APRIL 2016 NEWSLETTER ST. WILLIAM SCHOOL

11020 FAIRMOUNT DRIVE S.E.

CALGARY, ALBERTA T2J 0T1

PHONE: 403-500-2055 FAX: 403-500-2255

http://www.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam

Welcome to April at St. William School!

Easter

Blessings! I must admit,

Lent promises

can be hard to

keep, especially

for those of us who love chocolate; forty days can

seem like an eternity! While we were immersed in

the Lenten season, I frequently noticed students

and staff members embrace opportunities to walk

humbly with God and act with mercy by serving

others. I am deeply grateful to the many families

who took great care to create Friendship Snack

Bags to share with Holy Family School just before

Easter Break. The Holy Family students were

deeply touched that someone would take the time

to write a note and decorate their snack bag!

They were also thrilled to receive yummy snacks!

I also wish to relay a heartfelt thank you from St.

Peter School as they received the Friendship

Snack Bags created by our students during our

February BFG. These acts of mercy and service

have helped develop our awareness and compassion

throughout the Lenten season. We have done our

best to walk humbly with God!

Well done everyone!

I hope your Easter Sunday and holiday was

joyous!

Looking forward, April promises to hold

something for everyone! The staff have

organized many exciting learning opportunities

for our students including a variety of field trips,

our Artist in Residency as well as a student

Showcase of Learning. We wish to extend a special

invitation to attend our “Zones of Regulation”

parent session on April 7 with our Occupational

Therapist, Monique Cloutier.

Please take a moment to review the attached April

and May calendars that outline our important dates.

Also, please refresh yourselves with the school

dress code as we move into the warmer spring

weather too! Thank you to our many families who

participated in the Accountability Pillar and

Thought Stream Surveys. Currently, the District

Parent Satisfaction survey link will be open from

April 18 – May 6, 2016. I ask all parents to provide

the school feedback on what you valued this year

and where you would like to see growth or change.

If you ever have something specific you would like

to discuss, please give me a call. School Council is

another avenue to participate in decision making for

the school. Your input is invaluable for planning the

2016-2017 school year!

On behalf of our staff, we

wish you and your families

a joyous and peace-filled

Easter season together!

With peace and God bless!

Mrs. Gruending & Mrs. Gillis

Principal Assistant Principal

Upcoming

Dates in

April April 4 – Classes

Resume

April 5 – Gr. 5 Vaccines

Gr 3 & 4 In Class

Field Trip

April 7: Zones of

Regulation Parent

Session 6:30 – 7:30

pm

April 8: Father Paul

Visit in Afternoon

April 11-15: Artist

Residency Gr. K-6

April 15: Fun Food

April 15: Spring Photo

Day

April 19: Gr 3 & 4 to

Telus Spark

April 25: Professional

Day – no classes

April 27: Showcase of

Learning 6:30-8pm

April 29: Fun Food & Bring

a Stuffed Animal to

School Spirit Day

- St. William Walks

With God 9am

- BFG 2:15

Save the May Dates!

May 13: Marian Liturgy

Friday, May 13 – Save

the Date for our

Family Dance

May 17: CCC BFG

May 27: Volunteer

Appreciation Tea

2:15

Safety at St. William School –

School Supervision Starts at 8:25 am For your child’s safety, please make every effort to have your

child arrive for school between 8:25 am and 8:40 am unless they

are scheduled to attend a teacher supervised morning activity.

Please note there is no staff assigned to outdoor supervision until 8:25 am. As well,

supervision is finished after school at 3:25 pm.

PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF CHILDREN IN THE STAFF PARKING LOT In order to ensure the safety of all children parents are not permitted

to drop students off or pick them up in the bus lane or staff parking

lot. Thank-you for your diligence and cooperation to ensure safety for all as parents pick

up and drop off our precious students in our alley ways. A BIG thank you to parents who

use the “Kiss and Drop” lane in a timely fashion!

School Patrols Keep us Safe! St. William is pleased to offer School Patrols under the direction of Ms.

Milne and Mrs. Bucsis. Grade 5 and 6 Safety Patrols are stationed on

Fairmount Drive in front of the school and are trained to increase

pedestrian safety. Thank you for assisting your child to learn and follow these requests for

their own safety and a parent’s peace of mind.

Dressing for the Spring Weather…

As we journey into spring, please send your child to school with a few layers in case of a

temperature change or unexpected precipitation! An extra set of dry clothes are most

welcome after a wet and rainy recess. Students will have outdoor recess during a variety of

weather fronts.

