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OUR LADY OF VICTORIES CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 7925 158 Street NW Edmonton, AB T5R 2B9
Phone # 780-489-7630 Fax # 780-486-7762
Website: ourladyofvictories.ecsd.net
June Newsletter
Father’s Day Prayer
Blessed is the Father
who lets the Lord be his guiding hand,
whose faith brings his family courage, whose wisdom comes from God,
and whose children stand and honor Him. (retrieved from St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic site)
We are reminded in June to honour our fathers and to thank them for all they provide for us in our lifetimes. We hope that you have opportunities to connect with and spend time with the fathers,
grandfathers, and other significant men in the lives of your families. June is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the significant role
these men play in our lives.
It is with grateful hearts that we thank all our parents and guardians
for the tremendous support of your children’s learning throughout the year. We appreciate the challenge remote learning has created for everyone and the dedication of families to persevere through these challenges.
As we bring this year to a close it is with a new appreciation that we recognize the loss of the opportunity to celebrate as a community the special events and year-end activities that
normally take place during this last month. We want to take this opportunity to wish our grade sixes every success as they venture out into a new experience. We will miss your
guiding light.
Our wish for you is that you have a safe and fun-filled summer and that we will be able to reconnect as a community at school in September. Please watch for updates that will be
shared from our Edmonton Catholic Schools Division. Please enjoy our year in review.
Patricia Opyr Laurie Bonanni- McGee
Principal Assistant Principal
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THE SEVEN SACRED TEACHINGS To cherish knowledge is to know WISDOM;
To know LOVE is to know peace;
To honor all of the Creation is to have RESPECT;
BRAVERY is to face the foe with integrity;
HONESTY also means “righteousness”, be honest first with yourself – in word and action;
HUMILITY is to know yourself as a sacred part of the Creation,
TRUTH is to know all of these things.
http://empoweringthespirit.ca/cultures-of-belonging/seven-grandfathers-
teachings/
During this challenging time, when we are distancing from our families, school and
community, we can look at the Indigenous teachings to offer us peace and hope
during these trying times.
We can also find comfort in scripture which reminds us to,
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of
them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with
you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
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SEPTEMBER First Day of School
Reading Research Project
School Opening Mass with Father Dean
Teddy Bear Picnic in grade 1
Cross Country Run for Grade 3 - 6
Meet the Staff – Elections of new School Council
Members
Social Justice Project – Cupcake sale for funds for
groceries for sandwich making for Mustard Seed
Terry Fox Run
Erin Reid from Indigenous Learning Services creating orange day t-shirts and
leading the blanket exercise with the grade 5/6 class
Orange Shirt Day
OCTOBER
Custodian Appreciation Day – Thank you Mr. Connolly for
all the hard work you do and for having the school
sparkling clean every day!
Initial SAC meeting to set out plans for the year
Celebrating Teachers on World Teacher Day
Read In Week: Bringing Stories to Life – Volunteer readers from Telus arrive with
book donations and staff to read in each of our classrooms
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Alberta Opera visits our school and entertains the students with their version of
Sleeping Beauty
You’re on Camera – Picture Day
Thanksgiving Mass with Father Dean – collection of food to be donated to St.
Theresa of Calcutta
Grade 6 students attend the Student Leadership
Symposium
K – Grade 1s begin skating lessons
Grade 5/6 attend Inquiring Minds City Hall School
WE Day is an exciting event for our Grade 5/6’s at Rogers
Place where they had the opportunity to be inspired by
some great speakers
Grade 4’s host assembly and teach us about respect
(buffalo).
Our Lady of Victories Feast Day Celebration
Grand event of the month was Halloween where we got to share some terrific
costumes
NOVEMBER
Grade 2’s host a pumpkin party where they feature the story “The Big Pumpkin”
Mrs. McMillan spends the day with our grade 3-6 students at the Young Author’s
Conference
Catholic Education Sunday reminded us of the value of our Catholic faith and our
community
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Alberta Health Services hosts a free evening session at our school as part of their
Caregiver Series. The session was Mindfulness: Benefits for the Whole Family and
Ms. McGee and Mrs. Opyr came away from the session feeling very relaxed!
