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FEBRUARY 2016
The Ripple Effect
Every kind act, no matter how small, is like a pebble tossed into a pond. The rings reach out far beyond the point of impact; the action is magnified and perpetuated, creating a never-ending chain reaction. The recipient of our kind deed acts more kindly towards the people around them, and those people act more kindly toward the people around them. And so it goes on…
ADMINISTRATORS’ MESSAGE
Dear Parents,
Each month of the school year has its own unique characteristics and February is no exception. During the month of February, our attention is drawn to thoughts about caring and loving one another. To help us carry through this theme, Valentine’s Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week are celebrated. In February, we are reminded of our gifts of friendship and kindness. How can we be a true friend to our classmates, our neighbors, our families, to others we meet? How can we share our kindness every day to reach out, inspire, share God’s love and give hope as together we build community? This month we will celebrate the building of community through our caring thoughts, kind words and actions.
Wishing you an especially wonderful February,
Sincerely,
Ms. S. Franzese (Principal) Mrs. H. Maas (Assistant Principal)
Kindergarten Registration
St. Lucy School is now accepting kindergarten registrations for the 2016-2017 school year. To qualify to attend Kindergarten in September, a child must be 5 years of age on or before March 1st, 2017. Please bring in your child’s birth certificate so that a copy can be made. If your child has been baptized as a Catholic, or if one parent is Catholic, please bring the baptismal certificate for the child along with you, if possible. If you know of anyone in our school area, friends, relatives, or neighbors who have children in this age group, please make them aware of our wonderful program. Our Open House is scheduled for Wednesday,
February 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
St. Charles Parish Residency During the month of February, staff from Saint Charles Parish will be coming and spending time with our
school. Amber Tweedy, pastoral associate and youth minister, and Renee DeSilva, music coordinator,
will be visiting classes on Wednesdays and talking about the parts of the Catholic Mass in a fun way.
They will also host mini retreats that includes games, drama, and music. To end the month residency, all
staff, students and parents are invited to attend the 9am Mass at St. Charles Parish on March 6th. The
parish will recognize the special relationship with St Lucy, and students will be invited up to sing the
school’s theme song “My Lighthouse.” We are looking forward to the exciting month!
Faith Development Day
On Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016, all staff members will be involved in a district-wide Faith Development Day at the Shaw Conference Centre. There will be no instruction of students at school on that day. This year, our theme is: Life of Grace, Journey of Love. We are pleased to welcome Mike Patin and Jesse Manibusan as our keynote speakers. We also welcome Archbishop Richard Smith who will celebrate the Eucharistic Liturgy with us. Classes for students will resume on Wednesday, February 3rd.
FAMILY DAY AND TEACHERS’ CONVENTION (no school for students)
Please note there will be no school for students on Monday, February 15th (Family Day) and Thursday,
February 25th and Friday, February 26th (Teachers’ Convention).
WE Team 2015
As you may know, February is Random Acts of Kindness month. As a We Day committee, we have decided to help others in need. We will be collecting socks, mittens, gloves, scarves, and toques to keep others warm. Our collection will start on Monday, February 1st and will end on Friday, February 12th. All
donations will be given to the Marian Center in Edmonton. The We Day Warriors sincerely thank you and appreciate your support.
Edmonton Indoor Games
The Edmonton Running Room Indoor Games will be taking place on Tuesday, February 16th at the Butterdome. Tryouts for the St. Lucy Relay Team were held at school and teams have been selected. Students are now busy training for the big race day during lunch recesses under the direction of Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Valdez. We look forward to our students participating in the races and showing and sharing St. Lucy school spirit with competitors from other schools.
Thank you Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Valdez for coaching the team and we also sincerely thank School Council for covering the costs for transportation and race entry fees.
Robbie Burns Day
Students at St. Lucy School had the opportunity to
recognize Robbie Burns Day on Monday, January 25th.
