St. Nicholas News

As we prepare for Christmas, we recall that Advent is a time of hope, love, joy and peace, as we await the coming of Jesus. During this time, it is important to take a moment to reflect and give thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us, but also to pray for those members of our school community and families that may be facing challenges during this time.

On behalf of our St. Nicholas School family, we would like to wish you and your family a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a New Year blessed with health and happiness.

God Bless

Joe Kucy

Principal

• Sunday December 1 - First Week of Advent
• Monday December 2 - Prayer Liturgy & Spin to Win at 8:45 am
• Wednesday December 4 - Early Dismissal at 2:10 pm - Staff meeting day
• Thursday December 5 - BUCPS Order Pickup at St. Nicholas 3-5 pm
• Friday December 6 - Saint Nicholas Day & св Миколай coming at 12:20 pm, Parents are welcome to come
• Sunday December 8 - Second Week of Advent
• Sunday December 15 - Third Week of Advent
• Wednesday December 18 - School Christmas Mass 6:15pm & School Christmas Concert 7:30 pm at OLPH Church
• Thursday December 19 - Student, Faith and Wellness Day for students at school
• Saturday December 21 - First Day of Winter
• Sunday December 22 - Fourth Week of Advent
• Monday December 23 to January 5 - Christmas and New Year Break - School is closed
• Monday January 6 - School open at 8:35 am, Faith Assembly / Spin to Win 8:45 am
• Wednesday January 8 - Early Dismissal at 2:10 pm - Staff meeting day
• Monday January 13 - Parent Council - In-Person & Virtual - 6 pm
• Wednesday January 29 - Semester 1 ends and PD day - No school for students
• Thursday January 30 - Semester 2 begins
• Friday January 31 - Report Cards go Online
• Thursday February 6 & Friday February 7 - Teacher's Convention - No School

St. Sophia Ukrainian Catholic Parish News

Solemn Holy Communion & First Confession Registration

Age: Grade 2 and up

Date and Times: Friday evenings from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. beginning January 10, 2025.

First confession will be on March 15 and First Solemn Holy Communion on March 16.

Contact: Andrea Haston at st.sophiafirstcommunion@gmail.com or 780-239-2121

Registration deadline: December 21, 2024

Parent Council is excited to announce our most popular fundraising event, the Christmas Basket Raffle! Families are asked to donate an item to the basket theme for their child’s class. Your generous donations make these baskets amazing each and every year!

Please have all donations into the school by Monday, December 2nd.

Basket Themes:

Mrs. Dziwenko (Eng Kinder) & (Uk Kinder) Assorted Gift Cards

Mrs. Beliveau (Eng Grade 1) Assorted Gift

Cards

Pani Hyshka (Ukr Grade 1) Children’s

Stationery

Mrs. Stychyshyn (Eng Grade 2) Boys

Pani Baugh (Ukr Grade 2) Games &

Movie Night

Mrs. Spooner (Eng Grade 3/4) Girls

Pani Malko (Ukr Grade 3) Dad

Mrs. LeBel (Eng Grade 4) Mom

Pani Cokan (Ukr Grade 4) Chocolate Lovers

Here's how it works:

This year we are excited to announce that the Christmas baskets will be on display in the school library, and on the St. Nicholas social media accounts starting Friday, December 6th to Tuesday, December 17th.

There will be 2 ways to purchase tickets this year:

1. Ticket sales will go live on our hot lunch website, https://stnicholas.hotlunches.net. Tickets are $2 each and each ticket will be worth one entry into the basket of your choice. Multiple entries can be purchased per basket. Your total entries and purchase amount will be tabulated directly on the site and you will then send an E-transfer to st.nicholaspac@gmail.com. Online ticket sales will be available for purchase from Monday, December 9th to Tuesday, December 17th. Physical tickets will be sent home with your student on Wednesday, December 18th to take to the concert with you. Tickets can only be sold within Alberta.

1. Tickets will be available for sale at the church prior to the start of the Advent Concert on Wednesday, December 18th! This will be your last opportunity to purchase tickets. Again, each ticket is $2.00 and ONLY cash will be accepted.

Basket winners will be drawn at the church immediately following the Advent Concert on Wednesday, December 18th!

Your continued support is greatly appreciated. Please share the link and fundraiser with friends and family.

Merry Christmas,

St. Nicholas Parent Advisory Council

Would you love the idea of a little bit more CASH for Christmas in your pocket? So do we! The St. Nicholas Parent Council is excited to share that we are hosting a 50/50 raffle during the month of November! (Nov 1st - Nov 30th). This is a great way to get involved in supporting St. Nicholas while winning a cash prize! Tickets are $2 each and will be available for purchase starting Friday, Nov 1st on the hot lunch website. Purchase 1, or purchase 50! Draw date is December 6th, right in time for the holiday season.

- You are welcome to purchase as many tickets as you'd like throughout the month of November!

- Please share the hot lunch link with your family and friends so they can purchase tickets too!

- Once the draw is closed at 11:59 pm on Saturday, November 30th, physical tickets will be allocated to each family and sent home with your student prior to the draw date of Friday, December 6th.

- The winner will be notified by email (the email that was provided on your hot lunch account!) Arrangements will be made to give you your money right in time for Christmas!

**To ensure the integrity of the 50/50 members of the PAC executive will not be entering the draw**

Licence #705672

Treat Day - Wednesday, December 11th - COBS - (English Kinder) - Ordering is now open! The ordering window will remain open until Thursday, December 5th!

The master order will be submitted on Friday, December 6th.

Hot Lunch - Thursday, December 19th - Nitza's Pizza (Ukrainian Kinder) - Ordering is now open! The ordering window will remain open until Wednesday, December 11th!

The master order will be submitted on Friday, December 12th.

If you are needing to find the hot lunch website link, please visit St. Nicholas's website and look under the parent tab! There you will find a new Hot Lunch tab that will have current hot lunch info as well as a link to this web page for ordering!

For those that are new to hot lunch, the kinder classes will alternate each hot lunch date so that both classes have the opportunity to participate. While we strive to make the hot lunch dates fair for each kinder class, sometimes volunteer or vendor availability can hinder alternating fairly between the English and Ukrainian classes. We will try to make sure that each class has the same number of hot lunches during the school year. Thank you for understanding.

Please note that there may be food allergens or products that can cause sensitivities (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, gluten etc) served by each vendor. Unfortunately, while we do our best to accommodate everyone's dietary needs, some vendors may not be able to offer menu items that are completely allergen free or have options that are dairy or gluten free. Please use discretion when ordering if your child has a sensitivity or allergy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or trouble with the website or the ordering process, please feel free to reach out to me at st.nicholaspac@gmail.com If you are able to volunteer to help on hot lunch day please click the volunteer box when ordering. It is appreciated!

"Our Catholic School Family, embracing both English and Ukrainian Bilingual programs is dedicated to providing the best opportunities for learning while nurturing in our students' continuous personal growth.” Office #780-467-3633