The Good News January 16th, 2026

As we move further into the new year, we remain grateful for the sense of community that defines St. John XXIII. January is often a quieter, steadier time in the school year - a season to settle into routines, deepen learning, and refocus on what matters most.

In the weeks ahead, our students will continue growing not only academically, but also spiritually and socially. Through daily interactions, acts of kindness, and moments of perseverance, they are learning what it means to live out our faith in real and meaningful ways. These small, consistent moments are where formation truly happens. Behind the scenes, our office team is preparing for upcoming items like student registrations opening February 2 and our Pre-K and Kindergarten Open House. This forward planning helps us stay organized, while daily learning and routines for students continue as usual.

Inspired by the example of St. John XXIII, we strive to be a school community rooted in joy, openness, and trust. Thank you for your ongoing partnership, encouragement, and support. Together, we are helping our children become thoughtful learners, compassionate people, and faithful witnesses in the world. Warmest blessings,

Mr. Dan Holden & Mrs. Erin Croft

St. John XXIII Leadership Team

• 3F Linking Generations

• Goota Desmarais - Inuit Knowledge Keeper Presentation

• Parish Visit - Gr 3
• Early Dismissal 2:08 pm

• KTF (both classes) Activity - The Makery
• Gr 3 TPet

Looking Ahead:

Jan. 26- Hot Lunch, Pre K and Kindergarten Open House 5:30-7:00 pm, N3 Natural Playground

Jan. 27 - Gr 4 TPet, 2L & 2G TPet, N1 TWOS

Jan. 29 - 2W TPet, 4P Fort Museum, NK Snowshoeing

Jan. 30 - N2 TWOS, N4 NE River Valley

For our grade 4 families who will be transitioning to St. John Paul II next year, a school open house is taking place on January 28 at 5:30 pm.

Please see the attached letter for upcoming provincial assessments that will be completed for all students in grades K-3.

We are incredibly grateful for the many ways our parent volunteers support and enrich our school community. Your time, energy, and generosity make a meaningful difference in the daily life of our school.

From organizing Hot Lunch, coordinating Baskets of Blessings and the Box of Cards, to attending and contributing to monthly Parent Council meetings, your involvement helps create a caring and connected environment for our students and staff. We also deeply appreciate the effort that goes into special initiatives such as organizing the poinsettias and Grinch Trees, which bring joy, warmth, and school spirit to our community.

Parent involvement is a vital part of who we are as a school. We value the partnership we share with our families and are truly thankful for the ongoing support, creativity, and dedication shown by our volunteers. Please know that parent involvement is always welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated at our school.

Thank you for all that you do to support our students and strengthen our school community.

As our student population continues to grow, so too does our staff. At this time, we have a limited number of parking spaces available for staff members.

We kindly ask for your cooperation in keeping designated staff parking spots available in the morning so that our staff have access to parking when they arrive for the school day. This small courtesy helps ensure a smooth and positive start to the day for those who work hard to support our students.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and we thank you for your continued support of our school community.

Now that students are well into their routines and know where their classrooms are, we kindly ask that if your child arrives late, you allow them to walk to their classroom on their own. If you are picking up your child early, please check in at the office and your child will meet you in the office.

Once classes have begun, extra adults in the hallway or at the classroom door can create a disruption for students and teachers. Thank you for helping us keep the learning environment calm and focused.

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.

Due to the high volume of calls we've been receiving at the end of the school day, we kindly ask that dismissal and transportation plans be arranged before students arrive at school each morning. Last-minute changes create challenges during our busiest time of day and may lead to missed messages or confusion for students.

If an unexpected change arises, please ensure the school is notified at least 15 minutes before dismissal so we can communicate with your child in time.

Thank you for your support in helping us keep students safe and ensuring the end of the day runs smoothly for everyone.

Our EICS Division Administrative Procedure 134 provides guidelines for us at Saint John XXIII for responding to the winter months:

• Decisions regarding outdoor activities are to take into consideration inclement weather that may result from the following conditions or combination of conditions: Continuous rain; Extreme wind, and/or Extreme cold

• The suggested guideline is that students do not go outside if the temperature is - 25 C or colder. The suggested guideline above is at the discretion of school Administrators and staff as part of their consideration for determining whether recess will be inside or outside. Outside time is sometimes shortened or withheld to accommodate winter conditions

• Morning: Supervision begins at 8:30 am, please do not drop off students prior to 8:30 am.

• Outdoor breaks are a very important time for students for play, social-emotional regulation, fresh air, and exercise. We will go out almost every recess; rain, snow or shine. Please ensure that your child comes prepared for the weather. Recesses will be indoors only during extreme weather conditions deemed unsafe to head out for even short spurts.

