December 4, 2020

Administrators’ Message “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in

hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

Sunday, November 29th marked the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year in the Church. This is a time when we are filled with new hope and courage and move from darkness to light. In anticipation of the Messiah, the ECSD Fine Arts Team has created a virtual arts Advent Calendar that is simply spectacular. You can access it off of the banner on

www.ecsd.net or by clicking here. Visit the calendar daily to reveal a special experience for your Advent journey. Hope is the pillar which holds us up, especially during these challenging times. We move forward knowing that our individual actions impact the common good, and risk nothing for the promise of better days ahead. Thank you for the timely and honest communication from our families regarding student illness, as well the collective effort to keep children home at the slightest of symptoms. J.H. Picard staff has worked relentlessly to adhere to safety protocols while maintaining meaningful learning environments. Your children are the light that leads us forward. We have enjoyed several months of in-person learning and think often of our 2020-2021 at-home learners. We can’t wait to see everybody for the next school year! Thank you to the JH Picard parents who serve on School Council for their commitment to our school and for their willingness to attend meetings, share their views and expertise with us, plan and organize fundraisers to support the learning of our students. We are grateful for their valuable time and generosity. On November 26, JH Picard Grades 7 to 12 students moved to online learning. Elementary students continue to learn at school until December 18. The Christmas break is from December 19 to January 3. Please remember that Thursday, December 17 will be a full day of school for our elementary students, with dismissal at 3:08 pm. Students will be dismissed at 12:12 pm on Friday, December 18 for Christmas Vacation.

7055- 99 Street Edmonton AB T6E 3R4

Phone: (780)433-4251

Website: https://www.ecsd.net/8410

After the break, all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 resume classes online from January 4 until January 8. We plan to welcome students back to learning at school on January 11, 2021. We wish all our families good health and to stay safe during this Christmas season. Cherish the comfort and joy that the loved ones in your home bring. On behalf of J.H. Picard staff, Merry Christmas!

Guitta Kodershah Brigitte Levasseur Nicole Thomlinson Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal

Learning from Home – Expectations

We would like to emphasize that this period of learning at home will be significantly different than the transition to online learning last March. Though students will be learning at home, they are expected to be following the same working hours and course schedule as they were following while learning at school. Our grade 7-12 teachers, unless required to remain home due to isolation, will be at school teaching their students using Microsoft Teams. Instruction will be synchronous, live lessons; students are expected to be present daily, in all their classes, as teachers continue covering course objectives, giving assignments and assessments, where relevant. Please ensure your child is aware that his/her teachers expect all their students to attend class virtually, every day, and be engaged in learning. Attendance will be taken each block through MS Teams at the teacher’s request by any of the following methods: visually by turning the webcam, orally by turning the mike on, or by writing a message in the chat. In this learning context, it is essential that students communicate any questions they might have regarding assignments or request help during class.

Christmas / Advent Celebration

Advent is a time of waiting in joyful hope, and of preparation. We began our journey to Christmas with an Advent celebration on Monday November 1rst and the lighting of the first candle, the candle of hope. We were joined virtually by Father Julian for the lighting of the Advent wreath and Father Glenn who shared the Gospel and Reflection. During each week of the Advent season, classes will view a short video that explains the Advent Wreath and will introduce the Advent themes of hope, love, joy and peace. The elementary assembly on December 4th focuses on the joy of giving rather than receiving as our school charism calls us to humbly serve. Our school Charism is inspired by our adoptive patron saint, St. André Bessette, who demonstrated profound pastoral care by serving others with humility.

Kindergarten *Important Dates* Regular kindergarten classes will be held on Thursday, December 17th. Regular morning and noon hour transportation will be provided. We will follow the Friday schedule.

Kindergarten students will have school on Friday, December 18th. Bus transportation will not be available for kindergarten students on this day. Parents will be responsible to drive their child to school and pick-up their child at 11:27am. Mme Aimée will be sending all the details and information to kindergarten families.

School Council Thank you to the parents who attended our virtual School Council Meeting on

November 17.

