st. gabriel newsletter

ST. GABRIEL
NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents/ Guardians,
A Thanksgiving Prayer
Oh, God, when I have food
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work, help me
to remember the jobless;
When I have a warm home,
help me to remember the homeless;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer;
And remembering, help me
to destroy my complacency
and bestir my compassion.
Make me concerned enough
to help, by word and deed,
those who cry out
for what we take for granted.
~ Samuel. F. Pugh
"For I was hungry and you gave Me food,
I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was a
stranger and you welcomed Me..."
- Matthew 25:35
We are blessed to return to a wonderful school
community; we have the best students, staff
and parents. This is a new beginning. September was a month of learning about one another
and developing our school and classroom communities. A special welcome goes out to all of
the families and students who are new to our
school.
You may have noticed changes within the hallways and classroom. As we are an International
Baccalaureate candidate school, the staff is creating calm and soothing environments in which
the brightest creations and displays are produced by our children. The school building becomes the palate upon which our students’
hearts and minds are reflected. Even these initial changes have been greeted with smiles from
the student. Watch for more as the year progresses!
To all you and yours, have a blessed and loving
Thanksgiving.
Elizabeth Evaristo
Principal
Eileen Loughlin
Assistant Principal
ADMINISTRATION
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANTS
Principal
Elizabeth Evaristo
Assistant Principal
Eileen Loughlin
Administrative Support
Nancy Tremblay
Debra Maric
Maureen McElhatton
Noemia Ferreira
Marianne Lokmer
TEACHING STAFF
Gurjeet Lotay
100 Voices am
Julie McDonald
Norma Currie
Kindergarten
Connie Mackney
Vanessa Vanderkooi
Grade 1
Lisa Kantypowicz
Grade 2
Darlene Blanchette
Grade 3
Eileen Whelan
Grade 4
Alexandra Brodie
Tina Frocese
LPN
Grade 5
Nancy McNeil
Amy Bishop
Behavioral Specialist
Grade 6
Vivian Coulombe
Dawn Parker
Early Learning Facilitator
EE 1
Gail Frost
Learning Coach
Lisa Yaworski
OTHER STAFF
CUSTODIAL STAFF
Marian Mroczek
Elizabeth Ziembiki
SCHOOL HOURS: 2015-2016
GRADES 1—6
First Bell
8:25 am
Instruction begins
8:30 am
AM Recess
10:15 am—10:30 am
Lunch Break
Dismissal
12:00 pm—12:40 pm
3:00 pm
EARLY DISMISSAL
Thursday 12:00 noon
100 VOICES
Instruction begins
8:30 am
Dismissal
11:38 am
NO CLASSES THURSDAY
KINDERGARTEN
Instruction begins
8:30 am
Dismissal
11:15 am
Allergy Sensitive School
Please be aware that we have several students with a variety
of severe food allergies that can be deadly. We ask that students not share food during recess or lunchtime. We appreciate your support in being aware and refraining from sending
high allergy products. E.g. peanut or nut products.
SCHOOL FEES
Grade 1 –6
$100.00
Kindergarten
$110.00
Fees can be paid at the office or on line as soon as
possible.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus Passes
$32.00
Family Plan
$28.00
Please remember that bus passes
have to be paid for by the 10th of
each month.
FRIDAY ENVELOPES
All communication from the school and community will be placed in this envelope and brought home on Fridays. Please have your child return the empty
envelope to their homeroom teacher on Monday. There will be a replacement
cost of $2.00 for lost envelopes.
SCHOOL PICTURES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015.
Once the proofs are returned to you, please return completed envelope by the due date to avoid a surcharge. If you are not satisfied
with the picture proofs you received from the original picture day,
retake day is November 13, 2015
Read-In Week
Theme: Tell Me Your Story
During the week of Oct 5-9 many guests from our community will
be reading to the students. We also invite parents to come and
read to our students. Our guests will be reading in the library
and in the classrooms. The classroom schedules will be altered because of these events during this exciting week. We hope to see
many parents and special visitors in the school next week.
Thank you to Miss Brodie, Ms. Tremblay, and Mrs. Yaworski for
organizing a great week of reading.
Thank you Seedling to Stump!
A BIG thank you to Seedling to Stump Tree and Garden Services for donating
mulch for St. Gabriel’s gardens.
To learn more about this generous company, check out their website at
www.seedlingtostump.com or call them at 780-637-9680 or 780-297-1162.
THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION
We will gather as a school community to celebrate Thanksgiving
in our gym on Friday, October 09th at 9:45 a.m. We warmly welcome all parents, guardians and grandparents as we
express our gratitude for our many blessings.
COLLECTION FOR THANKSGIVING
