Gabriel's Good News

Welcome to October! As we settle into our second month together, our school calendar naturally reflects the heart of our St. Gabes community—a beautiful mix of faith, gratitude, partnership, and student success.

Faith and thanksgiving sit at the core of everything we do this month. As we enter the Month of the Rosary, we ground ourselves in prayer, culminating in our Thanksgiving Liturgy and lunch on October 8th at 11:30 AM before breaking for Thanksgiving Monday on October 12th. It is a wonderful time to pause and count our blessings, which includes honoring our incredible teaching staff for World Teachers' Day on October 5th.

October is also a critical month for student engagement and academic growth. Open communication between home and school is vital, and we invite you to connect with us during Parent-Teacher Interviews on October 14th & 27th from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Alongside these connection points, staying on top of coursework is essential. With our Drop Out Warning Date on October 23rd, please ensure your child is actively participating; students who fall more than two weeks behind without contacting their teachers face a real risk of removal from classes. We want to work together to keep every student supported and on track.

Thank you for walking alongside us in faith, academic excellence, and shared celebration as we make this second month our best one yet!

Warmly,

Mrs L. Kleparchuk

Oct. 1 - Month of the Rosary

Oct. 5 - World Teachers' Day!

Oct. 8 - Thanskgiving Liturgy 11:30 am, followed by lunch

Oct. 12 - Thanksgiving Monday. School is closed

Oct. 19 - PD Day - School Closed (Referendum Day!)

Oct. 14 & 27 - Parent Teacher Interviews 3:30-6:30 pm *watch for a seprate email link for interviews to come out next week

Oct. 23 - Drop out warning date. If you are more than 2 weeks behind by this point, with no communication to teachers, you are at serious risk of being removed from your classes.

Oct. 30 - Halloween - come to school in a costume and get some treats!

Upcoming in November:

Nov. 9-13 - Fall Break - School closed.

Congrats to Abby L. for being September's Newsletter Winner of a $15 Chapters gift card.

Thank you for taking the time to read about what's happening at St. Gabes each month. Our newsletter is a really important way for you to keep up with what's happening at school.

Each month you can enter our draw for a gift card. The draw will be reset each month so you can win more than once!

Newsletter Draw Link

Did you know that we update our social media accounts on a regular basis? Following us is one of the quickest ways to find out what's going on at school and getting those last minute, emergency updates.

Please follow and share with your friends. We want everyone to know what a great place St. Gabes is!

CONSIDER GIVING ST. GABES A REVIEW!

Please leave us a review on Google or Facebook. It will only take you a few moments but it will go a long way to advertising our program to others in the province. The more students we have, the more robust the programming we can offer. Thank you in advance!

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Parent Teacher Interviews will be on Oct. 14 & 27 from 3:30-6:30 pm. Interviews can be online or in person at St. Gabe's. **Booking link will come out by email next Tuesday, Oct. 6th.

Students are encouraged to attend with their parents/guardians. Adult students are also encouraged to meet with their teachers during this time. There are online meetings available and in-person at St. Gabes.

If you are missing courses in Moodle or PowerSchool, please contact Principal, Lisa Kleparchuk ASAP. Remember to login daily and take time to do your coursework. It's easy to fall behind and can seem overwhelming to catch up. If you do fall behind, please don't quit! Come see us and we can help set up a schedule for you.

Log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal today to update your contact preferences, add additional email addresses, update account details, or link all your students to one account.

*If you would like to receive email notofications when grades are updated this can be done when you "Modify email preferences".

You can also download the PowerSchool Mobile app using our District Code: QNMM. If you need help or access codes, check out our Tip Sheet below or contact the Admin Office at 780-459-6616

St. Gabriel Education Centre and Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools are dedicated to prioritizing mental health for our students, families, and staff.

• Resources & Support: Explore the drop-down menu on St. Gabriel Education Site to access helpful links and mental health tools for yourself and your family.

• On-Site Counseling: Counseling services are available on site at SGEC on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. To set up an appointment or for more information, please contact Mrs. Cierra Mcara at cmcara@gsacrd.ab.ca.

As a reminder, Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place October 4–10. If you are in need of support, you can call the Health Link at 811 or the Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally, you can access a complete list of Mental Health resources at https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page16759.aspx

St. Gabriel Education Centre students and staff took time to remember, listen, learn, and reflect as we recognized the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

By participating in a Four Direction Prayer and placing orange ribbons with messages on the tree outside school served as a visible reminder of the children who were taken from their families, the Survivors, and the lasting impacts of residential schools.

Afterwards we shared in community by having Three Sisters soup and bannock for lunch.

We recognize that Truth and Reconciliation is an ongoing responsibility. May we continue to listen, learn, remember, and move forward with respect, love and understanding.

This year, Catholic Education Week will be celebrated October 17–25, 2026, with the theme The Power of the Holy Spirit, inspired by Romans 15:13.

Throughout the week, St. Gabes will celebrate the gift of Catholic education and reflect on how the Holy Spirit fills our lives with joy, peace and hope. This year will also highlight St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whose joyful faith, service to others and love for Christ offer an inspiring example for our students and families. We look forward to celebrating together as Catholic school communities!

We invite students to reflect on questions such as: Where do you see hope? Where do you see God in the world around you? Then, bring those ideas to life through an original piece of art. Students are welcome to submit artwork in a variety of forms, including drawing, painting, mixed media, collage, printmaking, digital illustration or photography.

The contest will include four age categories: Kindergarten–Grade 3, Grades 4–6, Grades 7–9, and Grades 10–12. Selected student artists from each category will be recognized and honoured at an upcoming Board Meeting.

Interested in participating? Families can email scunningham@gsacrd.ab.ca to let us know their child would like to take part. Art supplies may also be available upon request.

Art submission deadline: November 15, 2026

Learn more about the Radiant Hope Student Art Contest and our Four-Year Faith Theme on the GSACRD website.

We can’t wait to see how our students bring Radiant Hope to life through their creativity!

Our Graduating Grade 12's are ready for this year and we kicked off our first "Seniors" activity with Senior Sunrise on Friday morning. Some of the grade 12's gathered for an early morning sunrise while enjoying Tim Hortons breakfast and hot chocolate/coffee. Thank you to Mr. Breen for coming out to join us very early. Grads watch for more upcoming events over the coming months as we celebrate yoru GRAD year!

As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all students and staff, we would like to inform you that video monitoring and consequently its audio recording, in some cases, may be used on school property, including school buses. For more information please access Administrative Procedure 165 on the division website.