St Elizabeth Seton School Newsletter 10845 Hidden Valley Drive, Calgary, Alberta, T3A 6K3 January 1, 2018

Phone: (403) 500-2105 Fax: (403) 500-2305

Mrs. A. Corah, Principal

Mr. J. Principalli, Vice Principal

Mr. T. Morton, Assistant Principal

Principal Message

Dear St. Elizabeth Seton Families,

Welcome back to school in 2018! I wish everyone a wonderful year ahead. We look forward to exciting learning experiences at St. Elizabeth School. As we proceed into this New Year please know that we continue to encourage open communication between home and school. It is important that you check your child’s agenda regularly, D2L and watch for monthly classroom newsletters. Contact me at the school with any questions, concerns or good news to share. We appreciate your continued support in your child’s educational experience. The cold months will continue for some time to come. Please ensure that your child dresses warmly with outdoor attire, including boots. Students are required to have indoor shoes to wear, especially during these wet months in order to change footwear from boots to shoes when coming in from outdoors. Students do need to wear warm winter clothing such as winter coats, mittens, hats and scarves during the colder days. Please join us at our upcoming School Council meeting on January 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm. Your input is greatly valued and we look forward to discussing with you and sharing information about all that is taking place at school. I look forward to taking this time to reflect upon the wonders of the New Year. Watching your children flourish with the guidance of the fantastic teachers at St. Elizabeth Seton School is a true blessing. While visiting classrooms, I witness students who are engaged and excited about their learning. I am very proud of the students and teachers, and I look forward to more great things in 2018. New Security System

As your child’s safety is paramount, I am pleased to inform you that the school has recently had a new front door

buzzer added for security. Our front doors will remain locked now throughout the day. To gain entry you must press

the daytime bell button. Office staff will then open the front door electronically from the office. You will hear a click

when the office has unlocked the door. You must pull the handle quickly to open, otherwise the door will relock.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding in putting our children’s safety first.

God Bless, Mrs. A. Corah, Principal

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Our Catholic Faith: The Season of Epiphany

The Epiphany event occurred shortly after Jesus was born in Bethlehem and is celebrated by the Catholic Church on January 6 of each year. This day commemorates the day when the Magi, the three kings, came to pay homage to Christ, the King.

According to the Catholic Church the Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world.

The three kings symbolize the acceptance of Jesus as the salvation of the world through the Incarnation.

Their journey to Israel in order to pay homage to Jesus shows that they sought the one who would be king of all nations.

Their coming means that everyone can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world.

Happy New Year to you and your family from the staff at St. Elizabeth Seton!

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There will be a community meeting with representation from Calgary Police Services and the City of Calgary on January 23rd, 2018 at the Community Centre to assist us in finding a solution to the traffic issues. You may also assist us in keeping our students safe by ensuring you are not double parked when dropping off your child. Double parking to drop your child off is against the law because it is very dangerous and we will be reporting license plates to the police in an effort to stop this from happening. Put your child’s safety first over convenience. If you personally witness this activity happening, please report the license plate number to us at the office. We appreciate your attention to this matter. In addition please refrain from blocking driveways or parking on resident driveways. Your cooperation with this is appreciated. Please see the attached parking rules.

Do not park your vehicle:

on a sidewalk or boulevard

on a crosswalk or on any part of a crosswalk

within an intersection other than immediately next to the curb in a “T”

intersection within 1 .5 metres of an access to a garage, private roadway or driveway

alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when the

stopping or parking would obstruct traffic beside other vehicles where you may be double-parked

at any other place where a traffic control device prohibits stopping or

parking, during the times stopping or parking is prohibited

within five metres of any fire hydrant, or when the hydrant is not

located at the curb, within five metres of the point on the curb

nearest the hydrant

within five metres of the near side of a marked crosswalk

Do not make a U-turn unless you can do it safely and without interfering with other traffic.

