We would like to welcome everyone back to St. John XXIII. We are excited for the 2020-2021 school year and look forward to meeting our new families and seeing our returning students. As the year begins, we embrace the opportunities upon us with a hope that each member of our community has a successful year growing spiritually, academically, and physically.

This year will be different.

The focus has been a return to school that provides a safe environment for your children. We are being faced with incredible challenges in setting up the school for the start of the year as well as coordinating supports for our on-line students. The rules and procedures that schools are implementing can change by the day, hour or even the minute. We have created a detailed and thorough re-entry plan for the school and while much work has gone into it, we are making changes to it every day. This year will challenge our patience, tolerance, adaptability and we will need to be ready to pivot on a second’s notice to meet the needs of the current situation. St. John XXIII opened five years ago. Our staff created a vison for this school where students are asked to be problem solvers, take initiative, be resilient and flexible in order to meet the needs of a 21st century learner. We believe we have instilled these skills into our students and as a result, our school is well prepared to face the challenges placed in front of us. With your support, we will make this a great school year and our students will have a memory from the 2020-2021 school that will last a lifetime.

We would also like to thank all the parents who have shown so much support toward the staff of St. John XXIII School. Our community has rallied at our side and the many messages of support you have sent to teachers and staff these last few months have kept our staff spirits up and given them the courage to come back ready to start the school year in full force. These are uncertain times. Despite our current circumstances, 80% of you have trusted us with your children for the school year. You have shown you trust us to provide a safe learning environment and you know we will deliver an excellent program for all your children. We thank you for this strong show of support.

St. John XXIII has an outstanding staff that is excited for the school year. I know parents are more then happy to send their children back to the classrooms! We are looking forward to having you all back soon.

At St. John XXIII, we aspire to have our students succeed in every aspect of their learning. We prepare our students for achieving their own successes and beyond. St. John XXIII students will continually examine the impact their learning and actions have on themselves, others, and the world. St. John XXIII was an inspiration to every person he encountered, and we have established a culture at St. John XXIII with our H.E.R.O. theme that highlights the most important aspects of our role model and mentor St. John XXIII. With this we hope to shape our students as a school community.

We are excited to start the school year offering opportunities in a faith-filled and Christ centered environment. On behalf of all our staff, we welcome each child to St. John XXIII with open arms to embrace the St. Johns’ spirit and be a H.E.R.O. St. John XXIII is your school. Let’s create the environment of consistently being your best and working to your fullest potential. We wish everyone a fruitful and productive 2020-2021 school year.

Michael Kovacs Kathleen Korner Mark Huculak

Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal

STAFF LIST 2020-2021

Ecole St. John XXIII FIRST NAME LAST NAME POSITION

Michael Kovacs Principal Mark Huculak Assistant Principal JH

Kathleen Korner Assistant Principal ELEM. Danielle Pointer Administrative Support 5

Traci Franko Administrative Support 5 Claudette Juba Clerk 3 Mary Jean Trampe Clerk 3

Naomi Geleta Emotional Behavioral Specialist

Cindy DeBrusk Family School Liaison Worker

Picassi Stephanie TA-BT Klessens Kaitlyn TA-OT

Kaley Murnane EA Fiona Gao EA Irene Sneddon EA

Manuela Wagner EA Chantal Painchaud EA Valerie Paradis EA Suman Bastola-Acharya EA

Lisa Molo EA Vilma Recinos EA Sharon Tondreau EA Alyssa Lightfoot Kinder English Carrie McPherson Kinder French/Lead Teacher Nicole Stang Learning Coach Alana George Grade 1 English

Nathalie Zuberbuhler Grade 1 English Tamara Persaud Grade 1 English Gisele Szott Grade 1 French Maude Carrier Grade 1 French Alyssa Monaghan Grade 2 English Karissa Shinkaruk Grade 2 English

Robin Francoeur-Mahmood Grade 2 French

Maria Caria Grade 2 French Rachel Wardell Grade 3 English Lacey Heald Grade 3 English Kristy Harris Grade 3 French

Trish Harris Grade 3 French Leanne Hemphill Grade 4 English/Tech/LT Vanessa Mora Grade 4 English Jeannine Cloutier Grade 4 French Lorena Daigle Grade 5 English Dean Danilak Grade 5 English

