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St. Rose Junior High

November 2017

REMEMBRANCE DAY

On Remembrance Day, we reflect upon those people whose lives have been changed by war and con-flict. True happiness comes when we are at peace with ourselves and others.

Loving God, you call us to be members of one body, united in peace. Forgive us for our selfishness. Help us to establish a peaceful world that is built upon jus-tice and truth. Guide us so we can solve our conflicts with compassion and humility. Remind us to make every effort to do what leads to peace.

Amen.

Administrators Message 2

Chaplains Corner 3-4

Interim Report 5

Remembrance Day Celebration 5

School Council News 5

Conference Manager 6

PowerSchool Pro 7

Superintendent Message 8-9

Information from the Office 10

Athletics 11

P.A.R.T.Y. Program 11

Games Club 12

Canteen 12

Band 13

Municipal Student Vote 14

Artist in Residence Project 15

Casino 16

Rainbow Club 17

Coats for Kids & Families 18

Dreams for Kids 19

Purdy’s Chocolatier Fundraiser 20

Message from Fr. Dean Dowle 21

Message from Sandra Talarico 22

STAY 23

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Administrators Message

Welcome to our November Newsletter. We hope that the school year is progressing well for

you.

As of last year, St. Rose only sends home Report Cards twice each year. However, we do send

home a student progress report in November and again in the Spring. PowerSchool provides

all students and parents with the most timely and accurate information on student perfor-

mance at any point in time during the school year. We continue to host Parent/Student/

Teacher Conferences on November 23rd at the times listed later in this Newsletter. We are

hopeful that parents and students attend interviews to discuss progress with each teacher and

to view some of the student’s portfolio work. On a celebratory note, we recently received

our PAT results from the 2016-17 year, and St. Rose students have continued to display out-

standing academic prowess in all subject areas.

With regards to school upgrades, our District painters have almost completed the interior

repainting of the school. St. Rose looks much brighter. Speaking of brighter, we will begin

work on our stairwell mosaic in a few short days. Starting on November 9th, mosaic artist

Theodora Harasymiw will be helping all students to create the mosaic that will decorate our

front stairwell. We are looking for parent volunteers to help starting on November 14th.

Please contact Anna in the office if you can help us out with a gift of your time.

Many of our social justice activities are well underway. We collected cereal boxes for Our La-

dy of Peace Elementary School’s breakfast program, and have other initiatives occurring regu-

larly. See our Chaplain’s Report for more information. On November 27th, we will begin our

traditional Christmas gift drive for students at Our Lady of Peace and St. Gerard. You may

want to talk to your child about the initiative that your child’s class has decided to pursue.

Our School Advisory Council will be meeting on November 6th in the Student Commons at

6:00pm. All parents are welcome to join us. As well, we will be holding our Remembrance

Day celebration on November 10th at 11:30am in the School Gym. We hope that you will at-

tend. Let us remember our Canadian soldiers who have given and those who continue to de-

vote their lives to fight for freedom and justice in the world.

Barton Leibel Orysia Huk-Richards

Principal Assistant Principal

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Chaplain’s Corner

Our 2017/2018 school year is well underway. Our hom-

eroom classes have been busy with their Social Justice pro-

jects. 7C has collected cereal, toques and mitts that will be

donated to St. Jerome Elementary School.

On October 5, 2017 our school gathered together for

our Thanksgiving Celebration. Father Paul Kavanagh from St.

John the Evangelist joined us as our celebrant. It was a beauti-

ful celebration giving thanks for everything that we have. Our Thanksgiving cereal drive was a

great success! St. Rose students collected enough cereal boxes to fill up a truck bed to the

brim! Way to go St. Rose! The cereal was delivered to Our Lady of Peace Elementary School

to help with their snack program.

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On October 19, 2017 13 students had the opportunity to go to the Edmonton Food-

bank for Flex Thursday. The students spent the morning taking a tour of the facility, learning

about the Edmonton Foodbank, sorting donations, and creating hampers for the clients.

