September and October School Newsletter 2017

Welcome back to a new school year! We extend a special welcome to our new students and staff and a warm welcome back to our returning staff and students. My name is Angela Zapisocki and I am joining the staff at St. Martin school as principal. I look forward to working with your children and their families. With St. Martin school comes a long legacy of excellence in bilingual education. I will do my best to honor and support the Ukrainian bilingual program and the Ukrainian culture. We hope that with the support and involvement of our parish teams, our staff and our parents together we can continue to build a strong Christ-centered learning community for our children. I would also like to welcome the following staff to our school. Pani Adrienne Bodnarchuk is replacing Pani Darka Luciw in the general office. We wish Pani Darka all the best in a happy retirement. Welcome new teachers Pani Olivia Pyniansky in kindergarten and Sonia Korol–Lefebvre (English as Second Language teacher). Pani Lefebvre will be here every Monday and Wednesday morning. Our school newsletters are posted online. An email notice will be sent when a newsletter is posted on our website www.stmartin.ecsd.net. The newsletter will keep you informed of events, special activities and learning projects at St. Martin. Our monthly calendar will give you a summary of planned events and priorities set for each month of the school year. I would like to extend an invitation to you and your family to join the Ukrainian bilingual program in Edmonton Catholic Schools opening mass at St. Basil Church at 9:45 am on Thursday, September 21st. Bishop Motiuk will be presiding.

If at any time you have questions or concerns we ask that you please contact us. On behalf of Tammy Myskiw (Assistant Principal) and myself we look forward to working with you in the upcoming months and hope that you will share in all the excitement and blessings that a new school year brings to all.

Angela Zapisocki Principal

IMPORTANT DATES AHEAD: September 20th – Opening Liturgy at St. Basil Parish September 20th @ 6pm Meet the teacher night September 21st – Blessing of the garden September 26th – Picture day October 6th - Friday – NO SCHOOL October 9th – Thanksgiving Day - NO SCHOOL October 31th – PM only Halloween Class Parties and Parade November 8,9,10th – NO SCHOOL

Staff of St. Martin Teaching Staff Kindergarten Olivia Pyniansky Grade 1A Alina Maczuga Grade 1B Andrianna Huk Grade 2A Olia Kurii Grade 2/3 Khrystyna Marenych Grade 3 Jack (Sviatoslav) Strouk Grade 4 Yanina Vihovska Grade 5A Olga (Olia) Chasse Grade 5B Tetyana Palykhata/ Music Grade 6 Orest Hrynkiw Instructor Level Positions Dance Academy Zhenia Bahri, Debbie Kachmar-Potter, Tasha Orysiuk French Instructor Nataliya Sharlay Student Support Svitlana Rebarge SUPPORT STAFF Administrative Asst. Adrienne Bodnarchuk Behavior Specialist Cynthia McGill TA – BT Mona Allan TA-BT Wendy Matarutse FSLW Jana Boehm Library Technician Lesia Gudzio Head Custodian Maria Heredia Teacher Assistants Stefan Pawluk Olia Vasliuk Kelly Carvalho Michelle Grande Administration Team Principal Angela Zapisocki Asst. Principal Tammy Myskiw Learning Coach Katherine Rachmistruk ESL Sonia Korol-Lefebvre

SCHOOL HOURS and IMPORTANT DATES

Classes and Instruction Kindergarten AM Program No Thursday classes Please arrive at school by 8:25 a.m. First bell: 8:27 a.m. Instruction: 8:29 a.m. Morning Break 10:00 a.m.-10:05 a.m. Dismissal: 11:32 a.m. Kindergarten PM Program No Thursday classes Please arrive at school by 12:05 p.m. First bell: 12:15 p.m. Instruction: 12:20 p.m. Afternoon Break 2:00 pm - 2:05 p.m. Dismissal: 3:20 pm Kindergarten does not have a recess break FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN INSTRUCTION on Select Fridays January 19, February 16, April 13, May 4, May 11, May 18, May 25, June 8, June 15, June 22, 2018 June 22, 2017(Students stay in school for a full day activity) NO School for Kindergarten September 8 EL Conference Day October 6 School PD October 9 Thanksgiving Day Holiday

November 8 & 9 School PD 10 Remembrance Day

December 25 to Jan 5 Christmas Break January 25 EL Conference Day February 05 School PD