Our next Virtual School Council meeting is on Tuesday, December 08, at 6:00 PM.

The link to the meeting will be emailed to the parents with the agenda. All parents

are welcome to attend. We value you input into school decisions and activities.

Flip Give Fundraiser Ecole JH Picard School Council Society is fundraising with FlipGive, a free team funding app.

There are no products to buy or deliver, it’s a completely virtual and contactless online

shopping link that gives Parent Council cash back. We earn cash back on every online purchase

we make all year long! All you have to do is use our FlipGive link to shop anytime with the

brands you already love, like Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy,

Apple, and Esso.

Join our team now or enter this code: FVXFHF and you’ll get a $5 bonus

the first time you shop. This fundraiser runs until June, so get in the habit

of using FlipGive for any online shopping. Funds raised will go towards

technology, books and other learning tools for the school. Thank you for your support!

Donation of Hope for the J.H. Picard Families “Give and it will be given to you… for the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Generosity and kindness are traits of the J.H. Picard community. We have set up a section within Powerschool where donations can be made to help JH Picard's families that are facing hardship and are needing support. This section can be accessed by logging into your child's account and then

scrolling down to New items and selecting “Donation for Hope for JH Picard's Families”.

The key to making this a successful fundraiser is simply remembering to use the FlipGive

link for ALL your online shopping. Bookmark the site so you will have the link handy.

Grad 2021 We had planned our first Grad event for Thursday, December 3rd with safe outdoor activities

and the participation of our division chaplain, Fr. Glenn McDonald. Due to recent AHS

restrictions on gatherings and group sizes, we are unable to continue

with the activity. Instead, we are hoping to have an opportunity for a

Grade 12 Teams virtual event as we move closer to Christmas. Know

that we endeavour to ensure our students are celebrated and

honored over the course of their final year of high school.

J.H. Picard Honours The J H Picard teachers and staff would like to congratulate all our honor award recipients for

the 2019-2020 school year. The following criteria was used to determine eligibility:

J H PICARD - ACADEMIC AWARDS CRITERIA - 2019/2020

At J H Picard, academic achievement is recognized with Honors (Distinction) and Principal Honors (Grande Distinction).

Junior High Level

To receive Honors, Junior High students must obtain a minimum average of 80% using all five core courses and one non-core course. All final marks must be a minimum of 65%.

To receive Principal Honors, Junior High students must obtain a minimum average of 90% using all five core courses and one non-core course. All final marks must be a minimum of 65%.

Senior High Level

To receive Honors, Senior High students must obtain a minimum average of 80% according to the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship criteria.

To receive Principal Honors, Senior High students must obtain a minimum average of 90% according to the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship criteria.

The Alexander Rutherford Criteria can be found at https://studentaid.alberta.ca/scholarships/alberta-scholarships/alexander-rutherford-scholarship/course-requirements/ .

Students receiving Honors and Principal Honors at the Senior High level have also qualified for scholarship money for post-secondary studies.

Grade 7 Principal Honors Talia Aytenfisu Isaac Bussière Ella Crago Kirann Dong Emilie Dubuc Yustyna Horich Tristan Kenny Kylie Neth Jakob Palk Kaydence Riehl Halle Tambaoan Molly Vince Chad Warner Victoria Weiss Zoe Zelyck

Honors Mario Al Debss Noah Aucoin Gilbert Bedard Jakob Benteau William Bourdeau Trinity Brassard Santiago Canizares Escobar Maia Chaves Brody Cox Mary deBeaudrap Lukas Doucet Evangeline Dumas Ella Dunham-Fox Adelaide Goldman Lily Grundau Kelsey Claire Guiao Miya Hannouche Addison Hook Alexandra Huber Jinian Humphrey Rock Kabende Kristina Kasengulu Caidan Kojder Dieu Beni Luyamba Flora MacDonald Hayden MacDonald Louis-Phillipes Manguelle Jayla Morton Edward Nam Daniele Nzeugang Andrea Sipos Karina Snaith Hernandez

