-Raiders News-

March 2026

March 23-27- NO SCHOOL-Spring Break

Monday

• Badminton Game @OLPH

Tuesday

• Grade 1 fieldtrip- Ukrainian Village
• Family Wellness Worker on site

Wednesday

• Family Wellness Worker on site
• Early Dismissal- 2:00pm
• Fantasy Spirit Day- dress as wizards, fairies, dragons, etc...
• Pysanky/Ukrainian Easter Egg decoration 6-8pmm

Thursday

• No News

Friday

• Good Friday- NO SCHOOL

Coming up

April 6- Easter Monday- No School

April 7- Badminton Game @ Holy Redeemer

April 7- Parent Council Meeting 6-8pm

April 8- Early Dismissal 2pm

April 9- Rec and Leadership 5-8 - Activate

April 9- Art club 2:45-4:00pm

School Calendar

A reminder - if Mrs. Makkinga or PAC is not notified what to do with hot lunches if your child is absent - lunch is given away to students who may not receive a hot lunch. You can make or cancel any orders five days prior to serving day.

PLEASE NOTE MARCH 11 HOT LUNCH IS MOVED TO APRIL 01, 2026

Registration is now open! We encourage you to share this information with friends, family, and members of our community who may be interested.

To register, please click here.

Dear Parents,

Families of students in Grades 4–7 received a short survey to help us explore programming options for the 2026–2027 school year at Holy Redeemer.

With our continued enrollment growth, we are excited about the opportunity to expand learning experiences for our students. We are currently exploring the possibility of adding one — and potentially two — new program options for next year.

These options are also known in Alberta as Career and Technology Foundations (CTF) as outlined by Alberta Education. In CTF, occupational areas are grouped into five clusters: Business, Communication, Human Services, Resources, and Technology. These clusters represent broad occupational groupings that are commonly found across many industries and help students begin exploring areas of interest, skills, and potential future career pathways.

To help guide conversations at home, families may wish to review examples of occupational areas and possible careers through the Alberta Education resource found here:
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/ctf-occupational-areas-and-possible-occupations

Your feedback will help guide our planning. When the survey arrives, we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about their interests, passions, and the types of learning opportunities they would be excited to participate in as they move into the next stage of their schooling.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts. Your input plays an important role in helping us shape programming that best serves our students and our school community.

Thank you for your continued support of Holy Redeemer Catholic School.

Ed Kucy
Principal
Holy Redeemer Catholic School

As we begin preparations for the upcoming school year, we kindly ask that all families complete the Next Year Intentions form in PowerSchool.

To access the form:

1. Log in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal account.

2. Select your child’s name (if you have more than one student).

3. Click on Forms from the left-hand menu.

4. Select the Next Year Intentions Form and complete the required information.

5. Be sure to click Submit at the bottom of the form.
   
   

This information is very important for staffing and planning purposes. We ask that you complete the form at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us prepare for a successful school year.

Kind regards,

Holy Redeemer Office Team

Sherwood Park, AB - Over the past several years, the Holy Redeemer Parent Council has worked tirelessly to support their school community through a variety of fundraising initiatives. With incredible participation from families, funds were raised through popular programs such as hot lunch, plant sales, Purdy's chocolates, coffee and other events that brought both excitement and meaningful contributions to our students.

In addition to these ongoing efforts, Parent Council carefully stewarded previously saved funds, always with the goal of making a lasting impact for students. Recognizing the importance of safe and engaging outdoor spaces, the Parent Council also dedicated significant time and energy toward applying for a major grant opportunity from the Government of Alberta. We are proud to share that the Holy Redeemer Parent Council has been awarded a $125,000 Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant.

The project was born out of necessity when an assessment by Strathcona County determined that our beloved "yellow playground" had reached the end of its lifecycle.

"While this marked the end of an era filled with cherished memories, it also created an opportunity for renewal," shared Parent Council Co-Chairs Lauren Unrau and Marysia Waritsky. "Our playground has long been a place of connection and joy, and we are grateful to be able to provide a safe, vibrant new space for our children to play."

