The Bison Bugle
February 19th - February 23rd
MISSION STATEMENT
At St. Kateri Tekakwitha Academy, we are a spiritual, Christ - centred community that nurtures resilient, responsible, lifelong learners through love and service.
CONNECT - INSPIRE - ACHIEVE
UPCOMING EVENTS for our BISONS
FEBRUARY 19 - Family Day Holiday SCHOOLS CLOSED
Feb 20 - Random Acts Of Kindness Week đź’•
Feb 20 - Book Fair Opens at SKTA (open all week)
Feb 20 - Academy & Gr 4 & 5 Options (Tues/Thurs)
Feb 20 - Gr 1-3 Reading Groups (Tues/Wed/Thurs)
Feb 20 - RAINBOWS Div I & Div II group with Mrs. Palidwar
Feb 20 - Gr 3-5 Mrs. P's Lunch Club @ lunch recess
Feb 20 - Gr 3 & 4 Team Games @ lunch recess with Mrs. Zadunayski
Feb 20 - Gr 5 Leadership Club with Mrs. Zazulak
Feb 21 - Kernel's Popcorn Fundraising deadline to order (Friends of SKTA)
Feb 21 - Gr 4 & 5 Running Club @ lunch recess with Mr. Paik
Feb 21 - Gr 2 Mindful Club with Mrs. Zazulak
Feb 21 - Special student and staff "Kindness" notes and treats from Gr 5 Leadership Club đź’•
Feb 21 - Parent Teacher Interviews 4:00pm-7:00pm
Feb 22 - Gr 3 & 4 Team Games @ lunch recess with Mrs. Zadunayski
Feb 22 - Parent Teacher Interviews 3:30pm-6:30pm
Feb 23 - Gr 1 Games Club with Mrs. Miller
Feb 26 - Student Faith Assembly ✝️ (2nd week of Lent with Gr 4's)
Feb 26 - Gr 4 & 5 Cheer Team Pep Rally @ Assembly
Feb 26 - 12:40pm BISON Lunch Winners Gr 1-5
Feb 28 - 8:45am Gr 4 & Gr 5 BISON Breakfast
Feb 28 - PINK SHIRT DAY! đź‘š Special student lessons (Wear anything pink)
March 1st - NO Kindergarten Classes
March 1st - "TRUE NORTH" Cheer Competition @ Northland Expo Centre
Family Day Holiday ❤️
We wish you an amazing long weekend as we celebrate Family Day on Monday. Although it may be a leisurely day off from work and school, it’s meant to be an opportunity to reflect on the importance of spending quality time with our families, and feeling gratitude for the deep bonds and connections we share with one another. Enjoy the day with your loved ones! ❤️
Parent Teacher Interview Bookings
We are looking forward to having our families come to SKTA for interviews on February 21st and 22nd.
GR 1-5 INTERVIEWS - select your time here: https://www.schoolinterviews.ca/bmmV2YU/step1
KINDERGARTEN Interviews - Please book using the link Mrs. Brodeur sent out for her families.
40 Days of Lent ✝️
During Lent we are invited, as Catholics, to step outside of our day-to-day routines and into a formal time of personal preparation for Easter. The Church calls us to a sort of spiritual “spring cleaning”; to participate in practices that help us turn back to God. We are encouraged to prepare our hearts through increasing our intentionality and practice of the three pillars of Lent —prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—guiding us on our Lenten journey, helping us grow closer to God and preparing our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection at Easter.
PRAYER - We pray more than usual during Lent to grow closer to God and show him we appreciate all he has done for us.
FASTING - This means to give something up for a period of time. During Lent, we choose to give something up to show that we are turning away from sin and growing closer to God.
ALMSGIVING - This is when we do something extra to show Jesus that we love him. Watch the video to understand more about almsgiving.
SKTA OPEN HOUSE - Thursday March 14th
We are thrilled to welcome all families and invite you to come and check out our dynamic learning spaces and programming options. Our school's unique design and flexible areas are designed to foster a sense of creativity, confidence and inspiration to our students.
Come check out our Open House on Thursday March 14th @ 6:00pm to see for yourself the amazing things happening in our classrooms at all grade levels.
Alberta Education Assurance Survey - Grade 4 / 5 Parents/Guardians
As 'Survey Season' continues, families with students in grade 4 & 5 can expect an Alberta Education survey package sent directly to your homes. The Alberta Education Assurance (AEA) survey gathers feedback on the quality of education provided by school authorities and their schools. Schools and school authorities use this information to understand how they are doing and plan for the future.
We would like to encourage all families who receive the AEA survey package in the mail to please take the time to complete it, as the data collected is instrumental in future school planning! Thank you!
2024-2025 New Student Registration - NOW OPEN
New Student Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is NOW OPEN! Current GSACRD students will be emailed a notification email the following week with instructions to register via their PowerSchool Parent Portal. Click HERE
Current GSACRD Student Registration
Already with Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools?
Current GSACRD students: please do not fill out a New Student Registration as a notification email will be sent shortly to register for the next school year. Once you receive the email, you can log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account and complete a returning student registration online form.
