The Good News - October 15, 2023

The word saint comes from the Latin sanctus and means "holy". Throughout the bible, saint is used to refer to all who believe in Jesus. In our Catholic faith, sainthood was not just those who had faith in Christ but more specifically those who lived lives of virtuous action inspired by that faith. (learnreligions.com)

We are so blessed at our school that we get to learn about and follow the virtuous life of Saint John XXIII. October 11th, marks the feast day of Saint John XXIII. Saint John XXIII, pray for us.

Monday, Oct. 16

• Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45

Tuesday, Oct. 17

• Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45
  

Wednesday, Oct. 18

• Regular Day

Thursday, Oct. 19

• Hot Lunch
  

Friday, Oct. 20

• Gr. 4 Bible presentation at OLA church 10am **NEW DATE

Oct 23, 24, 30- Sacramental prep (1st Communion) with Father Carlos 3:15-3:45

Oct. 23 - PSC Meeting 6:30-7:30, TPet Gr 3M

Oct 24 - TPet Gr 4, TPet 3HG

Oct 27 - PSC Family Halloween Dance

Oct 30 - Nov. 3 - Book Fair

Nov. 1 - Early Dismissal 2:10, Three Way Conferences 3-6pm

Nov. 2 - Picture retakes, Three Way Conferences 4-7pm

Nov. 3 - Kindergarten only Three Way Conferences

Nov. 5 - Catholic Education Sunday

Our Grade 3 classes lead our Thanksgiving Celebration this week. They did an amazing job helping us to reflect on our many blessings.

We continued to have many rich and exciting reading experiences this week; buddy reading, guest readers, cozy reading, read around the school, and much more.

Some of our grade 4 leaders had the opportunity to go to OLPH church this week to participate in our district's Here Comes the Sun leadership retreat. They spent the day with other grade 4 leaders in our district immersing themselves in faith, indigenous perspectives and PEPY.

We’re excited to announce that the ability to submit student absences is now available in PowerSchool!

Please refer to the EICS Parent Technology Handbook for instructions on how to report you child's absence, early departure, leave & return or multiple day absences.

This EICS Parent Handbook contains details on many other PowerSchool functions, such as viewing grades and report cards, paying fees, and updating student information (including medical information).

Our Elk Island Catholic Schools IT department is continuing to work on implementing additional features, so keep an eye out in our Smores for future updates!

Please also notify your teacher with a Dojo message or a note sent with your child.

For any last minute Early Departures, please call the office before you arrive so we can make arrangements for your child to come to the office for pick up.

Most of the school fees have been applied to your child's account in PowerSchool. The rest of the fees will be added this coming week.

You can pay on-line with a debit card or credit card. However, if you wish to pay by cash (exact change only) or cheque, please send it to the school office (make cheques payable to Elk Island Catholic Schools). If you have other questions or require assistance with the online payment, please refer to the link at the bottom of this newsletter, and contact our school at 780-998-7777 if you need further assistance. If you are experiencing financial hardship please review the fee waiver here or contact the principal, Mrs. Kristine Willis Dengler at 780-998-7777 to arrange a meeting.

School Council is very excited to host our annual Halloween dance once again!

Friday, October 27, 2023

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Please join us for dancing and a great time for the whole family. Snacks, drinks and glow-sticks will be available to purchase. Tickets are $5 per individual and families of 4-10 people are $20 (immediate family only). Tickets are on a first come, first serve basis so that we can adhere to our safety capacity regulations.

Tickets will be available to purchase through PowerSchool from Monday, October 10th to Monday, October 23rd at NOON. .

We look forward to seeing you at the dance!

Please see the link at the bottom of the newsletter for instructions on how to purchase your tickets through PowerSchool.

Parent-Student-Teacher conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 1st from 3:00-6:00 and Thursday, November 2rd from 4:00-7:00.

Kindergarten will have additional time slots on Friday, November 3rd.

The first 2.5 hours of each night will be in person conferences, and the last half hour will be virtual via Google Meets. Details will be sent home soon.

Your child's Evidence of Learning journey will be shared with you between Oct. 23-27. We are looking forward to connecting with you and your child to celebrate their learning progress and together, setting learning goals for their future growth.

Our Lady of the Angels Parish

We are so blessed to be able to have our school and parish work together to walk with you and your child on their Sacramental Journeys. Father Carlos and our Sacramental Prep team will be offering Sacramental Prep classes at St. John XXIII after school from 3:15 - 3:45 on the following dates:

First Holy Communion Prep Classes

October 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 30, 31 at the school following dismissal (3:00pm)

(At STJXXIII)

November 1 at 6:30pm ( At OLA Parish) -Teaching Mass and short Adoration

All children are required to attend O.L.A. parish on November 1 at 6:30pm for a tour of the church and adoration. Parents are expected to stay that evening as well.

Celebrations:

First Reconciliation Nov 18th at the Church OLA at 2pm

First Holy Communion Nov 19th at the Church OLA at 2pm

More information can be found at https://www.olafortsask.caedm.ca/Sacraments

E-mail registration forms to: olangels.ftsask@caedm.ca (We accept e-transfer of fees to the same email address.)

What is SkipTheDepot? A door-to-door bottle collection service that makes refundable recycling and fundraising easier than 1, 2, 3.

1. Download the app, create an account and book a pickup using the QR code to the right or this link: https://app.skipthedepot.com/eicssjxxiii
2. Place your bags outside (don't forget to label them with your account #)
3. Receive a refund or donate to us! (on the last page of creating your scheduled donation pickup, you can select our school account)

SkipTheDepot will allow everyone to donate directly to our school with ease. Spread the word by sharing our SkipTheDepot posts on social media!

*For future reference, please go to our website under School Council, for the link and instructions on how to support St. John XXIII and PSC through Skip the Depot. .

As Family We Walk In Christ's Footsteps

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