Some information that was discussed with the students and some interesting things they

learned was:

“…the Foodbank helps 20-25 thousand people per month”

“…they spend over a million dollars purchasing products and necessities a year”

“…the Foodbank helps people to get back on their feet”

“…the Foodbank needs various items such as Celiac bread, hygiene products, baby formula,

pet food, and toilet paper”

“…we can help by collecting toiletries”

“… we can help by collecting our empty egg cartons at home and

donating them to the Foodbank so they can use them when they are repackaging the bulk

eggs for clients”.

During the month of November we will have our Remembrance Day Service and we will begin plan-

ning for the St. Rose annual Christmas toy drive.

We continue our faith journey throughout the school year through prayer and celebrations and to be

Christ-like role models for the St. Rose community and the greater Edmonton community.

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Interim Report (paperless) & Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

We will not be sending home traditional report cards. PowerSchool provides all

student and parents with the most timely and accurate information on student

performance at any point in time during the school year. We will host

Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences on November 23rd at the times listed in this

Newsletter.

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, Novem-

ber 23rd from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Book

your Parent Conference on line after 3:00 pm starting November 13th

@ https://strose-edm .schoolsoft.ca !

Remembrance Day Celebration

Our Remembrance Day Celebration will be held in the school gym on

Thursday, November 10th at 11:30 am. Parents/guardians are welcome.

School Council News

Our next meeting will be held on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 6:00 pm in the Student Com-

mons. If you have any items that you would like to see added to the Agenda, please forward

these to the Council Chair, Mun Prasad.

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November 1, 2017

St. Rose Jr. High Conference Manager

We are pleased to be using the Internet to schedule ParentTeacher Interviews. The process

for booking interviews is broken into the following steps:

Step 1- Pre-Register at https://strose-edm.schoolsoft.ca (DO NOT include "www" in the url)

You can set up a Parent Account by following the link above. Click the REGISTER NOW button and complete the registration

form. Your login credentials (email and password) will remain in the system to make it easy to access the Conference

Manager in the future.

Please note that in order to enhance functionality and security, the Conference Manager requires you to use Internet

Explorer 7 (or above), Firefox 3 (or above) or Safari 4 (or above). If you are using an older browser, the Conference

Manager will automatically prompt you to update your browser and provide you with a link. This is a one-time process

and only takes a couple of minutes.

In order to ensure that your email program does not block emails sent from the Conference Manager, we suggest

adding appointments@schoolsoft .ca to your address book.

Step 2 - Conference Manager Opens to Parents - November 13th, 2017 after 3:00 pm

You can access the Parent Login Page using the link in the Confirmation Email. If you do not receive a Confirmation Email,

you can login by going directly to https://strose-edm .schoolsoft.ca .

If you do not have Internet access, you are welcome to contact Anna Just in the office and we will schedule your

conferences on your behalf.

Step 3 - Book your Parent-Teacher interviews

Select the teachers with whom you want to book interviews. You will see each teacher's schedule. After booking your

appointments you can print off your schedule. You will also receive an email containing the teacher name, time and location

of the conference. You can log into the system at any time to view your bookings, print, cancel or reschedule appointments.

You have the option of submitting comments or questions to the teacher as part of the booking process.

Important Dates:

November 13th, 2017 - Start scheduling your interviews after 3:00pm on line. November 22, 2017 - Conference Manager closes at 8:00pm

November 23th, 2017 - Parent Teacher Interviews in the school gym- 1:30pm -3:30pm & 5:00pm - 7:00pm.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact Anna Just in the office @ 780-483-2695.

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PowerSchoolPro

The video link below offers parents an overview of Edmonton Catholic Schools outcomes-based gradebook which 21 of

our junior high schools are piloting this 2017-18 school year. Through PowerTeacherPro, when a teacher creates an

assignment, they connect that assignment to one or more of our district key learner outcomes and this information is

visually displayed for parents, students and teachers in such a way as to clearly celebrate progress and target next steps

in learning.

https://youtu.be/boVV98DfVUg

• In this revised gradebook, when a teacher creates an assignment, they attach at least one key learner

outcome to that assignment. Along with the numerical grade of the assignment, a teacher also assesses

the connected learner outcome(s) chosen in terms of levels of achievement (beginning, approaching, pro-

ficient and exemplary). In the quick-look ups on PowerSchool, which can be accessed at any time, the

achievement of each student is expressed numerically as well as through levels of achievement on the

learner outcomes chosen. This visual representation clearly leads parents, student and teachers into dia-

logue about next steps in learning.

