A Message from Mr. Podilsky...

Demonstration of Learning 2

Phoenix Sports 3

Past School Events 4

Hot Lunch/ SAC 5

Superintendent's Message 6

Secondary Religious

Consultant Message

7

Elementary Religious

Consultant Message

8

Amoris Laetitia Chapter 6 9

Cardinal Leger 10

Calendar 11

IN THIS ISSUE:

St. Philip School March 2017

Thank you to all our parents, staff and students who took part in our Feb. 8 Open

House. Thank you to the CPLI Italian School and Bright Horizons Out of School Care for

promoting and participating in our Open House. Finally, thank you to those who invit-

ed others to join our school community. We heard extremely positive comments about

the Open House and some new registrants commented that they “were sold’ by our

Open House presentations. Presently, we have 19 registered for Kindergarten next year

and hoping for at least 15 more. Please keep promoting.

We now set our sites on Carnevale that takes place on Shrove Tuesday – February 28.

We hope all that came had a wonderful time and enjoyed this great Italian celebration

with tradition, food, games, costumes and much more. Thank you to our Italian faculty

for all their incredible work in preparing Carnevale 2017.

You will also see that we are updating and upgrading our classrooms with new flexible

working spaces. We are thankful to our School Council who is supporting the school

financially with new furniture, seating areas and carpets. We hope to eventually get to

upgraded hallways, as well. Good news!...During this upgrade most coat hooks will be

moved out of the classrooms and into the hallway, opening up classrooms for new

learning spaces.

Lastly, we remind you that in March our Term 2 Progress Reports will go out

(electronically). You will have access to them through the parent portal of PowerSchool

on March 20 at 3 pm. Demonstration of Learning in your child’s classrooms will go from

3:10 to 6:30 pm on Thursday March 23. You are free to come at any time between

those times. There will be no specific scheduled time you need to sign up for this year.

Wishing you all a restful Spring Break and great spiritual renewal during our Great Lent.

God Bless!

The last day of school for Kindergarten students will be on

Thursday, March 23rd.

Grade 1 to 6 will have a full day of school on Thursday March 23rd and a half day of school on Friday March 24th.

Spring break is from March 27st to March 31st . Classes resume April 3rd at 8:25am.

Order forms for the 2016-2017 yearbook have been

handed out to students on March 1st. Please submit

order forms to the office by May 19th. Yearbooks will

be delivered September 2017

On Wednesday, Mar 1st, we held our Ash Wednesday

Celebration in the school gym. Father Paul was there

as the staff and students began their Lenten journey.

Thank you to Mrs. Mollame-Borges, Mrs. Dent and Mr.

Balice for organizing this special day.

Congratulations to those students who have celebrated the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist

and Confirmation! We would be honored if you would send a picture of your child from his or

her special day to school. The pictures will be placed on a bulletin board to recognize these

very important events and the students' names will be included in our school newsletter. The

pictures will be returned to you at the end of the school year in June. Thank you!

Term 2 Progress Reports will be available online via parent portal on Monday March 20th after 3:00 pm.

If you need information on accessing your parent portal, please call the office at 780-475-3566.

Demonstration of Learning will take place on Thursday March 23rd. This year there will be no scheduled appointments.

Parents are invited to drop in with your child(ren) between 3:10 pm- 6:30pm.

Running Room Relay On Wednesday, February 22nd, the St. Philip

Phoenix girls and boys running teams partici-

pated in the Running Room Relay Games at

the University of Alberta Butterdome.

Congratulations to the Grade 5 & 6 members

of the running team for a great effort and for

doing our school proud!

Precilla Britney

Taylor Breanna

Mikyala Olivia

Sofia P. Piper

Megan Brigid

Chiang Hilda

Hossana Jessica

Zemen Destiny

Naher Dammy

Latzio Emily

Ayrton Katrina

Mohamad M Jack

Max D. Matteo S.

Donato Z. Abdou

Ilyass Victor

Basketball Free Throw

The Knight’s of Columbus Basketball Free Throw Com-

petition was held on February 5th. One high school and

three elementary schools participated. Several St. Philip

students shined during the competition. Congratulations

to all and good luck to Rafic A. who made it to the Re-

gional Free Throw competition which will take place on

March 19th!

Boys 10 2nd Cardin T.

3rd Rafic A.

Boys 11 1st Jack F.

2nd Artur G.

Girls 11 1st Carlayna M.

3rd Katrina D.

