As we prepare for Ash Wednesday, today’s Gospel from Luke 6:39-45 calls us to self-reflection. Jesus reminds us to examine our own hearts before judging others, removing the "log" from our own eye so we may see clearly. He also teaches that a tree is known by its fruit - when we are Rooted in Christ, our words and actions will reflect His love, mercy, and truth.

This week, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday as a school community. The ashes we will receive are a powerful symbol of our mortality and need for God’s mercy. Traditionally, these ashes come from the burned palms of last year’s Palm Sunday, reminding us of the cycle of our faith—our triumphs, our struggles, and our call to turn back to Christ. As we receive ashes, may we use this Lenten season to grow in faith, seek God’s grace, and bear good fruit in our lives.

Monday, March 3

- High School Boys and Girls Handball Tryouts from 6:30-8:00 pm

- Senior Girls BBall Playoffs at Louis St. Laurent beginning at 5:00 pm

- Senior Boys BBall Playoffs at Beaumont beginning at 5:30 pm

Tuesday, March 4

- Shrove Tuesday Pancake Breakfast from 7:30-8:30 am

- French Immersion students attending Carnaval D'Hiver at EPK

- Mandatory Parent/Student meeting for Japan Exchange at 6:00 pm in the ABJ Library Learning Commons

- Grade 9 Girls BBall Playoffs vs. SCA at ABJ beginning at 4:00 pm

- Junior Girls BBall Playoffs at St. FX beginning at 5:00 pm

- Grade 9 Boys BBall Playoffs vs. Lakeland at ABJ beginning at 5:15 pm

- Junior Boys BBall Playoffs vs. MMM at ABJ beginning at 6:30 pm

Wednesday, March 5

- Early Dismissal

- Ash Wednesday Masses. See class times for the day below.

- High School Boys and Girls Handball Tryouts from 6:30-8:00 pm

- ABJ Improv at Northern Alberta Improv League (NAIL) beginning at 7:00 pm. All the details for tickets can be found online at www.rapidfiretheatre.com.

Thursday, March 6

- Creative Writing Flash Sale at lunch time in room 189

- Senior Badminton vs. St. Joe's and SPA at St. Joe's beginning at 4:00 pm

- Junior Boys BBall Playoffs at ABJ beginning at 5:00 pm. Opponent TBD.

Friday, March 7

- PD. Day. No school.

Upcoming...

March 17

- PAC Meeting at 6:30 in the ABJ Library Learning Commons

March 21 - 30

- Spring Break

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

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a sacred season of reflection, repentance, and renewal. As we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded of our call to turn our hearts toward Christ through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This time of spiritual preparation invites us to be Rooted in Christ, drawing strength from Him as we journey toward the joy of Easter. May this Lenten season deepen our faith and bring us closer to God's grace.

To learn more about Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, see the links below.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our students and parents for your participation and support in our Catholic School Review. Your insights and feedback help strengthen our mission of being rooted in Christ and growing together in faith. Your voices play an essential role in shaping the future of our school, ensuring that we continue to provide a nurturing environment where faith and education flourish. We are truly grateful for your partnership and dedication to Catholic education. Thank you!

From The Desk of Fr. Jim... Father Jim provides a detailed explanation of the process of determining our next Archbishop.

The ABJ Robotics team had a strong finish to the season at the VEX Provincial Championships in Fort McMurray over the weekend. The teams represented ABJ with skill, dedication, and sportsmanship.

Team 9409X Serbia had a solid start to the tournament and came extremely close to securing a spot in the elimination matches.

Teams 9409Y The Rat Lovers and 9409Z Rasputin both advanced to the elimination rounds, where Rasputin selected The Rat Lovers as their alliance partner. They fought hard in a close match but ultimately fell just short.

All students involved should be incredibly proud of their achievements and the countless hours they dedicated to designing, building, and refining their robots. Their ingenuity, teamwork, and determination were truly commendable. Congratulations on a great season, ABJ Robotics!

Special thanks to Mr. Elder for generously volunteering his time and effort in fostering growth and success in our ABJ Robotics teams.

On Tuesday, March 4th, French Immersion students are invited to join Carnaval d'Hiver at EPK! This is the first time that we have had a Carnaval between the three schools! Block 1 students in French Immersion will be heading over there together for the first session at 8:45 Block 2 students in French immersion will be heading over together for the second session starting at 10:45.

Any other French immersion students are invited to join for either session. Please contact Mr. St. Jean if you are not already in a period 1 or 2 class scheduled to attend.

The Library Learning Commons (LLC) is available for student use every day from 8:15 am to the end of the school day. The LLC offers a wide variety of books and a quiet space for students to read, study, and relax. Although our wonderful librarian, Mrs. Bonsant, is only accessible mornings Monday through Wednesday, students are free to return and check books out, and use the space.