• At the November and March parent/student/teacher interviews, the PowerTeacherPro gradebook along

with student work will be excellent resources to engage in dialogue about each student’s learning to date

and to set goals for continued progress and success. The homeroom teacher will follow up through email

with parents of students who show signs of struggle who did not attend an interview.

• The January 31th and June 28th progress reports will include an assessment of student learner skills, a

percentage grade in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion and Physical Education as well

as a summary level of achievement (beginning, approaching, proficient, exemplary) for each curricular

learner outcome assessed during the term.

• Parent user name and passwords will be shared with parents at the school office, at the Meet the Teach-

er evening in September, at the Demonstration of Learning/Interview time in November and through

email home.

This ongoing outcomes-based assessment and reporting structure gives parents, students and teachers clear information about student achievement which informs next steps in teaching and learning for the continued progress and success of each student.

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November 2017

“My soul shall glory in the Lord, for He has been so good to me.” (Taste and See, James Moore JR.)

The hymns which we sing in our liturgies and in the Mass are often rooted in scripture. The verse shared above comes from one

of our most beautiful Eucharistic songs, and is based on Psalm 34. This psalm is one of thanksgiving in which the psalmist is prais-

ing God for deliverance from troubles. When you are struck by the beauty of the message in songs at church, consider looking at

the reference at the end of the song in the hymnal and reading the corresponding scripture passage!

Archbishop Smith has released a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese that will provide special focus for our faith community over the

next 5 years. It is deeply grounded in the words of Pope Francis, “These are the two conditions in order to follow Jesus: to listen

to the word of God, and to put it into practice. This is the Christian life – nothing more. Simple, simple.” (Homily at Daily Mass,

September 23, 2014)

You can read the pastoral letter, watch a video titled Archbishop Smith’s Pastoral letter in 60 Seconds, and find other resources at

http://caedm.ca/Letter. Beginning with this month’s newsletter, we will also be including highlights of sections of the pastoral

letter for your information and consideration.

We are very pleased to welcome our newly elected Board of Trustees: Ward 71-Terry Harris, Ward 72-Sandra Palazzo, Ward 73-

Carla Smiley, Ward 74-Debbie Engel, Ward 75-Alene Mutala, Ward 76-Lisa Turchansky, and Ward 77-Laura Thibert. Their very first

Public Meeting was held on October 30. The Trustees were sworn in and held their Organizational Meeting. Trustee Harris was

elected as Chairperson for the upcoming year, and Trustee Palazzo was elected as Vice-Chairperson for the same period.

Our Alberta Education Accountability Pillar Results Report, which is our report card from the province, was released a few weeks

ago. Our results, which are outstanding, reflect our commitment to continuous growth! Visit our website to view the overall

summary. https://www.ecsd.net/AboutUs/annual_reports/Documents/sbfile/171017/ECSD%20Acc.%20Pillar%20Summary%20October%

202017.pdf

Catholic Education Sunday is being celebrated across Alberta on November 5th this year. We celebrate Catholic education for the

advantage, richness, and success that Catholic education brings to our students and families. Please check our website and our

social media each day during the week of October 30 – November 3 as we highlight different aspects of what makes Edmonton

Catholic Schools so great for our children and families. You can also join us on Catholic Education Sunday (November 5) at St.

Joseph Basilica for the Commissioning Mass for our new Edmonton Catholic Schools Board of Trustees at 12:15 pm. Bishop

Bittman will be presiding.

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One of the significant characteristics of Catholic education is that, in addition to having our faith permeated in all aspects of the

school day, all students also have courses in Religious Education. In Elementary and Junior High, all students have Religion classes

within their schedules. At the High School level, students are expected to complete 9 credits in Religious Education within their

program, and which contribute to Alberta Education's criteria of 100 earned credits required as the minimum for graduation.

