As Winnie the Pooh says so wisely, fall is "A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” For me, it's not a time of pumpkin spice but to each their own.

We had a really wonderful and joyful start to our school year. We have many students who have returned for another year with us which we love. It's a highlight of teaching to be able to build relationships with students and watch them grow and reach their goals. We've also welcomed many new students to St. Gabes. We're very grateful to all of you who have shared the good news of our school to your friends, family and neighbours. Remember, we accept students province wide!

As always, there is a lot of information packed into our monthly newsletters so please take a few minutes to read it and let us know if you have any comments, feedback or questions.

Many Blessings,

Renee Trottier, principal

September 25-Oct. 6 - Food Drive for Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples

Sept. 28 - St. Gabe's Feast Day - stop by for a cupcake

Sept. 29 - 10:00 - National Truth and Reconciliation presentation.

Oct. 2 - No School

Oct. 6 - 10:00 - Thanksgiving Celebration, World Cerebral Palsy Day - wear green, last day for our Food Drive

Oct. 9 - Thanksgiving Monday - No School

Oct. 10 - 6:30 pm - School Council meeting online.

Oct. 19 - All students will be online for classes today. Students should not plan on coming in person to school

Oct. 20 - PD Day - No School. We are moving to our new temporary school today

Oct. 23 - All students go to Ecole Father Jan for classes starting today. See info below.

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

November 1 - No School for students.

November 2 - Parent Teacher Interviews

Nov. 3 - Student withdrawal date - if you're behind at this point you risk being withdrawn from your courses

Nov. 5 - Turn your clocks back

Nov. 6-10 - Fall Break

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!

September's winner is Rena Yakemchuk! Congratulations! Please stop by the school for your gift card

https://forms.gle/kx5u8TWpSDKAw8Jn8

St. Gabes will be moving to Ecole Father Jan as a temporary location while renovations on our new school space are being completed. EFJ's address is 15 Mission Avenue, St. Albert. Our phone number will be the same 780-459-6616.

Our moving date is Oct. 19 - We are asking that all students join seminars online on Oct. 19. Your teachers may move your classes to another time as well so pay attention to your email.

On Oct. 23 we are planning to have all teachers and students up and running at EFJ.

Please stay tuned for updates and changes. There are a lot of moving parts to relocating a school without disrupting learning. I will send out updates as I know about them.

Thank you for your patience and grace as we settle into our new temporary space.

"A portion of the harvest is set aside for the poor and the stranger" (Leviticus 19:9-10).

St. Gabes will once again be collecting food for Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples. Please bring in non-perishable food items or grocery gift cards for our food drive. We are also accepting new adult underwear and socks, toques and mitts.

All items will be going to support the people that Sacred Heart serves every day in their community.

Please join us on Sept. 28 to celebrate our patron saint, Saint Gabriel the Archangel. We will have cupcakes for you but they're first come, first served so come early!

Join us on Sept. 29 at 10:00 for a short presentation about National Truth and Reconciliation. Please wear orange to recognize the importance of this day.

We have partnered with a new clothing company, plus we also changed our log recently so make sure you grab some "Gabes Gear" and show your spirit!

Click the online shop below. All orders will be sent to St. Gabes 4-5 weeks after the store closes.

Please join us in person or online for our Thanksgiving liturgy at 10:00 on October 6. If you're joining online, please go to breenclassroom in Google Meet.

Thank you to those parents who came out for our School Council AGM. Our executive is:

Yvonne Dutton - Chair

Sue Donovan - Vice-Chair

Secretary - Vacant

Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 6:30pm for our School Council meeting.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!

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 to book meeting times will be sent out closer to the date.

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

October 7th is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, sometimes referred to as the Feast of the Holy Rosary. The day was dedicated by St. Pius V who credited a victory over the invading Turks to the intercession of Mary through the rosary. Pope Benedict XVI described the image of Our Lady of the Rosary in a 2007 Angelus:

“The traditional image of Our Lady of the Rosary portrays Mary who with one arm supports the Child Jesus and with the other is offering the rosary beads to St Dominic. This important iconography shows that the Rosary is a means given by the Virgin to contemplate Jesus and, in meditating on his life, to love him and follow him ever more faithfully. It is this message that Our Lady has also bequeathed to us in her various apparitions.”

https://www.thereligionteacher.com/the-month-of-the-rosary-is-october/

A little Thanksgiving fun from a classic sitcom, WKRP in Cincinnati.

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly".

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.

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 that we have a student parking lot down the hill from our school (down the back alley).

We kindly ask that you comply with the following:

1. Do not park in our staff parking which is located near our front door.

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.

3. Do not wait for your child for excessive amounts of time in the handicapped spot, even if you have a handicap placard, as other students will need to be able to use the spot.

4. Do not park in front of our garbage bin.

5. Do not park in the lot at the top of Seven Hills.

We have plenty of spaces in our student parking lot for you.

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: 6 St Vital Ave, 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