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OPEN HOUSE is on Wed., March 11th at 7:00 p.m.…

Tell your family and friends about our school and invite

them to our Open House for 100 Voices and Kindergarten!

Dear Parents, Staff, and Students:

February is a short but busy month! We begin with Faith

Development Day on February 3rd when schools are closed

for students. On this day, all Edmonton Catholic Schools

staff members meet at the Shaw Conference Centre for a

day of prayer, faith development and a celebration of the

Holy Eucharist in mass.

Family Day, February 16th, is a great time to spend with our

loved ones. Please be reminded that Teachers’ Convention

is on February 26th and 27th and schools are closed.

We are such a great, progressive school and the children

are learning so much every single day. We will begin to focus

on Habit #3 of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. This habit is Put

First Things First.

The most important part of February is that we begin our

40 day Lenten Journey with Ash Wednesday on February

18th. Everyone is invited to come and receive ashes. Our

celebration begins at 9:00 a.m. at St Theresa Church.

We thank all of you, our parents/guardians, for your

wonderful co-operation, involvement and support as we

continue to love God and serve Him in one another.

Many Blessings,

Mrs. Kathy Sosnowski, Principal

Mr. Ray Rouleau, Assistant Principal

February Newsletter, 2015

February and March Events

February and March Events 2

Late Arrivals

New Activities & Programs 3

Accountability Survey 4 Superintendent’s Message Archbishop Smith’s Message Who Was St. Valentine?

Mill Woods Family Resource Centre 5

Family Day Winter Festival 6 C.O.W Bus Seven Habits of Happy Kids Calendar 7

A Lenten Prayer – The Prayer of

Saint Ephrem

O Lord and Master of my life, keep me

from the spirit of indifference and

discouragement, lust of power and idle

chatter.

Instead, grant to me, your servant, the

spirit of wholeness of being,

humble-mindedness, patience and love.

O Lord and King, grant me the grace to

be aware of my sins and not to judge my

sisters and brothers,

For You are blessed, now and for ever

and ever. Amen.

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National Flag of Canada Day - 50th Anniversary Event Our grade 5 class has received a special invitation from the Honourable Donald S. Ethell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, to attend the National Flag of Canada Day event at Government House on Friday, February 13th. We are the only school in our district that was chosen to attend! What an honor for our students!

Lunar New Year ... Thursday, February 19

Many countries in Southeast Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year, including China, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and others. 2015 is the year of the goat. For people born in the year of the goat (1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003), 2015 is considered an auspicious year. "Goats" are said to like to be in groups. They are honest, intimate, and can be easily moved by the misfortune of others...

We wish all families of Asian descent a very Happy New Year!!!!

See the calendar on page 6 for all other February events

Late Arrivals ... This is another reminder of the importance of having the children arrive at school on time. School

begins at 8:20 a.m. The children who are late on a daily basis miss valuable learning time. Punctuality is a life skill that we are trying to teach the children as they will need to be punctual as

adults in the work force. It seems a long way off but good habits start young and make your child successful. Thank you to all those who are able to get the children to school on time! Your

support is greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Dates for March

March 04th Zumba p.m.

March 11th Bees Presentation for Gr. 1 & 2

100 Voices and Kindergarten Open House @ 7:00 p.m.

March 16th Report Cards Sent Home

March 17th St. Patrick’s Day Wear Green

March 19th Demonstration of Learning/Parent Teacher Conferences for all classes.

1:00 – 4:00 & 5:00 – 8:00

March 23rd SAC Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

March 24th Zumba p.m.

March 26th Switch Days and Follow Friday’s Schedule for all programs/100 V attend

March 27th Half Day Friday for Grade 1 – 6, Kindergarten attends Thurs & Fri. / No 100 Voices

March 28th April 07th Spring Break, NO SCHOOL

April 06th Easter Monday NO SCHOOL

TUESDAY April 07th - School Resumes after Spring Break

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New Activities & Programs

St. Richard Clubs

We have a number of noon hour/after school clubs for the students this year...

1. Numero Club - Mrs. Savrtka

2. Art Club - Mrs. Savrtka and Ms. Steynen

3. Running Club – Ms. Francoeur and Mr. Conroy (grandfather of one of our students)

4. Knights of Columbus Basketball Free Throw - Mrs. Sosnowski and Mr. Rouleau

We would like to say a heartfelt “Thank You!” to all of the above teachers who give of their noon hours, after school hours and weekends to provide rich extra-curricular activities for our students.