Within the LLC, we have an amazing Program Assistant by the name of Mrs. Dumec. Mrs. Dumec supports students who are completing courses online or who are assigned by teachers to complete outstanding assignments and/or assessments. Students assigned in this way are being sent to the "Student Success Centre" (SSC). The SSC is also housed within the library during class time and within the library classroom over the lunch break.

Mrs. Bonsant and Mrs. Dumec work together so that students have access to the Library Learning Commons whenever needed.

The UA-WiSE High School Outreach (HSO) program is hosting an event for all high school students interested in learning more about one of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related programs on Sunday, March 16th from 11:30 am to 3 pm in the Engineering Teaching Learning Complex (ETLC) Solarium.

There will be a chance to meet current university students in STEM programs to talk about their experiences in their courses, extracurricular activities, research, co-op programs, and the general university lifestyle. The event will feature a wonderful guest presenter speaking about their academic and career journey and also their specific experiences with diversity and inclusion in STEM. Refreshments and pizza will be provided for lunch and select prizes will be up for grabs for all participants in our fun science filled games!

This RSVP form closes 11:59 pm on Saturday, March 15th.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe0BAeikK-74hy16CLmfnhR-wJBkGRe5YnKMrvQPZl_8V7qmw/viewform

The Edmonton Community Foundation is now accepting applications for our Young Edmonton Grants (YEG) stream. The YEG Program provides local youth with funding to turn their ideas into reality. This program supports projects initiated, led, and organized by young residents of Edmonton and the surrounding area, aged 13 to 24. The application deadline is March 15, 2025, for projects starting after May 1, 2025.

Successful YEG applications will:

• Be awarded grants between $500-$3,000
• Be initiated and organized by Edmonton and area residents aged 13 to 24
• Partner with a registered Canada Revenue Agency charity (including schools)

Students can apply and learn more here: YEG Grants

February to June is the peak scholarship period when most scholarships are available for grade 12 students. Many of the students actively looking for scholarships in October and November have dropped off, making this an excellent time for students to find and apply for scholarships!

Better still, new scholarships are continually being added every week. On ScholarTree alone, they have added 31 awards worth over $120,000 in the last week.

Here are some scholarships that either just opened or are ending shortly that may interest:

• https://scholartree.ca/scholarship/ada-indigenous-steam-bursary/ybrm8lQBqnq
• https://scholartree.ca/scholarship/jay-nijholt-scholarship/0yVGYK0BpE
• https://scholartree.ca/scholarship/pathfinder-scholarship-award/yzAwaHt6abX
• https://scholartree.ca/scholarship/utility-safety-partners-scholarship/ymMB1WAowBg (Alberta Students only)
• https://scholartree.ca/scholarship/jsk-consulting-ltd-scholarship-in-memory-of-rolly-walgenbach/N7MqAKDkAbg(Alberta Students only)

REMEMBER - your Scholarship Search Guide is your best place to start if you haven't already. It begins on PAGE 7 so start there!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Glass or Mrs. St.Amand.

See the opportunities that await! Create a big future at our small campus. This event will be in person on campus as well as live-streamed.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Grade 11 students can apply now for Fall 2026 through our Jump Start program.
• Grade 12 students who have already applied.
• Grade 12 students who are undecided; applications are open for Fall 2025 until June 30, Winter 2026 applications now open.
• Family, supporters, counsellors, and anyone interested in finding out more about CUE!

WHY SHOULD STUDENTS ATTEND?

• Application fee will be waived – Admissions Advisors will be on hand to assist with the online application (fee waived for domestic students only)
• Registration Advisors will also be on hand to assist Fall 2025 admitted students with registration in courses.
• Faculty presentations from the Deans and in-person booth fair; live stream link will be emailed ahead of time and available on our event webpage, concordia.ab.ca/infonight
• Tours of campus and student residence!
• Students who sign up will receive an application code by email to apply for free!

PLUS

• We're giving away CUE sweaters for in-person applications submitted at Info Night!

If you are looking for programs with open seats for Fall 2025, check out NAIT's options below. We're also bringing you updates on which programs had their competitive requirements removed for the Fall 2025 intake.

Aiming at a Winter 2026 start date instead? Applications will open soon, on March 1.

Click HERE to see Fall 2025 Programs with open seats!

Fall 2025 - Programs without competitive requirements

The following programs have removed their competitive requirements for Fall 2025 only:

• Civil Engineering Technology
• Chemical Engineering Technology
• Construction Engineering Technology
• Engineering Design Technology
• Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology
• Electronics Engineering Technology
• Geoscience Technology
• Nanosystems Engineering Technology
• Petroleum Engineering Technology
• Wireless Systems Engineering Technology
• Water and Wastewater Technician

Click HERE to apply for any of these programs!

Winter 2026 applications open March 1!

Winter Applications open on March 1, 2025 for a start date in January 2026. Use the link HERE to apply.

The Winter 2026 intake application at King's University is now open!

King's University offers many programs to equip students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Competitive Scholarships & Financial Aids application is now open!
The competitive scholarship and financial aid application is now open for King's University. These scholarships recognize academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement. The deadline for competitive scholarship is March 31st, 2025.