We are pleased to begin sharing a new video series for students and parents on Staying Safe in a Digital World. Our first video is

titled Privacy. The series features our STAY (School Team Advisor for Youth) Officer, Rick Cole, who will offer simple tips on how to

be sure that we remain safe in the online world. You can access this video by visiting www.ecsd.net and clicking on the video title

on our banner. We will use social media to share the release of future episodes.

In this month which is dedicated to remembrance and peace, I will leave you with a tweet from Pope Francis: “Let us bring the

flame of Christ’s love to humanity which needs true happiness and peace so much.” (October 20/17)

Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

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St. Rose Junior High School Student Fees The 2017/18 St. Rose Junior High School fees are due immediately. We kindly ask that you pay online through your parent powerschool account. Should you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to email Mrs. Cathy Gregoraschuk in the office at catherine.gregoraschuk@ecsd.net. We will be emailing student account statements monthly as a reminder to you of what may be outstanding as new fees may have been added since the last time you paid.

Edmonton Transit Bus Passes Please note below the monthly deadline dates for purchasing Edmonton Transit Bus Passes from St. Rose Junior High. All Edmonton Transit Bus Passes are purchased through your parent powerschool account. Month Last Date to Buy/Pay Online November 2017 November 8, 2017 December 2017 December 5, 2017 January 2018 January 11, 2018 February 2018 February 7, 2018 March 2018 March 7, 2018 April 2018 April 6, 2018 May 2018 May 8, 2018 June 2018 June 8, 2018

St. Rose Canteen If your child is purchasing food from the canteen, could we please ask that you do not send them with bills higher than $5.00 as the office is unable to make change. Coin is acceptable as well. Thank you, Parents, for your attention to these matters.

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ATHLETICS

Congratulations to all of the cross country competitors who represented St. Rose at the 2017-2018 Cross Country City Championships. The Eagles Cross Country team soared to an unprec-edented 12th consecutive City Championship by capturing the Junior, Intermediate, and Sen-ior Girls divisions as well as the Junior and Senior Boys divisions. Way to go Eagles!!!. The coaches are all so proud of your performances, behavior and “Eagle” pride. A special thanks to all of the staff for their support and encouragement over the last few weeks. We would al-so like to extend congratulations to the coaches: Mr. Whitehead, Mrs. Matheson, Mr. Mendez and Mrs. Usenik, and say thank you for your effort and support.

Congratulations to the Sr. Boys and Girls Volleyball team for capturing first place at the St. Francis Xavier Volleyball Tournament. Both teams demonstrated great team work throughout the two days; a special congratulations to Tomasso M. & Jamie F. for being named tournament All-Stars as well we would like to congratulate Tristan Z. & Eleanor M for being chosen as tournament MVP's.

The Sr. girls soccer team lost a heart breaker to St. Thomas More in the Div. 1 Championship- literally seconds before the final whistle by a score of 3-2. Mr. Mendez is extremely proud of the way the girls played, displaying an in-credible attitude and courage to fight back in the second half. It has been an amazing season for a special group of girls.

P.A.R.T.Y. Program

The P.A.R.T.Y Program for grade 9 students will be on Dec. 6,2017. More information to fol-low November 15 in regards to registration and cost.

Any questions email Mr. Cimino at Franco.Cimino@ecsd.net

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Games Club

Tired of browsing social media yet? If you are, come join the St. Rose Games Club for some wholesome non-electronic entertainment! We meet after school on Wednesdays in the office. Bring your board games

Canteen

This is just a reminder that our lunch canteen is fully running and is serving hot lunch everyday for a price of $5/each.  Our list is as follows:

Monday-  Edo Japan chicken or beef rice and vegetables

Tuesday-  Chicken wraps, cheese or pepperoni calzones, pizza subs (new this month!)

Wednesday-  Panago Pizza

Friday-  Fresh Pasta (marinara or alfredo), and chicken salad

We also serve noodle bowls and juice drinks for $2/each.

