March 2017 At A Glance

Important Dates

New Registrations

Open House

Demonstration of Learning

Spelling Bee

Kids’ Convention

School Activities

St. John Bosco Parish News

Bishop’s Message

Superintendent’s Message

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

Next Newsletter

Thursday, March 31 st

Principal: Mrs. Lori McDonough Assistant Principal: Mrs. Michelle LaFrance Administrative Assistant: Mrs. Renee Bourlai

School Council Meeting

Monday, March 6th

at 6:30 p.m.

Message From the Administration Our school community continues to let its light shine for Catholic Education. We will begin our Lenten Season with an Ash Wednesday celebration led by Fr. Romano on March 1st. Throughout these next weeks of Lent, our school community will make the journey towards Easter together by reflecting deeply, praying often, making some spe-cial sacrifices and most importantly; putting into action forgiveness and charity. We pray:

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, You have made the sun to light our day

and the moon and stars to light the night. Help us walk in your light. During this season of Lent,

renew us through the gift of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thank you also to our wonderful School Council that organize many of the fun days at St. Maria Goretti School. Our Shrove Tuesday pan-cake lunch will be on February 28th. Thank you to the parent volun-teers who have already committed to assist by picking up the sup-plies, making the pancakes and serving them. This is an annual event and is always enjoyed by all!

As we begin to plan for next year, please remember to share the message with friends and neighbors about the excellent programs and positive atmosphere that exists at St. Maria Goretti School! We are accepting new registrations for the 2017 – 2018 school year and everyone is invited to our Kindergarten Open House on March 9th at 6:30 pm. We wish you a blessed Lenten journey!

March 2017 Newsletter #7

4214 -127 Ave.

Edmonton, AB T5A 3K6

Ph. 475 - 0158 FAX 478 -8635

www.stmariagoretti.ecsd

St. Maria Goretti Kindergarten Open House

Thursday, March 9th

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

4214 - 127 Avenue

780-475-0158

All are welcome!

Full Day Kindergarten Registrations

We are now accepting Kindergarten registra-

tions for the 2017- 2018 school year. Children

must be 5 years of age on or before March 1, 2018

to register. “Word of mouth” is, without a doubt,

the most effective way to promote our school. We

ask that you spread the good news about our won-

derful school to your friends and neighbours.

Strong Kindergarten programs ensure a bright

future for our school. It’s time to let everyone

know how great a school St. Maria Goretti really

is!

If you know anyone who would be interested in

our open house, please encourage them to call the

school for more information. All prospective fami-

lies who have registered or are wanting to register

their children in our Full Day Kindergarten pro-

gram are invited to attend an open house evening

on Thursday, March 9th, at 6:30 p.m. We look for-

ward to meeting our new families and welcoming

them into our school.

Important Dates in March/April

March 1– Ash Wednesday Celebration

March 2 & 3 – Teachers’ Convention

March 9—Kindergarten Open House

March 10 - Report Cards sent home

March 12—Daylight Savings Time begins

March 13–17– Numeracy Week

March 14—Kids’ Convention

March 16– Demonstration of Learning

1:30-4:00

5:30-7:00

March 13-16– Book Fair

March 17– St. Patrick’s Day

Hot Lunch & Be seen in Green!

March 23-Full Day of Classes—3:15PM

March 23—Confession (AM)

- Spelling Bee Competition (1:15 pm)

March 24 - Half Day—11:54AM

March 27-31—Spring Break (school closed)

April 3 – Classes Resume

April 13 - Last Supper Celebration

April 14– Good Friday—No School

April 16 – Happy Easter!

April 17 - Easter Monday—No School

April 21 – Easter Mass 9:30AM—SJB Church

April 22– Earth Day

April 28– SMG Aboriginal Day &

Kids’ Convention (Hot Lunch)

Scholastic Book Fair

All are invited to the

Scholastic Book Fair from March 13 to March 16th. Thanks to Miss Graham and her parent volunteers for organizing our book fair. The Book Fair will be open during the

regular school day.

Please note that during the Demon-stration of Learning evening, on March 16th, there will be extended hours un-

til 7:30 p.m.

Report Cards and Demonstration of

Learning

Report cards will be distributed to the Grades 1 to 6 students on Friday, March 10th.

Our Demonstration of Learning for all Kin-dergarten to Grade 6 students will take place on Thursday, March 16th. Come and cele-brate your child’s achievements and accom-plishments between 1:30 - 4:00 and 5:30—7:00 p.m. Demonstration of Learning is criti-cal to the home-school partnership, and teachers will be available to meet with par-ents to discuss their child’s progress.

If you are not able to attend the Demon-stration of Learning on this day, please talk to your child’s teacher to schedule another time. We look forward to your active and en-gaged participation.

Keanna B.S.

Zack S.

Al B.

Melinda S.

Brooklyn R.

Aidan W.

Hermela M.

Chan D.W.

Jordan S.

Nicholas C.

Brooklyn R.

Deng L.

Petro O.

Deng A.

Zewdu M.

Zachary L.

Jucuntee F.

Abegail G.

Johanna A.

Austin R.

Brandi L.

Justine T.

Faith K.

