St. Cecilia Community Messenger

Mon, Nov 18 - Day 1

• Bullying Awareness Week - Please see message below.

Tues, Nov 19 - Day 2

• Advent Food Drive Begins

Wed, Nov 20 - Day 3

• Red Wednesday - Today we raise awareness of and pray for persecuted Christians. School communities are encouraged to wear red, the colour associated with martyrdom in the Christian tradition.

Thurs, Nov 21 - Day 4

• School Council Meeting 6:30 PM

Fri, Nov 22 - Day 5

• St. Cecilia Feast Day

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: Last day of classes before Christmas break

Dec 20: PG day - No classes

Scholastic Book Fair starts Tuesday, Nov 26 next door to the Learning Commons! I know the kids are looking forward to it. Once again, I won't have students coming in during recess and lunch time as it is very hard to do crowd control. Each class has a scheduled time to browse on Nov 26, 27 and 28. THEN - families can come visit us during Thurs and Fri Parent Teacher Conferences! (Thurs 3:30-6:45 and Fri 9:15-12:15 and 12:45-2:45). This should give everyone lots of time for in-person shopping. If you or your child grade 6 or older is available to volunteer to set up or work at the fair, please reach out to monique.thompsonzan@cssd.ab.ca Thank you! ~Mme Monique

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Nov 21, 2024. All parents are automatically members of School Council and as such you are welcome to attend the meetings and to voice your opinions on the matters discussed in those meetings. I would encourage all parents to attend at least one school council meeting over the course of the school year.

Please see the minutes from the October meeting in the attachment below.

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 Friday, Nov 15 the jackpot is at 967.00. Thanks for your support!!

Dear St. Cecilia Families,

We’re thrilled to announce that our Purdy’s Chocolate Fundraiser is officially LIVE!

Over the next few days, your child will bring home a brochure filled with delicious options from Purdy's Chocolatier—just in time for the holiday season. But you don’t have to wait – you can check out our little shop online anytime until November 24th!

https://fundraising.purdys.com/1952796-118972

Chocolate always makes a fantastic gift, and with delivery to the school before Christmas, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to share a little sweetness with friends and family!

We want to take a moment to thank each of you for your incredible support with all of our recent fundraising efforts. Together, we’re working hard to make the new playground a reality for our students, and every order brings us one step closer to our goal.

Thank you once again for your generosity and commitment to our school community.

Happy browsing, and here’s to a sweet Christmas season!

Warm regards,

Mallorie Peters

Vice-Chairperson

The Foundation for St. Cecilia School

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

Bullying Awareness Week, recognized during the third week of November, is a crucial time to promote awareness and understanding of bullying and its profound impacts on individuals and communities.

For more information, visit alberta.ca/bullying-awareness-week

At St. Cecilia, we emphasize positive peer interactions, conflict resolution, and mediation. While conflicts among peers are relatively common, our dedicated teachers, administrators, school wellness workers, and support staff are always here to support students. Fortunately, due to our commitment to promoting Catholic Community of Caring values, real cases of bullying are rare at St. Cecilia.

This week, as we focus on building bullying awareness, we invite students, staff, and parents to reflect on their own relationships and consider how they can contribute to a supportive and caring community. Additionally, Pink Shirt Day in February will provide another valuable opportunity to raise awareness and stand against bullying.

Dear Families,

For many, November is considered the month of Remembrance, and I have been thinking a lot about grief. Specifically, grief from losing a loved one. I have been thinking about other people’s grief and also my own.

Sometimes it’s difficult admit we are in pain, or we wish everyone would just know without us having to tell them that we are grieving because someone we love died, whether it was recent or long ago. Or we don’t want to anyone to know. That’s the thing about grief, it is very personal for everybody, including children. There is no right or wrong way.

If you have lost someone dear, I send you my condolences.

Grief Support

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page13161.aspx

Book: When Dinosaurs Die- A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Krasny Brown and Mark Brown

Website: https://www.kidsgrief.ca/

Take Care.

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)

As we conclude Metis week I invite our community to view the video below about the history of Louis Riel. Louis Riel is a founder of Manitoba and fought valiantly for the rights and freedoms of the Metis people. He was convicted of treason and hanged in Regina on November 16, 1885.

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