*We have also recently divided the line-ups into grade levels for more of an equal distribution of the

products.

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BAND NEWS

The Grade 8 and 9 band classes are starting to sound great, as the musicians are getting a handle on the

challenging material they are learning. All are encouraged to attend the weekly Concert Band practices

Mondays from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm. The Jazz Band is learning improvisation skills during Thursday morning lex sessions.

The Grade Seven Concert Band will start its 2017-2018 season with its first rehearsal on Tuesday,

November 7. They will continue to rehearse Tuesdays afterschool, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm. All interested

musicians are encouraged to attend. Please mark your calendars and join us for the Christmas Concert

on Tuesday, Dec. 19th at 7:00 pm. This event will showcase and celebrate the fine accomplishments of the

St Rose Lego Club We are looking to start a lunch hour Lego Club. Please consider donating any lego blocks that are not

currently being used for this new school club. Please drop off Lego in room 215.

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Municipal Student Vote

On Friday, October 13, the students of St. Rose took

part in the Student Vote Municipal Election. The or-

ganization CIVIX provided the teaching resources, bal-

lot boxes, voting booths, and official ballots for the

election. This organization had over 70 000 students

from across Alberta cast ballots in the 2017 Municipal

election. Students were asked to cast their ballot for

the 3 categories of Mayor, Councilor, and School Board

Trustee.

Of the 408 students enrolled at St. Rose this year,

385 student cast a ballot. We had a majority of

students vote for the following candidates:

Mayor: Don Iveson

Councillor: Andrew Knack

School Board Trustee: Glen Aragon

The election results mirrored the adult election for all but the school board vote with similar

voting percentages for the Mayoral and Councillor positions.

Many thanks to Justin H-K, Anna L, Aurelie A, and Emma O for their leadership skills that day.

These 4 grade 9 students were responsible, respectful electoral officers. We could not have

run this election without them.

Amber Morgan-Manchuk

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What is collaboration? Many people tend to use collaboration and cooperation interchangeably because they both imply that people work together; however, how each functions and the goals of each are different. In a cooperative group, the participants usually divide the work and then come back and share their results. Each person in the group generally has an individual goal and the participants cooperate to share information. Oftentimes, cooperative projects are more structured and are based on people doing what someone else asked them to do. In a collaborative group, the participants actively construct the final product together and work toward a common goal. Collaborative projects tend to have less structure and require more room for experimentation and creativity. Both cooperation and collaboration are useful and should be used in certain situations. Where work needs to be done and more hands can get it done faster because the work can be split, cooperative groups are a better choice. However, when ideas need to be generated and the final product needs to come from a shared vision, then collaboration is the way to go.

Mosaic Project for Stairwell

We are looking for 3 volunteers in the morning and 3 volunteers in the afternoon

each day between the following dates:

November 14 - 17

21, 22, 23 (morning only), 24

28, 29, 30

No artistic background is necessary. If you are able to help, please call Anna at

780-483-2695.

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St. Rose Casino

We would like to thank those parents who contributed their time to the St. Rose Casino. First and foremost,

our thanks go out to Cara Kaup for organizing the casino. As well, thank you to the following individuals who

donated time to this fundraising effort:

Natasha Palmer Darlene Busch

Lianne Shaigec Nancy Kortbeek

Theresa and Andreas Donauer Kim and Jason Street

Rhonda Philipenko Mark Kluchky

Laura MacLean Ken Haughian

Michelle Bessette Stacy Swayze

Darlene Arsenault Gino Ripoli

Renee Goertzen Tina Klenke

Rebecca Griffiths Maureen Hayes

Cristiana Coarna Borysa Struk

George Chrones Mun Prasad

Barb MacDonald Cindy Landreville

Tami Lackey Mirande Alexandre

Mark Jankovic Casey O’Byrne

Colleen McDonough Kerri and Blair Graham

Casino funds help immensely in securing educational resources for the students at St. Rose.

The following is a list of some of the purchases we have used casino funds to provide for our

students.