06 District PD Faith Development Day February 19 Family Day March 1 & 2 Teacher’s Convention

26 -30 Spring Break 30 Good Friday

April 2 Easter Monday 5 EL Conference Day 19 School PD

May 21 Victoria Day Holiday June 27 Last Day for Kindergarten Kinder Special Thursdays (Activities planned on these days) November 30 Celebration of Learning March 15 Demonstration of Learning May 11 Mother’s Day Tea June 15 Father’s Day Activity June 22 Kindergarten Yearend Celebration TBA Family Library Night TBA Family Learning Night

Grades 1 – 6 Monday-Wednesday and Friday First bell: 8:27 a.m. Instruction: 8:29 a.m. Morning recess 10:00 a.m.-10:25 a.m. Lunch break: 11:45 a.m.- 12:05 p.m. Afternoon recess 12:05 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Health Break 2:00 p.m. - 2:05 p.m. Dismissal: 3:20 p.m. Thursdays Only First bell: 8:27 a.m. Instruction: 8:29 a.m. Morning recess 10:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Dismissal: 11:50 a.m.* * Early dismissal every Thursday at 11:50 a.m. for staff meetings and professional development except for: December 21 and March 22. This Thursday will start a major holiday and will be a full day: 8:29 to 3:20 p.m. Early dismissal Fridays: December 22 and March 23 dismissal at 11:50 am. (Only these Fridays will follow Thursday Schedule)

No School Days Grades 1 – 6 September 04 Labor Day Holiday October 6 School PD

9 Thanksgiving Day Holiday November 8 - 9 School PD

10 Remembrance Day December 25 Christmas Break January 8 school resumes February 05 School PD

06 District PD Faith Development Day February 19 Family Day March 1 & 2 Teacher’s Convention

26-31 Spring Break 30 Good Friday

April 2 Easter Monday 19 School PD May 21 Victoria Day Holiday June 28 Last Half Day for Students Demonstration of Learning (Report Cards) November 30 Demonstration of Learning in the Afternoon March 15 Demonstration of Learning in the Afternoon

School Fees: Compulsory School Fees for 2017-2018 will be as follows for grades 1-6: Total Compulsory Fees for Grades 1-6 $50.00 Kindergarten $30.00 Thank you to those parents who could take advantage of the pre-registration procedures in June. If you have not yet paid for your child’s school fees please contact Pani Adrienne in the school office. All fees can either be paid online in Powerschool or cash/Check in the general office. Yearbook purchases are optional and are $18.00

Parent drop off and pick up Parents or guardians must not use the school parking lot to pick-up of drop-off students. Please use the large parking area along 114 street when dropping-off or picking-up students.

Inclement Weather Parents are expected to ensure that their child is dressed warmly on cold days. Recesses are indoor when the weather is -22 degrees Celsius or wet. During inclement weather, the doors nearest the parking lot are opened at 8 a.m. and the students can enter and remain inside the parking lot entrance. All local radio stations carry notification of school closures if conditions warrant this. Dance Academy Fees Fees this year are $720.00. However, if you should want to pay the full amount in September the cost will be $680.00. Fees can be paid online

Transportation of Students The bus pass fees for the 2017-2018 school year have remained at $32.00 per month. Payment for bus passes may be made as follows: MONTHLY ($32.00 per month) ONE TIME PAYMENT $320.00 issued for the total amount BUS PASS FEES ARE TO BE PAID ONLINE

Edmonton Catholic Schools will provide FREE bus passes to our kindergarten children. A family price of $28.00/month will be available for a family with 3 or more children. Please contact our school office for further information. If your child is not riding the bus after school parents must call the general office so that we can ensure the driver is aware of the change. Children are expected to have a valid bus pass within the first week of each new month. If your child will not be on the bus it is very important that you notify the school and the driver either by phone, note or in person. Drivers will be asking your child to show their passes.

Agenda Books Strong, positive communication between home and school is central to the success of our children. All students at St. Martin will be required to have and use an agenda book that they will take to and from school on a daily basis. We ask that you share in your child’s daily school life by signing their agenda book each night. The introductory pages of the agenda book outline the policies, procedures and routines in place at St. Martin. We ask that you review these pages with your children and sign in the designated spot to indicate that you have read and discussed the information. Replacement Books are $15.00

Meet the teacher evening

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

One of the most important times for parents and teachers to come together is at the start of a new school year. On this evening, teachers will provide parents with classroom procedures, grade level curriculum expectations and information on the school philosophy and policies. We will begin with a presentation in the gym and introduction of the staff, followed by PAC/SAC AGM, then two sessions with the homeroom teacher in each classroom. The repeat session is to allow parents to see more than one teacher during the evening. We hope you will join us for this very important event! If you are interested in join our School council please sign up!

