“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

February 11 - YMCA After School Drop-In 3:10-5pm

February 12 - Nakiska Ski & Snowboard Trip (WILL BE RESCHEDULED)

February 17 - Family Day - No School

February 19 - School Council Meeting 6:00-7:00pm

February 20 - 21 - Teachers Convention - No School for Students

February 26 - Pink Shirt Day

February 26 - Joint School Council Engagement Session 6:00-7:30pm

Due to the current Respiratory Illness Outbreak, our Nakiska Ski & Snowboard trip has been rescheduled for March. More details to follow once confirmed. We thank you for your understanding.

You are invite to our SLR Band Valentine's Dinner and Coffee House Fundraiser. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased with cash only at the office on Monday and Tuesday. Please note, this is a family event so students must be accompanied with a family member. The funds made at this event, will help lessen cost for our upcoming band tour.

Our dinner will take place here at the school on Tuesday, February 11th. Please see the below poster for more details about the delicious menu we have planned. Music will also be provided by various SLR Band students who have volunteered their gifts and talents for this event.

Thank you for your patience this week as we navigated some difficulties with our attendance. In addition to some internet outages, we were also dealing with extremely high attendance calls for bus cancellations, extreme weather and elevated student illnesses which made it difficult to get everyone entered before the automated attendance call. Our apologies if you received an attendance call in error.

There are two ways to mark your child's late or absence. You can email us at slrattendance@rdcrs.ca or call the school's attendance line at 403-406-7365 and press 1 to leave a detailed message. Please remember to include the reason for your child's late or absence. All late and absences MUST be excused or you will receive the automated attendance call. Any messages received after 9am may result in the automated attendance call going out.

To review the AHS Outbreak parent letter that was sent out to families on February 5, please click on the link.

Coming next week ...

A big part of our planning for the next school year has to do with enrollment numbers so we can solidify classroom allocations and student supports, among other considerations. To assist with this planning, if you have not already done so, we kindly ask that you please take a moment to fill out our School Enrollment Intentions 2025-2026 Google form. Please only send in one response from each family. The information gathered from your feedback will directly be used for the successful planning of the 2025-2026 school year. The deadline to complete this form is February 11, 2025. Families who have not completed the form by the deadline will be contacted for their intentions by our office. **Please note, this form is only for current SLR students in grades 6-8. Grade 9 students will have a different form to fill out in early spring. Families with younger students coming to SLR from elementary or other schools within the division will also have a different form sent to them by their current schools in the spring. THIS FORM IS ONLY FOR CURRENT GRADE 6-8 STUDENTS.

BIG NEWS! We are now able to accept paper copies of this form. If you would like a paper copy sent home with your child, please conctact the office to request one. This document is a mandatory document that MUST be submitted for every student. YOU MUST FILL OUT THIS FORM. Please contact or stop by the office for help to complete this 2 minute form.

We have had a lot of calls this week from parents saying they are not receiving our messages. If you are not receiving our emails, it probably means you have unsubscribed and need to call the office to have us resolve it. If you are not receiving our text messages, please follow these instructions. Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools is now using PowerSchool SchoolMessenger for parent communications.

To opt in for text messages:

1. Grab your phone.
2. Text “Y” to 978338.

This is a quick and easy way to stay up-to-date with news, reminders, and urgent alerts from your school!

P.S. Our old system, Swiftreach, is no longer available. Make the switch today!

Parents: Click here for more information on the opt-in process.

There are two ways to view the status of your child's bus status. You can either go to our website and look at the bus status on the right hand side or you can download the Bus Status 4 App in your app store. The app is available for both apple or android users.

Download the New Bus Status App!

Bus Status 4 for iOS and Android notifies you when your school bus is cancelled or delayed.

Please download the Bus Status app at your earliest convenience to continue or to receive school bus notifications from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. To install this app, please follow the directions below:

Step 1: Download the Bus Status app by Box Clever.

Step 2: Open the app and select Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools from the list (you only need to select your district the first time you open the app. Bus Status will remember your selection).

