750 Leger WAY, Edmonton, Alberta, T6R 3H4 Phone (780) 471 – 4218

November News 2018

Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle; The strength to be forgiving;

The patience to be understanding, And the endurance to accept the consequences

Of holding to what we believe to be right.

May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil And the power of love to overcome hatred.

We pray for the vision to see And the faith to believe in a world free from violence,

A new world where fear shall no longer lead us to commit injustice, Nor suffering bring selfishness to others.

Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy

To the task of making peace, Praying always for the inspiration and the power

To fulfill the destiny for which we were all created.

This we ask of you, who is the Lord of peace, One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen

Please welcome Sherri Gerritsen-Chretien who is replacing Lise Schoenberger in the office!

Catholic Education Sunday

We traditionally celebrate Catholic Education on the first Sunday of the month. The purpose of Catholic Education Sunday is to come together as a community to celebrate the gift of Catholic education. The goal of Catholic education is to assist our young people to know, love and follow the Lord. This love impels us to serve others, to give of ourselves for the common good and to care for one another as peacemakers.

Please join us on November 4th, 2018 at St. Thomas More Parish for the 10:00 a.m. mass to celebrate with our school and parish family.

Remembrance Day Observance Our school community will join to recognize the many soldiers, men and women,

who have given their lives, over time, for our many rights and freedoms. Please join us on Friday, November 9th at 9:30 a.m. for our Remembrance Day Observance Ceremony. Together we will celebrate and give thanks to the men and women who have served our country in the military. A reminder to all there

will be no school on Monday, November 12th. Classes will resume at 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday, November 13th.

Report Cards

Elementary: Report cards will go live on-line at 3:00 p.m. on November 26, 2018. Parent/teacher interviews will be held on Thursday, November 29, 2018. Information regarding the sign-up process is posted on our school website here: https://www.ecsd.net/schools/1026/interviews Junior High: There are only two formal reporting periods this year, the end of January and the end of June. In November, the marks for the interim report will be posted on Friday, November 23, 2018. It will not be a different screen than what parents are used to seeing. Parent/student/teacher interviews will be held on Thursday, November 29, 2018 in the gym. Information regarding the sign-up process is posted on our school website here: https://www.ecsd.net/schools/1026/interviews There will be no formalized interviews following the January or June report cards. In March, there will be parent/student/teacher interviews to meet with teachers after the March 2019 interim report. Further information will be available in the March newsletter.

School Advisory Council

We invite all parents to join us on November 21st @ 7:00 p.m. for our School Council meeting. Our School Council is a group of committed and dedicated parents who want to support our school activities and build a strong school community. Your opinions and ideas are important. We invite all parents to please join us!

Parking Please do not use the staff parking lot as a student drop off or pick up. We thank you in advance. Student Teachers at AJM We are very fortunate to have 6 Student Teachers, from the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and 1 Student Teacher from King’s College assigned to our school in this fall term. The time they spend here will immerse them in the reality and complexities of school life. All Student Teachers are closely supervised by their Mentor Teachers and will be encouraged to become involved in activities throughout the school. We know this is a tremendous learning experience for the Student Teachers as well as our own students and staff. It provides our school staff opportunities for professional growth and development as they explore their thoughts and ideas about teaching, classroom, and school practices while mentoring the Student Teachers.

Grade 6 Provincial Achievement Test Results - 2017/2018 And the results are in…. We are happy to report our school did significantly better than the district and province!

Letter from our Dietetic Students from University Of Alberta We are 4th year Nutrition Students at the University of Alberta! As part of our Community Nutrition course, we will be doing some nutrition teaching with Grade

8 students. We are passionate about helping students make informed and healthy choices when it comes to eating. We recognize the importance of developing healthy eating habits at a young age, to help set students up for success as they gain independence. We have been completing various interactive nutrition sessions with the students and will be creating a bulletin board to help educate other students throughout the school. Lastly, we will be creating a healthy pizza with the kids as a fun and educational wrap up session. Feel free to reach out to either of us if you have any food and nutrition questions or concerns! Seanna & Jolene - University of Alberta, Dietetics Specialization

Mavericks Athletics

We have had a busy start to the athletic season this fall. With the return of our grade nines, the Mavericks are going to be very competitive as they were last year.

