St. Martha School JANUARY NEWSLETTER (403)

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1 St. Martha School JANUARY NEWSLETTER (403) Happy New Year! We hope you had a joyful and meaningful Christmas holiday with your family and friends. December was a short, but busy month! - JH Drama Club performances of A Christmas Carol - Grandparents program Christmas caroling - JH Basketball tryouts & teams selected - Gr. 2 Science expert presentation - Gr. 6 Calgary Flames Hockey Scholar field trip - Gr. 7 Journey 2050 Field Trip - Gr. 7 Money Mentors presentations - Gr. 9 Father Lacombe Dance Performance / Bishop Carroll information field trips - Gr. 2 / Gr. 6 Sports Hall of Fame field trip - Feliz Navidad evening with Spanish Families - Community Christmas card delivery - PJ day & CCC buddy activity - Advent Liturgy - Elementary Christmas Fine Arts Night: Thank you to all the family and friends who joined us in December for our spectacular Fine Arts presentations! Congratulations to Mr. West, Ms. Joachim, and all the teachers, staff and students who helped to make this event spectacular! Our 1 st Annual Christmas Bazaar held on Saturday Dec. 12 th was a huge success. The final numbers are not yet in, but this event raised around $2000 that will be used toward student online educational memberships like Mathletics, Reading A-Z, and/or BrainPop. Thanks so much to our School Council parents & volunteers for organizing and running this event! Your ongoing partnership & support is very appreciated! In January, we welcome Mrs. Vertontaye, our new Assistant Principal and congratulate Mr. Kingston on his appointment to Vice-Principal at St. Sebastian School. We also welcome Mrs. Taylor & Mrs. Gauthier as Lunch Room Assistants. Welcome back to Mrs. Morel (Gr. 6). Our return to school signals the time for continued growth and learning in our Catholic faith. We encourage all students to focus on doing their best at all times, and thank parents for your continued guidance and support. Blessings, Lynn Leslie, Principal Sean Parenteau, Vice-Principal Jennifer Verontaye, Assistant Principal *This newsletter is now being sent home only via . In an attempt to reduce our paper use, limited paper copies of the newsletter are available at the office. You may access a copy of the newsletter from our website.

2 IMPORTANT DATES GRADE 9 PHOTOS School re-opens January 4 Gr. 6 You Matter January 7 Gr. 9 Next Steps Photos January 8 9A SAIT Career Field Trip January 18 Parent/Trustee Meeting January 19 Father Lacombe Orientation 9 am 1 pm Father Lacombe Open House 6:30 8:00 pm Professional Development Day January 21 January 21 January 22 Gr. 9 In House Career Day January 25 Gr. 9 Vaccinations January 28 John Dunn February 2 Parent/School Council 6:00 pm February 2 Jr. High Term 1 Concert February 3 Shrove Tuesday February 9 Ash Wednesday Liturgy 11:00 am Teachers Convention Family Day Professional Development February 10 February 11 & 12 February 15 February 16 Gr. 6 TPet February 17 Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming AM February PARENT COUNCIL Our next Parent School Council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 6:00 pm. We encourage parents to join us. On Friday January 8, 2016, grade 9 students at St. Martha School will be given the opportunity to have farewell photos taken with our Next Steps program. The photographer will take 2 different casual photos of each student and you will receive your proof envelope in two weeks. Some of the photos may be ¾ length, so please ensure to dress your best! Purchase of a picture package is optional. An 11x14 copy of the entire Grade 9 Farewell Class Next Steps portraits will also be available for each grade 9 to purchase. Please note there are no retakes offered for this program at the school. There will be an opportunity to have your picture taken in our Calgary Lifetouch studio if you miss the school photo date. If you do not have a Next Steps photo taken, your fall portrait will appear on the farewell composite. If you have any further questions about this program, please contact the Calgary Lifetouch office at CHRISTMAS HAMPERS Thanks to everyone who contributed in our St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers! Because of your generosity, six families had a bit of a brighter Christmas this year! 2