Remembrance Day Celebration
Teachers honour Metis by using their curriculum to highlight some of the
important events in the history of our people.
This month’s assembly reminded us of the value of honesty (Sabe – Sasquatch) and
was presented by our grade two class. We also took the perfect opportunity to
honour a family who had just gained their Canadian citizenship.
For the families in our community with Ukrainian ancestors it was important
for us to recognize their losses on Holodomor
Memorial Day
Grade 5/6 spent the day at the legislature
Celebration of Learning
Family Oriented Programming provided to 100
Voices parents on Dressing for Outdoor Play (one
of many programs hosted at our school for 100
Voices parents, thank you Mrs. Strelkov)
Blessing of the Wreaths Liturgy as we prepared for Advent
Tense times for our grade 5’s as they received their immunizations
DECEMBER
Thanks to all the parents who helped us to have a Christmas Concert for a gym full
of people. We could not have done this without Gina and Jen the
two parents who took the lead.
We celebrate mass at St. John the Evangelist Parish with St. Paul
School
Santa pays a visit with treat in hand for all students
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Everyone enjoys a two-week break as they spend time with their families
JANUARY
We start out the month with Father Dean at our Epiphany Celebration
Grade 1’s begin their inquiring minds school experience at City Hall
Grade 4-6 students are disappointed as the weather is too cold to go skiing
Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off inviting students to get pledges in support of Heart
& Stroke
Grade 2 enjoys Bricks for Kids as they make battery operated Lego vehicles
Family Literacy Day
End of Term Report Cards are finalized
Grade 3 leads this month’s assembly highlighting the importance of love (eagle) the
perfect teaching to lead us into February
Teachers have the opportunity to look at some new instructional resources
Work continues in the library as we get it back up and running. Thank you to our
parent volunteers Anastassia and Farrah for all your hard work in keeping our
books organized
FEBRUARY
Grade 4-6 enjoy two days at the ski hill
Edmonton Symphony Field trip for Grades 4-6
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Valentine’s Day celebrations in classrooms
Our leadership club invited students to share their words of kindness on the
“graffiti board” as part of Random Acts of Kindness Week
Family Day for families to enjoy some extra time together
Jump Rope for Heart Event Day
Grade 2’s visit the museum
Neighbours receive a card from students on their community walk
On Shrove Tuesday, our amazing parent group provides us with a pancake
breakfast
Lent begins and students participate in Ash Wednesday Mass at St. John the
Evangelist Parish
Our students show their commitment to supporting positive mental health by
wearing their pink shirts
MARCH
Grade 2 students head off for their week at Telus World of Science for their
Inquiring Minds School returning with excitement and the need to share their
experiences and creations.
Grade 2’s share their bus so that all of the other classes have the opportunity to
take a fieldtrip to Telus World of Science that week
Grade 5/6 missed their opportunity to lead us in and assembly this month and
teach us about humility (wolf)
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We take the opportunity to thank our replacement teachers during Substitute
Appreciation Week
What a wonderful evening of sharing at our Demo of Learning. The perfect
opportunity for a social justice group to sell their popcorn in support of our World
Vision Foster Child
We didn’t get the opportunity to check the
traps from St. Patrick’s Day as school’s are
closed in response to the anticipated
pandemic. I think those leprechauns got
away.
The week is spent with teachers planning what the new teaching experience may
look like. The steep learning curve begins for staff. Soon to be followed by families
as they navigate the different programs being used.
Spring Break provides an opportunity for everyone to regroup as we anticipate the
move to remote learning
APRIL
Remote Learning begins and some
innovative learning takes place.
Learning numbers for math could not
be more fun than through a game of
hopscotch! The parts of an insect
formed by collecting available items
in nature. Amazing!
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The story of Easter is experienced in all classes through remote learning. A variety
of videos, assignments and conversations happened to highlight this important of
our faith
Earth Day was the perfect opportunity for teachers to
highlight the importance of nature and appreciating the
earth God gave us to look after
Administrative
Assistant Day –
Thank you Mrs.
Schmitz for stepping in for us this year
and being so welcoming to our students
and their families
MAY
Hats on for Mental Health
Day/Week brought staff and
students together. Families had the
opportunity to drive/walk by the
school as teachers kept their
physical distance and shared
messages and cheers as students
went by. Even our neighbours
enjoyed the event and supported us.
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We had many opportunities to highlight the importance of our faith through
activities for the Month of Mary, Catholic Education Week and Pentecost this
month.
Mother’s Day Teachers were creative in their choice of
activities in honour of Mother’s this month as there were
some cute gifts created to let moms know how much they
are loved and appreciated.
JUNE
Father’s Day – I hope the fathers of our school community enjoy
the special projects their child has created for them. Thank you
for entrusting us with your children. We know that you are a
pillar of strength for your family and the hero in the life of your
child.
June brings us to the end of another school year and with it some fond
memories and some sadness. We have missed the children’s faces these last
months and we hope that we will be back in school come the fall. We hope
everyone has a restful and rejuvenating summer and look forward to some
great learning in September.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
School Supplies for 2020-2021: This year, in conversation with our SAC we have
decided to provide online access to purchasing school supplies. The company
providing this service will be Write-On Stationary. Please watch for a message
from the school providing more details on where to place your order with payment.
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RETURN PICK-UP OF SCHOOL MATERIALS
Return/Pick-up Plan of School Materials:
CLASSROOM COMPOSITION
Our classrooms have been organized into specific groupings to accommodate a wide
range of learners. The best possible learning environment is one where we have
mixed abilities, gender balance, distribution of behavioral needs and support
systems in place. Teachers and administrators have worked hard at creating
classroom configurations that work best for everyone involved.
Friendships are an important part of each child’s life. Children do make new friends
easily and have the opportunity to develop their social and emotional skills as new
relationships develop.
Teachers are sensitive to these needs and spend valuable time in September
working within their classroom to foster a learning community that includes all
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children. Every teacher makes it their mission to develop strong relationships with
their students as well as establishing an environment to bring out the highest
potential in each of their students.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience and support
during the opening days of school. We have your child’s best interests at heart!
As always, class lists will be posted at the school entry on the first day of school.
YEARBOOKS
2019/2020 Yearbooks - Pre-order now available!
$15.00 per copy with delivery in early September 2020.
Orders and payments can be made online though Parent
PowerSchool. If you would like to pay by cheque or cash,
please visit our
school https://www.ecsd.net/schools/8011/Pages/default.aspx
to download the order form.
Order forms and payments can be dropped off at the
school during school hours or at our 'Learning Materials
Return days: Tuesday June 23, and Wednesday June 24,
2020. We will be accepting orders up until June 29,
2020. We will also resume receiving orders in the fall
when we re-open for the year. Order early to guarantee
your copy!
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
June 26 at 12:18 p.m.
CONGRATULATIONS
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Thank you to all the students who continually put forth
their best effort into their online learning. Parents we
are grateful for your support in helping your child(ren)
be successful in following through by joining meetings
and submitting work.
Many names got entered the draw each week and you are
all winners. The recipients of the Amazon gift cards are: Ava in kindergarten,
Bennett and Sebi in grade 1, Kacey in grade 2, Cooper in grade 3, Bryce in grade 4,
Josie in grade 5 and Mason in grade 1. Those grade 1’s had all the luck.
JUMP ROPE FOR HEART
Jump Rope for Heart Prizes – The Heart & Stroke Foundation will be ordering the
fundraising prizes for our students once schools reopen. We will be sure to get
them to you once this happens.
SUMMER READS
For the adults in the house:
The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People by Meik
Wiking recommended by Ms. Anna when you need some light reading.
Mrs. Santin recommends The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Mrs. McMillan wants to read: A Place for Wonder by Georgia Heard and Jennifer
McDonough and How Do I Get Them to Write? by Karen Filewych
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Miss Simpson offers some interesting titles to explore: When Breath becomes air by
Paul Kalanithi, Summer of “69 by Elin Hilderbrand and the sun and her flowers by
Rupi Kaur.
