SILC News

A Message from Father Jim

Christ is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!

“Almighty God I give thanks for all that I have and all that I am. Most of all I give thanks for the great gift of your Son, Jesus.” Gratitude is one of the virtues that allows us to feel genuine joy in our lives. Particularly when we give credit/gratitude where it is due. I strongly encourage you my friends, that when you wake up in the morning, you give thanks to the Lord, then offer Him your day. I have a simple, but specific, regime that I offer first thing. Before my feet hit the floor, my knees hit the floor. I begin with, “Dear Jesus, I offer you everything I do today.” There is more to it than that, but that is how it starts. I believe this gives me the ability to begin my days with a grateful heart.

My friends, when we begin our day with a grateful heart, the stage is set for how our day unfolds in front of us. The stewardship prayer, which begins the first line of my reflection on this day, gives us a sense of direction and focus. Yes, we are grateful; yes, we have much. And the reason for all we have is because of our Lord’s love for us. This is the key to an attitude of gratitude. We give thanks to God for all we have, but in the midst of that thanksgiving, we give thanks for the giver of all that is good. My friends, I do not look at the world through rose-colored glasses, but based on my own lived life experience, I know who oversees the “good things happening department.” This is not new revelation, and it is not telling you something you do not already have a grasp of. It is simply a reminder to all of us. If we are truly grateful for what we have... If we understand that all that we have is a gift of Jesus’ love for us.. If we believe that our Risen Lord wants only good for us.Friends, our days will be, for the most part, very enjoyable and joy-filled. Because when we hold that “attitude of gratitude” in our hearts, it is a natural outcome that we share our love, our joy, with those around us.

This past weekend, so many of us participated in the Easter Triduum to varying degrees. It was a wonderful boost in my own life. It affirmed to me once again that we have many good Catholic folks in our community. Our parish Church was full many times during the Easter Triduum; beginning with Holy Thursday “Mass of the Lord’s Supper” and concluding with a very large gathering of the faithful at our 7:00 pm Sunday evening, Easter Sunday Mass. There are many different modes and ways that the Lord allows joy to fill our hearts. However, it is in the service of others, where we receive a genuine sense of joy. The Easter celebrations filled my heart with joy, because of the participation of so many of the faithful in our celebrations. I daresay these same celebrations allowed many who worked and prepared for our Triduum joy in their own hearts. This, because of the labors of love that so many shared, to make our celebrations what they were: beautiful. From the mind-numbing (but essential) review of our protocols for each of these major celebrations. From the tapers that were prepared, the palms that were split, the altar colors that changed three times in short succession. From the AV commitment, to the beautiful music and song that accompanied and made our liturgies beautiful. From the ushers who made sure all who came got seated. From the hundreds who volunteered their time and talent to participate in our liturgies, and who prepared to do their ministries well. There were many moving parts that synchronized in an incredibly beautiful way to make our celebrations beautiful, and joy-filled. What I am most grateful for within all of this, is you. You who are reading this right now; you who chose to commit your weekend to the Lord and participate as fully as you were able. My friends, it is your commitment to the Lord and His Church that makes Him smile, I am sure of this. I am extremely grateful to be a laborer in His vineyard. I am extremely grateful to be able to labor in His vineyard with all of you. Thank you for your YES, this Easter. Christ is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Stewardship Prayer Almighty God I give thanks for all that I have and all that I am. Most of all I give thanks for the great gift of your Son, Jesus. I pray that I may be a good steward – that I will follow faithfully, serve joyfully, give generously, live responsibly, and possess sensibly. In gratitude for the abundant gifts, you have so graciously given me; I return to you the first fruits of these gifts, through acts of service and by generously sharing all that you have entrusted to me. Heavenly Father, by your Holy Spirit – Give me knowledge and understanding, help me to be a gift to others in your name. Amen.

The Data Is In!

EICS has developed a performance measure called the Assurance Dashboard for the entire Division and each school community to review the school's performance within the context of our Divisional priorities. By looking at this regularly updated Assurance Dashboard, our EICS school family can reflect on the results and see what improvements we are continually making to best serve our students and staff.

Thanks to all of our stakeholders: Parents, students, and staff who took the time to provide us feedback.

We have seen success across all pillars: Faith Formation, Learners & Learning, Systemic Wellness, and Community Engagement.

A few highlights to share:

97.6% of parents, students, and staff believe that SILC encourages living a sacremental life to deepen their faith journey
96.5% of parents, students, and staff agree that SILC students access learning opportunities and supports that address their diverse learning needs
99.6% of parents, students, and staff agree that SILC honors the dignity of the human person by providing and supporting diversity education and supports for equity and inclusion
97% of parents, students, and staff agree that SILC provides opportunities for all stakeholders to have involvement and provide feedback to improve the educational experience

While our results continue to impress, we are always seeking ways to improve. I'd like to personally thank the parents from the Principal's Advisory Group who provided feedback regarding the Assurance Surveys. Our committment to Catholic Education is our joint priority.

National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am writing to inform you of an exciting opportunity for your son/daughter! In November of 2023, EICS Island Catholic Schools would like to take students from our five High Schools on a life-changing trip to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). NCYC is a massive high energy, youth conference where students will have the opportunity to see world class speakers, engage in personal and communal prayer, and engage in service to others.

The goal of this project is to give an opportunity for young people from four different communities to come together to deepen their faith and learn how to live as a disciple of Christ in today's world; to realize that they are part of a vast, vibrant and universal Church, and to connect with other students from different schools across EICS. This is the third time that EICS high school students will be attending this conference and we are hoping that this trip continues to be a genesis for a group of EICS student faith leaders who accept the challenge of Jesus, the call to be a saint.

If interested for MORE INFORMATION, please reach out to our Chaplain, Mrs. Justine Wright justinew@eics.ab.ca

PDF attached below for dates and approximate costs.

First deposit would be due Early May 2023

Fundraising will be available as well

Elementary Classroom

Hello from Mrs.Oikonen!

Please check our April calendar for the times for our google meets this week and any changes. We will be joining a virtual poetry workshop on Tuesday at 10:30am with Adrienne Gear, a BC teacher and author in celebration of National Poetry Month. Group 2 will not have a meet today

Here is what we will be doing this week.

St. Isidore Virtual OPEN HOUSE

Are you looking to register for online / outreach learning from Kindergarten (ECS) to 12 this Fall? Check out our #SILCfamily Virtual Open House below!

MAIN SITE

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/silcopenhouse/home

ELEMENTARY

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/elementary/home

JUNIOR HIGH

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/silcmiddleschool/home

HIGH SCHOOL

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/silchighschool/home

CHESTERTON

https://sites.google.com/eics.ab.ca/chesterton/home

Registrations are now OPEN for 2023-2024

St. Isidore Learning Centre (SILC) is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. Register early - as we are a "School of Choice" space fills up fast! When you head to our website to "Register", https://silc.eics.ab.ca/register-now you will see a few options. Please choose the correct program:

Online Education - Primarily learning online from home using our Canvas Online LMS - Teacher Directed (Kindergarten - Grade 12+)
Outreach Education - Students who require an "in person" connection with teachers and are required to have weekly check-ins in the SILC Centre (Grades 9-12)
Chesterton Academy - Fully Synchronous "Joyfully Catholic Classical High School Cohort" Grade 9-12 ONLY. **Tuition Fees may be applied Contact Headmaster McLarney for more information: gerardm@eics.ab.ca Check out the website: https://chesterton.eics.ab.ca/
Home Education - Parent Directed Home Education with our partners, THEE - https://thee.ca/

Please follow the instructions carefully. All students, even those already attending, must fill out a new registration form. While St. Isidore is a "School of Choice" and not a designated boundary school, we reserve the right to deny any registration that is not complete. Space is limited.

Any questions? Feel free to contact our secretary, Natalie Mangatal, 780-449-6463 or email silc@eics.ab.ca

GrACE Contest A Celebration of Catholic Education

GrACE exists to inspire, invigorate and embolden the spirit of Catholic education in order
to unite, engage, educate and communicate with one voice on its behalf. GrACE, in partnership with the REAL Foundation, is happy to present this contest to EICS students. This is our fifth annual GrACE Contest: A Celebration of Catholic Education.

We invite EICS students of all grade levels to submit work reflecting the importance of, and their experience with or contribution to Catholic education. This year our theme is Better Together. How have students worked towards this theme, or how have they contributed to spreading the message of being better together?

Student Submissions could include such things as (but not limited to):

*Please note, all digital submissions need to be in “view all” format before submitting.

A work of art
A student poster
A formal or informal essay
Original music
Poetry
A presentation (video or otherwise) of social justice work
etc

Contest Rules

All Submissions due to Chaplain Wright justinew@eics.ab.ca by April 28 in digital format.

Prizes will be presented May 14 in each community’s parish (This is the kick-off to Catholic Education Week). There will be 14 prizes!

K-8 students = 50 dollar prize in the form of a gift card
9-12 students = 100 dollar prize in the form of a gift card

Prizes will be granted by grade level and community:

K-6 Veg. ($50 gift card)

7-12 Veg. ($100 gift card)

K-4 Camrose ($50 gift card )

5-8 Camrose ($50 gift card)

9-12 Camrose ($100 gift card)

K-4 Fort Sask ($50 gift card)

5-8 Fort Sask ($50 gift card)

9-12 Fort Sask ($100 gift card)

(2 prizes) K-4 Sherwood Park ($50 gift card)

(2 prizes) 5-8 Sherwood Park ($50 gift card)

(2 prizes) 9-12 Sherwood Park ($100 gift card)

2023-2024 School Year Calendars

The 2023/24 approved school year calendars are available by clicking this link: https://www.eics.ab.ca/about-us/media-room/post/2023-2024-school-year-calendars-released

Here is the approved 2023-2023 school calendar for Sherwood Park.

First day of school: Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023
Fall break: Week of Monday, Nov. 6, 2023
Christmas break: Monday, Dec. 25, 2023 - Friday, Jan. 5, 2024
Spring break: Week of Monday, March 25, 2024
Victoria Day weekend: Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Monday, May 20, 2024
Last day of school: Wednesday, June 26, 2024

SUMMER SCHOOL

St. Isidore Summer School offers courses that allow YOU to earn credits, upgrade marks, lighten workloads for the year ahead or finish pre-requisite courses.

Summer School Registration is opening on January 19! St. Isidore Summer School is opening registration earlier as schools and students plan their term two classes and look forward to student schedules for the upcoming school year.

Term 1: July 4-13; Term 2: July 14-24; Full Term: July 4-24

We are offering synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person courses. Check out https://silc.eics.ab.ca/summer-school-2023 to view the courses that will be offered and how to reserve your spot! See the Course Listings here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Melissa Damur, Summer School Principal melissad@eics.ab.ca

Math 30 help!

Are you registered for Math 30-1 and feeling a little anxious? Have you completed Math 20-1 and wondering if you can handle Math 30-1? The blog post below may be able to help.

https://mathpqjq.com/ready-for-grade-12-pre-calculus-math/

Indigenous Student Opportunities

Still I Rise conference - May 4, 2023, sponsored by Ever Active Schools

Grades 6-12 youth
Indigenous and non-Indigenous students walking together towards reconciliation
No cost, but registration is required
One-day virtual event. Students can join individually, or classes can join together.

Scholarships and Bursaries - various deadlines for application