Junior Achievement is a program for our grade 3- 6 students. Each class partners up with a representative of a business in our community who is invited to speak to the children. The mission of this program is to

inspire and educate young Canadians to experience free enterprise, understand business and economics and develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

The Junior Achievement’s unique programs allow students to experience and understand business, preparing them for leadership. They enable young people to gain financial responsibility, make confident decisions and become innovators. Each grade has a different theme that requires 4 - 5 hours to complete. The visits are done over a period of time.

Gr. 3 Our Community: Needs Jobs, Tools

Students explore how their needs and wants are met through various jobs in the community, as well as learning about important tools used in various occupations. A hands-on exploration of the money circle links how jobs and tools meet our needs.

Gr. 4 Technology & Innovation

Explains the impact technology and Canadian inventors have on business and societies around the world. Explores industrial changes due to technology and what might be in store for the future. Technology and Innovation engages elementary students in activities to define new ideas for business and society by learning about our technological past and present.

Gr. 5 Our Business World

Introduces the business world by focusing on the basic free enterprise conceptions of operations, management, manufacturing and marketing. Creating an environment where small groups of students manage large expectations, our Business World gives elementary students experience of making big decisions in different areas of a small operation.

Gr. 6 A Business of Our Own

Building on previous learning and concepts, the opportunity is now in the hands of the students to apply their knowledge gleaned from other JA Program to operate their own retail business. Students create, organize and run their own business for a day and see what challenges and successes come from working as a group towards a common goal.

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Accountability Pillar Survey

As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta

Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success. The Accountability Pillar

uses a set of 16 indicators consisting of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of quality;

student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates; and provincial assessments of student learning.

From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey.

In January, parents of students in grades 4 should have received a survey from Alberta Education. In February,

students in grades 4 - 6 and all teachers at St. Richard will be completing their surveys online at school.

All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with the school. In addition to English and French,

the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Cree, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu. Your

participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving, so

we encourage you to return your survey promptly. Survey results will be available to school authorities in May

2015, and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports.

Newsletter Links Superintendent’s Message

Message from Richard W. Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton

Who Was St. Valentine?

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. [Additional evidence that Valentine was a real person: archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine.] Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under

Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death.

Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."

St. Valentine was a Priest, martyred in 269 at Rome and was buried on the Flaminian Way. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.

Taken from: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

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7 Habits of Happy Kids - The Leader in Me

To date, we have been learning about these habits...

Habit 1: Be Proactive You're in Charge I am a responsible

person. I take initiative. I choose my actions,

attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my

wrong actions. I do the right thing without being

asked, even when no one is looking.

Habit 2 — Begin with the End in Mind Have a Plan I plan

ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning

and make a difference. I am an important part of my

classroom and contribute to my school’s mission and

vision. I look for ways to be a good citizen. Students are

writing their own mission statements about how they want to

be the best they can be at school, at home and in the

community.

Habit 3 — Put First Things First Work First, Then Play I

spend my time on things that are most important. This

means I say no to things I know I should not do. I am

learning to set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Groundhog Day

Div. II Art Club

12:20 Every Mon.

3

Staff Faith Day

NO SCHOOL

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Numero Club

12:20 Every Wed.

5 6 Running Club

12:00

Numero Club 12:20

Every Fri.

7 Knights of

Columbus

Basketball Free

Throw 9:00 a.m.

St. Elizabeth (9-14

year olds)

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Acts of Kindness

Week

9 100th Day of

School

Zumba 1:00

10 Div. II Art Club

12:20

Running Club

3:00 - 3:45

Gr. 6 Junior

Achievement 2:00

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12 13 Wear Red Day

Gr. 5 Gov’t House

Flag Ceremony

Running Club

12:00

Valentine Activities

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St. Valentine’s

Day

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16

NO SCHOOL

Family Day

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Shrove Tuesday

Running Club

3:00 - 3:45

Gr. 6 Junior

Achievement 2:00

18 Ash Wed. 9:00

@ St. Theresa

Church

Running Club @

Butterdome

1:50 - 4:10

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Lunar New Year

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SAC Meeting

7:00 p.m.

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Gr. 5 B’s Diner

9:00

Gr. 6 Junior

Achievement 2:00

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26 - 27

Teachers’ Convention

NO SCHOOL

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February 2015