For the children in the house:
Of course, Ms. Anna loves to sing and dance, so her book recommendation comes as
no surprise for you students. We hope you look for Sharon, Lois & Bram’s
Skinnamarink with Randi Hampson, illustrated by Qin Leng.
TOP PICKS FROM STUDENTS
Thanks to those students who completed the survey and shared their favorite
BOOKS!!
101 Hockey Jokes
A Cuddle for Little Duck
Army Book
Bad Kitty
Bailey School Kids: Aliens Don’t Wear
Braces
Bailey School Kids: Mermaids Don’t
Run Back
Beauty and the Beast
Bones
Books on Manners
Caps for Sale
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Captain Underpants
Catbug
Chewy and Chica
Computer books
Conner McDavid (Hockey Books)
Dawn and the Impossible three
Dinosaur Books
Dog books
Dog Man
Dogman Unleashed
Dork books
Dragon of Fortune and Animal Colm
Dragons love Tacos
Elephant and Piggie books
Frog and Toad
Frozen Book 2
Geronimo Stilton, Pheonix of Destiny
Ghost Town at Sundown
Goosebumps
Guts Dog Man
Harry Potter
Hockey Ruels,
I Spy books
I Survived the Eruption of Mount
Saint Helens 1980
I Survived the Nazi Invasion 1944
Jesus Calling
Joke books
Judy Moody
Katie Kazoo
Kitty and the Dragon
Kylie Jean
Laser Mouse
Look and find books
Magic Tree House
Mo Willems
Mr. Men
National Geographic for Kids
Non-fiction
Notepad of Doom
Ook and Gluk
Paw Patrol Books
Pete the Cat
Phoebe and her Unicorn
Pig the Elf
Princess and the Frog
Princess Story books
Rabbit Bok
Rainbow Magic
Red Hat, Green hat
Santa is Coming to Edmonton
Science books
The Gingerbread Man
The Giving Tree
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The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo’s Child
The Imagination Station
The Magic Kitten
The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane
The One and Only Ivan
The One and Only Ivan
The Princess in Black
The Sky is Falling
The Three Little Pigs
The Wonky Donkey
Three Little Pigs
Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal
Unicorn diaries: Bo and the Dragon
Pup
MOST WANTED BOOKS
The most popular places to read from our student survey showed in bed and on the
couch. Maybe in the summer it could be out in the back yard.
These books were on the wanted listed:
Army Books
Dogman
Where is Waldo
Fish Books
Music Books
Pokemon
Fish books
Believe
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Dora and the Explorer
Sharks
Shadow Monsters
Magic
Science
About Planets
The Solar System
Earth
Interesting Facts about Animals
Places and Funny Books
Adventure
National Geographic
Wonder Woman comics
Charlie Brown Comics
Scaredy Squirrel
Judy Moody
Titanic
Hardy Boys
Space
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Adventure Books
Graphic Novels
Kitty Magic
I Survived the Titanic
I Survived Hurricane Katrina
Magic Tree House
Bailey School Kids: Gremlins Don’t
Chew Bubblegum
SUMMER BLESSINGS
Ms. Anna & Ms. Erin
It's time to say goodbye everyone. Our time together is done.
We read, we sang and danced so much I hope you'll remember the fun!
We send you on to dance some more
We send you on to sing We send you on to read some more
As this is truly the best thing.
You may have hard work ahead With challenges all new,
All that we've learned together this year Will support you through and through.
We wish you ALL well,
We'll cherish you every day. Love your 100 Voices team
Hippity Hip Hooray!
Ms. Correia
May we embrace the new things we have all learned, as well as appreciate how much stronger
we have become while facing the many challenges we have had these past months. Thank you
for the tremendous support you have given your child, as well as myself, in making remote
learning possible. With the end of the school year quickly approaching, I wish my students and
families a relaxing, safe, and enjoyable summer. Stay positive, smile, and laugh often.
Mrs. Southwood
At the end of this school year we give thanks to God:
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For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom, For the talents and gifts that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced. We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown.
May we rest and play peacefully and safely during the summer so that we might again return refreshed to be faithful students and staff once more.
May your blessing be upon those who will not be returning to our school next year as they continue and grow in knowledge elsewhere. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
Mrs. Bezubiak
Mrs. McMillan
May God bless you this summer with the time to reflect on the journey you’ve
successfully endured this school year.
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Keep your mind on God. Remember to pray often and to celebrate your faith.
Keep your faith in God. Let all the joys of summer remind you of God’s goodness. Never
forget that God is always with you, no matter what.
May God keep you safe and happy this summer and always.
May each day of summer bring more joy and more peace so that you can bring your
happy hearts with you when you enter the next school year. Amen
Miss Simpson
May you walk with God this summer in whatever you do and wherever you go. May your
home be a place of relaxation, love, peace, and safety. Let us be considerate, generous, and patient with ourselves and those around us as we enjoy the many blessings of summertime. This year has been filled with grace, opportunities, joy, and
new challenges. May God give us the rest and refreshment that we need this summer to return to school with a new spirit and energy next year.
Although we never got to have our first day in the classroom together, it has been an absolute pleasure being your teacher over the past few months. I am incredibly grateful
to have been given the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you. Parents, thank you for your continued support as we navigated the online learning environment
together. I appreciate all of your hard work and patience over the last few months. I hope that you students have an amazing summer exploring new places, growing in your relationship with God, and making memories together with your families.
Miss White
Lord, Thank you for the gift of teaching. Equip me to teach with wisdom and
truth and empower me to teach with vision and with love for all. Amen.
I have been so blessed this year to work with students in every grade. This year
has gone by so fast I cannot believe we are already in June! Thank you, parents,
for all your support especially with online learning and helping your children. I feel
so thankful and blessed that I was able to get to know your children and have
wonderful conversations with them, especially at school. Have a wonderful June
grade 5’s and keep up the great work online.
Mrs. Santin
Lord, I pray that you fill our students with love and joy this summer. May they know You and how much You love them and care for them. Keep them safe and
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healthy. Help them to grow and mature. Prepare them for a new year with an open mind and new ideas. Lord, I pray our students know how much we, teachers, love
them and care for them. Bless them today, tomorrow and every day. Amen
Mrs. McGee
Jesus, Thank you for the gift of our school year, our children, and our families. Thank you for the gift of the long summer days ahead. May the light and warmth. and gifts of nature
remind us of all the beauty that surrounds us. Fill us with Your grace so that we may look back at our year and the days ahead with a grateful heart. Amen.
Mrs. Schmitz
Thank-you for welcoming me to Our Lady of Victories!! I have enjoyed all the
smiles and laughs and have loved learning alongside all of you! Thank-you for always
making me feel so welcomed and appreciated!! I look forward to seeing all your
smiling faces back in September!! May your summer days be filled with friends &
family, good times and drippy ice cream cones!
Mrs. Vitale
Remember Jesus wants us to “Love one another.”
Always take the road less travelled as your adventures will be unending! Make some great memories this summer - and always have fun!
Mrs. Nedev
"May God bless you with a relaxed and enjoyable summer with your friends and family and may He
keep you safe and guide you everywhere you go!"
Ms. Tess
"Don't just count your blessings but be the blessing other people count on."
Mrs. Opyr
What an adventurous year it has been. It has been so much fun getting to know all of you.
Even though a large portion of staying connected was through online learning it was great
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to check in with groups once in awhile and see the smiling faces of students. I loved the day
we had our Hats on for Mental Health Drive By day when everyone was so excited to see
their teachers out front of the school. I hope that summer is rejuvenating for all of you and
I hope to see you in the fall.
COUNSELLOR’S CORNER Ideas for mental health support:
ABC Life Literacy Canada:
https://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy/
Alberta Family Wellness:
https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/brain-story-tookit
Alberta Health Services
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page16759.aspx
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Child Mind Institute:
https://childmind.org/
Kyokan Connections: https://www.kyokanconnect.com/#/
Homewood Health:
https://homewoodhealth.com/individuals
Institute of Child Psychology:
https://instituteofchildpsychology.com/
Understood:
https://www.understood.org/
YEG Family Counselling:
www.yegfamilycounselling.com