The Good News

Final Week of Classes for Students: You made it!

What a year we have had together! One that will mark history and will shape how we continue to come together in community, with grace and gratitude. We have overcome what we once would have said, “There’s no way!" We have been stretched and challenged, and had to respond with faith, creativity, commitment and most importantly, love. It is not lost on me that our district theme this year, “Love-First-Last and Always, chosen last June, came to be the bedrock that we stood on during this pandemic. Every time we felt overwhelmed or defeated, we remembered, and we loved, letting faith take the wheel and placing fear in the backseat.

Together, we found ways to connect, to love and to teach. We made videos and mastered the Google meets. We put aside our insecurities and found new ways to reach our students and families. We had virtual masses and celebrations, and planned drive-thrus and door drops. We reached out again and again and again to ensure that every student knew they were valued and loved. Our parent community responded with unwavering support and we wrapped around our kids like the village we are.

And these kids of ours...now there is our light! Our “lemonade makers” and “hope manufacturers”--showed us that love and laughter, learning and fun, do not get cancelled.

As we wind up this unique school year, we are grateful for the many amazing moments and memorable milestones we have had together. Parents, we thank-you once again for entrusting us with your children, we recognize every day the blessing we have to be a part of their journeys.

Saint John XXIII once said, “Every believer must be a spark of light and a center of love”. May each of us who journeyed together this year go forward, sharing our light and may we always remember to Love-First, Last and Always.

God bless you always and may you embrace the peace and joy of summer! Stay safe and healthy!

Blessings,

Mrs. Boehm, Principal

This week's challenge: Shout out to our Dads, Papas, Gramps, Uncles!

Our last weekly challenge winds up this Sunday, June 21st-Father's Day! Please send us in your selfies, photos, and great shots of you and your dad, or Papa or Gramps, or Uncles-or all of them together! Happy Father's Day blessings to all our Saint John Dads!

Please send your weekly challenge picture to Mrs. Boehm bonnie-lynneb@eics.ab.ca We will post these on our various school sites (Twitter, Facebook, and Weekly Smore).

At this time, here is our line-up for next year:

Pathways: Mrs. Tracey Pineau

Kindergarten: Mrs. Amy Ekdahl

Grade 1 Team: Mrs. Lesley Holt & Ms. Stephanie Bennett

Grade 2 Team: Mrs. Lisa Morin & Mrs. Yvette Morin

Grade 3 Team: Ms. Ronalee Bourassa, Mrs. Stephanie Scott & Mrs. Rita Astalosch

Grade 4 Team: Mrs. Jackie Comartin, Mrs. Kassia Selinger & Mrs. Sarah Schaub

*each class will have a "home-base teacher, along with a team to support their faith, learning, social-emotional, and mental health needs

Music: Mrs. Sarah Schaub

Early Learning Music: Mrs. Melanie Doderai

Chaplain: Mrs. Jackie Comartin

Collaborative Response Coordinator: Mrs. Tara Kucy

Family Wellness Worker: Mrs. Eleanor Heesing

Principal: Mrs. Bonnie-Lynne Boehm

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Rita Astalosch

Secretary: Mrs. Barb Potter

Library Tech: Mrs. May-Lee Buban

Educational Assistants:

Mrs. Michelle Mudry

Mrs. Roxanne Kellogg

Mrs. Cindy Latreille

Mrs. Adrienne Little

Mrs. Gwen Manca

Mrs. Lindsey Luyckfassel

Mrs. Jacqueline White

Miss Chelsea Visser

Student Support Team: Mrs. Boehm, Mrs. Astalosch, Mrs. Heesing & Mrs. Kucy

Teachers and staff have been working hard putting together welcome videos for their new students and families. Last year, we were able to visit new teachers and classrooms, hold Open houses, and connect students one to one with their new team. This year we have had to be very creative...thank you to everyone for your continued commitment to connecting and loving our kids!

Here is what you can expect:

PUF Pathways:

Once screening is able to resume in September, your PUF Pathways teacher, Mrs. Tracey Pineau and the EICS Early Learning Team will contact you and provide specific information on the program. Please feel free to contact the school with any questions prior to this time.

K-4 Pathways Program:

This week June 14-19, you will receive an email with a video welcome message from Mrs. Pineau, along with a call from one of our team members to touch base.

Kindergarten:

Monday, June 15th: An email will be sent to all our 2020-2021 Kinder families with a welcome video attached where you and your child can meet Mrs. Ekdahl and other staff members who will be supporting your child this year. Once we have more information about learning in September, we will host a Kindergarten Information night.