Our Grade 1 and 2 students celebrated 100 days of school on Thursday, February 8th! Each class was in-volved in numerous cross-curricular activities such as dressing up as a 100 year old person, creating an unique masterpiece with 100 pieces in art, participat-ing in 100 exercise activities in gym class, counting to 100 in math, building towers using 100 cups, making groups of 10 with our snacks and sharing what their favorite thing to do is after 100 days of school!

100 Days of School!

St. Philip students and staff showed an incredible amount of support for Pink Shirt Day on Feb 22nd . We were able to enjoy an inspiring video during our School Spirit assembly to learn about, and showcase our intolerance of bullying behaviors. Thank you to all for an inspiring afternoon!!

The students will be served Burrito Libre (Fresh Southwest Grill).

The day’s theme will also be “FUNKY SOCKS” !

Jennifer Skinner Dora Hon Maureen Gamache

Vanessa Davis Abuk Mareu Ian Montgomery

Nicole Melville Denyse Mommersteeg Melissa Clark

Brianne Plett

Our next School Advisory Council

meeting will be held on March 14th

@ 6:30pm

Here’s how to get started…….

Go to stphilipedmonton.hotlunches.net

Click on “Click Here to Register”

Enter Access Code SPHL2016

Complete the reset of the registration form. (Including your email address will ensure you re-

ceive reminder emails about lunch orders deadlines, and your child’s lunch order for the up-

coming month)

Click the “ Register Now “ button on the bottom

Follow the instructions to add each child in your family who attends St. Philip

Once your child(ren) are registered, click on “Orders”

Proceed to order lunch for your child

Pay Pal:

We only accept lunch order payments through PayPal (www.paypal.com) No cheques or cash

payments will be accepted at anytime.

You can either pay with a credit card as a PayPal guest (Visa, Mastercard or Amex, or set up

your own PayPal account to use your Personal Saving or Chequing Account.

March 2017

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but

may have eternal life. ~John 3:16~

The Gospel of John is deeply rooted in love-the love of our God and His Son for us, our love for God and his Son,

and our call to love each other. This particular verse of the Bible is one which you will often see posted simply as a

scriptural reference, John 3:16, on signs at public events, sporting events, and at roadsides as an example. It is a

message that Christians love to share, and even non-Christians recognize the symbolism. This passage is also a per-

fect one for us to reflect upon as we enter this Lenten season. This is the time when we realize that God’s love,

manifest in the gift of his Son Jesus, leads to eternal life. These words are the ever-present message that whispers

to us from the cross.

The Archdiocese of Edmonton is once again celebrating a Day of Confessions. The day will be held throughout the

Archdiocese on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. Visit their website to find times in your parish. http://www.caedm.ca/

PastoralParishServices/DivineWorship/DayofConfessions-Hours

The Spring brings many opportunities for our students to showcase their learning in the fine arts. This month, stu-

dents from across the city will share their talents in many ways. Spring Into Art, a student art exhibition, runs from

March 6-19 at the U of A Enterprise Square building. Band Share Day is on March 7 at the Winspear, and Heart of

Glee is on March 16 at 7pm at the Myer Horowitz Theatre.

Our Council of Elders is hosting a Pipe Ceremony to welcome and honor the Spring season at St. Francis of Assisi

School on March 23 at 10 am. Visit the Council of Elders section on our website to learn more about their role in

sharing knowledge with our staff and students and fostering relationships between our District and the Aboriginal

community.

This year, we have an increased focus on building a positive mathematical culture and creating environments of

numeracy within classrooms and across the school. Whether it be a continued focus on deepening basic math

skills or making authentic connections between daily learning in math and the broader world around us, our stu-

dents are moving forward in their journey towards in-depth mathematical literacy. At the elementary level, a guid-

ed math structure enhances the learning of all students through targeted instruction by the teacher; over 100

teachers have attended workshops in this area this year. Our secondary students are deepening their mathemati-

cal skills through an intentional focus on problem solving, critical thinking and assessment. Students are experienc-

ing success through engagement in rich mathematical tasks such as problems of the week, an example of which

can be found at this link http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/resources/potw.php , as well as many local, national and inter-

national math contests. Numeracy week happens March 13th-17th; we are looking forward to hearing exciting

stories about mathematical learning!

