St. John Paul II Collegiate
Monthly Newsletter - October 2020 Edition
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ!”
St. John Paul II
Dear Parents,
With one month of school already behind us, we look back with gratitude for a smooth start to the school year, thanks to the support of our students, parents, and staff! This is a year featuring so many changes and I feel very thankful for the patience, flexibility, and enthusiasm which has accompanied each day at St. JPII so far this year. Above all, it is an absolute joy to have our youth back in our building, and may it always be so!
I would like to welcome to our staff this year:
- Ms. Marie-Soleil Halvorsen Grade 7-9 Art; Grade 8/9 New Media
- Mrs. Kelsey Crandell Grade 7-9 Band; Grade 7/8 Rhythm & Beat
- Ms. Miranda Hartung Educational Assistant
I would also like to thank Mrs. Joyce Helinsky for her month of service to our school, covering a maternity leave for Mrs. Tory Bishop who will return early this month. We also keep in our prayers a couple of other staff members who are on maternity leave caring for their new bundles of joy, Mrs. Tara Younggren, and Mrs. Sarah Lutz.
Our school participated in the 40th Anniversary Terry Fox Run last week, within Phys. Ed. Classes. We raised just over $1500 for the Terry Fox Foundation, which is more than some previous years, and especially noteworthy during this challenging year. I appreciate the contributions of students, families, and staff toward this total as we continue to honour the legacy of a real hero in Terry Fox, and his fight against cancer.
St. John Paul II Collegiate was very recently audited by the Alberta government related to our Covid protocols, and we were commended for our strong compliance with the Alberta government and CTR re-entry plan. The inspection noted that all our re-entry protocols were implemented properly, and auditors were very pleased with the level of Covid-related safety measures we have established at our school.
Looking ahead, I invite any parents who are interested in attending our first School Council meeting on a tentative date of Tuesday, November 10th at 7:00 p.m. Parents will receive a reminder via email and more details in the weeks ahead. The meeting will most likely be held online through a Zoom meeting room.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I wish you and your families a restful, safe, and healthy long weekend! Let us continue to pray for the gift of Catholic education, something I remain very thankful for!
Saint John Paul II, pray for us…
Saint Jean-Paul II, priez pour nous…
God Bless,
Marco Pacione
Principal
IMPORTANT - DAILY ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES
We understand that these are challenging times for parents in terms of the COVID protocols that are affecting your childrens' attendance.
As always, please notify us via phone or email that your child will be absent from school, and please provide absence details as AHS requires us to track COVID related illness.
- In a case where your child is absent due to COVID symptoms and/or awaiting test results please be aware that we need a daily attendance update. This must be done to ensure student safety as we are obligated to inform parents when students don't arrive at school. When you are able to specify days away from school in advance, we will happily note these absences in our system to avoid the need for daily updating.
- Please note that morning attendance is not finalized until approximately 9:45am. If you receive an unexcused absence notification for an absence that you have informed us of via phone or email, we ask that you allow us time to make daily attendance corrections before calling to follow up.
POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL
An important connection between you, your child, and your school!
In addition to giving parents access to their child’s grades and attendance at any time, it also gives parents access to important online forms, attendance notifications and easy access to communicate with teachers.
PowerSchool logins remain the same from year to year. If you have previously created an account but forgot your password, you already have an account and want to add another child or you need general PowerSchool assistance, please call Sharlene Sylvestre at the front office for assistance.
Login to the Parent Portal here: https://powerschool.redeemer.ab.ca/public/
FAMILY SCHOOL LIAISON
Hi, my name is Cindy Zarn, I am the Family School Liaison at St. John Paul II Collegiate. I am excited to be back at school for my second year with the JPII community. The Family School Liaison Worker is here to support students in working on various barriers to their success at school. Mainly, this means that I offer one-on-one meetings with students who might want guidance for struggles at home, mental health issues, navigating peer relationships, bullying, coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and related stresses. I am also here to offer information and referrals to community supports. Please call or email if you have any questions or concerns. We will work together to support your child to be successful this year!
Phone: 403-938-4600
Email: czarn@redeemer.ab.ca
Cindy Zarn
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
We appreciate your support in maintaining the strong tradition of regular daily attendance, and students rarely being late for class at St. John Paul II Collegiate. We track attendance on a daily and weekly basis because we know from experience that students perform better academically when they don’t miss instructional time. Time away from class and missed direct instruction and class discussion cannot be replaced by make-up notes/assignments that teachers can provide when a student is absent or late. We understand that “life happens” - if a child is occasionally sick or needs to be away for an appointment or some other legitimate reason, please be sure to contact our office ahead of time either by calling our main line (phone messages can be left before office hours), or you can send an email to: jp2-attendance@redeemer.ab.ca
We also understand this year that decisions and communication have changed due to Covid. Please stay in touch with our office for guidance.
STUDENT INFORMATION UPDATE
STUDENT INFORMATION UPDATE
As mandated by Alberta Education, we require that all student information be updated on an annual basis. The Student Information Update form has been sent, and can be accessed in the School Engage section of the Parent Portal. If you have not already done so, please take the time to go through the form to verify that your information is accurate, and submit it as soon as possible, as the September 28th due date has now passed.
