Patriot Post
September 1 - 4 , 2020
THIS WEEK AT ST. JPII
Students with last names A to D will attend classes today
Wednesday Sept. 2nd
Students with last names E to L will attend classes today
**NO EARLY DISMISSAL TODAY**
Thursday Sept. 3rd
Students with last names M to P will attend classes today
Friday Sept. 4th
Students with last names Q to Z will attend classes today
Upcoming Dates:
- ALL students will attend beginning Tuesday September 8th
- Virtual Meet the Staff Night Wednesday Sept. 9th 5:00pm - 6:30pm
- St JPII School Council Meeting Sept. 9 @ 6:30pm - online link to be shared later
- School opening virtual mass beginning @ 9:00 am Friday, Sept. 11 - Link will be shared later.
Every year within EICS, we start our year by celebrating our faith together and revealing the faith theme that will guide us throughout the year. This year our theme is incredibly meaningful:
Choose Joy: The Reason for our Hope (1 Peter 3:15).
It's a very challenging world to be living in every day and especially so since the middle of March. Our faith theme challenges us each and every day to wake up with the choice that we Choose Joy - and to bring that positivity and love into every aspect of our day.
Have a look at this amazing Choose Joy song created by our amazing EICS musicians Nellie Kimball-Blanchard and Justine Wright.
2020/2021 Staff List
Name / Position
Bjornstad, Jodie / Teacher
Boehm, Samantha / Teacher
Brady, Vernon / Teacher & School Chaplain
Clarkson, Andrea / Teacher
D'Mello, Ashwini / EA
Dube, Lee / Family Wellness Worker (FWW)
Dumont, Kalay / Assistant Principal
Dziwenko, Jamie / Teacher
Ethier, Michelle / Teacher
Gagne, Diana / Day Custodian
Hackett, Dana / EA
Hebert, Matthew / Teacher
Horiachka, Kari / Teacher
Lazarenko, Caitlin / Teacher
Leeson, Lavonne / Teacher
Luyckfassel, Lindsey / EA
Morin, Shari / Collaborative Response Coordinator (CRC)
Murphy, Linda / EA
Quenneville, Carrie-Lynn / Secretary
Riess, Roxanne / Teacher
Ritz, Kim / EA
Rose, Katelin / Teacher
Scoggins, Tracy / Library Tech
Selte, Lynne / Teacher
Smadis, Jennifer / Teacher
Stecyk, Robert / Principal
Thompson, Kimberly / Teacher
Villardo, Harold / Night Custodian
Walker, Meagan / Cafeteria Manager
Weller, Timothy / Teacher
Willis-Polanski, Alex / Teacher
Chaplain's Corner
After 5 months away, I know that I am so excited to see our students return with their bright shining faces. If you are new to St. John Paul II, I would like to introduce myself.
My name is Vernon Brady and I am the school chaplain at St. John Paul II Catholic School. I just wanted to reach out to our school community in this initial Smore to welcome everyone to another awesome school year.
Each year, our school division has a theme that school communities use as a focusing tool as we all journey to become closer to God. For those who were in the school division last year, you will remember that our theme was "Love First, Last, and Always". This is a theme that we want to keep with us moving forward into this year. We also have a new theme for our school to embrace for the 2020-2021 school year.
Our theme for this school year is "Choose Joy". This theme is based on the sacred scripture in 1 Peter 3:15, "The reason for our Hope." As we continue to help our students realize and embrace that, as disciples of Jesus, we are all called to love each other as brothers and sisters, we are also striving to help them see that choosing to see the joyful side of any given situation is possible which in turn gives us hope.
As the chaplain at St. John Paul II, I look forward to connecting with many of you this year and pray that this school year is filled with many wonderful adventures and discoveries for our students, staff and families.
God Bless each and everyone.
Vernon
Vernon Brady
School Chaplain
On your first day back with us please be sure to do the following...
