The Good News - November 27, 2022

First Sunday of Advent - Hope

Today marks the beginning of a new liturgical year starting with a four-week celebration of Advent. Advent is our season of waiting for Jesus. Waiting is not something we are accustomed to in today’s world. Everything is at our fingertips, a click away from immediate gratification.

Yet, as every parent knows, waiting for the miracle of new life takes much needed time. Time to prepare, to hope, to wait with joyful anticipation, and most importantly, to love.

To love, regardless of what challenge or messiness we encounter. It is more about how we wait--with faith--with joy--with love, rather than the external preparations. Let this season of Advent be a time of change in our hearts as we wait for Jesus. Let us prepare with love and trust. Let it be a time of joy and hope for all of us.

Monday, Nov. 28

• First Week of Advent Faith Assembly pd. 1

• Regular Activities

• Regular Activities

• Hot Lunch

• Poinsettia pick up 1-3, 6-8
  

Dec. 6 - St. Nicholas Day, Sock Toss

Dec. 7 - Early Dismissal 2:15 - Wear Red and Green

Dec. 8 - Grade 2 Ukrainian Village

Dec. 9 - Coffee with the Principal 8:45-9:30, Toboggan/Hot Chocolate Day

Dec. 12 - Parent School Council Meeting 7 pm

Dec. 14 - Hot Lunch, Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal

Dec. 15 - Christmas Concert 1pm/6pm

Dec. 16 - Gr. 3 Teacher's Pet, Christmas Sweater Day

Dec. 19 - Advent Mass (at OLA church), Community Readers (pm)

Dec. 20 - PJ and Christmas Movie Day

Dec. 21 - First day of Christmas Break

Jan. 4 - First day back from Christmas break, Early Dismissal 2:15

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.

Tuesday, Dec. 6th - St. Nicholas Day/ Sock Toss

Wednesday, Dec. 7th - Wear Green and Red/Buddy Bingo

Friday, Dec. 9th - Toboggan and Hot Chocolate Day! We will be spending parts of the day outside having some fun in the snow. We will be tobogganing and having hot chocolate. Students need to bring their own toboggans and CSA Approved helmets! Check with your bus drivers for rules with transporting toboggans on this day. If you do not want your child to toboggan, please let your child’s teacher know! Please make sure your child has snow pants and proper gear to spend an extended amount of time outside.

Thursday, December 15th - School Christmas Concert Day! Dress in your best wear for our Christmas Concert. There will be an afternoon show (1:00pm) and an evening show (6:00pm). Don’t forget to bring money to buy raffle tickets for our Christmas Basket Fundraiser for Lurana Shelter.

Friday, December 16th - Christmas Sweater Day

Monday, Dec 19th – School Mass (am) and Community Engagement Afternoon (Special visitors and readers) We will celebrate mass as a school at OLA church at 10 am. Community members will come out and read Christmas stories to classes in the afternoon and we are hoping to have some special visitors to classrooms that day! (wink wink)

Tuesday, Dec 20th – PJ and Christmas Movie Day! Wear your PJ’s for the day and bring your favourite stuffed animal. We have some cleaning to do in the morning and then our afternoon will be spent enjoying a movie. Students can bring ONE sandwich-size Ziploc bag full of a snack of their choice to enjoy during the movie.

This Advent, St. John XXIII is continuing to partner with Catholic Social Services to support women and children at the Lurana Shelter.

Lurana is a 21 day domestic abuse emergency shelter. The women and children who stay there have nowhere else to go because their own homes are unsafe. They may have left their home with only the clothes on their backs.

When the women arrive at Lurana Shelter, they receive a ‘Basket of Blessings’. Each basket is tailored to the specific needs of each woman and her children. A typical adult basket may include soap, toothbrushes and other toiletries, feminine hygiene products, make-up, hair brushes/combs and other basics. A typical children’s basket may include necessities like soothers, a rattle or other small toy, a book, a small blanket.

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. We will be creating themed baskets that will be raffled off at our Christmas Concert. You can also donate online using our school link.

Donations will be accepted until December 20th.

May God bless you and your family this Advent Season.

We will be creating baskets for a fundraising draw during our Christmas Concert, on Thursday, December 15th. Baskets will be displayed and raffle tickets will be sold at the Christmas Concert. Winning tickets will be drawn at the end of the evening Christmas Concert. All money raised will be donated to Lurana Shelter.

We are asking students in each homeroom class to bring items related to a theme. Homeroom teachers will be sending descriptions of the various baskets, and what items can be purchased. Please have your student bring their item to their homeroom, and we will collect the items for the baskets there. If you have larger baskets to donate as well, please send those along with your child.

Thank you for your generosity!

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

Don't forget to send your family made robot to school by November 28th to be put on display in the library! Remember, any size, shape or design!

Thank you for the amazing support through our poinsettia and winter plant fundraiser this winter. We sold 122 plants! Pick up will be on Friday, December 2nd with two time slots available:
1-3pm and 6-8pm from the school gym.

We will need 4 volunteers to help with the pick up times, two volunteers per time slot.
If you are able to volunteer please contact Shannon Dahlseide at shannond@eics.ab.ca.

Thank you again for all of your support and enjoy your beautiful plants!

If your require assistance in paying fees you may fill out a fee waiver form and submit it to the school. Fee Waiver Application Deadline is December 12, 2022.

Please call the office at 780-998-7777 if you have any questions.

Entries due December 9th

We are inviting all St. John XXIII students to enter their drawings in our Yearbook Cover Contest. One winner will be selected to be displayed on the front cover. Four other winners will be displayed on the back cover. The top five entries will be selected by a panel. The front cover will be voted on by the school population via Google form.

What are Executive Functioning Skills and Why are They Important?

Here are some executive function games you can play with your child at home:

• BLURT
• SCRABBLE
• PICTIONARY
• DISTRACTION
• 5 SECOND RULE
• FREEZE
• JENGA
• BRAINTEASERS
• CHESS
• SODUKU

From our OLA Parish:

We help families to prepare their children for first Confession and first Eucharist. We accept children in grade two and older. Each candidate must be baptized. Parents or guardians should register their children at the Parish Office. In preparation for their sacramental journey and to encourage relationships with Jesus and within our Parish family, each candidate is welcomed and encouraged to attend all classes on their sacramental journey.

We are now accepting pre-registration for sacramental preparation for 2022-2023. Please email or drop off completed forms with fee to the parish. Registration is not considered complete with out payment of fees.

Fee of $50.00 for the two sacraments. Please provide a copy of the baptism certificate if not baptized in one of our parishes.

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

Date and Times of classes, retreat and celebration have not yet been determined. We will post as soon as we have the information. Please feel free to register and pick up the resources at the church office.

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