Happy Halloween and welcome November! It's hard to believe that we're already 2 months into the school year and wow . . . a lot has happened in 2 short months!

Of course, November also means that we're 8 weeks into our coursework. Staying on task with your work is really important. We are flexible at St. Gabes but it's important to keep up with the course outline as posted in Moodle or on Google Classroom. Please reach out to your teachers if you need help with getting caught up. Students who fall more than 2 weeks behind in their coursework can face being withdrawn from their courses. We have put some fun initiatives into place to help support students with their learning.

• Monday Morning Coffee and Donuts Connection
• Catch Up Days each month with pizza lunch
• Career Workshops - our first one is on writing cover letters and resumes

See below for more information about all of these exciting new opportunities!

We have a lot of important events in November so please read through the newsletter and let me know if you have any questions.

Many Blessings!

Renee Trottier

principal

Oct. 31 - Halloween - Please dress up and come in to get a treat!

November 1 - No School for students.

November 2 - Parent Teacher Interviews 5:30-8:30

Nov. 3 - Student withdrawal date - if you're behind at this point you risk being withdrawn from your courses

Nov. 4 - Turn your clocks back (time changes on Nov. 5)

Nov. 3 - 11:00 - Remembrance Day service at school.

Nov. 6-10 - Fall Break

Nov. 11 - Remembrance Day

Nov. 13-17 - First day back to school and we recognize Metis week this week

Nov. 14 - School Council Meeting at 6:30 online

Nov. 16 - 10:00 - Cover Letter and Resume writing session at school

Nov. 16 - We will close at 5:00 today so your teachers can get to a conference they're attending

Dec. 1 - PD/Staff meeting day. School is closed

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. I reset the draw each month so you can win more than once!

October's winner is Sue Donovan! Congratulations! Please stop by the school for your gift card

https://forms.gle/kx5u8TWpSDKAw8Jn8

Thank you to everyone for your patience and grace as we moved and settled into our temporary location at Ecole Father Jan. We are very happy so far and we have a lot more room than we had before. Our address is 15 Mission Avenue, St. Albert.

This is just a temporary space for us while they renovate our permanent home at Holy Family School. We will keep you updated as to when that move will happen.

1. Check in - Always check in at the office - sign in with our QR code. This is for students and guests.

2. Check out - Always check out again before you leave.

It's important that we know who is in the building for safety reasons. If there is a lock down or evacuation, we need to be able to identify who is at school so that we can help to keep you safe.

3. Do not wander into areas of the school that aren't part of St. Gabe's. Our division office employees are working in other classrooms and offices in the building and we do not want to disturb them.

4. Parking - DO NOT park in the staff parking lot to the east of the school. You will be asked to move your car. You can park in the public parking lot across the street, in front of the school on the street, at the tennis court parking lot, and on the side streets.

5. Washroom facilities - we have 2 washrooms dedicated for student use close to our common room. There are student washroom signs on the doors. Do not use the staff washrooms that are closest to the front office.

6. Bring your own reusable water bottle. We now have a water bottle filling station in the hallway.

We encourage all students to dress up for Halloween on October 31. Please remember that costumes should be tasteful. Avoid excessively violent, gory, scary or culturally insensitive costumes or costumes that are overly revealing. Feel free to ask me if you're in doubt. There will be prizes for students who dress up!

Parent Teacher Interviews will be on Nov. 2 from 5:30-8:30. The link will close on Nov. 2 in the morning. Interviews can be online or in person at St. Gabe's. Students are encouraged to attend with their parents/guardians. Adult students are also encouraged to meet with their teachers during this time.

https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/8r3cw

If your child has an IPP, you will have received an email from a server with the title, "dossier gsacrd . . ." (check your spam folder). You can sign your IPPs digitally now. If you are experiencing difficulties doing this, please book a time with Mrs. Trottier on Nov. 2 during interviews and I can help trouble shoot this process with you. If Nov. 2 doesn't work for you, please let me know and we can find another time.

Adult students (over 18) we're still working on a digital way to have you sign your IPPs. Please stay tuned.

Join us in person or online for our Remembrance Day liturgy on Friday, Nov. 3 at 11:00. Please use trottierclass as your Google meet code if you would like to join virtually.

Our next school council meeting is on November 14 at 6:30.

We are in need of a parent volunteer to be the secretary for our meetings. It's not a big job and can be done during the meeting. Most of our meetings are only an hour long. Meetings are once/month except for December and June. You can find the link to the meeting on the agendas which are posted on our website, or email Renee Trottier at rtrottier@gsacrd.ab.ca for the link. We're happy to have all parents and guardians join us, even if you can't commit to coming each month.

A school with a School Council is a strong, productive and viable school!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Food Drive for Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples. We will be doing another drive for them in the spring in conjunction with our student retreat.

