Cardinal Connect
Third Week of Advent: December 16 - 20
Principal's Message - Choose Joy!
Dear Cardinals,
Today is 3rd Sunday of Advent and is also called Gaudete Sunday. On this Sunday - and all week long, we light the pink candle. This candle stands out differently among the other purple ones. Why is this? Well our first clue is in the term "Gaudete", which is a Latin word meaning “rejoice.” With this being our last week of school before Christmas holidays, the anticipation of the break may indeed lead you to rejoice. Today in specific marks the halfway point of our Advent celebrations!
It makes sense then, that the candle is known as the candle of JOY! The candle is also sometimes called the "Shepherd's Candle" - for just as the shepherds were inspired with joy for the journey to see the birth of Jesus, we too are called to be re-inspired in our Advent preparations - making the rest of the Advent journey with renewed joy!
So, let us be intentional in this week to actually choose joy. Fr. Mike Schmitz puts it this way: "Joy is a choice, just like love. We can either chase the feeling or choose the reality".
Lord, help us to truly choose joy today and always.
As we move past the halfway point of the Advent season, and closer to Christmas,
let joy take root in our hearts so that we can in turn bring joy to others -
especially those for whom this time of year is difficult.
Amen+
Blessings,
Scott Walker
Principal
Monthly Virtue:Temperance
Sacred Teaching: Humility
Catholic Social Teaching: Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
GRAD PICTURES UPDATE:
If you have not yet booked your grad pictures, more spots have opened up from January 29th - 31st (Wednesday - Friday). January 27th and 28th are full.
If these dates do not work for you, you will need to book during the retake days which are February 18th - 19th. Once spots for the retake days open up, a notification will be sent out.
See the original information below which is linked in your Google classroom Cohort:
Grade 12's can now book their graduation pictures (cap and gown).
They will take place in the student lounge (at SAB) from January 27th – January 31st.
Attached is all the information you need to know. When booking graduation pictures please make
sure that the sitting time does not conflict with a final exam. Even though January 29th is a PD Day, the school will be open for graduation pictures.
- Go to the website (Click Here) and use the code SABH2425 to book your appointment
- Every grade twelve student must make an appointment to have their graduation picture taken. The
sitting fee is covered by part of the graduation fee. Even if a family is not planning on purchasing graduation pictures, SAB requires all grads to get their picture taken at this
time. These pictures are used for: the graduation composite, yearbook, the slideshow presented at the commencement ceremony, and at awards night.
- Re-takes will be February 18th and 19th
- Any questions please come see Mrs. Lemmens (barbl@eics.ab.ca)
Let's do this Cardinals! Bring in a Toonie (or more!) to your block 1 classes!
This Advent EICS is continuing to partner with Catholic Social Services to support women and children in Lurana Shelter. More info is below about the amazing work that Lurana Shelter does. Every $100 raised provides an amazing basket to women and children in need!
We are asking all of our amazing Cardinal Students to bring in a toonie to their block 1 classes!
We will also have a bake sale to help raise funds to purchase baskets of blessings.
If any parents or family members want to donate directly, we have a St. Andre Bessette fundraising page set up here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-sign-of-hope-society-archdiocese-of-edmonton/p2p/2024-eics-advent/team/st-andre-bessette-catholic-secondary-school
What is Lurana Shelter?
Lurana is a 21 day domestic abuse emergency shelter. The women and children who stay there have nowhere else to go. Their home is unsafe. They may have left their home with only the clothes on their back. When they arrive at Lurana, CSS staff will give them a bedroom to stay in. Staff will also provide them with a Basket of Blessings purchased by the students, teachers and parents of Elk Island Catholic School Division. With your donations staff will purchase an adult basket and/or a children’s basket. A typical adult basket includes soap, toothbrushes and other toiletries, feminine hygiene products, make-up, hair brushes/combs and other basics. A typical children’s basket includes necessities like soothers, a rattle or other small toy, a book, a small blanket. All adult and children’s Baskets of Blessings also include a teddy bear. Clients of Lurana often report that they keep this teddy bear their whole lives.
Here is our School Donation link:
If you are taking Math 30-1 or Math 30-2 and want to put yourself in the best possible position to write a successful diploma exam, the following information might be of interest to you.
An online learning package consisting of video lessons on every topic in the course, a focussed set of practice questions for each lesson complete with detailed solutions, 8 practice unit exams mostly auto graded online, and a practice final with both detailed written and audio solutions, awaits you.
Use the materials when you have the time. Focus only on those topics that require your greatest attention. There is a huge amount of flexibility on how you choose to use the materials. Content has been crafted at a provincial standard designed specifically to mirror diploma exam questions, in terms of wording, format and level of difficulty.
For further information, check out the following links.
Math 30-1
https://mathpqjq.com/diploma-preparation-math-30-1/
Math 30-2
This season, fundraising for St. Andre Bessette Parent Council is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free team funding app.
Our SAB Parent Council team will earn cash back on every purchase we make all year long! All you have to do is shop anytime as you normally would at places like Home Depot, Walmart, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy, Apple, Esso, and Loblaws (among many others)
Join our SAB Parent Council team now and you’ll get a $5 bonus the first time you shop: https://shop.flipgive.com/onboarding/join?joincode=2Y635Z
Or enter this code: 2Y635Z
What does this fundraising for SAB Parent Council Support?
Here's just a bit of what our Parent Council currently supports:
-Grade 12 Prayer bags for ELA 30 diploma exams
-The Sr. Ada Toner Scholarship
-Classroom and Student needs
And we hope to expand to support even more classroom and student needs as well as more school initiatives, scholarships and awards!
Need more info? Contact Parent Council Chair Janette Adamyk at nettya@shaw.ca
St André Bessette Catholic School
Email: sab@eics.ab.ca
Website: www.sab.eics.ab.ca
Location: 8300 Southfort Drive, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 587-744-0750