Mon, Nov 25, Day 6

Tues, Nov 26, Day 1

• Scholastic Book Fair arrives

Wed, Nov 27, Day 2

Thurs, Nov 28, Day 3

• PT Conferences 4:00-7:00

Fri, Nov 29 - No classes PT Interviews

Nov 26: Scholastic Book Fair Arrives

Nov 28: Evening PT Conferences

Nov 29: PT Conferences - No classes

Dec 2: Bookfair leaves

Dec 13: Student Faith Day - Face to Face Ministries

Dec 19: Art Walk Evening event Details TBA

Dec 19: Last day of classes before Christmas break

Dec 20: PG day - No classes

Dec 20 - Jan 6, School closed for Christmas holidays.

Jan 6: Classes Resume, Epiphany

Jan 13: New Year's Liturgy

Jan 16: School Council Meeting 6:30 pM.

Jan 17: Educational Assistant's Day

Jan 23: Progress Reports Issued

Jan 27: Coco Brooks and Spolumbo's fundraiser begins

Jan 30: PT Conferences Evening

Jan 31: PT Conferences - No classes

Feb 13-14: Teacher's Convention

Feb 20: School Council Meeting 6:30 PM

Feb 24: Last day for Coco Brooks and Spolumbo's

Feb 26: Pink Shirt Day

It's almost here! Book Fair starts next week in the Music Room. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will have scheduled browsing times for Grades 1-6. Family shopping will take place during Parent Teacher Interviews on Thurs after school and Fri during the day. If you are not coming for interviews, you can still come to shop. If that is not feasible, please let your child's teacher know and we can set up a time for them to shop during school hours. Book Fair gets books into your child's hands and into our Learning Commons! What a win-win! ~Mme Monique

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our School Council executive and our Foundation Executive for their enthusiasm and dedication. A lot of the heavy lifting, fundraising, fun lunch organization, discussion, and parental involvement is done by a small group of dedicated volunteers, and their efforts are truly appreciated. Thanks to all families for their support of recent service projects, coat drive, St. Vincent de Paul and Family Supports. (Details below in Faith Formation section)

Our main vehicle for this work and communication is through monthly school council and foundation meetings. Much of the communication comes through meeting minutes, this newsletter, notes sent home, and word of mouth.

As announced, our playground is scheduled for removal next summer. While we will miss it dearly, this gives us a wonderful opportunity to create a new and exciting playground. I am happy to report that early fundraising and the reassessment of priorities have brought us to around $23,000 raised so far. With recent efforts and school fun lunches, we hope to reach around $30,000 by the end of this school year.

Many hands make light work, and we need everyone's ideas and contributions to make the new playground a reality within the next year or two. Our next school council meeting is scheduled for January 16, and I hope to see some new faces at the meeting. Together, we can create a fantastic new playground for our children to enjoy for years to come!

We have a few extra poinsettias for sale at 13.00 each. If you are interested, please follow the instructions in the image below. All orders should be picked up on Nov 28. You will receive an email reminder next week sometime.

Our school playground is scheduled for removal next summer and as such, fundraising for a new playground is also continuing. Thanks to the efforts of our Education Society (Foundation) we are please to offer the following activities. Your participation will help to grow fundraising efforts to assist with building a new playground here at St. Cecilia.

50/50 Draw

The 50/50 fundraiser is live, https://www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/ffscs-playground

Ticket sales close at midnight on November 26th, open to Alberta residents 18 and over so please share with friends and family! Winner will receive 50% of the total minus rafflebox fees.

Time is running out to purchase your tickets. As of Sat, Nov 23 the jackpot is up to 1300.00. Thanks for your support!!

Dear St. Cecilia Families,

Our Purdy’s Chocolate Fundraiser is wrapping up soon—orders are due this Sunday! ⏳ If you haven’t had a chance to place your order yet, now is the time to stock up on these delicious holiday treats.

Chocolate makes a wonderful gift for friends, family, or even yourself, and all orders will arrive before Christmas break. Every purchase helps us get closer to our goal of building a new playground for our students.

Please click this link to place your order. https://fundraising.purdys.com/1952796-118972

If you have questions or want your order sent home with your child, please contact me at mallorie.peters@gmail.com.

Thank you for your continued support and generosity. Let’s finish strong and make this campaign a success for our school community!

Warm regards,

Mallorie Peters

Parent teacher conferences are coming up this week. Thursday evening and Friday all day, parents are invited to book a meeting to discuss progress.

Please use Conference Manager to book your interview. St. Cecilia Conference Manager

Please consider attending this important event. You may RSVP at this link.

Hello Families,

Did you know November 20th was National Child Day in Canada? It was also World Children's Day, championed by UNICEF to mark the date in 1989 when children's human rights were recognized with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most universally accepted human rights treaty in history.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop to their full potential. The goal of World Children’s Day is to improve child welfare worldwide, promote and celebrate children's rights and is an opportunity for educators, parents, and caregivers to teach children about them.