Soccer: Both the girl’s and boy’s teams did very well this fall. The Sr. Boys team, coached by Mr. Misiaszek and Mr. Mendez, went all the way to the semi-finals but lost 1-0. A good run for our boys. The Sr. Girls team played in the final on Friday October 19 and came away with the gold. A great way to end the season and a thank you to Mrs. DeForge and Miss. Stack for their coaching expertise. Cross-Country: Our cross-country runners enjoyed a lovely fall for running. The events were held at Gold Bar Park and our team did well running in the river valley and enjoying the scenery. All students from Grade 4-9 who participated did their best and were great representatives for AJM.

Thank you to our coaches Mrs. DeForge, Mrs. Skeels and Mr. Fairfield for keeping our runners in shape for the races.

Volleyball: The volleyball season is about to get underway. We have a full set of teams for both junior and senior this year. The Sr. Girls have started the year with a gold medal in their tier at the Jasper Place High School tournament held the weekend of October 18-20th. Stay tuned for more results as they come in!

Our coaching staff this year includes:

Sr. Girls Mrs. Grattan and Mr. Fairfield Sr. Boys Mr. Shinkaruk and Mr. Sharkey Jr. Boys Mr. Misiaszek Jr. Girls Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Bunker

Safety Protocols

For your information, we have conducted three fire drills and a lockdown drill. We will conduct further drills in the new year.

Important Dates

Nov. 1 All Saints' Day Nov. 2-9 IPP/PLP Parent Meetings Nov. 6 Picture Retakes Nov. 9 Remembrance Celebration – 9:30 a.m. Nov. 12 NO SCHOOL - Remembrance Day Nov. 13 Grade 7 Band at Camp Nakamun Nov. 13 Grade 9 Immunizations Nov. 16 & 17 MMM Volleyball Feeder Tournament Nov. 21 SAC meeting – 7:00 pm (library) Nov. 22 Online booking for parent teacher interviews Nov. 23 Fall Marketplace Nov. 26 Elementary report cards go live online @ 3:00 p.m. Nov. 23 Parent Teacher Interviews Nov. 24 Elementary Fun lunch Nov. 28 JH Healthy Hunger Hot Lunch (EDO) Nov. 29 Parent/teacher conferences 1:00-4:00 p.m., 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Mark your Calendars… AJM Elementary Christmas Celebrations

December 11th @ 6:30 p.m. – Elementary Christmas concert for grades K, 2A, 2/3B, 4A, 6A

December 12th @ 6:30 p.m. – Elementary Christmas concert for grades 1A, 1B, 3A, 4B, 5A, 5/6B

Costumes and attire: Kindergarten - Sunday best Grade 1 - black bottoms and white tops with some nativity costumes (costumes provided by the school unless otherwise informed) Grade 2,3,4 - black bottoms and white shirts and blouses Grade 5,6 - black bottoms and white shirts. (Some students may be asked to bring in Elf hats and other costuming) Matinee Performance: Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. Show: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Evening Performance: Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. Show: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Celebrate the Season at the Legislature Performing: Archbishop Joseph MacNeil Elementary Choir (Grade 4) Date of Performance: Friday, Dec. 14th, 2018 Arrival Time: 12:00 p.m. Time of Performance: 12:30 p.m. ‐ 12:55 p.m. Where: Legislature Rotunda All parents and grandparents are invited.

November 2018

“Let us thank God for His great love in having blessed Edmonton with the gift of giving so much joy, so much care and so much love…to all those who in the last 100 years in educating and

preparing the young people to know, to love and to serve God.”

~ Message of St. Mother Teresa to Edmonton Catholic Schools for our 100th Anniversary~

We are so fortunate in this day and age to have made connections to modern saints during their lifetimes. 30 years ago, Mother Teresa sent us congratulations on our centennial anniversary. Her message is one which endures, for the love of God remains always at the centre of all that we do.

November 2, 2018 marks exactly 130 years since we opened our first Edmonton Catholic School in 1888. On that day, schools across the District will join in a special celebration of gratitude for this legacy and for our present and future. Our story is one which speaks to the ongoing tenacity and advocacy of the nuns who were our first leaders, and of the Catholic community since then. This is followed by Catholic Education Sunday on November 4, which provides us all with the opportunity to give thanks for and to advocate for publicly funded Catholic education in our Province. Visit our website to learn more.

We are pleased to have entered into an agreement with St. Joseph’s College at the University of Alberta to support the Certificate in Catholic Education as an excellent opportunity for pre-service teachers to focus their formation on living out their vocation to Catholic education. This partnership offers us mutual support in training our future Catholic teachers so that they are prepared to help our children grow in Christ.