Kimberly Toews Grade 5 French Nina Stevens Grade 6 English

Elizabeth Bourque Smith Grade 6 English Jennifer Steedsman Grade 6 French Laura Larochelle Grade 6 French Brad Ostopowich JH English/Sci/Phys Ed

Janelle Vanderhelm LA/Drama/Chaplain

Raffy Fortin J H French/Sci/Math/CTS/ Tech

Catherine Morin-Ricard J H French/SS/LA Bill Bondy JH English/S.S./Phys Ed

Giulia Primiani-Hackman J H English/LA

Stephanie Winters J H French /LA/SS/LT Carol Dyck J H French/Math/Phys Ed Chris Smith J H English/Math/CTS Julie Bujas J H English/L.A./Art

Chantal Goudreau J H French/Math/Science Danielle Radowski J H English/SS/Phys Ed

Ashley O'Connor J H English/Phys Ed/Math/CTS

Julie Scott Gr. 6-9 Music/LT Kiana Davies Elem Music

Melanie Mercier ELL Jolaine Martin Library George Kayalath Head Custodian Gerry Caguioa Custodian

Ferdinand Panganiban Senior Custodian Jose Rizal Villaran Light Duty Custodian

Gillian Wourms Elem Music David Merkosky J High

Marks and fees are tracked via our on-line program called PowerSchool. New parents will receive their credential to create a new account the first week of September. Parents of current students already have an account and password. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it on the PowerSchool home page using the “forgot your password” feature.

With the uncertainly of COVID, we will be delaying the posting of school fees. Regular school fees are anticipated to remain the same as last year as most of the St. John XXIII fees are earmarked for technology costs, which the school anticipates will remain the same. However, in junior high the anticipated expenditures in options classes such as foods and construction may decease depending on how these courses are rolled out. We encourage all parents to pay their fees online by accessing PowerSchool. PowerSchool is the Edmonton Catholic Schools online program that allows parents to view attendance, assessment marks and pay school fees. If you require a user ID, please contact the office so we can send this information home with your child. Use ID’s do not go home automatically each year.

Fee payment Instructions:

1. Log in to PowerSchool at; https;//powerschool.ecsd.net/public/ (parents who have not yet logged into PowerSchool can request it.)

2. Select ‘School Fee’s from the navigation menu and then click onto “connect to” the Student Quick Pay website

3. Select the student’s tab to view itemized fee details 4. Click to add specific items to the Cart or choose to Add ALL at once 5. Once selected, View Cart or proceed to Checkout 6. Enter the credit card information and Submit Payment

Edmonton Catholic School District, including St. John XXIII School, use the Synervoice automated communication system to inform parents and guardians of daily attendance absences. Students must confirm their attendance with their Homeroom teacher, or the office secretary if they are late, on a daily basis or the system automatically calls and emails the student’s parent contact to inform them of the absence. Regular and punctual attendance is required. Parents are expected to call the school when their children is absent. Our answering machine is available before and after school hours. If your child will not be attending classes due to illness, medical appointments or other circumstances, please notify us by calling the office at 780-469 – 2451 before 8:25 AM. If we do not receive a call, a Synervoice automated phone call will be made. In addition, the school can make use of the system to deliver important messages about school or program events, emergency notifications, as well as the monthly Newsletter. Please make sure to check your answering machines and email on a regular basis in order to stay up to date on attendance and other school activities.

Please note, due to Canada’s new Anti-Spam Legislation, for the school to continue to distribute important school information, including this eNewsletter, through the Synervoice system, parents and guardians must confirm their subscription.

PowerSchool, Fees and Online payments

Synervoice Automated Communication System

St. John XXIII School Advisory Council will have a meeting on September 29 at 7:00 p.m. More information we be coming on the method the SAC will be meeting this year. Please come join us at the next SAC meeting.

Choose Safety over Convenience This is a philosophy and an attitude that we can all embrace but is often one of the most difficult to enact. There are numerous drop off zones around the school-please respect the signs. Your help in this regard is greatly appreciated. This year with a staggery entry and exit from our building we anticipate less traffic concentrated in these busy times. We on-line learning also occurring we will have less students in our building this year. However, as you al know, traffic around the school is always busy. Bus Drop Off: The school parking lot in the front is to be used for visitor parking outside of drop off and pick up hours. A bus zone is located directly in front of the school. No drop off, pick up, parking or stopping is permitted in this area at any time. We have added another bus this year so we will now need part of the drop off area on Windermere Road for after school bus pick up. This will not affect the morning drop off zones. Student Drop Off: A designated student loading zone is found on Windermere Road and Whitelaw Lane. Use this area to quickly unload your children but do not leave your vehicle. Alternatively, please use other side streets around the school to drop off and pick up your children. Pick a designated spot away from the front of the door and meet your child there to avoid congestion in front of the school.

School Advisory Council

School Drop Off and Pick Up

Staff Parking Lot in front of the school: The front parking lot is for staff parking and visitor parking during the day. Do not use this area for student drop off and pick up. This area is supervised for 15 minutes before and after school to ensure that the loading and unloading of buses can be done safely. Kindergarten students are the only students that are asked to use the front doors before school. Kinder parents are asked to not park in front of the school. Please do not use the handicapped parking zone directly in front of the school to drop off or pick up students; violators will be ticketed. Cross Walks: There are three designated cross walks in front of the school. The two main crosswalks will be monitored by the students once they are trained by the school and the city of Edmonton Patrol Program. There are also two electronic flashing lights to make crossing our two main streets much safer. Staff Parking Lot on Whitelaw Lane: All stalls in the staff parking lots have been assigned to our staff members; we thank you for not parking there. In addition, the staff parking lot is not to be used for dropping off or picking up students. Children are continually in this area before, after and during school hours and driving in the back-parking lot area poses a significant risk to the children’s safety. Please do not walk through this area on your way to or from school. Please use the sidewalk where you will be safe. Staff enter and leave the parking lot at all hours of the day, so this area always needs to be clear of pedestrians. Parking on Neighboring Properties Please do not use their parking lot or driveways to pick up and drop off your children. This is private property and while their parking lot may be empty at times this is not a loading zone.

To help ensure adequate space to allow for physical distancing, all students will be guided towards their designated area where there will be a pylon with their homeroom letter on it.

• Students are to walk to their designated meeting area (map is attached) which will have a pylon with their homeroom on it. They will be met by a teacher who will assist them to line up 6 feet apart.

• Supervisors will also assist the students in maintaining physical distancing as they enter the school • Supervisors will guide students to ensure a staggered entrance schedule for each door zone. • Each class will walk to their designated entrance and exit zone • Before students enter the school, they must put on their mask (for students grade 4-9) • All students will sanitize their hands and proceed to their classroom. • Parents can remain outside while students are entering but are not able to enter the school.

Staggered Entry/Exit from school Staff will work with students in routines of entering and exiting the school.

• To help ensure enough time is dedicated to each class to enter the building safely, entrance times for each class will differ and will be staggered.

• Students must stay distanced from each other as they come in. • We will assess the schedule as the school year progresses and as the winter months approach.

*Kindergarten will enter/exit the using the doors at the front of school at 8:20am & 11:20 am for morning classes & 11:50 & 2:50 for afternoon classes. Recess exit and entry will also be staggered and play areas will be designated by cohorts to ensure

Student Entrance Routines

physical distancing. End of Day Staggered Exit Classes will use the same door zones to exit school

• Students will leave in staggered manner maintaining physical distancing • One class will exit each door zone at a time • Please practice physical distancing from other families as you meet your child • We understand that parents want to meet their child near the exit door but please ensure you respect

the physical distancing measures.

COHORT GROUPS In the provincial re-entry plan, cohorts refer to a group of students and staff who remain together. This helps decrease the number of close contacts within the school environment. Where practical, students will be organized within smaller groups throughout the school day. In classrooms and on busses, students may be asked to adhere to smaller groupings and seating plans.

• Cohort groups will decrease the number of close contacts a case of COVID-19 would have in a school and assist public health officials in their efforts to trace contacts and contain potential outbreaks.

• It is still recommended to maintain physical distancing within a cohort whenever possible to mitigate the risk of transmission.

• Cohorts allow for AHS contact tracing to occur should an incidence of COVID-19 be identified. • The use of seating plans will be used within cohorts. Where possible, staff will move between rooms

to limit student movement At St. John XXIII we will operate with 2 cohort groups. In elementary this will affect:

• Entry into the building • Recess times • Lunch times • End of day dismissal

In Junior high there will also be 3 cohorts separated by Grades. This will affect: • Entering/exiting building • Scheduling • Class change times

The following cohort schedules will be followed Elementary:

Junio High

Cohorts

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS: Teacher supervision is available for Elementary Students at 8:00 a.m. and students are expected to stay outside until the first bell at 8:10 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. Elementary students are expected to have inside footwear to change into once they enter the school. Be aware that there is no supervision for students on the playground or in the field arriving before this time. Students are asked to not use the playground before school starts. After school, the school does not have supervision on the playground. If your child stays after school to play on the playground, the school is not responsible for supervision. We expect the playground to be busy after school, so your help in ensuring the safety of all our students is greatly appreciated. Each grade level/classroom has a different entrance to the school. Students will be informed as to which door to use the first day of school by their teacher. Kindergarten- Grade 6 students line up at their respective doors each morning and exit the same doors after school. JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS: Junior High Students may enter the school at 8:00 a.m. Students are expected to clean their footwear to the best of their ability prior to entering the school. KINDERGARTEN: Students are to be dropped off and picked up at the front doors. A staff member will escort students to their class and return them to the front door each day. Teacher supervision is available from 8:05 a.m. PARENTS St. John XXIII is always a secure building. We ask all parents not to bring their children into the school. HOURS OF OPERATION - Kindergarten Hours of Operation – Kindergarten Kindergarten – AM class: Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, and Friday First bell 8:20 AM Dismissal 11:20 AM Kindergarten – PM class: Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday First bell11:50 PM Dismissal 2:50 PM There are no classes on Thursdays for students in Kindergarten HOURS OF OPERATION – Grades 1-9

Please refer to the cohort schedules found on pages 8 & 9

Playground Protocols Along with the new playground we will also need to ensure that the children know how to safely use the equipment and make sure students are properly supervised. During the first week of school, both the staff at St. John XXIII and Constable Woodall School will be holding playground orientation sessions during the day with all their classes. The two schools share the playground and are working together to ensure all the students are aware of the safely measures used to keep everyone safe. Lunch and recess times between the two schools are also staggered so that both schools can benefit from the playground. All students will be instructed on how to use the various pieces of equipment and will be given instructions on safety. The school will use the “Playground Safety Manual” which was developed by Alberta Health Services, which compliments the Alberta Education’s program of Studies for Health and Life Skills. The goal of this program is to ensure students make responsible and informed choices to maintain health and to promote safety for self and others.

Normally students are trying to be patrols in June for the following year. Obviously, that did not happen last year. Members of AMA do the training for schools but this year teachers will need to organize and train our patrols. This will take some time, so for the first week or so there will be no patrols. Teachers will supervise the crosswalks. Please be patience when crossing the street and make sure your children follow the instructions of the teachers and patrols once they start working. We are asking for parental cooperating when these patrols are working. Please follow the patroller’s directions when crossing the street. As a parent, you are modeling correct behavior for all students waiting to cross the street.

Supplies can be purchased by going to our website at the link below and clicking on School Information Link/School Supplies Link and then the School Start link. For your convenience supplies will be delivered to your home. Supply list for all grade are listed on the school website. https://www.ecsd.net/1969/page/5451/school-supply-lists

Playground

School Patrols

School Supplies

REMINDERS FROM EDMONTON CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Bus passes are now available for purchase on PowerSchool. Passes will be given to the students when they start in September. Bus passes must be purchased in the first week of each month. Payment is only accepted on-line through the Parent PowerSchool Portal using the same passwords used in last year. Payments can be made monthly or for the whole year.

Bus Pass Cost

Elementary (Gr. 1-6) $ 35.00 per month per student

$ 350.00 per year per student

Junior High (Gr. 7-9) $ 59.00 per month per student

$ 590.00 per year per student

Family Plan $ 30.50 per elementary student per month

$ 55.00 per junior high student per month

(Families of 3 or more, excluding Kindergarten who will ride the bus for all 10 months)

□ Information regarding routes, fees, maps, boundaries etc. can be found on the Edmonton Catholic Schools web site (www.ecsd.net) under the ‘parent’ tab and under ‘student transportation’ tab.

