St. Gabriel Education Centre

Dear St. Gabes students and families,

Spring is almost here and we are excited to welcome the new season with open arms! As we move into March, we have many exciting things happening at our school that we would like to share with you.

First, we want to thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to your child's education. Your involvement in their learning journey is invaluable and greatly appreciated. For those adult students reading this, we appreciate your dedication and commitment to furthering your education.

Last week we began the period in our liturgical calendar called Lent. Please read below for information about our calendar for the month of March. There are some important dates to pay attention to.

Finally, we encourage you to stay in touch with us and to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We value your feedback and welcome the opportunity to work together to support your child's success.

Many Blessings to you all,

Renee Trottier,

principal

Thank you for taking the time to read about what's happening at St. Gabes each month. Our newsletter is a really important way for you to keep up with what's happening at school.

Congratulations to Robin Shields for winning the draw this month! Please stop by the school to pick up your gift card!

Don't forget to enter our draw for a gift card! I reset the draw each month so you can win more than once!

https://forms.gle/RTH39DMEMRm5MWt7A

March 2 - School Council Meeting at 6:30 online

March 17 - PD Day. School is closed

March 23 - Parent Teacher Interviews

March 24 - April 2 - School is closed for spring break

April 3 - School resumes

April 7 - Good Friday. School is closed

April 10 - Easter Monday. School is closed

Registration for next school year is now open. All returning students/parents will have received an email with a code to register. If you didn't get an email, first check your spam and then if you still don't have it, please contact Renee Trottier by email and I can send you your code. You can also just register as a new student. Please click on the link below and be sure to choose the year "2023/2024".

Please share your experiences at our school with friends and family who may be looking for an alternative education for their children (or themselves). Just a reminder that we are now a grade 7-12 outreach, online/blended, distance education school. Adults are also able to upgrade with us for a smaller fee than other institutions.

Registration

If you are in grade 9 currently at St. Gabes, I will be hosting an information meeting on March 23 from 5:30-6:30 during our parent-teacher interview night.

During this information session, I will talk about high school, what your options are for programming, what St. Gabes can offer for high school and answer any questions you might have about high school, both at St. Gabes and in general. Please join me using the meeting link below.

Link to join Junior High Information Meeting

Our next School Council meeting is on March 2 at 6:30pm. We meet once per month except for December and June. All of our meetings are online. You can find the agenda and meeting link on our website under "About Us/School Council". https://www.stgabe.gsacrd.ab.ca/about-st-gabriel/school-council-parent-council

We look forward to seeing you!

Interviews are Wednesday, March 23 from 5:30-8:30.

Please use the code below to book interviews. You will receive an automatic email confirming the date and time

• If you're attending online - the email will include the link to join the Google Meet. Please make sure you save that email as it is the only way you will be able to enter the interview.
• You can also choose to attend interviews in person at St. Gabriel Education Centre.

https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/gy7y7

Code -gy7y7

If you're a parent of a student who is under 18 years old and studying full-time at St. Gabes, you will be receiving a survey in the mail. Please fill it out and return it to the government. We really value your feedback about our school and how we can improve to provide the best possible education for your children. Thank you so much for your attention and participation.

Students, we have codes for you at school so you can fill out the survey.

"Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely . . ." - Psalm 112:5

We have 2 service projects that we're focusing on for Lent this year.

1. Ukrainian Refugee Relief Fund - Please click on the link and donate to help Ukrainian Refugees who are coming to Alberta to escape the war in Ukraine. Your donation is tax-deductible.

St. Gabriel Education Centre Ukrainian Relief Donation Page

2. Sacred Heart Parish Food Drive - Once again, we want to support the people who make the downtown core their home by providing Sacred Heart Parish with non-perishable food items. You can bring your donations to St. Gabes. We are also accepting grocery gift cards.

Consider donating 1% of the luxury items you purchase during the Lenten Season (from now until Easter). Luxury items could be anything from a pack of gum, a manicure, a dinner out, a vacation, etc.

