Shining Bright @ Madonna!

As we step into this new year together with Christ, we offer you a powerful prayer to help up follow in Christ's footsteps and live our lives in the way God calls us to live.

STEWARDSHIP PRAYER

Almighty God, I give thanks

for all that I have and all that I am.

Most of all I give thanks

for the great gift of Your son, Jesus.

I pray that I may be a good steward –

that I will follow faithfully,

serve joyfully, give generously,

live responsibly, and possess sensibly.

In gratitude for the abundant gifts

You have so graciously given me,

I return to You

the first fruits of these gifts,

through acts of service, and

by generously sharing

all that You have entrusted to me.

Heavenly Father, by Your Holy Spirit –

give me knowledge and understanding.

Help me to be a gift to others in

Your name.

Amen.

Thank you for choosing Catholic Education and joining the Madonna Catholic School community!

The staff at Madonna Catholic School are beyond excited to welcome your precious children back to school! We look forward to "lighting up" when we see them, celebrating new learning and growing together!

Let's GLOW far and wide in 2024!

See you Soon & God Bless,

Mme Gravelle

Principal

January

8- Monday

• Welcome Back!
• Epiphany Assembly at 9 AM. All are welcome to attend!

9-Tuesday

• Grade 4 Art Club

• MCS Prayer Club during first recess
• Early Dismissal at 2:13 PM
  
• Spirit Day: Hat Day
• Virtual Parent Council Meeting at 7 PM : meet.google.com/dhr-qzkx-wgw

• Teacher's in Collaborative Team Meeting to discuss assessment practices & prepare for progress reports coming home at the beginning of February.
• Cinderella Musical Theater Production at 1:30 PM.

• Hot Lunch for those who ordered

• Bottle Drive @ MCS 10am - 2pm

Due to the cold weather, our Grade 4 bottle drive was postponed. Please stay tuned for our next date! We appreciate your understanding and flexibility!

Toy & Bingo Games Night

Donations Needed

If you have any New --> Toys, Crafts, Household Items, Games, Ladies spa items, etc that can be used as prizes for Toy and Bingo Night, please send them to the school with your child. ASAP. Every donation is appreciated!

If you own a business and would like to make a donation for a Raffle item, please contact one of the Committee Chairs and she will assist you.

Shannon at rsrmurray@gmail.com or 780-999-7769

Thank you to 30 Minute Hit, Baseline Village Dental Hygiene, Choco-licious, Save On Foods Baseline Road and The Thompson Family for your confirmed donations!

Yes! We are still hunting for someone to join our team in this role!

Through consultation with our Parent Community and our staff, we are ready to launch our Nutrition Grant and expand upon our Grab & Go Breakfast program!

Funded by our Nutrition Grant, Madonna Catholic School is seeking a Temporary Cafeteria Assistant to lead the expanded Grab & Go Breakfast Program.

Hours per week: 6 hours

Pay rate: $19.76/hour

Duties include: Ordering/shopping for food and snacks, organizing and planning meals, distributing/collecting food items, proper preparation, cooking and storing of food

Schedule: Meals and snacks are to be warm and ready for approximately 8:30am. The schedule is flexible and adaptable upon discussion with the successful candidate. The tentative and basic schedule is:

• Mondays: prepare/cook breakfast foods for distribution Tuesdays and Thursdays, order/shop/pick up food, organize grab & go breakfast snacks for distribution that day - 3 hours.
• Tuesdays: Heat prepared food, distribute/collect, clean, prepare Grab & Go snacks for next day - 1.5 hours
• Wednesdays: Grab & Go Snacks (no hours)
• Thursdays: Heat prepared food, distribute/collect, clean, prepare Grab & Go snacks for next day - 1.5 hours
• Friday: Grab & Go Snacks (no hours)

Knowledge of food/storage preparation and experience working in a public food preparation setting is an asset. This position commences immediately upon onboarding of successful candidate and ends June 25, 2024.

For any questions you are invited to connect with Mme Gravelle or Miss Podoborozny at the school. To express your interest and/or apply, please email mcs@eics.ab.ca with your contact information

One of the many ways we prepare Madonna Catholic School for work life beyond school = career development includes creating Junior Career Training in April! We will be calling on parents to offer 4 X 1 hour sessions to build and develop new and specific skills. Stay tuned for more information. If you have any questions, please give us a call at the school!

Registration for

Mainstream Kindergarten to Grade 4 programs

&

COGITO Kindergarten to Grade 4 programs

opens February 1, 2024!

