ST. MATTHEW SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

October 2011

“Together Towards Tomorrow” A Message from the Administration

September has come and gone quickly this year bringing with it some much appreciated warm weather as well as a great start to the year! At this time, we would like to extend a sincere thanks to all parents and guardians who attended our ―Meet the Staff Night‖! It was wonderful to see such a large turnout. Our current student enrollment is 320, with 167 students in the English program and 133 students in the Ukrainian Bilingual program and 20 students in the 100 Voices program. We look forward to a wonderful year of learning together! As we look forward to the month of October and the many activities and celebrations we have planned, we realize that it is also a time of Thanksgiving. It is a time of family, a time of sharing and a time of giving thanks. The staff of St. Matthew would like to wish our school community a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. THANKSGIVING PRAYER We thank Thee Lord with hearts filled with gratitude. We thank You, Lord our God, for gifting us with good friends. We are grateful for all those persons in our lives who have chosen us to be their friends for truly this is a rich and sacred trust. By the sacrament of friendship, we share our mutual journeys with You. Sower for All Love and Life, In sharing, we find our happiness expanded and our sorrow lightened, and, for this blessing,we are grateful. We prayerfully rejoice that your Son, Jesus has called each of us from the position of servants to the honor of being His friends. Blessed are You, God of Unity, for entering our lives, through friendship. Make us worthy of such a gift by being faithful but non-progressive, by being loyal and honest and by being ever grateful for the gift of good friends. Blessed are You, Lord our God who gifts us with the joys of friendship. Amen Mr. G. Antonakis

Mrs. I. Sieben

Principal

Assistant Principal

Coming Up in October October 3rd - 7th - Read In Week October 3rd - Book Swap October 7th - Thanksgiving celebration - 9:00 am October 10th - Thanksgiving Day. No school. October 18th - Picture day October 20th - Staff PD - No classes for students October 28th - Family Dance October 31st - Halloween Ready, Set, Read! READ IN Week: October 3 - 7, 2011 The goal of Read In Week is to involve as many individuals as possible in one or more READ IN events during the week of October 3 -7, 2011. A READ IN event can take place anywhere-in St. Matthew’s library / classroom or at home. A READ IN event is any occasion when participants make a deliberate choice to read or to be read to for pleasure. If parents wish to come and read to our students please contact your child’s teacher. Young Reader’s Choice Awards 2012 The Young Reader’s Choice Awards 2012 (YRCA) will be starting in October. Students will read or listen to nominated titles and vote for their favorite book in March, 2012. Our grade 4 - 6 students will be participating in this program again this year.

Reminder for Transportation Of Students A reminder that bus pass fees for the 2011-2012 school year are $30.00 per month Payment for bus passes may be made as follows:

MONTHLY - $30.00 per month payable by the 1st of every month. POST DATED CHEQUES - dated the 1st of each month ONE ( 1 ) cheque - $300.00 issued for the total amount. Edmonton Catholic Schools will be matching Edmonton Public Schools in offering FREE bus passes to our kindergarten children. Bus passes will be sold a week prior to the end of the month for the next month. This helps to get all passes ready for the children before the end of the month.

Cheques should be made payable to: St Matthew School

A family price of $26.00/month will be available for a family with 3 or more children enrolled in the district. Please contact our school office for further information. Children are expected to have a valid bus pass within the first week of each new month. In addition, they must present the bus pass to the bus driver each day. Kindergarten and Grade 1 students must be met by a parent or guardian at the bus stop at all times prior to allowing the students off the bus. If no one is at the bus stop the students will be returned to the school at which time you will be contacted. Thank you for your cooperation!

CCAT TESTING During the dates of October 17 - 28th students in Grade 6 will write the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). This test measures students’ overall ability levels. Although it’s not possible to study for this test, students can be prepared for this test by being well rested and ensuring that they have a good breakfast in the morning.

DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER As the weather is changing and the days are becoming cooler please ensure that your child comes to school with the appropriate clothing for the weather. As it can be a confusing time of the year, with temperatures changing quickly, layers are often a good choice. Thanks you also to those students who are changing their footwear upon entering the school building. This helps to keep our school clean and inviting.

MILK AND JUICE SALES We are continuing to offer milk and juice for sale to the students during lunch hour. The price for milk or juice is $0.70 per carton. Milk cards can be purchased for $7.00 or $ 14.00 at the office.

