St. Gabriel Education Centre

Dear St. Gabes students and families,

Happy May!

May and June are big months in school with courses finishing up, exams, awards ceremonies, year-end liturgies, graduation . . . it's a busy time for everyone! Plus, when the sun is shining, it's so hard to focus on doing our school work but I encourage you to find ways that you can still enjoy the spring weather and get your work done. Head outside with your laptop and work on your patio instead of in your room or office or grab a blanket and head to a park to read your novel or textbook.

May is also the month of Mary and we're still in the Easter season so it's also a really big month for the church. This week also marks Mental Health Awareness Week and of course, we can't forget that it's also Mother's Day on May 14th. We want to wish all the moms, step-moms, grandmothers, and those in the role of mother a very special and happy day.

Please read over the schedules below carefully and note the important dates that apply to you.

I pray that you all have a safe and healthy spring! Many Blessings to you all,

Renee Trottier,

Principal

Thank you for taking the time to read about what's happening at St. Gabes each month. Our newsletter is a really important way for you to keep up with what's happening at school.

Congratulations to Yvonne Dutton for winning the draw this month! Please stop by the school next week to pick up your gift card!

Don't forget to enter our draw for a gift card! I reset the draw each month so you can win more than once!

https://forms.gle/kx5u8TWpSDKAw8Jn8

May 1-7 - Mental Health Awareness Week

May 3 - Hats on for Mental Health - wear a hat today

May 4 - May the 4th Be With You! - Dress up in Star Wars Theme today (see Mr. Breen if you have questions)

May 5 - Wear Red for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous women

May 10 - School Council meeting

May 15 - Grade 8 and 9 ELA Final Part A Exam

May 15-18 - Catholic Education Week

May 18 - Wear Blue for Catholic Education

May 19 - PD/Staff meeting day. School is closed.

May 22 - Victoria Day. No School.

May 29 - Provincial Election Day

Please click on the link for our exam schedule. Take note of the dates that you have to be in class to write exams and attend review sessions.

Diploma exams cannot be moved or missed for any reason. If you miss your diploma, you will have to reschedule it for August by booking it on MyPass.

High School students - if you have time conflicts with a final exam, replacement exam, or review session, please contact your teacher to set up an alternate time to write the exam or attend a review session.

Grade 8 and 9 finals/PATs dates are set and cannot be changed. If you have an unavoidable absence, please contact Mrs. Trottier as soon as you can. You can write the exam the following day (which means writing 2 exams in one day). You cannot write final exams/PATs earlier than the scheduled date.

St. Gabriel Education Centre Final Exam and Review Session Schedule

Check with your teacher for any updates to the review or exam schedules.

On, or before, June 27 all textbooks and Chromebooks must be returned to St. Gabriel Education Centre. Please note, not returning school resources will result in a fee to pay for the replacement of the item. Damage will be assessed a fee to either rebind the book or replace it, depending on the damage. Thank you for your attention to this!

P.S. - It's easiest to just bring your textbook with you when you come to write your exam. ;)

If you are interested in registering for next year, please click on the link HERE. You can find out more about St. Gabes by checking out our website or calling one of the staff.

Our school offers programming for any student residing in Alberta so share the good news of St. Gabe's with friends and family.

Please leave us a review on Google or Facebook. It will only take you a few moments but it will go a long way to advertising our program to others in the province. The more students we have, the more robust the programming we can offer. Thank you in advance!

Please note the new date for May's meeting:

Our next School Council meeting is on May 10 at 6:30 pm. This is our last meeting of the school year. All parents/guardians and adult students are welcome to join us.

We meet once per month except for December and June. All of our meetings are online. You can find the agenda and meeting link on our website under "About Us/School Council". https://www.stgabe.gsacrd.ab.ca/about-st-gabriel/school-council-parent-council

We look forward to seeing you!

Are you graduating this year? Let Mrs. Bedi know if you want to participate in our graduation ceremony. It will be held on June 28 at 10:00 am with lunch to follow. If you're unsure about your credits and course requirements for graduation, check your MyPass account or talk to Mrs. Trottier, Mrs. Franklin or Mrs. Delhez. We can help you figure it out!

Our Code of Conduct has been approved by staff and school council and is posted on our website under "About Us". Each year, we review our policy and go over it with staff and parents.

On behalf of the staff of St. Gabriel Education Centre, I would like to wish all of the mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, and those in the role of mother, a very happy Mother's Day on May 14th.

May is a big month this year! We are still in the season of Easter until Pentecost Sunday on May 28 but May is also the month of Mary so we have a lot to celebrate this year!

Historians aren’t exactly sure why May was chosen to honour Mary, but many believe that May being the month when spring is in full bloom has a lot to do with it. May is the height of spring–gardens everywhere are alive with blooming flowers and trees are filling their branches with leaves. This new beginning and new birth in nature remind us of the life Mary gave to Jesus. Without Mary giving birth to Jesus, all the events that followed: Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection wouldn’t have happened. So, it’s believed that May (when nature is showing signs of life) is the ideal month to honour the woman who gave life to our Saviour.

