Dear Parents,

This week was Catholic Schools Week here in Vancouver! Across our diocese, our 46 schools have been celebrating Catholic Education in many unique ways. Here at St. Michael’s, you may have noticed some of our new class bulletin boards as the classes have been focusing on what it means to be part of a Catholic School. We encourage you to ask your child about our Catholic Schools Week activities they participated in this week (including writing letters to our families, creating 'Thank You' cards for our parish priests, and much more!), and to pray for the continued growth of our Catholic community.

Mrs. Grant

In February, we celebrate the virtue of empathy. God wants us to understand and care about

others. God has given us the ability to form connections with each other - to live together.

Empathy helps us to connect and live together in safe, caring, inclusive communities.

An empathetic person...

• listens when people speak
• notices when someone is upset and tries to help
• can name his/her feelings
• can see a situation from another person’s point of view
• accepts that others have different perspectives

With the cold days of winter upon us, please remind your child(ren) to wear clothing appropriate for the weather, (i.e. boots, warm jacket, mitts, toques). If weather conditions are reasonable, students will go outside to get some fresh air during recess and lunch breaks.

In the event of inclement weather, such as snow, please monitor your email and the school website - www.stmichaelschool.ca.

You will receive an email by 7:30 AM if the school is closed.

Families in the ASC will receive a message by 6 AM if the before-school session is closed.

Please do not tie up the school and parish telephone lines by trying to call these offices. If you do not receive an email from the school office, then the school is open.

All emails will be made by 7:30 AM.

As travelling conditions vary depending on where you live, please use your judgment regarding sending your child(ren) to school. The staff, however, will always work to keep the school open when safety is not in question.

New calendars were sent home this week for February to May, and will need to be returned in June for a prize. Please find attached a copy of the Reading Club calendar for your convenience.

Thank you to the families that were able to attend our Annual General Meeting. Your attendance and participation is much appreciated! As noted on the parent participation guidelines and registration papers, families who did not have a representative in attendance will be charged a $50 fee.

As part of St. Michael's ongoing efforts to keep you informed of your child's learning experiences, we have scheduled time for our students to share their hard work with their parents in the classroom.

These Student-Led Conferences will take place on Thursday, February 20th between the hours of 11 AM and 7 PM. There will be no regular classes that day as teachers will be facilitating the conferences.

Students are to attend their conference, wearing their school uniform at their scheduled time. Each conference will take approximately 25 minutes. We are using an online scheduling system to set up appointment times.

Online Scheduling

• Currently open

• Closes Thursday, February 13th at 10 PM
  
  

If you do not schedule an appointment, teachers will allocate time for you from their remaining time slots. Please click the link below to access the appointment website once scheduling opens.

Our Scholastic Book Fair will once again be open in the gym during Student-Led Conferences.

As outlined in our Parent Participation Guidelines, all participating families are required to complete and log at least 20 hours of participation by the end of February. If you have not yet completed 20 hours, or will not complete 20 hours by the end of February, please contact our Parent Participation Coordinator as soon as possible at parentparticipation@smeschool.ca

Don't Forget!

We ask each primary student (grades K-3) to bring in a cake, cupcakes or donuts for the Cakewalk and each intermediate student (grades 4-7) to bring in a candy jar, bag or bar for the Candy Jar Game. Candies may be packaged in any type of container...be creative.

All items can be dropped off the morning of Winter Fair at the school kitchen in the gym.

Please label items with your child's name and grade.

Classes with the most candy & cake donations win a non-uniform day!

The most glamorous and exciting event of the year, The SME Gala-Casino Royale invites you to join us for an evening of good food, music, and community fun. We are looking volunteers to help with in-class projects, both during school hours and outwith school hours.

We are also looking for volunteers for gala ticket sales (after weekend mass), for decoration setup and take down and for support the night of. Childcare volunteers for the evening of March 01, from 6pm-10pm are also needed. Volunteers should have their criminal record check completed.

Please contact for more information

Gala Chairperson

Rupa Marcus

Email: rupa.marcus@gmail.com

Tel:604-306-4190

Feb 7th: 9AM School Mass; 3 - 3:30 PM Used Uniform Sale

Feb 9th: 8:30 AM Grade 2 Liturgy of the Word Mass

Feb 10th: Parent's Association Winter Fair

Feb 11th: Confession for Gr. 4

Feb 13th and 14th: Catholic Educators Conference No School

Feb 17th: Family Day Holiday No School

Feb 18th: Confession for Gr. 3

Feb 20th: Student-Led Conferences 11 AM to 7 PM

Feb 21st: School Mass 9 AM

Feb 25th: 9AM Confession - Gr. 2 (Please bring a Food Bank item; 7PM PEC Meeting following evening Mass

Feb 26th: 9:15AM Gr. 4 Assembly (Kindness); Non-Uniform Day: Friends Around the World (more details to come!); Gr. 2 Parent Meeting - Liturgy of the Eucharist

Feb 27th: Class, Team, and Panorama Photo (Please wear FULL uniform)

Feb 28th: Re-registration packages due to the office; 9AM School Mass