Madonna Catholic School News

Dear Madonna Families,

This week, we kicked off our new school year with our first Worship and Praise liturgy in the gymnasium. These important gatherings will take place every week alternating between Monday and Tuesday during Block One (9:00 am), followed by announcements. We warmly welcome parents to join us for these special occasions!

As a Catholic school, our mission is to foster a safe and nurturing environment where everyone feels valued and loved. We are dedicated to upholding the dignity of every person and following Christ’s example in both our words and actions. This year, our division theme, “Rooted in Christ,” draws inspiration from John 15:5-8: “I am the vine; you are the branches... bear much fruit, and become my disciples.” We aim to root ourselves deeply in Christ’s teachings, charity, sacraments, and His Church. Throughout the year, we look forward to growing in faith, engaging in school events, and embracing wellness together. Here’s to a year full of growth, learning, and shared faith!

Save the Date!

We are excited to invite our school community to our Open House on Thursday, September 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join us to meet our incredible staff at Madonna School. This event is a wonderful opportunity to explore our school, connect with teachers, and learn more about the year ahead. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing what makes our school community so special!

Madonna Catholic School Admin Team

Mrs Cathy Hinger, Principal

Mrs Fiona Wimmer, Assistant Principal

The newsletter is organized based on our four school assurance priorities for this year.

1. Faith Integration
2. Learners and Learning
3. Systemic Wellness
4. Community Engagement

Last week we began our week with our first Worship and Praise liturgy in the school gymnasium. We will hold these importnat liturgical gatherings with announcements to follow every week on Mondays during block one (9:00am). Parents are always welcome to join us!!!

Parents are also welcome to meet us and worship with us on Monday, September 16 as we celebrate our first mass of the school year at Archbishop Jordan Catholic High School, 4001 Emerald Drive, Sherwood Park. If the weather permits we will be outside on the turf with our grade 12 partners on the football field! If the weather turns wet we will celebrate with our teen buddies indoors in theor large gym. Stay tuned for the mass times!!

As was shared via the media and our EICS division, there are some significant changes to be expected this year, specifically in terms of technology following the release of Ministerial Order #014/2024 - Standards for the Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools. In response to this order, we will be asking our students who own cellphones, smart watches , etc to refrain from bringing these to school. We do not have a need for these forms of technology and we would instead prefer that our grade four students have access to their own Google Chromebook. Please reach out to Mrs Hinger or Mrs Wimmer if you have further questions.

Students are invited to bring a device to school as part of our district One to One Program. Through our One-to-One program, students are able to bring a Personally-Owned Device (POD) into the classroom for educational purposes.

Generally, a POD is a Chromebook or laptop where the specific intended use is to facilitate learning. Students will use their POD responsibly, and only with the permission and direction of the teacher or other staff member.

Chromebooks are recommended for our students due to their price, battery life, fast startup, and usability. Students may also use laptops if they so choose. These PODs will connect to a dedicated EICS WiFi network, which is available at all of our schools and restricts access to certain internet websites and social media platforms.

If a student does not bring their own device for learning, and it is mandatory that technology be used for an assignment or lesson, it is the school's responsibility to supply the device for the assignment/assessment.

Please also note that students are expected to follow the EICS One to One User Agreement - EICS One-To-One User Agreement

Consent Forms are now due for your child. Please log on to our Parent Portal and use this link https://www.eics.ab.ca/parent-resources-including-technology-powerschool/parent-technology-handbook-powerschool-for-parents to access directions for submittig your Demographic Form and the Yearly Consent Forms. The submitted Field Trip Consent is needed for your child to attend Opening Day Mass on September 16th! Thank you

The Pre-K and PUF Students will take part in a personalized "Meet and Greet" session between August 29th and September 6th, 2024. The date and time of your child's session will be confirmed before the beginning of the school year in late August 2024.

A small group orientation will follow from September 9th to 12th. Please note that bus service will not be available during this time.

For more information, please refer to the email sent June 27th, 2024.

PreK/PUF Email Letter re Start Up 2024

For those new to MCS as well as those returning, this is a friendly reminder that students are dropped off along Malvern Drive where there will be staff superivsing in the morning until the bell rings. Please do NOT use the staff parking lot for kindergarten drop offs. We have a growing staff as well as maintenance and technology staff from the division who access this lot. Kindergarten parents will need to find residential street parking in order to avoid unnecessary congestion in our staff parking lot.

Entrance doors for many grades have shuffled this year so please take note of the map below.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

As the school year comes to an end, we would like to inform you that it’s time to update your child’s 2024-2025 Demographic Validation Form. Having the most up-to-date information about our students ensures that we receive all available funding to support your child's learning as well as current information to reach you during the day if necessary.

We ask that you please complete this form in PowerSchool

You can follow these steps to access, review and submit the form:

1. Log into PowerSchool at https://eics.powerschool.com/

2. Under the “Forms & Fees” menu click “School Engage Student Forms”

3. Students - Select your child’s name (please complete one form for each child)

4. Click on the word “New” beside the form name A.8) 2024-2025 Demographic Validation

Video tutorial link (**from 2021-2022) on how to complete the form https://www.eics.ab.ca/parents-and-students/powerschool-log-in

Thank-you for taking the time to complete these forms!

If you require busing for your child, please log into your Parent Portal >SchoolEngage >select your student and fill out/submit the B.1) 2024-2025 Transportation Request Form. Here is a copy of the EICS Parent Technology Handbook which you will find helpful when navigating the Parent Portal.

Here is a copy of the EICS Sherwood Park Calendar 2024-2025 for your records and mark your calendars! Your child's first day back is Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024. You will receive an email with your child's teacher and a drop off/pickup map before your child's first day of school.

There is always great information available on our Madonna Catholic School website at https://mcs.eics.ab.ca/ and lastly, at the bottom of any EICS email you can manage your email subscription by clicking on the blue link.

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.

We’re excited to announce that the ability to submit student absences is now available in PowerSchool! Please log into your Parent Portal here to record an absence.

PowerSchool can also continue to be used to view grades and report cards, pay fees, and update student information (including medical information).

You can view the EICS Parent Technology Handbook for further details on these items.

OLPH (Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish)

Masses at OLPH will be livestreamed. Please join using this link. https://www.facebook.com/olphsherwoodpark/videos/

Visit OLPH Website for more information about the parish and in regards to sacramental preparation.

Visit www.facebook.com/olphsherwoodpark

As you may know, the Edmonton Archdiocese has set up a special fund to collect donations in support of the Our Lady of the Lourdes parishioners who were affected by the Jasper wildfire. Should you wish to donate, here is the link https://caedm.ca/donate-to-the-jasper-fire . Please click here to read Archbishop Smith's statements on the Jasper Wildfire.