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Laurie Ciezki (lauriec@eics.ab.ca) to the role of Athletic Director as well as Mrs. Courtney St. Amand (courtney.stamand@eics.ab.ca) as Assistant to the Athletic Director. Please feel free to them for any Athletics comments, questions, or information.

Check out the website for all things Athletics.

Congratulations to the ABJ Mixed Curling Team coached by Mr. Perozak. They were undefeated all season including at provincials this past week in Brooks! Way to go Scots!

Left to right: Ben Bassendowski-Day, Sarah Yarmuch, Ryan Stockdale, Lily MacDonald, Sadie Stelmach, Mr. Perozak.

The ABJ cheer team had a jam packed weekend at True North today and yesterday, and put on a great first performance both days at the competition! We took home 6th place in our division. Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Many thanks to Mrs. St. Armand and Mrs. Czieki for organizing the Seniors Night to celebrate our senior boys and girls basketball players that will be graduating at the end of the school year. They were given some well deserved recognition. We wish all of our grade 12 players the very best as they begin their new adventures!

The senior girls got to celebrate our wonderful senior players on Wednesday night! Although they were unable to come away with the win, we are looking forward to playoffs starting on Monday at 5:00 vs. LSL. Come cheer the team on!

The Louis St. Laurent Barons were in for a surprise Wednesday evening as they were unprepared for the pressure and fight brought to the game by our Scots. The boys earned a lead early in the game and kept forcing the Barons to struggle for every point. An unfortunate end with an 86-77 win for the Barons but our Scots sure performed well making for an exciting night of basketball! Next up our senior boys travel to Beaumont to take on the Bandits on Monday evening March 3rd at 5:30. Go Scots!

Our junior girls showed resilience and determination in their game against St. FX despite a tough loss. The girls face off again with St. FX this Tuesday - we'll be cheering for a strong comeback in this next one.

The junior boys defeated SPA 71-52 this week, capping off the regular season with a 9 game win streak. They host their quarterfinal game at ABJ on Tuesday, March 4 at 5:30…Let’s pack the gym & help cheer on your Scots!!

The grade 9 boys and girls teams both had successful wins against Rudolph Hennig 53-39 (girls) and 64-40 (boys). Way to go Scots!

Students can sign up directly on Google Forms here: https://forms.gle/eLN8XymvghR8jeim8

Parental/Guardian consent is required for all youth volunteers - we will be sending a separate form to Parents/Guardians for consent.

Did you know that you can support EICS by directing your property taxes to Catholic education? Please read this letter from EICS Board of Trustees Chair Le-Ann Ewaskiw to learn about this meaningful opportunity to strengthen Catholic education for our students.

The EICS Board of Trustees approved the 2025-2026 school year calendars at their February 19 public meeting.

Each year, the goal is to develop a calendar that meets required instruction hours, supports a quality learning environment, and provides for teacher and staff professional development.

In addition, EICS takes into consideration the calendars for Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) and Battle River School Division (BRSD). While our division provides student transportation in Sherwood Park and Strathcona County, we have cooperative bussing agreements in place with our public board counterparts in Vegreville, Camrose and Fort Saskatchewan.

New for this year in Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park, Strathcona County, and Vegreville, the calendar has early dismissal every Wednesday.

In Camrose, Our Lady of Mount Pleasant and Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic schools will operate four-day student weeks. St. Patrick Catholic School will continue to operate five-day student weeks.

Notable dates for the 2025-2026 calendar include:

• Aug. 28: First day of school in Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park/Strathcona, Vegreville.
• Nov. 10 - 14: Fall break for all schools.
• Dec. 22 - Jan. 2: Christmas break for all schools.
• March 23 - 27: Spring break in Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park/Strathcona, Vegreville.
• April 3: Good Friday.
• April 6: Easter Monday.
• June 23: Last day of school for all schools.

The February edition of the Elk Island Catholic Schools Board of Trustees Monthly Highlights is now available! This month’s updates provide insight into ongoing initiatives, enrolment trends, and faith-based activities happening across our division.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s included:

• School Calendars: Approval of the 2025-2026 calendars and a tentative plan for the 2026-2027 calendar in Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park, Strathcona County, and Vegreville, with community feedback still to come.
• Student Transportation: The return of the Give A Pencil Car Wash fundraiser and plans for a Faithful Journeys program to encourage positive bus behaviour.
• Enrolment Projections: Early estimates indicate nearly 9,000 students will be attending EICS schools in 2025-2026.
• Artificial Intelligence in EICS: A new subcommittee is working on an administrative procedure to guide AI use in the division.
• Community Engagement: The Flying Fathers hockey games brought faith and fun together for students and staff.

These are just a few of the updates from this month’s meeting. Read the full highlights to stay informed about what’s happening in EICS.

In addition to Google Classrooms for each course, there is also a grade-level Google classroom. Students are asked to accept the invitation when they receive it in their school email. Parents will also be invited and are urged to accept the invitation as well.

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.