Sadly Pets are Not Permitted Calgary city bylaw does not permit dogs on school property. Please leave your beloved pet at

home or leashed up off grounds as some of our little students may not be comfortable around

unfamiliar animals. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. (BYLAW NUMBER

23M2006).

School Visitor Sign In

All school visitors, volunteers and parents are required to sign in and wear

a visitor tag upon arrival. This procedure identifies visitors as safe in

the building to all staff, students and other visitors.

School Safety Drills To ensure students are calm, comfortable and familiar with emergency procedures, we will

practice several evacuation (fire) drills as well as participate in two school lockdowns over

the school year. We apprise families of our first lockdown practice by sending home a letter

that day. Your child’s teacher will review our safety protocols and procedures before each

drill as well to ensure students feel safe and secure with these practices.

Our Catholic Community of

Caring is Active & Engaging! St. William School prides itself on being a

“Catholic Community of Caring”. This means that our

students and staff make intentional efforts to raise awareness of and

demonstrate actions of respect, trust, faith, caring, responsibility and

a sense of family. This year our district is focusing on student wellness.

Please access the powerpoint from author P. Carney Ph.D from his book

“Well Aware”. http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/files/2010/01/SchoolCouncil_Resilience-Oct.-7-14.pdf

Holy

Thursday

Liturgy The school celebrates our

Grade 5 and Kindergarten

AM classes for hosting

our spiritually engaging

Holy Thursday Liturgy!

We are grateful to the

many family and community members who made the time to celebrate with us! As

always, we greatly appreciate Father Paul presiding over our liturgy! We look

forward to our Marian Devotion which will be hosted by Kindergarten PM and Grade

2/1 Gaehring on Friday, May 13 at 2:15 pm.

Lenten Acts of Mercy Friendship Snack

Bags Project: God Bless Your Generous

Hearts! Holy Family and St. Peter Schools are

VERY grateful to receive Friendship

Snack Bags from our St. William School

Community! We have received thank you

cards and notes of appreciation from

both schools! I would like to personally

thank each family for supporting our

Lent Service Project – the school really

tried to develop a project for our students to feel first hand that they have the

power to make a difference in the world!

Grade 6 Retreat: Fri. June 24, 2016 Grade 6 Retreat is planned for June 24, when all grade 6 students will travel to

the FCJ Centre for a day of prayer and activities, reflecting on their faith journey

this year as they prepare for Junior High. Watch for more information coming

home in May!

St. Cecilia

Parish News

Liturgical Schedule

Daily Mass:

Tuesday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m.

First Friday: 7:00 p.m.

Weekend Mass Schedule:

Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Masses: 9:00 /11:00 a.m.

Reconciliation:

Saturday: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Or by

appointment

Morning Prayer:

Monday - Saturday: 8:30 a.m.

Evening Prayer:

Monday - Friday: 5:15 p.m.

Men's Prayer Meeting:

Monday: 6:00 a.m.

Prayer for the Sick:

Wednesday: 6:30 p.m.

Sacrament

Information: Please visit our school

website for enrolment

information on the

Sacraments of

Reconciliation, First

Communion and

Confirmation.

http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/fi

les/2014/09/St.-Cecilia-Sacrament-

Program.pdf

Please call the Parish office for

information regarding upcoming

Sacramental classes (403) 252-

2790.

Division One Classroom Updates –

Amazing April Days of Learning! Please log on to our classroom blogs: http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/our-latest-news/

Kindergarten Devasahayam The month of March has

certainly kept us hopping

in Kindergarten! We have

learned to write our first

and last names with a

capital letter only at the

beginning of each name.

We have started learning

the sounds the letters

make and how to identify

them at the beginning of words. We have had so much fun

doing St. Patrick’s Day and Easter crafts! We brought in wool

to help Mrs. Vevang’s ball of wool grow in the library! We

LOVED participating in Drum Fit with Mrs. Bishop! We have

started going to the big computer lab to play on Starfall and

ABCYa.com and would like to thank Grades 4 and 5 for helping

us to get started. We have learned the Easter Story through

a resource called “Resurrection Eggs” and are grateful for

what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. We sang a

lovely song, “God Sees

the Little Sparrow

Fall” that has the

message of how much

God loves us! The

morning class

participated in the

Holy Thursday Liturgy,

along with Grade 5.

Grade 1 Cranford Hello Families! March was a wonderful month in Grade One! We

celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and had a lot of fun trying to

catch a Leprechaun! This was a great way to kick-start our

Building Thing’s Unit and we look forward to building many

more projects throughout the next few months. We are

continuing to work with word families and are beginning to add

descriptive words to our writing. Social Studies is going to get

very exciting as we begin to discuss community helpers and

how we can help contribute to the world around us.

Measurement is our theme this month in Math as we look at

and compare length, weight, size and capacity. We have been

preparing and reflecting

throughout Lent and are

looking forward to

celebrating the

resurrection of Jesus at

Easter. Keep up the great

work, Grade One’s! I am

excited to join you with

lots of learning and fun in

April!

Grade 2/1 Gaehring March has been a busy month for the

grade one two class. They have been working hard on improving

their reading fluency and expression by participating in Readers

Theatre scripts that are based on slightly mixed up Fairy Tales.

They are eager and enthusiastic to share their talents in our

show case of learning in April. In science they have enjoyed

experimenting with properties of water and will be building

boats soon. In Math we have been learning about measurement

and recently practiced estimating and accurately measuring

objects in the classroom. We will be learning about money and

time. In Social Studies we are still learning about the natural

resources and goods and services in Meteghan Nova Scotia. The

children will be creating a travel brochure to share their

knowledge of this small fishing village on the Acadian shores.

We will be

having a

small class

party to

recognize

that most

students

have read

over 100

books in

home reading. Several students have surpassed this amount by

reading more than 200 books!! In gym class the student are

having a blast participating in the Drum Fit program that

utilizes, music, drum sticks, movement and large exercise balls.

Grade 2 Sweeney Since my return in

March the grade twos

and I have been busy

getting to know each

other. We started off

by rearranging the

classroom as a class to

allow for a fresh start.

We also set up some

Class Rules and Routines to give the students responsibility and

accountability for their learning. In Language Arts we have

been talking about how to write beginnings to stories so that it

will hook the reader. The students were surprised to find out

that not all stories start with “Once there was…”. We are

excited about our Author Study, and the students are eager to

write Robert Munsch. In Science we are getting ready to start

our next unit Small Crawling and Flying Animals, which will be

lots of fun. We will continue to work on addition and subtraction

to 100 in math as well as exploring 2-D shapes.

Division Two Classroom updates

Amazing April Days of Learning! Please log on to our classroom blogs: http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/our-latest-news/

Grade 3 Morrison Welcome back! The year is flying by in

Grade Three! In Math we are working on geometry. The students

are naming polygons and discovering how many vertices, edges

and faces each of them have. In Science we are continuing the

building unit. The students have already built some structures

with a number of different materials. They had a great time

making them! Our class had Color Me Mine come in on April 5th,

the students had so much fun with it! They are quite excited to

show you what they have made Just a reminder we will be going

to the Telus

Spark

Science

Center on

April 19th to

build more

things! We

are pretty

excited about it in Grade Three!

Grade 4 Ferensowicz A special thanks to all parents for

attending our parent-teacher interviews and providing your

feedback and constructive comments. Our Mathematics

program will include fractions and decimals. Our Language Arts

focus is on “Family,“ in particular the pioneer families and

settlers at the beginning of 20th century. This same theme

coincides in our Social Studies program that examines pioneers

and settlers in Alberta at the end of the19th and beginning into

the 20th century. In Science, we will build devices that move

using the

knowledge of

simple

machines

such as

wheels,

rollers,

pulleys, gears

and simple

drive systems. In Physical Education, students commenced with

our Drum Fit sessions and we will continue on with skills

development related to racquet sports. In religion, we are

reflecting upon Jesus’ ministry before his death and

resurrection as well as reflecting on and praying as we study the

Stations of the Cross. As a reminder our intramurals will happen

on each Day 6 alternating between Division 1 and Division 2.

I am wishing everybody a Happy Easter “Joyful Alleluia” and a

restful Spring Break. I would also like to thank my wonderful

Grade 4 students, parents and others who planned and created

an unforgettable memory for my birthday. I was truly moved

and marveled over the students’ creativity, organizational

capabilities and above all their collective kindness.

Grade 5 Bucsis / Gillis March was a very exciting,

busy month. As we

focused on our Lenten

Journey, the grade 5 class

along with Kindergarten,

put on our Easter

Liturgy. Congratulations

on an excellent job!

All grade 5 students will be writing a Provincial religion exam in

the near future. There are 3 parts to this – Scripture Reading

and Comprehension, Multiple Choice and a Demonstration of

Learning Project, which we have worked on for the past few

weeks.