We will be collecting food for Mother Teresa School Food Bank before, during and after the
Thanksgiving celebration. Please send your non-perishable items to your child’s homeroom.
Thank you for your support and contribution.
Message from the Pastor – September 2015
Assumption and Resurrection Parishes
The community of schools affiliated with Assumption and Resurrection Parishes are: St.
Gabriel and St. James Elementary Schools, St. Kevin Junior High School and Austin O’Brien High School.
These schools not only have a group of dedicated teachers and staff, but an entire faith
community of parents and parish members from Assumption and Resurrection Parishes
that round out a dynamic Catholic partnership! As partners in nurturing the faith, the
school and the parish works together in a close partnership.
Please check our website at http://arparish.ca for Mass times and upcoming events. If
you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the office at 780-4684071.
Have a blessed school year!
Father Mitch Fidyka
Pastor: Assumption and Resurrection Parishes
Parish Contact Information
Pastoral Assistant: Janet Campbell (780-468-4071) or email: [email protected]
PREPARING FOR THE SACRAMENTS
The mission of sacramental education for Eucharist (First Holy Communion), Reconciliation (Confession) and Confirmation – is to ensure that the sacraments are pivotal
events for all Catholic children. As such, the community of faith (the parents, the parishes and the Catholic schools) is entrusted with this responsibility.
NOTE: it is never too late to have your child receive these sacraments. If your son or
daughter is in Junior or Senior High School and you would like them to be involved …
please contact the parish office for registration forms and individual programs can be
provided.
For more information and registration forms for any of these Sacraments please
contact the office at 780-468-4071 or contact Janet or Nora at [email protected]
Free The Children's We Day
Many of the Grade 6 students from St. Gabriel School will be travelling to Calgary on Tuesday, October 27th to participate in the We Day event. We Day is the movement of our time –
a movement of young people leading local and global change. This event promises to be a day
of celebration and inspiration. We look forward to the Grade 6 class leading the school in activities inspired by this day.
The We Day movement lives online at www.weday.com. This is an online hub dedicated to educating engaging and empowering a generation of socially-conscious youth. We invite parents
and students to go on line to learn more about this movement.
St. Gabriel is going outdoors –
Come and join us!
.
Thus far, our fall weather has been great. It has allowed the students to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
Grade 3 – 6 students participated in the annual cross country run in Hawrelak Park on September 22,
whilst the entire school participated enthusiastically in the Terry Fox run on October 01, with both days
having agreeable weather.
The grade one , two and four students are harvesting their food garden. The potatoes were small, but
there were many! It has been a fun learning journey for them and now the decision is being made as to
what to do with the harvest. We look forward to possibly tasting the produce!
We always welcome more hands. We wish to thank Jill Schlender and Mrs. Rice for volunteering to keep
the garden and front flowerbeds in good shape. Jill is now taking on other roles and we invite parents/
guardians or grandparents to volunteer to support our school garden. This project is so pivotal in allowing our children to understand just how the earth and climate work, as well as making St. Gabriel great!
Please contact Mrs. Evaristo if you would like to help out.
Did you know?
“School gardens positively impact children's learning and behavior.”
(Source: Children and Nature Network: http://www.cnaturenet.org/)
On Thursday, Oct. 1 St. Gabriel students and staff walked/ran along with many schools throughout Alberta, Canada and the world in support of the Terry Fox Run. Each child donated a ‘Toonie for Terry’
and wore a sticker naming the person to whom they were dedicating their run. The students’ energy
was palpable and the excitement was contagious. Terry’s courage and sacrifice is a model for all of us!
Once our donations are all counted, we will report the final total in the next newsletter. Thank
you for your support during this event!
BROADCAST NEWS
The St. Gabriel Broadcast Crew is pleased to present the morning broadcast every morning at
8:36 a.m., live to each classroom. Parents are invited to view the broadcast on the main hallway T.Vs. Broadcast begins each morning with a student-led prayer followed by the Our Fa-
ther. Student birthdays are announced as well as the weather for the day. School events are
reviewed each day. The students also have a scrolling bulletin board that features the events