Student Commons Furniture Classroom Library Books

Classroom Desks Computer Science Raspberry Pi’s

Outdoor Basketball Court Solaro Software Program

Front of School Electronic Sign Nelson Education Math Assessment Software Program

Student Chromebooks Teacher Supplies (Storage Boxes, Exercise Books)

Earls Year End BBQ School Drama Production

Religious Items (Advent Candles, Advent Wreaths, Processional Cross, Communion Cups, Rosaries, Pictures, Plaques, Wood Processional Candlestick, Wood Fixed Lectern, Tablecloths and Table Runners for School Masses Alter and Classroom Prayer Tables, Silk Floral Arrangements to Decorate our School Front Entry Prayer Table, Wooden Cross, Wood Nails, Standing Crucifix, Good Shepherd Statue, Religious Classroom Books, Crucifixion Pic-tures, Crucifixion Plaques, Resurrection Icons)

St. Rose is very fortunate to have such a dedicated parent community.

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Rainbow

Club

The St. Rose Rainbow Club wants to

raise awareness about the struggles

people face in their daily lives.

Our club wants to create a friendly

environment, where all people feel

welcomed. We discuss different topics

at our meetings, such as: inclusion,

diversity, spreading positivity,

anti-bullying, and more. Thank you to everyone who supported us and came to our

Booth at the Halloween dance to learn what our club is all

about !!! We will continue our weekly meetings every

Friday at 3:00 PM. Please talk to Ms. Lewko if you want to join.

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To my amazing fellow students,

I would like to ask for your support in helping “Coats for Kids and Fami-

lies”. I am hosting a drive for the charity and I am asking for your help.

… is a United Way initiative that began in 1992 due to overwhelming requests from families and

individuals with limited resources in need of winter jackets. Many families continue to deal with sharply

rising living expenses and simply don't have the means to purchase the clothing needed to stay warm

during Alberta’s harsh winters. The most vulnerable among us are children. Without adequate winter

clothing, a child will have a difficult time reaching their full potential. In 2015, 7,790 coats were

distributed.

Page the Cleaner has partnered with United Way to provide professional dry-cleaning to all gently worn

donated items. Once cleaned, the coats are brought to United Way’s In-Kind Exchange where groups of

volunteers sort and package the coats to be delivered to social agencies who distribute the items to the

people who need them.

If you are able to donate any items listed below, we ask that you bring them to school where we will be

collecting items until November 30th.

Thank you for your generosity,

Rian Santos,

Grade 9 Student

St. Rose Junior High School

Men’s winter coat Women’s winter coats Children’s winter coats Toques/mitts & scarves

Snow pants – all sizes Winter Boots Insulated work wear Insulated work boots

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October 27, 2017

Dear Colleague:

The fifth child of a single mother, 9 year old Lydia is ‘lucky’ if she receives two meals a day. One of them is provided at school. Mark wants to join his junior high classmates for swimming lessons, but his unemployed father cannot afford the $50 swimming registration fee. Seriously depressed, 14 year old Louis is taking street drugs from his ‘friends’ and needs help now. A recent refugee from Syria, Aziz loves music but is unable to join the weekly after-school band program because her parents are on a very limited income. These youth are but a handful of the many students ‘in need’ who are part of the Edmonton Catholic School family.

Established by the Edmonton Catholic Schools Foundation, the Dreams for Kids campaign raises funds in

support of the children and youth—especially those in need—who attend Edmonton Catholic Schools. Like you, Dreams for Kids wants every child to have an equal opportunity to succeed in school and in life.

On their behalf, I ask that you please donate to Dreams for Kids. Your kind gift would support our:

Conquer Hunger Fund – providing healthy school lunch and snack programs

Dream Maker Fund – offering financial support/subsidies to students in need so they may participate in school recreational, educational, spiritual, and social events/activities Guardian Angel Fund – providing support for students with mental health needs Helping Hands Fund – providing resources to assist schools in addressing student/family ‘ emergency needs’ including clothing, shelter, transportation, food, and poverty relief

100 Voices Fund - funding socially and educationally disadvantaged young children who would signifi-cantly benefit from early childhood education, but who do not qualify for government support

Champion Projects Fund – through this Fund, students demonstrate their social justice values, while also developing their leadership, communication, and team-building skills

We hope you personally choose to donate through a one-time gift by clicking the heart which takes you directly to our donation site. You may also do so by visiting our website (www.ecsfoundation.ca).