Outside urban areas U-turns are not permitted on a curve or near

the crest of a hill where the driver of another vehicle cannot see

your vehicle.

U-turns are not permitted in urban areas in the following situations:

On a roadway between intersections.

Where a sign prohibits making a U-turn.

At an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal (traffic lights).

At an alley intersection.

Parking Concerns

Student Safety/Being

a Good Neighbor

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St. Vincent De Paul Hampers and Angel Tree

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Christmas Hampers this year. Delivery of hampers occurred on the 13th and 14th of December. Contributions of gifts, food and time to deliver the hampers have made our Christmas Hamper program a great success this year. St. Elizabeth Seton was able to support twelve families this year from Ascension Parish. Thank you once again for your generosity of time and donations. It is wonderful to see the support that our community gives to one another.

Every child deserves a champion: an adult who never gives up on them and understands the power of connections and insists they become the best they can possibly be” Rita Pierson Students have frequently heard the quote above over the past few months. They are often reminded that all have an adult champion in the school. Students have been encouraged to identify an adult who is a champion for them. In December, each student was encouraged to do something for the champion in their life. Students made a Christmas card or wrote a letter telling their champion why they are their champion. Students were encouraged to highlight the adult’s unique qualities and point out how they positively impacted their life both in and out of the classroom. Each champion received their letters or cards before school ended for Christmas holidays.

Catholic

Community of

Caring

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The Winter Concert will take place on Thursday, January 18, 2017 at 7 p.m lead by Ms. Phillips. The concert will feature the Grade 7, 8 and 9 bands performing standard concert repertoire, movie themes and big band jazz. Come join us for an evening of musical learning and exploration!

We are currently in the midst of rehearsing in preparation for the school main stage performance of Hoodie, a vignette style one act play written by Lindsay Price. You are invited to view the Junior High presentation of Hoodie on February 8th, 2018 for an evening showing at 7:00PM. The performance will be held in the gymnasium at St. Elizabeth Seton School. This particular piece calls into question what it is like to navigate through adolescence and in turn, the recognition of how we see ourselves and how others perceive us. What are the social masks we wear? What lengths would one go to, to fit in or stand out among the crowd? On behalf of myself and our wonderful cast and crew, we look forward to having you in the audience during our performance in February. Ms. A Iandolo Drama Teacher

Junior High

Drama Production

Junior High

Band Concert

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A very enthusiastic group of junior high students meet after school every Thursday to puzzle over math problems, and investigate new math ideas and tools. So far we have looked at the statistics of bottle flipping, dissected a globe, made tessellations, done logic puzzles, learned to play Nim, and made and learned to use soroban abaci (an abacus that has 4 and 1 beads in each column). Plans for the New Year include building 3-D models from paper and looking at fractals, as well as planning Pi Day celebrations and prepping for the Gauss competition. Students are welcome to join any time just by coming to a meeting. The club runs from 2:55 pm until about 3:45 either in Mrs. Joevenazzo’s room or Miss Wasik’s room

Dear Parents of Grade 9 Students:

The upcoming months mark an important time in your child’s educational life. Grade 9 students will be faced with numerous choices as they decide which high school to go to and which courses to select. THE HIGH SCHOOLS WILL BE OFFERING INFORMATION NIGHTS IN FEBRUARY. I suggest you and your child attend these presentations in order to choose the high school that best meets their needs. Dates and times for High School Information Nights:

Notre Dame

● General Open House Evening

Wednesday, February 7, 2018 @ 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Bishop Carroll

● Open House

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 @ 9:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

St. Mary’s (I.B. Students only)

