St. Gabriel Education Centre

Dear St. Gabes students and families,

Happy New Year to all of you! I pray you all had a happy and healthy Christmas break. Between the cold and covid, I definitely did not get out as much as I would have liked to. Our poor resident therapy dog, Ripple is really missing his walks and play time in the off leash park!

This newsletter contains a lot of really important information about COVID updates, final exams, diplomas, and links to our updated Return to School Plan. If you haven't read our Superintendent's update that was sent out by email on January 7, please make sure to read it so that you know what is happening in our schools. If you don't get his emails, please contact me or one of your teachers and we can forward it to you.

Many Blessings to you all,

Renee Trottier,

principal

January 10 - School begins | School council meeting is at 6:30

January 14 - St. Gabes will be closed for our staff meeting/PD day

January 19 - Last day of classes | All course work needs to be submitted

January 20-25 - Exams (see below for a detailed exam schedule)

January 31 - School closed for staff faith and wellness day

February 1 - Semester 2 begins.

For the latest updates about our return to school plan and response to COVID, please click on the link below.

There are several new updates including:

• Masking in GSACRD Schools
• Illness, Symptoms, and Isolation
• Positive COVID-19 Cases within our Schools
• Vaccines
• e-Tutoring Hub
• GSACRD Processes When Transitioning to Online Learning
• Assessment
• Visitors and Volunteers
• Food at SGEC

https://www.gsacrd.ab.ca/covid-19-information-and-protocols

Diploma Exams:

Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange, announced on December 30, 2021, that Diploma Exams for January 2022 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 disruptions to learning.

Final Exams for Grade 10 and 11 Courses:

In response to these announcements, Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools will be changing final exams for all grade 10 and 11. This will allow our students to have the experience of preparing for and writing exams without the risk of negatively impacting their grade. If a student’s grade increases as a result of the final exam, it will be recorded toward their final grade. Please note that final exams are not optional.

We will be adjusting our exam week in an effort to recover some of the instructional time lost during the first week of January. It is our goal to ensure that our students have the skills and knowledge needed to advance in their area of study.

Expectations Regarding Masks:

As we prepare to return to face-to-face instruction on January 10, 2022, we will be strictly enforcing the following masking protocols:

• Students are expected to wear masks that align with the masking recommendations set out by Alberta Health Services.

• Masks must fit snugly around the nose and extend below the chin.

• Students are expected to wear masks at all times in the school environment.

• Students who refuse to comply with the mask wearing requirements at school will be given one warning and then asked to leave school grounds.

• Students must remain seated when eating and drinking. Only at this time can they remove their masks.

We are hopeful that by adhering to these guidelines for masking that our students can continue to attend school in person and enjoy the opportunity to move freely within the school.

Our next School Council meeting is on January 10 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!

Have you registered for any courses for semester 2? If not, please see Mrs. Franklin and let her know which classes you would like to take.

Are you unsure whether you are registered in classes for semester 2? Did you know that you can check your schedule on PowerSchool and find all the information you need. If you need help with any of this, please see Mrs. Trottier.

We are asking our St. Gabes community to collect new personal items to support the many refugees coming to Canada from Afghanistan.

We require the following items:

• backpacks to pack the items in
• personal items and toiletries
• school supplies
• diapers
• winter clothing

You can bring in the items to St. Gabes and we will drop them off for you, or you can donate directly by clicking on this link. If you make a donation, please email or call us to let us know so that we can add it to our donation total.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/45260/donation

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).

We are in the process of updating our Moodle site. It will be ready to launch for semester 2 on February first. It will look different than before but everything you have now will still be on the site.

"Arise! I have appointed you as a witness of what you have seen!"

(Acts 26:16)

Our GSACRD Faith theme is in its second year of, "Arise! Get Up, Get Going and Go with God!"

This year, we are focusing on the "Get Going!" part of our theme. How do students, staff and parents know, model and witness Jesus Christ?

On Sunday, January 9th, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, an event that formally began the public ministry of Jesus and ends the Christmas season for us. But it's a strange event.

Why would the sinless, almighty God of the universe receive baptism alongside fallen men and women?

St. Maximus of Turin affirmed, "Christ is baptized, not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy." Jesus allows himself to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and numbered among us fellow sinners, assuming his role as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world and descend into death for our salvation.

We must all be humble enough to enter into the mystery and go down into the waters of our Baptismal call to be reborn in Christ who desires for us life and life in abundance!

credit - St. Albert Catholic Parish

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.

While the resolutions listed here are not bad, they just might not be the most realistic.

When it comes to goals and resolutions, keeping them specific and actionable is key. Resolutions should state HOW you are hoping accomplish the resolution. By stating the action (or the how), you are making the resolution more specific.

It would be nice to avoid all stressors, toxic people and things, but it just simply isn't realistic.

What is realistic is to make your goal/resolution about something that is within your control For example . . . "By January 31st, I will go through all of the account I follow on social media and unfollow the ones that make me feel bad about myself."

This goal/resolution has a when, how, and why. It hold the creator accountable and is reasonable! What's a resolution you have for this new year?

Credit - GSACRD Voice

Exam Month Equals Increased Anxiety. If someone is having a hard time, we naturally want to help fix things for them or problem solve. Sometimes, this is not the best thing for that person. They may be looking for safety, calmness, quiet, connection, or more.

Anxious thoughts and feelings can make you feel like you're in real danger. Having the courage to work through those thoughts and feelings is the first step. You can be afraid (or anxious) and still have the courage to do it anyways.

Kids Help Phone - 1-800-668-6868

AHS Mental Health Helpline - 1-877-303-2642

Follow GSACRD Voice on Instagram for more mental health information and resources.

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 or at school. Mrs. Delhez is available at SGEC on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons until 5:30. 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

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 getting those last minute, emergency updates.

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

https://www.facebook.com/StGabeHS

https://www.instagram.com/st.gabes/

https://twitter.com/stgabes

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
All teachers are available