Please click on the link for more information.

Take Care 😊

https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version

As part of our service projects St. Cecilia staff and students will work on the Jacket Racket winter coat collection. We will also participate in a Food Drive for St. Vincent de Paul between Nov 12 and Dec 12. More information will be forthcoming on the logistics of these service projects.

For the Food drive, we will have a list of desired items. Each class will be asked to contribute to the food drive. Please note that participating in charitable actions and service projects such as these is part of our Catholic Faith and these are learning opportunities for students.

Family Support

As part of our service projects for this school year, St. Cecilia has committed to helping to support several families from the Castleridge Community and John Paul II school.

Catholics are encouraged to give alms during Advent as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. This practice is rooted in the tradition of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which are key components of both Advent and Lent12.

Almsgiving during Advent serves several purposes:

1. Witness to Charity: It is a way to show love and compassion towards those in need, reflecting the fraternal charity that is central to Christian teachings3.
2. Act of Justice: Almsgiving is seen as a work of justice that pleases God, helping to address the inequalities and needs within the community3.
3. Spiritual Preparation: By giving alms, Catholics prepare their hearts and minds for the coming of Christ, both in the celebration of His birth and His eventual second coming2.

This tradition emphasizes the importance of caring for others and living out the values of the Gospel in everyday life.

(Courtesy of MS Co Pilot)

Each year Alberta schools are required to analyze data and make plans for continual school improvement. Our school plan flows from the School District plan and is framed around District Priorities which are; Faith Formation, Student Success, Well Being and Indigenous Education. Our school plan is housed on our school website at this link: Reports & Publications - St. Cecilia School.

Some of the details were presented and discussed at School Council on Thursday evening and I have attached a PDF file of the school plan below. The plan contains data analysis as well as goals and strategies for improvement.

Over the coming weeks I will include snippets of data from our AEM report and Student Voice Survey in this newsletter. Ongoing discussion, analysis will occur at the school level as the school year continues to unfold.

The Calgary Catholic School District and St. Cecilia School collect data from various sources. Each February, parents of students in grades 4, 7, and 10 are asked to complete the Alberta Education Assurance Measure Survey. This survey gathers feedback from students, teachers, and parents on different aspects of education and their satisfaction with each area. The screenshots below summarize the key areas of interest.

For this school year, we had 9 parents complete the survey, 15 teachers and 112 students in grade 4, 5, 6. Survey questions asked respondents to rate certain statements with the following descriptors: Strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree.

PAT data is taken directly from PAT results. Grade 6 students wrote Science and Social Studies PATs in June. At this time, we do not yet know what PATs will look like for this year as Alberta Education has not yet notified school jurisdictions on what PATs will look like. It is clear from our results that improvements are needed. Grade 6 is currently piloting Science and Social Studies curricula this year so this means students will not be writing these subjects. We will notify grade 6 parents as soon as we know more about PATs for this year.

The key information provided in the summary includes:

1. Assurance Domains: The various areas of education assurance being measured, such as Student Learning Engagement, Citizenship, Student Growth and Achievement, Teaching & Leading, Learning Supports, and Governance.

2. Measures: The specific metrics used to evaluate performance within each assurance domain.

3. Current Result, Previous Year Result, and Previous 3-Year Average: The school's performance data for the current year, previous year, and 3-year average.

4. Alberta Current Result, Previous Year Result, and Previous 3-Year Average: The provincial-level performance data for comparison.

5. Measure Evaluation: An assessment of the school's performance, categorized as Achievement (Very Low, Low, Intermediate, High, Very High), Improvement (Declined, Maintained, Improved, Improved-Significantly), and Overall (Concern, Acceptable, Issue, Excellent).

The summary provides a comprehensive overview of the school's performance across various educational domains and how it compares to the provincial averages. This information can be used by the school and education authorities to identify areas of strength, areas needing improvement, and track progress over time.

Areas of Strength:

- Citizenship - The school has a "Very High" achievement and has "Maintained" performance over time compared to the provincial average.

- Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning Environments (WCRSLE) - The school has a high current result of 89.2 and has "Maintained" performance over time.

Areas Needing Improvement:

- Student Growth and Achievement - The school has a "Very Low" achievement in PAT6: Acceptable and has "Maintained" performance over time, which is an area of concern.

- Education Quality - The school has a "Low" achievement and an "Issue" overall performance compared to the provincial average.

Tracking Progress Over Time:

- Many measures show the school has "Maintained" performance over the previous 3-year average, indicating consistent but not necessarily improving results.

- Some areas like PAT6: Excellence have shown "Improved" performance, which is positive.

- Citizenship and WCRSLE have "Maintained" their "Very High" and high performance levels respectively, demonstrating sustained strengths.

- Closely monitoring the Student Growth and Achievement as well as Education Quality measures will be important to track progress in these areas of concern.

Overall, the summary provides a detailed snapshot of the school's performance, highlighting both strengths to build upon and areas that require focused attention and improvement efforts. Tracking progress over time will be crucial to ensure continuous advancement in the school's educational outcomes.