Grade 8 Principal Honors Yram Abalos Bienaventurado Dela Cruz Eric Gobeil Miranda Plivelic Khushi Saini Camille Sher Trishma Tabernilla Elias Thoreson Ethan Vink

Honors Meghan Adjani Samantha Arcamo Aliyah Baksh Louis Barnido Gabriel Bautista Brett Beebe Ariana Boutin Johanna Chamberland James Cote Jasper Doyle Nathaniel Evans Jasmine Guerra Sam Halabisky Elsa Hurd Miguel Johnson Olivia Kellar Mawulolo-Joseph Kpogo Catherine Laidlaw Keira Leung Sean Malcolm Maya Mawas Nathan Meyer Natalie Misovic Trinity Moerike Kofi Okyere John Nicholas Oyson David Santiago Patino Julia Pietraszewski Nolan Scheller Brody Spilak Vincent Staszuk Ezekiel To Mackenzie Van Schaik Alix Vergote

Grade 9 Principal Honors Olivia Bussiere Ida Doell Mikayla Dong Andrea Ferriss Gabriel Humilde Rachel Mendonca Laura Molstad Aiden Neth Joseph Tertzakian-Harris

Honors Katrina Abou Rjeily Richard Ajagu Rita Al-Tawil Teo Aytenfisu Ashlyn Beaupre Cali Crago Samuel deBeaudrap Connor Dunham-Fox Gracie Gartke Elizabeth Hunka Doriane Kabwe Natalie Konnik Emmett Lamoureux Chipo Mapfumo Carlee Marple Julian Medina Keithlah O'Brien Nolan O'Brien Annabella Oster Martin Popov Katie Shen Louise Andrea Valenzuela Tyler Weiss Lily Wyton

Grade 7 Honors Nelli Snaith Hernandez Edison Thomas Alison Tumba-Mukadi Iffie Udedibia Katerina Udod Alyssa Victoria Vidal Liam Whitson Brandon Wireko

Grade 10 Principal Honors

Hope Assen Maya Baumann Meghan Box Caitlyn Calder Yessenia Casanova Benjamin Cote Angelica Ferriss Don Raphael Figueroa Heidi Filion Jaelene Greenwood Alexandria Hansen-Yang Orlane Kouadio Dmitri Slone Gabrielle Staszuk Kevin Wireko

Honors Ella Cettiga Nikhil Deighton Mathieu Ducharme Jeremiah Edwards Natalia Esposito Maria Florez Dominique Jane Go Logan Huber Mary Hurley Sarah Jarvis Erline Kadima Isabella Keet Eyram-Sophie Kpogo Nathan Lapak Aaliyah Malone Kayla Meikle Nyundeh Moore Brandon Ortiz Naomi Nicole Oyson Rowan Ponton

Grade 11 Principal Honors

Marie Abou Rjeily Amelia Boutin Laura Box Ida Bruno Gabby Dubuc Selyna Evans Hannah Farbin Aaron He Gillian Klassen Anya Kunicki Liannah Liaz Micah Liaz Caitriona Mah Aaron McKay Payapa Miranda Nora Nicholas Alex O'Brien Alissa Reichelt Jenna Rothwell Isabella Smith Demi Sparrow Halli Stroebel Julianna Swaby Nolan Zurek

Honors Hannah Baker Daniyal Bawany Camila Cienfuegos-Herrera Joe Comessotti Nicholas Davis Ariane Esponilla Alexa-Isabella Esteban Taylor Feindel Adam Frank Jean-Jordy Kabwe Brayden Kalman

Grade 12 Principal Honors

Shauna Beresnak Jocelyn Calder Luis Candela Halle Dresen John Flanagan Kailyn Gibbons Katrina Hewitt Caroline Holowenko Trinity Locke Irina Manuel Amelia McLeod Giancarlos Quintanilla Kennedy Scholten Victor Snaith Hernandez Alia Temple Tessa Woltersdorf

