ABJ Scots Week at a Glance (SWAG)
May 13-17, 2024
This weekend in our church marks the Ascension of Our Lord. Through the readings shared we hear the final words of Jesus before ascending to Heaven, instructing his disciples to spread his teachings worldwide. Despite witnessing miracles, doubts lingered among the disciples. This narrative reflects human struggles with faith and doubt.
As Easter comes to a close in our church calendar, it prompts believers to embrace renewal while acknowledging human imperfections. Doubt can serve as a catalyst for deeper introspection and growth in faith, urging individuals to seek understanding and connection with Jesus. The Ascension serves as a reminder of our ongoing journey towards spiritual enlightenment and communion with God.
From reflecting on the Ascension of Our Lord and the journey of faith, we transition to celebrating Mother's Day with gratitude and love for all the mothers who guide us on our own journeys.
Important Dates
May 13
- NEW Student Council Meeting Day and Time - Monday at lunch time in room 189
- ELA 9 Provincial Achievement Test Part A
- Slo-Pitch at Beaumont. Game starts at 4:15 pm.
- Senior Girls Soccer vs. SPA at Millennium Place Field A. Game start at 4:15 pm.
May 14
- Senior Boys Soccer vs. Holy Trinity at Millennium Place Field A. Game start at 4:15 pm.
May 15
- PEP day. Choose your session at pepmay15.sched.com
- FLA 9 Provincial Achievement Test Partie A
- Social 9 Bake Sale at lunch time in the common area. Proceeds going to the Lurana Shelter.
- HS Track Team at Foote Field Divisional Track Meet
- Slo-Pitch vs. ME Lazerte at SAP Field #1. Game starts at 4:15 pm.
- Senior Girls Soccer vs. Bellerose at Forest Park Field #1. Game start at 4:15 pm.
- Indigenous Grad Blessing beginning at 4:00 pm
- ABJ Band and Choir Spring Concert beginning at 7:00 pm at OLPH Parish
May 16
- No School
- Senior Boys Soccer at Queen Elizabeth. Game start at 4:15 pm.
May 17
- No School
Upcoming...
May 20
- Victoria Day. No School.
May 21-24
- Drama 20-/30 Presents: Silent But Deadly
May 22
- ABJ Mental Health Summit - Compressed Schedule (NOT a PEP day schedule)
May 26
- Grad 2024!
Organization of the SWAG
The newsletter is organized based on our four school assurance priorities for this year.
- Faith Integration
- Learners and Learning
- Systemic Wellness
- Community Engagement
FAITH INTEGRATION
Catholic Education Week
OLPH Weekly Bulletin and UpLIFT Prayer Requests
REAL Foundation Annual Golf Tournament
GrACE - Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education
LEARNERS AND LEARNING
PEP: Supporting Students' Academic, Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Wellbeing
Feature PEP Session: Health Sciences Careers at the U of A!
Are you thinking that in the future you may want to explore a career in the Health Sciences Field?
On Wednesday, May 15th during PEP in room 137, we have a special student recruiter coming to us from the U of A to share lots of important info about:
Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Radiation Therapy, Dietetics, Medical Laboratory Science and MORE!
You will learn about these programs, about admission requirements, connect one on one with an advisor, and have a chance to ask any specific questions you have about the programs or just learn more in general!
See Mrs. Glass for more information!
Band and Choir Spring Concert
Provincial Achievement Tests - Part A Written Portions
Students in Language Arts 9 and French Language Arts 9 will be writing the first portion of the Provincial Achievement Test as per the following dates. As these exams are developed by Alberta Education, students are expected to write this exam on the designated dates as indicated below.
LA 9 - Monday, May 13
FLA 9 - Wednesday, May 15
Teachers will be providing detailed information about the exam, including the start time and duration. Students will have an extended amount of time to complete the exam and thus will likely miss part of their morning classes in order to do so.
Please see the PAT General Information Bulletin linked following the June 2024 Exam Calendar below.