Now, more so than ever, it is critical that we have accurate contact information and up-to-date medical information regarding your child.
PARENTAL CONSENT (MEDIA)
It is also an annual requirement for parents to grant permission for the school to publish pictures and/or names in the media when taking part in school activities. This permission is granted by clicking “yes” on the Media Consent form which is available as part of the Student Information Update detailed above.
***This form MUST be submitted in order to grant Media Consent even if no information has changed***
Should you have questions regarding any of the information above please contact Sharlene Sylvestre at ssylvestre@redeemer.ab.ca, or (403) 938-4600.
CLOSED CAMPUS / ATTENDANCE
For all lates or absences, or if your child must leave for an appointment, please let us know. Call 24 hours a day at (403) 938-4600, or email jp2-attendance@redeemer.ab.ca.
St. John Paul II Collegiate has a closed campus. Students who live in the vicinity of the school will naturally be allowed to leave to go home for lunch; we ask that parents provide a one-time note granting this permission for the year. Students who ride the bus to school or who bring a lunch are expected to remain on campus during the lunch break. If parents do wish to give their child(ren) the opportunity to leave the school grounds at any time, students must present a signed note, or the office must receive an e-mail or phone call ahead of time.
#RELATIONSHIPS IN A DIGITAL AGE
The purpose of this initiative is to develop both curriculum and school culture to help students examine the impact that screen time and smartphones have on their relationships with God and each other, with an overarching personal wellness focus.
Parents and guardians will be key in this initiative for the following reasons.
- First, the issue of screen time becomes an issue at the very earliest of ages and parents need to be informed about healthy best practices for the benefit of their toddlers right through to the time they approach their school age years.
- Second, the issue of smartphone use becomes something parents should reflect on the moment they consider letting their children access a smartphone.
- Lastly, with older children, parents are our key partner in talking to their children about what they are learning in school about screen time and smartphone use.
We are not attempting to vilify technology. Technology is amazing and used for many positive purposes. Instead, we are interested in raising awareness, promoting reflection, and giving both students and parents the information and tools they need to approach these issues thoughtfully. In fact, part of our communication strategy will rely on our ability to communicate electronically and strategically using social media.
LITERACY WEEK 2020
Every year, St. John Paul II Collegiate holds a week that focuses on literacy, and this year will be no different! From October 26 to October 30, we look forward to a scaled back Literacy Week. Due to our current situation, Literacy Week will not offer lunch time activities nor assemblies, but we look forward to some epic book showdowns, displays around the school, a raffle for a prize basket, school-wide reading, dressing up as your favorite movie/literary character, and the online fundraiser.
We invite you to support literacy and our classroom libraries with the online Chapters fundraiser, which is a great way to do some early Christmas shopping, while helping us put books in the hands of students! For each purchase you make (some restrictions apply), the school receives 20% in gift cards to purchase new books. You can use THIS LINK to start shopping online NOW in support of our fundraiser.
Students need to listen to announcements about Lit Week starting October 26. LA teachers will be taking care of selling raffle tickets (with the proceeds contributing to purchasing books). If you have any questions about our plans for this year, please contact Andrea McGeachie at amcgeachie@redeemer.ab.ca.
PEANUT & TREE NUT / SHELLFISH AWARENESS
We have students with severe allergies to nuts (peanuts and tree nuts) and shellfish. Tree nut or peanut products will never be used in SJPII Foods classes. We ask for the cooperation of staff, students and parents by asking you to please refrain from bringing into the school; peanuts, tree nuts (or products containing peanuts, tree nuts) and shellfish. We realize that it is impossible to guarantee an allergen-free environment, but it is our hope that if we can raise awareness of the issue and receive the cooperation of all parties to this policy, the likelihood of an allergic reaction occurring or someone becoming ill can be significantly reduced.
ST. JOHN PAUL II APPAREL
St. John Paul II Collegiate has partnered with ENTRIPYSHOPS.COM to provide school apparel for anyone who would like to purchase clothing and show off their Gryphon school spirit!
Customizable designs and free shipping on orders over $50.00. You are welcome to check out some of the samples we have at the school. Visit the apparel link below to purchase items or for more information.
CELL PHONE & ELECTRONICS POLICY
Cell phones, tablets, digital cameras, and other electronic devices may be used by students only when permission has been granted by a teacher during instructional time.
These devices are to be kept stored at all other times, including breaks. If this rule is broken, electronic devices may be confiscated and returned to the student or parent of the student at the end of the day. This policy is in effect from 8:35 am – 3:08 pm.
Wednesdays, October 14th - December 16 (once per week for 10 weeks) 6:30-8:00pm
St. John Paul II Collegiate
Email: jp2-office@redeemer.ab.ca
Website: http://www.stjohnpaul2collegiate.ca/
Location: 53 Cimarron Drive, Okotoks, AB, Canada
Phone: (403) 938-4600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StJPII/