The end of the month of October is always very exciting for us as it is the time when several of our accountability measures are made public. We are very proud of our student achievement. There are 2 sets of results, the grade 6 Provincial Achievement Tests and the Diploma Examinations, that give us feedback on how our students are performing relative to the Province.

The Accountability Pillar, October 2018, our overall report card from the Province, brought great news! Edmonton Catholic Schools had better results than the Province in 12 of 16 measures and no areas were identified as needing improvement. The high school completion 3-year (85.6%) and 5-year (89.1%) rates are 7.6 % and 5.7% above the Province respectively. Our drop-out rate (1.2%) is almost half that of the Province. Parental involvement and Diploma excellence in our District ‘improved significantly’ according to the Accountability Pillar. For more detail visit www.ecsd.net or click here for the Accountability Pillar and PAT and Diploma results.

. . . 2

Another measure that we use to assess our performance in many areas and to set targets for growth is our own District Satisfaction Survey. This vital survey gathers opinions from students, parents, and staff on individual schools and on District operations. Every student from grade 4-12 will complete the survey, as will all staff. Every household will receive one parent survey per child enrolled in an Edmonton Catholic School. Please respond to each survey separately from the point of view of each child's educational experience. It is so important that you let your voice be heard. You can either return your parent survey to your child’s school or use the postage paid envelope and Canada Post. The District Satisfaction Survey will run from November 26 - December 7. Thank you in advance for your participation.

November, which brings Remembrance Day and Holodomor Memorial Day, provides us with excellent opportunities to reflect on the injustices in the world and to examine the importance of our actions in bringing justice and peace to our communities and to the world. This is a message that our Holy Father shares, holding Saint Mother Teresa up as a model of action for us:

Carry peace with you to give it to others with your life, with a smile, with works of charity. Saint Mother Teresa, pray for us! (Pope Francis, Sept. 5/18)

Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

October, 2018

Edmonton Catholic Schools Online Financial Budget Survey

YOUR CHILD!

YOUR VOICE!

Edmonton Catholic Schools believes it is essential to involve parents in providing input into the budget process. In preparation for the upcoming

2019-2020 budget it is important that the district gather as much information as possible. Therefore, as a parent of Edmonton Catholic Schools, your feedback will provide a valuable contribution in the decision-making process.

We would like to gather your input through an online survey. The survey can be accessed through the District Website, School Website, Powerschool or by using the URL address provided.

URL Address: Click on the following link or enter the address in the web browser http://financialservicessurvey.ecsd.net/

District Website: Go to http://ecsd.net then go to the slider indicating the Online Financial Budget Survey and follow the directions.

Powerschool: Parents log on to Powerschool as you normally would to check your child's progress. Once in Powerschool, click on the tab "Financial Budget Survey". This tab will take you directly to the online survey.

The survey is open from November 1st to November 16th, 2018. We encourage all families to fill out the survey. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete.

Survey results will be shared with the Edmonton Catholic School District Budget Committee in January for consideration during the 2019-2020 budget process.

Confirmation

Confirmation 2018 will take place November 18th, 2018, please pray for

the Confirmation Candidates.

First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

1st Reconciliation and 1st Holy Communion are offered to children in Grade 2, with the

program starting in February. Please see the green sacrament brochure in your Catholic

school office or parish brochure stand for the details. Drop-in Registrations, will occur from

9-11:00 a.m. on the 1st Saturday of each month (Oct. thru Feb.) at St. Thomas More Parish.

To prepare for the drop-in registration please read the green brochure thoroughly and

select the dates of the various sacrament meetings that you will attend with your child.

Contact: Kathleen Eistetter at stm.sacrament@stmparish.com or 780-434-6313

Baptism: for children up to 7 years old

Are you interested in Baptizing your child in the Catholic Faith! Now’s a great time!

Contact: Diane Middleton - Sacrament Assistant at the Parish Office - 780-434-6313

ext. 233

Catholic Education Sunday at St. Thomas More

Sunday, November 4th is dedicated to Catholic Education. St. Thomas

More Parish will celebrate the gift of Catholic Education at the 10:00

AM Mass. The family of schools that are associated with STM will be honoured and celebrated at this

Mass. Children will read, carry the gifts and help with offertory at this special Mass. Please plan on

attending the 10:00 am Mass and help us to celebrate the gift of Catholic Education.

Interested in getting more involved in youth groups, volunteering or ministries?