If you are ready to graduate this year, please contact Julie Bedi. Every year we have several students who graduate from St. Gabes. We offer a lovely ceremony and luncheon for our graduates. Mrs. Bedi will check your credentials and ensure that you are added to the graduation list.

To St Gabriel Education Parents or Students:

On behalf of our school, we would like to share with you the following information about student resources that are available from Castle Rock Research. At St Gabriel Education Centre; we have been privileged to work with this Alberta-based company to access quality materials to support students, teachers, and parents.

To order print or digital products please visit:

https://schoolorders.solaro.com/0378

To help reduce shipping charges, orders will be individually packaged, aggregated and shipped to the school for pick up by each student. Orders can be placed between February 17, 2023 and March 3, 2023 with shipment following within a week after the closing date. For SOLARO digital orders, clients will receive an emailed confirmation for immediate activation.

The following resources are available with educational discounts:

• The KEY Study Guides - Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies courses across grades 3 to 12. Grade 12 Math and Science KEYs have been updated to include questions from recently released Diploma exams. $20.00 per copy
• Student Notes and Problems (SNAP) Workbooks instructional content, practice exercises, and unit assessments covering the breadth and depth of select Science and Mathematics courses. $20.00 per copy
• Problem Solved – All of the questions from the respective SNAP books are presented along with detailed solutions. Class Notes – An excerpt of each SNAP workbook that focuses students on the explanatory notes for each topic. $11.00 per copy

SOLARO - $20.00 for an annual student license

• access up to 10 courses across all available grades and subjects, for 1 year
• use online or on mobile devices,
• more courses than are available in print,
• learn more at View SOLARO Video.

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul, My God, in you I trust” - Psalm 25:1

Most of us really like control. We like to decide where we go, who we spend time with, and what we watch on TV. We want to call most of the shots about how we spend our money and what we do with our free time. We strive to be in charge.

But, when we’re busy controlling things, we leave little room for surprises. Sometimes we leave little room to welcome other people and get to know them. This is especially true when it comes to befriending Jesus. If you really want to wander in this Lenten desert and allow yourself to be led by the Spirit and to trust, you have to surrender. Lift your heart, mind, and soul to the Lord today, so that you can pay attention to where he might be leading you. Trust that he knows what is best.

1. Prayer - Spend more time in prayer each day.

2. Fasting - Giving up something that is a luxury for you. This doesn't have to be a food item. You can give up social media, video games, negative thoughts, judgemental thinking, etc.

3. Almsgiving - donating to charity, giving of your time, talents and resources to others.

SAPY Nights are Back (St. Albert Parish Youth)

SAPY Nights are starting up again in March mark your calendar for these dates:

March 13 for Grades 10-12, from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in the Parish hall

March 20 for Grades 7-9, from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in the Parish hall

SAPY Fish FRYday Fundraiser

Fish Fry's are back!

Join SAPY on Friday, March 10 @ 5:30. Following the fish fry at 7pm join us for Stations of the Cross, led by the youth.

Tickets are $20 a plate and include 2 pieces of battered cod, fries and coleslaw, 5 and under eat free.

Tickets will be available starting Monday from the Parish Office and after all Masses next weekend.

Did you know? Cree is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in Canada. It belongs to the Algonquian language family and a number of dialect groups: Plains, Woods, Swampy, Moose, Northern East Cree, Southern East Cree, Naskapi, Atikamekw and Montagnais.

Don't forget to check out our "Mental Health and Wellness" section on our website for wellness ideas, tips, resources and sessions that are being offered. Click on "community supports" for information about services in St. Albert and area to support you or your family.