1. Review the COVID 19 checklist. We recommend that parents have this on the kitchen fridge to review each day. Daily COVID-19 Screening Tool
2. Pack the following items in your backpack. Remember there are NO lockers to start the year.
- mask(s) as they are mandatory in hallways, common areas and when social distancing cannot be secured
- lunch, snacks, filled water bottle
- binder with paper and dividers, pens, pencils
- gym clothing and shoes (if needed)
- laptop/chromebook fully charged...phones do not meet the requirements for a robust device in our EICS 1:1 technology program
3. Bring back any novels and school textbooks you might have at home from last year.
4. Be ready to have a great start up our staff is excited to have you back for in-class learning!
EICS PARENT RE-ENTRY HANDBOOK
EICS Parent Re-Entry Handbook
Please refer to this document as it is the one that continuously updates when new protocols are shared from the Alberta Government. https://www.eics.ab.ca/download/296372
School Demographic Forms
EICS Demographic Confirmation Forms are available now on your PowerSchool ParentPortal. Please take a moment to visit your PowerSchool ParentPortal account and complete this form; one for each child you have attending school with EICS.
Alberta Education requires that we obtain a detailed update of student demographics on an annual basis. School funding from Alberta Education is conditional on us receiving these updates and including them in your student’s record. More importantly, these forms ensure that we have the most current contact information if we need to reach you in event of an emergency.
We certainly appreciate you taking the time to complete these forms. Should you have any questions, or require assistance, please contact Carrie-Lynn in the office at 780-992-0889 and she will be happy to help.
Powerschool Information
To login to your Powerschool Parent Account, please click on the link below:
https://powerschool.eics.ab.ca/public
Please do not use the Powerschool App. Use the powerschool website in the link above.
Medical Forms:
If your child has a medical alert that we should be aware of, we will require a new medical form that is available in your powerschool account. If you child requires use of an epi-pen, please make sure this is filled out asap. We like to keep a student's epi-pen on hand at the office in case of emergency. We understand with the shortage right now this may not be possible. At the very least, we need to know where a student is keeping their epi-pen. If you have questions, please contact the office.
School Council Information
Please join us for the next virtual School Council meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9th @ 6:30pm. That meeting will be taking place on the same evening as our annual Meet the Staff Night. We will be electing an executive that first meeting so therefore we welcome and encourage you all to come and join us!
This is an excellent opportunity to receive the latest school and grade level updates from our Administration and Teacher Representatives, as well as, upcoming School Council supported activities and events!
Cafeteria
Delayed Opening of ST JPII Cafeteria
With the new COVID 19 protocols coming into place our cafeteria vendor is quickly making sure all of her procedures and delivery methods are safe and offering our students great quality food. As a result we will need students to bring their own lunch and snacks for the first few weeks week. Once we have confirmed that our operator is ready to open for business we will share with you all the new procedures. Thank you for your understanding during this time of transition.
Family Wellness Worker (FWW)
Service Delivery
Each school is staffed with a Family Wellness Worker (FWW), who works under the direction of their School Principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Faith & Wellness. FWW's receive clinical guidance from a Registered Psychologist.
The primary function of the Family Wellness team is to provide social and emotional support to students and families. Family Wellness Workers meet with students and parents to assess needs, set goals, identify required supports, and plan appropriate interventions.
They collaborate with school system staff and community resources to build a “village” of support around students/families who are struggling.
Referrals
Parental consent is required for FWW services.
Referrals to the Family Wellness Program may be made by students, parents/guardians, school administration, teachers, or other school staff (e.g. school counsellor or collaborative response coordinator).
Parents and guardians can access these services by speaking with the Principal or contacting the school's Family Wellness Worker directly.
Family Wellness Contact Information
Hello St. JPII School Community! My name is Lee Dube and I am so excited to be a part of your Fort Saskatchewan school community. I am here to support families and students to be successful. I am someone that parents and students can talk to and can offer connections to various resources in the community. Please do not hesitate to give me a call at the school or send me an email at lee.dube@eics.ab.ca to set up a meeting. I will be at St. JPII Monday - Friday this year!
St. John Paul II Catholic School
Email: stjp@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stjp.eics.ab.ca
Location: 9975 93 Avenue, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-992-0889
Twitter: @stjp2cs