Thank you for being a Madonna Catholic School Ambassador and sharing far and wide how awesome our school community is. Remember, you are one of the many reasons why we are so awesome!! 💗 Thank you for welcoming others to join our Faith family!

Madonna Catholic School Open House!

New Families interested in joining Madonna Catholic School are invited to our January 30th Open House - Bring a Friend! This Open House will be during the day and you will be able to see and feel our faith filled school environment it all it's joy and Glory! Call 780-467-7972 to arrange a time, so simply come by. We are delighted to showcase our amazing school!

Registration for all Mainstream & COGITO Kindergarten to Grade 4 programs

open February 1, 2024.

February 22nd - Parent Information Evening for Mainstream & COGITO Programs

Mark Your Calendar and stay tuned! More information to come! This will geared for all families interested in joining MCS in either the Mainstream or COGITO Programs.

We are happy to answer any questions! Call, email or forward this S'More to all those wanting more information.

Families already enrolled at Madonna Catholic School do not need to register again - you're in!

If you are thinking about switching programs, thank you for contacting the Leadership Team at Madonna Catholic School - Mme Gravelle or Miss Podoborozny.

With the cold weather coming, what is the plan for MCS students?

1. Fresh air and opportunities for free creative play outdoors are vital for optimal learning and wellness.
2. Children are expected to dress warmly with winter gear that includes boots, snow pants, winter jacket, mittens/gloves, hat/touque as recesses will continue to be outside.
3. Children will be outside for their regular recesses up to -25 degrees Celsius or -25 Windchill.
4. In the event there are several sequential days of -25 degrees Celsius or colder, school leadership may facilitate reduced outdoor recess times.

Learning begins at 8:38am and those 5 minutes are critical for children to ease into their day and connect with their friends and teachers.

Our next School Council Meeting (virtual) will be Wednesday, January 10 at 7:00pm.

It's an early dismissal day, with a school spirit theme of "Hat Day!"

See you then! We have big things planned for 2024! Come and join the fun!

Did you know that when you shop at Save On Foods on Wye Road and you bring your receipts to Madonna Catholic School, we receive a % of the purchases? Last year this fundraiser raised $1185!!!

Did you know that it also works on 15% off Tuesdays?

Did you know that Save On Foods will also Ad Match any advertised price?

Shop @ Wye Rd Save on Foods, save money & support Madonna Catholic School!

This season, fundraising for Madonna Catholic School is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free fundraising app.

We earn cash back on every purchase we make all year long! All you have to do is shop anytime with the brands you already love, like Home Depot, Walmart, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy, Apple, Esso, and Loblaws. No more going door-to-door selling chocolate bars - it’s completely virtual and contactless.

There is no cost to parents or anyone that uses it (other than their own online purchases). Literally, by logging into the website and/or app, choosing your store and shopping, Madonna will receive a percentage of each purchase. There are many stores and services to choose from – even purchasing gift cards through this site earns the school rewards!

Join our team now and you’ll get a $5 bonus the first time you shop: https://flipgive.app.link/teams/join?joincode=WK2MXH

Or enter this code: WK2MXH

Login in online or download the FlipGive App. To start earning, search your favorite store through the app. Your purchase will earn our school money.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Mahoney at kim@acappellacatering.com.

The first bell for children to enter school is at 8:33am.

When children are able to enter into their day following the gentle routines they are used to, children step into learning peacefully and calmly which sets their day up for success.

Thank you for your help ensuring your child arrives on time.

We are here to help. If it's a struggle to arrive on time, please feel free to reach out to the school leadership team, or our Family Wellness Worker, Mrs. Norrie.

Sunday Mass: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 7:00 PM.

If parents have any questions, they can also contact the church by phone 780-467-5470 or email sacraments@olph.ca

Thank you to those parents who volunteered to supervisor the MCS Students! A joyful and cheerful staff lunch was enjoyed!

January:

15th - Adoration Mass @ 9:30 AM

16th - All Kindergarten Students on Prairie Garden Field Trip

17th - Kindergarten Student on Prairie Garden Field trip

26th - Bingo Night for all Families @ 6:30 PM

29th - Start of Alien In-Line Skating Week

30th - MCS Open House during the day

31st - No School (Staff PD Day)

February

1st - Registration for 2024-25 Opens

2nd - Progress Reports available on Power School

2nd - 2L Teacher Pet Field Trip