In math, we have completed our unit on fractions, and now

beginning our patterns unit.

We are midway through the science unit on chemistry – a mid-unit

test will be given on Friday, April 8th.

In social studies, we have been learning about the settlement in

Canada; immigrants who came and how they helped to develop

Canada into this wonderful country.

Grade 6 Milne

In grade 6 students

are working hard

designing egg-cellent

parachutes!! Ask your

son or daughter how his

or her parachute

performed when Ms.

Milne threw it off the

St. William playground.

Did the egg survive?! In art they are creating self-portraits with

cool and colourful backgrounds. We are delving into the Iroquois

Confederacy after Easter break and are currently about halfway

through the math unit on Data Analysis and Probability. Check

out the blog for frequent updates, study guides, and neat

websites to help your child learn. There will also be information

regarding PAT’s posted so stay tuned.

Play with poetry! April is National Poetry Month and the perfect time to read poems

with your child.

Poetry uses some form of rhyme scheme – making it accessible and easy

to remember – and is a perfect way to encourage children to become

immersed in words. Lullabies and nursery rhymes help very young

children develop pre-reading skills like vocabulary and elements of

speech. As children get older, poems (including funny ones!) can be a way

to build their growing interest in reading and books.

What is a book? By Lora Daunt

A books is pages, pictures and words

A book is animals, people and birds

A book is stories of queens and kings

Poems and songs-so many things!

Curled in a corner where I can hide

With a book I can journey far and wide

Though it’s only paper from end to end

A book is a very special friend.

Tips for sharing poetry with your child

Make a habit of reading poetry with your child. You might

want to read a poem before bed or after supper

Play a game of finding words that rhyme

Younger children enjoy ‘sing-song’ poems with a strong

rhythm like Mother Goose nursery rhymes

For older children, look for an anthology (a book with a

whole bunch of different poems and authors) or find poems

on the Internet

After reading a poem, ask your child questions about what

they heard, feel and think; you will likely share a great

conversation!

Children’s poetry book gems

A Treasury of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, by Linda

Yeatman

Revolting Rhymes, by Roald Dahl

When We Were Very Young, by A. A. Milne

Falling Up, by Shel Silverstein

The Llama Who Had No Pajama, by Mary Ann Hoberma

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, compiled by

Jack Prelutsky

The CBC Calgary / Calgary Reads Big Book Sale, happens May 13 to 15, 2016. This is Calgary Reads signature fundraising event. Find full event details including author reading, children’s story time and Jazz & Books night—and how to donate books to the sale in April and May, on our website. www.calgaryreads.com

Learning Commons News

We are excited about the

arrival of our new tables! They

configure easily for meetings,

individual or group work. We

christened them yesterday with

our Grade 6 Pages for Pizza

event. We invite everyone to pop in to take a

look at our under construction learning commons,

a big thank you to all the helpers!

Students have been

making a concerted

effort to expand their

reading material and

boy have they ever! Ms.

Milne and Mrs. Vevang

made them a challenge

at the beginning of the

year; read at least 5 books (meeting a certain

criteria) and get a pizza party! Needless to say

the class rose to the challenge and were very

pleased with their reward. Our grade 6 class

took on the challenge of reading five brain-

building books, and did an amazing job of

choosing books they otherwise might not have

read. Keep going guys!

Enjoy your Easter vacation, and keep reading!

Mrs. Vevang

The St. William Spirit Club

Thanks You!

The Division 2 students would like to thank

everyone for supporting their School Spirit

Days. The club has tried to promote creative

ways to foster school spirit and promote having

fun at school! Here is our March thank you

picture!

Our school plan has been reviewed by both staff and School Council and is posted on our school

website. Our major goals include promoting student wellness, transforming our library into a

learning commons, engaging parents in educational decisions regarding their child and

continuing our work on creating a strong Catholic Community of Caring in which all students

feel they belong. http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/schoolplans/

Engaging Parents in Educational Decision Making

and School Council St. William School

Council Call for

Volunteers!

Do you have a few spare hours to lend a

helping hand and get involved in important

school community initiatives and events?

Do you want to help enhance your child’s

school experience and provide educational

enrichment to all our children? School

Council provides many opportunities for

parents to get involved and make a

positive difference at St. William.