Our school clothing store is now closed. All clothing orders will be sent to the school in about a month for pick up.

Junior High students - remember that you are expected to join classes on time for prayer and announcements. Attendance in junior high is mandatory for all classes.

High School students - Please remember the following procedures for exam writing:

• No devices like phones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.
• No backpacks or purses
• No hoodies or jackets
• Clear bag policy - bring any supplies you may need in a clear bag

As well, remember if you are caught plagiarizing your work (this includes copying from another student) you will be expected to redo the material and if you are under 18, your parents will be contacted.

Please take a few minutes to go over our student handbook so that you are aware of our procedures.

We no longer print and send home report cards. Marks are all recorded in PowerSchool on a continual basis, including comments if necessary. Parents and students are expected to check PowerSchool regularly.

Students - You can access PowerSchool using your student email and password.

Parents - If you don't have a parent PowerSchool account, please contact Principal Renee Trottier. You will need an access ID and Password from the school in order to set up your account. You can add all of your GSACRD children on one account.

The PowerSchool App - Did you know there is an app for PowerSchool? It's super easy to use. Once you've set up your account, download the PowerSchool App from your phone's app store. When it prompts you for our district code, type in QNMM.

Note - parents, you must set up your account from a computer first. After that, you can access your account from your phone or the app.

MyPass is an Alberta Education secure self-service website for Alberta students to:

• View and print diploma exam results
• Register to write a diploma exam
• Order high school transcripts
• View progress towards a credential (diploma or certificate)
• View and print a Detailed Academic Report (DAR)
• Order additional copies of an awarded credential
• View student personal information

Link to MyPass: https://public.education.alberta.ca/PASI/myPass

On Nov. 1 we celebrate All Saint's Day and on Nov. 2 we celebrate All Soul's Day. Both of these days are important days where we remember those who came before us and we ask them to intercede for us in our prayers.

Check out these short and fun videos to learn more about the Saints.

Don't forget to check out our "Mental Health and Wellness" section on our website for wellness ideas, tips, resources and sessions that are being offered. Click on "community supports" for information about services in St. Albert and area to support you or your family.

Mrs. Webb is available on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays at St. Gabes to help you with all sorts of supports: individual counselling, post-secondary and career help, our new RAP program, and 1-1 help with your coursework. Please contact her to set up a time to meet at 587-983-2541 or email at: mwebb@gsacrd.ab.ca.

Note - Counselling referrals can be made by parents or teachers. Support is provided for individual or family concerns and referrals to outside agencies can be accessed through Mrs. Webb.

We hosted our first very successful Pizza and Catch Up Day at St. Gabes. Students came in to get caught up, do some extra work, connect with their teachers, and have some pizza for lunch as a reward for their hard work. Stay tuned because we will be doing this event monthly!

Join us every Monday Morning for coffee (or hot chocolate or tea) and donuts! Nothing like a little sugar and caffeine to get us going in the morning. We invite all students to come to school, connect with your teachers, attend a seminar and treat yourself to some sugary goodness.

Note - If you don't want donuts, we have fruit, granola bars, and lots of other snacks that you can enjoy.

Longing to do life different and with a LOT more peace? Learn 3 proven & effective practices to shift the energetics of your entire family!

It is normal for teenagers to rebel and search for independence. This can lead parents to feel powerless and confused. What is the balance to not be a push over and not be too strict? Many caregivers ponder these questions and there are no easy answers. This course can give caregivers the tools to help build stronger bridges with their teen, break destructive cycles of guilt and create an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Date: Thursday, November 16th, 2023; 1 Session

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Fee: FREE

Facilitator: Maryann Da Silva & Terri Skinner

Do you need school supplies and are struggling to get what you need? Just ask at our front office. We have a few supplies available for students in need.

Just a friendly reminder to park in the student designated parking areas:

• Public lot across the street
• In front of the school on the street
• Public lot by the tennis courts
• On the side streets

We kindly ask that you comply with the following:

1. Do not park in our staff parking which is located to the east of the school

2. We also ask that you do not use the handicapped parking spot for drop off and pick up as we have students who need it.

Thank you!

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!

Please fill out the link for our draw! (Please do not enter more than once per month)

https://forms.gle/kx5u8TWpSDKAw8Jn8

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!

https://www.facebook.com/StGabeHS

https://www.instagram.com/st.gabes/

Email: rtrottier@gsacrd.ab.ca
Website: https://www.stgabe.gsacrd.ab.ca/.
Location: 15 Mission Avenue, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: (780)459-6616
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StGabesHS

Teachers are available:

Monday to Wednesday
8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Thursday

8:30 am to 5:30 pm

Friday

8:30 am to Noon