The Good News - October 22, 2023

Making the moments count, being present, and integrating faith in all we do is clearly evident in every learning space and place at St. John!

In today's Gospel Jesus reminds us of the necessity of giving things their proper importance. In school we do many important things, but we remember that God is of the greatest importance in our lives. Our lives are not about our own work but depend on what God does in and through us.

Our Team SJXXIII continues to follow Jesus, doing God's work every day by rising up to meet students and families where they are at and take them to places they are called to be.

Monday, Oct. 23

• Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45pm
• PSC Meeting 6:30-7:30 ( Google Meet Link)
• TPet Gr 3M
  

Tuesday, Oct. 24

• Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45pm
  
• TPet 3HG
  
• TPet Gr 4

Wednesday, Oct. 25

• Regular Day

Thursday, Oct. 26

• Regular Day

Friday, Oct. 27

• PSC Family Halloween Dance 6-8pm
  

Oct. 30- Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45pm

Oct 30 - Nov. 3 - Book Fair

Nov. 1 - Early Dismissal 2:10, Three Way Conferences 3-6pm

Nov. 2 - Picture retakes, Three Way Conferences 4-7pm

Nov. 3 - Kindergarten Only Three Way Conferences 9-3pm

Nov. TBD - Remembrance Day Celebration

Nov. 5 - Catholic Education Sunday

Parent-Student-Teacher conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 1st from 3:00-6:00 and Thursday, November 2nd from 4:00-7:00. Kindergarten will have additional time slots on Friday, November 3rd. The first 2.5 hours of each night will be in person conferences, and the last half hour will be virtual via Google Meets. Details will be sent home this week.

Your child's Evidence of Learning journey will be shared with this week. We are looking forward to connecting with you and your child to celebrate their learning progress and together, setting learning goals for their future growth.

As the weather gets cooler, please ensure children come dressed and ready to head outside every day! We belive strongly in daily outdoor recess and will head outside rain, snow or shine.

Halloween is approaching and is a very fun time of year for children. Our commitment is to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our students and we appreciate your cooperation. Specific Halloween information will be shared by your child’s teacher on class dojo, but here are a few school-wide Halloween happenings...

1. Students and staff come dressed for the day on Tuesday, October 31st! (M/W Kindergarten will be celebrating on Monday, Oct. 30th) . Please have children come dressed and ready for the day so parents can assist with any makeup or tricky costume pieces at home before school.

2. Students who are dressing up are asked to keep costumes school appropriate (not too scary or gory) and leave any weapons at home. We have very little people at Saint John XXIII and we want Halloween to be a positive school experience for all.

3. There will be a "Halloween Parade '' together in the gym. It will begin with Pre - K and end with Grade 4 for the students to share their costumes with our school friends.

4. Individual classes will be doing their own Halloween activities during the afternoon.

Thank you parents for your continued support and for helping us infuse JOY for our kids! It's going to be "spooktacular"!

School Council is very excited to host our annual Halloween dance once again!

Friday, October 27, 2023

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Please join us for dancing and a great time for the whole family. Snacks, drinks and glow-sticks will be available to purchase. Tickets are $5 per individual and families of 4-10 people are $20 (immediate family only). Tickets are on a first come, first serve basis so that we can adhere to our safety capacity regulations.

Tickets will be available to purchase through PowerSchool from Monday, October 10th to Monday, October 23rd at NOON. .

We look forward to seeing you at the dance!

Please see the link at the bottom of the newsletter for instructions on how to purchase your tickets through PowerSchool.

We’re excited to announce that the ability to submit student absences is now available in PowerSchool!

Please refer to the EICS Parent Technology Handbook for instructions on how to report you child's absence, early departure, leave & return or multiple day absences.

This EICS Parent Handbook contains details on many other PowerSchool functions, such as viewing grades and report cards, paying fees, and updating student information (including medical information).

Our Elk Island Catholic Schools IT department is continuing to work on implementing additional features, so keep an eye out in our Smores for future updates!

Please also notify your teacher with a Dojo message or a note sent with your child.

For any last minute Early Departures, please call the office before you arrive so we can make arrangements for your child to come to the office for pick up.

School fees have been applied to your child's account in PowerSchool.

You can pay on-line with a debit card or credit card. However, if you wish to pay by cash (exact change only) or cheque, please send it to the school office (make cheques payable to Elk Island Catholic Schools). If you have other questions or require assistance with the online payment, please refer to the link at the bottom of this newsletter, and contact our school at 780-998-7777 if you need further assistance.

If you are experiencing financial hardship please review the fee waiver here or contact the principal, Mrs. Kristine Willis Dengler at 780-998-777 to arrange a meeting.

Our Lady of the Angels Parish

We are so blessed to be able to have our school and parish work together to walk with you and your child on their Sacramental Journeys. Father Carlos and our Sacramental Prep team will be offering Sacramental Prep classes at St. John XXIII after school from 3:15 - 3:45 on the following dates:

First Holy Communion Prep Classes

October 23, 24 30 at the school following dismissal (3:00pm)

Teaching Mass and short Adoration

November 1 at 6:30pm ( At OLA Parish) -

All children are required to attend O.L.A. parish on November 1 at 6:30pm for a tour of the church and adoration. Parents are expected to stay that evening as well.

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

E-mail registration forms to: olangels.ftsask@caedm.ca (We accept e-transfer of fees to the same email address.)

What is SkipTheDepot? A door-to-door bottle collection service that makes refundable recycling and fundraising easier than 1, 2, 3.

1. Download the app, create an account and book a pickup using the QR code to the right or this link: https://app.skipthedepot.com/eicssjxxiii
2. Place your bags outside (don't forget to label them with your account #)
3. Receive a refund or donate to us! (on the last page of creating your scheduled donation pickup, you can select our school account)

SkipTheDepot will allow everyone to donate directly to our school with ease. Spread the word by sharing our SkipTheDepot posts on social media!

*For future reference, please go to our website under School Council, for the link and instructions on how to support St. John XXIII and PSC through Skip the Depot. .

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