Week at a Glance

Holy Family Catholic School is a welcoming learning community that awakens the hearts and minds of students while educating and nurturing each to learn, live fully, and serve others.

"Begin now… believe me, don’t wait until tomorrow to begin becoming a saint."

- St. Terese of Lisieux

Monday, Oct. 31:

• Monday Morning Prayer Assembly & Good Shepherd Awards (in person)

Tuesday, Nov. 1:

• No School - ATA Institute/Faith & Wellness Day
• All Saint's Day

Wednesday, Nov. 2:

• All Soul’s Day
• Catholic School Review
• Healthy Hunger (Cora's)
• Sausage order pick-up (2:30-3:45pm)
• School Council mtg. (6:30 pm - virtual)

Thursday, Nov 3:

• Catholic School Review
  
• Gr. 4&5 Youth Workshop
  
• Rec. Academy (Swimming)

Friday, Nov. 4:

• Remembrance Day Liturgy (10:45 am) - In Person

Nov. 7-11: Fall Break (Classes resume Monday, Nov. 14th)

We are inviting students to dress in Halloween costumes or Black/Orange on Monday, October 31st. We request that the costumes reflect the fun of the day, not be frightening to our younger children, and not include plastic/face-covering masks, weapons, or props as these can be distracting and may get misplaced. The HFCS Student Leadership Team is planning Halloween stations for students to participate in during the afternoon. We are also looking forward to our annual costume parade!

On November 2nd and 3rd, our school will be participating in a Catholic School Review. Over the next few years, all GSACRD schools will be reviewed. Alberta Education developed this process, which involves gathering data and evidence through surveys, interviews, documentation review, and general observations. What can you do to help us with the process?

• Talk to your children about their school experience and how they can contribute to the process by speaking with the review team or completing a survey. All grade 4-6 students will complete a survey at school, and a few students from all grade levels will be selected for small group interviews.
• Let the school know if you would be willing to have a short interview with a team member. This can be conducted in person, or by phone, during the day and early evening. If interested, let the school know your name, contact number, and the best time to reach you. You may also email Colin Loiselle, Religious Education Consultant for Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, at cloiselle@gsacrd.ab.ca to express your interest.
• As a Holy Family Catholic School parent/guardian, please take the time to fill out the parent survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSRHFParentSurvey The survey will be available until 9:00 am Wednesday, November 2, 2022.

On November 2nd we remember those who have died, particularly family members and friends. We pray that the souls of these loved ones rest in peace in heaven with God our Father. As we have done in previous years, we will pass our Book of Remembrance from class to class and record the names of our family and friends who have died in the past year.

We will be creating a memorial display in our school to honour our loved ones who are with God. We invite students and staff to bring in pictures (preferably framed or mounted). They will be reverently displayed and will serve as a reminder of these loved ones and our call to pray for them.

Please write your child’s name on the back of the picture so that we can return them at the end of November.

The City of St. Albert is reviewing and updating its municipal naming policy. To inform the new policy, the City’s project team has initiated a public engagement process to collect feedback and perspectives from the greater St. Albert community, including a youth workshop for grade 4 and 5 students at HFCS on November 3rd. How the City names its streets, buildings, and parks is important - these names make up our community identity for today and the future.This facilitated workshop with the project team will ask for feedback on several themes, including:

• How can we create a welcoming community?
• What are the names of your favourite places in St. Albert?
• What do you like the most about living in St. Albert?
• If you could name your favourite place in the City, what would you name it?

The workshop will be observed by a graphic recording artist who will transcribe the youth’s feedback and transform it into a piece of art the school can put on display. The feedback will also be used to inform the criteria for future municipal naming under the new policy.

We will be celebrating the freedoms we enjoy today by honouring those who gave their time, effort, and lives for us. Our Remembrance Day Service will take place on Friday, November 4th at 10:45 am. Students who participate in Brownies, Guides, Cubs, or Scouts, etc. are invited to wear their uniforms. The St. Albert Legion will be delivering poppies to our school for Remembrance Day. These will be distributed to students on the morning of November 4th. Students are invited to bring a small donation for the Legion's Poppy Fund. All families are invited to join us - please come if you can!

• Thank you to all who came for our Halloween Dance! It was great fun!
• Healthy Hunger lunch on Wednesday is from Cora's.
• If you ordered sausage, it will be ready for pick up at the school on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd from 2:30-3:45 pm.
• School Council will be meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd at 6:30pm. You can access this virtual meeting by clicking on the following link: https://meet.google.com/icx-hvzb-wqz?authuser=0&pli=1. All are welcome!
• Gift Card orders are due Wednesday and should arrive just after fall break (week of November 14th). Buy for everyone you know!
• The next Friends of Holy Family Meeting will take place in the school’s library on Thursday, November 17th at 6:30pm. This will be our AGM where we will be approving our financial statements from the last year. Feel free to join us!

Our hot lunch program continues to run twice a month for students in Grades 1-6. You will need to set up an account for your child. Our school is listed as Friends of Holy Family Catholic School. Orders are due 5 days before each hot lunch date. If you have any questions, please contact Jonelle at kreiserj@shaw.ca

A reminder that there will be NO CLASSES from November 7-11, 2022. We wish all of our families a restful break. Enjoy the time to slow down and reconnect with each other!

We are dedicated to building a Catholic, Christian community that prepares our students to know, model, and witness Jesus Christ. Our faith theme this year is ”ARISE: GO WITH GOD”. Pope Francis speaks directly to all young people, especially students, with a call to ARISE. He wants to inspire today’s youth to use their God-given gifts and talents to make the world a better place.

Upcoming Events:

Nov. 7-11: Fall Break - No School

Nov. 14: Classes resume after Fall Break

Nov. 18: No Kindergarten classes

Email: hfcsinfo@gsacrd.ab.ca
Website: hfcs.gsacrd.ab.ca
Location: 39 Sunset Boulevard, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: (780) 459-7734
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HFCS.gsacrd