June 2024 Exam Calendar
See below for the June 2024 Exam Week schedule. Individual exam locations will be posted in the common area during exam week. Students are encouraged to check this each day they have an exam.
Please note that Diploma and Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) dates are determined by Alberta Education. During exams, students are only to be in the building for exams in the schedule times. The Library Learning Commons will be open for students wishing to study. However, due to the volume of students writing, students will not be permitted in the common areas or to wander throughout the school. Further information for Diplomas and PATs is linked in the buttons below the exam calendar.
Drama 20/30 Presents: Silent But Deadly
The Drama 20/30 and Tech theatre classes are proud to present their latest production, Silent But Deadly. Our play takes place on the set of the silent film thriller Das Vampyr, Scourge of the Night and the film is in desperate trouble. The director is a perfectionist, the actors are in revolt, the producer is about to pull the plug, and everyone seems to be plotting to murder the lead actress. But when one of the conspirators ends up dead instead, it’s up to famed detective Valentina Caravelli to unravel the mystery. The show runs from Tuesday, May 21st - Friday, May 24th at 7:00 each evening. The performance is rated PG-13. Tickets are available here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/84411
Cosmetology at Provincials
Last week, Kaitlyn McFayden and Madison Bender completed in Skills at Provincials. Both students put in an extreme amount of time and dedication into preparing for the competition. Kaitlyn competed in four contests over two days and she was on the floor from 8:30 - 4:00 both days. Kaitlyn earned a Silver medal in Senior Hairstyling, mere points separating her from first place. Her work was incredible.
Madison's work in junior braiding was amazing and we are awaiting placement in this category. Madison has already earned a bronze at Regionals. The competition in this event was incredible and Madison truly held her own.
Congratulations Kaitlyn and Madison!
Creative Writing Cafe
Thank you to Mrs. Boake's Creative Writing class for sharing their pieces at the Creative Writing Cafe last week. Your creativity, courage, and boundless imagination are an inspiration!
Learning Spotlights
Social 9 Bake Sale and Fundraiser
Starting next week, Social Studies 9 students will be holding a bake sale at lunch hour. This will happen every Wednesday until the end of May (the 15th, 22nd, and 29th). Students have been working hard to determine their product and create their marketing posters and advertisements. All proceeds are being donated to the Lurana Shelter, a part of Catholic Social Services, so be sure to support a good cause and get a tasty treat!
Red Dress Day PEP Session
As part of marking Red Dress day to bring attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, students were invited to participate in a PEP session to make red dress pins. Students also had the opportunity to partake in a smudge over the lunch break in our student lounge.
Outdoor Ed 9 at Islet Lake
Students in Miss Ference's Outdoor Ed 9 class enjoyed the great outdoors with a canoeing trip to Islet Lake last week.
Ukrainian Creative Arts 9
Mr. Sych's Ukrainian Creative Arts 9 students have completed Petrykivka paintings on canvas! Some amazing examples of this unique Ukrainian art form.
Foods 10
Mrs. Tiano's Foods 10 students had an opportunity for some community engagement by going on a tour at the Italian Centre last week.
Grade 12 Post-Secondary and Diploma Supports
What's Happening at the U of A?
GRADE 11 MATTERS
The Counsellors share this with you again and again, but maybe you might want to hear it directly from the source!
Learn everything there is to know about the importance of grade 11 for admission to the University of Alberta. In this virtual presentation, our advisors will walk you through application components, how we evaluate applications, provide information on our programs, campuses, scholarships and more!
- Tuesday, May 21 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. | Register »
INSIDER TIPS & TRICKS: CURRENT STUDENT Q&A
Want to know more about what it’s like to be a student at the U of A? Join some of our current students as they share their tips, tricks, and experiences on everything from note taking methods to best places to eat and everything in between!
- Thursday, July 11, 5 - 6 p.m. | Register »
HYP: Humanities for Young People Summer Program 2024
July 6-14 - Humanities for Young People, a mini university experience!