Step 3: Go to All Buses. Tap the star to add a bus to My Buses.

Step 4: You’ll receive a notification when one of your buses is delayed, cancelled, or early.

Step 5: Tap the bell icon to see general notifications from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.

Grade 9 parents/guardians please see the linked document for important information regarding transition to high school.

Grade 9 students - If you are planning on going to St. Joseph next year for Grade 10, you (and your parents) are invited to attend the information meeting for SJHS Spring Break 2026 trip to Portugal and Spain. Please see poster for more details.

We know it can be tricky to convince teenagers to wear their jackets and warm footwear, but we ask that you please remind your children to dress for the weather as outdoor recess does continue through the winter months.

If you are having troubles logging into Schoology, the Schoology Parent Reference Guide is a great resource for troubleshooting and how to's.

School Fees for the 2024/2025 school year are now past due. We will be notifying families with past due fees.

BIG NEWS! We now accept credit card payments at the office. Fees can be paid at our office by cash, cheque or credit card. To pay online, please log into your Parent PowerSchool account to view your fees and make your payment online through RYCOR. If you are unsure how to pay using RYCOR, please follow these steps:

1. Visit your school's website and click on the PowerSchool quick link (or use link above).

2. Sign in using your PowerSchool Username and Password. If you have forgotten either/or please contact the school office for assistance with resetting your password.

3. Click on link, "School Fees and Forms", located on the left-hand side.

4. Please follow the instructions provided on the screen when you are taken to RYCOR. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

**RYCOR can only be accessed via PC/Tablet, the program does not work using the PowerSchool app.

PARKING UPDATE: We now have smaller school busses dropping students off out front of the school around 8:15 am. The front of the school will remain Drop and Go as these busses should be gone before families begin dropping off their children. If you notice a bus as you drop off your child, please be mindful of students in the vicinity. We thank you for your attention to this matter. As always, we remind our families to please use our North parking lot when parking and exiting vehicles. This is especially important on game nights when we have an abundance of visitors parking near the school. In an effort to show kindness to our community, we are asking our school community to please be considerate of our neighbours across the street and leave that parking for residents only.

If you need to reach our office for any reason, please contact our main line at 403-406-7365. This is also the number to call should you need to call in your child's attendance. This number is always available on our website.

Our Golden Eagle ticket winners last week!! Thank you to these and all students who show compassion, kindness, respect, courage and leadership!

This National School Counselling Week, we want to take a moment to recognize and thank the incredible Mrs. Lynch and Mr. Reinhart for the tremendous impact they have on our Golden Eagle community. Their unwavering support, guidance, and dedication help shape the lives of so many students and we are truly grateful for everything they do. Your kindness and commitment make our school a better place, and we are lucky to have you both. Thank you, Mrs. Lynch and Mr. Reinhart!

It was part one of eyeball dissection day at St. Lorenzo! Miss Dorval and Mrs. Hawkings love this day! Grade 8 students learn about the human eye by dissecting pig eyes. The lens was put onto words on paper to see how it magnifies the letters. They pulled off the iris from around the pupil and peeled off the retina. Students saw the virtuous humor, the optic nerve and we even got lucky enough to see an eyelid and eyelashes!

The other grade 8 classes are excited for their turn in a couple of weeks.

Students now have an opportunity to work on assignments during lunch recess on Wednesdays. Please see poster for more information.

If you think your child could benefit from speaking to a counsellor, please complete this form. A member of our counselling team will be in touch with you.

Please check out our SLR Sports Calendar for all our basketball game and practice times.

If your child is interested in playing any team sports this year, please fill out the Athletic Informed Consent form which can be found on RYCOR. To access RYCOR, please log into your PowerSchool account and click on fees and forms. Once in, click on your childs name and the forms will appear. Students will not be able to tryout until this form has been submitted.

For the most current practice and game times and locations, please see the SLR Sports Calendar.

For anything sports related, please see our SLR Sports Calendar. This calendar is updated regularily and is the best way to stay on top of everything SLR sports. If there is ever a change in the schedule, this is where you will find it.