Honors Noah Bedard Elyse Blake-Collins Nathan Blatt Kadeejah Campbell Chloe Cettiga Tarah Coutard Roan Deighton Margot Delmotte Menna Demoz Alicia Edwards Kaitlyn Greenwood Elian Hirang Dominic Houle Luke Hurley Thomas Khalaf Oceania Kreutzer Isabella Lechot Alexi LeBlanc Vienna Leclerc-Sorensen Grace Marthinsen AJ Mauricio Michael McCarthy Roda Muse Anneleise Paquet

Daniella Pyne Claudia Sandrea Om Sharma Samuel Thompson Chibu Udedibia

Carina Wilde

Beth Langstrom Samuel Leader Acacia Lechot Meghan Liaz Destiny McDonnell Jonas Milo Anthony Modra Michael Modra Megan Morrow Ty Paradis Rachel Pelletier Ethan Plettl Emma Ruether Christina Scherbakov Eleanor Sher Emma Stoley

Madisyn Rakowski Sienna Richmond Madeleine Shields Janina Slaska Emilie Spak Kiara Spilak Elise Topolinski Lauren Villeneuve

Mental Health and Self-Care

Mindyourmind.ca exists in the space where mental health, wellness, engagement and technology meet. We work with community partners and young people aged 14 to 29 to co-create interactive tools and innovative resources to build capacity and resilience. 10 COVID-19 Self Care Tips

#1 Tip Create a daily

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The purpose of the Community Mental Health Action Plan is to ensure that everyone involved in mental health and addiction in Edmonton and Area has the opportunity to maximize collective resources, leverage opportunities to respond to existing gaps, foster innovative approaches and identify a continuum of integrated supports and services. Mental Health Action Plan

Grades 7-9 Covid-Busters

After reviewing Covid safety protocols with our Grade 7 to 9 students at our last virtual

assembly on November 4th, students were

introduced to the Covid Busters contest.

Students are invited to create their own

presentations about the various safety

measures in place (e.g. distancing, mask

wearing, hand-hygiene, etc.) alone or in small

groups within their homeroom cohorts. Each

homeroom will earn a reward once it has completed a collection of 6 presentations. So far, the

presentations submitted have included Google slides, a video and a game. They will be shared

on our school television monitors or on JHPTV in January.

Career and Technology Foundations (CTF)

Words of positivity from our CTF classes!

These colourful displays

went up just in time for

World Children’s Day,

November 20.

Career Technology Studies (CTS): Foods and Fashion

We have had a busy fall in the Foods and Fashion rooms. In Fashion Studies, students started off the semester by making face masks and have since moved on to making bags, accessories, clothing, and textile arts projects. Students in Foods started the year by learning about safety, nutrition, and kitchen procedures. Since then, Foods 10 & 20 students have completed theory and hands-on cooking activities related to the Canada's Food Guide food groups. They have also learned about baking techniques and vegetarian cooking. The Foods 30 students completed an in-depth study of yeast breads and are just finishing up a unit on the cuisine of Québec. There are several safety and hygiene procedures that we follow to ensure that our Foods and Fashion activities comply with COVID guidelines.

Career Technology Studies (CTS): Photography – Communication

Roots: The Story of the Women in My Family Who Made Me Who I Am

Dominique Brown (Gr. 12) created the following image in COM2215: Photography -

Communication. This is exceptional work!

ECSD Virtual Post-Secondary & Career Fair Design Your Future

This year the Division is offering a virtual career and post-secondary fair for our Grade 10-12 students to learn more about their post-secondary education and career planning options.

Who: Grade 10-12 students looking for more information on post-secondary or career options What: 20 Minute Teams sessions from a variety of organizations of post-secondary and career preparedness organizations When: December 8 and 9, sessions running from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Where: Microsoft Teams sessions schedule provided here: https://www.ecsd.net/_ci/p/12282/design-your-future-dec-8-9

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December 2020

When the darkness closes in, Come, Lord Jesus! Courage fails and hopes grow dim, Lord Jesus, come!

Clear the shadows from our sight; set our troubled world aright Fill our eyes with radiant light. Lord Jesus come!

(M.D. Ridge, Come, Lord Jesus) The lyrics of this Advent hymn are, perhaps, even more poignant this year as we prepare our hearts and our homes for the birth of our Saviour, Jesus. Our world seems to be lonely and dark, and we are all overwhelmed by the seemingly unending pall of Covid-19 in our lives. As we turn our eyes towards Bethlehem in these upcoming weeks, let’s take the time to reflect upon the promise to be found in the baby Jesus. God loves us, and that love is triumphant. Advent is a time of hope, and we need to let that hope permeate all aspects of our lives. Edmonton Catholic Schools’ Fine Arts team is a very creative group, and they have designed a beautiful online Advent experience for all to enjoy. Starting on November 29, you will be able to “open a door” on our virtual arts Advent calendar each day. You will experience weekly celebrations, art, performances, and Advent themed activities. Visit www.ecsd.net and click on the Art of Advent graphic to learn more. Did you know that the Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ religion resource for grades 1-7 has various resources to support your family’s Advent journey towards Christmas? Click on the Pearson Advent Bulletin For Parents to find out exactly what those resources are. You can continue learning about Advent and Christmas at home by logging into the Student-Home Website and finding these specific resources listed in the bulletin above. The username is ecsd99 and the password is Student99. The new Covid-19 measures that were announced on November 24 were a possibility that we have been preparing for. We have known right from re-entry at the beginning of this school year that we needed to be able to pivot quickly between scenarios and we have plans in place to do so. Unlike our experience in the spring, our junior and senior high students who are now moving online will be following their existing schedules and will participate in learning following regular school hours. You will receive more comprehensive communication on this pivot in the upcoming days. Elementary families will receive information about the one-week pivot to online learning (January 4-8, 2021) before Christmas Break. On November 25 at our Public Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved our 2019 – 2020 Audited Financial Statements and our Annual Education Results Report (AERR). Historically, the AERR has been combined with our 3 Year Education Plan, however, we shared that plan, the Division Plan for Continuous Growth 2020-2023

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in May. As we join the rest of the province in shifting to an Assurance Framework, we will continue communicating these two documents separately. We will share more with you about the shift to an Assurance Framework in the upcoming months.

In his Midnight Mass homily last Christmas Eve, Pope Francis shared a beautiful piece of wisdom that I will leave you with: “Dear brother, dear sister, if your hands seem empty, if you think your heart is poor in love, this night is for you. The grace of God has appeared, to shine forth in your life. Accept it and the light of Christmas will shine forth in you.” Have a blessed Advent and a very Merry Christmas! Sincerely, Robert Martin Chief Superintendent

 

 

December 2020 Dear friends, Advent, which comes from the Latin word meaning coming, is intended to be a season of preparation for the arrival of Christ, but often, this underrated liturgical season is set aside in favour of the more popular pre-Christmas rush. Yet, Advent is a time worth making. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation, much like Lent. This year, the season of Advent is observed from the first Sunday of Advent on November the 29th to Thursday, December the 24th. Given our unique circumstances this year, preparing for the coming of Christ will be different. Yet, even in the midst of the Pandemic, the season of Advent is important. How do we journey to Christmas? Consider taking some quiet time for you and your family, reading, and reflecting on a short daily devotion and listening to Advent music. Decorate for the season with an Advent wreath and as a family, light a candle every week. Assemble a Nativity scene in your home and talk about the Christmas story. Support a social justice initiative and donate to a local charity in your community. As Christmas approaches, discern which activities to dismiss on the side of dedicating more time to your family. There is no doubt that Christmas is a beautiful time of the year as we anticipate the birth of Christ. He is the reason for the season, and we need to celebrate his birth appropriately and with great reverence. Yet the Christmas season also brings with it the hustle and bustle of sales and deadlines that veer us away from its true meaning. For us Christians, Advent is that distraction; that opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for his coming. As we journey to Christmas, let us remember to pause and consider what God is asking of us in this season of Advent. Take time to appreciate the people around you, pray, read scripture, attend Mass - in person or remotely, and participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. While we cannot erase the challenges of the past nine months, we can still rejoice in knowing that Christ is coming amid shouts of joy. Yours sincerely in Christ,

Richard W. Smith Archbishop of Edmonton