HALLOWEEN UPDATE As we think ahead to Halloween, here are a few considerations we would like to share: Please be conscious of safety features when helping your child to select or assemble a costume. We discourage the inclusion of weapon-like accessories for costumes – swords, guns or any depiction of violence. We plan to keep the morning and lunch hour on Halloween Day as normal as possible. Children may bring costumes to school and change after lunch. We ask parents to be conscious of nut allergies in sending classroom treats for the children. We have number of children with serious nut allergies. Thank you! Parents are welcome to join us at any point in the afternoon.

Parking Lot/Traffic Safety We realize that parking around St. Matthew School can be difficult. We are asking for your cooperation in ensuring that Parent/ Guardian vehicles DO NOT enter the Staff Parking Lot at any time. Both parking lots are filled to capacity, and are used on a daily basis. The handicapped parking spot in the Staff Parking lot is for the pick up and drop off of handicapped students only. As well, our Visitor Parking spots are reserved for Special Guests who are at the school. These spots are not for drop offs and/or picks ups. The front of the school is designated for School busses only. This is not a drop off area either.

Children must never be dropped off or picked up in the Staff Parking Lots . We would like to encourage you to use the following areas:

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88 st—West side of the school—Northbound only as this is a one-way

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131 A Avenue & 87 St.—Back of the school

86 Street—East of the school , by the church.

2011 - 2012 School Council Representatives We are still looking for parents to act as classroom representatives. If you are interested, please contact the school office at 780 473 6575. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help so far. English Program

Ukrainian Program

English Kindergarten - Daralee Paul

Ukrainian Kindergarten - vacant

1A - vacant

1B - vacant

2A - Shannon Berezanski

1/2A - Kathy Dudycz

3A - Sharon Whitaker/ Cindy Verner

3B - Donna Popowich

4A - vacant

4/5A - vacant

5 A - vacant

5/6 A - Doreen Zee/ Angela Moolyk

6ASP - Eva Kopacka 6A - John Orlecky Thanks also to those parents who have agreed to fill the other executive positions thus far. Chairperson - Karen Graves Vice Chair - Nadine Letwin Secretary - Cindy Verner Treasurer - Shannon Kulchisky Parking Patrol - Shannon Berezanski Hot Lunch Coordinators - Karen Graves/ Tina Sroka Casino Chair - Michael Kornylo Ukr. Parent Committee - Doreen Zee St. Matthew School Council meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm in the school Library. Ukrainian Bilingual parent meet at 6:30 pm, prior to the General SAC meeting.

October 2011

St. Matthew’s Catholic Church

Announcements

13131 – 86 St. Edmonton AB T5E 3B5 780-475-2888

We welcome our new pastor, Fr. Eduardo Santos. Fr. Eduardo was born in Brazil in 1964 and studied both in his home country and Spain. He was ordained in 1991 and held various positions in the Archdiocese of Porto Alegre, Brazil. He came to the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2009 where he has served as Associate Pastor at St. Thomas More Parish. We are excited to have him as our pastor here at St. Matthew’s.

Liturgy of the Word with Children We are excited to offer this important ministry at all of the weekend masses (Saturday 5pm, Sunday 9am and 11am). Children aged 3 to grade 4 are invited to join us for hearing the Word of God, singing, crafts and activities. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults & the Christian Initiation of Children Would you or anyone you know be interested in becoming Catholic? Would you like to learn more about the Catholic faith and deepen your relationship with God? St. Matthew’s Parish is beginning the RCIA and CIC program for individuals aged 7 and above this September. If you are interested, please contact Mark Guevarra, the Pastoral Assistant for more information. First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion Preparation Sacramental preparation and registration begins Monday, October 17th at 7pm in the church. All grade 2 students will receive a brochure and registration form to take home. Please bring completed registration forms to the church on October 17th. If your child is not in grade 2 and you would like more information, please pick up a brochure and registration form from the school office or contact Mark Guevarra, the Pastoral Assistant for more information. Altar Servers Are you interested in altar serving? If you are and you have received your First Holy Communion, please bring the completed registration form to the training session on Monday, October 3rd from 5 to 6:30pm. An information sheet and registration form will be or has been distributed to each child by Mark Guevarra. Extra copies can be found in the school office. Youth Choir St. Matthew’s is looking to start a youth choir. If you are in grade 3 up to high school and if you would like to share your talent with the church during mass, please contact Mark Guevarra, the Pastoral Assistant for more information.

