September 2015 Newsletter - Bishop Savaryn School

September 2015
Newsletter
Message from the Administration
Our Vision
As a Christ
Centered
Professional
Learning
Community,
working in
collaboration
with our
parish and
community,
we will strive
towards Faith,
Learning, Peace
and Joy.
W
elcome back... to all our families as we begin a new and exciting school year
together! Our staff looks forward to meeting and getting to know all the new students
and families who are joining our École Bishop Savaryn School community. Madame
Delia and I look forward to working closely with our dedicated and skilled staff here in
both our English and French Immersion programs to support each and every student.
Together, we will all be encouraged to be LEADERS and DISCIPLES of Jesus by
developing the 7 Habits and striving to become the best versions of ourselves!
We look forward to guiding your child’s development as a learner, enabling them to
explore their passions and become skilled communicators, problem solvers, critical
thinkers, creators and collaborators. All students have opportunities to do their part to
make this world a better place as they are encouraged to participate in our many social justice activities. This year we intend to communicate well with our parents so that
you can get more involved in your children’s learning and hopefully play an active part
in our School Council and the many opportunities of involvement it offers. We hope to
see you all at our Meet the Staff and Family Barbeque on Thursday, September 24th
where you will also meet all the members of our School Council Executive so that
you become active in our
committees. We hope to have a parent representative for each of our classes to help
represent the parents and offer support to the teachers to plan class parties and special celebrations in the classrooms (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.).
Your support and involvement is most appreciated.
Thank you in advance for using the online POWERSCHOOL
The website is updated regularly and features up to date information including the
parent handbook, newsletters, kindergarten information, monthly calendars as well as
suggested websites to support your child’s learning at home. Please be sure to read
the monthly newsletters so that you can be informed.
We are sure that this year will be full of wonderfully challenging and engaging educational experiences for every child. Together we pray that each of us will be blessed
with God’s abundant grace to continue “to become the best versions of ourselves.”
May we all experience a LIFE of LOVE!
Mrs. Joanne Friedt
Principal / Directice
Madame Delia Demers– Danchuk
Assistant Principal
LOOK INSIDE FOR:
 September Calendar
http://www.bishopsavaryn.ecsd.net/
To access our full newsletter,
please visit our school website
 Year at a Glance Calendar
 Staff list
 Information on Meet the Staff Evening and Family BBQ
 Bussing Information
 Message from our Superintendent
 Important School information
September 2015
Sun
Mon
6
Tue
7
LABOUR
DAY
13
14
Wed
Thu
21
2
3
4
5
8
9
10
11
12
18
19
First Day Gr. 1-6
-Staggered Entry
Kindergarten
-Parent attend with
100 Voices
-Staggered Entry
Kindergarten
-Parent attend with
100 Voices
15
16
28
Early Dismissal
17
Early Dismissal
22
LIFETOUCH
PICTURE DAY
27
Sat
1
First day
Kindergarten
20
Fri
23
Early Dismissal
Terry Fox
Run/walk
29
24
Meet the Staff and
Family BBQ
30
School Opening
Celebration PM
September 2015
First day 100
Voices-No classes for
Kindergarten
Bishop Savaryn’s
Best Assembly—
AM
25
26
September 2015
2015-2016 STAFF LIST
Administration
Principal
Assistant Principal
Administrative Support
Administrative Support
Media Resources
Classroom Support Staff
Joanne Friedt
Délia Demers-Danchuk
Cindy Stafford
Violet Salamon
Nai Lim
Teaching Staff
100 Voices
Kindergarten English
Kindergarten French
Grade 1 English
Grade 1 French
Grade 2 English
Grade 2 French
Grade 3 English
Grade 3 French
Grade 4 English
Grade 4 French
Grade 5 English
Grade 5 French
Grade 6 English
Grade 6 French
Music
Learning Coach
Margot Larsen
Samantha Kingsley
Sina Arnaut
Deb Fisher
Liene Khair
Samantha Baker
Maria Gresik
Melissa Bolle
Mary Caria
Zoriana Groch
Elisabeth Belanger
Rocco Volpe
Nicole Fortin
Marie Claude Laplante
Jackie Scott
Katryna Bourget
Michelle Noppers
Melinda Stevens
Margaret Bujold
Carmella Gerlach
Early Learning Facilitator - Renee DeBlock
Alice Araujo
Monique Gravel
Shannon Zimmermann
Jolene Tym
Lorna Flores
Custodial Staff
Gerardo Palisoc
Miguel Cubias
BACK TO SCHOOL BLESSING
God of wisdom and might,
we praise you for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and their teachers and staff.
Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow;
wisdom and knowledge to their minds
as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
September 2015
Edmonton Catholic Schools Transportation Services
IMPORTANT INFO
STUDENT ABSENCES
If your son/daughter is going to be
absent for any reason, please
report the absence at 780-456-7837.
