Shining Bright @ Madonna!

What a blessing to see, feel and here the joy throughout the halls, in classrooms and on the playground last week for our K-4 Orientation Days! It was wonderful to see all the smiles and get so many hugs! Parents, thank you so much for your continued partnership.

We are honoured that you continue to entrust your most precious gift to our amazing team of educators who love big, and will ensure success for your child's educational, spiritual and social-emotional progress. A heartfelt thank you!

Change and new things can feel hard sometimes. Our Gospel reading today gives us great words to live by, reminding us that we can do hard things through and with Christ. Not only is He here to help and support us, and prepare us for hard steps forward, He tells us that we can experience much joy in hard things when we give up our lives for others.

What does that mean? It means that joy in change or hard things comes from when we help others, think of others and support them, love them, comfort them and walk with them. When we do what Jesus does, we can do hard things, with Him and through Him. In doing so, we deepen our relationship with Him.

When you help others, when you spread love, joy, compassion, inclusion, patience, laughter, togetherness, you GLOW!!

So let's........Go Light Our World!

Mme Pamela Gravelle

Principal

Thank you to everyone for helping to create a successful staggered entry! This is a great opportunity for students to connect with their peers, organize their materials, and feel comfortable in the school. All K-4 students will be coming to school on Tuesday, September 5th (Monday & Wednesday Kinders, we see you on Wednesday!). Pre-Kinder families, your turn is coming and we can't wait to meet you and your precious children!

The first Wednesday of each month is an early dismissal day, which means school ends for students at 2:13pm. To help remind us of those days, and to add even more joy to our already joyful days, these early dismissal Wednesdays will also be our Spirit Days!

Our first early dismissal day this year is this Wednesday, September 6! Come to school wearing Madonna Catholic School colours -- Blue and Gold!!

At Madonna Catholic School we are so grateful to have such a supportive school community. To continue our partnership between the school and home, we are inviting all families to join us at our Meet the Staff night. This will be on September 7th, from 6:30-7:30. This is an opportunity to see where your child learns and play each day. You can see their classroom and school, while also meeting staff members and connecting with your child's teacher.

Bring Your Bottles!

School Council will be having a bottle drive during this event. Parent Council plays a vital role in our school and without their support, we would not be able to run many events or activities. Funds raised from the Bottle Drive go directly to field trips, special presentations, busing costs, teacher wish lists, school programs such as Flex. School Council also supports some hot lunches for families in need. Thank you for helping to support them and Madonna children!

We are excited to partner with Archbishop Jordan High School (ABJ). Madonna School and Archbishop Jordan High School will be celebrating the opening of the school year together! We will be going on Thursday, September 15th, at 9:45 AM. Students and Staff will be bussed to ABJ, and parents are welcome to meet us there and join us in celebrating the start of an amazing school year!

Throughout the year we will invite our community to donate materials and equipment that are in need at Madonna Catholic School. Your support and help is always so appreciated!

Two things come to mind already!

Safety Vests

Our team is growing and so is our Madonna Catholic School Family - YEAH!! This means we have more staff keeping your children safe. As a result, we are in need of yellow safety vests for when staff supervise. If you or a company you know is willing to donate yellow vests (see image above) thank you for emailing Mme Gravelle at pamgr@eics.ab.ca or calling her at the school at 780-467-7972. Thank you in advance!

Sidewalk Chalk

Kids LOVE sidewalk chalk and it's a wonderful way to bring joy and light around the school. If you would like to donate sidewalk chalk, thank you for bringing it to the office, or having your child bring it to school for delivery to the office. You will make so many children smile!!

Student safety is always our number one priority! Please ensure when dropping students off, you are using the designated zone. Malvern Drive is where students are able to be dropped off, as there will be a staff member present to help supervise. Students are encouraged to use the crosswalk when crossing the street. Please note that staff parking is designated for only staff. We appreciate your support in making this busy time as safe as possible for all littles.

Students will enter the school via their designated entrance. Students are to wait outside at their class's designated area. During the first days of school, teachers will be out at 8:30 a.m., to greet you and show you where your class will line up each morning.

Beginning September 5, the entry bell rings at 8:33AM. If you are driving your child, please ensuring they arrive at school for this time. If your child takes the bus, they will arrive at Madonna Catholic School on time for class. In-class learning begins at 8:38AM.

All Wheelchair access is at the front entrance. Your child will be greeted at the entrance by a staff member.

Students will leave the same door at the end of the day. Please meet your child at these doors if you are picking them up. Teachers will walk their class of students out to buses at the end of the day.

Please see the Map below for details.

If during the day you need to pick up your child, please contact the school office. Your child's teacher is working with kids throughout the day, and this is where their focus will be. Therefore they may not be accessing their email. It's important that same-day information be shared with the office and we will happily ensure your child and their teacher is aware of the change in pick up.

