St. Mary's Catholic School

Monday, Nov 10th- Friday, Nov 14th

FALL BREAK - NO SCHOOL FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS

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Monday, Nov 17th - Day B

UBC Presentation @8:30am
Jr. Girls Volleyball Practice 3-4:30
Sr. High Girls Practice 3-5pm
Sr. Boys Volleyball Practice 5-7pm

Tuesday, Nov 18th - Day A

Personal Fitness - Swimming @1:30pm
Jr. A Girls Volleyball Playoff Game vs Southpointe @4pm (St. Mary's Gym)
Jr. Boys Volleyball Playoff Game @Vegreville Composite @4pm (Veg. Comp)

Wednesday, Nov 19th - Day B

*Early Dismissal @2pm*
Parent/Teacher Interviews 2:30-6:00pm
Jr. Boys & Girls Volleyball Playoff Games - Time and Location TBD
Sr. Girls Volleyball Practice 5-7 pm
Sr. Boys Volleyball Practice 5-7 pm
School Council Meeting @6:30pm

Thursday, Nov 20th - Day A

Picture Retakes
Parent/Teacher Interviews 3:30-6:30pm
Jr Boys & Girls Volleyball Playoff Games - Times and Location TBD (Tentative)

Friday, Nov 21st - Day B

UAlberta Presentation @1:45pm
Sr. Girls Volleyball Zones @Vegreville
Sr. Boys Volleyball Zones @Vegreville

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Upcoming Dates:

November 28th Ham Bingo - Doors open at 6:30pm

December 12th Awards Night

Peace and blessings to you all!

This week’s Gospel reading, Luke 19:1–10, tells the story of Zacchaeus, whose encounter with Jesus transforms his life. For our students at St.Mary's, it is a powerful reminder that change and growth are always possible when we open our hearts to truth and compassion. Just as Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus and was seen in return, we are called to look beyond appearances, to seek understanding, and to choose kindness in our daily actions. Kindness is one of the simplest, yet most powerful values we can live by, and one that lies at the heart of our Catholic faith. It doesn’t require great effort or grand gestures, but rather, small, intentional acts that truly mean so much.

As we enter this week of remembrance, our school community took the time on Friday to pause, reflect, and give thanks for the sacrifices made by so many. Our Remembrance Day Service on Friday was truly a moving occasion. It was simple, respectful, and deeply meaningful. It was even more special because we acknowledged those closest to us. We have a special tradition here at St. Mary's of sharing pictures our school community's family members who have served in the war in our school PowerPoint. This tradition makes our remembrance personal and heartfelt, reminding us that the legacy of courage and sacrifice lives on within our own families and community.

Please take a moment to read the important updates in the paragraph below regarding the remainder of Semester 1. There are some calendar changes and updates on student learning. Also, please note that Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, November 19th and 20th. Families are encouraged to sign up using the link provided below. Your partnership in supporting your child’s learning is invaluable. Also, please check the calendar above for our new dates for Awards Night and our annual Ham Bingo.

As we approach the Fall Break, we wish each of you a restful and joy-filled week. May this time be one of renewal, reflection, and gratitude. We look forward to welcoming everyone back when school resumes on November 17th.

With gratitude,
The STMY Administration Team

Thank you once again for your patience and support as we return to normal operations following the three-week labour stoppage. Our collective focus remains the same: ensuring every student has the opportunity to meet the necessary instructional outcomes and curriculum expectations for their current grade level.

To maximize student learning, we plan to use the proposed calendar changes to extend Semester One to January 30th, with Semester Two beginning Monday, February 2nd.

Report Cards: End-of semester report cards will continue as usual.
Diploma Exams and Grade 9 PATs: To ensure students and teachers can concentrate on learning after lost instructional time due to the teacher strike, Alberta’s government has cancelled the January 2026 diploma examinations and Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). Students will be automatically exempted.

Students who choose not to write at a later date will receive their school-awarded mark as their final official course mark. A notation will be added to transcripts confirming that no diploma exam was written. This ensures there is no impact on students’ ability to graduate or transition into post-secondary programs.
Students may choose to write January diploma exams in April or June 2026.

Exam Week: This may be condensed to two days: January 29th and 30th. All final assessments will be completed at this time. Regular instruction will continue until Jan 28th.

These changes allow us to recover a significant amount of instructional time for the first semester, with minimal impact on the second.

Proposed School Calendar Amendments:

The Board of Trustees will be considering amendments to the 2025/26 school calendar, to add extra instructional days for students, and to provide teachers with extra time to complete instruction.

The Board plans to review following proposed changes which will be finalized at their November 18th, 2025 public board meeting:

For all schools:

January 28th, 2026 - currently a Professional Development Day, will now become an instructional day for Semester 1
January 29th, 2026 - will remain an instructional day, but in Semester 1
January 30th, 2026 - will remain an instructional day, but in Semester 1
February 2, 2026 - will remain an instructional day, and mark the start of Semester 2

Busses will be running on January 28th, which will follow the normal Wednesday (early out) schedule.

Our Commitment to support uninterrupted learning:

Training and professional learning will focus on essentials—such as curriculum implementation and student support—while keeping classroom time as the top priority.
We will seek to maximize student learning, while balancing student wellness
Central Learning Services will minimize meetings to promote teacher/student time in classrooms.
Schools are balancing the time committed to non-curricular school wide events to optimize student learning

How We Will Communicate Student Learning

As we return to regular learning routines following the recent disruption, we wish to share a few important updates and adjustments about assessment, reporting, and student support plans for this term. These adjustments are consistent with Alberta Education’s expectations and ensure that our assessment, reporting, and individualized support practices continue to meet all provincial requirements.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Fall conferences remain an essential opportunity to connect about your child’s learning. Schools will complete conferences between November 3 and December 12, either on original or rescheduled dates. St. Mary’s will run their conferences from November 19 and November 20, 2025.

Report Cards:

Grade 7-12: One formal report card will be issued at the end of each semester.

What Students Will Be Learning

All Alberta Education outcomes remain in effect. We are working divisionally to pace outcomes in ways that are meaningful to optimize learning.Our focus is prioritizing key learning outcomes.

Individualized Support Plans(ISPs):

As shared in the September communication, Elk Island Catholic Schools is implementing a new ISP process to better support students and strengthen collaboration with families. To allow for implementation training and meaningful parent engagement, timelines have been adjusted as follows: K–12 ISPs: December 19, 2025

Parents remain valued partners in the development and review of all Individualized Support Plans. If you have any questions regarding your child’s ISP, please contact your school.

We recognize that families and educators have faced significant change this fall. Through compassion, collaboration, and clear communication, we continue to live our divisional theme:
“Growing Together in Christ’s Love.”

If you have specific questions related to your child’s course load or schedule, please contact your child’s teacher, or the school.