Sister Alphonse Academy Newsflash!
28/May/2021
Dear Sister Alphonse Academy Families!
Dear Parents/Guardians:
We are so happy to have all of our students back in the building once again! We have a busy month of June coming up, so we have included a lot of these dates below and have added them to our calendar on our website.
We are looking forward to celebrating Mental Wellness Day next Thursday, June 3rd. We will recognize this day with classes having the opportunity to view some wellness sessions within their classes on this day and/or over the next few weeks of school.
Our SAA students and staff are also looking forward to our student virtual faith retreat which is taking place during the morning of Friday, June 4th. Thank you for your ongoing support and we wish you a happy and restful weekend.
Take care, God bless.
Christine Samson, Principal
Cindy Phillips, Vice Principal
Learning about new life! Students caring for ducklings in Kindergarten!
SAA Upcoming events:
Upcoming events: Week of May 31, 2021
Monday, May 31 - Exciting day of learning
Tuesday, June 1 - Exciting day of learning
Wednesday, June 2- Exciting day of learning
Thursday, June 3- Mental Wellness Day!
SAA Spirit wear day! Wear your SAA clothing or blue and green!
Friday, June 4 - Exciting day of learning
Monday, June 7 - PD Staff Meeting Day
Looking ahead?
***Please note more dates/events may be added to the June calendar as information is finalized.
Wednesday, June 9th - Junior High Part A Language Arts written in class exam.
SAA SCHOOL COUNCIL VIRTUAL MEETING: Please know that the Google meet link will be on the front page of our website as per usual.
Friday, June 11th - Grade nine virtual farewell!
Tuesday, June 15th - Marty Chan author virtual visit at SAA.
Wednesday, June 16th - Last day of regular classes for Junior High students. Free Pizza lunch treat!
Last day of RECREATION ACADEMY!
JUNIOR HIGH FINAL EXAMS: Please note that students will be receiving study guides from their teachers which is intended to assist them in preparing for their exams.
Thursday, June 17th - Junior High English Language Arts Part 2 Exam
*Please note that students will write one exam per day and will be permitted to go home after the exam as this will not be a regular class schedule.
Friday, June 18th - Junior High Math Final Exam
Last day of Kindergarten
KINDERGARTEN VIRTUAL YEAR END CELEBRATION: 10:30 A.M. More details to shortly follow.
Kindergarten report cards - Electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Monday, June 21st - Indigenous Peoples Day! No exams
Tuesday, June 22nd - Grade six celebration!
Junior High Science Exam
Wednesday, June 23rd - Junior High Social Final exam
Thursday, June 24th - Grades 1 - 6 Report Cards electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Friday, June 25th - Junior High report cards electronically sent out to parents/guardians
Grade Nine Farewell is coming!
Dear Parents/Guardians: Our Junior High team has been planning our first Sister Alphonse Academy Grade nine farewell! This is a special time of transition for our students and so we have planned a few activities to commemorate this occasion. This will be taking place on Friday, June 11th, and although this will be a virtual event, parents will have an opportunity to join portions of the event virtually. A letter was sent home with students today which is providing more information about this upcoming event. Please see an attached copy as well for your convenience.
Grade 7 & 8: Team building afternoon activities. During the Grade nine farewell, our grade 7 and 8 students will have physical education and team building activities planned. More details regarding the Grades 7/8 activity afternoon will be shared shortly. Thank you!
Junior High Exams Information
Dear GSACRD Junior High Families,
For the 2020-21 school year, we will be approaching our final exam process differently. As a result of the very unusual year we have experienced, we endeavour to ensure that our students have maximum learning and preparation, without the pressure of high stakes final exams. We have therefore taken an approach that focuses on exam writing in a context of support and this approach is inline with our senior high counterparts:
All grade 7-9 students will be expected to write final exams. The rationale for this is to teach students how to prepare for exams, both mentally and academically. We believe that exam writing is a skill in and of itself and that students require practice to be confident in their ability to approach exams in the future.
All exams will be treated as a replacement exam. This means that students will be allowed to use the exam grade to replace their lowest unit test grade over the course of the year. As a result, the exam can only serve to benefit the student.
Parents will be able to see how their child(ren) performed on the final exam.
All GSACRD junior high students will write exams for each subject and grade.
Note for grade 9 families:
Final exams are a useful tool for grade 9 teachers to make accurate course recommendations for students entering high school.
Please note that teacher recommendations for high school course selections will be listed in the report card comments for each subject in June.
We encourage all students to approach these exams with diligence and care, and ask that as parents, you reinforce the importance of taking the process seriously.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Yours in education,
GSACRD Junior High Administration Teams
Kona Ice Fun!
Online Learning pictures for the yearbook!
Junior High Fun in Foods!
Spring Flowers! Thank you to Mrs. Lobel's Grade 4/5 class for planting these beautiful arrangements.
Sister Alphonse Academy Community Garden is taking shape!
St. Albert Catholic Parish News!
Ever Active Schools!
Library/Learning Commons News!
Learning Commons News:
We have Makerspace kits!
From now until June 14, students from grade 3 and up will be able to check out specially designed kits which will allow them to create and learn. Each kit contains a book, QR codes, and some materials that will help them to create and learn. The topics range from painting to chess, and anything in between. Students can put these kits on hold by going into the library catalogue and searching for "Makerspace Kits". Grade 3 students will be able to check out kits from their library cart. Feel free to send in pictures of how you used your kit to lgamache@gsacrd.ab.ca , so Miss Gamache can see what you create or learned!
Library Return Date
With June just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about bringing our library books back. Our last book exchange of the year will be during the week of June 7th and all books will need to be returned on June 14th. Overdue notices will be sent out soon afterwards for any missing books. Please help your child bring their books back. Thank you in advance for your help!
Deadline to purchase your SAA yearbook is coming soon!
Using our Break out Rooms for Learning!
Student Health & Safety
This upcoming week teachers will be reviewing the procedures for fire drills in their classes as we will be practicing a Fire Drill at SAA on Thursday. Students are provided notification that this is a drill. Thank you for your continued support.
SAA Friends News!
Please see the attachment which includes the agenda for the last SAA Friends meeting for the year which is to be held on June 16, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. All parents are invited to attend this virtual meeting. Thank you!
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
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.
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!
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