Additionally, if your child arrives at school after 8:38am, please proceed to the main school door entrance and press the silver doorbell. We ask for your patience as mornings are filled with welcoming students, and if you arrive late, you may need to wait a minute or two.

It is strongly encouraged that children arrive at school on time. It sets your children up for the greatest success. Should this be a challenge, please contact Mme Gravelle or our Family Wellness Worker, Allie Norrie and we will happily help.

While it may be a little while before your child heads out on a field trip, it's best to be proactive with permissions to attend. Please access your PowerSchool Parent portal to sign your annual consent forms for technology and field trips. As well, please update your communication permissions and contact information.

Doing this early ensures your child is able to enjoy all of the rich learning experiences brought forward by our amazing team, and that you get all of important information about them!

If returning to school is a stressful time for your family, you may be eligible to have your school fees waived. Please read more about the EICS fee waiver policy and complete the following form if applicable. 2023-24 Fee Waiver Application.

Madonna Catholic School is a nut-aware environment. This school policy is put in place to provide a safe environment for our children and staff who have life-threatening allergies to nut and nut products. We ask parents to monitor this closely with their children as they prepare snacks and lunches to be brought to school. Thank you for helping a safe school community for all!

Does your child have a medical condition? Please share this information with MCS/COGITO by completing a

B.2) 2023-2024 Medical Status Update/Request for Medical Treatment Form

in your Parent Portal under SchoolEngage Forms and Fees, then choose Student or Add Student if they are not already available, and then click the "New" beside the 2023-2024 Medical Status Update/Request for Medical Treatment form.

You will need to fill out a new form each year to keep information and medications up to date.

EICS is retiring SchoolMessenger in favour of a more robust system for electronic communication with parents. Please review the following parent handbook for important changes.

If you have visited MCS lately, you'll notice bright orange fencing around parts of our school! This is to begin the process of removing the old portables from our school. We will be saying goodbye to 5 old classrooms!

It will be exciting for students to see a large crane that will be coming to remove the portables in the near future. While the operation of the crane will occur outside of school hours, children will still see this big piece of machinery!

We will ensure children are safe outside of the fencing and we appreciate your help reminding children to stay on the outside of the fencing as well.

Thank you so much for your help!

To gain a deeper insight into what your children are learning this year, please use the following link to access the Alberta curriculum. Both our Mainstream and COGITO programs follow the Alberta Curriculum.

These links also have additional supports and resources for parents. Check it out!

Ordering OPENS: Sunday September 3rd, 2023

Ordering CLOSES: Friday September 15 th . 2023

If your child is in kindergarten, please make sure you are only ordering for the days your child is at school. If your child is going to be absent (except for school trips or functions) on the day of the hot lunch, please make arrangements that day for your child's hot lunch before 11:00 am by calling the school or emailing us at MADONNACSES@GMAIL.COM. All left over from Hot Lunch will be donated after 12:00 pm.

Below are the instructions to the online ordering website

How to get started…

Go to http://madonnashp.hotlunches.net

Click on: Click Here to Register

Enter Access Code: MAD2023

Complete the rest of the registration form. (Including your email address will ensure you

receive reminder emails about hot lunch order deadlines, and your child's hot lunch order for

the upcoming week)

Click the Register Now button at the bottom

Follow the instructions to add each child in your family who attends Madonna Catholic School. Once your child(ren) are registered, click on Orders

Proceed to order hot lunch for your child(ren)

Payments: We accept hot lunch order payments by Credit Card (Through BAMBORA)

The hot lunch online order system requires a small amount of setup time at the beginning as you must register each child you have attending our school prior to ordering hot lunch. Once the initial setup process is complete, your hot lunch orders for the remainder of the year should be quick and simple..

DEADLINE for ORDERING and PAYMENT for this cycle is Friday September 15 th , 2023.

Thank you for your continued support of your child’s school and for Madonna School Council.

Thank you,

MADONNA HOT LUNCH COMMITTEE

Madonnacses@gmail.com

Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM

Sunday Mass: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 7:00 PM.

If parents have any questions, they can also contact the church by phone 780-467-5470 or email sacraments@olph.ca

September:

4 - No School

5 - First Day for all students

6 - Early Dismissal: Students dismissed at 2:13. Spirit Day: Wear your Madonna Colors - Blue & Gold.

7- Meet the Staff & School Council bottle drive from 6:30-7:30.

11 - First School Assembly. 4P Leading this assembly.

12 - Opening Mass at ABJ School @ 9:45am

20 - School Council Meeting @ 7:00pm (In Person & Virtual)

21 - Grade 4 Retreat at Camp Van Es

22 - Terry Fox Run

25 - Gotcha Assembly

29 - Orange Shirt day & Assembly @ 1:00pm