Online ordering for the Eagles Nest Cafe is available at slr.hotlunches.net

Access code is: slr

New monthly menus will be posted to the website 7 days before the start of the next month.

Please seee parent letter for more information.

School Council meets the third Wednesday of every month at 6pm in the multicultural space at St. Lorenzo Ruiz. We encourage all our parents and guardians to join us! The next meeting will be on February 19.

School Council Information

Email: slr.schoolcouncil@gmail.com

As noted in the signage at our front entrance, to support the safety in and around our school we have indoor and outdoor cameras.

Joint School Council Engagement Session

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) and the Alberta School Councils Association (ASCA) are partnering to host a Joint School Council meeting on Wednesday, February 26, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at St. Joseph High School in Red Deer. This collaborative session aims to strengthen the partnership between school councils, trustees, and senior administration within RDCRS.

The meeting will focus on several key areas:

• Defining School Council: Clarifying the role of School Councils and the relationships between trustees, senior administration, and the Division.

• Consultation Areas: Identifying and discussing areas where School Councils can effectively contribute through consultation at both the school and Division levels.

• Council of School Councils: Examining the "Council of School Councils" model and exploring its potential development within RDCRS.

This joint exercise underscores the Division's commitment to building capacity and supporting the ongoing learning and development of its School Councils.

Click here to register. This event is open to everyone.

St. Joseph is holding our annual Musical Production - BIG FISH February 27 - March 1!

Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, BIG FISH tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest…and then some! Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him—most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales. Overflowing with heart and humor, BIG FISH is an extraordinary musical that reminds us why we love going to the theatre—for an experience that’s richer, funnier and bigger than life itself.

The show is rated PG.

Matinee on Saturday March 1 @ 2pm. Tickets cost $20 each.

This free event is for boys and girls from age 9-14. Please see posted and permission form attached for more details. Permission form is also available at St. Lorenzo Ruiz office.

Please see the poster for more information.

Please see poster for more information.

Please see poster for more information.

A Christmas Gift for Your Students - GAMELAND Laser Tag & VRcade Awaits!

We hope this holiday season brings joy and excitement to you and all of your students! At GAMELAND Laser Tag & VRcade, we’re thrilled to spread some holiday cheer into our community of all ages. As a special Christmas gift, we’re offering every student a 2 FOR 1 coupon to enjoy an unforgettable laser tag experience at our Red Deer location. This is our way of bringing smiles, fun, and a bit of friendly competition to the season!

• What: 2 FOR 1 Laser Tag Coupon

• Where: Gameland Laser Tag & VRcade, 13-7619 50th Ave (Centre 76 Red Deer)

We’d love your help in sharing this Christmas gift with your students. We've attached a digital version of this coupon to share with your students and staff. Thank you for all the incredible work you do for the children in our community. Let’s make this holiday season extra special and full of fun, the more the merrier!

If you have any questions or need further details, please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email!

GAMELAND Laser Tag & VRcade

403-340-2148

Bookings@gamelandreddeer.ca

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame offers engaging educational programs that bring Alberta’s rich sports heritage to life. Students can dive into hands-on activities, explore unique sports artifacts, and hear inspiring stories of Alberta’s sports heroes. Our programs cover various themes, including Indigenous traditions, adaptive sports, evolution of sports, and the intersection of art and sport.

Programs Offered:

Art in Sport (K-4): Discover the connection between sports and art through mascots, jerseys, and medals.

Lasting Traditions (Grades 4-8): Explore Indigenous traditions in sports and culture.

Adaptive Sports (Grades 6-12): Learn about athletes who broke barriers in inclusive sports.

Innovation & Evolution (K-6): Students explore how sports and equipment have changed over the last century.

Pricing:

- In-house Programs: $75 for up to 30 participants, $150 for 31-60 participants.

- Outreach Programs: $125 per class.

For more information, please visit our website albertasportshall.ca/education-program

Click here for a PDF copy of the brochure.

Please see important information from Canada Homestay Network.