● International Baccalaureate Program

● Shadow Day and Open House

Wednesday, February 7, 2018 @ 7:00-9:00 pm

St. Elizabeth Seton

Math Club

Junior High

Counsellor’s Corner

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Grade 9 students will receive a helpful booklet produced by our school board entitled “Footprints to Your Future” in January. This book will serve as a guideline for requirements of marks needed to enter the various streams of courses being offered at the high school. It is extremely important for parents and students to adhere to the boundaries for given high schools. Any questions, please contact Mrs. Manchester. The registration process will begin late in January and continue through February. I will be working with the students and teachers to draft their registrations, with a final copy being sent home for your review and signature. The final registration will be done, on-line, in March. This will be done at the school. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the school 403-500-2105. Best regards, Charlotte Manchester Counsellor

The season is upon us! Our regular season schedule for basketball begins on the 9th of January and Playoffs will be from February 12th – 28th. Congratulations to both Senior Boys and Senior Girls for making the team. St. Elizabeth Seton is proud of all individuals who worked so hard during tryouts! Junior teams will be selected the first week after the holiday break. We are looking forward to an excellent season full of hard work, leadership and skills development. GO STINGS GO! Coaches: Senior Boys: John Tramble Senior Girls: Lana Iwanski Junior Boys: Evan Parr Junior Girls: Brooke Kuntz

Congratulations to the 2017 St. Elizabeth Seton Wrestling team! Our wrestlers won all 3 Tier 1 Banners: Boys, Girls and Aggregate. Our school had 78 wrestlers participate at the city championships this year. The Seton Wrestling Coaches are very proud of our athletes. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, it was an amazing season. Wrestling coaches for Grades 7, 8 and 9 Mr. Lee, Mrs. Porcu, Ms. Labute & Mr. Parr

Wrestling

Basketball

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We are now accepting Kindergarten registrations for our 2018 - 2019

school year. Please bring your child’s Government Issued Birth Certificate

when you register. You will also need proof of address and a Catholic

Sacrament Certificate (parent or child). Copies of these documents can be

made at the school while you fill out the registration form.

To register, children must be five years old on or before March 1 of the upcoming school year.

This means, in order for a child to be eligible to enter kindergarten in September 2017 he or

she must turn five on or before March 1, 2013.

There will be an information meeting for parents of special needs interested in registering their children with our district. The meeting is scheduled for January 17, 2018 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at St. Leo.

Students are to gather and then enter at the entrance they have been assigned by their teachers. Entry through the main office doors is reserved for visitors and deliveries. Students are only to enter via these main doors only when they are late and need a late slip to gain entry into class.

Please do not drop students off at school before 8:10am, as there is no adult supervision prior to this time.

If your child has a Life-Threatening Allergy, please make sure that you have a current Severe Allergy Alert Form on file in the office. These forms were included in your starting package but are also available from the office. If anything changes with your child’s allergy, please ensure that the forms are updated immediately. The location of your child’s Epipen needs to be known to all staff who may encounter your child. Your child must carry an Epipen with him/her at all times or have it readily available (i.e., in the same room in a location known to the teacher). A second Epipen can be stored in the office. The child’s locker is not a suitable place to store an Epipen.

2017- 2018

Bell Times

Elementary Bell Times

AM Entry Bell.................................8:20

Instruction Begins............................8:26 Recess ..........................................10:07 – 10:22 Lunch Recess .............................11:45 PM Entry Bell ..............................12:33 PM Instruction Begins...................12:39 Dismissal ......................................2:51

Junior High Bell Times

AM Entry Bell ................................8:20 Late Bell.........................................8:26 Instruction Begins............................8:33 Lunch Recess .............................11:45 PM Entry Bell ..............................12:25 PM Instruction Begins...................12:29 Dismissal ......................................2:51

School Hours

Time Schedule

Severe Allergies

Kindergarten

Registration

St. Elizabeth Seton Page 9

The Calgary Catholic School District has established safety procedures for its schools and parents are expected to do their part to ensure the safety of the school. There are visitor and volunteer sign in books at the main office for volunteers and all visitors to the school. In the interests of safety, please do not come into the school and go to a classroom without checking in at the office first. If you are waiting for a child at lunch or after school, you may wait at the office, ensuring that you have checked in with our office staff.