PERSONAL ITEMS
Students are discouraged from
bringing personal items of value
(Personal IPOD’s, computer games,
trading cards, etc.) to school.
Students do so at their own risk.
BUS INFORMATION
Please send bus pass money to
school with your child by the 1st of
each month. All cash must be
in a labeled envelope or zip lock
bag. Cheques are to be made out
to Bishop Savaryn School. 10 post
dated cheques may be submitted
for your convenience.
Bus Fees:
- Kindergarten - Free
- Gr. 1-6: $32.00; Family Plan
$28 - (3 or more children)
- Annual Passes are available;
contact the office for more
information
Bus passes must be carried
at all times as bus drivers will be
asking the children to show their
passes at random times during the
month.
If your child’s bus is more than
10 minutes late, please contact
Transportation Services at
780-441-6078.
Yellow Bus Cancellations
The following radio and TV stations
will carry announcements with
respect to transportation
cancellations due to inclement
weather conditions.
RADIO
CHED / CHQT / CISN / JOE FM
CFRN 1260 / THE BEAR / CFMG
CFCW / CBC / MAGIC 99/ CKER
CHFA (CBC FRENCH) / K-97
AM 930 (CJCA) / SHINE FM
MIX 96 (96X)
TV
CITY TV / CFRN /
GLOBAL / CBC
Transportation Services offers detailed information for parents who want to
know more about their child’s bus route. Simply type www.ecsd.net to
access the Edmonton Catholic School District main page where you will find
a link to provide up to date bus information, including delays. Bus passes
will be for sale beginning Sept 8th. Parents are asked to submit 10 postdated cheques for $32.00 each or $320 for an Annual Bus Pass. Please
make your cheques payable to Bishop Savaryn School.
Agenda Books
Please ensure that you check your child’s agenda book every evening as it
is a very valuable tool for allowing your child’s teacher to maintain regular
communication with you. Teachers may write notes to you in the agenda
book or may have the children record important events. Classroom staff will
also check your child’s agenda book everyday in case you
have written a note. If, for example, your child is not to take
the bus on a certain day, writing this in the agenda book will
allow the teacher to ensure that your child remembers at
the end of the day.
Protocol for Parent Concerns
Edmonton Catholic Schools recognizes the freedom of all member of the
school community (students, staff , parents, and neighbors) to voice their
concerns in an appropriate manner to the school personnel. The principle of
“First Contact” needs to be followed. This means that the person(s) who
has the concern has the responsibility to begin addressing the concern directly with those persons with whom they have the concern before taking
their concern elsewhere. If a resolution is not found, then please involve the
school administration. See page 13 of newsletter for more information.
Four Pillars of Our Vision Statement - Bishop Savaryn’s Best Assemblies
We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to embrace our faith in all that
we do throughout our school day. The four pillars of our Vison Statement ,
Learning, Peace ,Joy and Faith will continue to be a big focus for us
this year. Each month, we will also be focusing on the 7 Habits to develop
the LEADER in each and every child from 100Voices to
Grade 6.
Each month, school assemblies will be held to recognize all
students being LEADERS who have BIRTHDAYS that month.
Those students will receive a small token as well as a special
treat following the assembly.
School Celebrations
School celebrations will be held several times throughout the school year.
The dates and times will be outlined on the monthly calendar included in the
newsletters. All parents, younger siblings, grandparents, and community
members are most welcome to attend, as your presence will make our
celebrations that much more special. Please plan to join us on September
30th for our School Opening Celebration Liturgy here in the gym.
SEPTEMBER 2015
Kanga Packs
IMPORTANT INFO
School Hours: 2015-2016
Grades 1 – 6
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.
Entry Bell
Instruction
Recess
Instruction
Lunch Recess
Lunch
Entry Bell
Instruction
8:20 a.m.
8:25 - 10:15 a.m.
10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
10:30 - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 12:20 p.m.
12:20 - 12:40 p.m.
12:40 p.m.
12:40- 2:56 p.m.
*All students will have a 5 minute
break in the afternoon; scheduled
by the teacher
Thursday: Early dismissal at 11:51
a.m.; no school in the afternoon
Effective communication between home and school is vital. Bishop
Savaryn will once again be using “Kanga Packs” to help facilitate
effective communication. We will make every attempt to send all written
communication from the school home in the Kanga Pack every Friday.
Of course, in the case of emergencies or totally unforeseen events, we
will not wait until Friday; we will communicate information to you in a
timely manner. We ask that you return the Kanga Pack on the next
school day (usually a Monday) so that teachers can receive and look
through them for return correspondence from you. To eliminate
confusion for parents who think their child might have forgotten the
Kanga Pack at school, and to promote good habits, it will be sent home
even if there is no correspondence that week. If a student should lose
their Kanga Pack, a $8.00 replacement fee will have to be paid.