If you have any questions about any of these announcements please contact Mark Guevarra, the Pastoral Assistant [email protected] 780-475-2888

October, 2011 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works…” (Ephesians 2: 8-9) The 2011-2012 school year opening has gone very smoothly thanks to the thoughtful planning and organization of District staff and the cooperation of our students and their families. Our enrollment figure as of September 7, 2011 was higher than September 2010, and we expect that number will fluctuate throughout the month especially in the high schools as students confirm their registrations. Thank you to all for the cooperation shown in expediting the registration process for our students. On Wednesday, October 5, we will be celebrating World Teachers‟ Day. This year‟s theme, “!nspiring students, Awaken!ng potential,” corresponds wonderfully with our District theme of “Life of Grace: awaken our senses, stir our hearts.” Each and every day, may you find time to reflect on your day in order to think about a moment of grace – a moment of blessing to celebrate with your children, other members of your family, friends and colleagues. Read –In Week 2011 will be celebrated in our schools from October 3-7. This year‟s theme is: All Ages, All Stages. Please look for more information coming from your children‟s schools inviting you to take part in this important event. Come and share your favorite stories with our students! Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 10th will be a holiday for our staff and students. I would encourage all families to take advantage of the opportunities to celebrate this feast with others in their school community at the various celebrations and activities that will be offered at your children‟s schools. Let us pause to thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us! Late last spring Alberta Education announced to all Alberta school jurisdictions the opportunity to submit a proposal to receive additional funding in support of inclusive education as a „change agent‟ jurisdiction or as a „capacity building’ jurisdiction. Edmonton Catholic Schools was successful in the „change agent‟ category and was informed in early July that our jurisdiction would receive $815 614.00 in additional funding to support our continuing work in inclusive education. As a District, we have also made some significant steps towards developing greater capacity for inclusion through the District initiative “Katholos – Education for Life for All”. The Katholos Steering Committee is currently considering several plans for use of the funds, and is pleased to be participating in a province-wide community of practice so that we can continue to share with others and more importantly learn from others. We are excited to announce that on September 20 th 2011, the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Catholic Schools passed a motion to enter into a partnership with The City of Edmonton to construct a new High School Completion Centre at the Clareview Recreation Centre site. This innovative partnership enables our District to provide programming for students wishing to complete their high school programs, while accessing recreational facilities, the Edmonton Public Library and other multi-cultural support areas that the City will build on that site. Edmonton Catholic School‟s design also includes a daycare component that will allow for extensive Early Learning Programs. We are extremely grateful to the City of Edmonton, Alberta Education and Alberta Infrastructure for this opportunity. Look for future updates! May you and your families continue to be blessed and nurtured by God’s grace throughout this Thanksgiving season! Sincerely,

Joan Carr Superintendent

Message from Father Mike Mireau Dear Parents, So what‟s Catholic Education anyway? Why do we have our own school board? Why do parents choose to send their kids to us? What is so special, and so important, about what we do? The answer is a person – its Jesus Christ. Jesus is the teacher, and Jesus is also the lesson. The Gospel tells us that there is but one teacher; that is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the compassionate one, who challenges the students to be as they are created to be, who can relate to them all, having walked in their shoes, who sacrifices time, energy, personal needs, for the sake of those he was sent for. It also teaches us that there is one truth; that truth is also Jesus Christ. Jesus is the message of infinite love from our Creator, who will go to any end, to heal and redeem us. As such, our mission, in Catholic Education, is to provide an Encounter, and facilitate a relationship, between our children, and their loving Savior, who gives everything for them. So, we aren't here just to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. We're here to guide our students into a community of love and fellowship, that we call the Body of Christ. To be Jesus to them – that‟s our mission – that‟s what Catholic Education is. Rev. Michael Catfish Mireau District Chaplain Edmonton Catholic Schools (October, 2011)

St. Matthew School Newsletter

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9:00 am - Thanksgiving Day celebration

Read - In Week 9

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Thanksgiving Day

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SAC Meeting 7:00 pm Ukr parents meeting 6:30 pm

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Picture Day

Staff PD NO school for students Grade 6 CCAT testing

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Grade 6 CCAT Testing

Kindergarten Family Dance field trip—both am & pm classes