School Council is actively seeking your help and

support. Volunteers are required for several

events and initiatives that are currently

underway. Our activities rely heavily on the

generous donations of the time and talents of

parent volunteers. We cannot be successful

without your help, so please take a moment to

review the following opportunities and e-mail

to scstwilliam@gmail.com to learn more about

how to get involved:

School Council Parent Volunteer Opportunities School Signage Do you have an hour (or less!) each month to assist School Council and Administration with updating

the neon ‘block’ sign on the boulevard outside the main entrance of St. William? Contact us to learn more how you can help

keep our school messaging fresh and new throughout the year.

Family Dance and Silent Auction (Friday, May 13) - Kari Schwab has generously volunteered to lead the

coordination of this event, but she can’t make it happen on her own. Several opportunities are available, including auction

item sourcing and coordination, setup, decorations, concessions, teardown, and more. Many hands make light work!

Ice Cream Social (June 23) A volunteer is needed to coordinate this fun, yummy, end-of-year, family event. Lots

of support and guidance will be provided by the School Council and Administration teams to get you started, but it cannot

proceed unless we have leader to coordinate it.

St. William 2015-2016 School Plan Update

Accountability Pillar and the Tell Them From Me

Survey: The Zones of Regulation Parent Night at St.

William on April 7 at 6:30 pm – Please RSVP via email

stwilliam@cssd.ab.ca

The school hopes you will

make the time to attend

the “Zones of Regulation”

on April 7 at 6:30 pm. So

far, we have 5 parents who

have RSVP’d their

attendance. Please email

stwilliam@cssd.ab.ca to

RSVP.

The Zones offer a framework to foster self-regulation and

emotional control. Students learn common language to name and

discuss concerns as well as identify calming strategies. Teachers

expand this knowledge to assist students in developing empathy and

tolerance as well as learning strategies to resolve peer conflicts. As

part of our School Plan and response to the Tell Them From Me

survey, we warmly invite parents to participate in a Parent Zones of

Regulation presentation on April 7 from 6:30-7:30pm. Our school

Occupational Therapist, Monique Cloutier is the session speaker.

Monique has supported many classrooms and students at St. William

over the past years. We hope that you will be able to attend this

event to support your child!

QSP Magazine Fundraiser (September 2016) This much-loved and highly-successful initiative raises thousands of

dollars for our school each year, which all students benefit from. We are thrilled that Kari Schwab has volunteered to

coordinate the fundraiser this fall. Please consider lending a helping hand to support her with this important initiative.

School Council Accolades and Updates Spolumbo’s Gourmet Sausages Fundraiser School Council is sending a huge ‘thank you’ to all parents, family, and friends of St. William who participated in

the successful Spolumbo’s fundraiser in March. Your love of sausages and generous support helped raise more than

$1400 for our school! These funds go directly into the programs and activities that all our children benefit from.

A very special ‘thank you’ goes out to our organizer, Kari Schwab. This fundraising opportunity would not have been

possible without her efforts and organization.

2016/17 School Supplies St. William will once again be providing the option for parents to purchase their child’s school supplies for next

year through Custom School Supplies. This online service provides easy, hassle-free, back-to-school supply

shopping at a great price. Ordering information will be coming soon. Thanks to Mrs. Cherwonka for organizing!

Next School Council Meeting: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 7:00 pm Agenda Items Include:

o Call for Elections: Positions that are open for 2016-2017 include: Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and Social

Committee Chairperson

o 2016-2017 Fundraising Plan: School Council events are 100% made possible by the generous support we

receive through parent volunteers and fundraising activities. Join us at the May meeting to learn more about

the fundraising objectives, approach, and overall plan for next year, including ongoing Learning Commons

improvements and exciting activities that will augment the school experience students in 2016-2017

o Elections: Voting on the new and carry-forward School Council positions for 2016/17

o End-of-year Reports: Summary, recognition, and celebration of all the great work School Council and the

many parent volunteers have accomplished this year

St. William School Council – An

Excellent Opportunity to Become

Involved in Your Child’s Education! All parents of the St. William

Community are invited to attend our

monthly School Council Meetings.

Meetings will be held in the School

Library on the following dates:

May 17 @ 7:00pm (Call for elections)

June 14 @ 7:00 pm (Elections)

Please save these dates on your calendar. http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/meeting-dates/

Please watch access the St. William website School Council

Tab for more fundraising and school council information.

http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/meeting-agendas/

2016 – 2017

Kindergarten

Enrollment Kindergarten registration is on-going at St.

William School. We are currently taking

registrations for Kindergarten students

that will be turning 5 prior to March 1,

2017, for placement in September 2016.

Please come by the office and pick up a

registration form or call Mrs. Gruending to

set up a “Welcome to St. William” meeting!

If you are new to the St. William School

community, please access our website link

here: http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/registration/

Before and After School Care Programs at

St. William 2015-16

April is sure to be an exciting month for both the Kindergarten Enhancement and the Out of

School Care Programs. In the Kindergarten Enhancement program, we will be taking a look at

different Community Helpers. During the month, we will be engaging in crafts and activities that

will enhance the children’s understanding of the different people that help out within our

community. For the first week, we will focus on emergency helpers, such as the police and

firefighters. For the second week, will be looking at community helpers that build. This includes construction workers and

architects, and the children will have an opportunity to build using various recycled materials. For the third week, we will be

looking at the community helpers who help the environment such as recycling and garbage workers. During this week, we will

also be celebrating Earth Day, engaging in activities that promote healthy habits for the environment. Finally, during the last

week we will be taking a look at the medical community helpers, including doctors and dentists. During this week, the children

will have an opportunity to do a sewing project.

In the Out of School Care Program, we will be exploring the world of movies. During this month, the children will be engaging

in different crafts and activities that explore how movies are made. Specifically, we will be looking at the works of Jim

Henson and Tim Burton, exploring the unique way they use puppets and clay models to make their movies. The children will

have the opportunity to develop their own characters, which they can sew or sculpt and utilize to make their own movies. We

will be encouraging the children to write their own movies that they will have the opportunity to film! This month is sure to

be full of fun and exciting learning experience for the children.

Registration is now on-going for the school year 2016-2017 for our Kindergarten Enhancement and Out of School

Care programs.

For more information on our programs or to Register, please contact our Registrar, Melanie Crist, by phone at 403-605-

2988 or by email RegisterPreK@gmail.com

SMILE!

Spring

Picture Day Friday,

April 15, 2016! Please note: No retakes will be

available for this program.

*Backgrounds may not be exactly as

shown

The X1 Spring program has the added

benefit of being a fundraiser for your

school. For every student Lifetouch

photographs we will give back $2.

Dress your best & bring your smile!

Artist in Residency – Survey Link! During the week of April 11th – 15th St. William School is fortunate to host

an Artist in Residency with “The Artist Woman” Gail Bartel. Students

from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will work on art projects selected by their

teacher. We would like to thank School Council for providing students with

this amazing learning experience. To view Gail’s work please visit

http://www.thatartistwoman.org/

Looking forward to the 2016/17 school year, St. William’s grant writing

committee has selected artist Mr. Dean

Stanton and has applied for the Alberta

Foundation of Arts Grant. If successful,

we plan to move forward with Mr. Stanton

with a projected start date of September

26th – 30th, 2016. During this time Mr.

Stanton will work with students on

designing a mural-based project inspired

by the input and ideas of the participants. Their ideas are transferred

onto panels that are cut into unique shapes. These individual panels become

canvas for students to paint and design. The finished pieces are

reassembled and configured so that they work together in a continuous art

installation piece. Through the ongoing support School Council, we intend

to brighten St. William’s hallways with our students beautiful art creation.

The school invites your input into this project! Please access the survey

link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L8QRNTQ

St. William School Engages Students! Please accolade our staff who are hosting our noon hour clubs and school wide activities to engage our students!

We Club Hosted by Ms. Milne

We Club is wrapping up the battery

drive and it a huge success!! We

Club members would like to thank

all the students, parents,

teachers, and staff for bringing in

their old batteries to help children around the world who are

nutrient deficient! Well done St. William School!

Art Club Hosted by Mrs. D.

In Art Club, we have

explored how to portray the

visual effect of atmospheric

perspective in paint. We

have also looked at mixing

paint to create tints and

shades of the same

colour. As a final touch, we

added silhouettes of trees

to our landscapes. Please look for some samples of our Art Club

creations at the Showcase of Learning coming up in April.

School Patrol Club Report Luckily for the hard working patrols the

weather has been spectacular! That being

said, please ensure you check the weather

report every morning and dress

appropriately. Also be aware of when the

roads are icy, it’s easy to be lulled into a

sense of complacency and forget that there

might still be some slippery driving conditions. The June

patrol picnic is approaching fast, information will be sent home

with student in the upcoming weeks.

Physical Education Update During the month of March, Division 1 and 2 students had the

opportunity to participate in Drum Fit. We had an awesome

five days and thank Ms. Kathy Bishop for in-servicing teachers

as well as volunteering to teach Drum Fit. Division 1 students

have completed their relay unit and have been working on

overhand throwing as well as low organized games. Division 2

students have started floor hockey skills which will run into

next month. Looking forward to April, the Yoga Kit arrives on

April 12.

Lego Club Hosted by Mrs. Morrison & Miss Cranford

Ms. Morrison and Miss

Cranford are offering Lego

Club to both Division I and

Division II students during

lunch recess on Day 4.

Listen for the

announcement in the

morning to find out which

Division will be

participating on that day! The Lego creations the students have

been making are very creative! They are all set up in the Library.

We hope to see you there

Elementary Choir Club Miss Cranford The St. William School Choir is open to all students at the

school and we are looking for excited singers who would like to

join! With the help of Miss Cranford, Mrs Gaehring and Mrs

Bucsis, the choir has started two new songs that we will

perform at our Showcase of Learning Celebration. We cannot

wait for you to hear our beautiful singing!

Fun Lunch Food

Service & School

Spirit Days!

We have some great Fun Food Lunches planned …

April 15 Edo

April 29 Chachi's

May 13 Jugo Juice

May 27 Chachi's

June 10 Little Caesar's Pizza

Please note that all lunches must be ordered in advance online

– late orders cannot be processed.

The link to register is included here: www.healthyhunger.ca

Information on Fun Lunch Service is also located on our school

website:

http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/stwilliam/fun-lunch-food-service/

Thank you to our Grades 5 and 6’s for their continued

excellent leadership during Fun Lunch!

March 31

April 2015

St. William School SUN MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT

1

Easter

Vacation

2

3 4 DAY 4

School Reopens Kindergarten Clay for

Kids Program

5 DAY 5 Gr 5 HPV PM Gr 3 & 4 Colour Me

Mine In Class Activity

6 DAY 6

7 DAY 1 St. William Parent

Night on the Zones

of Regulation 6:30

pm

8 DAY 2 Friday Father Visit

PM

9

10

11 DAY 3 Artist Residency K-6

12 DAY 4 Artist Residency K-6

13 DAY 5 Artist Residency K-6

14 DAY 6 Artist Residency K-6

15 DAY 1 Artist Residency K-6

Spring Photo Day

Fun Food Lunch

16

17 18 DAY 2

19 DAY 3 Gr 3 & 4 to Telus

Spark

20 DAY 4

21 Day 5

22 Day 6 23

24 25

Professional

Day

No Classes

26 DAY 1

27 DAY 2 Save the Date!

St. William Showcase

of Learning 6:30 – 8:00

pm

28 Day 3

29 Day 4 Fun Food Day & Bring

a Stuffed Animal to

School Spirit Day

St. William Walks

with God 9:00 am

April BFG 2:15

30

Easter Prayer for Youth

Jesus, you have overcome death

And conquered every fear I could imagine

Help me to live each day remembering that You are alive

That You are bigger than anything or any situation

And that Your power is real

Jesus, you're my hero and I'm walking with you. Amen

March 17

May 2015 St. William School

SUN MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT

1 2 DAY 5

3 DAY 6

4 DAY 1 Kindergarten to

Safeway

5 DAY 2

District Art Walk

Showcase 1:30-3:30 or

5-7

6 DAY 3 Friday Father Visit

PM

7

8 9 DAY 4

10 DAY 5

11 DAY 6

12 DAY 1 Grade 6 PAT A 9-11 am

13 DAY 2 Fun Food & History,

Heritage / Culture

School Spirit Day

Marian Celebration

2:15 pm

School Council Family

Dance Time TBA

14

15 16 DAY 3

17 DAY 4 May BFG 2:15

Volunteer Orientation

6:30 pm

School Council 7:00pm

18 DAY 5

19 DAY 6

20 Professional Day

K-12

No Classes

21

22

23

Victoria Day

No Classes

24 DAY 1

25 DAY 2 Grade 5 to Blue Flame

Kitchen

Grade 6 to Youth Link

Welcome to

Kindergarten 6-7pm

26 DAY 3

27 DAY 4 Fun Food & Hip Hop/

50’s or Hippie School

Spirit Day

St. William Volunteer

Appreciation Social in

the Gym 2:15 PM

28

29 30 31 Highlights for This Month Include: - Marian Liturgy

- School Spirit Days: History, Heritage & Culture Day ; 50’s, Hippie, Hip Hop Day

- Family Dance!!!!

- Grade 6 PAT Written

- School Council Meeting – Call for Elections

- Fun Food Lunches: ChaChi’s and Jugo Juice

A Mother’s Prayer

Dear Lord, it’s such a hectic day, with little time to stop and pray.

For life has been anything but calm since you called me to be a mom

Running errands, matching socks, building dreams with stacking blocks

Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes and other things that children lose;

Fitting lids on bottled bugs, wiping tears and giving hugs.

A stack of emails await to read, where’s the quiet time that I need?

Yet when I steal a moment Lord, at the sink or by the ironing board,

To ask the blessing of Your grace, I see then in my child’s face,

That you have blessed me all the while,

And I stoop to kiss that precious smile!

“WE’RE LISTENING” Feedback from Parents

We are always interested in feedback from parents. This feedback helps us to create a successful learning

environment. We invite you to use this feedback box to provide us with your comments on our newsletters,

activities, website and more! Your voice is a valued tool in helping us continually improve St. William. We look

forward to hearing from you!

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________ __________________________________________

(Student’s Name & Homeroom) (Parent’s Signature)

Sacramental Recognition – We Want to Celebrate

Your Journey with Jesus! Please let us know if your child is or has participated in sacramental preparation in the 2014-2015

school year to receive a sacrament this year by completing this form and sending it to the office with

your child!

Child’s Name: ________________________________________________________

Grade / Homeroom Teacher: _____________________________________________

Circle the Sacrament(s) Received: Baptism First Holy Communion Reconciliation Confirmation

Name of Parish your Child Received this Sacrament at: _____________________________

The Date the Sacrament was Received: ________________________________________

Parent Name: _____________________________ Signature:_______________________

1000 Fifth Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 4T9 403-500-2000 www.cssd.ab.ca

CALGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT MONTHLY NEWS

ConnectionsAPRIL 2016

Board of Trustees’ Easter Message“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) Every year at Easter, we recognize and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through God’s sacrifice of his only son, we are all “born again” with renewed hope and joy. Read the full message on our website under News & Events/News & Updates.

Chief Superintendent’s Easter MessageThis Lenten and Easter season has truly been a special period of renewal. We have been blessed with sunny skies and spring-like weather and it helps us all feel the hope and joy of this holy season. I want to thank our students and staff for journeying with us throughout the Lenten Season, which began on Feb-ruary 10 – Ash Wednesday. Read the full message on our website under News & Events/News & Updates.

District and School Websites UpdateThe Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) is getting ready to launch our revamped district In-ternet site and new school websites, starting the week of April 11, 2016! Learn more on our website under News & Events/News & Updates.

New Calgary Catholic Schools UpdateWe are pleased to announce that school names and principals have been selected for our four new Calgary Catholic schools.

• Our K-9 Auburn Bay Catholic school will be named Prince of Peace School with Mr. Marc Pilon as principal.

• Our K-6 Cranston Catholic school will be named Our Lady of the Rosary School with Ms. Marni Harrigan as principal.

• Our K-9 Evanston Catholic school will be named Our Lady of Grace School with Ms. Judy Yurchuk as principal.

• Our K-6 New Brighton Catholic school will be named St. Marguerite School with Ms. Kim Fradette as principal.

Each of these principals have been with the district for many years and will bring a wealth of experi-ence to their new roles. Please join us in congratulating them! We look forward to welcoming stu-dents into our new schools this fall. Start dates for students to be determined based on construction completion. Learn more on our Schools/Future Schools page.

Calgary Catholic Education Foundation UpdateThe Calgary Catholic Education Foundation (CCEF) would like to thank everyone who supported their 2016 “Chance 2 Enhance” raffle from selling tickets, to buying tickets, to helping spread the word. Thanks to your generosity, over $60,000 was raised and will be invested into Calgary Catho-lic schools to enrich and enhance educational opportunities for students. A complete list of raffle winners can be found on the CCSD website under News & Events/News/Fundraising. The CCEF is also actively looking for new volunteers and board members. If you would like to learn more, please contact Executive Director Moyra Martin at Moyra.martin@cssd.ab.ca.

Excellence in Catholic Education Award 2016 RecipientsCongratulations to three outstanding educators from our district who have been recognized with an Excellence in Catholic Education Award! Read more about Chelsea Marshall, Luisa Zimich and Trisa Soroski on our website under News & Events/News/Awards & Accolades.

Did you know?

Students from Holy Spirit, St. Timothy, Bishop Carroll and St. Stephen schools had the opportunity to perform at a youth-focused show for the 2016 Juno Awards. It took place on March 14 at the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University. Congratu-lations to our talented students!