Strong Performance Areas:

1. Safe and Caring: The school scores 90.0%, which is above the provincial average of 87.1%, rated as "Very High" with an "Excellent" overall evaluation

2. Program of Studies: 84.4% compared to provincial 82.8%, rated "Very High" with "Excellent" overall

3. Work Preparation: 83.3%, slightly above provincial average of 82.8%, rated "High" with "Good" overall

Areas of Concern:

1. Lifelong Learning: 60.0% compared to provincial 79.9%, rated "Very Low" with "Concern" overall and showing decline

2. Program of Studies - At Risk Students: 72.5% vs provincial 80.6%, rated "Very Low" with "Concern" overall

3. School Improvement: 70.8% vs provincial 75.8%, rated "Low" with "Issue" overall

Other Notable Points:

- Several metrics show "Maintained" status in the Improvement column, suggesting stability but not progress

- Some metrics (like Diploma Exam Participation Rate and Rutherford Scholarship Eligibility Rate) show "n/a", likely because this is an elementary school

- In-Service Jurisdiction Needs maintains a relatively high score (77.8%) but is marked as an "Issue" overall

The report suggests that while the school excels in providing a safe environment and strong core programming, it needs to address concerns around lifelong learning engagement and support for at-risk students. The relatively low school improvement score indicates a need for more focused improvement initiatives.

The Education Act requires the Calgary Catholic School District to prioritize resources and facilities for resident (Catholic) students. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the advancement of a non-resident (non-Catholic) student from one grade to the next in the same school or from elementary to junior and senior high school.

We do not reassess the enrollment priority of a non-resident student during a school year, but we may do this for a future school year. This may result in us informing you to seek enrollment at a different school in the Calgary Catholic School District or another school division for a future school year.

Please contact me at denis.fortier@cssd.ab.ca or by phone at 403 500 2063, if you have any questions about your child’s enrollment priority.

November 13, 2024

To view the Calgary Catholic Board Meeting Highlights for the Special Board Meeting of November 13, 2024, as well as previous Highlights please access the following link: https://www.cssd.ab.ca/highlights-minutes

November 13, 2024

To view the Calgary Catholic Board Meeting Highlights for the Special Board Meeting of November 12, 2024, as well as previous Highlights please access the following link: https://www.cssd.ab.ca/highlights-minutes

Formed, AKA Netflix for Catholics

All About Shrove Tuesday

My Child's Learning: A Parent Resource

Canadian Parents for French - CPF is an advocacy group whose aim is to promote French bilingual education.

St. Cecilia Student Handbook

K to 12 Education in Alberta: This link gives a broad overview of Alberta's K to 12 education system.

New LearnAlberta Parent Support Website: Contains an overview of grade level topics and is a good place to start for parents who are looking for ways to engage with their child's education.

Programs of Study: Links to K-12 programs of study as well as Tools for Parents.

Please click the links below to view the volunteer orientation and please make sure to complete the acknowledgement forms. These steps are very important in keeping you up to date as a school volunteer.

Volunteer Orientation: https://youtu.be/QaOxx2x3-eM

Acknowledgement Form: https://forms.gle/sDCD7aYau9PTGgSPA

Indigenous Education Links

21 Things You May Not Have Known About the Indian Act

Indigenous Veteran's Day - Nov 8.

The Seven Sacred Laws Animated Web Series

RupertsLand Institute

Indigenous Elder Definition

Action for Happiness Action for Happiness is a great resource to bring more positivity in our lives.

The Summit - The Summit program is an Alberta Health Services program that supports children and families experiencing mental health concerns that need to be addressed. They provide long term counselling as well as walk in’s.

CanLearn Society - A great resource for parents on how to manage mental health issues or concerns in the home.

Healthy childhood development through outdoor risky play: Navigating the balance with injury prevention.

Brief review about outdoor play

The importance of regaining outdoor PA

HealthyHunger.ca Healthy Hunger.

Bullying Prevention Resources for Alberta Government

Links for Playground Donations

For St. Cecilia School students/parents, please click below link to login school fee payment account to make the donation:

https://www.studentquickpay.com/CSSD/Default.aspx

For guest donors, please click below link to login and make the donation:

https://www.studentquickpay.com/CSSD/MyAccount/Main.aspx?webitemid=8670

Aug 26-Sept 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/8n1cr

Sept 9-13, 2024 : https://secure.smore.com/n/at85k

Sept 16-20, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/uaxp4

Sept 23-27, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/kb635

Sept 30-Oct 4, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/kuvsr

Oct 7-11, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/kaxy90

Oct 14-18, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/t5dgy

Oct 21-25, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/knphv

Oct 28-Nov 1, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/d01564

Nov 4 - 8, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/9ntu5p

Nov 11 - 15, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/9qev8

Nov 18 - 22, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/dh3q1

Nov 25 - 29, 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/8fae1