibrant campus and U of A community. Tours can be booked at uab.ca/tours.
Also, if there is enough interest from students here at the school, the Counsellors could arrange for us to go during the day together as a group - and the U of A would customize the tour to meet our needs! If you would like the group option, please sign up on the sign up sheet attached below and if we have enough interest, Mrs. Glass will arrange the tour!
Won't it be comforting to not feel lost and know how to get to all of your classes? And also know where you can get the best food and coffee on campus - ESSENTIAL info!
Student Opportunities
Volunteer with Edmonton’s KidsFringe August 11-21!
The KidsFringe Team makes theatre accessible for our tiniest fringers! This team operates the Festival’s family-friendly mini-site called KidsFringe. They are responsible for leading and assisting with a variety of childrens’ activities, games, and other programming. Volunteers should be outgoing and comfortable around children.
Duties:
- Lead family activities like crafts and games
- Help supervise children on site to ensure the safety and security of everyone
- Assist with opening and closing the KidsFringe site daily
- Distribute KidsFringe passports and exchange completed passports for prizes
- Greet patrons at the gate and manage crowds and lineups
Requirements:
- Must be 14+ years of age
- Must successfully complete a police information check, including a vulnerable sector check, if 18+ years of age
- Comfortable working with children
- Outgoing, enthusiastic, and ready to have fun
- Able to work outdoors in all types of weather
Hours for this team generally run from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
If you would like to join the KidsFringe team, please fill in an application here.
Global Sports Resources
Cafeteria Menu
Culinary Delights has been operating out of our cafeteria full days over the past month. Thank you for supporting them so we can continue with this very important in-house service!
Please stay tuned to all of our communications for weekly offerings and more information.
Communications
Please stay informed on all things ABJ through the weekly Smore, website, blog, and on social media.