3 VACATION SCHEDULING An increasing number of families are scheduling vacations or student activities during school days. Any student that is absent due to vacation or non-school activity during school days is recorded as having an unexcused absence in the student s permanent record. Teachers are not responsible for assigning homework prior to the student s absence. Students will be held responsible for catching up on the work they have missed upon their return to school. Students must take a vacation form home to be completed and signed by their parents. STUDENT ENTRY DOORS Students and parents are reminded that students must enter and exit the building through their appropriately supervised entrances. Jr. High students enter and exit at the north end of the building and Elementary students at the doors nearest to the playground equipment. Please leave the front doors as entry doors for our students with special needs, visitors and various delivery and service people who help to maintain the school. An exception to this rule is that students who are late will be allowed access to the front door only after the entry bell for the start of class has rung, 8:35 AM. Thank you. MUSIC PROGRAM NEWS COLD WEATHER AND SUPERVISION Parents are reminded that supervision begins at 8:15 AM and ends after school at 3:15 PM. Please make arrangements that your children do not arrive at school before 8:15 AM or do not remain at school after 3:15 PM as there is no supervision. The only exceptions to this expectation are for students who have pre-arranged extra help with a teacher or are practicing for a sporting, musical or drama group or are responsible for school patrols. The school will not be open to students for indoor supervision until the temperature drops below -18 o C. Please ensure that your children arrive at school suitably dressed for inclement weather. Thank you for your cooperation. The first junior high (Grade 7-9) band concert of the year (with special guests: elementary handbell ensemble!) is Wednesday February 3rd at 6:30pm. Music students will meet Mr. West in the music room at 6:15pm. Please do not arrive prior to this time as there will be no supervision beforehand. Concert attire is: black pants/bottom, plain white collared dress shirt. Band Workshop Grade 8 and 9 students will attend our winter workshop on Saturday January 23rd from 8:45am-2:30pm to prepare for our concert. Pizza lunch is provided! Please see the letter that went home in class from Mr. West for more information. 3

4 COUNSELLORS CORNER FATHER LACOMBE Happy New Year! A new year is upon us bringing with it many challenges and opportunities for students. For our grade nine students the high school registration process begins in January. On January 21 grade nine students from St. Martha School will be attending the Father Lacombe orientation session. This field trip will introduce students to the many courses available at high school as well as providing valuable registration information. This is a mandatory field trip for all grade nine students at St. Martha. On the evening of January 21, 2016 parents are invited to attend the open house at Father Lacombe. The open house runs from 6:30 pm -8:00 pm. For more information contact Father Lacombe school directly at The transition from junior high to senior high school can be overwhelming. Students need to understand that their grades, courses, and work habits all play a role in preparing for high school. Our teachers work diligently to help your child make the transition successfully. As parents you have an important role to play in helping your child plan their future. Parents can: Become actively involved in the high school registration process with their child. Encourage your child to do their best in all their classes. Assist your child in developing study skills and use them regularly. Encourage your child to come to school regularly. Encourage them to complete homework. Explore careers and options. Encourage your child to speak with the school counselor. As school counselor it is my goal to help every student be the best student they can be. This includes working directly with students as well as working with families and staff. Please contact me at St. Martha School if you have any questions or concerns about the high school registration process. Norma Denney School Counselor, St. Martha School Our Grade 9 students will travel to Father Lacombe to familiarize themselves with the building and high school on the morning of January 21, Father Lacombe will be hosting an Open House on Thursday, January 21, 2016 from 6:00 pm 8:30 pm. All grade nine students with their parents are encouraged to attend. ALLERJECT RECALL UPDATE As a reminder, Sanofi Canada voluntarily recalled all Allerject devices as they were found to potentially have inaccurate dosage delivery. If a patient who is experiencing a serious allergic reaction (i.e., anaphylaxis) did not receive the intended dose, there could be significant health consequences, including death because anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition. Sanofi Canada is now notifying the public of the following updates: Canadian customers are instructed to immediately return all Allerject devices to their local pharmacy. All Allerject epinephrine auto-injectors returned by patients to their pharmacist with an expiry date between October 2015 and December 2016 inclusively continue to be eligible for an alternate auto-injector replacement at no cost to the patient. Previous recommendations to limit the number of devices that can be replaced for an alternate auto-injector are now removed as a result of the announcement that supply of the alternative product is sufficient to satisfy the demand. 4

5 St. Martha January 2016 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 New Years Day DAY 5 Classes Begin 5 DAY 5 6 DAY 1 7 DAY 2 Gr. 6 You Matter 8 DAY 3 Gr. 9 Next Step Photo Day DAY 4 12 DAY 5 13 DAY 6 14 DAY 1 15 DAY DAY 3 9A SAIT Career Field Trip 19 DAY 4 Parent/Trustee Meeting 7:00 pm 20 DAY 5 21 DAY 6 Gr. 9 Father Lacombe Orientation 9am 1 pm 22 Professional Day DAY 1 Gr. 9 In House Career Day Father Lacombe Open House 6:30 pm 8:00 pm 26 DAY 2 27 DAY 3 28 DAY 4 Gr. 9 Vaccinations 29 DAY 5 Start of Semester II

6 St. Martha February 2016 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 DAY 6 2 DAY 1 John Dunn School Council 6pm 3 DAY 2 Jr. High Term 1 Concert 6:30 pm 4 DAY 3 5 DAY DAY 5 9 DAY 6 Shrove Tuesday 10 DAY 1 Ash Wednesday Liturgy 11 am 11 Teachers' Convention NO CLASSES 12 Teachers' Convention NO CLASSES Family Day NO CLASSES 16 Professional Day 17 DAY 2 Gr. 6 TPet 18 DAY 3 19 DAY DAY 5 23 DAY 6 24 DAY 1 25 DAY 2 26 DAY DAY 4 6