Our school counsellor at St. Gabriel Education Center is Mrs. Tracy Delhez. She is able to provide social and emotional support to students both online and at school. Mrs. Delhez is available at SGEC on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Counselling referrals can also be made by parents or teachers. Support is provided for individual or family concerns and referrals to outside agencies can be accessed through Mrs. Delhez. For more information or to book an appointment please contact Mrs. Delhez at mailto:tdelhez@gsacrd.ab.ca

Mrs. Delhez talks all the time about our need for consistency, predictability, and stability. This is so true. All humans need these 3 things to thrive in our lives.

Where do you fall short? What can you do to improve these areas in your life?

See Mrs. Delhez if you need strategies for making your life more consistent, stable and predictable.

Grief is a complicated experience even during the best of times. During the past few years, we have all been grieving. Whether we lost our jobs, missed opportunities, our health or a loved one, all losses are difficult to manage when our reality has been dramatically changed. This workshop is facilitated by Krista Osborne, Clinical Social Worker with a focus on individual and family counselling. After years of working with individuals in crisis, non-profits, and then in health care settings, Krista turned her focus to working in mental health. Krista has maintained a private practice in St. Albert for the past nine years with a focus on mental health, grief, and trauma. She has a particular love of working with adolescents. Krista also teaches in the Social Work Programs at MacEwan University and the University of Calgary.

Date and time

Thu, 23 March 2023, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM MDT

Location

St. Albert Community Village 30, 50 Bellerose Drive St. Albert, AB T8N 3L5

Register HERE

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Start Time: 1:00 pm
End Time: 4:00pm

St. Albert Inn & Suites
156 St. Albert Trail ↗

Find job opportunities in the fields of hospitality, trades, general labour, and more.

• Bring your resume to the event to drop off with employers.
• Book a free consultation with a resume & career tutor through the St. Albert public library resume & job search tutor: call the Downtown Information Desk at 780-459-1682 during Library hours to book your appointment.

When

Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Start Time: 6:30 pm
End Time: 7:30 pm

Where

St. Albert Public Library
St. Albert Place
5 St. Anne Street ↗

Join Constable MJ Burroughs of the St. Albert RCMP in this free workshop to learn about Digital Safety. In a world of smartphones, laptops, online gaming and social media, families need to know how to protect themselves, be responsible/safe and understand the new digital world.

This free event is part of a 5-part parent workshop series. View all workshops

You've probably heard about Chat GPT already, in fact, I used it to write my principal's message above (and then I had to re-write it because it was complete garbage). AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be a very useful tool, however, it can also be used in ways that are dishonest and that misrepresent what you know and can do. There are many tools already developed that can identify when a student has used AI to do their work. Our staff are aware of these resources and use them regularly. It is important to note that plagiarism (which includes having AI do your work for you) comes with serious penalties.

Please click on the link to our Academic Dishonesty Policy and review our procedures. If you ever have any questions or are confused about plagiarism in your work please contact your teacher.

Just a friendly reminder to park in our lower parking lot when you are coming to the school.

Please do not park in the following areas:

• our handicapped spot (unless you are handicapped and are coming into the school)
• in the spots at the front of the building or in the upper lot on top of seven hills
• in front of our garbage bin (the truck has left our garbage a few times because the bin was blocked).

Did you know that we update our social media accounts on a regular basis? Following us is one of the quickest ways to find out what's going on at school and get those last-minute, emergency updates.

Please follow and share with your friends. We want everyone to know what a great place St. Gabes is!

Please also consider leaving a review for us on Facebook and Google. Your positive comments go a long way to helping us let the community know who we are and what we do.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram posts during the month of March! We are starting a new marketing campaign with some information you might find interesting. We encourage you to share our posts to your own stories and pages.

Facebook

Instagram

Email: rtrottier@gsacrd.ab.ca
Website: https://www.stgabe.gsacrd.ab.ca/.
Location: 6 St Vital Ave, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: (780)459-6616
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StGabeHS
Twitter: @stgabes

Monday to Wednesday
8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Thursday
8:30 am to 5:30 pm

Friday
8:00 am to Noon

Don't forget to fill out our draw!

https://forms.gle/RTH39DMEMRm5MWt7A