There are no better ambassadors for the values and faithful work of Edmonton Catholic Schools than individuals like you. Working together, we can support you in your sacred mission of serving the best interests of ECS students—especially those experiencing the barrier of poverty

Please give. With your gift, we can help the students of Edmonton Catholic Schools to have the best

Catholic educational experience possible. Lydia, Mark, Louis, Aziz, and many others like them, are hoping for your support. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Marc Barylo Executive Director

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From your St. Rose Parent Advisory Association

Fundraising Committee

Hello Families!

This year, for our first fundraiser we have partnered with Purdy’s Chocolatier, a Canadian company established in

1907 in Vancouver, Canada. These chocolates make a great gift for not only friends and family members, but also for

colleagues, clients and anyone that you may want to give a little “thank you” to. (Teacher gift?)

On Friday, November 10th, your child will be bringing home a catalogue for Purdy’s Christmas Chocolates ready for

you to circle your selections. This will be followed up with an email from the school, providing to you, the link to

click and online shop to efficiently order your gifts and treats needed to host over the Christmas season. You can

also go on a virtual tour of the chocolate factory! The deadline for placing orders is Friday, November 24th.

No order forms need to be sent back and payments can be made right online using regular options for payment.

Your order will be shipped to the school and you will be able to pick up your order on Wednesday, December 6th from

12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. You may send someone else to pickup your order if you are unavailable during this time, but,

please be sure to give them your order confirmation slip.

Each year, all of the money that is raised through these types of fundraising initiatives is spent in the same school

year; to ensure that your child will benefit from your support. The money is used to enhance the fun activities

already scheduled by the school and we will be sure to let you know how much money was raised and how the

funds were allocated.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Darlene Arsenault at

dc.arsenault@icloud.com or 780-999-2839

Thank you to all of our Families for your support!

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Spirits, Saints, and Souls. The early days of November within the Catholic Church mark the

month for which we commemorate the memory of all the faithfully departed. While All Hal-

low’s Eve spurs the popular imagination with Spirits, this is really intended to prime the mind

and heart to focus on the Saints and Souls who have lived and passed. These Saints and Souls

are the faithfully departed - our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. Initial-

ly it may be emotionally difficult to let go of them due to their physical absence; however,

eventually we come to realize their spiritual presence remains which both offers and reminds

us of a different form of human connection. This is why we need to remember them in prayer

and also request they pray for us too. Contrary to a popular misconception, we pray not to

them, but rather for and through them. Together we help comprise what is such a central ele-

ment to our Christian Faith: the Communion of Saints. In so doing, we understand how there

is continuity between this world and that of the next. This is a long standing tradition in the

Church which shows how life in Christ is indeed eternal and our relationship with Him ex-

tends into a community. Those who have died in the peace of Christ are still alive in and with

Him because of their Faith and ours which continues. To help ensure this, it is the work of eve-

ry member of the Church, which includes all the baptized believers - both living and deceased

- to help bring people into a relationship with Christ and an intimacy with God. And so each

time we celebrate Mass in School or on Sundays, we remember that the entire mystical Body

of Christ is present, together. Effectively, because our departed have already arrived at the

place to which we are also seeking to be, they can therefore offer the inspiration, insight, and

guidance we need, in response to the prayers we make for ourselves and for them. Though

death can be hard, it is a part of this life, and which also leads to the next. And so November is

a gift to recognize and remember those good souls who have died & are yet still very much in

spirit with us.