Grades 1-3:

Monday June 15th: Your current child's teacher will provide a link to welcome videos from their next year's home base teacher and teams. Some grades (age-appropriate) will also have a drop-in Google Meet with their new teacher team this week.

Grade 4:

A virtual tour of SJPII was shared with your child last week. Mr. Stecyk (Principal) and Mrs. Dumont (Assistant Principal) will also be dropping in on a scheduled Google Meet for a Q&A for students this week. Please ensure your child is connecting via Google Classroom for specific dates and times.

*We recognize, especially during these current circumstances, how challenging transitions can be. We work very hard to provide multiple transition opportunities for kids. With your assistance, we will help prepare our students for their new learning teams for the fall. As discussed at our PSC meeting, as best as you can, leave the big worries to the big people, let faith be in the driver seat, and know that your child will be supported and loved in their new learning environment.

Please be aware that the last day of classes for the 2019-2020 school year will be Friday, June 19th for all Elk Island Catholic schools. Staff will continue to work planning for the 2020-2021 school year up until June 29th.

Upcoming events for year-end:

Four School Year-end mass: June 16 9 am (Live-streamed via OLA Catholic Church Facebook page)

Grade 4 Farewell *new date*: June 16 Following year-end mass, a slideshow will be shared at 10 am, followed by a drive-thru for our grade fours from 10:30-noon.

Year-end Celebration: Friday, June 19 Year-end celebration video 10 am. Year-End Drive Thru 1:30-3:30 pm.

Last week we got together to record our Year-End Celebration and tried our very best to make it as familiar as possible for our students. This Friday at 10 am, we will send the video and our year-end Animoto (picture video) to celebrate this unique and amazing year we have had together.

Please take time to share with your child as we truly want to come together as a SJ community to pray, say farewell to some of our staff members, congratulate our Christian Leadership recipients, and commemorate the year with a video.

EICS Demographic Confirmation Forms are available now on your PowerSchool ParentPortal. Please take a moment to visit your PowerSchool ParentPortal account and complete this form - one for each child you have attending school with EICS.

Alberta Education requires that we obtain a detailed update of student demographics on an annual basis. School funding from Alberta Education is conditional on us receiving these updates and including them in your student’s record. More importantly, these forms ensure that we have the most current contact information if we need to reach you in event of an emergency.

We certainly appreciate you taking the time to complete these forms. Should you have any questions, or require assistance, please contact Barb in the office at 780-998-7777 and she will be happy to help.

Important updates for our parish re: returning to public mass. Please visit our Parish Facebook page and Parish Website for information:

https://www.facebook.com/OurLadyOfTheAngelsCatholicParish/

https://www.olafortsask.caedm.ca/

Thank you parents for your participation in our very first PSC Google on Tuesday! Your insight and engagement makes such a difference. ❤️

A special thanks to our PSC Executive this year for all their dedication to our school community: Leslie-Anne Oshust, Vanessa Gillis, Alana Seymour, Sherry Charron, and Corrine Hill, we appreciate all you’ve done for staff, students and parents!

We will hold elections in September for the 2020-2021 school year. Please consider putting your name forward. It truly takes a village!

Dear Parents,

We would like to invite you to this year's DRIVE-THRU Year-End Celebration. To celebrate the end of the year, staff and the Parent School Council will come together to send the kids off with a party! We invite you and your children to join in the party by dressing up in your best summer clothes, decorate your car, make a sign, get creative, and have fun! (pssst. feel free to bring a super soaker to get your favorite staff member wet, but shhhhh it’s a surprise). Drive by the school at your designated time (sign up below) and wave goodbye to your teacher, kids will also receive a small farewell token from Parent School Council, so be sure to pause and grab yours.

Sign up for your family "Drive-Thru" time via School Interviews (max 20 vehicles per time slot). One booking per family. Please use the following link to book your family time slot: https://www.schoolinterviews.ca/code?code=stjye If prompted for an event code, use: STJYE.

Due to health and traffic protocol please adhere to the following directions and abide by your designated time.

In your vehicle follow the bus lane in front of the school and enter the parking lot by making a right-hand turn. Loop around the parking lot, exiting the parking lot by making a right-hand turn.

Parent Council will hand out a treat to each child at the staff entrance in the parking lot.

DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE

Thanks for a great year,

Parent School Council Executive

Make sure your student doesn’t miss out on this opportunity! You can even order two!
To order a yearbook(s) for your student(s), for the price of $20.00 each, please complete the online yearbook order form by Wednesday June 17, 2020.

Once you have submitted this form online, the fee will be automatically applied to your child’s account in PowerSchool to enable you to pay it online. If you have any issues using the online form please contact the school office for assistance. Mrs. Potter is very willing to help. All orders MUST be paid in full by June 17, 2020, or your order will not be placed.

Many thanks to Roberta Carriere for her dedication to making this happen for us each year! YOU ARE AMAZING! This is Roberta's last year with us, as her son is transitioning to SJPII. Is there someone out there who would be willing to shadow Roberta this year to be our new Yearbook Coordinator for next year? Interested? Please contact Mrs. Boehm 780-998-7777 or email: bonnie-lynneb@eics.ab.ca

It's essential that we get the support of the future students of JP2 as well as the current students in order to build a playground they'll all get to enjoy. We have to raise approximately $15,000 more to match the total grant we received in April based on initial quotes.This may change once we go to tender. Up to this point we have been able to raise just over $30,000 but that was primarily with the help from families with children in JP2. I know that if we can all work together we will be able to accomplish this! Thank you so much for your support!

Thank you, Sam LeDrew

BOTTLE DRIVE

Fort Saskatchewan Catholic School Families, With the CFEP grant we received in April we are so close to making this dream of building a playground at St. John Paul II a reality. However we still have a little more we need to raise to match the grant amount. With the continued support of both present and future students and their families we are very optimistic we could start construction on the JPII playground site next summer. Thank you for the help thus far!

Please keep all your recyclables for our bottle drive fundraiser When: SUNDAY, JULY 5th 1:00-3:30pm Where: JP2 bus loop (9975-93 ave) Who: Everyone and please share with your friends and family on social media. What do I do when I arrive?: Because of Covid-19 we will be asking that drivers pull up to the side of the trailer and stay in the vehicle we will be wearing masks and gloves and will take the bottles out of your truck or trunk. Once we are done we will step away and wave :) If you would rather take it out of your vehicle please exit your vehicle and let us know and we will remain 6 feet away for your protection. How can I help?: Besides sharing your bottles with us, we are looking for 2 drivers to do collections at other locations. People will place their bottles at the edge of their driveways for a fast and easy pick up. Once you have a full load we would unload from the truck or van at the school.
Can't make it but have bottles to donate?: If you can't make it during that time but have bottles you can do one of two things:
1. On Sunday anytime before 1:00 drop off your bottles on the sidewalk of the bus loop.
2. Anytime before Sunday email samledrew1@gmail.com or on Sunday you can text or call 780-722-4442 with your address and let us know you have bottles you need picked up!

Thank-you,

Your FSCSPS Chairs

IF YOUR CHILD IS GOING FROM GRADE 4 TO GRADE 5

If transportation services will be required for the 2020-2021 school year please complete a new Transportation Request Form found on your PowerSchool Parent Portal under the SchoolEngage tab on the left-hand menu. Transportation requests received after June 30th may result in your child being placed on a wait list until busing loads are confirmed.

Transportation Fees will be reflected on your child’s PowerSchool account within 7 business days for requests received prior to July 1st. Busing requests received in the month of July will have fees posted in PowerSchool after August 7th.

• Busing will be assigned once the payment plan has been set up OR upon receipt of full payment of fees.
• Your child’s assigned bus operator will contact you 7-10 days prior to school start up.

Monday, June 15: Weekly Challenge: Shout out to our Dads!

Monday, June 15:

No assembly this week-Daily prayer and announcements will be shared

Remote learning classes continue-please make sure you are connected to your child's classroom

Tuesday, June 16:

Four School Year-end mass live-streamed via OLA Catholic Parish Facebook page

Gr 4 Google Slideshow and Animoto realeased after mass

Grade 4 Farewell Drive-Thru 10:30-noon

Remote learning classes continue

Wednesday, June 17:

Remote learning classes continue

Collaborative Team meetings for teachers and leadership

Thursday, June 18:

Remote learning classes continue

Talent Show 1:00 pm

Friday, June 19:Last day of classes for the 2019-2020 School Year

Year-End Celebration video released at 10 am

PSC Drive-Thru 1:30-3:30 pm

Sunday, June 22: Last Smore for the 2019-2020 School year

As Family We Walk In Christ's Footsteps

Email: stj@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stj.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9526 89 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-7777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnXXIII
Twitter: @St_JohnXXIII