Garden blessing Please join us Thursday September 21st at 11:00 am for the official blessing and opening of the St. Martin School Garden

SUTP coupon books

On Sale! The 2017 - 18 Student Union Ticket Pack is a fundraiser that the St. Martin community participates in annually. St. Martin School receives a portion of the money from each book that is sold. Books may also be obtained from the office. Watch for more information coming soon. Thank you in advance for your support!

Milk program St. Martin School offers milk for students to purchase at lunch time. This program is run by parent volunteers. A big thank you to Natalie Andrusiak for leading this and for all the work she has done to get this program going! If you have any questions, please contact your Milk Program Coordinator, Natalie Andrusiak, at natandrusiak@shaw.ca Thank you!

Absences and Late If your child will be absent or late for school we ask that you please call our school office at 780-434-4848 or feel free to call and leave a message on our answering machine. Each day directly following classroom attendance we will phone home to verify the whereabouts of missing children.

Swift K12 SwiftK12 parent notification service quickly delivers daily attendance, special announcements, and district messages to parents. The notification will very quickly send phone calls, email, and SMS text messages to parents. With this notification service, parents will be contacted for absences where the school has not been notified of your child absent from school. Receive prompt information of transportation issues, parent nights, and emergencies.

Student safety To maximize the safety of our students during the school day, all exterior doors are locked during school hours. The main front doors located by the school office are open via a ‘call into office’ system. At times, and for various reasons this system malfunctions and we ask for your patience as we answer the door in person. This walking to the door takes time away from our office staff and we thank you in advance for your patience in the times where this system is not working. In the morning, upon arrival, teachers will meet their students at their assigned doors. Students arriving late will need to enter using the main entrance doors. Parents and visitors to the school during school hours will also have to enter using the main entrance doors. Please check in at the office when you enter during school hours to ensure our students safety. We feel these procedures give more controlled access to our building and to our children during the school day.

Sign out procedures We remind all parents that if at anytime, you will be picking up your child from school prior to regular dismissal time that you come into the office and sign him/her out. This allows us to better monitor the whereabouts of our children ensuring the safety of all of our students.

Change of address and phone number If you have changes to your telephone number and/or address now or throughout the school year, please notify the school at 780-434-4848. It is essential that we have up-to-date information in case of illness or emergency. Please ensure that we have current emergency contact numbers. Thank you.

Student cell phones There is really no need for our elementary students to have a phone during school hours. Students can make arrangements with the office if they are in need of a

phone during the school day. If you wish to have your child bring a phone to school, student cell phones MUST be turned off during school hours 8:25 a.m.-3:06 p.m. Cell phones need to be kept in student backpacks in the silent mode during school hours. Students will be given one reminder not to have cell phones out or in class during school hours. After one reminder, the phone will be taken to the office to be picked up by a parent at the end of the school day. We thank you for your cooperation in managing the use of phones during school hours. We are not responsible for lost phones, and or devices.

Lunch at school Students in grades one to six are welcome to bring lunch to school. All children eat lunch in their classrooms. Eating lunch at school is a privilege and a convenience for many families. However, it involves the organization and scheduling of student monitors to assist the students, and requires extra supervision for the administration and teachers. Therefore, appropriate behavior on the part of all students is a condition of participating in lunchroom privileges. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the “lunch monitors” who provide a wonderful service to our school community. Thank you for your support!

Running club Our children in grades 3-6 will have the opportunity to join our running club. Edmonton Catholic Schools hosts a fun run in Hawrelak Park for all Catholic schools. St. Martin children will be running on Monday, September 18th. The cross-country run is an after-school event. Busing will be provided to Rundle park but will not return at the end of the run.

Parents must pick up their child at Rundle park after the event.

Picture day Picture day for our school community will be:

Tuesday, September 26th 8:45 a.m.

At this time individual photos and Class photos will be taken. Brochures will be sent home with all students prior to picture day.

The afternoon kindergarten children will have their pictures taken during their regular class times. We require two parent volunteers during the day for these photos…please contact the office if you can support us.

Collection of monies

There are several times during the year when students must bring money to school. There are programs operated by the School Council, book orders and occasions when the teacher will collect money for activities such as field trips, special projects or bus passes. You will be able to pay these monies online through Powerschool. Thank you!

Opening Liturgy Our Ukrainian Bilingual Schools Opening Liturgy at St. Basil Church will be held on Wednesday September 20 @ 9:45 a.m. Our Grade 1 to 6 students will be joining Ukrainian Schools from the Edmonton area to celebrate the Divine Liturgy together. All parents are invited to attend.