Most sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Dean Dowle

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LISTENING AND DAILY ATTENTIVENESS TO THE WORD OF GOD

On September 14, 2017, Archbishop Richard Smith issued his Pastoral Letter - Living in the Word of God to the clergy

and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Edmonton. In his message, the Archbishop recalled his baptism:

“On May 10th, 1959, at just two weeks of age, I was taken by my parents to our parish church to be baptized. It

is without question the best and most important action my mother and father ever undertook on my behalf. By

the sacrament of Baptism, I was washed with the mercy of God the Father and given the gift of new life through

a communion of love and friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it brought me into the community

of people who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and united me to them by the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, who dwells

within all the baptized. With the passage of time my gratitude for being a member of the Church has steadily

deepened. It is truly beautiful to be a Catholic. What begins at Baptism is a way of life that is shaped by sacred

teachings, strengthened by sacramental celebration, and marked by loving service of neighbor” (Archbishop

Richard Smith).

It is true that at Baptism, our life in Christ begins. Baptism makes us disciples; to respond to his call to follow him. Yet

what does it mean to follow Jesus? Simply, it is a matter of listening and doing. An authentic disciple of Jesus Christ is

one who first listens to his Word and then puts it into practice. In the Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter, we are offered in-

sight as to how we can listen carefully to the Word of God and, in a shared commitment, put it into practice.

Saint Paul teaches that faith comes from what is heard, meaning that the first act of the disciple is to listen carefully to

what God is saying in the words of Jesus. The hearing of Christ's Word demands a silent and attentive listening. Yet, we

live in a world surrounded by noise and confusion, thus we must work particularly hard to cultivate that inner stillness

to hear and to be transformed by the Word of God. On the Archbishop’s part, he suggests that we take as little as ten

minutes each day to read a few lines of the Bible; to pray together at mealtime; and to create a prayer space in the

home:

“I encourage families, too, to listen together to the Word of God. Through a careful listening to this Word, fami-

lies encounter the Lord in their very midst and hear within the depths of their hearts his assurance of love and

call to holiness and service. Here I suggest three simple ways by which our families can make the Word of God

central to their daily living and draw from it guidance and peace: Grace at mealtime, creation of a prayer space

in the home, and family discussion of the Sunday Homily” (Archbishop Richard Smith).

As families, it is especially important to gather and to reflect deeply upon the Word of God. In this way we will not only

support one another as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, but we will also encourage one another to embrace the

common mission that is ours in virtue of our Baptism into his Church.

Sandra Talarico

Religious Education Consultant

23

Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from adversity and stress and is important to our students in order to be successful learners. Ways to help your child develop resilience could include: Encourage Helpful & Positive Thinking- Teach your children to: • Look on the bright side of things • Laugh at their mistakes • Not exaggerate problems or jump to conclusions Plan Ahead • Encourage your child to practice stopping when excited • Encourage your child to think before they do something • Praise your child when they stick at something (even when it gets tough) • Praise your child when they are resourceful and solve problems in tricky situations • Help your child predict difficult situations and plan fun events Reading Emotions • Clearly describe and name your feelings for your child and encourage them to do the same to you • Help your child identify situations that make them feel angry, worried or upset • Talk about ways of dealing with strong feelings • Teach your child how to recognize what others (e.g. siblings, friends) might be feeling Seeking Help • Encourage your child to talk to you about their problems, or to another Trusted Adult • Be reassuring and talk about alternative solutions to problems • Clearly explain to your child that feelings like anger, fear and sadness are normal and okay • Remember to give your child a break when upset in a quiet place so they can learn self-control and ways to calm themselves before solving the problem Courage • Praise your child when they have done things you know are outside their comfort zone • Encourage your child for trying even if they have not succeeded • Encourage your child to speak up for themselves in tricky situations • Encourage diverse interests and to take a risk at trying something different or new

November 2017

School Team Advisors for Youth (STAY)

Junior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District each have ‘School Team Advisors for Youth’ (STAY) which are comprised of retired Police Officers. The STAY role involves:

Educating, mentoring, and empowering students. Educating and mentoring parents on the realities their children face each day by raising parent awareness on these issues. Educating and mentoring staff on the realities that students face each day. Working in partnership with the administration of the school to

develop action plans for safety and health of all students. Stay Advisors in our junior high schools make a difference in the lives of our youth by encouraging them to “STAY” in school. The STAY teams work hard to ensure our youth succeed in life.

STAY Alert