Contact SARA DMITRI – YOUTH COORDINATOR:

youth@stmparish.com or 780-434-6313

Weekend Mass Times

Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm

Sunday: 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm & 6:00 pm

CHAPTER 2: TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS

While Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate: The Call to Holiness in Today’s World will take some time to digest and to unfold the gift that Pope Francis has given us, the Holy Father reminds us that we are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.

In Chapter Two, Pope Francis warns us against two obstacles that may hinder our journey towards holiness: Gnosticism and Pelagianism. While these words may be difficult to understand, Gnosticism and Pelagianism were essentially two heresies that arose in the early church. They were corruptions of the real Christian message. Gnosticism claimed that only knowledge was necessary for salvation, saying that the mind was good and the body was bad and evil. Pelagianism focused on the will. It was the belief that one could be saved on the basis of their good works alone; there was no need of God’s grace or mercy to help them.

In his exhortation, Pope Francis states that these two distortions of the Christian message still exist in our community today and may lead us away from the true path towards holiness. We may fall into the trap of believing that our understanding of the faith is the only right way, basing what we believe on our own subjective experiences. This is present-day Gnosticism. The biggest temptation is to pick-and-choose those aspects of Christianity that we agree with and reject the rest. We love God, but we do not want to live by Christ’s commandments. We love Christ, but we find the Church too burdensome.

At the same time, we may fall into the trap of believing that our holiness only depends on our good works. We may feel good because we are doing so much and look down on others who do less or do not spend as much time in service to their parish or local community. This is contemporary Pelagianism. We may think we are perfect and have no need of God’s grace, but we need God’s presence in our lives. We cannot buy God’s friendship with our good works. Rather, we recall Jesus’ commandment of love: love God and love neighbor. These are not two formulas but two faces; the face of God reflected in the face of our neighbor.

In the end, Chapter Two provides us with advice on how we can be good Christians. The answer is clear: “We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount” (Pope Francis). Because the life of a Christian is a constant battle, we need God’s strength and courage to reject evil and to proclaim the Gospel.

Sandra Talarico, Religious Education Consultant

Who Do You Say That I Am? Dr. Eugenia Kowalczyk, Principal - Catholic Identity

Identity is complex. Many of us would describe ourselves based on our personal, social, professional, or cultural characteristics. I might describe myself as being Italian, or that I am a wife, daughter, or sister. Further I share that I am an educator. Ultimately, I could articulate that I am Catholic and a person of faith. While these labels appear simple, the totality of their parts creates a kaleidoscope of what it means to be human. Catholic identity is at the heart of Catholic education. Who we are as people of God within our educational communities, our family, and our church is shaped and influenced by our life experiences and our social interactions. Catholic schools serve as the fertile soil where seeds of faith are sowed and nurtured. How blessed we are knowing that when we send our children to a Catholic school we can rest assured that their social, academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are looked after. What a precious gift we have in Catholic education.

The great philosopher Thomas Groome (2002) explained how, “we need a sense of identity to live humanly, without it we literally feel lost. From the Latin identitas, meaning “the same, repeatedly,” identity is that which holds together a continuous sense of our human “being” as a person or a community. It is the metaphorical glue that binds who we are as individuals and who we are in community. It is who we are and how we live...identity is the center that holds...otherwise...things fall apart.”

Catholic identity provides each of us to view the world using a Catholic lens. Together we strive to understand and develop a deeper relationship with Christ.

According to another great philosopher Walter Feinberg (2006), religious identity is constructed systematically and formally across many landscapes; school, church, and home. It is in these different places “where students learn the practices, rituals, beliefs, and commitments that distinguish their religion from others, and where they take on the identity of a specific faith community.”

Realizing that the faith formation of our children is central to their education, we collaborate to understand the shared responsibility between parents, educators, clergy, and community. Together we work in mutual cooperation and understanding towards a common vision of what comprises faith formation of children within the broader landscape of personal identity.

Inspired by the late Sr. Annata Brockman to love tenderly, act justly, and walk humbly with our Lord, let us remain faithful to the commitment of Catholic education. Might we never forget the most precious gift of all; our students each one created in the likeness and image of God. Their Catholic identity, inspired by the Holy Spirit, calls us all to give witness to our faith and remember that Christ is the reason for Catholic schools. In answering the question, “who do you say I am?” the response, “a child of God” paves the understanding of how together, in communion, we nurture our Catholic identity.