in and around the school for the next two weeks. This use of hands-on student run technology
is in keeping with Edmonton Catholic School District’s goal of promoting 21st Century learning
practices. We hope you can stop by to view our broadcast! We thank our Grade 6 students
and Ms. Loughlin for their leadership.
SKATING
Skating lessons are fast approaching. The grades one, two and three students will each receive four lessons. Due to the limited rink time at the Michael Cameron arena, each class will
have one lesson in the afternoon and three in the morning.
Grade One
Grade Two
Grade Three
Fri. Oct. 16
9:15 – 10:00
Wed. Oct. 14
1:00-2:00
Wed. Oct. 21
1:00-2:00
Fri. Oct. 16
10:00-10:45
Fri. Oct. 16
10:45-11:30
Wed. Oct. 21
1:00 – 2:00
Fri. Oct. 23
9:15-10:00
Fri. Oct. 30
9:15-10:00
Fri. Oct. 23
10:00-10:45
Fri. Oct. 30
10:00-10:15
Fri. Oct. 23
10:45-11:30
Fri. Oct. 30
10:45-11:30
Parent volunteers are essential to make these lessons work. Please let your child’s teacher
know by checking the volunteer box in the fieldtrip form. Each class will leave the school 3035 minutes prior to lessons. Many hands make light work…and laces tied quickly!
In order to participate in these lessons, students will need a pair of skates (please sharpen)
and a CSA certified hockey or skating helmet (sorry, no bicycle helmets). As well, we suggest
a sturdy bag to carry the equipment to and from the arena (no plastic bags). Please note that
students will be walking approximately three blocks to the arena.
If you do not have skates or a helmet, please let your homeroom teacher know as soon as
possible. We have access to rental skates and a few helmets. Please check to make sure your
child’s skates still fit!
Seniors Caring about Seniors
Seniors Caring About Seniors is looking for dedicated, committed, enthusiastic and compassionate
volunteers who want to donate their gift of time to make a difference in the community by helping a
senior and becoming “our community cares about seniors “Volunteer”.
SSCAS is looking for volunteer drivers (gas expenses reimbursed), office , board members and
service providers (earn a little extra cash) for housekeeping, snow/yard etc. Your volunteer
time is tailored around your schedule, if you are enthusiastic individual wanting to make a difference in a seniors life please call 780-465-0311 or email [email protected].
Once again thanks for your support and have a great year.
Val Dash
Executive Director
Music Studio
We are happy to announce that a music studio has moved upstairs in St
Gabriel School. Wendy Chorley (780.916.2086, [email protected]) and
Hetty Jagersma (780.242.1785, [email protected]) both offer Music for Young Children group keyboard classes during the week. There
are both morning and afternoon classes available for Sunbeams 1
which is a great class for kindergarten age students. Please email or
phone for more information or to join a class.
CROSS COUNTRY RUN
The St. Gabriel Elementary School Running Club participated in the Annual Cross Country Run
at Hawrelak Park on September 22nd. In the week prior to the run, 55 grades three to six
Run Club members practiced at lunch, stretching in the gym and then running in the school
field. On the big day, with excitement and a few nerves, students ran in different age categories around Hawrelak Park! The students did extremely well, with some students placing in
the top ten in their age category! Congratulations to all of the runners for your enthusiasm
and effort! You did St. Gabriel proud! Thanks also go to Miss Blanchette, Mrs. MacDonald and
Mrs. Yarworski for your coaching and encouragement.
Edmonton Police Service
Southeast Division
104 Youville Drive East N.W.
Edmonton, AB T6L 7H6
Dispatch Line 780-423-4567
www.edmontonpolice.ca
On Friday, October 31, hundreds of
children will be trick-or-treating. To help
ensure the safety of you and your loved
ones, please follow the tips below:
For Children:
For Parents:


Carry a flashlight so you can see and be
with a group of friends.
seen in the dark.


Trick-or-treat on one side of the street,

reflective strips to dark costumes so children
street.
can be seen by drivers.
Go out with an adult. Older children should

Never go into a strange house or car, or


Only trick-or-treat in your own
Give children an early meal to discourage
them from sampling their candies before you
can check them.
Have your parents check your treats
before you eat any.
Make-up is better than a mask. A mask with
small eye holes makes it hard to see.
accept treats from a person in a car.

Make or buy light coloured costumes or add
then the other. Never criss-cross the
go in groups.

Go with your children or make sure they go

Throw out any candy or treat that appears to
have been opened or is unwrapped.
If you see any suspicious or illegal activity, please call the
Edmonton Police Service immediately. Together, we can make
Halloween fun, exciting, and most importantly, safe!