The Good News December 8, 2024

This week we focus on the gift of peace that our Christian faith gives us. It is the gift God gave to all of us, the one whom He sent to restore peace to people everywhere- Jesus- the Prince of Peace. When He was here on Earth as one of us, Jesus taught us how to love, how to live, how to pray. He taught us how to forgive and be peacemakers. Jesus told his disciples to greet people with peace when they entered homes. He said, “My peace I give you… Let not your heart be troubled.”

Peace is God’s perfect, indescribable gift to each of us. As we continue to prepare the way to Christ, this second week of Advent, may our hearts and homes be filled with this gift of peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).

• Advent Concert dress rehearsal

• Advent Concert (1 pm & 6 pm)
• Students should come dressed in their best
• Priest visit - Gr 3

• KMW TPet

• Advent Celebration (Week two, Peace) - 10 am (parents welcome)

• Gr 1 Fort Edmonton Park
• Gr 2 Ukrainian Village

Dec. 16 - Sock Toss

Dec. 17 - Advent Mass at OLA church (10 am) - parents welcome

Dec. 18 - Hot Lunch, Toboggan and Hot Chocolate Day

Dec. 19 - Christmas Sweater Day, Buddy Bingo, Christmas Sing-along

Dec. 20 - PJ and Christmas Movie Day, last day of school before Christmas break

Thank you for your generosity in donating items to create our raffle baskets! Below is a taste of just some of the amazing baskets that will be available. Coffee lovers, chocolate lovers, games night to baking extravaganza- there is a basket for everyone!

Remember to bring money for the Basket Raffle when you attend the Christmas Concert. Tickets are 1 for $2 or 12 for $20 Winning tickets will be drawn on Wednesday, December 11th and winners will be contacted. All money raised will be donated to Lurana Shelter.

Hello Parents/Guardians!

We are very excited to come together as a school community as we prepare for Jesus’s birth and have some fun during this Christmas season. We have planned several fun activities for our students to enjoy in the days leading up to Christmas break. Some days will require your child to bring certain things for the activity of the day.

This Advent, all of our EICS community, including St. John XXIII, is continuing to partner with Catholic Social Services to support women and children at the Lurana Shelter.

At St. John XXIII our goal is to raise enough money to purchase two Baskets of Blessing per class. The cost of each basket is approximately $100. To raise this money we will be creating themed baskets that will be raffled off at our Christmas Concert. You can also donate to the Basket of Blessings initiate online using our school link.

May God bless you and your family this Advent Season.

We recognize that this season can be a difficult time for some of our families within our community. If you or your family are struggling with finances, emotional or mental health, medical or physical needs, please reach out to someone within our school or parish community and we can respond. Everyone needs help sometimes, we are not meant to journey this life alone. There are many resources, agencies and people who have offered assistance and we can confidentially arrange for support, especially through this Advent season.

Kristine Willis Dengler, Principal kristinew@eics.ab.ca 780-998-7777

Eleanor Heesings, Family Wellness Worker eleanor.heesing @eics.ab.ca 780-995-9352

We are looking for volunteers to help with various Christmas advent activities at the school in December. If you're interested in lending a hand, please sign up for any events you'd like to be a part of. https://signup.com/go/ZPfsFZC

Exciting News! We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be using Munchalunch for ordering hot lunch going forward! It’s a simple, convenient way to choose and pay for your child’s lunch online. You can easily pay with a credit card (Visa/Mastercard), debit-credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or a pre-paid credit card.

How to Register:

1) Go to: https://munchalunch.com/schools/stjohnXXIII

2) Click the “Register Here” button (as shown below). The system will guide you through the registration process.

3) After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order.

4) Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.

Ordering Information:

• Online ordering for December 18th - Sky Hy Pizza and Donair Hot Lunch will close on

Dec 11th. Please be sure to get your orders in before then.

If you need assistance with ordering, please contact our hot lunch coordinator Brandy at Hotlunchstjohnxxiii@gmail.com

If you have not yet picked up your order from the Noel Fundraiser, please stop by the office at your earliest convenience to collect it.

We're excited to offer our remaining Big Box of Cards sets! Each box contains 35 handcrafted cards for just $36.32. Choose between the All Occasion box or the Birthday box set—perfect for any celebration!

Hurry, as these sets are available on a first come, first serve basis and quantities are limited. You can order as many boxes as you'd like from our available stock, so be sure to stock up for all your upcoming events! Payment is quick and easy through Munchalunch, and must be made at the time of order. Don’t miss out on this fantastic deal!

If you have any questions or need more information, please send an email to the School Council at st.johnxxiii.psc@gmail.com. We appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating the season together!

Email: stj@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stj.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9526 89 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-7777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnXXIII
Twitter: @St_JohnXXIII