Minister Nate Glubish joined Principal Ed Kucy, Board Chair Le-Ann Ewaskiw, and Parent Council Co-Chairs Lauren Unrau and Marysia Waritsky for a ceremonial cheque presentation at Holy Redeemer Catholic School on February 27, 2026, where they learned about Parent Council’s extensive efforts to fund the new playground. From collaborating with Strathcona County to surveying students for design input, the project has truly been a community-wide effort.

“At Holy Redeemer, we know that when a community comes together in service of its children, remarkable things can happen. This playground represents years of dedication from our Parent Council and families, and it reflects our shared commitment to ensuring every child experiences the simple, God-given joy of play. We are proud to provide a safe, vibrant space where students can build friendships, grow in confidence, and simply enjoy being kids,” said Principal Ed Kucy.”

Thanks to the combined success of community fundraising and grant funding, Holy Redeemer Catholic Schools is thrilled to share that the playground will be replaced in the summer of 2026. The new structure will continue to serve as a place for play, connection, and childhood joy for many years to come, a true reflection of what can be achieved when a community comes together.

Orders will be due April 22, 2026

Delivery is estimated to be May 07, 2026

BGC Strathcona has partnered with South Cooking Lake hall to bring their Youth Nights out to this community on the following dates this rest of this school year (with the hope of possibly next year!):

• Friday, April 10th
• Friday, May 8th
• Friday, June 12th

We would like to welcome back Mrs. Lindsay Andreychuk as our School Wellness Worker. Please stay tuned for her updates in this section.

Service Delivery

Each school is staffed with a Family Wellness Worker (FWW), who works under the direction of their School Principal and the Assistant Superintendent of Faith & Wellness. FWW's receive clinical guidance from a Registered Psychologist.

The primary function of the Family Wellness team is to provide social and emotional support to students and families. Family Wellness Workers meet with students and parents to assess needs, set goals, identify required supports, and plan appropriate interventions.

They collaborate with school system staff and community resources to build a “village” of support around students/families who are struggling.

Referrals

Parental consent is required for FWW services.

Referrals to the Family Wellness Program may be made by students, parents/guardians, school administration, teachers, or other school staff (e.g. school counsellor or inclusive learning facilitator, etc.).

Parents and guardians can access these services by speaking with the Principal or contacting the school's Family Wellness Worker directly.

Please take a look at what is happening in the county HERE

Preparation Classes start February 19 at OLPH Parish. Please share registration information with parents.

Reminder:

First Reconciliation will be celebrated this Saturday February 7 at OLPH Parish at 10:30 am. Preparation for First Holy Communion will begin immediately after this. First Communion will be celebrated the weekend of March 21-22.

Sat March 21 at 5:00 pm is Holy Spirit

Sun March 22 at 10:30 am is Holy Redeemer and St. Nicholas

Sun March 22 at 12:30 pm is EPK and Madonna

(*I realize the March 21 weekend is the beginning of spring break and many folks travel, but anyone who is not on vacation will hopefully join us at Mass! The children and their families always appreciate seeing their teachers and principals at church!)

As usual, I have created a shared google doc to plan volunteers and participants at each First Communion Mass. Thank you School Chaplains for your assistance in selecting readers and arranging for other volunteers from your schools. Here is the link to our google doc:

Sacramental Preparation at OLPH. Our fall sessions are starting up this month and the children will celebrate these sacraments in December. (We also have support for families who wish to have their children Baptized, to "open the door" to these other sacraments.

Our parish is very grateful for the partnership of our Catholic Schools in the faith formation of our young people and their families! A personal email from the school Principal, the faith leader of the school, could make a special impact on families and encourage them to bring their children here to the Church for their sacraments. It could also be extremely helpful if the Grade 2-4 Homeroom Teachers would personally send parents a message about First Communion & Reconciliation for their children, and if Grade 6-8 Teachers could do so for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thank you for everything you do!

Please fill out the registration forms below:

First Reconciliation & First Communion for Grade 2 and up

Sacrament of Confirmation for Grades 6 and up

OLPH’s third and final Sacramental Preparation session have began for children’s First Reconciliation & First Communion.

Any questions parents can also contact the church by phone 780-467-5470 ext: 225 OR email sacraments@olph.ca. For future sign up!

Location: 13 Brower Drive, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-467-5470