SKTA YEARBOOK!
YEARBOOKS are available to PRE-ORDER for only $20.00 on your PARENT PORTAL!
Don't miss out on your child's memories for 2023-2024 as there are only LIMITED COPIES AVAILABLE!
Parent Council & Friends of SKTA
Thank you to all parents and guardians who joined us at our last Parent Council meeting last week. We have such a great group of engaged parents. Our next meeting is THURSDAY MARCH 7th. Parent Council & Friends of SKTA are both wonderful ways for parents & guardians to get involved and support our school and it's initiatives. All parents & guardians with children registered at SKTA are welcome to join! Participating in Parent Council will allow individuals to share their voice and their talents with the school community and serve our students. Any families who would like to review the Agenda's and Minutes can access them on our SKTA website (CLICK HERE)
Join a Great Community of Parents on our ST. KATERI ACADEMY PARENTS facebook page!
SKTA FUNDRAISING - Due Wednesday
Kernel's Popcorn - Order forms were sent home on February 1st. Please return form back to the school by February 21st.
Payment can be made by cheque "Friends of SKTA" or etransfer to fundraisingskta@gmail.com
Mabel's Labels
You can buy Mabel’s Labels for your child's items - they are waterproof, durable labels to help reduce classroom mix-ups and keep your items coming home! CLICK HERE for more information on how to order. This fundraiser is ongoing and doesn't have a deadline to order.
Friends of SKT thanks you so much for supporting our school and our students.
Save the Date - April 3 - ICE - Internet Child Exploitation Unit - Parent Presentation!
Our AMAZING SKTA Parent Council has secured a presentation from The Northern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit to present to our families in early April! We are asking families to fill out the 'Form' below to registered and give us a sense of participants in attendance. We look forward to engaging with our parents on this important topic!
When: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 6:30pm
Where: St Kateri Academy School - 980 Westwinds Drive, Morinville
Contact us for more information at: sktacouncil@gmail.com
*This presentation is FREE*
The internet plays an integral role in everyone’s lives, and when it comes to youth, their social lives exist largely in cyberspace. Over the course of the past four years and through the Global Pandemic, Alberta has experienced a significant increase in cases of child exploitation on the internet. With more users online than ever before, and new apps and software being developed every day, it can be difficult for parents and teachers to keep on top of the latest trending platform. Advancements in technology are exciting and helpful, but it opens an ever-growing gap between the levels of digital literacy between youths and busy adults.
The Northern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit investigates incidents of child luring, sextortion, possession, transmission, and the making of child pornography as well as internet-related voyeurism involving youth. This presentation will focus on education, prevention, and putting parents and teachers in a position to protect their children from online sexual exploitation. The presenters will discuss the role of ICE in Alberta, Sextortion, sharing of intimate images, current online applications and internet platforms, and additional resources which are available to parents so they will be able to better support healthy and productive online experiences for their children and teens.
GSACRD Voice - Building Self-Esteem
3:1 Ratio to Boost Self-Esteem
The words we say to our children greatly impact their self-esteem; it can shape their inner voice and confidence. However, we do have to be mindful of choosing the right words to boost their confidence in a healthy way.
Phrases such as “Great job” or “You’re the best!” sound like a great way to compliment a child, but it could have reverse impacts of believing these positive labels only apply when they’ve accomplished something. When we’re frustrated and use words such as “I can’t believe you just did that!” or “How many times do you need to be told?” can develop into negative thought patterns of self-doubt.
Instead, we want to focus on acknowledging positive behaviours and effort so they can still build self-esteem in times of mistakes and focus on having a growth mindset. Try phrases like “You worked so hard!” or “You kept trying and didn’t give up!”.
In this week’s guide, Big Life Journal shares the 3:1 ratio: a science-based strategy to build your child’s self-esteem.
3:1 Ratio to Boost Self-Esteem
Caitlin Josey: cjosey@gsacrd.ab.ca (SKT & Legal)
St. Jean Baptiste Parish
As partners in faith with our local St. Jean Baptiste Parish, please see the link below to find out mass times and locations, upcoming parish events and more. Regular Sunday Mass is held at École Notre Dame School Gym during the rebuild of the church building.
Please note, if you are interested in learning more about having your child participate in Sacramental Preparation, please see the following link: https://www.sjbp.ca/sacraments.htm
Student Absences, Appointments and Early Pickup
Please enter ALL your child's absences on safe arrivals. Some examples include vacation, illness, appointments, or needing to leave early. Ensuring your child's attendance is accurately recorded is essential for us to provide the best educational experience.
Please visit our website (Click HERE) for detailed instructions under the MENU.
Ongoing Reporting - Viewing your students marks
We encourage all parents to use PowerSchool as a tool to remain informed about student progress. Questions or concerns about student assessments should be directed to your child's homeroom teacher. Interviews to discuss student progress will continue to be a valuable opportunity for collaboration between home and school. In addition to this, reciprocal emails and phone calls will also be essential to maintaining a solid relationship that is focused on student success.
Please watch video on our website (Click HERE) for a step by step on how to access.