Robbie Burns Day is a special Scottish holiday named
after the poet and writer, Robert Burns. Mrs. Connell,
the mother of two of our students, kindly offered to
come in and spend time with each of our classes
introducing them to various aspects of the language
and culture of Scotland. In addition to learning a Highland dance and sampling
haggis, we had the opportunity to see Arabella and Sophie-Charlotte perform. A
heartfelt thank you to the Connell family for introducing us to the wonderfully rich
Scottish culture.
Intramurals
Intramurals have begun for Grades 4-6 on Tuesdays and Fridays at recess. We have 86 boys and girls
signed up for recess activities that will carry though the remainder of the school
year. Adjustments to the schedule will have to be made to incorporate other
school activities so there may be some months that we only meet once a week.
For the months of January and February we will be playing Floor Hockey. The
students are excited and have shown great sportsmanship as they are
interacting with their peers in all three grades. Thank you Mrs. Mall-Masih and
Mrs. Valerio for organizing these activities for students in grades 4-6.
Intramurals have also begun for students in grades 1-3 on Mondays and Thursdays (during first recess).
Students have been playing skittles (similar to dodge ball but students attempt to knock down wooden
blocks). The children have been placed into multi-age teams and are having lots of fun. Thank you to
Mrs. Colistro and Mrs. McNamara for organizing and running intramurals for our primary students.
Shrove Tuesday Hot Lunch – February 9th Shrove Tuesday originated with the Roman Catholic Church, which customarily held
confession on that day. After Reconciliation one is cleansed or “Shriven” of one’s
sins. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Lent, which was the period of fasting for 45 days
before Easter. Early Christians enjoyed great feasts and used up all the butter, eggs and milk
they would not be able to use during Lent. Often pancakes were served at these feasts.
To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, our very generous School Council will once again be providing a free pancake lunch to all our students. Each child will receive 2 pancakes and a juice box*.
We require a few volunteers to help serve this lunch. If you are able to help, please email Sandra at [email protected] *Please send your child with a snack if this will not be enough food for your child.
Ash Wednesday Celebration
Parents are all welcome to join us for our Ash Wednesday Celebration on Wednesday, February 10 at 9:00 am in the gym. Fr. Julian, our District Chaplain, and some members from St. Charles Parish will be helping students from Grade 1B (Mrs. Robalo) and 4A (Mrs. Robinson) lead the celebration. This is a great way for family members to start off the Lenten season and receive the burned ashes from last year’s blessed palms from Palm Sunday.
WISEST CONFERENCE - Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology
On Tuesday, February 16th, four grade 6 girls have the privilege of attending the WISEST Choices conference at the University of Alberta Campus. These students will explore various activities related to science and engineering that will help young women see that science is something they can do and that is fun! There will also be a team-building event in which students will problem solve a science-engineering challenge. This will truly be an exceptional day of learning and enrichment! Thank you to Miss Luchak for arranging for this special opportunity.
Accountability Pillar Survey Information
As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides
an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are
equipping students for success.
The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators consisting of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of quality; student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates; and provincial assessments of student learning. From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability
Pillar Survey. In January, parents of students in grades 4, 7 and 10 will receive a survey from Alberta
Education. In February, students in grades 4, 7 and 10 and all teachers will be completing their surveys
online at school.
All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with the school. In addition to English
and French, the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Cree, Korean, Spanish,
Tagalog and Urdu.
Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your
child is receiving, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly. Survey results will be available
to school authorities in May 2016, and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans
and Annual Education Results Reports.
School Council News
Our next School Council Meeting will be on Wednesday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. All parents
and guardians are welcome to attend.
Family Dance
Escape the winter cold and join us for a fun evening at the beach!
St. Lucy Parent Council Proudly Presents the St Lucy Family Luau
Friday Feb 5th 6:30 -9:30 pm St Lucy School Gym - Please use the gym doors to enter the school.
Enjoy an evening with our St Lucy Family, enter to win the class baskets or a Jersey!
Concession run by our Grade 7 Alumni.
Tickets were $10 for a family (up to 4 people) and $2 for each additional person. Limited tickets available, order yours soon to avoid disappointment as the event does sell out.
Orders had to be in by Jan 29 – please note the event is SOLD OUT. We have reached capacity for number of people allowed in the gymnasium. We are looking forward to the event.