When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, they could have gossiped and complained about how their plans and dreams were broken. Instead they gave thanks to God because His plans are better even and especially when we don't get what we planned. Give thanks to God always - Fr. Goyo.

May 3 is Hat's on for Mental Health so remember to wear a special hat on Wednesday, May 4!

This year our GSACRD Voice Mental Health Capacity Building Group is focusing on mental health disorders that are less commonly talked about. Click on the links below to find out more.

Bipolar Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Schizophrenia and Psychosis

Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

Borderline Personality Disorder

Don't forget to check out our "Mental Health and Wellness" section on our website for wellness ideas, tips, resources and sessions that are being offered. Click on "community supports" for information about services in St. Albert and area to support you or your family.

On Friday, April 21st, our staff undertook a professional development opportunity to learn more about Indigenous education and the different perspectives that Indigenous students have when learning. We travelled to Mother Earth Children's Charter School west of Edmonton where we participated in sessions led by staff and students. Part of every Alberta teacher's quality standard is to develop and apply foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students.

Our school counsellor at St. Gabriel Education Center is Mrs. Tracy Delhez. She is able to provide social and emotional support to students both online and at school. Mrs. Delhez is available at SGEC on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Counselling referrals can also be made by parents or teachers. Support is provided for individual or family concerns and referrals to outside agencies can be accessed through Mrs. Delhez. For more information or to book an appointment please contact Mrs. Delhez at mailto:tdelhez@gsacrd.ab.ca

Several of you have mentioned that you'd like to know more about St. Gabe's alumni students. This is a great idea . . . although not an easy one to do as our alumni live in various places and they're not always easy to get a hold of. So, to that end, when I see one I will ask for any news about them. The first one is Michael Shields who dropped by last week to chat with staff.

Michael graduated from St. Gabes in 2021. He was the recipient of our ATA Local Scholarship award. He is enrolled at Red Deer Polytechnic where he is taking the LPN program. Once he finishes this 2-year program, he plans to apply to work Internationally as an LPN for a few years and then return to Alberta to complete his nursing degree. As part of his program, he will be spending a lot of time working in various care centres such as assisted living facilities, and hospitals which he is very excited about. He particularly likes the hands-on nature of this program. Michael continues to play baseball during his free time.

Did you know that we update our social media accounts on a regular basis? Following us is one of the quickest ways to find out what's going on at school and getting those last minute, emergency updates.

Please follow and share with your friends. We want everyone to know what a great place St. Gabes is!

https://www.facebook.com/StGabeHS

https://www.instagram.com/st.gabes/

https://twitter.com/stgabes

The Peer Prep Program is the first initiative launched by Youth in Action (YIA). Designed specifically for youth in grades 6-9, this pilot project is focused on delivering workshops that address critical topics and themes identified by the YIA committee as gaps in current programming in our community.

What can youth expect at the workshops?

Through games, presentations, and of course snacks, young people will have the opportunity to engage in interactive and engaging sessions facilitated by YIA committee members. The workshops will focus on preparing youth for high school and navigating areas that the YIA committee wished they had extra guidance on. The program offers a unique opportunity for young people to develop their skills, gain valuable knowledge and insights, and build strong relationships with their peers.

How do I register?

There is no need to register! All workshops are offered on a drop-in basis in the Multipurpose Room at Servus Credit Union Place. Join us for any of the workshops that are of interest to you.

Bullying Ain’t It

May 9 from 6:30-8:00

You vs. The Mirror

May 23 from 6:30-8:00

Healthy Relationships and Boundaries

June 6 from 6:30-8:00

For more information click the link or contact Shannon Piller

https://stalbert.ca/city/fcss/programs-services/development/yia/peer-prep/#bullying

Shannon Piller
Youth Asset Development Coordinator

Phone: 587-709-2420
Email: spiller@stalbert.ca

Just a friendly reminder to park in our lower parking lot when you are coming to the school. The lower lot can be accessed from the back alley parallel to our school.

Please do not park in the following areas:

• our handicapped spot (unless you are handicapped and are coming into the school)
• in the spots at the front of the building or in the upper lot on top of seven hills
• in front of our garbage bin (the truck has left our garbage a few times because the bin was blocked).

Don't forget to enter our draw!

https://forms.gle/kx5u8TWpSDKAw8Jn8

Email: rtrottier@gsacrd.ab.ca
Website: https://www.stgabe.gsacrd.ab.ca/.
Location: 6 St Vital Ave, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: (780)459-6616
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StGabeHS
Twitter: @stgabes

Monday to Wednesday
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Thursday
8:30 am to 5:30 pm

Friday
8:30 am to Noon
All teachers are available