…2

As you prepare for your Lenten journey, I would like to share some words from Pope Francis. He reminds us that

serving others can be as basic as acknowledging their sacred human dignity “Lent is a favorable season for open-

ing the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ. Each of us meets people like this every

day. Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love.” (Message of the Holy Father

Pope Francis for Lent 2017, 07/02/17)

Have a wonderful month!

Our Lenten Journey

The season of Lent this year begins March 1,

Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time to “Create

Ourselves Anew”. It is a season for praying,

fasting, and almsgiving to prepare ourselves

for the celebration of Christ's Resurrection at

Easter and for our own Redemption. Often,

we are asked, why do we need a special time

of year to concentrate on these things . . .

shouldn’t we always be creating ourselves

anew? Of course, we should always work

towards being the best person we are called

to be. The Church recognizes, however, that we are all human. We do need special times to remind

us what it means to be a person of faith, a follower of Jesus.

Lent is one of these special times. We often focus on fasting and

almsgiving during Lent and sometimes forget about praying.

There are many tools that the Church has given us to help us

pray, including form prayers like the Our Father, the Hail Mary,

the Glory Be, and other practices like Lectio divina, Visio divina,

and Ignatian Contemplation. Another form of prayer that is, per-

haps, lesser known is the Examen, which was originally devel-

oped by St. Ignatius of Loyola. This form of prayer, although it

was originally prayed primarily by the followers of Ignatius,

known as Jesuits ( Pope Francis is a Jesuit), it is certainly accessi-

ble to all of us. The prayer card to the right sums up the practice

very nicely. The Examen is a contemplative form of prayer that

allows us to take time out of our busy day to spend with God.

The Examen is a prayer that helps us to seek the presence and

the movement of God in the events of life as it is lived. The first

time we do it, we may find that it goes kind of fast, maybe only 5

minutes. As we continue praying this way, however, we will find

that the time passes quickly and we may end up spending 15 to

20 minutes or even half an hour. It is a wonderful way for us to

look at our lives through the loving eyes of our God. During

Lent, we are encouraged to pray, to fast, and to give of ourselves.

This year, let’s make sure that we remember to spend some quality time with God in prayer, maybe

using the Ignatian Examen.

God bless,

Ed Jean

Secondary Religious Education Consultant

March 2017

Kathleen Nguyen, Elementary Religious Education Consultant

Journeying through Lent as a family

Lent is the 40-day season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. It begins on

Ash Wednesday which falls on March 1st this year. Ashes are placed on our forehead in the shape of a

cross as a sign of our humility and contrition. The ashes come from the palms that were blessed on Palm

Sunday the year before.

Lent is a time of purification and enlightenment. During this time, we use the Lenten practices of prayer,

fasting, and almsgiving to prepare ourselves. This year, try picking one thing in each of these three areas

as a family and do it intentionally.

Prayer

Ask your family: What is one way we can develop our relationship with Jesus through prayer this Lent?

The aim of the Lenten practice of prayer is to get closer to Jesus. One way you can do this is by taking 15

minutes and listen to Jesus talk to you through the gospels. You can even get an audio version of the

New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (NRSV) and listen to it together as a family.

Fasting

The Church calls us to fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and on Good

Friday, the first day of the Triduum. For these two days, fasting involves eating two small meals and one

medium size meal that is no bigger than the two small meals combined. Abstinence means that we do not

eat meat. Fasting throughout the 40 days of Lent is all about conforming our hearts to Jesus.

Ask your family: What kind of fast do we need to have in our life? What is something that is keeping us

from being present to each other or others?

Your fast doesn’t have to involve food. You might choose to fast from Netflix, Facebook, or from checking

your phone constantly.

Almsgiving

Ask your family: How can we let God use us in this time to bless others?

Almsgiving can involve giving of your time, talent, or treasure. For example, you could decide to share

your time by volunteering as a family. You may wish to share your musical talents by giving the gift of mu-

sic to the elderly. If you decide to give money, do it consistently throughout the season of Lent. (It is called

a Lenten practice because it is meant to be intentionally done throughout the 40 days.) When you are do-

ing one of these things, you are taking time to bless someone else.