• In order to support the important balance of learning and play, we will have three responses to recess breaks to respond to Alberta weather:
  

1. Regular recess outside (temperature and conditions not an issue)

2. Inside Recess (Extreme cold and/or weather conditions that are deemed unsafe for full duration of outside playtime)

3. Polar Bear Recess: (Temperatures are lower and cold but still safe to head outdoors for short periods). Students must be dressed for weather conditions and during a Polar Bear recess, students will be given a choice to head outside for a short duration of supervised play or stay indoors for supervised play.

We know from research that outside play is so important for a child's mental, social, emotional, and physical well-being and we will do all we can to support daily outside play as much as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact the school.

Does your child have medical information, a condition the school should be aware of or require medication? If so please complete a B.2) 2025-2026 Medical Status Update/Request for Medical Treatment form located in your Parent Portal . This form is required yearly. We use this important information to alert any staff members, including substitute teachers, of any existing medical needs we need to be aware of. If your child requires medication at school you must fill out the medical form with all relevant information related to the medication.

If your child requires use of an EpiPen, please make sure this is filled out immediately. If your child no longer has a medical condition, you are required to update the form accordingly.

Please note:

• All medications, even over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Benadryl etc. require a label from the pharmacy
• the submission of a Medical Form is required prior to medication being sent to the school

If you need assistance, please click the Medical Form link found on our website.

If you wish to register your child for the bus or change your current route, please contact the Student Transportation Department of EIPS at (780) 417-8151 or st@eips.ca.

1. We invite all St. John XXIII students to submit their artwork for this year's Yearbook Cover Contest! All entries must be submitted by January 30th. A panel will select the top five submissions, and then the school population will vote on their favorite design via a Google form.

   The winning artwork will be featured on the front cover, while the remaining top four selected designs will be showcased on the back cover.

   Don't miss your chance to have your artwork seen by the entire school!

   Submissions must be:

   1. On an 8.5 x11 sheet of white paper

   2. Vertical orientation only

   3. Colorful (bold, dramatic lines and colours. No pencil crayons or water-colour paints as they do not show up well when scanned. Suggested tools- markers, sharpies)

   4. Have your name and classroom on the back of your artwork

   
   

   All entries must include:

   Our theme - “Growing Together in Christ’s Love", inspired by John 15:5,8: “I am the vine; you are the branches… bear much fruit, and become my disciples.”

   
   

   Entries due January 30th

   
   

   Tips for a good entry:

   1. Limit the amount of white space - lots of colors (including the background)

   2. Use up the whole sheet of paper (the bigger the better)

   3. Choose bright and bold colours! Avoid using pencils and light colored crayons.

   4. To make your cover POP, create a thick outline using a sharpie or marker

   5. Covers will be scanned so artwork must be completely flat

Order your child's hot lunch conveniently through MunchaLunch. Simply visit https://munchalunch.com/schools/stjohnXXIII to register or log in.

MunchaLunch makes ordering and payment (credit, debit-credit, Google/Apple Pay) simple. After adding your children, click "Order Lunch!" to get started.

Ordering Information:

Online ordering for January Hot Lunch is live:
Monday, January 26 - Cobs

Online ordering for February Hot Lunch goes live Jan 20th

Wednesday, February 4th - KFC

Friday, February 20th - Ricky’s

Friday, February 27th - Subway

Important Reminders:

• Orders will be accepted up to 7 days before the hot lunch date.

• If your child is ill or absent on a hot lunch date, you’re welcome to pick up their lunch order by 11:30 AM. If you’re unable to do so, please consider it a donation for a child in need.

• Please note that we are unable to issue refunds. We appreciate your support of our hot lunch program, as the prices include costs associated with running the program and help raise funds that benefit the student experience at our school. Thank you for your understanding!

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

Mark your calendars! Our next School Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 9th, at 6:30 PM. We encourage all parents and guardians to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

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

Quantities are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis, so be sure to grab yours before they’re gone! You’re welcome to order as many boxes as we have in stock—perfect for stocking up for upcoming events.

Payment is quick and easy through your Munchalunch account, and must be completed at the time of order.

Some of our students were recognized at our assembly this week for exhibiting one of St. John's Daily Decalogue in their daily actions and mindset as a student. The Decalogue that we are focusing on this month is, ' Just for Today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring circumstances to adapt to my wishes'.

Our Learning Common continues to be a special place where students enjoy learning, playing and exploring.

Our Kindergarten learners busy at work and play.

The beautiful weather this week and new loose parts, including snow shovels, snow molds and snow saws made for lots of smiles!

Our Nature Kindergarten class visited the Fort Saskatchewan Ice Slide this week!

Some Grade 10 students from SAB came to St. John XXIII this week to explore and learn with our Grade 4 Nature Program. Bringing two school communities together to learn together!

A big thank you to Dallas Arcand, a world champion award winning music producer and artist. Dallas in an Indigenous Entertainer who certainly entertained students and staff on Thursday this week.

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