School enrollment Our school year is off to a busy start. The halls are alive and the children are excited to be reunited with their friends. Our present enrolment has increased to over 245 children in 11 classes.

• We are proud of our children who have been kind and supportive in welcoming new students and staff and making them feel at home at St. Martin.

• We thank all the parents who have taken time each night to read and sign their child’s agenda book. Please be sure you have taken time to read the opening pages of the agenda book with your child.

Parent concerns

At St. Martin, we want families to feel welcome to share their ideas and voice their concerns. Edmonton Catholic Schools recognizes the freedom of all members of the school community (students, staff, parents and neighbors) to voice their concerns in an appropriate manner to the appropriate school personnel. The principle of “first contact” needs to be followed. This means that the person(s) who has the concern, has the responsibility to begin addressing the concern directly with those persons with whom they have the concern before taking their concern elsewhere. If resolution is not found, the next step is to involve school administration and School Operations Services (SOS) as needed. All parties will deal with concerns in a manner that is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Alberta education website At our Parent Information Evening in September, we shared a great website that breaks down the expectations for each grade. Here it is again for you to check out:

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/

Halloween Parties **Tuesday, October 31st **

As we think ahead to Halloween, here are a few considerations we would like to share:

Due to the school day ending at 3:20 pm this day, children will be allowed to come to school dressed. If costumes are easy to get dressed in and especially for our older students, we will provide ample time for them to dress themselves around the extended lunch time that day. Please no masks until after 12 pm lunch.

Be prepared for our annual “Halloween Parade of Costumes” held in the gym on Tuesday, October 31

beginning at 12:45 p.m. Parents, feel free to join us in costume. Don’t Forget to sign in @ Office.

Please be conscious of safety features when helping your child to select or assemble a costume.

We ask parents to be conscious of nut allergies in sending classroom treats for the children. We have a number of children with serious nut allergies. Thank you!

Parents are welcome to join us at any point in the afternoon, ask your child’s teacher about activities leading up to the parade!

EACH TEACHER will notify their families of the events they have planned for that day.

Thanksgiving Celebration October 5th at 9:00 a.m.

We will be having our Thanksgiving Day celebration on Thursday, October 5th at 9:00 a.m. Families welcome!

Thanksgiving Holiday – No School Monday, October 9, 2017

Dressing Appropriately 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.

Thank you also to those students who are changing their footwear upon entering the school building. This helps to keep our school clean and inviting.

Fire Prevention Week The week of October 9- 15 is Fire Prevention Week. In preparation for this week and in keeping the children safe in the event of a fire, we will be practicing our school fire drills a few times in October.

Leadership Team News! Students in grades 3 to 6 are invited to participate in the St. Martin School leadership team. Our school leadership team is involved in organizing social justice projects throughout the year and building community in our school.

besides all our special projects and initiatives, on a weekly basis our leadership team has the following duties:

-Grade 3 - recycle club

-Grade 4 - milk monitors

-Grade 5 - phone monitors

-Grade 6 - lunch monitors

Leadership parent permission forms are being distributed the week of September 11th. Please sign and return by September 22, 2017.

Our leadership team will be hosting their first campaign this week! Millions of students across the country join together every year to honour Terry Fox - A Canadian Hero- who raised awareness and money for cancer, and cancer research. Our leadership team is fundraising by asking students to bring a "Toonie for Terry". We will be collecting money this week and culminating our Terry Fox week with a Terry Fox run on Friday afternoon. The whole school will unite and walk/run the perimeter of the school to support Terry Fox and his legacy.

Please consider donating a toonie (or more) to this campaign. All proceeds will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation.

For more information please see Pani Rachmistruk

Parking Lot

The parking lot is a small but busy place and we would like to ensure that student safety is not compromised by a high number of vehicles entering and leaving the parking lot. Please note that the parking lot is for St. Martin School staff, and Edmonton Catholic School District staff. If you are dropping off your child(ren)

please DO NOT ENTER THE PARKING LOT. Drop offs can be done beside the playground and students are able to enter the school grounds through the playground walk way. For safety reasons - Please do not let students walk through the staff parking lot.

Library News

Each student may borrow up to 2 books—one Ukrainian and one English —during their library visit if previously borrowed books have been returned.

Each week a slip will be sent home advising of any overdue books. If during the school year a book has been lost or long overdue, a letter will be sent home requesting re-imbursement for the replacement cost of the book.

Each month there will be a themed selection of books displayed on top of the library shelves and wire stands. As well, they can choose a book from our collection of awesome easy fiction, non-fiction and Ukrainian books.

Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) During the dates of October 16 – 27th 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.

