The Good News - November 12, 2023

As Catholic parents and educators, we are reminded daily of the universal call to bring our students to Christ. Choosing Catholic schools for our children is our way to put Christ and His message of peace, hope, and love at the center of all we do and all we are.

We celebrate the partnerships of our parents and parish priests. We continue to be so grateful for the many blessings they bestow on our school community and the support given every day.

Thank you to each and every parent who supports our school community in their own way. Your commitment to working together with our school staff makes a difference every day.

Our parish priests, Father Carlos and Father Abraham continue to lead our community of St. John XXIII in faith and spiritual guidance. There are so many ways they foster the faith journeys of our staff, students and families and we are very blessed for their presence every day.

Monday, Nov. 13

• First day back from Fall Break
• Assembly 12:20, parents are welcome to join us
  
• Lifetouch Picture orders are due today
• PSC Poinsettia order form opens at 10am

Tuesday, Nov. 14

• TPet 3M (am) and 3HG (pm)
• Box of Cards pickup 5-7pm
• Father Abraham visit (gr. 3)

Wednesday, Nov. 15

• KMW Strathcona Wilderness Centre in school presentation, 9:30-11am

Thursday, Nov 16

• KTR Strathcona Wilderness Centre in school presentation, 9:30-11am
• Hot Lunch
  

Friday, Nov. 17

• Gr. 3 Glass Fusion project
  
• Box of Cards pickup 1-4pm

Nov. 18 - First Reconciliation at OLA Church at 2pm

Nov. 19 - First Holy Communion at OLA Church at 2pm

Nov. 20 - Parent School Council Meeting, 6:30pm

Nov. 21 - TPet Gr 4, Picture retakes

Nov. 22 - Earth Rangers Presentation 12:45-1:45

Nov. 23 - NK Strathcona Wilderness Centre

Nov. 30 - Hot Lunch

Dec. 6 - Early Dismissal 2:10

Dec. 7 - NK Strathcona Wilderness Centre

Dec. 8 - PSC Poinsettia Order Pickup 1-3pm & 6-8pm only

Dec. 13 - Hot Lunch, Christmas Concert dress rehearsal

Dec. 14 - Christmas Concert

Dec. 18 - Parent School Council Meeting, 6:30pm

Dec. 22 - Last Day of Classes

Thank you St. John Families for you continued care and diligence to safety in our parking lot during drop off and pick up.

Please continue to make safety, rather than convenience, the top priority.

A gentle reminder of our parking lot protocols:

• *Most important* Please do not allow students to cross the parking lot at any time. Encourage use of the sidewalks adjacent to the lot and crosswalks. Our students are little and are hard to see when people are backing up. Modeling and reinforcing Pedestrian safety is key for young children. It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Our kinders line up beside our parking lot, please do not park in front of the basketball area or double park. There is a sandwich board sign to help remind you not to enter that section. Help us keep all students safe.
• Open parking spaces: These stalls are available on a first-come, first serve basis. Please be conscious of only taking up one stall when parking so that we have as much space available as possible for drop off.
• Park and walk: As has been a familiar practice for most of our SJXXIII families, please make a plan with your child for a meeting spot, park down the street or around the corner. This keeps kids active and safe and greatly reduces the congestion in between the two schools. Some parking is available across the street. Please do not park in a numbered stall as these are reserved for our friends at Win Ferguson.
  

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe.

Thank-you to our grade one team for leading our Remembrance Day Ceremony before fall break. Thank-you to our honoured service guests for your presence and all of our parents and grandparents who were able to join us.

Your child's photo proofs were sent home before the break. Please note that the November 2 due date has been changed to November 13th!

After much safety and security testing, Lifetouch has developed a way for families to access their child’s photo using their student ID number.
Go to our website at www.mylifetouch.ca, click on Student ID and follow the detailed instructions to view and order photos. Your child's student ID is located in PowerSchool, under their name on the main page.

If you have any questions on this ordering process, please call the Lifetouch Customer Care Line at 1.866.457.8212 or access the live chat on our website, www.mylifetouch.ca

Students in the Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten class are welcome to come for picture retakes from 9-9:20 on Tuesday, November 21st.

Please call the office at 780-998-7777 if you have any questions.

St. John XXIII School Council is excited to announce that we are now partnering with Bonnie Doon Flowers Garden Center for our Poinsettia sale. They are happily growing some beautiful Red Poinsettias to help us raise money to support our wonderful school.
Each Poinsettia comes in a 6.5” foil covered pot and stands approximately 18” tall and 16” wide, making them excellent seasonal decorations and festive gifts.

Purchase of the Poinsettias can be made through your child's PowerSchool account, for the cost of $25 each.

The order form opens Monday, November 13, 2023 @ 10am.

The order form closes Thursday, November 30, 2023 @ noon.

Please let your friends and family know about this sale, and you can place their order through your child’s PowerSchool account. Instructions on how to place orders and pay fees in PowerSchool can be found at the bottom of each newsletter and on our website.

Orders must be picked up from the school on Friday, December 8, 2023 from 1-3pm and 6-8pm.

Thank you for your consideration for support.

Michelle McCarthy

Winter Sale Coordinator

Thank you for your participation in this fundraising campaign! Please remember that all funds raised will go directly towards initiatives that benefit the students.

If you have ordered, please check your email (and junk folder) details regarding the following pickup dates:

November 14th - 5 - 7pm

November 17th - 1 - 4pm

Our Lady of the Angels Parish

Celebrations:

First Reconciliation Nov 18th at OLA Church at 2pm

First Holy Communion Nov 19th at OLA Church at 2pm

More information can be found at https://www.olafortsask.caedm.ca/Sacraments

As Family We Walk In Christ's Footsteps

Email: stj@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stj.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9526 89 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-7777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnXXIII
Twitter: @St_JohnXXIII