Knights of Columbus

Basketball Free Throw

Congratulations to all our students who

participate in the Knights of Columbus Bas-

ketball Free Throw competition. A special

congratulations to Al B. who has made it to

the final round. All the best to you Al at the

upcoming final tournament.

Thanks to Miss Hansma and Mr. Bavaro for

coaching our students.

100 Days of School Fun!

Our grade one students celebrated the

100th day of school on Wednesday, February

8th. To celebrate, the students dressed up

like they were 100 years old.

Students completed various activities and

explored numbers to 100.

Check out the bulletin boards for the

photos taken using the age enhancement

“app.”

REPORT CARD TIPS FOR PARENTS

Attend the school’s Demonstration of Learning nights.

Talk with your child’s teacher throughout the year.

Be aware of classroom projects and test timelines.

Celebrate project completion goals with your child.

Review the report card and comments with your child, when you receive the re-port card.

Celebrate report card success and devel-op a plan with your child for addressing the next steps.

Recognize your child’s achievements, ac-complishments and steps toward im-provement.

February Kids’ Convention at St. Maria Goretti School

Central Theme: Valentine’s Day; celebrate friendship, peace and love.

What do you know about St. Valentine’s Day? How did it all begin?

On Feb. 14th, SMG students participated in Kids’ Convention. Teachers developed various

sessions focused on friendship, peace and love. Students were able to choose from one of the

fifteen sessions.

Sessions Included:

#1: “LOVE” Code: Students explored the Binary Alphabet and used it to create a “LOVE”

code for a family member or friend.

#2: Love Light: Participants were invited to spread some light with their love by creating

their very own jar light.

#7: Paint Your Heart Open: Students explored new painting techniques and each created

their own masterpiece.

#8: Cupid’s Bow & Arrow: Participants developed mini bow and arrows then practiced their

accuracy delivering “love potions.”

#11: For Someone Special: Students explored the history of Valentine’s day and then each

created a flower vase using tissue paper as a gift for someone special.

“I made a special message using letters & numbers. It

was a 10/10 session.—so much fun.” (R.J., Gr. 3B)

“I went to the boat session in Mr. Erdelac .

We made boats and if it floated we got to

eat the candy.” (Serenity, Gr. 3B)

“I went to the gym session. We did many exercises

The best part was getting active.” (Nana, Gr. 6A)

.

KA—Rayn B.

KB— Lela R.

KC—Arianna K.

1A- Keira B.

1B– Zeigan C.

1C– Blake M.

2A– Alyssa P.

2B— Lilah M.W.

2C–Joshua B.

3A- Joshua G.

3B— Brianna M.R.

3/4A—Cecilia A.

4A— Melinda S.

5A– Justin F.

6A– Makenna

Skiing Grades 5 & 6

On February 17th, our Grade 5 and 6 classes went skiing to Sun Ridge Ski Area. Thanks to our Parent Council for sponsoring this wonderful oppor-

tunity for our students!

Read-At-Home Winners

Congratulations to the following students

who are winners of the Read-At-Home pro-

gram for the month of February:

Visitors to the School

Please remember to always check in with the office before visiting throughout the school. Thanks for being so very re-spectful of the learning environment that we work so hard to maintain for the suc-cess of all. Thanks also for volunteering, remem-bering to sign in at the office.

Safety Over Convenience

The safety and security of our students is our first priority. We need your help to ensure that our students arrive and depart from school safely. To this end, we ask you to honor and obey all the city traffic bylaws in regards to parking when dropping off or picking up your children. Double and triple parking is not allowed in front of the school. Please use parking along 127th avenue now that it is a completed road-way. Also, parents, please do not park in the reserved numbered stalls, these are for staff use. As well, the field area is not a road. The field cannot be used for dropping off or pickup. This is a dangerous practice because students are not on the look-out for cars on the field area. The safety of all our students is dependent on everyone’s willing-ness to follow these procedures. We appreciate your support in providing a safe environment for all children.

Attention: Are you missing

some clothing?

Check the Lost & Found Box

Please assist your child to check

for missing clothing and footwear.

Items will be displayed

during Demonstration

of Learning on

March 16th.

C.C.A.T.

The Grade 3 students will be writing the “Canadian Cognitive Abilities Tests” over several days between February 27th and March 1st.

Please make sure that your child comes to school prepared, by ensuring that she/he has had sufficient sleep and a good break-fast.

Upcoming 2nd Annual St. Maria Goretti School Spelling Bee

We are pleased to inform you of our upcoming Spelling Bee competition. All students

in grades 1 to 6 are welcome to participate. Spelling words will be used from a list that

is developmentally appropriate for each grade level. Up to two students will be selected

from each room to represent their class.

Week of March 6th– Practice Spelling List - Each classroom teacher will provide a list

of 20 grade level spelling words.

Week of March 13th – Spelling Test –Teachers will implement the classroom spelling

test to all students.

- The students with the highest score on the spelling test, will move onto the chal-

lenge round. These students may be tested, both written and orally, on a few higher lev-

el words.

- One to two classroom representatives will be selected by Friday, March 17th.

Thursday, March 23rd – Final Competition – At 1:15 p.m. the school will gather in the

gym for the final spelling bee competition. Prizes will be awarded to students who place

1st, 2nd & 3rd.

Good luck and lots of fun to all our participants!