□ Parents of kindergarten and grade one students are reminded that there must be an ADULT (not an older sibling) at the stop to receive the student. If there is no adult at the stop, the student will remain on the bus and will be returned to school to await pick up.

□ All transportation enquiries/concerns are to be addressed to the Edmonton Catholic Schools transportation department at 780-441-6078.

Please Note - Students who take the yellow bus will always be sent home on the bus unless a change has been previously arranged by parents. Please call the office or send a note to indicate a change. Please make sure the office has plenty of notice if there is a change in plans for the

Transportation

Athletics As we collectively consider the re-start of Junior High Athletics across ECSD and EPSB, we base all messaging on the premise we are operating under Stage 2 of the re-launch and the focus is keeping students safe and healthy during this time of a global pandemic. We also acknowledge the important role that sport plays in the mental and physical well-being of our students. *It is important to understand that Athletics will look significantly different as we start the 2020/2021 school year. These directives and timelines are intended to keep staff and students as safe as possible, focused on a gradual return to play while ensuring all health protocols are being followed

Timelines

• NO athletics will occur until September 21 during school start up as we feel that all our focus should be on the adjustments schools and staff need to make in order to have a successful school start up.

• Junior High Athletics: September 21 in-school training can begin within a school-based cohort only (adhering to all School Division and sport specific protocols and regulations). Because we are in Stage 2, there will be no formal competitions or championships for any sport until Stage 3 is announced by the Alberta Government.

• Mini Leagues where there are less than 50 people involved in a cohort may be considered after a time of initial training and practice at the local school level. This may be considered in mid-October or later. There will be further communication on the startup of mini leagues in October.

Information • During the very initial parts of the re-start, there are not to be any sport cohorts of more than 50 people

within the local school context • All cohort regulations will be adhered to. Players are only able to play on one team at a time. • If a student chooses to participate for their school’s team they cannot play for any other team and vice

versa. • If a student plays with a community team and then wants to transition to a school team, because they can

only play with one extracurricular cohort, there must be a 14-day quarantine period during this transition time. This is also true if a student goes from a school team to a community team. This is according to the expectation of the Chief Medical officer

• Coaches can also only be part of one athletic team cohort as well, whether that is a school-based team or a community-based team.

• Students accessing online learning will be able to take part in Extracurricular activities (as per ECSD re-entry plan).

• No Volunteers or outside coaches can take part in school sports at this time. • While in the current Stage 2 of Athletics re-start, there will not be any formal leagues or championships.

After the initial re-start in late September, Metro Athletics will begin communicating the possibility of mini leagues, based on any announcements from Gov’t of Alberta or ASAA

• There are adjustments being made to specific Junior High fall Sports while under Stage 2 conditions of the Athletics re-start. These adjustments are tentative only. - Volleyball - competitions will be reviewed for potential start in late October / November (i.e. mini leagues) - Soccer - the season of play will be re-evaluated for potential play in the Spring - Cross Country Running - the season of play will be re-evaluated for potential play in the Spring, in conjunction with the Track and Field season of play.

Junior High Athletics

On September 24th, all staff and students will participate in the annual Terry Fox Run at the school. Students will run a course designated around the school to commemorate and pay tribute to Terry Fox. All donations will be made to the Terry Fox Foundation.

Multidisciplinary Team 2020-2021 The St. John XXIII Multidisciplinary Team welcomes you back to a new school year! We are very fortunate at St. John XXIII to have our MDT working with our students, families, and teachers in a variety of areas. Our intention is to support our student’s development by identifying areas of growth, then programming accordingly. Most importantly, we strive for our students to have a positive outlook on learning, along with building their confidence and independence. We are eager to share in the success of our children this school year! Our Team 2020-2021 Mrs. Cindy DeBrusk – FSLW (Family School Liaison Worker) Mrs. Naomi Gelata- EBS (Emotional Behavior Specialist) Miss Nicole Stang- Learning Coach Miss Melanie Mercier- English Language Learning/Literacy Support Ms. Stephanie Picassi-Teacher Assistant-Behavior Therapy Ms. Kaitlyn Klessens-Teacher Assistant-Occupational Therapy The MDT will be in contact with families when working with your child.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school at 780 469-2451.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Korner Assistant Principal

Multidisciplinary Team 2020-2021

Terry Fox Run

Superintendent’s Message