District Chaplain News

Happy New School Year

Welcome to the 2017-2018 School Year. In the Eastern Catholic Churches (Byzantine Rite) the liturgical year has a formally designated beginning on September 1st, rather than the first Sunday of Advent (Roman Rite). What a blessing it is that we are starting a New School Year at the same time as the Eastern Christians are starting a New Church Year. We read in St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, “Make the best possible use of your time” (Colossians 4:5). The key word in this statement by St. Paul is the word "time." New Testament writers use two Greek words for time: chronos and kairos. Chronos time is chronological time, calendar time, time that moves along moment by moment, day by day, year by year. But kairos time is another kind of time, a special kind of time; time which is crucial; time which determines history. Jesus lived a life of kairos time. He never ignored a single moment or opportunity for doing good, for serving, for healing. He used time to the fullest: teaching, comforting, loving, preaching. Even when He was alone, He spent His time in prayer, communicating with God as to how best use the time that was left in His life. The Lord gave us chronos time, calendar time, that we may turn it into kairos time, salvation time, time filled with opportunities for us to respond to God's gracious invitation to the Kingdom; time for bearing in our lives the fruit of faith, hope and love. The principal meaning of the word kairos in the New Testament is: the right time, the ripe time, the proper time, the opportune time for salvation. It is in this sense that St. Paul uses the word kairos in the second letter to the Corinthians: "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2). Because the Church does not want us to lose the kingdom, it takes chronos, calendar time, and turns it into kairos, salvation time. It does this through the liturgical year which we also call the church year or the church calendar. Every day in the liturgical calendar is dedicated to the memory of some event or saint in the history of salvation. The Church has taken the Bible and placed it, planted it into the chronos or calendar time in order to turn the calendar into the kairos of our salvation. So let us live out our salvation by taking the words of the theme for this school year Rooted in Jesus ... Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve and make them into actions filled with opportunities to respond to God's gracious invitation to serve and to love Him, our students, and one another. Have a Blessed 2017-2018 School Year! Fr. Julian Bilyj District Chaplain Message from our Superintendent Joan Carr Welcome to the 2017-2018 School Year! Our theme for this year is Rooted in Jesus…Hearts to Love and Hands to Serve. This beautiful motif illuminates the mission of Catholic education, to lead our students to come to know that they are members of the Body of Christ who are called to serve one another. St. Teresa of Ávila, the great mystic and Doctor of the Church, provides us with a beautiful vision of our Christian calling to serve the world: “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on Earth but yours.” It is empowering for our students to know that they are Jesus’ hands, feet, and heart in the world today. On August 31, our staff gathered as a community to renew their commitment to Catholic education and to celebrate the Eucharist together. This special way of beginning each school year declares to all that Christ is the reason for our being, and that he is our model and teacher as we help our children to reach their God-given potential. As we fulfill our mission to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another, we have established our District Plan for Continuous Growth (2017-2020) to guide our work. This year, we begin with a District goal that is grounded in our special foundations and identity as a Catholic jurisdiction, followed by five goals that focus on teaching, learning, and student experiences. We have also included the measures and targets that we will use to assess our work to add clarity and focus. I invite you to visit our website to learn more about our goals and the key strategies that we will be implementing to achieve them at https://www.ecsd.net/AboutUs/annual_reports/Pages/District-Plan-for-Continuous-Growth.aspx .

District Goal Live and enhance the distinctiveness of Catholic education Goal One ECSD students are successful Goal Two The achievement gap between First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students and all other students is eliminated Goal Three ECSD is an inclusive school district

Goal Four ECSD has excellent teachers, school and school district leaders Goal Five ECSD is well governed and managed

Edmonton Catholic Schools will see unprecedented expansion this year. We are delighted to be opening 5 new schools this fall and to be re-opening St. Margaret School to meet the increasing demand for Catholic education in the City of Edmonton. We welcome Bishop David Motiuk, Christ the King, Corpus Christi, Father Michael Mireau, and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Elementary/Junior High Schools to our District. It is a testament to the amazing Catholic educational experiences that we are providing to families to see flourishing enrolments in our new schools as they open their doors to serve their communities! Pope Francis offered uplifting words of encouragement to those gathered at his first World Youth Day, and they resonate deeply with our theme. “If you follow these three ideas (go, do not be afraid, and serve), you will experience that the one who evangelizes is evangelized, the one who transmits the joy of faith receives joy” (July 28, 2013). This is what we aspire to for our students, that they go fearlessly into the world to serve God and each other, building a better future for all. I wish everyone an incredible year of learning and growth, deeply rooted in the love of Christ! Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent