Principal Update
September 7-10, 2021
Chief Superintendent Welcome
“I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord… plans to give you a future with hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
September 2021
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! Our theme for this year is “God calls us each by name” and is guided by scripture from Jeremiah. At its root, our theme is a message of hope. Catholic education is entirely about building a future with hope. When we serve the children of Edmonton Catholic Schools, our goal is to instill in them a sense of wonder in themselves as children of God so that they see themselves as members and builders of his Kingdom. There is nothing more hopeful than this.
We are filled with a renewed sense of hope as we return to school this year. We have created a Back to School Plan that is designed to support our schools in reducing the risk of transmission of illness and maintaining safe and healthy environments for our students and staff. Some procedures we introduced in our schools last year will continue because we know they are good practices in minimizing the transmission of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, influenza, and common colds. Many activities are returning to our schools this year, including local and provincial field trips, athletics and extracurricular activities, all fine arts and options classes, assemblies and special events, and graduation and school farewell activities.
At the beginning of September, teachers will be focusing on welcoming students back to their school communities, whether in-person or online. As part of getting to know students as individual learners, teachers in K - 6 will be screening students in numeracy and literacy. They will determine student knowledge and skill based on previous curricula and target instruction for any missed learning. In addition, the Division is preparing post-assessments to help teachers measure learning growth. In junior high and high school, subject-area teachers will also be targeting their instruction to support students in their transition back-to-school.
Our work for this year is directed by our Division Plan for Continuous Growth, which has four priorities: Growing in Faith, Student Success, An Excellent Place to Work and Learn, and Building our Future Together. You can monitor our progress in these priorities by exploring our measures and results as represented in our Assurance Dashboard. Results will be updated throughout the year as new ones become available. Each school also has its own School Plan for Continuous Growth to address its own needs and a school specific Assurance Dashboard for their results and measures. Visit your school’s website; you will find the Assurance Dashboard with the school plan under About / School Information.
. . . 2
We are very excited to add another school to our ECSD family this fall. Genesis Online School is opening its virtual doors and will serve over 1200 students from kindergarten to grade 9. Construction on the Ben Calf Robe replacement school and Joan Carr Catholic Elementary School is well underway, and we’re getting ready to break ground for Father Michael McCaffery Catholic High School.
Pope Francis shared a catechesis on hope several years ago. There was much wisdom shared with us over many months… it’s a deep examination of the nature of hope to the people of God who live in His abundant love. As we begin this school year and come together again in our Christ-centred school communities, I will leave you with a thought from our Holy Father. He says, “… one does not learn to hope alone. No one learns to hope alone. It is impossible. Hope, to be nourished, necessarily needs a ‘body’, in which the various members support and revive each other. This means, then, that if we hope, it is because many of our brothers and sisters have taught us to hope and have kept our hope alive.” (General Audience, February 8/17)
Have a wonderful school year!
Yours in Christ,
Robert Martin
Chief Superintendent
HP Chromebooks – Compugen ECSD Parent Portal
Office of the Archbishop
A New Beginning in Hope
Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10).
As the month of September fast approaches, and the start of another school year looms from behind the shadows, we look forward to a new beginning; a year filled with promise and hope. Over the past seventeen months, we have witnessed the state of society and our lives change in ways we might never have imagined two years ago. From the closing of borders to the adherence to strict protocols, life has been challenging, and for some, even devastating.
Throughout the pandemic, we learned many valuable lessons: we learned to depend on the support of family, friends, neighbours, our health care systems, and especially our faith communities. We learned that a world concerned with the plight of others is better than a world centered on ourselves. We learned that even though we could not practice our faith in person, technology made it possible for us to gather and pray virtually. Most important of all, we learned through the sorrow and pain how we depend fully upon the steadfast love and saving help of God, who never abandons us..
COVID-19 is just the latest hardship in a long line of civil unrest and human suffering. Once again, we have seen that, in difficult circumstances, God gives us the capacity to overcome the challenges through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. As we embark upon a new academic year, may we know daily the joy of the victorious help of our Lord.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
XRichard W. Smith Archbishop of Edmonton
Parish News
First Reconciliation & First Holy Eucharist
Fall Session 2021
The Catholic Parish of Corpus Christi
2707 34 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6T 1P5
Phone: 780.466.7576 Fax: 587.754.1670
Website: www.corpuschristi-edm.ca
Requirements for Registration
1. Registration for First Reconciliation & First Holy Eucharist form
2. PIPA Registration and Participation Form – Appendix 907B
3. Participation Consent Form and Release – Appendix 907C
The first 3 requirements are available at the parish office,
or online at http://www.corpuschristi-edm.ca/Ministries/sacraments
4. a copy of your child’s Baptismal certificate
5. $20 for each sacramental preparation book & materials ($40 for both)
6. a copy of your child’s First Reconciliation certificate (if received)
¬ Ensure your email address is clearly written on the registration form.
¬ Once you have all the requirements, meet with Sister Delia at the parish office to finalize your child’s registration.
Preparing for Lessons
Your child will receive the following workbook(s):
· Reconciliation/Confession: My Booklet about God’s Love and Forgiveness
· First Holy Eucharist/Communion: My Booklet about the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
Ensure your child has completed the readings and activities in the workbooks before attending each lesson, so your child is able to participate and answer questions.
Giant Steps To Change The World
5B Book Study
5B is Making Strides
Healthy Hunger
We want to thank Heather and Amy our hot lunch coordinators and all of the parents who donate their time and energy for our children!
Here is some information on our Hot Lunch Program:
- Orders MUST be placed and paid online a week prior to the hot lunch through Healthy Hunger website. After this time, there are no cancellations or refunds. (No cash refunds available in the office)
- If your child is absent, you can make arrangements to pick-up or give the order to another student. If we do not hear from you, your child’s lunch will be kept in the fridge until the next time they are at school.
- If a field trip is booked, we will always do our best to inform you and give you the opportunity to cancel and get a refund but we do not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate.
- If you cancel your order one week in advance, you will receive a credit through Healthy Hunger.
- Below is the link on how to sign your child up for Hot Lunch Program. Please make sure to select your child's correct classroom.
https://healthyhunger.ca/images/Parents_macro.pdf
Please note that if you registered your child in the previous years, you will still have to register again through this link.
Thank you!
Grade 3B
Which emoji best describes how you are feeling about the start of your year in Grade 3?
First Week of 3B
All the feelings in Grade 3B
Which Emoji best describes how you are feeling?
Bus Planner
For information about late bus notifications, please visit our website https://www.ecsd.net/page/34228/transportation-services-bus-delay-notifications, which includes instructions on downloading the new BusPlanner Delays app.
Thank you
JPI Traffic and Parking
JPI Parking Lot
Proactive Habits:
● Avoid dropping off your child in the middle of the street or in front of the
south side of 38 ave.
● Avoid blocking any driveways, allow time to park a bit farther away and plan your routes appropriately and considerately.
● Parents of students in Grades 4 - 6 are strongly encouraged to drop off/pick-up their children a block or two away from school
● Families living in the community are strongly encouraged to walk home, bike, carpool, etc. to and from school.
• Slow down! The speed limit is 30km/h in the School Zone.
• Traffic becomes more congested between 8:30-8:40am and 3:15-3:30pm. Please consider this when timing your arrival at school. You may want to beat the rush and arrive at school EARLIER.
Outside supervision begins at 8:13 am and our doors are always open during inclement weather (e.g. raining or temperatures below -20oC w/windchill).
As parents/guardians, we can all contribute in some way to ensure safety and improve traffic flow around the school and surrounding area. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Grade 4C
Summer Memories
WE Pray
Milk Sales
Escuela John Paul I School Council...
Did you know that our School Council…
- is a great way to keep tabs on what’s happening in your child’s school?
- provides an opportunity to discuss issues affecting the school with the Principal and Assistant Principal?
- is a great way to get to know other caregivers and parents committed to their kids’ education?
We are also a charitable organization that works to raise funds for School Council initiatives to…
- organize the Back to School BBQ (unfortunately cancelled this year due to COVID), Hot Lunch, Movie Nights, and many more family-oriented events,
- fundraise thousands of dollars for the school through fundraisers that the money goes towards enrichment activities such as technology, equipment for the makerspace, outdoor play equipment and provides additional funding for sporting equipment, science, and arts.
We hold regular meetings that are open to ALL caregivers and parents.
Want to make a difference? Come out to School Council
This year your School Council Executives are:
Chair : Open
Past Chair: Amy Hlushak
Treasurer: Brian Sochr
Secretary: Catrina Shaw
Even though this year is looking a bit different, again, there are many opportunities to give back and get involved with our school community!
Our next meeting will September 23 @ 5:30 p.m.
via Teams
Caregiver Series
These 90 minute online sessions are intended to provide parents, caregivers, teachers, and community members with introductory information regarding mental health challenges that can affect children and youth. This month’s topics are ‘Building Executive Skills: Promoting Success in Learning’, and ‘Technology and the Teenage Brain: Digital Wellness for Families’.
In our 60 minute lunchtime webinars, we will be looking at how parents and caregivers can support healthy sleep hygiene and scheduling through our two-part series, ‘Sleep and Your Family’s Mental Health’. With these two-part sessions, participants are welcome to register for one or both sessions. At the end of September, we are also offering a lunchtime session on ‘More than Just a Bad Day: Understanding Depression in Adolescents’.
This fall, we are offering two different session series. Starting Wednesday, Sep 15, we are offering our four-part series on ‘Understanding Anxiety’ and on Thursday, Sep 16, we will begin our seven-part series on “Mental Health and Resiliency”. These evening sessions run for 90 minutes and participants are welcome to register for one, more, or all of the sessions in the series.
- Caregiver Handout: Going Back to School During COVID-19 – Fall 2021
As children and youth go back to school this fall, many parents and caregivers have concerns about how to help their kids adjust to the change, especially as COVID-19 is still having an impact on our communities. To support families in this transition, a handout is attached to this email that offers tips for helping parents and caregivers to prepare, inform, and support their children and youth towards a successful return to the classroom.
cyf-caregiver-education-newsletter-september-2021
Upcoming Dates
Throughout the month of September we will have practice fire drills and lockdowns.
September 13 and 14
- Virtual African Dance Sessions for all students
September 20
- Federal Election
September 24
- Healthy Hunger Hot Lunch - Pizza 73
- Virtual Meet the Teacher
- 6:30-7:30 - Two presentations
- Teams link will be provided to you by your child's teacher
September 30
- National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
- No School
October 6
- Picture Day
- Individual Pictures
October 15
- Healthy Hunger Hot Lunch - Edo