St. Cecilia Community Messenger

April 7 - 11, 2025

Week at a Glance

Mon, April 7 Day 4

Read A Thon pledges are due
Green Shirt Day in honour of Logan Boulet

Tues, April 8, Day 5

Wed, April 9, Day 6

Thurs, April 10, Day 1

Fri, April 11, Day 2

Final day to submit Read A thon pledges

On the Horizon

April 15: Gr 6 drama production - Please bring a non-perishable food donation

April 17: Holy Thursday Liturgy

April 18: Good Friday - Easter holidays begin

April 22: Last chance to order plants for spring flowers fundraiser

May 1: Asian Heritage Month

May 7: Hats on for Mental Health

May 8: Spring Family Dance - Cancelled

May 15: School Council AGM

May 16: PG day, no classes

May 19: Victoria Day - No Classes

May 22: Marian Liturgy

May 28: ELA PAT - Gr 6 Students

May 30: Sacramental Recognition Liturgy - 10:30 AM

June 5: School Council Meeting - 9:30 AM

June 6: PG Day - No classes

June 12: Gr 6 ELA PAT Part B

June 13: Gr 6 Math Part A

June 18: Year End Mass

June 21: National Indigenous People's Day

June 25: Last day of classes for students

June 26: Last day for teachers

Circle of Friends Survey for Class Placement

Circle of Friends Survey For Class Placement Sept 2025

Greetings

Growing Smiles Fundraiser is LIVE

Please consider purchasing bedding plants through our Growing Smiles fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support the new playground.

School Council Notes and Information

Read a thon: Congrats to all the kids that have won a book during the book draws this week. Hope all the kids are having fun and challenging themselves to read!
Students may submit pledge sheets and pledges starting Monday. We will accept pledges until Fri, April 11.
Congratulations to our Ed Foundation for their bottle drive success last week. They managed to raise $1492.80. Thanks very much to all families who took the time to drop off recycled beverage containers last Sunday. Thanks very much to the volunteers who walked in the snow and rang doorbells to ask for donations.
Kathy MacDonald - Cybersafety presentation - Thank you to our School Council for organizing a lovely evening with our guest speaker Kathy MacDonald. Lots of great information on the topic of cybersafety was presented. I have attached a PDF file giving the main points of her presentation below.
School Council Meeting, April 10, 2025, 6:30 PM. Please see agenda below.

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SHOW NOTES Kathy Macdonald Presentation 2025_.pdf

April 2025 Meeting Agenda.pdf

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Student Success

Monk Lunch

Now that we are past the halfway point in Lent, students have been asked to reflect on their Lenten fasting. We have decided to leave this between them and God. We continue to encourage students to seek out stillness so that they can focus on the coming Easter season.

Well Being

Hello Families,

Gardening is beneficial for people of all ages including our kids!

Here are the key benefits of gardening for kids:

· Educational: Teaches biology and ecology.

· Physical Activity: Improves motor skills and fitness.

· Responsibility: Nurtures a sense of responsibility.

· Creativity: Encourages creative expression.

· Stress Relief: Provides relaxation and reduces stress.

· Healthy Eating: Promotes healthier food choices.

· Family Bonding: Strengthens family connections.

Here are some quick tips for gardening with kids:

Start Small: Begin with easy-to-grow plants like herbs or flowers.
Use Kid-Friendly Tools: Provide child-sized gardening tools.
Create Fun Projects: Try planting a sunflower or making a fairy garden.
Teach Basics: Explain how to water, weed, and care for plants.
Make It Educational: Discuss plant life cycles and the importance of nature.
Safety First: Ensure kids wear gloves and avoid harmful plants.

Faith Formation

Sacramental Recognition Liturgy May 30, 2025, 10:30 AM

St. Cecilia School will recognize students who have received a Sacrament (First Communion, Reconcilliation, Baptism and Confirmation during this school year. Please call the office at 403 500 2040 or feel free to email me at denis.fortier@cssd.ab.ca and let us know the name of the child, the Sacrament that was received and the parish you attended.

Fourth Week of Lent

- How do I welcome those who share the Good News?

- What help do I need from Jesus?

- In what ways do I share the faith with others?

- How do I praise God?

- What are we saved from, and for?

- What are some inspirational verses of scripture that inspire hope in our lives?

- What prevents us from opening our hearts and lives to Jesus?

Student Activities

Continue to practice daily prayer.

See student Lenten activities recommended here: https://www.thereligionteacher.com/lent-activities/

Preparing Our Hearts for Jesus

Read scripture each day.

Continue with your commitment to support, pray for, and learn about the people served by the social justice organization selected as suggested during the First Week of Lent.

Pray for the grace to recommit to the Lenten disciplines you determined for yourself.

Pray for all of those in need of healing.

Faith Formation Monthly

April is the month dedicated to the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit. This is especially fitting since the great celebration of Easter falls in the month of April. During the Easter celebration we remember the Eucharistic sacrifice Christ gave us and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which comes after Jesus' resurrection.

We still have a period of Lent to move through – it’s a great time to revisit our Lenten promises to engage in more prayer, fasting and almsgiving and give each other encouragement and re-enforcement to finish the season strong! As we approach Holy Week, check out the video learning on Page 4 – there is a great Busted Halo video – Holy Week in Three Minutes – that is a great reminder of the liturgical moments we will experience during Holy Week and the Triduum.

This month, Page 3 has an exploration of the depictions of Jesus in art – focusing on classical pieces of Christ both crucified and resurrected.

We invite you to continue to engage with the Jubilee Year! Page 2 has a section on the Jubilee of Hope and a Message for the upcoming Jubilee of Teenagers which we’ll celebrate once we return from our Easter break.

You can find our own Jubilee Year Calendar with student activities, challenges and a Saint highlight here: https://view.genially.com/67574d5c6b829f2d1aef5e9c/guide-jubilee-year-calendar

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Faith Formation - April 2025.pdf

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1.4 MB

Catholic Education Assurance

Parents, please complete the Catholic Assurance Survey.

St. Cecilia Parish Bulletin

Hello everyone, please open the bulletin and related attachments below.

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13 Lent 5 April 5-6.pdf

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4.4 MB

Indigenous Education

Teaching staff recently participated in a professional growth session with an Indigenous elder. I am sharing the video at the link below in case there is any interest from our community. I encourage all families to take a look as part of learning about the land and Indigenous teachings. Click here for the video.

Enrollment in A Catholic School for Non-Catholics

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.

Board of Trustees Priorties

April 3, 2025

To view the Calgary Catholic Board Meeting Highlights for the Regular Board Meeting of April 2, 2025, as well as previous Highlights please access the following link: https://www.cssd.ab.ca/highlights-minutes

April 3, 2025

Just a reminder that the schedule of the Board Meeting dates is posted on the district website and can be accessed through this link: https://www.cssd.ab.ca/meeting-schedule

Creating Calgary Together Newsletter

Please click below to open the attachment for the Creating Calgary Together Newsletter.

Useful Links

Faith Formation Links

Formed, AKA Netflix for Catholics

All About Shrove Tuesday

Student Success Links

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

Circle of Friends Survey for Class Placement Sept 2025

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

Wellness Links

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