School Newsletter
In an attempt to cut down on paper and printing, our
newsletter is paperless for families who are able to read
our newsletter online. A one page monthly newsletter will
still be sent home with the youngest or only child from each family on the
last Friday of the month. The entire newsletter, can be accessed electronically on our website. We hope that each family will keep the newsletter on hand as a reminder of upcoming events. If you cannot access
our online newsletter, please contact the office to ensure that a full
newsletter is sent to you each month.
100 Voices (Pre-Kindergarten)
Lunch at School
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.
All students are invited to remain at school to eat lunch in
their classrooms; eating lunch at school is a privilege and a
convenience for many families. Ensuring the safety of all students
involves the organization and scheduling of grade 5 monitors to
assist the students and requires extra supervision for our staff.
AM Class
PM Class
8:20 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
12:00 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Thursday: No school
Kindergarten
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.
AM Class
PM Class
8:20 a.m. - 11:17 a.m.
11:59 a.m. - 2:56 p.m.
Thursday: No school
Office Hours
Monday through Friday;
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Therefore, appropriate behavior on the part of all students is a condition
of remaining at school for lunch. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank our grade 5 “Lunch Monitors” who provide a wonderful service to
our community.
Meet the Staff Family Barbeque
Thursday, September 24, 2015
This is an important event for parents and teachers to come together to
start building a strong home and school partnership. The focus for the
evening is to provide an opportunity for parents to meet the staff and to
hear about the educational programming at the school. Hope to see you
there!
5:30 pm - Family Barbeque
6:30 pm - Admin/Teacher Presentations
**An order form for the Family Barbeque will be sent home
with your child in the Kanga Pack on September 18th.
September 2015
Cell Phone Policy
IMPORTANT INFO
There will be no school on the
following days:
Thanksgiving Day
Remembrance Day
Christmas Vacation
Oct. 12
Nov. 11
Dec. 21
to Jan. 3
Faith Dev. Day
Feb. 2
Family Day
Feb. 15
Teachers Convention Feb. 25
& Feb 26
Spring Break
Mar 25
to April 3
Victoria Day
May 23
Dismissal times on the
following Thursdays and
Fridays will be switched to
accommodate earlier dismissal
times before the major breaks:
Dec. 17/15 - 2:56 dismissal
Dec. 18/15 - 11:51 dismissal
This school year, 2015-2016, we
have decided to place our School
supplies order through the Edmonton
Catholic School Warehouse to cut
down on the cost for parents.
However, in order for this process
to work, we require all parents to
buy supplies through the warehouse.
Therefore, it was not be provided as
an option. The school supply fee will
be added to the cost of the school
fees; and these can be paid online
during September with a credit card
using your PowerSchool login, cash
or cheque made payable to the
school. See specific class costs.
If your child brings a cell phone to school, they will be asked
to turn it off and give it to the teacher for safe keeping until
the end of the school day. If you need to contact your child,
please do so through the office at 780-456-7837.
Late Arrivals and Early Departures
If students arrive late to school, or need to leave before the
end of the day, please be sure to check in with the office so
that we can ensure the safety of all our students.
Medical Alerts and Dispensing of Medication
All parents and guardians are asked to notify your child’s
teacher and the school office of any medical alerts such as
allergies or asthma. School Board Policy requires that a
form be signed by a doctor indicating the nature and
dispensing instructions for those students taking
medication at school. Unless these forms are filled out by
the prescribing doctor, medication will not be administered to your
child. Forms are available from the school office. If your child requires
an Epi-Pen, inhaler or other medication, it must accompany your
child on all fieldtrips. Unfortunately, without the necessary
medication, students with medical alerts will not be permitted to
attend fieldtrips.
Terry Fox Walk
Twenty nine years ago, Terry Fox started a Marathon of Hope to raise
awareness and money for cancer research. On September 23rd,
École Bishop Savaryn School will commemorate Terry Fox’s achievements by joining in on the National School Run Day. We will be walking around Beaumaris Lake to continue the Marathon of Hope.
School Fees for Grade 1-6 Students
School fees can be paid any time before the end of September.
CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: BISHOP SAVARYN SCHOOL.
Listed below is a breakdown of our school fees, Grade 1-6.
Learning Resource Rental Fee
$50.00
Supplementary (library, cultural events,
technology, printing, art )
$50.00
Agenda Book
$10.00
TOTAL
$110.00
If you are experiencing financial difficulties and require the school to
set up a payment plan for you, please contact the office and we
would be happy to do so.
Fees are expected to be paid by September 30, 2015. Mrs. Stafford
will be sending home a reminder if school fees have not been paid.