Please watch for our school patrollers who volunteer their time to ensure students are crossing safely in the marked crosswalk across Hidden Valley Drive. Patrollers have been trained to obey traffic laws and have been instructed by Calgary Parking Authority to report vehicles that disobey traffic laws within the school zone and endangering the safety of our students.

Parking in school lots is reserved for school staff and other District personnel throughout the school day. Drivers have been accessing the lot to drop off students each morning and afternoon, placing students and other pedestrians in danger. Those who choose to continue to disobey our request and place our students and other members of the public in danger will be reported to the authorities, resulting in a fine in some cases.

Elementary busing ‐ Prior to going outside in the mornings, please call 403‐531‐3900 to check if

your bus is delayed.

Safety is a

Number 1 Priority

School Patrollers

NO Parent Parking

available in Parking Lots

Where's the Bus?

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Please continue to check D2L for news, content and other features. Parents and Students you may see these symbols in D2L.

1. The default dash (-) indicates that the assignment has not yet been assigned/collected/graded.

2. A zero and a comment of 'not yet submitted' means that the assignment was not submitted on time and is weighted at a zero until such time as it is submitted and graded. This includes work not completed due to vacations and other unexcused absences.

3. A dash (-) with a comment (e.g 'see me to schedule a time to write your quiz') will be used for a student who was absent for an excused reason (sick, attending a family emergency, etc.) and needs to see the teacher to arrange a time to get caught up - this does not count toward the cumulative average until the assignment/quiz is completed. It can be changed to a zero if a student does not get caught up in a reasonable amount of time.

School Council Meeting Tuesday, January 9th @ 6:30pm In the Learning Commons and Childcare is provided School Council is made up of parents whose children attend St. Elizabeth Seton. Members of Council serve as representatives for the rest of the parent population. School Council is open to any parent of students in our school. Council represents the general parent body, provides advice to school administration and assists in enriching the school experience for our students. All members of School Council are busy people who volunteer their time to the benefit of all students at St. Elizabeth Seton. Please consider giving some of your time to help our students. Thank you.

D2L News for Junior

High Parents

School Council

Involvement

Important to St.

Elizabeth Seton

Community

St. Elizabeth Seton Page 11

JANUARY 2018 SUN MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

8 Day 1 School Re-opens 8:00 am Gr. 5 vaccinations Fun Lunch - Edo

9 Day 2 School Council Meeting

6:30 p.m.

10 Day 3 Feast Day Liturgy 1-2:00 p.m.

11 Day 4 Basketball Tournament

12 Day 5 Pizza Day Basketball Tournament

13

14

15 Day 6 12:30-1:30p.m. Choices Injury Prevention Program

16 Day 1 17 Day 2 18 Day 3 Band Concert 7:00 p.m.

19 Day 4 Pizza Day

20

21

22 Day 5 Fun Lunch - Booster Juice

23 Day 6

24 Day 1

25 Day 2 Pizza Day

26

Professional Day No Classes

27

28

29 Day 3 Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming Lessons

30 Day 4 Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming Lessons

31 Day 5 Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming Lessons

FEBRUARY 2018 SUN MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT

1 Day 6 Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming Lessons

2 Day 1 Pizza Day Gr. 3 & 4 Swimming Lessons

3

4

5 Day 2 Fun Lunch -McDonalds

6 Day 3

7 Day 4

8 Day 5 7:00 pm Drama Production-“Hoodie”

9 Day 6 Pizza Day

10

11

12 Day 1 13 Day 2 Shrove Tuesday

14 Day 3 Pizza Day 10:30am Ash Wednesday Liturgy

15 Teacher's Convention

No School

16 Teacher's Convention

No School

17

18

19

Family Day No School

20 Day 4 Fun Lunch – Arby’s

21 Day 5

22 Day 6

23 Day 1 Pizza Day Evergreen Production K-6 9-10am

24

25

26 Day 2

27 Day 3

28 Day 4