"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)

December 24 Fouth Sunday of Advent (Love)

December 25 Christmas Day

December 23-January 7 - Christmas Break

December 31 New Years Eve

January 1 New Years Day

January 8 Frist Day Back to School

On behalf of all the staff at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May you all be blessed with a safe and joyous holiday season.

St. Lorenzo Ruiz 2023-24 Handbook is now posted on our website under the About tab. Please take a moment to read through as there are some policies and information we think you might find useful in there.

VISION STATEMENT:

Grounded in our faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to all community members to develop a deep, genuine relationship with Christ. Through authentic and lifelong learning experiences, we will inspire personal growth and intellectual development rooted in choice, hands on learning and career pathways.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Our mission is to provide a safe, nurturing, and faith-filled environment where students are encouraged to find their unique voices, share their gifts and talents, and develop resilience in the face of challenges.Through inclusive environments, we empower every student to learn, grow and succeed. We believe in creating a strong sense of community where relationships are prioritized to ensure everyone feels connected and valued.

We have been informed Google has our correct phone number now. We thank you for your patience while they solved the issue. As always, if you need to reach our office for any reason, please contact our main line at 403-406-7365. This is also the number to call should you need to call in your child's attendance. This number is alway available on our website.

URGENT: We are asking for your help, it is imperative that these forms get completed.

You should have received notification that the 2023-24 Student Information Update form was sent to you. This form is MANDATORY and required by Alberta Education. The information in this form must be updated and current. Please pay close attention to medical and legal alerts as these are often out of date and need to be current. The form can be found by logging into PowerSchool on your browser (not available on the app) and clicking on SchoolEngage at the bottom of the menu on the left hand side. Please take a few minutes to complete this form and submit. CHANGES MUST BE SAVED FOR EACH PAGE BEFORE CLICKING NEXT.

STUDENT INFORMATION UPDATE FORMS ARE PAST DUE AND MANDATORY

Important Information: Please use our North parking lot for parking or out front of the school for drop and go if drivers must remain in their vehicles. Please be considerate of our neighbours across the street and leave that parking for residents only.

UPDATE: On Monday, we sent home fee statements to those families with balances owing. Please pay these fees ASAP or call the office to make arrangements to pay as they are past due. We accept cash or cheque at the office or you may choose to pay using a credit card online by following these steps:

To pay online, please log into your Parent PowerSchool account to view your outsanding fees and make your payment online through RYCOR. If you are unsure how to pay using RYCOR, please follow these steps:

1. Visit your school's website and click on the PowerSchool quick link (or use link above).

2. Sign in using your PowerSchool Username and Password. If you have forgotten either/or please contact the school office for assistance with resetting your password.

3. Click on link, "School Fees and Forms", located on the left-hand side.

4. Please follow the instructions provided on the screen when you are taken to RYCOR. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

**RYCOR can only be accessed via PC/Tablet, the program does not work using the PowerSchool app.

The 2023 Christmas Light Tour will take place on December 25th starting at 12 pm. Access the link below for the route maps: https://www.reddeerevents.ca/Events/Details/17902

Enjoy some family fun with snowshoeing at Kerry Wood Nature Centre on December 30th, 2023 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. It is a drop-in event for $3 a person or $10 a family.

Ring in the New Year with some Family Fun! The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is offering a family New Year’s Eve party on Dec 31st from 6pm to 9pm. Tickets are $65/Family of 4 ($5 per additional person). Call 403-341-8614 to purchase tickets.

The Family Resource Network offers great support and services to parents including early child development support, family support, child and youth development support, parent education, and home visitations. Call 1-877-994-5465 (option4) or 403-896-6543 for more info.

Catholic Social Services is offering a group called “Managing Anger Before it Manages You” for youth ages 11-14. Contact Donna Damsgaard to register at 403-347-8844. Registration ends January 29th, 2024 @ 12pm

The Red Deer branch of the Salvation Army is hosting its annual Community Christmas Dinner this Friday, Dec. 22. Dinner will be served from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. or until food runs out. It will consist of ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert. It is free of charge, and is eat-in only. The Salvation Army Church is located at 4837 54 Street.

Youth board game day - December 29th. For more information please see the poster below.

We had a very successful week of basketball this week! Both our Sr. Boys and Sr. Girls won their games against St. Gregory the Great! Our Jr. 2 Boys also won their game against St. Gregory the Great! And both our Jr. Girls 1 & 2 had exciting games against St. Pats and St. Gregory the Great! Our Jr. 1 Boys team had the week off but will be back in action in the new year. Congratulations to all our teams for their effort on the court this week! Home and away game dates and times can be found on our SLR Sports Calendar.

We are still waiting for some volleyball jerseys to be returned and volleyball fees to be paid. If your child played volleyball this season, could you please make sure their jersey is washed and returned to the school and that fees are paid up. We thank you for support.

As always, for anything sports related, please see our SLR Sports Calendar for the most current dates and times. This calendar is updated regularily and is the best way to stay on top of everything SLR sports. If there is ever a change in the schedule, this is where you will find it.

Online ordering for the Eagles Nest Cafe is available at slr.hotlunches.net

Parents can order in advance using this online system. Students are still able to pre-order at the school as well. For more instructions on how to sign up and use the system, please read this letter.

School Council Information

Email: slr.schoolcouncil@gmail.com

The common practice of Radon testing for SLR has now been scheduled for December 8 PD day. Please see the letter for more information.

Winter weather has arrived! We know it can be tricky to convince teenagers to wear their jackets, but we ask that you please remind your children to dress for the weather as outdoor recess does continue through the winter months.

As noted in the signage at our front entrance, to support the safety in and around our school we have indoor and outdoor cameras.

St. Francis of Assisi presents Disney's Frozen Jr. Tickets go on sale January 8, 2024 and showtimes are February 29 & March 1, 2024. For more information, please see poster.

Please see poster for Christmas Mass Times

Here below are documents for the 2023 Red Deer Christmas Light Tour.

Documents

2023 Shortened Route Red Deer Christmas Light Tour.docx

2023 Red Deer Christmas Light Tour.docx

Homestay parents are currently needed for international students. For more information, please see the poster below.