Family friendly 2017- Solidarity Calendar from Development and Peace:

https://www.devp.org/en/lentcalendar-2017

AMORIS LAETITIA CHAPTER 6: SOME PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES A partner is defined as a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others. Between the people of

Faith and the Church, we make for excellent partners on a journey that leads us through life and to God. An ex-

ceptionally important part of this journey is that of marriage. To every person, marriage is an exciting mystery

filled with potential which requires our best effort to understand and responsibility to develop: truly it engages us

all. Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia speaks to how the partnership of marriage involves a role and responsibility of

man and woman to become a committed couple. It recognizes how a couple shares something with one another

which they will not and could not share with any other person on this earth: it is a love unique between them and

from any other form of human relationship to be found. This is so because God designed it to be so; God created

us to connect with another and we sense this within our very selves. The first experience of this bond of love is

within our families. It begins and is felt in child to parent, it is seen between mother and father, and it is

developed in families to our communities. Indeed, the qualities and intention of a strong marriage are its own

reward; we follow this by the example of those who live it well and the way in which they inspire others to live

and give to the same. Within any new relationship there is always excitement and challenge. As education prepares us for our future,

so a quality formation in marriage will assist in preparing couples for a life lived between two and among the

wider community. A couple does not know what they may encounter together; but they desire to be prepared,

both to overcome challenges and delight all the more in the joys which will surely occur. The Church stands

ready and willing and is eager to offer pastoral assistance through this time of early growth. Sound preparation

and mature formation will become the foundation to their success. And, the simple ways can often be the surest

of ways to achieving this success: intimate time together, communication in community, and speaking with God.

Over time, and as this couple matures, they will then be able to give back in witness and wisdom perhaps to

children and hopefully to younger couples who explore and learn this for themselves. In so doing, each person of

every family will pass on the tradition and values received, and so contribute to the experience and heritage for a

future generation. Amoris Laetitia affirms how love is always a gift from God; like any good gift, we seek to show and share it with

those around us. A married couple in love naturally share their love with those around them. The Church in gen-

eral, and the Parish in particular, are places which recognize, celebrate, assist, protect and promote their relation-

ship. In turn, the couple will receive affirmation, advice, and assistance as we would within a home. However, if

a married couple no longer attends the Church or choose not to draw on their Faith which brought them to each

other, it may become similar to walking a long path alone. Such a path is indeed private and a couple will have

one another on which to draw support, but it eventually becomes lonely and they risk becoming lost or subject to

greater difficulties without help. Furthermore, to do so would be for them to miss out on a shared experience of

past and present with others, while the rest of the community misses their contribution for the present and the

future. The Church continues to offer and desires to share the sacredness of the Sacrament of Marriage. Like a guide on

a journey or an expert within a field, so the Church can and will be for a couple who are searching their hearts in

love: it is and will always be a companion who seeks to introduce and relay God’s will for them. The Church has

travelled this road of life for over two thousand years and so can point out what to do, where we should be, with

whom we should seek company, when we ought to arrive, and why we are capable of doing so successfully. It is

through this purpose which Amoris Laetitia expresses and confirms how husband and wife are always special

partners to each other, and how married couples are vital and valuable partners with the Church; together, we

will then be and become the faithful partner to God - God who is and remains our pastoral partner for life and for

all. ~Father Dean Dowle

Cardinal Leger Junior High School Presents...

“INTERNET USE AND ABUSE”

AND

“YOUR TEEN AND DRUGS”

An Evening with Our STAY Advisors

Mr. Rick Cole (Retired EPS Member) Mr. Doug Green (Retired EPS Member)

Wednesday, March 8 6:30 PM—7:30 PM

8808—144 Avenue

Please register for this session by calling the

Cardinal Leger office at 780-475-6262.

March 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Ash

Wednesday Celebration @2:15pm

2 Teacher’s

Convention No School

3 Teacher’s

Convention No School

4

5

6

Sportball for all

grades

7

Grade 5 In-School Fieldtrip

8

Flex #9

9 10

Grade 4 In-School Fieldtrip

11

12

Daylight Savings Begins

13

Grade 6 to

City Hall

14

Parent Council mtg

@6:30pm

15

School Spirit

Assembly @2pm

16

Kinder Demo of Learning

17 Hot Lunch Father Paul

visiting St. Patrick's

Day

18

19

20

Report Cards Home

First Day of Spring

21

22

Flex #10

Grade 4 In class Fieldtrip

23

Demo Learning 3:10—6:30p.m.

Full Day of School

24

Half Day of School-

Dismissal at 11:54am

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Spring Break Mar 27-31

LENT

LENT

LENT

LENT

LENT

IMPORTANT APRIL DATES:

Apr 14—Good Friday– no school Apr 27– Spring Concert (6:30-8pm)

Apr 17– Easter Monday –no school