SEPTEMBER 2015
School Council
As always, parents are encouraged to take part in their child’s education. It is in through
your contributions as parents that your child’s education really becomes memorable. We
look forward to the continuing support of our parent community through attendance and
participation in School Council meetings.
School Volunteers
The Edmonton Catholic School District and École Bishop Savaryn School recognize and appreciate the many
volunteers in our schools as they form an integral part of our school communities and provide important noninstructional services that assist teachers and staff. Whenever volunteers are working with our students, policies and regulations must be in place to best ensure the safety and well-being of students and to facilitate the
enhancement of the programs being provided.
All volunteers are required to complete a “Volunteer Registration Form” annually and prior to commencing any volunteer activities in the school. Forms can be picked up in our
office.
Parking and Patrols
“Your Children’s Safety over Convenience”
Parents are asked not to park anywhere within the areas that have been marked
with orange pylons. These areas are reserved for bus drop off and children crossing the street. These areas have been marked to ensure the safety of all our students.
Our grade 6 student patrol team patrols the area within those pylons and as such,
their safety and the safety of the children crossing the street must come first.
In addition, we ask that you please respect the driveways of our neighbors and follow the signs that indicate a
school bus or loading zone area.
The parking lot is restricted to STAFF ONLY. Parents dropping off and picking up children that attend
the daycare facility located north of our parking lot are asked to use 109 Street. Children must be taught and
directed by their parents to use the designated YMCA daycare sidewalk. Congestion in the parking lot is very
much a safety concern and as such, traffic in and out of the parking lot will be closely monitored.
Please adhere the School Zone speed limit in effect...30 KM...for everyone’s safety!
Property Taxes
All property owners are encouraged to examine their Tax Notice to ensure that their support is assigned to Edmonton Catholic Schools. If you own a business or are in a business partnership, please check to see that your taxes are being allocated to our district
(partial allocations can also be designated). If there is an error, please contact City Hall
at 780-496-5090.
Kids Plus™ Accident Insurance- For complete plan details, please visit www.kidsplus.ca.
For your convenience, we have made arrangements for families to voluntarily purchase student accident
insurance through the Kids Plus™ Accident Insurance program, underwritten by Industrial Alliance Insurance
and Financial Services Inc.
Kids Plus™ Accident Insurance offers protection against the unexpected costs of injury from accidents, and is
especially valuable for families who:
 do not have medical or dental plans,
 have limited plans, as it may help supplement health and dental benefits, or have active children who enjoy sports and outdoor activities.(e.i. when a tooth gets knocked out)
SEPTEMBER 2015
Fentanyl: A Deadly Drug that is Stronger than Heroin
Fentanyl is a highly powerful medicine made from opioids (chemicals used to treat sudden and ongoing
pain). It’s up to 100 times stronger than other opioids like morphine, heroin, or oxycodone and has been
linked to at least 145 deaths in Alberta since January 2015. Drug dealers often sell fentanyl but say it is oxycodone. Buyers may think they are buying oxycodone, but they are getting another opioid drug that has
Fentanyl and other substances in it. Police warn that a dose the size of two grains of salt can be deadly,
and no amount of the drug is safe.
Here are some resources to help educate you on Fentanyl:
Alberta Health Services - Health Information – Fentanyl ( https://www.ecsd.net/News/Documents/hi-padisfentanyl-faq.pdf )
Alberta Health Services – Fentanyl Information and Resources ( http://
www.albertahealthservices.ca/11357.asp )
Ontario Provincial Police - Officer Safety Alert – Fentanyl ( https://www.ecsd.net/News/Documents/
Fentanyl%20Bulletin%20UPDATE%20FINAL%20CPAT%20135-15_1.pdf )
Message from Archbishop Smith
September 2015
Dear Students, Teachers, Staff and Families,
The first days of a new school year are filled with a great deal of excitement. I welcome our new and
returning students, teachers, and staff to Edmonton Catholic Schools.
The theme for the new school year, Life of Grace...Journey of Love, places before us the love of God.
St. John tells us that God is Love, (1 John 4.16) and it is this Love that allows a conversion of heart
and mind that is directed toward God. I am sure that this beautiful theme will permeate the entire life
of our schools, and allow each one of us to know that God is Love.
Please be assured of my continued prayers for each and every one of you.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton
It’s Here! Student Union Ticket Pack Fundraiser!
We are selling the SUTP COUPON BOOKS this month. Don’t
want to haul around the book? We also have the App for
smartphones! Cost of each book or app is $20 and is filled with
all sorts of money saving coupons!
Proceeds from the sale of the books/apps will go towards various
items such as subsidizing field trip costs and school events like
the pancake breakfast! Information packages have been sent
home to you this week.
Please note: School will get $10 from each sale!