Know a student aged 15 to 17 who loves reading, dreams of being a writer or wonders what university might be like? Refer them for Humanities for Young People! This program is a mini-university experience tailored for students keen on literature, history, philosophy, religion, classics and journalism. Click this link to learn more!
ABJ Awards for the 2023-2024 School Year
Grade 12's - it is ABJ AWARDS TIME for the 2023-2024 School Year. Thousands of dollars are up for grabs!
The Google Form Application for our School-Based Awards is linked below. Please take the time to look through the form and see all of the wonderful awards that you might be eligible for.
The form is only able to be accessed through your EICS School email account and you are only able to submit it ONE TIME, so feel free to come back to it and ensure it is revised thoroughly prior to your submission.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT the completed form is Thursday, May 30th at 3:00 pm. No late forms will be accepted.
Note - this is for GRADE 12 STUDENTS ONLY!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Glass.
Math Diploma Preparation
If you are taking Math 30-1 or Math 30-2 and want to put yourself in the best possible position to write a successful diploma exam, the following information might be of interest to you. An online learning package consisting of video lessons on every topic in the course, a focused set of practice questions for each lesson complete with detailed solutions, 8 practice unit exams mostly auto graded online, and a practice final with both detailed written and audio solutions, awaits you. Use the materials when you have the time. Focus only on those topics that require your greatest attention. There is a huge amount of flexibility on how you choose to use the materials. Content has been crafted at a provincial standard designed specifically to mirror diploma exam questions, in terms of wording, format and level of difficulty.
For further information, check out the following links.
Math 30-1
https://mathpqjq.com/diploma-preparation-math-30-1/
Math 30-2
Scholarships
Norquest College Program Previews
SYSTEMIC WELLNESS
Student Supports
Strathcona CANTEEN Youth Hub May Calendar
Community Supports and Events
Please see Miss Miko in the PE Office or email Mr. Sereda (douglas.sereda@eics.ab.ca) for more details!
Athletics
Check out the new website for all things Athletics.
April Athletes of the Month
Grade 9 Badminton Champions!
This was a late addition to the SWAG last week...
Our ABJ Scots finished in first place at the EIAA Championship at FR Haythorne. Michael Warawa and Carter Johnson teamed up for their first boys' doubles badminton tournament last week, winning the Gold medal in their division. They continued their winning streak, going undefeated and earning themselves a trophy as EIAA Champions and qualifying for provincials. Their excellent communication, tactful strategy and impressive athletic abilities form a dynamic duo that now ranks at the top of competition in our region. A massive congratulations to these boys on their victory and accomplishment!
ABJ Scots Football Spring Camp and Bottle Drive
Women's Flag Football Spring Development Camp
Grad Update
Grad FAQ
Save the Dates - French and Ukrainian Grad Celebrations
Cafeteria Menu
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EICS Give a Pencil Car Wash Fundraiser
Parent Reminders and Information
Attendance Reminder
Did you know that our school has team meetings every week that review the academic and attendance issues of each grade level? As we are several weeks into the new semester it is very important that families take the time to keep us informed. Please ensure you are informing the school each time your child is absent, ill or late. We do not wish to have the auto callouts emailing and phoning your home, but if there are unverified absences this will continue to occur. Staff will email when absences start to exceed certain thresholds. If you are having trouble with your Parent PowerSchool account please call our front office at 780-467-2121 or email: abj@eics.ab.ca
Approved 2024-2025 Calendar
Please see below for the Board of Trustees approved 2024-2025 school year calendar.
EICS Board of Trustees Monthly Highlights
Communications
Newsletter Translation Feature Reminder
SWAG
The Scots Week at a Glance (SWAG) newsletter will be shared weekly on Sunday evenings or Monday evenings on long weekends. This will also be posted on our website and shared via social media. Stay informed on all things ABJ through the website, blog, and on social media.