Little Caesar’s Pizza Kit Fundraiser (info. will come home in Friday envelope on February 11th)
Friday, February 12 to Monday February 29/2016 Families will have the opportunity to sell Little Caesar’s Pizza Kits. These are frozen pizza kits that will work great for any busy
family. Dinner is easy with these kits options including individual pizzas, full size pizzas or crazy bread.
Each kit ranges in cost from $19.00 to $24.00. There will be a PIZZA & MOVIE PARTY for the class with the most kits sold.
We’d love to sell 600 pizza kits this year to help pay for brand new books for the classrooms, school activities/clubs and so much more for our children. That's only 2 kits per family! Let’s go
St.Lucy!
Annual Treat Walk On February 12/2016 we will be holding our Annual Treat Walk in the morning/afternoon for all students! Bring your dancing shoes and lets all have FUN! All students will receive a treat.
Hot Lunch Our next Hot Lunch will be on Friday, February 19th. Once again, parents are asked to order and pay online by going to www.HealthyHunger.ca and view the up-coming lunch. If ordering online, the order must be in by Sunday, February 14th. If you are sending the order and money to school, it must be in by
Friday, February 12th.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our fall FundScrip campaign. We raised more than $600, which will go towards School Council’s commitment to support 50% of the subscription cost for the Mathletics program that all St. Lucy students are using this year.
We will not be having another campaign this school year but a few parents who need more gift cards have expressed interest in putting in a small group order to save on the shipping and handling cost of individual orders. If you missed out on the fall campaign or need more gift cards, please contact Rick Grebenstein at [email protected] by no later than February 17th. Gift cards will be delivered by March 1st.
St. Charles Catholic Church Information
St. Charles Parish Seeking Volunteers for Ministries!
Would you like to become more involved in your Church community?
St. Charles Parish has a number of ministries that would love you to be a part of them.
Greeters are friendly volunteers that welcome people as they come to Mass. We are in need of Greeters
at all four of our Masses (Saturday at 430PM and Sunday at 9AM, 11AM, and 7PM). You can greet as a
family, a couple, or by yourself. If you are interested, please contact Karli Cupelli at
Children’s Liturgy is a great program at the 9AM and 11AM Masses where we invite the children
between Pre-K and Grade 3 upstairs during the readings to talk about Scripture and do activities at their
level. All of the material is available at the Church and no experience in teaching is necessary. We have
great coordinators that provide an orientation and will help get you started. Our biggest need is at the
11AM Mass. If you feel called to this ministry or for more information, please contact Sherri Irvine at
For a complete list of ministries available at St. Charles Parish, please check out our website at
www.saint-charles.com/ministries/
A Letter from Archbishop Smith
February 2016
Dear Friends,
The end of the Christmas season has us taking down our Christmas trees and packing up our decorations. I pray that this past Christmas was a time to encounter God’s love as we celebrated the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I also wish each of you a blessed new year 2016.
On Wednesday, February 10th the Church will enter the season of Lent. Lent, a time of preparation for Easter, is marked by prayer, fasting and alms giving. This year we celebrate Lent during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Pope Francis has invited the entire church on a pilgrimage to focus our attention on the Mercy of God. Jesus’ words in the Gospel of St. Luke, “Be merciful, just as your father is merciful”, are a central theme for this Year of Mercy.
A Jubilee Year in the church includes a pilgrimage and the passing through a Holy Door. Pope Francis has opened the Holy Door at the four Major Basilicas in Rome. The Holy Father asked that every diocese have a Holy Door that our parishioners may enter through. The Holy Door for the Archdiocese of Edmonton is at St. Joseph’s Cathedral-Basilica downtown. I invite you to come in pilgrimage to the Basilica and enter though the Holy Door as we come to an ever deeper awareness of God’s mercy. I know that our schools have each designated a door as a Holy Door and our students have a number of resources that will enable them to enter this Year of Mercy in a meaningful way.
I pray that the season of Lent will be a time to once again deepen our relationship with God, coming once again to know of his mercy and love.
Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton
February 2016
I have swept away your transgressions and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you. ~ Isaiah 44:22 ~
This passage from Isaiah is one which echoes the essence of the life and death
of Christ. It is a wonderful passage for us to reflect upon as we enter into the Lenten
season. When we wander with Jesus in the desert as He prepares for His impending
death, the promise of redemption is a beacon to us at the end of the journey. We
must always remember that our God so loved us that He sent His Son to redeem us.
Let us always remember that God is calling us by name to live in His love; all we have
to do is say “yes”.
This month, we will look at Mark 5 of Catholic School Identity: Shaped by a
Spirituality of Communion. An excellent Catholic school recognizes that each and
every stakeholder is responsible for the common good. Edmonton Catholic Schools
has many ways for stakeholders to engage in our community at both the school and
District level. Our ideal is always that we work as a team of home, school, and parish
to provide the best possible educational experience for our students.
The sharing of the 5 Marks of Catholic School Identity with you over the past
months has provided an excellent opportunity for all of us to reflect on the exceptional
work of the staff in Edmonton Catholic Schools. Our schools and buildings are places
of encounter with Christ because of the staff who gather in them each day to welcome
each of our students as children of God and to bring them into closer relationship with
Him.
The strength of Edmonton Catholic Schools is the commitment and dedication
of our staff, whatever their role, to live out our mission to provide a Catholic education
that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God
in one another and bring it to life. Each month, as you read through your school
newsletter, I know that you see endless examples of the wonderful learning
opportunities that your children have experienced, whether it is through classroom
and extra-curricular activities, or faith expressions and celebrations. Each time you
enter into our schools, you experience the community, the communion, that is the
result of the loving service that each teacher, administrator, educational assistant,
administrative assistant, custodian, maintenance worker, consultant, specialist, or
…2
central office staff member has given as part of their vocation to making Edmonton Catholic
Schools great. Please consider taking a few moments to affirm those special people who nurture
your children and help them grow! Every staff member contributes to the strong fabric of who
we are as a Catholic District and we are so grateful to each of them.
An excellent example of the “behind the scenes” work that is done by our departments to
create excellent learning opportunities is found in the preparation for the new Science 9
Provincial Achievement Test review project that will be piloted this spring. This is a
collaborative, interactive course review designed to challenge student mastery of Science 9
concepts. Learning Services Innovation is in the process of preparing resource items for ‘Unit
Bins’ to facilitate their use in various settings. The aim is to showcase strategies to all Science 9
teachers in deepening student learning. At the high school level, consultants are working with
teachers to develop new district final exam items. The goal of the two-year project is to
develop authentic summative assessments that allow students to demonstrate their critical
thinking skills and problem solving ability. For example, “Water Quality of the North
Saskatchewan River” is one of the videos created with our students. It provides a rich context
for the written-response items on the Biology 20 final.
Also in the works for science is the 5th Annual BEST Conference – Best Exploration of
Science (along with engineering, the environment, technology and math). The event will be
hosted by St. James School. Up to 250 Edmonton Catholic Schools students in Grades 4 to 6,
along with their teachers and parents, will come together on Saturday, April 16th to explore as
“Tinkers and Thinkers”. This year the theme is inspired by Star Wars… Science Awakens!
February is a very busy month for our staff with respect to faith and professional
development. As part of our commitment to lifelong growth and learning, there are two important
events for us. On February 2, every member of our staff will gather together as a community
grounded in Christ to learn about our faith and to celebrate the Eucharist as part of Faith
Development Day. February 25 and 26 mark the days of the Greater Edmonton Teachers’
Convention (GETCA). This Alberta Teachers’ Association event is just one way in which our
teachers access ongoing professional development in areas of personal relevance to them.
GETCA is sponsoring a public evening event on Wednesday, February 24 at 7 pm at the Westin.
Dr. Eva Olsson, a 91 year old survivor of Auschwitz, will speak about forgiveness and compassion.
All are welcome.
In closing, our Holy Father has provided us with a beautiful setting as we approach Lent
this year. “The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a
privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture
are appropriate for meditation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face
of the Father!” (Misericordiae Vultus, N.17)
Sincerely,
Joan Carr Superintendent
-2-
LAUDATO SI’
Chapter Four – Integral Ecology
No matter who we are or where we find ourselves in relation to protecting the
environment, Pope Francis has this message for us: “I invite all to embrace with open
hearts this Encyclical which is in line with the Church’s social doctrine” [General
Audience, June 17, 2015].
The summary quote of this chapter’s goal reads: “Since everything is closely
interrelated, and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account
every aspect of the global crisis, I suggest that we now consider some elements of
an integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social dimensions”
[#137].
In chapter four on Integral Ecology Pope Francis writes, “We are faced not with two
separate crisis, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex
crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an
integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at
the same time protecting nature” [#139].
Pope Francis maintains that all aspects of life are interrelated with the physical
environment having an effect on social life.
A consumerist vision diminishes cultural variety, which is the heritage of all
humankind. Environmental mistreatment and degradation can undo social structures
that shape the cultural identity of a community. “The disappearance of a culture can
be just as serious as, or even more serious than, the disappearance of a species of
plant or animal” [#145].
The pope reminds us all that it is fundamental to pay tribute to indigenous people
and their cultural traditions for whom “land is not a commodity but rather a gift from
God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which thy need to
interact if they are to maintain their identity and values” [#146].
Pope Francis said that human beings make every effort to adjust to their
environment, “but when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated with noise and ugliness,
such overstimulation makes it difficult to find ourselves integrated and happy” [#147].
Likewise, “In the unstable neighborhoods of megacities, the daily experience of
overcrowding and social anonymity can create a sense of uprootedness which
spawns antisocial behavior and violence” [#149]. Pope Francis said that even in the
midst of such extreme poverty, the poor are able to create bonds of belonging and
closeness that can tear the walls of selfishness down.
Towards the end of chapter four the pope urges us to be mindful of the value of the
future generations, emphasizing humanity’s common destiny, “which cannot exclude
those who come after us. … Once we start to think about the kind of world we are
leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world
is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others” [#159].
“Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us.
The issue is one which dramatically affects us, for it has to do with the ultimate
meaning of our earthly sojourn” [#160].
Fr. Julian Bilyj
District Chaplain
St. Matthew Catholic School
S u n d a y M o n d a y T u es d a y W e d n e s d a y T hur s d a y F r id a y S a t ur d a y
1 2 Faith Development
Day (no school for students)
3 St. Charles Parish Youth
Team in
St. Lucy School Open
House (7:00 p.m.)
4
St. Rose Junior High
Students volunteering in the school
5
St. Lucy Family Dance
(6:30—9:30 p.m.)
6
7 8 Gr. 5A Fieldtrip to Ed-
monton Symphony Orchestra (p.m.)
9 Shrove Tuesday
SAC Pancake Lunch
for all students
10 9:00 a.m. Ash Wednesday
Celebration
St. Charles Parish Youth
Team in
11 12 Sir John Thompson Jun-
ior High Orientation for Gr. 6 students (a.m.)
Annual Treat Walk
13
14 Valentine’s Day
15 Family Day (no school)
16
Running Room Indoor Games @ Butterdome
(p.m.)
17 St. Charles Parish Youth
Team in
Kindergarten Class
Fieldtrip to Forest School
18
19 Theme Day: Funky/
Crazy Friday
SAC Hot Lunch
20
21 22 23
24 Kindergarten @ Forest School
Fieldtrip (p.m.)
Gr. 5 Fieldtrip to Telus World of Science
6:30 p.m. School Council Meeting
25 Teachers’ Convention
(no school)
26 Teachers’ Convention
(no school)
27
28 Knights of Columbus Free
Throw Championship @ St. Elizabeth Seton School
(1:00 p.m.)
29 Little Caesar’s Pizza Kit
Orders and Monies Due
11750—162 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5X 4L9
PHONE: 780 456 0053 FAX: 780 457 4361
EMAIL PRINCIPAL
www.stlucy.ecsd.net
Fe
bru
ary
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16
St. Lucy Catholic
Elementary School
“Growing With God”
CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
